New Beginnings

In order to keep Hermione back pain at a minimum, Draco insisted that she have daily massages. At first, she protested; stating that they were not necessary and that he should stop trying to ‘handle her’; she was not his ‘ward’ or something.



“Hera, you’re my wife, the mother of my child, why would you ever think that you were my ‘ward’? Whatever the hell that means. I want to take care of you, I love you. Damn it, you can be the most obstinate pain in my arse when you want to be.”



“Deal with it, MALFOY! You’re not the boss of me.” She turned and walked into the living room.





Draco groaned; he loved his wife dearly but she could really drive him to the fire whiskey without even trying. He finished putting dinner in the oven and quietly headed upstairs. Hermione was lying on the sofa with her eyes closed.



A short while later, “Hera, dinner’s ready.” Draco was shaking her foot. Hermione opened her eyes and yawned.



“Did I fall asleep?”



“Yeah, for about 30 minutes; come on, Love, it’s time to eat.” He helped her off of the sofa and walked to the dining area. The table was set with candles and some of the good dishes, glasses and silver from the manor.



“Draco, this is lovely. What’s the occasion?”



“No occasion, I just wanted to have a nice dinner with my wife.” He said at her and pulled out her chair. She smiled at him then pulled him to her gently and kissed him on the lips.



“Thank you…for always taking such good care of me.”



“It’s my job…and my pleasure,” he kissed her head.



They had a lovely dinner of lemon and herb roasted chicken with butternut squash, and spinach salad with apricots and some kind of tasty cheese* that Hermione had never had before. For dessert, Draco made acai* berry and banana sorbet so Hermione could have something sweet without having too much sugar. They cuddled up on the sofa together, sharing a bowl of sorbet and watching TV. Within less than an hour, Hermione was starting to fall asleep again. Draco couldn’t help but smile; she was getting into her ‘comfortable position’. She’d rest her head on his chest and wrap her arm across his stomach, hugging him like a stuffed toy; that was always a sure sign that she was ‘down for the count’.



“Angel, are you ready for bed?” Hermione never opened her eyes.



“Uh-uh, I’m up.” He smirked.



“Sure you are; come on, Love. It’s time for bed.” Hermione grumbled as Draco moved, dislodging her from her comfortable position. He helped off of the sofa and ushered her upstairs. “You go in and brush your teeth, I’m gonna turn down the bed.” Her only response was yet another grumble as she shuffled towards the washroom in her Gryffindor slippers, yoga pants and his old crew sweatshirt.



Draco stood at the end of the bed, close to the washroom, smiling smugly and counted to three. ‘One, Two, Three…’



“Draco!” He smiled and walked into the washroom.



“Yes, my love?” Hermione was standing in the middle of the washroom with a stunned look on the face as she starred at the bathtub filled with bubbles and the room aglow with floating candles.



“What did you do?” She looked at him, completely astonished.



“I told you that you would have a massage every night to help your back. I never said it was going to be a chore or drudgery; you made that assumption. Now, are you going to get undressed and take a bath with me or what?” Hermione walked over to her husband and looked up at him.



“Is this your way of ‘handling me’?”



“Maybe… OR… This could be my way of getting you naked so I can rub my hands all over your sexy body.” He kissed her neck as he snaked his hands under the back of her sweatshirt and unfastened her bra. Draco’s hands slid inside of her bra and pinched her nipples firmly. Hermione whimpered and rested her forehead on his shoulder. “Come on, Love; the waters just how you like it, the bubble bath will make your skin soft and kissable.” He kissed just below her ear. Hermione whimpered again and lifted her arms over her head. Draco did his best to hide his smug smirk as he undressed his wife. He loved that she gave in to him so easily. He undressed quickly then helped Hermione into the enormous tub and sat down behind her. He gently eased her back so she was resting against his chest.



“Now, isn’t this nice?” He washed her chest a flannel; her eyes were closed. “You like this, don’t you?” Hermione nodded and smiled, but didn’t open her eyes. “Then why do you always fight with me when I want to take care of you?” She smirked.



“I enjoy giving you stress?”



“One would think so, love. You like pushing my buttons, don’t you?”



“Sometimes.” She said in a lazy, singsongy voice. Draco just rolled his eyes. She may be a pain in the arse but she was his pain. He kissed her temple as he leisurely ran the flannel over her body. “You don’t have to push so hard, ya know. I’m not invalid, Draco, I’m just pregnant.”



He smirked, “I thought you liked when I pushed hard?” He began to fondle her breasts gently, making Hermione moan softly. “Well?” he whispered.



“Well what?” Her eyes were closed as she basked in the deliciousness of his touch.



“You like when I push hard, don’t you?” He whispered in her ear; Hermione started to blush. He always knew how to make her blush. She arched into his hand as he caressed her breasts, gently running his fingers along the sides. She gasped softly and rubbed her thighs together as her arouse began to grow. “Just relax, Love, let it wash over you.” She felt his hands easing her knees apart and gently rub her thighs; she moaned when she felt another set of hands caressing her breasts. Finally, she felt Draco working on the knots in her back. This time, it wasn’t painful; her body was so aroused that she could only focus on the pleasure she was feeling, not the tightness in her back.



Draco felt her body melt into his; he knew his plan was working. He massaged the knots out of her lower back then began to work on the spot just left of her spine. Hermione’s body began to tremble.



“Oh Gods,” she whispered. She could feel an orgasm building; her thighs were quivering, her breathing was shallow. Draco guided her hand and placed it between her legs. She whimpered as she fingered her pussy, desperately trying to reach her peak. He finished working out the last few knots in her lower back then began to gently stroke the sides of breasts. An invisible hand massaged at her clit and Hermione came undone; her orgasm washed over her in wave after wave of pleasure.



His voice was soothing yet encouraging, “That’s it, Love. Don’t hold back, let it envelope you.” Draco kissed and sucked at her neck as Hermione slowly descended. He wrapped his arms around her tightly; she buried her face in the crook of his neck, her breathing was heavy as she tried to calm herself. “How do you feel, Angel?” Hermione could only whimper. Draco smiled. “Is that a good whimper or a bad one?”



“Good,” she whispered.



When Hermione finally regained her ability to move, they got out of the tub, dried off and went to bed. She didn’t say anything; she simple snuggled close to him, holding him tightly.



“How do you feel, Love?”



“Wow…” was all that she could say.



Draco smiled then kissed her on the head. “Rest now, my angel.”



“Thank you, Draco. I love you.” She said, sleep consuming her. Draco kissed her on the head, yawned and got comfortable; soon he fell asleep as well.







~*~

“Mia, are you ready to go?” Blythe walked into the bedroom where Hermione was getting dressed.



“Yes, I’m almost ready.” She pulled her hair up into a ponytail and brushed on a bit of lip gloss. “Where are we going?”



“Well, it’s kind of a surprise; but I promise you’ll like it.” Hermione looked at Blythe, suspiciously but Blythe just rolled her eyes and tugged at her friend’s hand. “Come on.”

They walked downstairs and, after blindfolding Hermione and putting a silence spell over her ears so she couldn’t here their destination; Blythe stepped into the floo with Hermione and whisked them to the manor.



“Where are we? Seriously, Blythe, I don’t like this; what if I trip or something?”



“You won’t trip.”



“I could… and then you would feel really bad. Hey! Why does this place smell like the Manor?”



“Shhh. You’re talking really loud for someone whose eyes are covered yet can now hear perfectly.”



Blythe lead her into the formal living room that was filled with wrapped gifts and a few people. “Now sit right there; I’ll be right back.” Hermione started to fidget; she didn’t know where she was and she was starting to feel really uncomfortable. Suddenly, she felt warm hands caressing her face. She leaned into the warmth.



“Draco,” she whispered with a smile. Hermione whimpered when she felt his soft lips capture hers. He reached up and removed her blindfold but she didn’t open her eyes. She leaned in and deepened their kiss; wrapping her arms around his neck and playing with his hair. Finally, with much struggle, Draco pulled back.



“Hi Angel.”



“What’s going on?”



“Blythe didn’t tell you?” She shook her head, no. “This is your baby shower.” She looked at him, confused. “The wizard staff from your job wanted to have a shower for you so they contacted me and I contacted Blythe. She set it up so they could have it here.” Hermione finally looked around and realized that they were in the manor in one of the living rooms and many of her co-workers were there, smiling at her. “Are you surprised?”



“Very… I didn’t know Wizards did the baby shower thing; I thought that was a muggle tradition.”



“I guess not.” He smiled.



“Don’t worry, Mia Love, there won’t be any stupid muggle games, I promise. We’re just having some nice finger food and drinks, you and Draco get to open presents then we’re all gonna have a nice late lunch. Ok?” Hermione nodded and smiled.



“Oh! I hope I’m not too late. Peeves tried to flood the prefect washroom again.” Minerva came into the room, led by Tinky; looking a bit winded.



“You’re right on time, Minerva. Would you like a Cape Codder?” Blythe asked with a smile.



“Pardon my ignorance, but what exactly is a Cape Codder?” Blythe handed her a champagne flute with the red elixir.



“It’s a cocktail; champagne and cranberry juice. Taste it; if you don’t like it, I can get you something else.”



“Mmm, that is lovely.” Minerva downed the glass and reached for a second one as one of the elves walked by.



“Ok, let’s get this show on the road.” Blythe announced. “Hermione, Draco, this shower is for both of you. I hope you like it.” The couple smiled at her.



For the next hour, the couple opened gift after gift for the baby. Clothing, furniture, decorations, nappies, toys. Draco was in total shock; he had plenty of money for stuff like this, why would people give them this stuff? Their generosity was overwhelming.



“Ok, enough with the baby stuff, now it’s time for gifts for mummy and daddy.” They look at her like she was mad. She handed them a very large box which Draco sat on his lap while Hermione opened it. Inside were individually wrapped gifts with each of their names on it. “These are from Blaise, Chloe and me.”



Hermione gasped when she opened a small box and out popped a silk kimono. Draco started laughing when he opened the box that said ‘HAZ MAT’ containing a muggle gas mask, rubber gloves and tongs. There were ‘NetFlixs’ gift certificates, a muggle digital camera and video camera. Last there was a small box that made Hermione close the box instantly when she saw it.



“Blythe!” Hermione blushed and closed the box, praying that no one saw the purple vibrator in the bottom of the box. Draco snickered at his wife’s sudden prudish behavior.



“What? Women have needs, and Draco isn’t always around. A woman’s gotta do what a woman’s gotta do, Mia.” Hermione covered her face with her hand. The other women in the room tried not the laugh at Hermione’s obvious discomfort. Draco pulled her to him and whispered in her ear.



“We’re definitely trying that out as soon as we get rid of these people.” Hermione smacked his leg but never uncovered her face. He gently tickled her side, making her squeal, then pulled her into his arms and kissed her lovingly. All of the women smiled at them.



Blythe led the guests to the dining room for lunch in order to give Draco a few minutes with a mortified Hermione. “You do know we were just picking on you, right?” She nodded.



“Then why did you get so embarrassed?”



“Because…” she said, with her face still covered.



“Because why…”



“Because people will know…what we do…”



“Do you mean sex?” Hermione nodded…



“Erm…Hun, I hate to break this to you but they’ve figured out that we have sex.” Hermione looked at him. “Did you forget how you ended up with this voluptuous shape?”



“That’s not what I mean… They would know we use stuff like…that…” Draco did his best not to snicker.



“First, no one saw but me and second, people don’t care what happens behind closed doors as long as no one is being hurt…without consent.” He smirked.



“Are you sure?”



“Yes, I’m sure. Can we eat lunch now?” She nodded and smiled as she let out the breath she was holding.



The women chatted about children and many were tell Hermione stories of their birthing experiences. By the second story, Draco had lost his appetite completely. He made a stealthy exit and hid in his study until the women were gone, an hour and a half later. Hermione came into the study and found him reading the Daily Prophet with his feet propped up on the desk.



“All of that ‘women stuff’ was starting to get to you, wasn’t it?” She was standing in the doorway, half smiling at him.



“Was it that obvious?”



“To me it was.”



“You do know me, don’t you?”



“I try.”



“Did you like your party?”



“I loved it. Everyone was so generous and thoughtful.” Draco nodded as he walked over to her, kissing her softly. Hermione relaxed into his arms. “Thank you.”



“For what? Blythe and the elves did most of the work.”



She looked up at him and stroked his cheek; Draco felt a shiver go down his spine. She didn’t have to say another word. The look in her eyes spoke volumes. He pulled her close and kissed her as he apparated them to their master suite.



Draco sat Hermione on the side of the bed and took off her shoes then laid her down on the soft, fluffy pillows. After taking off his shoes, he climbed into bed next to her. He pulled her close to him and kissed her before she rested her head on his chest. “Thank you to you too, my love.” Hermione draped her arm across Draco’s middle and fell asleep.