New Beginnings

Chapter 17 Holiday Joy

“Draco, are you going to help me finish wrapping these presents?” Hermione was sitting in the middle of the living room floor, dressed in a pair of his silk boxers and a long sleeved t-shirt, with scraps of ribbon and bits of wrapping paper surrounding her. “Draco, don’t ignore me…”

“I’m not ignoring you, Love. I’m trying to finish the cake for Chloe. I make one every Christmas. She picked the colors this year. I can finish wrapping the gifts if you want to finish the cake.” The sarcasm in his voice was more than evidence.

“Snark is not necessary, you cheeky pain in my behind.” Hermione mumbled.

“I heard that.” Draco just smirked and shook his head.

“You were supposed to.” Hermione stuck her tongue out at him.

She continued to wrap the pile of gifts, making slow but steady progress. Two hours later, Hermione smiled proudly at her work. She could have done all the wrapping using magic but there was a sense of accomplishment knowing that she did it all herself. She walked into the kitchen and saw a very determined faced Draco adding the final teddy bear on top of the two tier cake. Hermione walked behind him and snaked her arms around his waist, rubbing his stomach.

“If you weren’t already a conceded prat, I would compliment you on a job well done.”

He smirked, “And if you weren’t such a perfectionist know-it-all, I would compliment you on a job well done as well.” He turned around in her arms, cupped her face in his hands and kissed her ever so softly on the lips. Hermione sighed.

“I so love your kisses.” She began to run her hands through his hair as they deepened their kiss. Hermione felt him pick her up and carry her to the spare bedroom. Draco laid her on the bed, covering her with his body. He kissed her gently as he stroked her face.
His warm hand slid into her boxers and began to stroke her growing belly. Suddenly, Draco jumped and looked at Hermione.

“What was that? Are you ok? Should we call Kelly?”

Hermione smiled at him and placed his hand on her belly again, holding it in place. He felt it again; he looked at her, confusion written all over his face.

“That’s our baby saying hi to daddy.” He looked at her, his face lit up.

“Really? That was really our baby?” She nodded. “I felt it for the first time this morning when I was in the shower.” Draco slid down and placed his head, lightly, on her lower tummy.

“Hi baby, I’m your daddy. I’m gonna take really good care for you and Mummy. I love both of you very, very much.” He felt the light flutter again; his face was beaming. “I can’t believe it, Hera… Our baby.” She just smiled as Draco gently rested his head on her chest as he rubbed her stomach; a blissful smile gracing his lips. She closed her eyes, relaxing in the warmth of Draco’s closeness.

Hermione began to moan softly when she felt her lover’s nimble fingers tracing her sacred entrance. With a wordless spell, the silk boxers were gone and she eagerly opened fully for Draco. His touch was soft, slow and reverent as he lavished her inner thighs with baby kisses before dipping his tongue into her sweet nectar. Hermione whimpered at his touch.

“Draco, please don’t stop…” He looked into her eyes, there was so much love there; it took his breath away. He crawled up her body, kissing her stomach as he removed her shirt. He undressed quickly and covered her body with his. Draco kissed her deeply as stroked her face. He placed his warm lips on her forehead before peppering her body with kisses was he moved between her legs again. He ran his hands under her curvy bottom, lifting it slightly as he kissed her soft folds. She moaned he began to explore her with his tongue. Hermione trembling as she whispered his name.

“Mmm, my sweet Hera.” Draco lavished her affection, bringing her to the heights of ecstasy over and over again. Hermione’s face was flush as she trembled from his every touch. He crawled up her body, his warm skin brushing against her. Hermione whimpered; hungry for more; she eagerly spread her legs wider for him. As Draco entered her slowly, she sighed; her need fulfilled. Their kisses were slow and passionately as their bodies moved as one; her feet resting on the backs of his thighs. Draco pressed his lips to her ear, “You like this don’t you, Love.”

“Yes, Oh Gods, Yes…” His thrusts were painfully slow; he could feel her tightening around him. “Harder…please…Harder, Draco.” He stroked her face then kissed her gently on the lips. When Draco shook his head, no, Hermione whimpered in frustration. She could feel herself moving towards her peak, slowly. She was grinding her hips against his, trying to satisfy her ache, her eyes begging him to give her release.

Draco rolled over so Hermione was riding his cock; he smiled at her. “Show me.” She began to ride his cock with lust filled abandon. He held her hips; Hermione’s eyes were closed, she was lost in the passion. She could feel her body shaking as she screamed his name. Draco couldn’t hold back anymore. She was perfect in every way, she loved and wanted him. He came deep inside of her as he pulled her into his arms. “I love you.” She smiled as she tried to calm her breathing.

“I love you, Draco.”

They napped together for about an hour before heading up stairs and going to bed.

********************************
Christmas Morning
********************************

Hermione felt a tickle on her cheek as she started to wake up. She stirred slightly, and turned over as she opened her eyes. Draco was stroking her cheek with a white rose. He smiled at her, lovingly.

“Merry Christmas, Hera Luv.” He leaned in, kissing her softly on the lips. The kiss quickly escalated as Draco slid his hands over her body; her moan made his heart race.
As Hermione ran her nails down his back, Draco hissed softly.

“Merry Christmas, Draco.” They rested their foreheads together as they held each other. Neither of them wanted to move, they just loved feeling each other. She kissed his nose softly and smiled at him. “I know we said that we weren’t going to exchange gifts and that trip to New York City next week would be our gift to each other but…I cheated a little. Please doing be angry with me.” Draco smiled at her.

“Luv, I could never be angry at you for doing something like that,” he smiled slyly, “because I didn’t the same thing.” They both laughed. “Ok, would you like to exchange gifts now or do you want to open it at Blaise and Blythe’s?”

“Now, please,” she said, trying to contain her excitement. Draco reached for his wand and accio’ed a small wrapped package to the bed. Hermione smiled at him as she ran out of the bedroom and returned with a wrapped present from the study.
“Where were you hiding that?” Draco asked with a confused look on his face. Hermione beamed.

“I hid it in plain sight, it’s been sitting on top of the bookshelves.” Draco just laughed and shook his head. “Now open it…Open it.” He unwrapped the box and gasped when he opened it.

“Oh Hunny… When? How?”

“Do you like them?”

“I love them.” Carefully, Draco took out each framed photo. The first was them at Blaise and Blythe’s, the second was them sleeping in front of the fireplace in the study at the Manor. There was a photo of the embracing in the water at the cottage and the final photo was them lying in their bed forehead to forehead, looking into each other’s eyes. “How did you get all of these?”

“It wasn’t easy. I had to do some fancy spell work and Tinky helped me when we were at the Manor. She took that photo; she’s a good photographer. She took a lot of photos of us for me and all of them were really good but this one was my favorite.” Draco pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply.

“Thank you. I love them.” Hermione beamed; she was worried. Picking out a gift for a man that can buy himself anything isn’t easy.

“My turn, Love.” Draco handed her a small velvet box; his hands were shaking. “Hermione, this is the best Christmas I’ve ever have and I have you to thank for it. I wake up every morning smiling, knowing that I’m loved and I know how to love. The Gods knew we needed each other and here we are; soon we will be a family. I feel like the luckiest man in the world, thanks to you.” He handed her the small box as he tried to keep his hands from shaking so much. Hermione’s gasp was audible when she opened it.

“Draco…” The tears were streaking down her cheeks. She ran her fingers over it in awe.

“I could only find those ‘mother and child’ pendants but I wanted something a bit more unique. This pendant is made in honor of you and your parents. It has your birthstone, your mum’s and your dad’s.” The pendant was set in white gold with three stones bezel set into a bar shape. The top stone was a square ruby, set like a diamond, representing Hermione’s mother. The bottom stone was a square emerald, set like a diamond, representing Hermione’s father. In the center, there was a round sapphire that was slightly larger than the other stones, representing Hermione. The pendant hung from a delicate Figaro link chain, beautiful and durable. Draco knew that she would rarely taking off the necklace and their little bundle would be tugging on it so a strong chain was a must. “Well, do you like it?” Hermione gently pulled him to her and kissed him, on the lips, then rested her forehead against his.

“You, sir, are the most wonderful, thoughtful, amazing man I have ever met. How did I get so lucky?” Draco blushed. “I adore it, Love; it’s perfect. Thank you so much.”

Draco kissed Hermione’s forehead and glanced at the clock; it was 7:30am. “Love, we best get a move on. Chloe can’t open her gifts until we get there; she’ll be driving her parents mad if we don’t show up soon. You know how she can be.” Hermione laughed and nodded as she hopped out of bed and headed towards her closet. Draco got up and with a flick of his wand; the bed was made, just in time for Hermione to lay out her clothes. Thanks to some alteration spells that Molly Weasley taught her many years ago, she didn’t have to purchase any new clothes yet, despite her growing belly. Her outfit for the day, a cream A-line skirt, a hunter green v-neck cardigan with silver buttons and cream knee high boots with a low heel. She paired the necklace with white gold hoop earrings. Instead of leaving her hair curly, Hermione opted to straighten it today. She couldn’t help be smile to herself, ‘Those pre-natal vitamins are working wonders on my hair and nails; that’s definitely a plus.’

“Draco, I’m getting in the shower now. I’ll be ready in about 30 minutes. Is that ok?”

“That’s fine. I’ll go downstairs and make you some tea and toast so you can take your vitamins. We’ll be eating a full breakfast when we get to Blaise and Blythe’s.” Hermione nodded and they went their separate ways. When she was dressed and ready, Draco took a quick shower and emerged in black dress pants, black dress shoes and a hunter green silk dress shirt.

“Hey!! Can’t you wear a different shirt? They’re gonna think we planned this…” Draco just shook his head.

“No, I’m not changing my shirt, I like this shirt and no, they won’t.”

“Draco, we look like book-ends. Come on... Please?” Hermione looked at him in frustration and desperation.

“If that’s the case, what lovely book-ends we are. Now come on, we don’t want to be late.” He kissed her on the nose before heading towards the kitchen to get the cake. Hermione sighed and shrugged as she gathered together the gifts and made them more compact for traveling. Draco returned with the cake in a carrier and other items he had made for breakfast and they floo’ed to Blaise and Blythe.

“Merry Christmas!! Hey, where is everyone?” Draco yelled from the living room for the Zabini Manor. Within seconds, they heard a squeal and distinct sound of Chloe racing down the hall. She practically leapt from the doorway into Draco’s arms.

“You’re here! You’re here! What took you so long?! Did you make cake? Can we open presents now? Where’s Auntie Mia? Did she like her present? Can we play outside later?”

“Merry Christmas, Little One! My word, did someone have fairy floss for breakfast?” He laughed as he hugged his goddaughter. Her parents came over to greet Hermione and take the small packages from her.

“Merry Christmas, Love. We weren’t expecting you guys for another couple of hours.” Blythe kissed Hermione on the cheek.

She smiled, “Someone wanted to see his godchild and he knew she was excited to open presents.”

“Do you guys want to eat breakfast, first?”

“NO!! PRESENTS!!” Chloe chimed in, with an indignant tone. The adults laughed.

“Ok, Chloe Bear. We’ll open presents first, then we’ll have breakfast,” the child smiled smugly, very reminiscent of her father. “May Uncle D and I get some hot chocolate first before we start?” The little girl scrambled out of Draco’s arms and ran over to Hermione, hugging her.

“I guess so. Can I have pigny back ride, Auntie Mia?” Hermione squatted down so Chloe could climb on her back and Blaise saw Draco touch her shoulder with a concerned look on his face.

“Draco, I’m fine. It’s ok, I promise.” He nodded and helped Chloe onto Hermione’s back. They all headed to the kitchen for hot chocolate and scones then brought them back into the living room. Chloe gleeful unwrapped gifts; littering the room with bows and wrapping paper, exclaiming that every gift was her favorite. When she had made a complete shambles of the living room and was quietly playing with the muggle game ‘Simon’ that Hermione gave her, the adults were finally able to relax and enjoy each other’s company.

“Hey Blaise, where’s Zora? She never misses Christmas with Chloe?” Draco asks as he reaches for another scone.

“Believe it or not, she’s in Texas. Yep, she was on holiday in New Zealand a couple of months ago and she met this ‘muggle’, Jackson, and the hit it off instantly. He treats her really nice and she’s very happy.” Draco looks at his friend, suspiciously.

“Your mother…dating a muggle? When is the world gonna end?”

“Wait…Wait, Man! Here comes the best part. She goes to Texas to spend the weekend with him and come to find out, he’s from one of the oldest Wizard Families in America. So, not only did Mum finally meet a nice guy, he’s a wizard and she didn’t even know it. Pretty cool, huh?”

Draco just shakes his head. “Yeah, that is pretty cool and shocking as all…” He censors himself, remembering that Chloe is in earshot. “So, are Zora and this Jackson guy gonna be here for dinner?”

“Nah, they decided to holiday in Australia; they leave tomorrow. They will be here for New Year’s Day dinner, though.” Draco nodded.

Chloe sat on the floor by the fire, playing with her new dolls. Hermione sat down next to her. “Hey Chloe Bear, did you have a nice Christmas?” The little girl looked and smiled as she climbed into Hermione’s lap with her doll.

“Yes, thank you. It was wonderful.” She paused and looked at Hermione. “You love Uncle D, don’t you?” Hermione was taken aback for a moment; then smiled.

“Yes, I love your uncle very much.” Chloe smiled.

“So when are you going to tell Mummy and Daddy about the baby?” Hermione started to cough.

“Pardon me, Dear?” She said, trying to sound nonchalant.

“The baby; you and Uncle D are having a baby. When are you gonna tell Mummy and Daddy.”

“Chloe, who told you that…we were having a baby?” The little girl just smiled.

“Nobody told me, Silly. Chloe the Great just knows stuff. It’s ok, Auntie Mia. I don’t tell Mummy and Daddy. You can tell them. I can’t wait for my playmate to get her. Can you ask her to hurry, please? I want her to play dolls with me.” Hermione swallowed hard but still managed to smile at the young girl. “Thank you. I go now.” Chloe kissed her on the cheek and crawled over to her pile of dolls and began to play again. Hermione sat there for a moment, in shock.

‘Chloe knows? Is she for real? Could it be? Blaise and Blythe’s daughter a seer? I’ll have to talk to Draco about this later.’ She shook her head. ‘Come on, Hermione, don’t let your imagination get the best of you. She’s only a little girl; she probably just making up stories like all kids do.’


Hermione walked over and sat next Blythe near the fireplace; they chatted and drank hot cocoa; both women were very happy to be spending the holidays together.

“So, Mia, what did you and Draco give each other for Christmas?” Hermione smiled.

“Well, we said we weren’t going to exchange gifts because we’re going to New York to celebrate the New Year but we both failed miserably at sticking to that.” Blythe laughed.
“I had a bunch of photos of us taken, without him knowing; I found some really nice frames for them. And Draco gave me this, this is my birthstone, this one is mum’s and this one is dad’s. Isn’t that sweet?”

“It’s beautiful. He did a really good job.” Hermione nodded and tried to stifle a yawn.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I was up late last night wrapping gifts. I guess I didn’t get as much rest as I thought I did.”

“Why don’t you go up and take a nap. We always have a bedroom made up for you guys. We’re not having dinner for at least another 3 hours. I have everything under control; why don’t you head upstairs.” Blythe made a subtle head gesture towards Blaise and Draco. “The boys are discussing something rather intensely over there; I’m sure if you sneak out, he won’t even notice.” Hermione smiled and nodded. They both glanced at an exhausted Chloe who had fallen fast asleep while playing with new toys. Blythe picked her up and headed towards the door. They only got a side glance and a smile for their men as they took Chloe upstairs. “Hermione, you get some rest, I’m going to put this one down for a nap so she won’t be a grouchy goblin later.”

“Thank you, Blythe.” She said, trying to fight back a yawn. “I’m only going to lie down for a little while, maybe just rest my eyes.” Blythe nodded as they parted and went to separate wings of the house.


“So Draco, tell me the truth, what did you really get Hermione for Christmas?” Draco rolled his eyes.

“Didn’t you see it? I had the necklace made for her and we’re going to New York for New Year’s. That’s it.”

“Yeah, right… I’ve been your best friend since we were in nappies together and I know how you like to spend money on those you love. Hell! Look at everything you bought Chloe. Do you really think I’m going to believe that you don’t have something else planned? I’m not that naïve.”


“Seriously, B. The trip is really fancy and you know as well as I do that Hermione isn’t like other woman. She doesn’t really care about lavish gifts and stuff. She’s happy when we get to spend time together and you know how she loves her books.”

“Like that has ever stopped the Great Draco Malfoy from spoiling her to death. Now tell me!”

Draco sighed and shook his head. He looked around the room; the girls hadn’t come back from putting Chloe down for her nap so he was safe. “You’re a real prat, you know.”

“Of course, I know. Now spill it.” Draco reaches into his pants pocket and pulls something in Blaise’s hand.

“Damn, Bro…" Draco smirked, smugly.

“Does she know?”

“She has no idea.”

“She’s gonna freak out, then she’s gonna cry, then…” Draco smiles devilishly.

“That’s the plan…”

“Are you doing this tonight?”

“Yeah, after dinner, I want you guys to come to the manor for dessert. Hermione wanted to see the elves for Christmas so I promised her that we would go. If you guys are there, she won’t think anything is up. Besides, you guys are family and I want to share this with you.”

“Have you told Blythe?” Draco looked at him, in disbelief.

“I love your wife but she can’t keep a secret to save her life.” Blaise snickered.

“You’re preaching to the choir, man. I’m really happy for you and Hermione. I know my initial reaction…well it wasn’t the most supportive. I’m really sorry about that. You guys are really great together; I never would have believed it if I hadn’t seen the two of you together for the past couple of months. She really is your perfect match.”

“Yeah, she is.” He smiled, absently. “Speaking of the lovely Hera, I wonder where she went.”

“They took Chloe upstairs; you may want to start there. I’m gonna see if Blythe is in the kitchen.” Draco nodded and put the ring back in his pocket before heading upstairs.


Author's Notes: Am I driving y'all nutz yet?? Tee Hee!! No worries...Stop drooling...There's more, you don't even have to wait.