Something In The Way She Moves

Chapter 20: Epilogue





When winter faded into spring the flowers began to bloom, and so did Hermione Malfoy. Her breasts became slightly fuller, her hips a bit rounder and belly began to swell all to the delight of her husband. Any worries she may have had about him finding her attractive during pregnancy were quickly alleviated as the man couldn’t keep his hands off of her.





Draco loved seeing her pregnant and he loved for others to see her pregnant as well. For some strange reason he was proud of the belly his bride was sporting thanks to him. When people began noticing her condition his chest would puff up and he would grin from ear to ear. Hermione claimed he had gone daft but was secretly thrilled to see him so pleased.





Her parents had been rather upset by the news of their daughter’s surprise wedding and impending motherhood. The Grangers were not impulsive people by nature, they were planners. They voiced their misgivings but in the end were thrilled to see their daughter so happy, even if they were wary of the relationship.





To try and make up for essentially stealing their little girl, Draco arranged for a floo connection from their home to her parents and he took her father to a professional Quidditch match. Gus Granger was now a die hard Quidditch fan who had no qualms at all about hitting his wealthy son in law up for tickets.





With warmer weather came construction as they added a new addition onto Hermione’s house turning the cozy little house into a larger, more comfortable home suitable for a growing family. Hermione was rather cranky through the project so Draco tried to keep her busy after work and on weekends and took her on a long holiday at the end while the decorators came and furnished the new rooms.





The look on her face when she saw the expansion was priceless. She had never lived in a home so large and was surprised that he had been able get it done so quickly. She had been touched by the study/library he had built for her, filling it from floor to ceiling with rare texts, but it was the “baby suite” that had set her to tears. A large, airy room filled with natural light spilling in from the ornate bay window. Muted shades of sage, ivory and beige accented dark wood furniture and a sea of toys. Framed prints of fairytales were hung on the walls and a small, framed photo of the two of them sat on a small table beside the cot. It was in a word, perfect.







By June Hermione had grown to proportions she had no idea her body was capable of achieving. Their child rolled and kicked within her incessantly and while she loved the fact that she was nurturing their legacy, their immortality within her, she was ready to have the pregnancy part over and hold their child in her arms. June also brought Draco’s birthday and Hermione had gotten the bright idea to host a barbecue in celebration.





Why she had chosen to host a social event in her last weeks of pregnancy she could not fathom but their house had filled with friends and family. Draco had enjoyed giving them all a tour of the new addition and had especially enjoyed showing off his shiny new riding mower. His parents were of course horrified to discover that Draco was tending to his own lawn care and not using house elves, Hermione had feared that they would go into heart failure when they saw him taking the bins to the curb.







She had come to a point of understanding with her in-laws. She and Narcissa had bonded over the baby. The older witch was more than excited by the coming grandchild and had already put in a request for several more. Draco was all for it, telling his mother he was more than happy to keep Hermione pregnant for the rest of their lives, getting her pregnant was his favorite past time. Narcissa of course had not thought about the how when she made her request, but Draco had jumped all over it and enjoyed the chance to aggravate his mother.







Lucius had been sitting on the proverbial fence it seemed. He said nothing in support of their marriage but neither did he insult the union. It was almost as though he had been undecided about his own feelings. They got along well enough, enjoyed discussing and debating various topics. They found each other intellectually stimulating and slowly began forming a friendship. He often made little jests at her expense but as she grew more comfortable in her role as a member of the Malfoy family she began jabbing right back.





It was during Draco’s birthday celebration that she had finally succeeded in breaking the ice completely and toppling Lucius from his seat on the fence. She was in the kitchen, standing at the sink eating cucumber slices dipped in ranch dressing when he stepped up beside her.





“What are you eating?” He asked, his lips twisted in disgust.





“Cucumbers and dressing….I can’t seem to get enough of them.” She said sheepishly. “Ooomph.” She grunted and laid her hands on her belly.





“Are you alright?” He looked concerned.





“I am fine; your grandchild is a rather rowdy little sprite.” She saw his eyes drift to her belly and soften just a little.





“Does it pain you?”





“No, well, sometimes. Sometimes it kicks so hard I lose my breath.” She laughed. “Draco loves to feel the baby move.”





“I’ve seen him touching you.” He said quietly.





“Did you never feel Draco moving when Narcissa was pregnant?” She asked.





“No, she took to her bed when she learned she was expecting. I sat with her for an hour each evening where she was covered in blankets…I never even got a look at her pregnant. Do you ever rest?” He asked.





“It isn’t necessary for me to take to my bed. It is perfectly healthy for me to remain active. I prefer it.” She said, washing her hands and drying them on a towel. “Would you like to feel the baby?”





Lucius looked horrified, his cheeks flushing.





“Erm…that would be inappropriate…” He looked so flustered she couldn’t help but smile.





“No it wouldn’t, you’ve seen me naked, what could be more inappropriate than that?” She took his cane from his hand and laid it on the counter then reached for his hands. She brought them to rest with one on the side of her expansive middle and the other at the front.





“I don’t feel anything.” He said, his brow furrowed in concentration.





“Just give it a moment.” She said softly. Sure enough, within a minute he felt the sharp kick and roll against his hands as his grandchild moved within his daughter-in-law’s womb. “See, the baby is saying hello to its grandfather.”





The look on Lucius’s face was heart wrenching. He looked happy and so utterly grateful as he smiled while the baby continued it’s writhing.





“Thank you for that, Hermione.” He said with a soft caress against the curve of her belly.





“You are welcome…Big Daddy.” She grinned, winking at the older man.





“Bloody hell!” Harry’s shocked gasp caused them both to jump. “Please tell me I didn’t just hear you call Lucius Malfoy Big Daddy.” She could still chuckle at the memory.





As June was drawing to a close her frustration with her pregnancy was growing worse. She lay on her side staring into the darkness, wide awake as it was impossible for her to get comfortable. Draco was curled around her back, his hand resting lightly on her tummy and Studly was curled up at their feet snoring. Her back hurt and she wished with everything in her that she could just get comfortable and go to sleep.





The baby kicked and her bladder began to spasm. With a groan she rolled out of the bed and headed towards the bathroom only to stop suddenly in the middle of the room as a trickle of hot fluid rolled down the inside of her thigh. Her eyes widened as the first, dull cramp rolled through her belly, tightening her abdomen painfully.





“Draco!” She gasped his name as she stood there clutching her belly while a small puddle began to form around her feet.





“Hmmm?” He muttered sleepily from the bed.





“Draco!” She cried again, looking back over her shoulder as he pushed up onto his elbow and stared at her through half closed eyes.





“What…did you wet yourself?”





“No, you moron! My water broke…baby is coming.” She said. It took a moment for her words to register and then Draco flew into action. He was dressed in what seemed like seconds, hopping across the room on one foot while tugging a sock onto the other one as he went to their wardrobe and grabbed her bag. While she changed her clothes he rang Potter and sent an owl to his parents, then finally they accessed the floo and stepped into the hospital waiting room.





Draco was nervous and kept shifting his weight from foot to foot as they checked her in and settled her into a room. Spells were cast to monitor mother and baby, the sound of the little ones heartbeat echoing around the room. Things were bearable for a while, and then as things progressed his normally clean spoken wife began swearing like a Knockturn Alley whore.





“Oh my god! Draco, I hate you!” She groaned as she rolled onto her side clutching her stomach.





“I know…I hate me too.” He said, rubbing her back. He looked up when his bleary eyed parents and Harry and Ginny Potter entered the room. He looked pathetic as he stared at them with pleading eyes.





“Stop touching me!” She growled reaching back to swat his hands away. “If you could keep your damned hands to yourself I wouldn’t be here now!”





“Sounds like you are getting close.” Harry chuckled.





“Fuck off, Harry!” She shouted, an anguished cry escaping her as another round of contractions hit her.





“Oh yeah…she’s close.” He said, laying his hand on Draco’s shoulder. “How are you holding up, Malfoy?”





“Sod it all, Potter, she’s fucking terrifying!” He whispered.





“I can hear you!” She growled, glaring at him over her shoulder.





“How are you doing?” Lucius asked, squatting down beside her bed so they were eye to eye. He reached out and clasped her fingers in his.





“I hate your son. He’s a randy prick who needs to be neutered.” She cried, fat tears sliding down her cheeks.





“I know, would you like me to do it?” He asked with a serious expression.





“Hey! No plotting on the husband’s bits!” Draco frowned at his father. He had grown quite fond of Hermione in recent months and he had no doubt that if she asked him to his father would hex his balls in a heartbeat.





Hours passed until finally the medi-witch said that it was time. Everyone cleared out with the exception of Draco who remained by his wife’s side as she strained to push their child into the world. He watched in horrified fascination as she lay grunting and sweating, her face scrunched and purple as she pushed. He felt utterly useless as he watched. What had he ever done that could compare to what she was doing at that moment? After ten hours in labor and an hour of pushing, Thorne Julian Malfoy came into the world screaming for all to hear.







Hermione yawned and sat up in their bed. A quick glance at the window let her know it was just before dawn as the sky was a pale shade of gray. She glanced over at the empty space beside her and then to the empty bassinet and her brow furrowed. She slid from their bed and made her way down the hall on bare feet towards the back of the house, the tinkling sound of the piano guiding her way.





Draco’s bare back was to her as she stepped into the music room. He was sitting at his piano with Thorne cradled in one arm while he played a soft lullaby one handed. Studly lifted his head and looked at her for a moment before lying back down on the floor at Draco’s feet. The dog could always be found wherever Thorne was and he would whine when they went out with the baby. Hermione knew she would never have to worry, Studly, poor pathetic creature that he was, would always protect his young master.





Draco looked back over his shoulder and smiled when he saw her coming towards him. She was wearing one of his old Quidditch tees, her soft, round thighs tantalizing him as she strode across the room with her tousled hair and sleepy eyes.





“What are you doing?” She asked softly, staring down at the beautiful little bundle nestled in the crook of his father’s arm.





“Thorne needed changed and he was a bit restless, we didn’t want to wake you so we came in here for a bit of a song.” He said. “It worked, he’s sleeping again.”





“So that means you are coming back to bed, right?” She asked, a soft smile on her plump lips as she raked her nails lightly over his shoulder.





“Yes, ma’am….just let me put this little man down for the night and cast a silencing charm around the bassinet and I am definitely coming back to bed.” Draco grinned as he slid from the bench and sidled up beside her, slipping his arm around her waist and leading her back to their bedroom.





He had heard it said that men lost some of their desire for their wives when they became mothers. He wondered what kind of man felt that way because he certainly didn’t, if anything the fact that she had given birth to his child made him want her more. It frightened him at times how much he loved her.





He tucked Thorne back into his wicker bassinet and then climbed between the sheets with his wife. As he pulled her to him and lowered his lips to hers he said a little prayer of thanks to anyone who was listening that she had wandered into his pub that lonely spring night and made his life worth living.











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Thanks for reading everyone!!! This was so much fun to write…just easy and relaxed with no huge plot to try and weave….It was a pleasure! Now….off to play with Severus!