Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Draco Malfoy found himself, three years after the war ended, a year after his house arrest and probation ended - at home in the middle of the night, his best friend in front of him blubbering like a firstie, silently gawking at said bestfriend.

“She needs you, Draco. I need you. I know it’s not ideal, I know it’s crazy, but it’s a matter of life and death. Please, Draco.”

Draco Malfoy, scion of two ancient and noble houses of Magical Britain, the purest of the pure and Prince of Slytherin could not understand his best mate’s words past his first frantic, “Hermione needs you” when said best friend first stepped through Draco’s floo at the dead of the night on a balmy September morning.

That Hermione Granger needed him, specifically, was not something Draco Malfoy thought he would ever hear in this lifetime. Maybe not even the next.

Bare foot and bare chested, the tall pale man regarded his harried looking mate and asked, “Can you slow down? I don’t understand half of what you are saying Theo!”

Conjuring two glasses and accio-ing his best fire whiskey from the side bar of his floo room, Draco filled the glasses and gestured for Theodore Nott to sit across from him.

Theo took a healthy swig of said liquor that was given and then took a deep breath.

“Hermione Granger is my sister.” He began, “No, don’t interrupt or I won’t be able to get it all out right again.” He said as Draco tried to question him.

“She’s been in Australia all this time you know? After your trials, she fled there to restore her parents’ memories. Fuck. She obliviated them Draco! At 17, she was forced to obliviate the Grangers in fear of what our parents - of what Voldemort - would do to them!”

“Fuck”

Theo nodded somberly. “Just so. Only thing was, when she got there, their brains were beginning to melt. Her obliviation was interacting with a previous memory charm on them. Fuck. Took her a while and almost all of her savings and reparations from the war to get them better. By the time they got better, they remembered everything - including being told they can never have a child.”

Draco only stared, already guessing where this was going.

“So Hermione was frantic, or as Potter tells it, fuck she didn’t know what to do, so of course she called on her two side kicks.”

Draco snorted and Theo let out an unpleasant huff.

“Right. So they tried to question them but the Granger’s memories of Hermione were gone. As if it wasn’t even there in the first place. So Hermione did what she thought was best, the Grangers went back to their own lives, oblivious of having raised a daughter and thinking they were only in Australia for vacation. Meanwhile my sister was fucking losing her mind and the ginger prat decided to take advantage. Of course she doesn’t see it, but it’s so obvious Draco! She was inconsolable! Her whole life, the whole reason she fought in the war was just turned upside down and what does the Weasel do? He gets her knocked up and leaves when he finds out! He just ups and leaves! And then of course the savior of Wizardom had the bright idea of going after the ginger scum, leaving Hermione alone, petrified and pregnant! Who does that?”

Theo was visibly shaking in rage, and Draco wasn’t far off. He was in house arrest, he wasn’t there for her and she got hurt. It was his fault for not being there, he should have been there, even from a far like in school, watching out for her even if she didn’t know. Like the time he was in the inquisitorial squad with Umbridge, protecting Hermione Granger without her knowledge.

Theo interrupted his self flagellation by continuing, “So she did what she knows best, she researched. She found a way to find out her heritage. It was a nifty spell too. Fuck. Smart as she was, she did, but she didn’t try to find me, not right away. By what she tells me, she couldn’t come to terms that her own father was a Death Eater. Fucking hell, Draco! He was there, you know? Our father dueled her in the Department of Mysteries in fifth year! Merlin!”

“Shite”

“Exactly! So she sat on that information for months, only telling the two twats when they came back, just in time for her to give birth. I have half the mind to tell her they shouldn’t have even bothered. And guess what the ginger menace did when he found out?”

Theo glared at the fire, unseeing. Draco had a pretty good guess how Ronald Weasley reacted. It was how he reacted to everything he did not like, with fire and righteous indignation as if he was the only one right in the world, and everyone was wrong and evil.

“He called her a Death Eater’s spawn and then denied his child, his own child, Draco! Said he couldn’t bear to be the father of a Death Eater’s grandchild! Thankfully, for once, the Bespectacled Git aka Harry Potter the Chosen One chose that time to stand up for the girl who was there for him his entire miserable life, and kicked the ginger git to the curb. Finally.”

At this point, Draco couldn’t care less about the dumb duo, wanting to get to the point of Hermione needing him. Did she need funds? But she’s rich, the Nott’s were only third to the Malfoys and Blacks in terms of wealth and Theo was generous to a fault. Was she sick? Why is Theo here then, he could easily send for the best healers in the world from wherever Hermione and the child are. No, Draco was missing something.

“What exactly do you need from me, Theo? Do you need help burying the Weasel’s body?”

“No, I’m getting there, hold on. I just found out what needs to be done in the last forty eight hours okay? I’m also still processing and I think my body is still on Australian time and well, fuck it, my niece is dying.”

“WHAT?”

“Yeah, exactly, so let me get the rest of the story out so I can tell you, alright?”

Draco slumped in the huge armchair he was sitting on, glass of firewhiskey dropped and forgotten already since Theo started his tale. If Theo was like this, he couldn’t even imagine how Hermione was. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

“Right, so, the ginger git left. Again. The Chosen One needed to come back to Britain on Auror business and Hermione decided she would stay in Australia with her daughter. She couldn’t face everyone. The press, the Weasleys, me. She told me she could only handle one crisis at a time and so she did. She focused on the most important thing, which was her daughter, Lira. Everything was going great or as great as it is with no job and dwindling funds, until about 6 months ago, on Lira’s first birthday. All of a sudden she got sick. No muggle doctor or magical healer could determine what exactly was wrong, she was growing thin, pale and would cough up blood from time to time. Hermione’s funds were already low from taking care of the Grangers, but I guess Potter came through with the funding. Rightfully so, if you ask me. He would be dead if it wasn’t for my sister. It took a Shaman from the wilds of the Australian Outback to determine that it was a blood curse. A generational blood curse at that.”

“Salazar.” Draco’s mind was spinning. It was Astoria all over again. He had refused to marry the witch his parents chose for him when she told him that she had a familial blood curse that would kill her the moment she gave birth. She couldn’t do that to the witch, though he barely knew her as his friend Daphne’s little sister. Was it the same curse then? Why was Hermione’s child affected and not her?

“She didn’t think it was a Nott curse at first, of course she didn’t, she barely acknowledged that she was a Nott. The Weasleys denied any curse on their line, neither the Prewetts nor the Rosiers either. Hermione tells me Molly Weasley herself came and helped for a month or so. So it wasn’t from the git’s side. That’s when she sent for me. It took her a while to get the courage to tell me about herself in a letter. I got to Australia as fast as I could, bringing what dark tomes from Nott Hall I could smuggle to help. Merlin, Draco. She’s so tiny. Lira is so tiny and she’s so sick. And it’s our fault. Our family’s fault. It was a blood curse dating back hundreds of years. Took Hermione and I a few weeks to determine it. Even I have never heard of it.”

Theo was really agitated now, standing up and started pacing, dragging his hands thru his short brown hair.

“Gods Draco, we need you. It’s a curse that prohibits a Nott from parenting a bastard. Lira will die on her second birthday if she is not legalized.”

“What exactly are you asking of me, Theo?”

“You need to marry Hermione and do a full blood adoption on Lira so she becomes a Malfoy.”

Draco didn’t think he heard his friend right. Him? Marry Hermione Granger? Hermione Nott? What? He could only stare wide eyed at his friend as his brain refused to function. It was all he ever dreamed of since third year to be honest, yes, but also, what??

“Look, it’s not ideal. I know that. But she’s not a mudblood, not really -“

“Hold on there Theo, you know I never really believed that, I just had to play a role, just like my parents did.”

“Right. Right. I knew that. I know that. It’s just. This is mental. My ancestors thought it best to create a curse that would kill an innocent child if any Nott had a child out of wedlock to a Pureblood. It has to be a pureblood! Or else the child dies! My niece dies! Salazar, Merlin and Morgana, what kind of twisted family do I have?”

“The Weasleys are pureblood.” Draco chose not to comment on Theo’s family. He had several family members who were dark and twisted as well, he had no right to judge.

Theo pinned him with a look. “You think my sister deserves that arsehole for a husband? A blood bound husband? The fucker already left her twice! And Potter informs me it’s not even the first or second time he’s done it! The oaf actually left Hermione and Potter while on the hunt for Horcruxes! While snatchers were looking for them! Fuck! He up and left, Draco! Do you think my sister and my niece deserves a man like that?”

Draco stayed silent as Theo fumed. In his head he listed all the dark curses and hexes that his deranged aunt has ever taught him. Hell, the way he feels right now, he might just go muggle and kill the bastard with his bare hands.

“I only just got my sister back, Draco! I didn’t even know I had a sister, we haven’t even talked about it, we needed to know about the curse! I am not even sure what kind of brother I am, but I am sure as hell not the kind that would force her to bind herself to an arsehole like Ronald Weasley, not when I know of someone more decent and honorable.”

“You think I’m decent and honorable, Theo? I was a Death Eater remember?”

“Oh, we all know you didn’t want that. Even Hermione and Potter know. The whole world knows and they made sure of it too! They stood up for you and Narcissa at your trial, didn’t they?”

Theo turned and pinned Draco with a hard look, a look Draco had never seen on his friend’s face before. Theo was all things bright and shiny. Sometimes dramatic, downright Shakespearean really. Even with shitty upbringing and war and torture, Theo was eternally positive. Seeing such a hard and serious look on his face shook Draco to his core.

“There is no one in this world I would trust more with my sister or my niece than you, Draco. You know I trust you with my life. You are my brother. You are family. Now we just need to formalize it to save my niece’s life.”

Draco stood up and took a hard swallow.

“Look Theo, I would and will do this. For you. For Granger, hell, for the kid. But it all depends on what Granger wants.” He said solemnly as he placed both hands on his friend’s shoulders.

“I will not take Granger’s choice away from her. Not after what happened at the manor, not after how she defended me in court.”

“This is her choice, Draco. She chose you.”

Draco didn’t know how many more life altering revelations he could take in a night. To hear that he was Hermione Granger’s choice of husband and father of her child was earth shattering. If he wasn’t holding on to Theo he might have fallen down to his knees.

“We talked about it, she knows it needs to be a pureblood. Someone she can trust. Someone who actually values family. She knows you would and did do everything for your parents during the war and she respects you because of that. I know it’s a lot to ask, it’s a lifetime commitment, blood binding, and then blood adopting Lira. She would be your heir, I know it’s too much, but Draco - “

“I’ll do it.”

Theo could only look at his friend with love and gratitude. There was no need to say anymore.

Chapter Text

The first thing he realized when the portkey dropped him off was that it was hot. It was September and the sun was beating down on his head relentlessly. He should have heeded Theo’s warning to dress less. The second thing was that Granger lived in a hovel. There was no other word for it.

The tiny household looked like one good wind would blow it out and that was being kind about it. Why the hell did Theo allow his sister and niece to live here? Surely there were better accommodations in this whole gods-damned country. Why the hell was the brightest witch he knew living here?

Draco squared his shoulders and made his way down the short walk way that led to the worn and lonely looking porch. He gingerly stepped on the creaking wooden structure and took a deep breath as he knocked on the peeling blue door.

The door cracked open and the witch he has been thinking of popped her head behind it. The first thing he noticed was the dark circles beneath her honey eyes. They were impossibly darker than when she was held at his manor.

Shaking his thoughts away, he cracked a small smile and said, “Hey Granger.”

“Malfoy” she breathed as she stepped back to open the door wider to let him in. His name on her lips sounded like a prayer to him. Draco didn’t know if it was a good or a bad prayer, but he’d take what he could get.

The house - if you could call it that - was clean at least. Draco noted a small living area just off of the doorway, a small kitchen just behind it, with a small round table with mismatched chairs serving as the dining area he supposes. To his left he noted two doors, one slightly ajar, letting him take a peak at a bed with faded yellow sheets.

The blonde wizard thought he had seen the best and the worst the world has to offer. His manor boasted of marble floors and intricate crown mouldings while Azkaban boasted of… well, nothing really. But Draco could not classify what this living situation made him feel. It seems cozy he thinks, but obviously ramshackle to his opinion.

His eyes tracked the only shiny object in the room, a brand new wooden crib shoved into the far wall of the living area, it looked out of place in such shabby furniture as did the shiny silver mobile that hung on the crib, its silver moon and stars distracting the tiny red head inside. That was all he could process, that the baby had a shock of bright red curls.

“Thank you for coming so quickly, Malfoy… and just… Thank you. I apologize for the mess….” the witch behind him was speaking, but Malfoy could only stare at the tiny arms stretching from behind the white wooden slats of the crib, as if to touch the silver mobile.

“I… Draco?”

Shaken out of his thoughts of the tiny being in the crib, Draco turned slightly to address the nervous looking witch.

“No need for thanks, or even apologies, Granger. Happy to help, really. You’ve done more for me and my family.” The rest of it did not really need to be said.

“Uhm, right, well, Theo said you’re only here for the day, to talk about… You know… So… uhm, take a seat?”

The witch was really nervous. Draco could only think of why. He wasn’t as confident as he projected either.

Draco eyed the lumpy brown couch with a doubtful eye. Would it hold him up? He was not a small person, he towered over Granger by a foot at least. He inwardly sighed as he stalked towards the offending furniture. Wouldn’t do to offend his host.

He folded his tall frame into the couch as Granger went and busied herself in the small kitchen.

“Tea?”

“Please.”

As Granger set about making tea the muggle way, Draco took the time to really look at her. She was looking both better and worse than she did in the war. She seemed to gain some of the weight she lost during her stint as a fugitive from the Ministry, but there was a weariness in her posture that tugged at his heartstrings. Her skin glowed golden rather than the usual pale and it made her seem a bit healthier.

Even at the height of the war, Granger was solid. Standing tall, even if she was no bigger than a midget, she had fire and righteousness seeping through her pores. It used to infuriate him, but looking at her right now, he prayed for her to have some of that fire back. This Granger seemed so fragile, so defeated that his heart physically ached. He had never thought of her as small, but she looked absolutely tiny to him right now.

Her hair was untamable as ever, piled high on her head and held by her wand, and if he wasn’t looking at her face and demeanor, Draco would have been totally distracted by the amount of skin she was showing in what surely counted as underwear. Hermione was wearing a tight white shirt with only thin straps holding it up on her slight shoulders. Her pants were really just long knickers he thought, blue and just stopping below the curve of her delicious backside, Dracos mouth watered at the long expanse of leg that was exposed.

He’s been in muggle London of course, but with the constant rain, most Londoners tend to bundle up rather than show skin. Draco thought he rather liked Australian muggle attire.

Clearing his head of improper thoughts, he held his Occlumency shields up as the witch he was just ogling came back with two steaming, mismatched cups of tea.

The witch put her cup down on the small chipped center table and went over to the fussing baby in the crib.

“Hello, lovely.” She cooed at the slight frame she was holding up. “Come see, we have a visitor. Look, this is Draco.”

Draco put his mug down on the table as Hermione angled her daughter to face him. Words failed him as he beheld a mini Granger. Only the red hair betrayed her paternity, the rest was pure Granger. Her eyes, intelligent for her age seemed to see right through him as the little girl gave a pitiful wail and burrowed herself more into her mother’s arms.

“I’m sorry, she hasn’t had the best few months. She’s having trouble keeping anything down and she stopped breastfeeding four months ago. It all makes her fussy. Her name is Lira, by the way, if Theo didn’t mention it.” He thought her thoughtless blabbing was adorable.

Draco gulped as he strengthened his Occlumency to avoid looking at her chest. He chastised himself for even feeling anything at the mention of breastfeeding.

“Again, Granger, no need to apologize. Though you seem to be doing a lot of that lately. What happened to the unapologetic swot I knew at Hogwarts?”

She sighed. “She grew up. Had life knock her down one too many times.”

Draco didn’t know how to answer this. He has seen many faces of Granger in their years together at Hogwarts and throughout the war, but resigned, downtrodden Granger was not one of them.

Swaying a bit and shushing the little girl, tea all but forgotten, she didn’t seem to need an answer from him, so he continued perusing the witch he knew and the little girl who, in a few weeks would be his daughter by blood.

He thought about the blood adoption ritual and wished that only the red hair would change in the girl. Truly, her little heart shaped face was already perfect in his opinion.

“You know the adoption ritual could change her looks, right?” Draco blurted before he could stop himself.

“I… Yes, Theo did mention that.” The witch said tentatively. “He also said you’re coming to talk about the blood bonding?”

Draco nodded. “Yes, I suggested to Theo that we use the Black Family ritual bonding instead of the Nott one.”

Hermione sat down beside him on the sofa, still sushing at the little girl who looked to have fallen asleep in her arms. “Why that one in particular? I didn’t know each family had their own.” She asked.

“A lot of things really. What do you know about Family Magic?”

“Not a lot.” She shrugged.

“Right, well. Magic is based on your blood. No, not that way. Hear me out.” He said, putting his hands up in surrender when he saw her scrunching her face at the mention of blood.

“So, before all this blood purity bullshite, the first families of the land made a pact with Magic itself. The accounts vary on how many families there were, as it was more than a thousand years ago, but all family histories talk of the same thing. Magic blessed these families as they promised to keep Magic pure.” He held up one finger as she looked to protest again.

“Wait, I’m getting there. The nature of this purity has long been twisted and abused for personal gain, but in reality it was just that. Purity of Magic . Purity of intent to use Magic as a tool. Now each Family had their own rituals to hold their end of the bargain, most of them involving spilling blood on the earth in their Family seats, as it is there that they feel their Magic strongest due to the ley lines. Their Family Magic, the gift that Magic itself bestowed on each of the families depends on each family. Like the Blacks and their affinity for blood magic and the Malfoys and their incredible sense of self preservation and hoarding tendencies.” He chuckled a bit, his father was the perfect Malfoy after all.

Granger seemed to ponder this a bit. “So you want to do the ritual at Malfoy Manor?”

Draco knew the witch before him would rather die than go back to the place where she was tortured. He could barely stand to be there himself. “No, remember what I suggested? We use the Black ritual. It has to be used on Black land.”

“Why Black, why not Malfoy?” She seemed to be just truly curious. It figured, she was still a swot.

“I am Lord Black. It would make the ritual more potent if I am on my own land, using my own spells rather than my Father’s.” He explained patiently.

“Okay, that makes sense. I didn’t know you were Lord Black though, I thought Sirius left everything to Harry.”

Draco barely resisted the urge to snort. “Sirius left his personal wealth to Potter, yes. But the Family line is closer to me through my mother. It is only Potter’s great grandmother who was a Black. The line belongs to me.”

She seems to think about it, absent-mindedly carding her fingers through her daughter’s hair as the little one slept. “Then, why not the Nott ritual, is it the Nott curse after all?”

“Yes, but the way the curse was laid out, the Nott party of the bonding needs to be fully accepted by a pureblood family through blood. What better way to make the intent of acceptance clear than using our ritual. After all, after we marry, you will be the Lady Black.”

The idea seemed to startle her for a bit when caught herself and a wave of cold acceptance settled on her appearance. Draco did not like it. Surely, she had more questions than this? But then he thought, what really was her choice? If she wanted her daughter to live past her second birthday, there was very little choice. It still didn’t make him like the aura of defeat that seemed to permeate the air around the once fiery witch.

-.-.-.-.-

They talked more about the ritual itself. How they needed to spill their mixed blood on the ground at Castle Black. She seemed surprised that Grimauld place wasn’t the official Black seat. Sometimes it was easy to forget that she did not grow up like him, that Magic and its traditions were still new to her, even after all these years.

He patiently explained the intricacies of some aspects of Magical families. He could almost see the spark of the old Hermione in her face as she mulled over the information she was getting from him. What really bothered him was that she refused to ask more questions. The old swot he knew and loved would have had a million questions by now, especially after he explained why Lira would only be his heir until they produced a boy. She would then be heir to the his lesser title, unless they made another son. Patriarchy aside, Magic follows the name and the blood, if Lira marries, the family Magic of the Blacks would be secondary like with him and his father. When his father passes on, the Black Family Magic would have to take a back seat as the Malfoy Magic would flare to life in his veins.

He would have thought the idea of procreating with him would elicit some sort of response from the witch, but all he got was a stiff nod. Against all his judgement he inwardly feared that he was getting a dead fish of a wife in his bed. The thought of this witch in his bed usually brought up some rather intense reactions from his body, but the thought of her just lying there, just accepting her fate left him cold.

As they made arrangements for her and the child’s return to England in a few weeks, Draco vowed to himself that he would not just help Hermione keep her child alive. He would find and bring back her fire if it’s the last thing he did.

-.-.-.-.-

Placing her sleeping daughter in her old crib in their room, Hermione let out a loud sigh. She wanted to ask Malfoy so many questions but her fear that he was not serious in helping her stopped her. She knew he had changed. Or rather that he was never truly evil, after all Theo had many stories of how the boy - man - was truly was in Hogwarts, when no one was watching.

However, her deep seated fear of being abandoned held her back from truly being open with the guy. She couldn’t risk turning him off with her swotty attitude. She well remembered how much he hated it before and she wasn’t sure his not so new stance on blood purity extended to her inquisitive nature. Sure, she wasn’t really a mudblood after all, but she was still herself. She was still Hermione Granger, swot extraordinaire. It would not do to alienate the only man she could even tolerate to marry right now.

Contrary to what Theo believed, she did consider all her options. The blood curse was clear, pureblood and wedded in blood. Theo was even clearer. A blood bond was for life. Unless she was willing to commit spousal murder, she was stuck with her husband for the rest of her life. She thinks it’s a small price to pay for Lira’s life.

She considered every pureblood she knew that was near her age. Goyle was out, she couldn’t abide a lifetime of intellectual numbness. Zabini was too much of a libertine to even consider. While she did not expect love in a forced marriage, she did expect fidelity at least. Adrian Pucey was also a candidate, though the older Slytherin was already engaged to be married. Neville was also considered, he was a friend after all, but he was already married to Hannah Abbot. She was not going anywhere near Cormac McClaggen ever again. Zacharias Smith was okay but they didn’t know each other well, there was no time to convince him to help her, if he even would even give her the time of day. She did not even want to think about kissing Marcus Flint. She DID NOT think about Ronald Weasley. She did consider his brothers though, particularly George, but she decided it would just be too weird.

No, really, when she thought about it, Draco Malfoy was the only acceptable match. Draco was smart, he was just behind her in grades throughout their school days. She knew he could hold an intelligent conversation and was even more knowledgeable than her, specially about wizarding culture and traditions. She could learn much from him. Today was just proof of that.

He was also fit. She wasn’t such a swot that she couldn’t see that the tall, blonde male was like Adonis come to life. He was cute before, with his pointy face and almost Elfish features (the Lord of the Rings type, not the House Elf one), but now? She had to admit even just to herself, that she almost drooled when he rolled up his sleeves to show off his muscled forearms, Dark Mark covered in what looked to be a muggle dragon tattoo. His chiseled features and pale blonde hair should have made him look feminine, but like his father Lucius, Draco’s patrician features only heightened his masculinity. She thought she spied hard muscles as he moved, his white collared shirt moulding to his lithe frame due to the heat.

She also thought about Draco as a father, or rather his father. Knowing Lucius was a vicious wizard, she couldn’t deny that the man positively spoiled Draco rotten and quite doted on him. Not that Lira needed that, Hermione and her daughter got along just fine. He didn’t need to interfere. Draco could be like Lucius, yes, but she hoped he would run true with his pureblood upbringing. From what little Theo told her, most pureblood fathers were rather distant, if not downright cold. She was okay with that. She thought she might even prefer it.

Dark Mark and questionable choices aside, the Draco that her brother painted and the gaunt, repentant boy she saw at his trial swayed Hermione’s decision to have Theo ask Draco Malfoy to help her and her daughter. She even remembered his sincere, if stilted apologies just before he was hauled away to serve his house arrest and how it warmed her heart at the time that her former bully was capable of remorse.

No, there was no other choice, not with their time frame and she was not about to risk her daughter’s life even more. Which brought her back to her dilemma. Keeping her more unsavory tendencies to herself until after Lira was blood adopted. It sounded underhanded, but needs must.

She couldn’t even admit that she got her daughter’s name from hours of perusing the Black family tapestry in Grimauld place. The idea of a celestial name had tickled her whimsical side and Lira was another iteration of the constellation Lyra. He might think it too weird, or worse, that this was all an elaborate hoax to trap him into marriage. As if.

It was ironic, at least to her, that the idea of the Black family and its intricate history once captured her imagination and here she was joining it as its Lady. If she believed in Divination, should would have thought it was fate.

No, Draco Malfoy was not allowed to divine her thoughts, only her motivation - to save Lira. As Hermione finished her nightly ablutions and headed to her small bed, she prayed to every god she could think of that she could keep herself pliant and agreeable. Lira needed Draco. She needed Draco.

Hermione went to bed and dreamt of long pale fingers griping a chipped mug in a shabby room and what else those long tapered digits could grip.

Chapter Text

The following weeks flew by fast, Hermione made arrangements for her and Lira’s things to be either sold, thrown away or packed for their return trip to England. She didn’t really have any friends in Australia to say goodbye to so it was emotionally easy for her to go.

Knowing they could not risk Lira’s health by any magical transportation, Hermione and her daughter took a long flight back to London. It was grueling for both mother and child, despite Theo booking first class, but there was no other choice. That seems to be the theme of her life, Hermione thought.

As she slowly made her way out of the airport, daughter in one arm, a small suitcase magically extended in another, she looked around the waiting bay for the sight of her brother. She found his tall frame near one of the exits and excitedly made her way to him, slightly jostling Lira in her movements.

“Theo!”

“Miaaaaaa! Liraaaaaa!” Theo made a goofy face and Hermione did not care that people were staring. She may only have had a brother for a couple of months, but she missed him something bad.

As Theo gave her and Lira a big enthusiastic hug, Hermione felt herself tear up. It was good to be home. It was good to have someone to go home to even. It has been almost 3 years since she left and she didn’t realize the gravity of her feelings until now.

“Hey, hey, no crying pretty girl, or else I’m gonna start crying too!” Theo said as he wiped her tears with his thumbs. He reached for Lira and snuggled the little girl into his arms.

“How’s my little bug? I bet you didn’t cry like mummy is doing, didcha?”

“Hey! Don’t call my baby a bug! That’s reserved for pesky reporters who need to be squashed.” Hermione said, wiping her face with the herl of her palm and lightly swatting her brother’s arm.

Theo only raised one perfectly arched dark eyebrow and said, “Alright, alright. We can’t apparate with Lira so Draco brought a car, he should be here soon.”

“Draco Malfoy has a car?! He knows how to drive?!” Hermione could not have been more shocked.

“Oh… Right, you don’t know, do you?”

“Know what exactly?”

“Remember those rumors that Lucius Malfoy had very shady dealings that made him triple wealthy?”

“Yeah…”

“Well, turns out, they weren’t exactly shady. They were muggle.”

“What?”

“Lucius owns majority shares in almost all luxury car companies across Europe. Plus other muggle investments he made, I dunno, the man has plenty. They have an underground garage at the Manor that the Dark Lord thought was a torture chamber, but was really filled with all sorts of sports cars and shit. Draco’s bringing the Lexus, I think? I dunno.”

Hermione could only gape at her brother as she digested this information. That her brother could casually mention her future father in law’s likely multi million investments was another thing that had her gawping like a landed fish.

Theo saw her face and smirked. “Aww, come on, I told you the Malfoys aren’t so bad!”

Hermione only crossed her arms at her chest and watched her brother as he fussed over Lira as they waited.

They did not have to wait long, a few minutes later a shiny light gold SUV parked right in front of them and a stunning Draco Malfoy, dressed in a white button down shirt and dark jeans hopped out of the driver’s seat. Removing his aviators from his face as he moved, Draco smiled at his future family.

It was a smile that Hermione could not have imagined back at Hogwarts. It was big and open and made the man’s already attractive face even more radiant. It was just not fair, and it made her pout.

Figuring she looked like a petulant child, with her arms crossed and pouty face, Hermione uncrossed her arms and schooled her face into some semblance of pleasantry. It was just in time for Draco to reach them and rake a hand thru his pale locks, which made Hermione want to pout again. How is this fair, really?

“Hey! All set?” Draco asked as he greeted them. “Is that all your luggage?”

“Uhhh… Yeah, undetectable extension charm.” she muttered.

Theo snickered beside her and started going to the car, Lira still in his arms.

Eyeing her with a small smirk, Draco said, “You know those are illegal, Granger.”

“So is parking in an unloading zone, but you don’t hear me calling out for the police.”

“Touché, Granger. Glad to see you still got some fire in you.” He winked as he took her small suitcase and proceeded to load it into the back of the SUV.

Hermione could only stare at his back, wide eyed. Did Draco Malfoy really just wink at her?

-.-.-.-.-

The drive to Nott Hall was a long one, but Hermione found that Draco Malfoy was actually a capable driver. Nott Hall was in Northumberland and the drive would take more than half a day, so Hermione packed some snacks in her trusty beaded bag for all of them, as well as some games for Lira so she would not get bored.

She didn’t have to worry about that however as the girl fell asleep almost as soon as she was strapped in her car seat. That Draco Malfoy had a car seat and knew how to use it was just another one of life’s mysteries for Hermione.

She focused on her sleeping girl and tried to tamp down the panic that threatened to overwhelm her. Lira has been sleeping more and more lately and it worried her. The healers said that her illness would probably slowly eat at the girl’s energy, so Hermione was aware. But knowing and seeing were two different things and her heart ached for her baby. This has got to work, or it would all be for nothing.

Hermione tried to focus instead on the passing scenery as they drove by, her thoughts in a disarray, but her heart holding on to hope.

-.-.-.-.-

About three hours into their journey and Hermione was woken lightly by a hand on her shoulder. They had stopped and Theo was waking her, asking if she needed anything at the store they stopped by.

Asking for something to drink and maybe some recent magazines and thanking her brother, she looked over to Lira, who was still asleep in her seat. She checked the baby’s diaper and found it to be slightly filled, but decided to change her anyway just in case.

As Hermione rounded the car to get her baby, she saw Malfoy, casually pumping gas. The sight of the ultimate pureblood prince pumping gas at a very muggle gas station was enough to stop her in her tracks.

Malfoy only smirked at her as she finished and placed the nozzle back in its cradle, and then turned around to get back into the driver seat.

“Do you want me to drive the rest of the way?” She did not know what made her ask.

The blonde wizard turned and shook his head, “No, I got this, you and Lira stay comfy in the back. You girls had a long flight.”

Nodding, Hermione hurried to get to the car door to get her baby. She really got to get a hold of herself around the man! He was going to be her husband after all, and there was no need to be this flustered around him.

Taking Lira and making her way to where the rest stop was indicated, Hermione could only berate herself and her weird reactions to a certain Slytherin.

-.-.-.-.-

Nott Hall was not as Hermione expected it to be. Sure it was huge and slightly intimidating from the outside, but inside it was anything but. Theo had told her it took him almost a year to purge out all the “unpleasantries” from the house and it showed.

The white marble gleamed in the late afternoon sun and the walls were a pale peach that screamed “home”. The furniture was still rich and definitely looked expensive, but it complimented the whole vibe, not at all the “sit straight, shoulders back” kind, it was more of the “come relax” ones. It was all she could ask for, and Hermione immediately felt safer. She was home, she was finally fucking home.

It was a sobering thought, that if she wasn’t adopted as a child, she would have grown up here, but not in this welcoming, lavish mansion, but in a dark, dreary place. Hermione had to stop herself from her thoughts, questioning if she would have been a purebred young lady like Pansy Parkinson or Daphne Greengrass, if she, too would espouse pureblood supremacy.

She thought of Theo and shook her head. Her brother was kind, warm, but he sure he had his mask on in public. Even in school, there was not a trace of the grinning, teasing Theo that she had come to know these past few months. She knew she had to be that as well, be the indomitable Lady Black once she and Draco married. She could be warm and loving at home, but in public, she had to put a mask on.

For the thousandth time, she thought, how is this my life now? followed immediately by, this should have been my life from the start.

Theo had shown her hers and Lira’s room on the third floor, right across from his. It was made in the palest pink, the large four poster bed was white with maroon draping that somehow matched the pink of the beddings. Hermione refused to have Lira sleep in the nursery so there was a white carved crib at the foot of the bed, with of course matching pale pink sheets.

The rest of the room was huge, it had its own sitting room, a white desk in a corner, more decor and knick knacks than she thought she needed, but the adjoining dressing room that lead to the en suite bath was her undoing. Rows upon rows of clothes, shoes, bags and other accessories for both her and Lira with a semi circular vanity in the middle and a changing screen off to one side, it was bigger than her whole house in Australia!

When Theo showed her the whole cabinet filled with jewels, she almost died. When he informed her it was just the daughter’s portion, and not even a fourth of what was in the vaults she wanted to disappear. What was she doing with all this? What the hell was happening? This couldn’t be real, could it?

She almost lost it when Theo introduced her to her personal elf, Dandy and Lira’s nanny elf, Corly. It led to almost an hour of discussion about elf rights and elf magic that left her staggering, which then led to them going down to the “informal dining room” which looked waaaay too formal for her, because Theo said she was just hungry and they could discuss while they ate.

Draco had gone home to Wiltshire, despite their protests that he had already been driving all day. He needed to get the car back to his father he said, and he wanted to give Hermione and Theo time to settle in as a family. It was weird that in a few weeks time, she and Lira would be moving again, this time to Castle Black. She told Theo this and he just laughed at her.

“This will always be your home, sister mine.” Theo declared. “If Draco’s ever being a dick, you just have to come home, you hear?”

Hermione smiled, “When is Draco Malfoy not a dick? Might as well continue living here after the wedding.”

Though she made it out as a joke, she half meant it. She only found out that she liked her brother, despite knowing of him for almost a year. She loved Theo and as nice as the Hall is, leaving him here alone seemed cruel.

The look on Theo’s face made her rethink though. “You can’t do that. You’ll be Lady Black. You need to live on Black land.”

“It was a joke, Theo. I know that my place will be with my husband.”

“It’s not just that, Hermione.” Theo was serious now, making her frown.

“What? What other bloody kind of magic tradition do I not know?”

Theo sighed. “You’re too perceptive and smart. The magic of the Lord and the Lady and the growing magic of the heirs feed the land. It feeds the wards. Black Family Magic is strong, much stronger than the Notts, since they predate our family by several generations, but it has been neglected for more than three decades, ever since Cygnus Black died. Sirius was never able to claim his Lordship, nor did Regulus. The Magic is... Unstable.”

“Unstable how?”

“The wards flicker from time to time. Draco has actually been ordered to live there by the Ministry to stabilize the charms. Wouldn’t do for muggles to suddenly realize there’s a thousand year old castle in the middle of bloody Ipswich, now would it? Though the castle is near the sea.”

Hermione felt her eyes bulge out of their sockets. Now she has to drive her daughter from Northumberland to Ipswich? She’s getting a tour of the whole bloody country!

“There is so much I don’t know Theo…” she whined. She hated whining but she couldn’t help it. There was so much of her own culture and traditions that she was not aware of.

“You can thank our dear father for that, actually. He’s the one who passed the law at the Wizengamot to ban Wizarding culture from being taught at Hogwarts.”

“What??”

“Yeeep. Dear old father dear was bffs with Lord Noseless, didn’t you know? Together with Draco’s grandfather, they ruled the Wizarding world before your dear Harry Potter brought them down the first time.”

“Gods, I knew our father was old, but I didn’t know he was that old!” Hermione was thankful that Lira was asleep, being looked after by Corly. She was practically shouting.

“He didn’t meet his soulmate until his fifties. Our mother was twenty five years his junior.” Theo said with a sigh as he leaned back in his chair. “Didn’t have us until a few years later as well. Mum died giving birth to me - errr - us. Daddy dearest was hardly father of the year. Left me mostly to the elves and the Malfoys. I’m not even sure if he knew he had a daughter or if he was the one who gave you away since he only needed a boy.”

The bitterness in Theo’s voice had her reaching out to squeeze his hand.

“You have me now. After we save Lira, we can unravel our parents’ mess and all this blood curse bullshit.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Theo waved dismissively.

“I mean it, Theo. I will not have my children be cursed if they fall in love with a half blood, or even a muggle. We need to figure out how to lift that damn curse. Or you! I can’t have you falling in love just to lose whoever it may be.”

Theo smiled at that. “I know who my soulmate is, sis. She’s pureblood, but she’s not ready yet.”

“You talk about soulmates as if it’s a real thing! Who is she?” Hermione never put stock on Divination. Hell, she even dropped that subject in Hogwarts quite spectacularly.

“Oh, it’s real. But it’s a very long story, we don’t have time for it right now. You need to rest.”

With that, they finished the meal in silence and said goodnight straight after.

Theo was right, she was tired. She had a lot of things to do, and a lot of thinking as well. Soulmates didn’t even crack the top ten, but as she was falling asleep in her cloud like bed, she thought of Draco. Was she taking him away from his soulmate?

Supposing it was real of course, though Theo has yet to lie to her about anything. Hell, the man even convinced her that elves needed a family in order to survive. With that final thought in her head, she drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

Chapter Text

Theo had the best healers floo in to the Hall almost daily to check on Lira, even though they knew it was more or less useless. The girl threw up any potions that were given her and the best they could do were basic nutrition and hydration charms that barely did anything.

Hermione was given a crash course on Wizarding culture, traditions and what not by a witch Theo found somewhere. She really didn’t mind. It was the following Friday that she was set to meet her intended’s family - as if she hasn’t met them yet.

It wasn’t traditional, Theo said. Normally the families meeting would have happened even before the engagement, during the courtship and then the engagement contract was to be done by the Paterfamilias - in her case, since their father had died, it would have to be Theo. She also asked Harry to be there, just so she wasn’t so outnumbered by snakes.

Hermione was currently pacing in her room, sushing Lira as she fussed while Harry just looked on, looking highly amused. It was fine for him, he had been working with the Malfoys since the end of the war. They had shown concrete evidence that Lucius, and to a degree, Narcissa had been working with Severus Snape all along, passing information to the order and sabotaging the Dark Lord from the inside. Hermione could still not believe it, but Harry assured her that they were very different from the Malfoys that they had met at school.

She was wearing a square necked dress with capped and cinched at the waist that flared until the tops of her knees, she was assured that the blue number was acceptable - preferred even as the Malfoy family colors were light blue and silver. She only learned about these things recently and was surprised that the Black family colors were black and red. The Nott’s were gold and grey. It was actually the Potter’s that were green and gold. Huh.

Dandy popped in announcing their guests are in the formal parlor. Hermione straightened her shoulders and still holding Lira in her arms, led Harry downstairs.

Entering the formal parlor, she shifted Lira in her arms to extend her hand to Mrs. Malfoy.

“Hello, apologies, I had to bring her, she doesn’t seem to want to let go of me recently.” The witch said as she daintily shook her hand.

“Oh, that’s not a problem, of course. May I see her?”

Hermione twisted her body so Narcissa could see Lira and to everyone’s surprise the girl reached out. Not missing a beat, Narcissa Malfoy took Lira into her arms and started softly swaying and humming to the child.

A male chuckle woke her from staring at the sight of her daughter being carried by the most regal witch she knew. Narcissa looked gorgeous in floor length dark blue Wizarding robes, not a hair out of her chignon.

“Hello, Ms. Nott, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you properly. I apologize for the events that led to your torture in our home and hope that we can move forward as a family from the unpleasantness of the war.” Lucius Malfoy intoned, holding out his hand.

It was the longest she had heard the man speak. His voice was a cultured, polite baritone that did not hold the usual sneer that she was used to hear from him. Hermione took his hand and he used it to pull her into a hug, much to the witch’s surprise. “Welcome to the family, dear.” He whispered and Hermione leaned back in shock as he gently released her.

Theo, Harry and Draco were all beaming at them and it was all Hermione could do not to cringe. Draco stepped forward and to another shock to her poor heart, gave her a brief kiss on the cheek with his greeting.

Who were these people?

Theo indicated where everyone should sit, though Narcissa stayed standing as she swayed Lira in her arms, batting Hermione away when she tried to retrieve her daughter.

Sitting on the suddenly small love seat beside Draco, Hermione waited for Theo.

Theo cleared his throat. “Right, so I guess everyone knows why we are all here today. I won’t beat around the bush. I just wanted to announce that Draco, the big sod refuses a dowry and instead asks that whatever dowry I wanted to give for Hermione be placed in the vault for Lira and any other daughter the two of you may have.”

Lucius was still beaming, Narcissa had a small smile. Harry raised his eyebrows at this though, as he had less experience in pureblood customs than she has. Hermione looked curiously at Draco, who was already looking at her.

“What?”

“Nothing, why would you do that?”

“It’s not like I need the money. The 5 million could be shared among our daughters or given solely to Lira, up to you.”

“Five million galleons?”

Theo arched a brow, “Do you want more sister? That’s just your dowry, your inheritance is still intact in your heritage vault.”

Hermione’s mind blanked. She avoided speaking to Theo about money. She knew he had a lot, but to hear him and Draco talk about millions as if it were pocket change was staggering. To hear that she had millions? Positively mind blowing.

She must have taken too long to respond as Lucius called for an elf. Suddenly there were three small chests in front of them. Probably each the size if a large shoe box.

“These are your courting jewelry, of course, Hermione.” He said still smiling as her pointed his wand at the chests which opened one by one. “If this was a traditional courting, Draco would have gifted these to you one by one, possibly one for every date, but alas.”

Jewels of every kind, color, size, and metal imaginable all but spilled out of the chests and only compounded to her awe. This was all for her?

Lucius also took a parchment from his robes’ inner pocket and handed it over to her. With trembling hands, she unfolded it. It was a land deed and property title to a house in Spain? What?

“What is this?” She asked breathlessly, finally regaining her voice.

“That’s your gift from us dear. It’s custom for the groom’s parents to give a gift to their future daughter in law.” Narcissa said while gently tapping Lira’s back.

“Your gift is a house? I was expecting a plant, or maybe wine or more jewelry, perhaps. But a house?” Even she was surprised at the loudness of her voice.

Lucius looked slightly offended even if the other three men were trying to hide their sniggering in the background. “As if. The Malfoys only have the best.” Was all he said.

“I… Thank you?”

“You’re welcome dear.”

Draco reached for her hands that were curling in her lap, wrinkling the parchment. He gave them a squeeze.

She managed a tight smile, knowing that things were only going to get more extravagant from here.

She was right. Even though as per tradition, a blood binding ceremony was very private, only family was allowed to attend due to the nature of the rituals, Narcissa wanted to host a wedding reception for them at Castle Black, to launch her as the new Lady, she said. It took a while to negotiate, but the witch finally relented that the party be held a month after the actual binding, to give time for Lira to heal. Hermione didn’t want to think what would happen if the adoption did not work.

Her gown was another matter. Hermione really didn’t care what she wore but Narcissa and even Theo were adamant that she wore traditional Witch’s wedding gown in her family colors. Since white gowns really were only popularized during the Victorian Era, Hermione agreed to whatever they wanted and Narcissa went into planning mode.

For her adoption ceremony, Lira would also be wearing a special gown, this time in Black family colors. Hermione requested it be more red than black, as she didn’t like the idea of her daughter wearing mourning colors. The other witch understood.

At the end, they all had a rather filling dinner in the formal dining room, which Hermione thought was just ludicrous with its twenty seater table. She was assured that the one at Castle Black seated triple. Right. These purebloods and their displays of wealth. Would she ever get used to it?

Hermione asked if there was anything she needed to do, but aside from readying herself for the purification ritual, which was to be held that Sunday, a new moon, there was really nothing to do, she was told. They would then be bound on the full moon, which falls on a Monday, the 21st of October.

She worried about Lira and the chill since the ceremonies would happen outside and was laughed at. She was a witch, right? Hasn’t she heard of warming charms? Honestly, she barely remembered her birthday the previous month if not for the gifts from Harry and Theo and surprisingly Draco. She had a number of things on her mind, thank you very much.

It was agreed that she and Lira would move into Castle Black a day or two before the binding to give them time to settle in and prepare. She can have her purification at Nott Hall, so no problems there.

She was still reeling from everything that had happened in the last few months - years really. Hermione wasn’t sure if she was truly this accepting or if she would have a breakdown one of these days. Between her parents - the Grangers - , getting pregnant, being left behind twice, raising a daughter alone, Lira’s illness, her being a pureblood, everything that came with being a pureblood, and now blood binding and blood adoption, she wondered if she was just numb.

She barely heard what was being discussed until Theo started undressing. Her eyes widened as he disrobed, she did not understand until he pointed at a birthmark on his left chest, above his nipple. It looked like a small cherry? She wasn’t sure why he was showing them until Harry said something.

“So everyone had a soulmate?”

They were talking about soulmates?

“No, it’s not rare, just a bit uncommon. Lucius and I are soulmates. Draco refuses to say if he even has one, the mark only shows after one’s 17th birthday so I couldn’t be sure.” Narcissa said mischievously. “I once tried to spy, but I got caught.” The witch giggled like a teenager, which Hermione found endearing.

“Really, mother.” Draco only rolled his eyes and Hermione thought again if she was stealing someone’s soulmate. She also thought about the small lopsided heart that appeared on her left ribs, just under her breast while they were on the Horcrux hunt. Could it be a soulmate mark?

It didn’t matter anyway, she was marrying Draco Malfoy. She couldn’t afford to think about what ifs, her daughter’s life was on the line after all. She could afford to be selfish. She did let out a small sigh of relief that she doesn’t remember Ron having any lopsided heart on his body. At least he wasn’t her soulmate.

Harry looked thoughtful, so she had to ask. “Do you have a soulmate mark, Harry?”

“No, but Ginny does. I think.” He said sadly.

There was nothing to say to that.

-.-.-.-.-

After dinner, the two elder Malfoys said their goodbyes and Harry did as well, looking far more pensive in Hermione’s opinion. Draco, however, asked her to join him in the gardens.

The gardens at Nott Hall were beautiful, the scent of late blooms permeated the air, and a thousand small fairy lights scattered all over. Hermione knew what was going to happen, but she was surprised Draco wanted an intimate setting for his “proposal”.

“I know this is not a traditional marriage, but I would at least want to do something that is more traditional, if that’s okay?” Draco asked quietly as they walked towards the small bench under one of the flowering trees, she didn’t know what the name of it what, and she guesses it doesn’t matter.

Hermione gave Draco a small smile, “If it makes you feel better about marrying someone you hate.”

Draco looked shocked. “I never hated you, Hermione.”

She grimaced. “Please, you were horrid to me and the boys growing up. You were the first one to call me a mudblood. It’s okay, I forgave you a long time ago.”

Hermione sat down on the wooden bench and stretched her legs and crossed them at the ankles, she committed to staring at her silver kitten heeled shoes instead of looking at him.

Draco sighed, and to Hermione’s surprise he sank on one knee in front of her.

“Hermione, I never hated you.” He started and she had no choice but to look into his face. His stormy grey eyes looked sincere. “I was jealous of you, of Potter and Weasley and the friendship that you have. I was a right git and for that, I sincerely apologize.”

Hermione could only nod at his words. He’d already apologized years ago.

“I know neither of us expected this, and we are doing it for Lira’s sake, and not our own. I just wanted to assure you that you are the smartest, most brilliant witch I know, and your heart has been the kindest I have experienced. War and tragedy has not dulled your brilliance and only a fool would see marriage to you as a chore. I want to promise you that I will always value you, your opinions and your strength, I can’t promise that there will be days that we won’t want to kill each other, but I can promise respect and care, for eternity as we bind ourselves to each other. Hermione Jean Nott, will you do me the honor of being my wife?”

Hermione felt a lump for in her throat as she could only nod. Draco pulled a box out of his pocket and when he opened it, she was stunned at the beautiful oval black diamond ring within. It was obviously an heirloom, though it shined like new. It was not grossly huge, but it was definitely a decent size, surrounded by smaller white diamonds in a platinum filigree setting, it looked so beautiful, she had tears in her eyes.

Draco slipped on the ring and kissed the knuckles of her hand. Straightening, still holding on to her, he urged her to her feet. It felt surreal. She actually received a heartfelt proposal. From Draco Malfoy of all people! She felt like she was dreaming.

They walked back to the house in silence until they were in front of the floo. Draco bid her a silent goodnight and kissed her cheek.

It was several minutes before she could move to go upstairs and find her daughter.

-.-.-.-.-

Draco went straight to his study after going home to Castle Black, calling for his elf Mipsy to get him some firewhiskey, he slouched in his favorite black leathered armchair.

He was so stupid, wanting to propose to her like that. It was obvious she was surprised. After all, he was her school bully, right? He was sure she only agreed to spare his feelings. He scoffed.

What feelings? His proposal was as generic as could be. He couldn’t even tell her how much he admired her, or how much he had loved her from afar for a very long time. He fingered his soulmate mark under his collar, just below his collar bone, praying he was doing the right thing.

He wished his soulmate happiness, wherever and whoever she is. He never tried to find out. He was devastated when he found the mark on his 17th birthday. Not only was it in the middle of the war, at that time he was days away from attempting to kill his own headmaster, he didn’t have time for a soulmate.

He never told anyone, scared that someone knew who had the same mark as his, that Voldemort would find out and use his perfect match against him like he did to his parents. After the war, he was still branded, people still looked at him with disgust and hatred. Even after the trials where it was proven without a doubt that he never wanted to do the things he did, he did not want to burden anyone with being tied to him.

Now he was marrying Hermione Granger - Nott - in less than a month and it would not matter. He only hoped his soulmate found her happiness without him. Wishing his soulmate happiness made him feel less guilty about the blossoming hope in his heart that maybe one day, his wife would grow to love him too.

Chapter Text

The purification ritual was easy enough in theory, though the exact reasons for it were a bit vague. It was “to cleanse one’s soul before binding it to another.” And to “bring back one’s purity.” She wasn’t sure what that meant and Hermione was frustrated. Did that mean she was to be a virgin again? Will it take the darkness from her soul? None of the texts she pulled from Nott Hall’s library had an answer.

She stood slightly shivering in the forrest just behind Nott Hall, in a clearing that was marked by a circle of runes for rituals such as this. The runes were etched on the ground by what looks like fire and Hermione was told not to step foot inside of the circle before the ceremony. They needed four witches to invoke the elements of the earth, which was why Narcissa, Luna Lovegood, Pansy Parkinson and Andromeda Tonks were with them.

It was weird seeing the these witches help her, Narcissa must have dragged them for this. Hermione did not get a chance to talk with the witches before the ceremony though as she was told to seclude herself and fast for the last 24 hours. She didn’t even see Lira and she missed her daughter though Narcissa had assured her that the girl was fine just before they went out to the woods.

All five of them were wearing thin, diaphanous gowns, nothing underneath, no make up nor jewelry and bare feet. To feel better connected to the earth, said Luna. It did make sense to Hermione though she was getting cold.

Once the witches were in position in the four corners of the circle, corresponding to the directions of the compass, each bearing the element they would “cleanse” her with, they started chanting. Hermione was left to the side, waiting for her cue.

“Hail to the Guardians of the Watchtowers of the East.
Powers of Air and Invention
Hail to the Guardians of the Watchtowers of the South,
Powers of Fire and Feeling,
Hail to the Guardians of the Watchtowers of the West,
Powers of Water and Intuition
Hail to the Guardians of the Watchtowers of the North
By the Powers of Mother and Earth, Hear us!
Let us open this circle of the ancient Magic
Hear us and grant us safe passage to the rite!”

Soon, each of the runes in the circle was glowing blue and the wind seemed to stop, even the birds and the animals around them seem to hold their breathe. Hermione knew this was her cue, so she stepped into the circle, feeling a sudden warmth inside her from the magic of the runes.

One by one, the other witches stepped forward and rubbed oil that smelled of sage, lavender and eucalyptus. As they did, they also rubbed the element they represented.

Narcissa was first, casting fire in her hands, she ghosted Hermione’s entire body with the flame without burning her, and then oil, murmuring incantations that were too soft to hear. With every swipe, Hermione felt her magic hum within her, like it was singing, rejoicing.

Pansy came after, dousing every inch of her in water taken from the stream along Nott borders. Again, magic hummed a sweet melody that had Hermione closing her eyes in bliss.

Andromeda was next, doing the same thing, but this time rubbing soil taken from the deepest part of Nott forrest. She too said soft incantations. And again her magic hummed.

Last was Luna, hers was air, and she did so by blowing gently on every part of Hermione’s body together with the oil. Hermione felt her magic flare in response, enveloping her whole body in warmth and thrumming Magic.

The four witches surrounded her, smiling and the runes around them burned a bright white, indicating that their ritual was successful. Soon enough, Andromeda being the oldest, was pouring all of the left over oil and elements around the circle, closing the ritual.

The five witches gave a collective sigh of contentment, their magic happy. It was time for a feast, which the men who did almost the same ritual for Draco would meet them in the Hall.

The feast was lively, though Hermione felt sticky. Even her face with covered in oil and mud. She wasn’t allowed to wash off her cleanse, not for another 24 hours. Thankfully, she was given a robe to cover herself as the gown she and the other witches wore were see through. She was wearing a grey robe with gold stitching, her family’s colors.

She saw that Lucius, Theo, Harry and Blaise Zabini were there for Draco. It was just the ten of them being served fruits, bread, wine and cheese by the Hall elves. Hermione felt satiated though exhausted and soon, she excused herself, it has been a long day after all.

-.-.-.-.-

Draco had barely spoken to his future wife in the last few days, even as she and Lira settled into the Castle. It made him more nervous than before. He knew what he was getting into, but his heart craved more, so much more. Years, watching her, being cruel to her in public while he hated himself in private, he knew he had mastered his mask. No one knew of his heartache.

Maybe it was his cross to bear, since he made many wrong choices since he was a boy. His father had always taught him to become a good wizard, his grandfather had taught him that Malfoys were the best. Growing up, he was as conflicted as could be. He saw his parents outwardly sneer at mudbloods but he had never heard them use the term in private. He thought that’s just how it goes, and everyone knows it.

It made him sick to realize just how bad that word was in second year, but like a good Malfoy Abraxas taught him to be, instead of apologizing, he doubled down on his cruelty - forever alienating the one witch he had wanted in his life.

And now he was going to marry her in a few hours.

Draco Malfoy was a mess. He knew she wasn’t marrying her for love. Marrying him was probably the last thing she ever thought she’d do in her life. He didn’t know if fate was cruel or kind, giving him all he had ever dreamt of, but in such a twisted manner. She didn’t even know half of the things he had done for her. The things he was willing to do.

“Salazar, Draco!” Theo came striding in to his private chambers, seeing him being a mess on his bedroom floor. He had been silently crying and tearing his hair out since he woke up.

“Look, Draco, I know you don’t like my sister, and any other circumstance I would tell you to stop this, but I can’t. You know I can’t.” Theo looked so conflicted, crouching down beside him, Draco could only laugh. If his friend only knew.

“Mate. What the hell. What’s going on?” Theo slid down and sat beside him, pulling out a flask from the inner pocket of his robes and handing it to him.

Taking a healthy swig of whiskey, Draco just laughed bitterly, making Theo frown.

“Draco, seriously, I need to know what is up with you! Is the prospect of consummating your binding with my sister that distasteful to you? Maybe we should just forget this whole thing. I don’t—“

“Shut up, Theo.” He said quietly.

“No, you’re a mess, and you’re marrying my sister in less than 3 hours, it’s almost dark, the moon will be up. I’ll tell Hermione —“

Draco gripped his friend’s shoulder tightly. “You will tell her nothing. You will not let anything ruin this for her or for Lira, you hear me Theo?” Looking at Theo dead in the eye, Draco tried to convey how serious he was about this.

Something in his tone or his eyes must have startled the other wizard. “You like her. You like Hermione.”

Another strangled laugh escaped his lips as he tilted his head back onto the bed. He sighed. Might as well. “I’ve been in love with your sister since third year, Theo.”

Theo’s eyes blew wide open and his jaw dropped, a strange sound coming from his lips.

Draco could only chuckle. “Yeah. I bullied the girl I like. I’m a walking cliche. I know. Gods, I know how pathetic I am.”

“Drake. Man. I…” Theo found his voice, though his eyes said something else. “She’s the mystery witch?”

“What?”

“Your mystery witch. Blaise and I had a bet ongoing on who the witch was that got you tied up in knots since school. You never showed anyone any interest, except Pansy and we all know that was just for show.”

“I… Yeah, I guess you could say she’s the mystery witch.”

“The reason you joined Umbridge? The reason you tried to get everyone out of the castle before the Death Eaters arrive to see you kill Dumbledore? The reason for all the stress during the war and after?”

Draco eyed Theo sharply. “What do you know about that?”

Theo scoffed. “You forget, I am not as stupid as everyone else. I know you, and I know you trust your father would take care of your mother. Whenever you said “her” or “she” for every one of your missions, you weren’t talking about Narcissa. You were talking about Hermione!”

Theo was pulling his hair out now. Until his head snapped up.

“You killed Greyback for her. Didn’t you?”

“How do you know that?” Draco was shaking, with anger, fear, anxiety. He did not know as he stared at his friend beside him.

“Potter and I have become friends. He told me about the list you had. A Ministry sanctioned hitlist.”

Draco all but banged his head on the bed. “Damn fucking Potter. Couldn’t fucking keep his mouth shut.”

“Greyback. Dolohov. Scabior. All because they hurt her?”

“Theo, I swear —“

Theo let out an indignant huff. “If I didn’t think you’re the best person for the job already, I would have dragged you to the runic circle to marry my sister sooner. I told you, there’s no one I’d rather trust with her — or Lira. I was right. Fuck. I was right.”

Draco wasn’t really sure about that.

-.-.-.-.-

This was it, she was getting blood bound to Draco Malfoy. A wizard with whom she shared a fairly complicated history. Someone who until a month or so ago, she had not even exchanged more than two sentences with. It was surreal, it was bizarre.

Looking at the full length mirror in her room, the huge monstrosity of greys and pale pinks… No, she should’ve said that. She loved the dove grey and pale pink of the Lady’s room at Castle Black. She was just being bitter. Her room at Nott Hall paled in comparison to the sheet luxury of this room. She thought the bed there was huge, the one she spies behind her now is almost twice the size. She sighed.

Her wedding dress was beautiful. There was no other way to describe it. Made of heavy silk brocade in dark grey, lined with gold lace and gold runes stitched on the hems she felt like a medieval princess.

It made sense that the traditional wedding gown was medieval in nature, she loved it, more than the modern witches robes, she wished she could wear gowns like these every day, with its soft scooped neckline and fitted bodice, the cinched waist and flowing skirt. The wide bell ended sleeves were a plus too, she felt like a fairie.

Narcissa was fitting her with the traditional family belt, the Nott’s family jewels were diamonds, so it was a beautiful and intricate golden belt, almost 3 inches thick laden with diamonds and even more runes that was fastened around her waist, it’s end left loosely hanging to her side. Thank Merlin for weightless charms!

Luna wove flowers in her hair, making a crown of hair and buds that smelled fantastic. If she weren’t marrying Draco for a completely different reason and it was for love she would have swooned at the preparations for today. Peonies, roses, camellias were the only ones she knew. Luna said they all mean love or devotion, which makes sense for a wedding, perhaps.

Hermione let herself be swept away with the romance of it all, as she did not want to think about the consummation. It was a requirement, she knew and she had a feeling she could trust that Draco knew what he was doing. She remembered how her few times of sex went and cringed internally. It was a lot of fumbling and grunting and… unsatisfying. Not that she needed to be satisfied tonight, but it would be a good bonus, yeah? So she put that thought aside and just let herself feel pretty as she preened in front of the full length mirror.

She was ready.

-.-.-.-.-

The ritual started much like the purification. This time it was Lucius, Narcissa, Andromeda and Theo who called the corners. They were hers and Draco’s family after all.

She loved that the Black sisters have come back together after the war. She noted how they were with each other and the familial bond and affection were so evident that she wished she and Theo grew old like that.

Draco took her hand and led her to the middle of the circle. He looked determined, she wondered. She thought of the man who would be her husband. He was quiet since earlier today, she wondered why that is? Was he regretting this already? Surely not, his hands were not cold or clammy, they were warm and gentle as they held hers.

As the oldest Black, Andromeda was leading the ceremonies, their friends stayed outside of the circle, only Narcissa and Lucius on Draco’s side and Theo on her side came in.

Still holding hands, they stood in front of the make shift altar, there was an old golden bowl, a silver dagger, a wooden bowl filled with oil and a long piece of white cloth on in. Alright then.

Andromeda took the bowl with the oil and traced the rune for unity with her thumb, first on Draco’s forehead, then on hers. She passed the bowl to Theo, he traced the rune for family on their cheeks. Lucius went next, his rune was loyalty on the other cheek, last was narcissa who traced the rune for love on the hallows of their necks. Each of them murmuring hoc oleum benedictus eris. With this oil may you be blessed.

Next Andromeda gestured for them to face each other, handing Draco the ornate ceremonial dagger, she placed the empty gold bowl beneath his hand as he dragged the dagger across his palm, letting the blood drip inside.

Draco then handed the dagger to Hermione and she repeated the motions, Andromeda still holding the bowl beneath their bleeding palms.

Once that was done, Draco dipped his thumb into the bowl and smeared their mixed blood on Hermione, retracing the runes that were places by their family earlier. After Hermione did the same to Draco, Andromeda gestured for them to join their bloody palms together. They murmured the incantations lowly. noster sanguis sha unum. Our blood shall be one. The runes tingled as they were traced, the magic of the bind forming slowly within them both.

Lucius and Theo then moved towards them, and Andromeda handed Lucius the long white cloth. Winding the cloth on the couple’s conjoined hands, Theo coming from the bottom, Lucius winding from the top. As they did, Hermione felt her magic reaching out to Draco’s, it was teasing, caressing, it felt like coming home. Her eyes wide, wondering if this was normal?

When the cloth was tightly bound, Andromeda turned to Draco.

“You have accepted her blood as your own, you have bound yourself to her, what say you, Draco Lucius Malfoy?” She intoned.

“So mote it be.” His voice was like velvet, smooth, rich, she wondered if she ever heard it like that before.

Andromeda turned to her. “Your blood shared with him, so will your body, yourself bound to him for all eternity, what say you, Hermione Jean Nott?”

“So mote it be.” Was that her voice? So delicate and feminine?

“As the eldest of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, I now pronounce you bonded for life. May the Magic of the Earth bless your union.”

As Andromeda pointed her wand at their still joined hands, golden threads appeared, weaving, floating around their hands until it was enveloping both Hermione and Draco in a golden spray of Magic.

Hermione faintly heard the gasps around them but her eyes were only on her husband, Draco’s eyes were wide, but they were warm, there was a joy in them she could not fathom. Her Magic heated in her veins, it sang, ecstatic. Home it whispered to her. Draco was her home.

Hermione had never trusted her Magic before as she did now, she felt something underneath her breast heat, and then send tingles all over her, she felt Draco tilt his head, they didn’t even notice that their hands were no longer bound by the cloth, it fell away and was gone, enveloped in the strange golden Magic all around them.

Draco tugged at the loose neck of his black tunic, and then she saw it, shining golden like the Magic around them, a lopsided heart just under his left collarbone, the match to her own and then she understood.

Draco was her soulmate.

-.-.-.-.-

Draco had only heard of the stories, the feelings one felt when you are bound to the other half of your soul. It was this, this feeling of rightness, of everything falling into place. He had never felt more alive as he looked into his soulmate’s warm honey eyes.

He didn’t know who moved first, but suddenly his lips were on hers, his arms around her, her fingers in his hair, the Magic shining even brighter around them.

There was nothing, no one, just them. Him and Hermione. His soulmate. The only woman he had ever loved, she was his.

Chapter Text

Draco was pretty sure neither of them remembered much from their wedding feast. There were a lot of tears, a lot of hugging and some good old ribbing, he thinks? He couldn’t even remember what theme or color his mother had chosen to decorate the music room with, where the feast was held. He couldn’t remember what food or drink he took, if he even did.

There was no nervousness now, there was a kind of peace between them. He was aware of wherever she was in the room, though he and Hermione never parted more than a meter or two from each other during of the feast. There was a burning need within his gut to be near her always, to touch her, to hold her. He was pretty sure it was the same for her.

She kept touching him and smiling at him. It was such a new and raw feeling that his chest always felt like it was going to burst. Even when one of her friends or Theo would pull her away, their eyes would find each other and hold it there. There was a space in which only the two of them share. It was euphoric.

Soon, Draco could not take it anymore, this distance within them. He couldn’t even remember if he said goodbye to anyone, all he knew was he needed to be with her, he needed more of her.

He grabbed her by the waist and hefted her over one shoulder, striding confidently outside the music room. He was sure his mother was yelling something about propriety and Theo and Blaise and Potter were exchanging money. Hermione didn’t even protest, she only swatted his back and said she could walk. He scoffed. As if.

He took the massive stone staircases two steps at a time, never breaking speed. Soon, they were at the door of his bedroom, the heavy double oak panels right infront of him. He silently alohamora’d the offending wood and strode right to the massive dark wood four poster in the middle, where he gently laid his wife down on the deep maroon silk sheets. His breathe hitched at the sight of her riotous curls, with all the pretty flowers in it, sprawled out over his pillows.

His wife.

His soulmate.

Draco had never seen a sight so lovely.

Desire pooled at his belly, a primal need to claim, to devour her. She smiled at him as if she knew exactly what he was thinking as he hovered over her, absently toeing his shoes off as he caged his arms at both sides of her face.

“Hello, wife.” He purred. Hermione’s answering whimper shot straight to his already straining member.

“Hello, husband.” Gods, that thin, breathy voice should not be this erotic, but it was, dear Salazar it was.

He was still trying to memorize every freckle on her face when she let out an impatient whine and surged her body upwards, capturing his lips in a heated kiss, pressing her luscious body right against his chest.

Draco didn’t need any more encouragement. His lips, his tongue, his teeth all worked together to take her in, mixing their breathes and eliciting more moans from both of them.

Hermione’s small hands were all over him, trying to divest him of his tunic and pants, he was doing the same, locating the thousands of pearl buttons at the back of her dress he moaned and she giggled, whispering a spell against his throat as she licked and sucked at him, her dress fell open and he thanked all the gods that he was married to a bright witch.

Pulling her dress off slowly, his breath caught in his throat as she was bared to him, inch by inch.

“Exquisite.”

He was sure his voice has never sounded this deep. His hands and mouth followed the same path as the clothing he was discarding until he stopped beneath her perfectly round and supple left breast, there just over her ribs was the same mark that grazed his collar bone, a slightly misshapen heart, no bigger than a sickle. He placed a gentle kiss on it and heat flared on his own mark, his smile grew as he heard Hermione moan such a decadent sound. Well, well.

Pretty soon they were both bare, their hands, eyes, and lips were busy devouring each other. He wanted to take his time getting to know her body, getting to know what makes her elicit such delicious sounds. But Hermione was impatient, it seems.

“Draco, please, please, please I need you!”

Well, who was he to deny his witch anything? He never had before, and he never will.

-.-.-.-.-

Waking up light touches on her hips, fingers grazing the skin on her belly and wet kisses that followed, Hermione could hardly make out her husband in the darkness of his room. Her husband. The ceremony was lovely, the food at the celebration was too, she was sure. Luna said some lovely things — ohhh. What?

Her eyes flew open.

She tried to sit up, propping her arms on her elbows, and all he could see was Draco’s platinum blonde head, parting her legs as he kissed his way down from her belly to the junction of her thighs and ohhhhhhh….

All thoughts flew right out of her head as he started gently lapping at her sex. His mouth and tongue doing delicious things to her. Hermione let herself flop back down on the bed as she enjoyed her husband’s ministrations.

She sighed in pleasure as one of his long, beautiful fingers entered her. Arching her back for more friction, she smiled. She was right after all, Draco Malfoy did know what he was doing in bed.

She was feeling pretty smug in the knowledge that she will never have unsatisfying, mediocre sex anymore.

-.-.-.-.-

The sun was beating quite harshly through the large arched windows of the room when she came back up from slumber. Hermione tried to stretch but found that she was trapped. One large and muscled arm was curled around her, just under her bare breasts, another was possessively curled around her thigh as her whole back was moulded into Draco, she couldn’t feel the steady breaths coming from him as he slept.

Not wanting to disturb her sleeping husband, Hermione luxuriated in the feeling of warmth and safety in his arms. She let out a small giggle as she remembered their activities last night.

Draco Malfoy was her soulmate. It was mind blowing, but she couldn’t muster any resentment. It felt right. It felt so right, it put into perspective all of their previous interactions. The way it was always electric when the two of them clashed, even in anger and hatred. The way she was always drawn to him, she remembered being disgusted by herself in sixth year when she felt worried about him when she saw how thin he was. The need to testify for him during his trials. It all made sense now.

It was because he was hers. He was always hers.

“I could hear you thinking, witch.” Gods, his voice.

Twisting to see his face, she found him looking at her and she couldn’t help it. She smiled, reaching to kiss whatever part of him she could reach. It was his jaw. It was lovely. All hard planes and soft skin. His stubble prickled a bit but she didn’t mind.

He smiled back and she could feel heat pool at her core again. He loosened his hold and she fully twisted to face him. “Good morning, husband.”

He bent down to put a chaste kiss on the corner of her lips. “Good morning, wife.” She loved the feel of his muscles underneath her hands as her fingers splayed at his side, just needing to feel any part of him. The magic between them thrummed in approval.

“Are you sorry that I am your soulmate?” He asked in a soft voice.

She shook her head, pieces of crushed flower petals spraying everywhere. Ooops, she forgot about those. “No. Never. I was just thinking how right it felt, how it explained the draw I always felt around you, even at school.”

She would normally not disclose anything so personal but she didn’t feel the need. She was secure in the knowledge that her soulmate would never use her feelings to hurt her. He let out a sigh of relief.

“I’ve been dreaming of you since third year, when you socked me.” His admission rang true. She wasn’t going to question it.

“You were horrid to me, though.”

“I was horrid to everyone. But yes, I couldn’t deal with what I was feeling for you so like a stupid dolt I was especially cruel. You have no idea how many times I made myself sick whenever I called you that name.” His honestly was so refreshing, she couldn’t find it in her to get mad.

“Yes, yes you were. Turns out I wasn’t even one.”

“No, but still. It was a vile word. I deserve the punch.” He kissed the top of her head and she inhaled in his woodsy, citrusy scent as she buried her nose in his throat.

She was kissing the underside of his jaw when she heard him chuckle. “Aren’t you sore, baby?”

“Uhm, now that you mentioned it…” another chuckle followed by her being flipped over suddenly. Her squeal and giggles were something she never thought she’d even do.

He softly kissed her on the mouth and she could feel him smile. She wanted to deepen the kiss but he pulled back, sitting on her side. “Come, let’s put you in the bath and get some food. We need to do the ritual for Lira today.”

A sense of shame filled her. She didn’t even think of her daughter until he mentioned her. As if he sensed it, he said “None of that. We’re allowed to enjoy each other and our bond, but come, let’s go.”

Letting him pull her up and un ashamed of her nakedness, she let out another squeal as he pulled her into his arms and carried him into the adjoining bath.

-.-.-.-.-

The ritual for Lira followed the same rituals as before. This time, it was only Draco and her, his parents and Theo and Harry and Luna. Andromeda had to take care of Teddy who was coming down on something so it was Narcissa who conducted the ritual.

Both her and Draco were wearing traditional clothes, similar to their wedding garb, but plainer and in Black family colors - black and red. Narcissa had listened to her and Lira was dressed in a mostly red gown, only line with black runes, and black floral stitching. Hermione thought her daughter looked beautiful.

Once again, there was a make shift altar, with oils, the bowl and the dagger. Lira was placed in the middle on the altar with a sleeping charm on her so that she wouldn’t fuss and so she wouldn’t feel when the time came to extract her blood.

That was the part that worried Hermione the most. She didn’t want her baby to suffer anymore than she had, but all the Blacks, Draco included had assured her that this was painless. They would numb her before it was time to cut lightly at the skin above her heart.

Soon, Draco was chanting an incantation as he dragged the dagger above his own heart, and then she saw him mutter a spell before doing the same to Lira. Narcissa made some intricate wand movements as she too was muttering incantations. Hermione could only watch fascinated as she saw streams of Lira’s blood flow in a perfect arch towards the golden bowl at the same time as Draco’s arched towards the wound into her daughter.

It didn’t take long for the blood transfer to occur and the change in Lira was immediate, Hermione could see her curls lighten, until they were shinning platinum blonde as Draco’s and she wasn’t sure but she thought she could see Lira’s chin become more pointed as well.

As soon as their wounds were magically healed, Harry and Luna stepped up and started the godparent ritual, anointing Lira with oil and tracing runes on her forehead with their blood, one after the other.

Hermione reached out for Draco’s hand and smiled, grateful, hopeful. It was Luna who snapped them out of their stares.

“I feel her. She is well, Hermione.” Luna’s soft voice made her throat hitch.

“You feel her?”

“Yes, the bond is in place. I can feel if she is in trouble or sick. Lira is well.”

Hermione felt herself sag in relief and Draco was there to catch her as she started sobbing uncontrollably. Months of fear and anxiety all bubbling over as she heard the words she had hoped for so long. She cried for what seem to be
hours, as her family waited around her, even after Narcissa had closed the circle with the discarded blood, her tears would not abate.

In the end, Draco had to carry her upstairs and Narcissa took Lira into her arms. Lira was now officially a Malfoy and the thought that these people, these people whom she feared and hated had shown her and Lira more love and care in the past weeks than the ones who were supposedly her friends and Lira’s biological father made her bawl even more.

No, she can’t think of Ron Weasley right now. Draco was Lira’s father. Lira was theirs. There was no changing that and she was so, so glad.

Chapter Text

“Your mummy is the best witch in the entire world.” Hermione stirred awake, hearing Draco’s voice softly whispering in the darkness.

He must be talking to Lira.

“Mama!” Came her daughter’s excited squeak.

Hermione smiled without opening her eyes. Lira must have woken. It warmed her heart that Draco was taken with her little girl. Their little girl.

It still seemed too good to be true. Her Lira was well. Draco told her last night that Narcissa had called a healer to check Lira after the ceremony. She was so out of it, expelling months - maybe years - of anguish with tears. Draco was with her through it all, holding her, comforting and assuring her.

Someone placed another crib near the window of Draco’s room - their room now, she supposes - for Lira. It was just that, no discussion, no conversation. Draco knew she needed Lira near her at all times and he honored her wishes without complaint. It was eye opening to the kind of man she married.

“Yes, but be quiet little princess, mama’s sleeping. How about you say Daddy instead? Can you say that?”

“Daaaa…”

“That’s right, you clever girl. Come on pretty princess, say Daddy.”

Hermione cracked an eye open, Draco was seated in front of the fireplace to the right of their bed, Lira on his lap facing him. They looked so beautiful together, blonde heads almost touching, firelight making them look ethereal. Hermione didn’t think her heart could handle anymore.

“Da… da da…” Lira was babbling and Draco was kissing her cheeks, making the girl giggle.

“That’s right, princess, I’m your dada.” He said between kisses. “And dada loves you and mama very much.”

Hermione sobbed at his pronouncement, she couldn’t help the tears that threatened to fall. Draco turned his head towards the bed and gave her a heart stopping smile.

“Look, princess, we woke up mama. We’re sorry mama.” He said with a slight smirk. Gods that smirk.

Getting up from bed to join her little family, Hermione made her way to sit beside Draco, arms reaching for Lira. The girl readily went into her mother’s arms and Hermione looked at her husband, whose grey eyes were suspiciously as shiny as her own.

“Thank you for getting up for her, you should have woken me.”

“You needed your rest, yesterday was an emotional day. Besides, she’s my daughter too.”

He said it so plainly, so naturally, like there wasn’t any doubt. Like Ron Weasley never existed. She felt her heart smile as her face did and she reached over Lira to give him a lingering but chaste kiss.

“Thank you.” It was all she could say.

“There’s nothing in this world I would not give for you or Lira, you have to know that. I know I have a lot more to prove, but if you will let me, I will devote my life to you and our family, Lira and whatever other children we may have.”

It was a simple thing. A declaration, but Hermione found she didn’t really need it. She knew in her soul that he was true. She felt the sincerity from the bond.

“Hmm, we may already have made those hypothetical children you know.” She said as Lira played with her curls.

“Do you mind? Lira is still so young. But the ritual —“

She shushed him with a finger on his soft lips, one that he took to kissing as well as the other fingers on that hand.

“I know, I read the ritual. It can’t be helped, the binding erases any contraception. It’s alright, I trust in our Magic. If it happens, it happens. Do you mind?”

“More children with you? You growing the fruit of my love for you? Why would I mind?” He said it softly, Hermione didn’t know how much more her heart could melt.

“Hopefully they take my eyes this time, I’m a bit put out that Lira’s eyes changed to grey.” She pouted.

Draco’s chuckle was adorable. “You know what, me too. I love your brown eyes.”

Hermione felt the blush that stole to her cheeks. His compliments were always said so matter of factly, like it was just that. He loved her eyes. He thought her body exquisite, he loved her. If this was the rest of her life, then she would die in bliss.

-.-.-.-.-

With Lira’s health bouncing back, so did her energy, and with that came the nightly wake up calls for milk or a diaper change.

Hermione was surprised at how hands on Draco was. He always got up before she did and Corly admitted to her that Draco asked her to show him how to change a dirty diaper. The thought made her giggle.

Draco also perfected a wandless privacy wall, as he said he felt weird to do naughty things with her with their daughter in the room. It worked perfectly fine, thank you very much, Hermione was satiated very thoroughly every night.

It a matter of days, they had a routine.

In the morning, Draco got up first, prepared Lira and they would go down to the beautiful breakfast nook in Castle Black’s conservatory. It made Hermione panic the first day she got up and both her husband and daughter were missing from the room. It was Dandy who showed her the way to the ground floor room filled with exotic flowering plants and a nice wicker table set in a corner that looked out into one of the gardens.

After breakfast, they would floo to either Theo’s or Harry’s or Malfoy Manor to spend time with family and friends. Everyone loved Lira and Lucius and Narcissa had asked more than once when they could have grandparents’ night with her. Draco always told them gently that they were still getting to know each other as a family.

That didn’t stop the gifts and the toys that were now scattered across the Castle, Nott Hall, Malfoy Manor and even Grimmauld Place. Hermione wanted to curb the spoiling that was happening, but realized that Lira had very wealthy families and godfather, they could afford it, she would just have to make sure her daughter was raised not taking any of them for granted.

It was the fifth day of this, and they were at Malfoy Manor - much brighter and comfier than she remembered from the war, Narcissa clearly redecorated - and Lira was playing with Lucius and Draco on the carpet in one of the parlors while she and Narcissa took their tea on the sofa. They were waiting for Teddy and Andromeda to join them for lunch.

The sight of two aristocratic men on their hands and knees playing horsey with her little girl was so surreal to Hermione, but she took it all in stride. When Theo and Harry were there, they were even more adorable.

“The Samhain party would be the perfect time to introduce your little family to the Wizarding world.” Narcissa was saying. “Samhain is always more informal, so it would not feel stifling, don’t you think?”

Hermione nodded. She was aware that their perfect little bubble of bliss could not last long. Not only were the Malfoys rich and well known for ages, they were also quite famous for defecting and helping against Voldemort during the war. Even though Lucius was still wandless as per his five year probation, none of them were on house arrest anymore.

Then there was the matter of her return from Australia. No one knew that Hermione Granger was back, thanks to her and Lira taking the muggle route back to England. Lucius had kept a tight lid on the press, using his considerable influence to make sure no one outside their friends and family knew.

“What will we be wearing?”

“Well, since it’s a Celtic holiday, I had Madam Malkin make some really nice Celtic dresses for you, much like your wedding gown but in lighter fabrics and tighter fit. They should be delivered at the Castle within the next few days and you can choose which one you want to wear. Lira too.”

“Thank you, I don’t think I could have done anything without you and Lucius.” She meant that sincerely.

“Oh, sweetheart, we’re family. You’re Lady Black now, and we are the ones that should be thanking you. I have never seen my Draco so happy, and that’s because of you. And Lira. Merlin, I love that child, she is the missing piece of this family. Even her name fits in so perfectly.”

Hermione could only smile. In the past weeks she and Narcissa had gotten close, they have talked of the war, what they had endured, what they had to do. Apologies and heartfelt thanks were abundantly thrown in. She even admitted that she got Lira’s name from the constellation Lyra and her fascination with the Black family tapestry, of which hers and Lira’s names were now showing.

“It feels right, doesn’t it? I keep thinking that. This feels right. Me and Draco, our family, Lira being here. It all feels right.”

“Yes, it does darling.”

-.-.-.-.-

That afternoon, they left a napping Lira with her grandparents and she and Draco made their way to Gringotts. It was time for her to be added to the vaults.

She was no stranger to the process as Theo had done it for her days after their arrival from Australia. Thankfully, the richer, more important patrons of the bank were given private floo access directly into it. She could not imagine the press clamoring around them otherwise.

Stepping into the black marble atrium of the bank, they were greeted by a goblin and was shown into one of the private rooms. Draco and her quickly signed and spilled blood to let her access the multitude of vaults from both Malfoy and Black families.

Hermione estimates that she now had access to 36 vaults, including the Nott ones. It was overwhelming to say the least.

She thought they would be going back to get Lira when Draco informed her that they would be going to one of the Black jewelry vaults to look for pieces to wear for her first real foray into the elite Wizarding society. The thought was daunting.

Rows and shelves and caskets and trunks filled with every kind of jewelry greeted her when the door finally opened with Draco’s blood.

It didn’t take long for them to get what she and Narcissa needed, the rows and shelves were remarkably well organized. She had to pull Draco back though, when he wanted to get a mini tiara for Lira. Seriously, the man was insane. But what was really insane was there were actually toddler and kid sized tiaras in the vault. The extravagance of the Blacks was truly astounding. She did not want to contemplate the Malfoy ones.

She allowed a small ruby and diamond bangle for Lira instead as compromise. The amount of times she rolled her eyes that afternoon made Draco smirk even worse than before. He was determined to spoil her and Lira, that’s for sure.

-.-.-.-.-

Draco could not think of a time that he was happier than he was recently. Nothing compared to waking up every morning to the love of his life, his soulmate beside him, their daughter just a few meters away.

It has been a peaceful week so far, which should have clued him in that things were just a bit too perfect. Of course the peace would be shattered by Rita Skeeter. Who else?

They were having their usual breakfast at the conservatory when the delivery of The Daily Prophet came. He stood up from the table, paid the owl and took the paper. He unfortunately unfolded it before taking his seat, which drew the attention of his wife when he stopped in his tracks and groaned.

Right in the front page of the paper was a picture of him and Hermione, his hand on her back as he led her to the floo at Gringotts. It must have been taken as they were leaving the other day. The headline read in bold letters:

Golden Girl is Back and in the Arms of Former Death Eater!

Hermione stood up and tried to read over his shoulder, but ended beside him as she was too short. It would have been funny if he wasn’t fuming at the insinuations that Skeeter had spewed.

“What?! Where in the world did she find out about Australia?”

“Weasley. Who else?” Draco scoffed.

“What? He wouldn’t!” His wife sounded indignant.

“Wouldn’t he? There’s a quote from him at the bottom.”

”Hermione would never shack up with a Death Eater like Malfoy! He probably imperiused her or something!” she read out loud. Her volume, rising.

At that she snatched the paper away to read properly and Draco sat back down, a little dismayed that Lira had taken the time they were distracted to smear her pancakes all over her face.

“No! No!” Lira had found her new favorite word, saying no to almost everything. Right now she was protesting Draco taking the pieces of squished pancake from her hands.

“Tsk tsk princess, this is not how a Malfoy behaves.” Lira’s eyes grew wide and round at his tone. He was perfecting his “dad voice” and the effects were varied.

Right now, it seems to have the opposite effect. Instead of paying attention, stormy grey eyes, very much like his own started tearing up and Lira let out a loud wail, making her mother look up from frowning at the newspaper.

“Shhhh, shhhh baby girl, come here. There’s my little princess, come, daddy needs to clean you up. Bath time, yeah?”

Hermione let out a chuckle.

He only raised a brow at her as he lifted the messy, crying toddler from the hundred year old Black baby high chair.

“She’s got you wrapped around her little finger.” Was all the explanation he got.

Draco huffed. “Of course she does, she’s my princess.”

Rounding with the toddler in his arms, he stalked towards his wife and dropped his head to whisper in her ear. “And you are my queen, and if you tell me your plans for Skeeter, I will worship your body while Lira takes a nap.”

He was delighted with the hitch in her breath and the visible goosebumps that formed on her arms.

“Come on little princess, let’s leave mummy to plot a bug’s murder.” He winked smugly at the witch who was still looking at him with hunger in her eyes and he strode confidently out of the room to take care of his sticky princess.

-.-.-.-.-

His promise of reverence was not to be however as later on, just when Lira had gone down for a nap, a shimmering blue peacock patronus came to their room, the voice of his mother echoing in their chambers

“The wards of the manor is being breached! Your father is alone and wandless! I’ll be going home as soon as I send a message to Harry!”

Panicked, Draco turned to Hermione. “I need to go.”

Hermione was already a step ahead of him, wand at the ready and calling for Corly. The elf appeared with a pop.

“Corly, stay close to Lira. Tell the elves to lock the Castle down after we leave. No one comes in via apparation or floo unless it’s me or Draco, is that clear?”

The little elf, in her cute purple tunic bowed. “Of course Mistress Black.”

“Let’s go.” Hermione yanked at him sharply.

Draco tried to resist. “You stay here, Lira —“

“No, they’re my family too! I already lost two sets of parents, I’m not losing anyone anymore!” The look of determination in her features swayed Draco and he resolutely took her arm and apparated them in front of the manor to head off any intruders.

Hermione’s eyes went wide as she beheld a manic looking Ron Weasley sending spell after spell against the wards of the Manor. Lucius was on the other side, trying to talk to him, but the red head was adamantly trying to break in.

“Ron!” Hermione was striding forward before Draco could stop her.

“Hermione!” The man turned around, his gaze about to soften at Hermione’s voice when he spotted Draco.

Ron Weasley’s eyes hardened and his face turned feral as he beheld the blonde. “You! You took her from me!”

Hermione was in front of him now, wand drawn. Draco strode beside her, wrapping his arms around her waist and trying to step in front of her.

“Watch where you point your wand, Weasley! That’s my wife you are threatening!”

“Wife!? Wife!? You married a fucking Death Eater?” Ron’s face was fully red now, his spit all foaming at his mouth.

Before any of them could react a bright red light shone, directed squarely at Draco.

Chapter Text

Surprisingly, it wasn’t Draco or Hermione who erected a quick protego against Ron’s curse.

“Step away from my children, Mr. Weasley.” Narcissa Malfoy had silently apparated just to the side of Ron, making the man stagger back in shock.

“Shut the fuck up, you Death Eater whore!”

Draco, having successfully positioned himself in front of Ron while the other man was distracted by his mother, had reared his arm back and let it fly, landing a powerful blow to the wizard’s face, effectively striking the man down to the ground.

Not a second later, Lucius Malfoy was on Ron, his long platinum locks swaying, knees to the ground, as he landed blow after blow with his fists.

“Do.” Punch

“‘Not.” Punch

“Disrespect.” Punch

“My.” Punch

“Wife!” Punch. Punch

Hermione could only watch in horror as Ron’s face was slowly looking more like ground beef. Several pops of apparition sounded, but no one paid attention. Narcissa had only to lay a calm hand on her husband’s shoulder for him to stop.

Panting, both Malfoy men stood off to the side as two Aurors tried to get Ron back up.

“What happened, Hermione.” Harry’s face swam in Hermione’s line of vision, startling her back to reality.

She immediately hugged her friend. “I was so scared, Harry. Ron looked deranged. He was trying to get into the manor and struck a curse towards Draco. Narcissa shielded us, but Ron had to run his mouth and well…”

She could only lean back and shrug helplessly.

Draco strode forward to take his still shaking wife in his arms, calmly soothing her even as he glared at Harry. Hermione could only bury her head into his chest, the image of Ron’s battered face still fresh in her mind, even as the Aurors as dragged him to check on the wizard.

“He was trespassing, Potter. We had the right to defend ourselves.”

Harry only scratched his neck as he nodded to the other Aurors to take Ron to St. Mungos.

“I get that, Malfoy, but it doesn’t look good. It’s four of you against one of him.”

“My father is wandless, Potter, he was alone when we came and Weasel King was aiming all his curses straight at him. If the wards didn’t hold, my father would be dead.” Draco stated all this calmly, but the steel behind his words were unmistakable.

“I would need to take Mr. Malfoy in for questioning, as well as your memories.”

“Fine, but we would like to countersue for endangerment and trespassing.”

Harry sighed. “Fine, come with me.”

“I’ll be there, but first I need to take my wife and my mother home. Your goddaughter is alone with the elves.” He couldn’t resist the jab.

Harry only nodded once as he stepped towards the elder Malfoys who were standing stoic, but holding hands.

Narcissa placed a kiss on her husband’s cheek and Lucius gave her a tight smile, taking Harry’s offered arm and apparating away with him.

-.-.-.-.-

It took several hours, with Hermione and Narcissa alternately fretting at the Castle and distracting Lira who kept calling for her “Dada.”, before both Malfoy men stepped out of the floo and into the floo room where the women were waiting rather impatiently.

Hermione rushed to her husband, their daughter in her arms. He hugged them both tightly and Lira reached out to be carried by Draco.

Taking his little girl and placing a kiss on his wife’s forehead, he sat down tiredly, as his parents did the same on the opposite couch.

Narcissa was healing Lucius’ hand, which seems to be bruised.

“He was high.” Draco stated.

“What?” Hermione could only gape, still standing.

“It seems Mr. Weasley has picked up on a nasty muggle habit since coming back from Australia. The other Mr. Weasley came to take him into his custody. From what we could tell, Ronald had escaped from his medical facility after Rita Skeeter visited him.” Lucius stated.

“He’s been in rehab all this time. How Skeeter found him, we don’t know. I’m pretty sure Potter didn’t know either. He stepped back from the case as he had a conflict of interest and he and George Weasley were having a shouting match before we left.” Draco continued, while gently tickling Lira on his knees. The child seemed to be fascinated by her father’s antics and was giggling happily.

“They did not charge me. For one thing, I did not violate my parole as I did not use magic. For another, Mr. Weasley, the elder, did not want any publicity involving his brother’s addiction to come out. We agreed not to press charges if they can keep Ronald in the facility, but the moment he gets out, the charges for trespassing, assault and slander will be in effect.” Lucius tiredly leaned on his wife’s shoulders as he spoke and Narcissa gently ran her fingers through his long hair.

Draco snorted somewhat elegantly. “We’ll deal with Skeeter separately. She should have known better than to go against our family.”

Hermione then decided she needed to speak to Harry soon, if only to get to the bottom of things. She could not believe Ron had turned to drugs after he left them. It was unfortunate that she did not even get to reason with him, though she now knew he was beyond rational thoughts.

“Well, I for one, am famished. Why don’t we all get something to eat. Would you like to stay over for the night? Maybe a little grand-baby time is needed to make things better?” She asked her in laws.

Lucius’ eyes immediately brightened and Narcissa smiled. “We would love that, Hermione. Thank you.”

Hermione smiled back and called for Dandy.

-.-.-.-.-

Several things happened after dinner.

First, the grandparents took Lira with them to the west wing of the Castle, where their appointed rooms were, leaving Draco and Hermione in the library.

Second, Hermione summoned her patronus to send to Harry. Expecting her otter, but instead, a huge Hungarian Horntail dragon came out, startling both her and Draco.

“Oh my god!” The muggle phase easily slipped out.

“Your patronus changed.” Draco said in awe.

Only knowing of one other person whose patronus had changed after falling in love, Hermione asked. “Is this the same as yours?”

“Yes.”

Deciding to let the matter drop for now as she wasn’t ready to face the implications of her patronus change, Hermione hurriedly sent a message for Harry.

Draco wrapped his arms around her as they sat on one of the library couches, her back to him, knees bent on the couch.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to say it. I know.” Draco whispered in her ear. The bond tingled inside of her and she leaned back, closing her eyes and enjoying the feel of being in his strong embrace.

Draco absently curled his finger around one of her locks while Hermione kept her eyes shut. “I love you. I was terrified when Weasley aimed his wand at us. I was scared I wasn’t going to be able to protect you again, just like when Bellatrix…”

Keeping her eyes closed, even as she shivered at the name, Hermione lightly rubbed a hand on Draco’s crossed arms around her. “It’s alright. I’m not helpless, your mother was just faster. This time.”

There was a beat of silence, before Draco dropped his head on her shoulders. “I couldn’t live without you, Hermione. Now that I’ve found you, I wouldn’t have been able to. You are the air that I breathe. You are the very blood in my veins. I am nothing without you.”

Though moved by his admission, Hermione stilled. Admitting, if only to herself, that if it was Draco that was hit with a Ron’s curse, she wouldn’t have been able to function either. “You would have been able to. You would have had to. Lira needs you.”

Gently untangling herself from him, Hermione faced her husband and took his face in her hands. “You are a good man, Draco Malfoy, and a very good father. If anything happened to me, you would have found a way to move forward because you know Lira would need you. You wouldn’t let her down.”

She leaned forward and kissed him, lightly at first, and she was about to deepen the kiss when the wards alerted of a visitor in the floo room.

Instantly alarmed, though they both knew very few people could access their floo, they stood up and Draco apparated them both directly into the floo room.

They were greeted by a disheveled and blank faced Harry Potter who was standing stock still in the middle of the room.

“Hermione.” Harry’s voice was strangled, as if he was trying not to cry.

Draco sensed that he was not needed and quickly dropped a kiss on top of his wife’s head and made a hasty exit.

Hermione stepped forward and pulled her best friend into her arms. Harry hugged her back tightly, and on a strangled cry, started sobbing.

Hermione let her friend cry, only rubbing his back as choked, halted sobs came from the savior of the Wizarding world.

After a few minutes, Harry found his voice. “They lied to me, Hermione. Every week, I was there for brunch. Every night I slept beside Ginny and they were all lying to me!”

Hermione felt a deep sense of sympathy for her friend. After Ron had left her, Harry had desperately tried to remain in good terms with the Weasleys. Even when Ginny made veiled comments about her, Harry would only muster a small defense of Hermione. She knew all of this, Harry had been honest with her.

Molly Weasley might have helped when Lira was sick, but she barely spoke with Hermione, and both friends knew she blamed Hermione for the break up, even though Ron was the one who walked away. None of the other Weasleys ever reached out or even tried to get to know Lira even though Hermione was sure that all of them knew of her daughter.

Now, Hermione held on to Harry as the man sobbed and mourned the only other family he had since he was a child. It was heartbreaking to see her him this way, and Hermione promised herself that she would do everything in her power to make sure that her best friend bounced back from this betrayal.

Harry just kept sobbing and crying out that the Weasleys betrayed him and Hermione felt helpless in the face of her friend’s anguish.

It was a long time before either of them moved from the embrace.

Chapter Text

The witch was going to be the death of him, Draco was pretty sure of it. If they were not in such an open space and had so many witches and wizards around for the Samhain bonfire party at Malfoy Manor grounds, he would have had his wife on her back and writhing beneath him by now.

The witch wore a satin Slytherin green and black celtic gown with the usual wide neck and long sleeves, the way it cradled all her curves was enough to leave him drooling, but it was the fact that the dress was nearly entirely backless was what has his lower regions twitching since before they left the Castle.

The witch knew what she was doing too. She did not let Draco see her gown until the very last moment, as they were stepping into the floo and instead of feeling cloth underneath his palms, he was met with the feeling of his wife’s creamy skin, just at the top of her delicious backside. Draco did not have enough time to recover himself, the witch only grinned at him, their daughter in her arms as they were whisked away by the green flames of the fireplace. He had to take a few moments to adjust himself before following them. The cheeky witch.

Looking at his witch now, effortlessly talking to their guests, smiling and enjoying himself, Draco could not help but feel like the luckiest son of a witch there was. She was radiant, stunning, the glow of the moon and the fires from the bonfires making her eyes sparkle even more, making her look like an ancient goddess brought to life, specially with the Black heirloom circlet that lay low on her head, barely containing her glorious curls, the large black diamond of the silver band hanging right above her eyebrows, she looked like Boadicea brought to life.

“You know it’s bad form to be ogling one’s wife so openly, mate.” Draco turned slightly to see his bestfriend, turned brother in law next to him.

Theo has been sequestered in his Hall for the most part since their wedding, lost in trying to unravel his and Hermione’s mysterious past. He knew it was one of his wife’s concerns to help her brother, but what with the Weasel, and Harry, not to mention him and Lira, she had quite her hands full.

“Glad to see you outside of your library, Theo.” He said in greeting.

“Yeah, well, I’m not having much luck on the curse but I did find my mother’s diaries.” Theo chugged on his drink as if starved.

“Hmm, anything interesting?”

“Aside from her waxing poetic about my father’s thighs or his broad back for almost five pages?” Draco had to stop himself from choking on his own drink. “Nothing much, so far. I could barely get through her ramblings, but I want to be thorough so I’m powering through.”

“I’m sure Hermione appreciates your sacrifice.” He said, clapping his friend on the back.

“How is she? Truly?” Theo asked seriously.

In turn, Draco turned serious as well. “She’s keeping it together. Potter is lost, and she’s the only one he has now, so it’s hard for her, but you know your sister, she will not let anything bring her down, no matter how heavy the burden.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of. She barely held together when they were in Australia. She almost collapsed when Lira was healed. How much more can she handle?”

Draco wanted to rail at his friend. Did Theo really think so lowly of him that he would let his wife - his soulmate - get lost in herself? Did Theo think that he would just stand by (again!) and let her be tortured? He steeled himself and tried to control his temper. Theo meant well, he was worried about his sister. He only gave Theo a short answer.

“She has you now, she has me, she has my parents. We will not let her fall.”

-.-.-.-.-

Hermione was trying to enjoy herself. The mood at the party was helping that, but at the same time she was torn into different directions.

The easiest one to manage, would be Lira. She was being passed around the grandparents and various honorary aunts and uncles. Since Samhain was traditionally a feast of thanksgiving for the year’s harvests, it was not an all adult party, there were plenty of children and teens running around, making it a bit chaotic trying to track where her one year okd went.

She was also trying to avoid being alone with Draco. She had no doubts that once cornered by her husband, she would be *ahem* punished for her scandalous dress for the evening. She would have to remind him that it was his own mother who had the dress made. It would have been fun to fool around at a party, a huge part of her wanted to do just that, actually, but the last and probably most difficult of her tasks this evening was to keep an eye out on Harry. She didn’t think leaving the party for a quick romp with her stud of a husband would help that particular task.

Right now, Harry seemed to be quite alright, fitting right in with the Slytherins. He was laughing at something Zabini said and Parkinson was eyeing him like he was grade A steak. Hmmmm Hermione didn’t know what she thought about that. On one hand, she and Pansy had a tentative friendship. She was there for her purification and had even apologize for being a brat at school, on the other hand… She was Pansy.

Hermione decided to join the group, specially since her husband and her brother seem to be elsewhere.

“Hello guys, enjoying your evening?” She greeted them genuinely.

“Why, Lady Black, we are honored to be in your esteemed presence.” Blaise Zabini made an exaggerated bow which only made her smack him on the arm playfully.

“Really, Blaise, you know I’m a happily married woman, no need to flirt with me!”

“Didn’t you know? Married women are the best to flirt with.” Blaise bit back with a saucy wink, making her laugh.

“Alright there, Lothario, why don’t we get the ladies a drink before her husband comes and smacks you for that.” Harry gave a little wave as he led the grinning flirt to the bar at the other side of the party grounds.

“So… Came to ask me if my intentions were honorable, Granger?” Asked Pansy drily, surprising Hermione with her directness.

“First off, it’s Malfoy. Second, whatever do you mean?”

“Oh come off it, you Gryffindors don’t know subtlety if it hit you in the face. I could see you eyeing me and Potter from across the field.” Pansy snorted.

“I… Well. I didn’t think Slytherins were as direct as this.” She faltered.

“Maybe if you attended Snake Nights with Draco once in a while, you’d learn something, Granger.” There was a rebuke in there somewhere.

“Would it still be Snake Night if a Gryffindor was there?”

“Good one.” Pansy nodded approvingly. “Maybe bring Potter, or Lovegood, she is your baby’s godmother isn’t she.” That settled it, Pansy definitely had some beef.

“Are you mad that we didn’t choose you as godmother for Lira?”

The other witch only arched a brow. “Mad? Me? Because I wasn’t made godmother to my first, oldest and bestest friend’s first baby? Of course not.”

Hermione smiled. Ah. There it is. “Hmmm. What if I made you godmother of his first son instead?”

Shocked colored the witch’s face but she quickly recovered. “Really? And when will that be? In a few years?”

Hermione leaned in feigning a stage whisper. “It’s too soon to confirm but I have a good feeling that we conceived during our consummation. And I’m pretty sure Malfoy family Magic would ensure that it’s a boy. You’re the first one I told.”

A slow smile crept on the beautiful face of Pansy Parkinson. “See to it that it’s a boy and I am godmother, Granger, and I’ll make sure that baby is the best Slytherin of them all.” She lifted her chin up and said, “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a Gryffindor to bully into a dance.”

It was only when Pansy was too far for her to call back that Hermione realized that she never did get to ask the witch what her intentions with Harry were. She got Hermione to not only feel ashamed for not thinking of her as godmother to Lira, but also to divulge a secret she had not even confirmed with Draco.

Best Slytherin of them all indeed.

Damn.

-.-.-.-.-

Hermione was with Luna and Neville when Narcissa approached her, carrying a sleeping Lira and with an unexpected guest in tow.

Rita Skeeter looked rabidly happy as she approached their little group and glancing at her mother-in-law, Hermione couldn’t determine what her game was, bringing the reported with her.

“Hermione dear, looks like Lira is all tired out, I think you should tuck her in.” Narcissa greeted, smiling at Luna and Neville as well. “I’m sure Draco is somewhere and would like to turn in his daughter, too.”

Gently transferring Lira from the elder witch’s arms into her own, she smiled at her mother in law before turning a glacial eye on Skeeter. “Of course, Narcissa. I see you have a guest to entertain. We wouldn’t want to get in the way of your party.”

Narcissa let out a tinkling laugh. “Oh, sweetie, Rita and I go way back, isn’t that right, Rita?”

There was no threat in her tone nor any change in her facial features but Hermione could see the reporter pale. Interesting. She only gave a tight smile was Lira burrowed into her neck. “Yes, of course.”

“I was just telling Rita here that we would love to have her for tea, maybe sometime this week? We’d hate for other news columnists to report on little Lira here without the truth from our own dear Rita, now would we?”

Why was Narcissa inviting the bug over? What was her angle here. Hermione could not see what an exclusive interview would do that Skeeter would not twist into her own demented version of the truth, but she decided to play along. After all, Narcissa has been playing the society game far longer than she.

“We would love to have you, Ms. Skeeter. Maybe here at the manor? The Castle is too crowded with family and friends, specially this close to Yule.” A big fat lie that is, the Castle had more than a hundred rooms.

Hmmm. Come to think of it, they could probably trap the bug in a random room and it would take her days if not weeks to find her way out.

Before her homicidal thoughts got away from her, she saw Narcissa smile in approval and set to finalizing plans with Skeeter.

With a hurried bye to everyone, specially Luna who wanted to cleanse her first, Hermione made her escape with her daughter in tow.

Damn these Slytherin machinations.

-.-.-.-.-

That night, a different kind of snake slytherin her bed, and she was all too happy to let him…

Chapter Text

“You know I used to think working in the Ministry is the right job for me.” Hermione was in bed with her husband, a few days after the Samhain party. “I don’t think that anymore.”

“Oh? So what do you want to do then?” Draco asked while gently running his thumb on her arm, leaving goosebumps in its wake.

“I dunno. What do you do? I know you’ve checked in on work a few times, but what actually is work?” She lazily drew patterns on his naked torso.

“I’m CEO of Black Enterprises. We manage a lot of properties in Magical Britain, and most of Europe, we also have several construction and materials companies under that umbrella. I help out in the Malfoy offices, though mostly that’s father’s thing. I just help out with the Apothecary. Mostly just perfecting potions for mass production.”

“And all this time you’ve spent with Lira and me? I didn’t realize we were keeping you from so much of your responsibilities.” She did feel guilty. The man dropped everything since he first came to see her in Australia, and that was two months ago. It seems to be such a short time but with all that happened, it seemed like forever ago, too.

Draco had always assured her that “work” can wait and his nonchalance made her assume that he wasn’t doing anything really significant. Just being a rich heir and pretending to do real work. She should have known that Draco Malfoy prided himself in his own brilliance, pretty much like herself. He would want to earn his titles and position.

“Hey, don’t be like that. You’re worth it. The company can technically run itself without me, it has for the whole time the Blacks were such a mess after grand uncle Arcturus died. I was just looking for something to fill the void after the war, and the house arrest and the Ministry. Now I have you, and Lira and I could step back anytime.” He dropped a kiss on her forehead, which was frowning.

“I don’t want you to though. I think it’s good for our children to have parents with a strong work ethic.” She pouted.

“Alright, alright, but I won’t turn into a workaholic like before, Theo always had to drag me away from the office for Snake Nights. And I definitely won’t go back to working for the Aurors.” He made an annoyed face, as if the memory was enough to give him a tummy ache.

“Yeah, Harry told me about that. I never did thank you.” She looked meaningfully in his eyes.

“Thank me? For what?” He looked genuinely confused. Oblivious man.

“You took away all my nightmares. Scabior. Dolohov. Greyback.”

She was sure it was for her. Theo confirmed it when she told him what Harry said on the day of her binding to Draco. It was Harry’s wedding gift. The gift of peace, knowing none of the Death Eaters she feared would try and ruin her life again. It was also a gift of security, that she was marrying a man who would literally kill for her. It should have made her scared, but it didn’t. They all did things for the ones they loved. She, more than anyone, understood.

He looked at her to see if she was serious. “I should have known Potter wouldn’t keep quiet about that.”

She chuckled. “What? You think Harry wouldn’t tell me that he all but pushed you to be the Minitry’s very own Batman while everyone thought you were on house arrest? He prides himself as your Commissioner Gordon, Batman’s law enforcement contact. ”

“What’s a Batman?” He asked while tracing a finger down her nose and leaning down to give her a peck.

“Hmmm. Keep doing that and I won’t tell you.” She smiled.

“Tease. Who’s Batman then?”

“He’s a muggle superhero vigilante who is also the richest man in the city. He fights crime at night but is a billionaire playboy to the public.”

He nodded, “Sounds right.”

“Arrogant prick!” She said with a pinch to his side.

“Ow witch! You’ll pay for that!”

All of a sudden she was pinned down on the bed. “I’m your arrogant prick.” He said huskily as he hovered over her.

She tried half heartedly to squirm under him, but Draco attacked her neck with little nips and kisses, turning her protests into moans.

It was a while before either came up for air.

-.-.-.-.-

It was the towards the end of November when Narcissa finally informed her that they would be hosting tea for Rita Skeeter the next day. Hermione had no idea what her mother in law was up to, but knowing the woman, she had no doubts that she would make Skeeter pay.

She was still no closer to figuring out what she wanted to do, and Draco had been supportive of her the whole time, after all they really didn’t need the money. She could take her time figuring out what her passions were. Hermione spent most of her time taking care of Lira and researching in the library.

Between researching for cures to the Nott family curse with Theo and what she actually wanted to do with her life, she was actually happy. She had time to spent with everyone she loved, Harry, Luna, Neville and even Pansy and Blaise were among them. Draco went back to work the Monday after their little talk, but he never stayed out late and scheduled his meetings outside of the country to be within the weekdays. Weekends were sacred for their family.

She also had a little secret, something she was sure Draco would be happy about. It was also a big reason why she was taking her time with her choices. It didn’t make sense to her to start something only to take a break after seven months, give or take. She was enjoying a relatively worry free life, something she had not had since entering the Wizarding world at the age of 11 and becoming Harry Potter’s best friend.

Harry seemed to be doing a lot better. He avoided Percy at the Ministry, he never really got on with him anyway. He never went to Triple W anymore, which was sad, considering he was closest to George specially after Fred died. He even started going on dates, though he never told her with whom, but she was pretty sure she knew who the mystery witch was.

Draco was attentive as ever, still making sure he beat her to taking care of Lira during the night, though the little girl was sleeping longer and longer these days. He says she takes care of Lira enough during the day, the nights were for “daddy duties”.

They also took short drives around Wiltshire and Ipswich when the weather was nice, taking picnics all around, just the three of them. Draco had bullied Lucius into giving them the gold Lexus, which Hermione secretly loved. Her husband also took to sending her flowers at random times on random days, “just because”.

They often bicker about the smallest things though, like her penchant for staying up late researching in the library. Or her need to always be right, going as far as summoning books from the library whenever they fought on a topic. Or his incessant spoiling of her and Lira with jewelry.

Just the other day he had a necklace made for Lyra with diamonds making up the Lyra constellation pendant. It was a nice gesture but really unnecessary her opinion. She ranted a good half hour to him about extravagance and excess. He retaliated by giving her a matching one with the constellation he was named after.

Yes, life wasn’t perfect but she was happy, which she hasn’t felt in a long, long time.

-.-.-.-.-

Tea with Rita Skeeter was short, which was both entertaining and nerve wracking at the same time. You never really know with Narcissa Malfoy.

Hermione was purposefully late, as instructed and she sat down opposite the two witches in Narcissa’s favorite room in the Manor, which she dubbed the sunshine room because of its pale yellow walls and light furniture, as well as it being in the east, one of the first rooms to take in sunlight every morning.

“Hermione, I was just telling Rita that you and Draco would be happy to grant her an exclusive interview.” Narcissa smiled from the lip of her teacup.

“Oh? And what do we get in exchange of such an honor?” She replied with the hautiest tone she could muster.

Rita looked irritated but covered it up with a sickly smile, “Why the chance to tell your side of the story of course! Readers are sure interested to know how you were gone for a long time, leaving with Ron Weasley as your boyfriend and coming back married to Draco Malfoy with a baby in tow. A baby, that by all calculations should have been Ron Weasley’s based on her age, but then looking just like Draco Malfoy. Isn’t that interesting?”

Hermione held herself from bristling against the accusation that she cheated on Ron with Draco. Drawing on all her self control, she only smiled.

“Well, I would love to clear up that little misunderstanding Rita, but how can we be sure that you will actually tell the truth?”

It was Narcissa who answered. “Not to worry, dear. Rita will be printing whatever we tell her to print.” The or else was implied.

“Really, Narcissa, threats? You know that doesn’t scare me.” Rita said with a falsely cheery tone. The woman was truly vexing.

“But Rita,” Narcissa said with an equally false smile, “Didn’t I tell you? Lucius made some very sound investments these past few weeks.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, you see, Malfoy Inc. has a wide variety of companies under its belt, but you know what we don’t have?”

“I’m sure I don’t know.” Hermione could only smirk at Rita’s obvious discomfort.

“Why we don’t have any media outlets! Very remiss of us, of course. My lovely husband then bought all of the publications in Britain, except for the Quibbler. Won’t do to try to buy out one’s cousin in law, you know.”

Rita visibly paled and Hermione’s smile only got bigger.

“Lucius is such a dear, he put the Prophet, Witch Weekly, The Howler and Wizard’s Page all under my name. Isn’t that sweet?” Narcissa smiled.

“Yes.. ehmm… Very.” Rita was sweating now.

“So you see, it would be very off putting to have lies told about my family in publications we own, now wouldn’t it?”

“I… Of course Narcissa.”

“I’m so glad you agree. I’m thinking of reviewing all employee contracts in the following weeks, as well. Hermione, would you be able to help me? I know you’ve been studying Magical Law in the Castle’s library these days. You can point out discrepancies to me, yes? Like employees who bribe their sources and cause harm inadvertently?”

Hermione daintily took a sip of her tea, sure that Narcissa was alluding to Ron’s escape from the rehab facility. “It would be my pleasure, Narcissa. It would be nice to help out the family business.”

No one missed the emphasis on “family”.

Rita was suddenly very excited for tea to be over. She almost tripped on her words to beat a hasty farewell. Narcissa, however wasn’t done with her yet.

“Oh, before you go, I think you’d be interested to know that Lucius also bought out some muggle casinos in London. Very interesting places, casinos. Do you know they keep a very detailed list of all the people who owe them money? They keep it in.. What’s that called again, Hermione?”

“Computers?”

“Yes! That’s it, computers! Don’t work with magic, those things. Very hard to cheat. I’m sure my dear Hermione would also love to help Lucius and Draco figure them out.”

“Of course.”

Hermione barely contain her laughter as Rita all but ran out of the Manor.

“Rita Skeeter has gambling debts?” She asked Narcissa once the witch was gone.

“Oh yes, quite a lot too.”

Hermione could only stare in awe at her mother in law. “How in the world did you manage to find that out?”

Narcissa only smirked. “We’re Malfoys dear, we always get what we want.”

They spent the rest of the afternoon discussing what ways the Malfoys employ to do so, assured that the days where Rita Skeeter was a thorn on her side has come to an end.

Chapter Text

In the next weeks, publications were printing a wide variety of articles about the Lord and Lady Black. It took a long family discussion to come to an agreement about publishing the story of Draco’s vigilante days, something he absolutely did not want to be made public.

Turns out, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister for Magic and Harry Potter, Savior of Wizardom have actually been wanting to come clean to the press about it. It was Draco who wanted to keep it secret, mainly because he wanted to earn his place back in society through less gruesome ways. Everyone understood it, but without the story, they really couldn’t explain how Draco was able to father Lira when he was supposedly on house arrest, nor could they explain how Hermione Granger, now Nott-Malfoy could have met Draco when she was out of the country. Telling the media the truth would have been an option, if not for Hermione not wanting anyone to find out what Ron had actually done. All the Malfoys agreed he deserved to be shunned for his actions, but Hermione was steadfast in her stance. It wouldn’t just affect Ron, it would affect the Weasleys and specially Harry, it would drag out where exactly Ron is right now and open a huge can of worms none of them really want to deal with.

In true Draco Malfoy fashion, he dramatically agreed to sacrifice himself to the media frenzy instead of letting his wife be the target of malicious gossip once more. Faced with him or Hermione, he would always sacrifice himself. Media, discomfort, hurt, even death. He would brave it all for his love.

The headlines were explosive to say the least.

Vigilante Justice and Romance
The True Story of How Draco Malfoy, Lord Black Found Redemption and Love While Hunting Out Former Death Eaters

The Missing Nott Heiress Turns Former Bully into Her Paramour

Enemies to Lovers: Slytherin Prince woos Gryffindor Princess

How Draco Malfoy Won His Wife

Richest Baby in the World: Lira Minerva Malfoy, - Black, Nott and Malfoy Heiress

How the Boy-Who-Lived-Twice Saved the Boy-Who-Had-No-Choice

Draco’s favorite was the last one. Sure, let’s make it all about Potter again, why not? Though he does agree that if Potter had not come to him with the idea of hunting down rogue Death Eaters, he would probably have a much harder time out in the Wizarding society.

He couldn’t find it in him to bring out the childhood hostility anymore, not after hearing how Potter had been there for Hermione throughout disaster and crises in Australia. Potter - Harry - also admitted to him that it was his idea to ferret out (yes, the pun was intended, ha bloody ha) Death Eaters using him, as a way to ensure that Hermione had one less thing to worry about. Draco did not like hearing how many nightmares Hermione had endured after the war. Potter truly did have a heart of gold, seeing how the media had treated the Malfoys even after evidence of their side during the war. He concocted the whole vigilante stunt as a way to kill two birds with one stone. He always meant for the press to learn about Draco’s deeds. That he and the Chosen One now share firewhiskey evenings with Theo and sometimes Blaise and Longbottom once in a while seem like a small price to pay.

Draco also found out that the “Auror Emergency” that Potter left Hermione for after Lira was born was actually about him, when he got hurt bringing down Greyback. Potter was worried that he had been bitten or scratched, but it was actually an almost fall from the cliff that he sent Greyback off from that sent him to St. Mungos. He had shattered both his kneecaps at the time trying to find purchase in the rocks to stop himself from following the werewolf to a gristly death.

Not that Hermione (or his mother) needed to know all the details of his adventures trying to bring in (but ultimately just killing) the bastards. Draco suposses he also has to thank Potter for keeping his not insignificant number of near death trips to St. Mungos from his mother (and Hermione).

He was thinking of what gifts to give Potter as he and Hermione fell asleep that night. It was a cool early December night and he was excited for Lira’s first Christmas with them as a family. He knew his parents were going to go overboard with the gifts and he refuses to be outdone.

He did not realized he had fallen asleep, but he loved his dreams. They were always about Hermione. This particular dream was amazing. She was grazing his bare stomach with her delightfully red nails, trailing barely there touches around and around his abs until they found the tops of his pajama’s band.

Her wickedly sinful hand caressing the skin just above the cloth, suddenly joined by her delicious lips, peppering him in soft kisses. He loved those lips. He could kiss those lips for hours. The sounds that escape those lips? He could die in them. There was nothing more heavenly.

This dream was so lifelike that he actually shivered when the cool air touched his rigid member. His witch must have vanished his clothes. Gods, it did things to him, knowing how powerful his wife was, how she can cast silent, wandless Magic just like that.

He suddenly snapped his eyes open when he felt warm lips close around the tip of his phallus. This wasn’t a dream was it? He half sat up, and saw the riotous brown curls of his wife in between his spread legs. “I thought I was dreaming.” He said in a gravely voice, trying to fight off sleep. Why sleep when reality was a thousand times better?

His beautiful wife looked up at him, one hand not quite fully encircling the bottom of his shaft, another curled around his thigh. “Hmmm? Go back to sleep, I’m having fun here with my favorite Malfoy.” She said with a wink.

Draco groaned and let his head fall back on the pillows. “I’m sure you’re his favorite Malfoy, too, Lady Black.”

Hermione had started licking him up and down, gently squeezing every time she reached the tip. It was driving him crazy, the things his witch could do. “Oh… oh… fuck… Wife, you’re gonna make me cum!”

He could feel her smile as she started sucking at his tip, only stopping to say, “That’s the idea, Lord Black.” And then she slowly shoved his hard length as far as it would go into her mouth. Draco was seeing stars as his wife continued to bob up and down on him, her gagging and slurping sounds filling the room and sending him speedily towards an orgasm.

He reached his hands to grip her curls in his fist, not quite hurting, but a gentle pressure to urge her on. Hermione did not falter, she upped the pace, making him buck from the bed as she added pressure to the twisting motion her hand was making in time with her slurps.

He knew the sounds coming from him was near primal, her name on his lips, calling out to every god and deity, but it was his “fuck… good girl… so very talented… that mouth.” That had her digging the nails of her other hand into his thigh as she applied more suction on him and squeezed his base. That was it, his vision exploded into white as he came all over the back of his wife’s throat. He tried to see, he wanted to see, but he barely made out her heart shaped face as she swallowed every drop of his spend.

“Fuck.”

He could only gasp as his wife climbed up on him, a Cheshire grin on her face.

“You’re welcome.” Cheeky witch.

“What did I ever do to deserve that?” He said before capturing her lips, not caring that he could slightly taste himself, he wanted to devour her, to show her just how much he appreciated and loved her.

She gasped a bit at his ardor, leaning back. “I just wanted to appreciate what a fine specimen my Batman husband is.” She sighed and kissed him again.

Not a while later and he had her on her back, kissing his way down her collarbones, down to her gorgeous breasts, licking and tasting the dusty peaks. If it there was a fine specimen in this room, it was her, and Draco intended to demonstrate just how much he adored his witch.

-.-.-.-.-

Hermione was feeling good. She was so happy she could burst. She had booked a private healer’s appointment - Malfoy galleons truly did wonders - and the healer confirmed her pregnancy. She was going around Diagon Alley, ostensibly to buy Christmas gifts (Ha! She was Hermione Granger, her gifts were already bought, wrapped and hidden!), but really she was looking for the perfect way to tell Draco that he was going to be a father again.

It was a cool day and she was bundled up in a warm blue knitted dress that fell to her knees, her thigh boots and thick stockings covering the rest of her legs. She had an opened sable coat that Narcissa had gifted her just last week and she was feeling fabulous. The Christmas decors around the Alley only added to her buoyant mood.

She looked down on her hands, she should have brought gloves too, but the beautiful engagement ring winked at her and she sighed, she didn’t know it was even possible to be this happy. Standing in front of a new chic arts and crafts store, with it’s origami decorations in beautiful silver and green, trying to decide if she wanted to be crafty with her presentation to Draco when she heard a screech coming from behind her.

Turning around, she spotted a harried looking Molly Weasley being pulled by Ginny. “You! You bitch! You ruined my family!”

Ginny was unsuccessfully trying to pull her mother away, but it was too late, people, holiday shoppers have stopped and were staring.

Panicked, Hermione took out her wand and hurriedly sent out a Patronus to Harry. It was probably a bad move as people gaped and pointed at her large dragon Patronus as it bounded off. Molly Weasley narrowed her eyes at her even further.

“You just have it all, don’t you?!” She screamed at Hermione, her wand in her hand as she gestured towards her. “You have the money, the big fancy house, the handsome even richer husband, you even have my granddaughter!”

Hermione could hear gasps around her but her focus was on the witch. She didn’t want to aggravate her further so she kept quiet, even as Ginny kept urging her mother to stop. “Mum, please, this is embarrassing! Lira is Draco’s daughter, not Ron’s!”

She silently thanked Ginny for clarifying that.

“Embarrassing?!? What have we got to be embarrassed about? If anyone should feel shame, it should be that hussy over there who left my son for a rich man! My Ron is broken because of that bitch!”

Molly advanced further and pointed her wand at her, “You don’t deserve anything!” She yelled as a hex flew out of her wand.

On instinct, Hermione had a shield up, almost a second too late. She was shaking, thinking of protecting her stomach, wanting Draco to be here. Molly cast another spell towards her and people started panicking and fleeing. Hermione just kept her shield up, even as she saw Ginny trying to disarm her mother, but was cast into a binding spell by Molly.

“Molly, please!” She finally shouted at the witch.

“Please? You dare?! You took everything from us! Harry broke up with Ginny because of you!” The rage in Molly’s face reminded her of Ron’s and she stood stock still, frozen in the memory of another Weasley attack, her shields almost failing as Molly cast one spell after another.

Her strength was failing her, why did she not practice more? She wasn’t this rusty!

There was a few pops of apparation somewhere, she could see Harry running towards her, a shock of pale blonde hair right behind her and she sagged in relief.

“Molly, drop your wand!” Harry shouted as Draco tried to inch towards her.

“You! The great Harry Potter! Leaving my daughter because of this trollop!” Molly rounded on Harry and Hermione screamed as the deranged witch sent a quick and silent cutting hex towards Harry. Harry had barely ducked and was nicked.

It was the sight of her best friend, bleeding near his temple, that had Hermione burning with fury. She had kept Harry Potter alive for years, who was does this witch think she was that she can hurt him? She felt Draco try to pull her back, but she pushed him non too gently away.

“scutum nunc!” She shouted, summoning a big dome around her and the witch, preventing anyone from interfering. It was a spell she learned from the Castle Black library. Only her or her death could cancel it. She could hear Draco screaming for her, Harry too, but she didn’t care. This was between her and Molly Weasley. She was done having the Malfoys or Harry saving her.

“Drop the wand, Molly!” She yelled.

The witch laughed, “Or what? Little mudblood whore gonna bring me down?”

“You may have taken out Bellatrix, but I endured her torture without breaking.” Hermione, poised and determined, started sending hex after hex towards the witch. She was done being weak. She was Hermione Granger, it was time she and everyone else remembered it.

The older witch was good, erecting shields and sending hexes her way, but Hermione was faster, younger and fighting not just for herself but for the life within her. She thought she got Molly with a freezing spell but it was a little weak and only froze part of Molly’s leg.

The witch couldn’t move but she still cast hex after spell towards her.

When Molly’s hex grazed her top hip, very closely to her barely there bump, Hermione had had enough, deciding that her non lethal spells were not gonna cut it, and changed tactics.

Molly was rage embodied, barely stopping to curse her, spell after spell. It was when Molly’s wand started to quiver that she let her shield drop, angling herself just a breath away from the witch’s Bombarda, Hermione stepped to the side and yelled “Sectumsempra!”.

It was only when she saw the witch fall that she finite’d the dome around them. She saw Harry bend over Molly, but her vision was fading, her breathing shallow, she glanced to see Draco reaching for her before she succumbed to the darkness.

-.-.-.-.-

One thing Draco Malfoy had not realized until now was that he had never known true fear. There was a wide, cold chasm in his heart as he caught his wife in his arms, Hermione was barely breathing.

He apparated them directly into the Malfoy ward in St. Mungos, screaming for help. He gripped his wife’s limp form to him, even as healers crowded him to give her up.

It wasn’t until a healer he knew, their personal healer, Andrews, shook him and told him something that shot ice cold panic through his spine that his hands had gone slack enough for the medi witches to levitate Hermione into the waiting bed.

“Mr. Malfoy, you need to let go of Mrs. Malfoy so we could check her and the babies.”

It was only then that Draco Malfoy had known true fear.

Chapter Text

It was chaos.

He barely noticed that his parents, his aunt and his friends have come and gone.

It’s been hours.

Someone tried to press a cup of something in his hands but he shook it away, not feeling any thirst or hunger or tiredness. He was sitting still in the hospital’s waiting room, but the turmoil inside of him could not be quelled.

“Draco, you need to eat something. Drink something.” He recognized the voice of his mother, and looking up from where he was sat frozen, he could see the concerned lines in Narcissa Malfoy’s face.

It was the motherly look of worry that made him crumble. Reaching out, he hugged her around her middle as she gently rubbed first his hair and then his back as waves of hot tears fell.

“Babies.” He croaked.

“What was that dear?” His mother bent over to hear him.

“The healer said she was carrying babies.” He couldn’t stop the sob that was forcibly wrenched from him as his mother stiffened under his hold.

He heard the gasps and the sobs, and he looked up to see that most of their friends were present. Untangling himself from his mother he looked to where Potter was sitting with a teary eyed Pansy, holding hands.

“Babies, as in more than one?” Narcissa had sat down beside him and was squeezing his hand tightly.

“That’s what the healer said. They needed to check the babies.”

Potter was silently crying now. Theo was stone faced, standing, leaning, actually on a wall, being held by a serene looking Luna. His father was at a far corner, looking very close to tears as well.

“I can’t lose her mother. I can’t lose them.” He knew it was undignified, very un-Malfoy like, but the love of his life was in there somewhere, no one had come to update them, no one was telling them anything. He didn’t even know if she, if they were still alive.

He put his head in his trembling hands and just let the emotions of roll off of him. He didn’t know how long he was hunched over, his mother rubbing circles on his back, when someone cleared their throat.

A healer stood by the door.

“Family of Mrs. Malfoy?” The healer asked.

Draco immediately stood up and confronted the man. “I’m her husband.” He didn’t bother to wipe his tears. Let them see how much he loved his wife, he was not ashamed.

“Mr. Malfoy, your wife has just gotten out of surgery. She and your twins had a rough time of it, and we’re putting her in a magical induced coma as her core was drained. If it wasn’t for the magical cores of your children, she might have bled out.”

“But, there wasn’t any blood?” Draco could barely process what the healer was saying. He could feel his friends and family standing behind him, lending him strength. Twins, as in twins babies. His babies.

“No, it would have been a small cut on her upper thigh, but it was deep and nicked her femoral artery. She’s lucky she was wearing thick tights, it helped stem the bleeding, putting some compression. The blood had pooled into her boots though and a few more minutes and we wouldn’t have been able to save her leg and possibly her life. The babies’ cores were helping repair some of the damage, which also greatly increased her chances. It’s not uncommon for fetuses to repair damage to their mothers during pregnancy. I just have to repeat it, Mr. Malfoy, your wife is lucky. Lucky to be wearing the right clothing, lucky her own core is strong, lucky to have two strong magical children in her, or else there would have been nothing we could have done. Now they just need to rest and repair their cores - all three of them.”

Draco felt himself sag. He didn’t know how he was still standing. Maybe because his father was propoing him up.

Merlin.

Twins.

Babies.

Magical.

Healing their mother from the womb.

Tears were freely falling on his face and he could barely nod at the healer who was smiling at him.

“Would you like to know the sex of the babies?” The healer asked.

“I… Yes please.” He didn’t think Hermione would mind. He needed to know what color gems to buy his children, what clothes and toys. He wanted to be able to hold them already, if only to thank them for saving their mother.

“A boy and a girl, Mr. Malfoy. Congratulations!” The healer beamed at them and nodded his farewell.

There were hugs and tears and kisses exchanged but all Draco could feel was gratitude and some relief.

He almost didn’t hear his father whisper, “The first set of Malfoy twins!”

-.-.-.-.-

There was another commotion, not a few minutes later, much to everyone’s chagrin. Three red heads silently entered the waiting room, Draco registered George, Arthur and Ginny Weasley. He had no strength to deal with them, though Potter confirmed that Ginny tried to stop her mother. The others weren’t so forgiving and were all alert and sneering towards the family.

It was a terse few minutes, Narcissa leading the discussion. Molly Weasley was healed, but Potter had Aurors guarding her. The moment she was well, she would go straight to Azkaban. There would be no trial as there were more than enough witnesses, as well as the fact that she attacked an Auror aside from her daughter and Hermione.

The three Weasleys only stopped by to ask after Hermione. They accept whatever punishment Molly would gain with her actions. Ginny asked how him Hermione was.

“What do you think? She’s barely fighting for her life. She and my children drained their cores to heal a deep cut that almost cost her life.”

“Children? Hermione’s pregnant?” The red head was crying now, her brother hugging her.

“Yes, and thankfully so, or else her own core would not have been enough to save her.” Draco knew he sounded bitter. Ginny was not to blame for Molly’s actions. But the rift between the former friends were. They still lied about Ron.

“Mr. Malfoy.” Arthur Weasley intoned. “We deeply apologize. We have no defense, we didn’t think Molly would do such a thing. We knew Fred’s passing affected her greatly and Ron’s situation disturbed her further, but rest assured that the rest of us do not hold the same feelings.”

Draco just nodded. There was nothing to say. He never liked any of the Weasleys, except maybe the twins because they were fun. It wasn’t anything to him for them to be here or to feel a certain way.

Arthur turned to Harry to ask to speak to him privately. Everyone’s eyes closely monitored the scene as Potter stood and led them outside.

He didn’t know what they spoke of, and right at that moment he didn’t care. Hermione might, once she is better. The healers thought to give her space to rest, as she was still being given potions and healing charms often, saying she would be allowed visitors by the next day.

Draco had no plans of going home, but his mother had convinced him to at least change his clothes and eat something, if only so he had the strength to return to his vigil. He agreed and was only gone for an hour before he was back, a rotation of family and friends keeping watch with him.

-.-.-.-.-

It was three days later when Draco woke up to someone playing with his hair. He looked up from where he was slumped on the side of his wife’s hospital bed, awkwardly asleep on half the chair and half the bed.

It was the most beautiful sight to him, his wife, her curls piled on top of her head, half sitting up and smiling at him.

“Hi.” He could feel hot tears threatening again.

“Hey, you.”

“I’m so glad you’re okay. All three of you.” He said, standing up and moving to sit beside her on the bed, embracing her gently so as not to hurt her.

Hermione let a small laugh. “This wasn’t how I was planning to tell you.”

Draco very gently placed small kisses all over her face, ending on her forehead. “How did you plan to tell me?”

“I was going to enchant paper animals to deliver you one word at a time. Spelling out, Congratulations, Daddy, It’s twins. Or at least that was one of the ideas before I was interrupted.”

Draco could not stop kissing his wife. “Please don’t do that again. Please.” He quietly begged.

Hermione touched his cheek with her hand, flicking a stray lock of hair away from his eyes. Brown met grey as she silently begged him to understand.
“I’m sorry, I just didn’t want to depend on you or anyone really - to save me anymore. I wanted to save myself.”

“Please,” Draco sighed. “I would give up my life a hundred thousand times over to keep you safe. I cannot go through that again, Hermione, please.”

“How about next time, I promise to include you in the dome?” She asked cheekily.

“As long as I get to protect you. And no more next time. There won’t be a next time.” He said as he continued to pepper kisses on her face, his hand splaying on her very slightly protruding tummy.

“I will be there to protect you, all of you.”

“Come here.” She said, pulling him towards her and kissing him deeply.

Eyes still closed, she whispered, “I love you.”

Draco’s eyes flew wide open.

And then he smiled. A huge, shit eating smile.

“I know.” He winked at her, earning him a smack on the chest.

-.-.-.-.-

Hermione - and her babies - were allowed home the day before Christmas. She and Draco decided to move temporarily to Malfoy Manor since she wasn’t allowed to move around much, due to the twins’ cores still stabilizing. Draco wanted there to be someone with her at all times, plus of course, someone with Lira.

These pleased the Malfoy parents no end, of course. Lucius even bought the softest chaise lounge for her to read on - one for every room she frequented. Christmas morning was a beautiful, snowy day and their family - this included Theo, Harry, Andromeda and Teddy.

Hermione was unwrapping her present from Theo, having already unwrapped several presents on the floor of the main parlor of the Manor. Narcissa had transformed the house into a veritable winter wonderland, every room decorated with charmed snow that disappears before they fall on anything, Christmas trees that reach the ceilings, Yule logs on every grate and an explosion of Ivy, Mistletoe and Holly just everywhere.

“What is this, Theo?” Hermioned eyed her brother as she started opening the old battered leather book he gave her.

“Your Christmas present.” Theo said smugly.

Hermione frowned. “I get that, but these are notes and…”

Theo sat beside her on the floor, carrying Lira on his lap. Everyone around them stopped to listen in.

“Blimey. I knew they were twins, but it doesn’t really hit you until they’re beside each other, doesn’t it?” Harry staged whispered to Draco from his own spot on the floor, throwing around his practice snitch he got from Hermione.

Draco was grinning from the couch, “It’s startling isn’t it? Same brown hair and brown eyes and heart shaped face.”

“Does that mean you think of Theo when you kiss Hermione?” Harry asked cheekily, earning him a balled up wrapping paper projectile that he ducked, chuckling, he winked at the twins.

“Oh, shut up the two of you!” Hermione said. Making the elder Malfoys laugh as well. “Well, what is this, Theo?”

“It’s our mum’s diary.” Theo said as if that explained everything.

“And?”

“Don’t you want to read for yourself?”

“Theodore Nott! Just tell me what this is!” Hermione hit him once with the diary, making everyone laugh again when she realized what she did and she stroked the diary as if apologizing to it, much to everyone’s amusement.

“She figured out the curse. She was weak when she was pregnant with us because she kept experimenting.”

The silence was deafening.

“What?” Hermione whispered.

“They sent you to the muggle world on purpose. They were afraid you’d fall in love with a muggle which is why they were desperate to have the curse broken. Father found the perfect muggle couple to give you to, while mum tried to break the curse. Mum figured it out, but she was too weak at the end for them to actually it before she gave birth.”

Hermione felt the tears more than she registered them. She barely felt Draco sat beside her and hold her hand, too.

“But why? Why did they send me away Theo?” Her voice was barely there, but the silence made it loud for everyone to hear.

“Because Voldemort was planning to give you as some sort of prize to his best Death Eater.” Theo sighed. “Look, they protected you. No one knew of these plans, but Father being Lord Noseless’ bff, he was told it was a great honor for the first Sacred 28 daughter of the generation to be a child bride to either Rabastan LeStrange or Barty Crouch Jr. those two were in the lead, apparently.”

“What?”

“The bastard!”

“She wasn’t even born yet!”

Cries of dismay were heard all around, making Lira cry in alarm. Theo took to standing up with his niece to shush her.

“Hey, that didn’t happen okay? They got Snape to Obliviate them after so no one would know where you were. Snape was supposed to lift the curse once Voldy dies, but - you know what happened. Their plans were all there. In code, so have fun with that.” Theo said while swaying with Lira.

Another round of cries greeted this, and Hermione felt her chest constrict as Draco took her in his arms and comforted her. Her parents loved her. It was a small idea at the back of her head for a long time, that her parents didn’t want her that’s why she was given away. Now she has proof that they felt the opposite. They actually cared enough for her to try and break the curse even as they sent her away for her own safety.

It was Harry who broke the silence. “So Snape was a bastard to the kids he was protecting?” He scoffed. “Figures.”

Hermione could only stare at her bestfriend. He was right. Snape knew. Snape knew who she was. She started laughing. Everyone looked at her like she lost it, and maybe she had, but it was funny.

“Snape…” she said between laughs, “He… He protected… He protected us by being mean to us.” Harry started laughing too.

Pretty soon, everyone saw the hilarity of the situation. Of their dour former potions professor being especially mean to the kids whose secrets he was meant to kept. And kept them he did. It seems they owe much to the late Severus Snape. It was ironic that her parents sent her away to be protected from Voldemort but she ended up fighting against him anyway.

Theo smirked. “Oh you’d love the last tidbit though, Draco.”

Draco only raise an eyebrow.

“Mum was lamenting in her last weeks of life why Narcissa wasn’t pregnant yet. She wanted to betroth Hermione to the Malfoy heir. She said, not only would ole No Nosey be appeased because two of his greatest followers - and Houses lines’ would finally merge, but also quote - any son raised by Lucius Malfoy was bound to know how to treat a woman right. End quote.” Theo said with a flourish.

Lucius was puffing his chest out in pride. “Damn right.” He said softly, earning him a big kiss from Narcissa and fake gagging sounds from Draco. Hermione took a leaf from Narcissa’s book and gave him a big ole kiss.

-.-.-.-.-

July 30, 2003

Hermione was panting. She was tired. So tired. Draco was with her, and she was mostly leaning on him for strength as she tried to push their babies out. She started having contractions at breakfast and was promptly brought by a panicked Draco to St. Mungo’s. They’ve been at it ever since. Narcissa was silently wiping Hermione’s forehead as she panted and wheezed.

It was now almost midnight and Draco was trying to tease her that she needed to hurry before his heir shares a birthday with “Saint Potter.” That earned him a small wandless and silent stinging hex. He’s been mostly silent since.

“I can’t… Draco… I can’t!” She panted. While the medi witch and healer at the foot of her bed were encouraging her to push.

Draco sat behind her, cradling her body, both hands in hers and she squeezed the life out of them. “Shhh, you can do this, baby. You’re Hermione Granger - Nott - Malfoy. You can do anything.”

That had her lightly chuckling. “Too long…. Name is…. Too… Ahhhhhhhhhh”

“You need to push, Mrs. Malfoy.” The healer patiently guided, as Hermione braced herself and with great difficulty gave all her might into pushing.

“One more please, almost there.”

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh… ggggnnnnnnttttttt….” She knew how inhuman the sounds coming from her were, but she didn’t care. She just wanted this over.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the mediwitch asked Draco to help cut the cord. He gently let go of her, Narcissa was there to help prop her up though and she was ever so grateful for her mother in law.

A little while later, a small wail sounded and a tiny wailing infant, still covered in vernix was placed on Hermione’s slightly exposed chest. “It’s a girl, mum. 2.3 kilos. Born July 30, 2003 11:57pm. All normal” The medi witch whispered to her.

Hermione forgot all the pain, all the stress as she held her second daughter, she couldn’t tell the color of her hair just yet with all the whitish film over her, but all she could do was tear up in wonder at the little bundle on top of her.

Draco looked afraid to touch the child, his big hand barely hovering at the infant on his wife’s chest.

It wasn’t until another pain hit her that Hermione looked at Draco. “Take her…. take her… owwwwwww.”

The medi witch promptly took the baby, Draco right behind her as their child was being cleaned up. Hermione could not concentrate as pain ripped her body again. Narcissa took Draco’s place behind her as she tried to push again.

It was fairly quicker this time, soon, their son was on her chest and Draco was standing proudly beside them, a pink bundle in his arms. He leaned forward to kiss his wife tenderly, even as his arms were full.

“Baby boy. 2.4 kilos. Born July 31, 2003 12:05am. All normal” the medi witch pronounced.

Draco pretended to groan. “Potter is going to be unbearable.”

Hermione and Narcissa laughed.

-.-.-.-.-

Hermione could only wonder at her life, as she looked on at her family. It was the twins’ godparent ritual day. As promised, Pansy was godmother to Scorpius Harry, (Draco eye-roll) together with Blaise. Nevile - who shares a birthday with her daughter - was chosen as Aquila Narcissa’s godfather together with Ginny Weasley.

It was a controversial choice, but Draco agreed with her to let bygones be bygones. Life was too short, and too unpredictable to hold grudges, specially since Ginny wasn’t that bad. She reached out to Hermione a few weeks after Molly was sentenced to Azkaban for 25 years. They argued, discussed and in the end forgave each other, Harry, too was part of the healing journey with the Weasleys.

Draco snakes his hands around her waist and pulled him to her from behind. “What’s got you thinking, baby?”

“Just happy.” She sighed.

Looking at her friends, her family, thinking of everything they went through to get here, it was a gift, she thought. A gift to have so many people around them who care for them and each other.

“Me, too.” Draco whispered as he placed a lingering kiss on her cheek.

Hermione was about to turn to him when a squeal sounded.

Ginny, holding Scorpius, was looking intently at Blaise as he rolled the sleeve of his shirt up, exposing a small mark there.

“Looks like someone else found their soulmate” Draco smiled.

“Good!” She said as she pulled him down for a kiss.

-Fin-

Chapter Text

June 20, 2008

“Kids all settled in?” Hermione Malfoy called after her husband as he walked into their suite of rooms at Castle Black. He had just gone to drop off their four kids, 7 year old Lira, 5 year old twins Scorpius and Aquila and 1.5 year old Cassiopeia off at the Grangers.

It was after the birth of the twins that Hermione decided to befriend her “former” parents. To no one’s surprise, they were very receptive of the friendship and soon they were able to request permission to disclose about Magic to them, which was quickly granted as it was already given years before - they just forgot. Their friendship and subsequent “grandparent”-ship to their children only grew, and now, they regularly take the children for weekends and some holidays, specially like today, as it was Litha - or Midsummer celebration tomorrow.

Draco Malfoy, hair almost as long as his father’s dropped at kiss on his wife’s curls as she brushed them whilst on her vanity. “Yep, they couldn’t be happier. Kept asking me if we’re going to have another.” Draco stared intently at his wife’s reflection on the vanity mirror, heat very much in them.

Hermione turned around to face her husband, “The question is, husband, are you willing?” She asked huskily as she looked up at him.

Draco gazed at his beautiful wife of almost 6 years. There was a certain joy, aside from the spike of lust, that he always experienced while looking upon her. Just like he looked at her from across the Great Hall at Hogwarts so many years ago, he couldn’t take his eyes from hers.

“I answered that several years ago, wife, and every pregnancy since. I love you, I love our children, and I absolutely love seeing you grow another life that is proof of that love.”

Bending over further, he takes his wife into his arms, making her squeal. “Looks like I need to prove my love once again.” He said with a dramatic sigh as he walked them towards the bedroom.

-.-.-.-.-

June 21, 2008

An hour before sunrise, and everyone was gathered in the grounds of Castle Black. The elder Malfoys, the Longbottoms - Neville and Hannah, the Potters - Harry and Pansy, the Notts - Theo and Luna and the Zabinis - Blaise and Ginny, were amongst them, as well as many of their single friends and family members of age. It was Litha and celebrations of the sun started from dawn until late at night. Unlike Samhain, it was an adult only party.

This morning was Draco’s favorite. After greeting the dawn, the females, dressed in long flowy gowns, would “hide” from their partners in the woods, while the males “hunted” for their paramours. Those who are single can actually get married this way, as the hunt was typically a mating and fertility ritual. Luna, in her typical fashion had Theo hunt her three years ago, actually sealing their soul bond on Litha that day. Draco could not have been more surprised at the pairing, but seeing them now, it was clear that they were meant to be together. Their 2 year old son Lorcan only added to their happiness. Luna brought a lightness to Theo that years of being alone and unloved had settled into him.

Draco held Hermione’s hand as she stepped closer to one of the bonfires, lighting it with her wand, and charming it not to die until the celebrations were over. “Excited, baby?”

Hermione beamed up at him. Raising an eyebrow, “Question is, do you have the strength to come hunt for me? You did tire yourself last night.”

Draco could feel the growl coming from his chest. Pulling his wife flush towards him, he bent down to whisper in her ear. “You better run, witch. You know I will catch you.”

Her breath hitched, but she tilted her head in defiance, “And when you do?”

“You’ll be carrying another Malfoy heir by the end of Litha, make no mistake.” He smirked.

Hermione playfully pushed at him, “So sure of yourself, are you?”

Draco only chased her lips and pulled her into a searing kiss.

“Oi, lovebirds! Save it for the hunt!” Harry Potter came over to them as they reluctantly separated, his wife Pansy in his arms.

“Hey Harry. Pansy.” Hermione greeted. “Where’s James?” Asking about their son who was the same age as their Cassie.

“At Andromeda’s. Teddy is helping watch him.” Supplied Pansy.

“I wish Andromeda would join us, there are many fine wizards today.” Hermione sighed.

Harry only shook his head, “You know her, she would never replace Ted.”

Hermione was saved from answering as their other friends joined them and topics of conversation became more general and varied. The friendships they had formed with the other couples have only strengthened through the years. As the next generation was born, those ties only deepened. Snake Night became more of family night, what with each of the pairs having children of their own.

Harry and Pansy and Neville and Hannah, were at first envious, being the only pairs who were not soul bonded. It didn’t matter though as their love for each of their respective partners proved to be just as deep. Ginny and Blaise’s elopement only a month after the Malfoy twins’ godparent ritual was still a sore topic for the group as none of them were invited, the pair only came back from Italy after a week, announcing their marriage and Ginny’s pregnancy. It was also a constant source of good natured ribbing at how fast they procreated. They all blame Ginny’s Weasley genetics of course.

As the sun peaked through the horizon, the females of the group separated from their mates and formed a line towards the beginning of the forrest. The elder Malfoys were overseeing the ritual and were greeting them, reminding them that they could come back to the bonfires and the tables of food to celebrate if they were not caught within an hour. The couples who were successful, were also reminded to erect a “privacy tent” to make sure their individual “fertility rituals” were for their own eyes only.

Hermione and Draco smirked at this pronouncement as the privacy tent was of their own invention - a combination of Draco’s privacy wall and Hermione’s shield dome. It was one of Hermione’s company’s most lucrative patents. Finally deciding on a Charms and Potions mastery after giving birth to the twins - Lucius gifted his daughter in law with her own start up once her double mastery was done. Hermione agonized about working in the Ministry, then the Wizengamot, for months and coming to the conclusion that fighting straight forward was not going to get her the results she desired.

Now, she was contracted with the Ministry to create Charms, Potions and even products that pave way to a more progressive Wizarding world, opening avenues for others to slowly open their eyes that there was a larger world out there. Draco, as always, was very proud of his wife, he takes even more pride that she was very “Slytherin” in her tactics to slowly eradicate prejudice and drag their world into the 21st century.

Draco winked at his wife from his place near the bonfires as Lucius sent out green sparks and a loud boom from his wand, signifying the start of the hunt. The males would follow their mates after 15 minutes and Draco was primed, excited to “catch” his wife. He narrowed his gaze at his witch as she hiked up her skirts and fled into the dense forrest of Castle Black’s grounds.

When it was their turn, Draco strode confidently into the trees, feeling inside of him for the Magic of their soul bond, trusting it to lead him to his witch. It didn’t take long for the familiar pull to clench at his gut and he ran on his long limbs, uncaring that his trousers were getting dirty from the ground or if they were getting lightly snagged by shrubs and bushes. He had a witch to catch.

Within minutes he caught sight of his lovely wife, her long curly tresses all over and the tops of her flowy yellow dress sticking to her like a glove due to her perspiration. That her chest was heaving from the run did things to him and he stopped slightly behind one of the big oak trees before revealing himself. She was sitting on the ground near a small clearing, much farther into the forrest than he had supposed she would be. As Hermione stood up and seemingly getting ready to run some more, he decided to let his presence known.

“Going somewhere, Mrs. Malfoy?” He taunted.

She beamed. “Oh, you know, trying to get away from my beastly husband.”

“Oh you are, are you?” He challenged and then lunged at her when he was only steps away.

To his equal delight and frustration, she side stepped him and ran away. Growling, he ran after her, enjoying the primal parts of them, of their Magic swirling as he closed in on her. Laughing and squealing, the witch was taunting him and he let her have her fun, just “nearly” catching her a few times. After a few minutes of catching glimpses of her bare feet and ankles and the way the dress was clinging to her legs and body, he had had enough.

Using his longer strides, he caught her by the waist, lifted and twirled her around as he tightened his embrace. He slowly let hold of her, letting her body slide off of his own, watching her face as her eyes widened at the friction between them. When she was finally on her feet, he wasted no time in catching her lips with his own, parting them with a nip and plunging his tongue to battle with hers.

Standing there, in the middle of the forrest, panting, tasting, groping at each other, they could feel their Magic singing in their veins. Draco dragged his lips from hers, leaving open mouthed kisses on her jaw, slowly inching towards her collarbones. “Cast your tent, wife.” He murmured against her skin even as she had her fingers in his long hair.

Hermione, with shaky breaths erected their tent, and also conjured a blanket and some pillows for them. Draco hummed his approval as he gently lowered her to the ground and the blanket, never lifting his mouth from her skin. Nipping at her collarbones, he none so gently ripped the bodice of her dress.

Hermione gasped even as she writhed underneath him, cushioning his body within her parted legs and arching her back to lean more into his touch. Draco had followed the opening of her ripped gown, teasing and tasting her until he reached the peaks of her breasts. Hands cupping her mounds, he leaned back slightly to look at her. Hermione groaned at the loss of his mouth on her and he smirked. “Eager, baby?”

Hermione answered with a smirk of her own as she hooked a leg around one of his and suddenly flipped them over. Surprised, but not unhappy about it, Draco could only laugh as the wind was knocked out of him. Hands on her hips, Hermione divested herself of her tattered clothing, straddling her husband in all her naked glory.

“Exquisite.” Draco breathed as he reached to cup his hands around her peaks again. Hermione batted his hands away, as she was busy unhooking his trousers.

“Get it off.” She ordered bossily and Draco was only too happy to comply as he shuck off his tunic, while Hermione was lowering his trouser off of his hips.

There was a need within them, a burning desire to get closer to one another, and Draco was not complaining when his wife took his straining cock in her tiny hands and aligned it towards her heated core. With a long sigh, Hermione sheathed herself on her husband, eliciting an animalistic growl from the man.

Their coupling was fast and wild, just like the nature around them, Hermione bouncing on him as he tried to lick, bite and praise her all at the same time. “Gods, Hermione.” He breathed as she bounced on him faster, her hands bruising his chest as she found purchase on them.

“That’s it baby, take what you need.” He breathed as his hands found her hips, his own pistoning to meet her. “I’m yours, Hermione.”

Hermione closed her eyes as she felt her release creeping closer. She gasped as she felt Draco’s finger on her, his touch gently but just as frantic as her riding of him. “Draco! Draco, I’m close.” She panted as he increased the pressure of his finger on her clit.

Draco, for his part could only revel in the sensation of his wife wildly bucking on top of him, her ample bosom bouncing with his thrust, he could feel his own peak coming as she roughly cupped her own breasts and pinched her nipples, her stride becoming more and more frantic. “That’s it. Good girl.” He breathed.

Taking her hip in his hand, even as the other helped with her release, Draco redoubled his efforts in meeting her. “Gods.. Oh… Gods… Draco… I’m… I’m coming!”

“Come, baby.” He grunted even as he tried to slow his own, wanting her to finish first. It didn’t take long. With one hard push down on his member, she shattered around him, “Fuuuuuck!” She screamed and the clenching of her walls sending him into his own blinding release. “Hermione!”. She slowly ground down in him, riding their highs gently as they tried to regain their breaths.

She collapsed on too of him, and he tilted her chin towards chin to capture her lips in a tender kiss. Still connected, they lay there panting in top of each other, just luxuriating in the feel of each other. Hands gently and slowly gliding on each other, small kisses here and there.

“I love you, Draco Malfoy.” She breathed, his flaccid member finally let out of her as she shifted to lay beside him.

“I love you, Mrs. Malfoy. Forever. For always.”

-.-.-.-.-

They were the last couple to came back to the formal grounds of the Castle, much to the raucous of their friends’ jeering. They had enjoyed their wild ride, but had even more enjoyed another, longer, more sensuous round a few minutes after. It also took a while to repair their shredded clothes, no matter how strong their Magic was.

Coming up to them with drinks in his hands, Lucius Malfoy beamed at his son and daughter in law.

“So, are we having another little Malfoy in nine months?” He asked with a wink.

The couple only laughed, Draco dropped a tender kiss on Hermione’s forehead and faced his father and rook the drinks, handing one to Hermione, “I’ll make sure of it tonight, Father. After all, you did teach me to be absolutely thorough in all my dealings.”

The elder Malfoy could only laugh as he clapped him on the back, urging them towards the tables where Narcissa and their friends and family were waiting to begin the feast.