Prats and Promises

"Hermione? What's going on? Pansy tells me to tell you that she's sorry, the store is absolutely overloaded with orders for one woman's wedding right now." Astoria's hair was piled high on her head as she entered the room cautiously. "Are you okay?"

Hermione sighed. "No, I'm really not."

It had been a while since Hermione and Draco had returned from their honeymoon. Hermione had opened her not-for-profit, and the donations were flowing in. She was, however, going by the name "Elissa Parkingreen" instead of "Hermione Malfoy" so as to not attract attention, and every time she went into the office- where she'd already recruited a few people- she drank polyjuice, turning herself into a brunette with green eyes and adding a slight lilt to her voice, making her virtually unrecognizable as the Hermione Granger the world had once known.

"I'm sick. All. The. Fucking. Time. Like, nausea 24/7, and throwing up. I've been taking Advil like candy and pain potions for maybe three or four days now, and that makes it better, but.. I'm still hurting a crap ton."

"Did you eat something funny?"

"Nope."

"Drink anything questionable?"

"Nope."

"Uhh.. is there anyone that would slip you something?"

"No? As far as I know."

Astoria groaned mentally as something crossed her mind, and winced as she asked the question.

"When was the last time you were... with Draco?" She screwed up her face uncomfortably. Hermione cringed.

"Erm... eight weeks ago?"

"So... a month after the honeymoon."

"Approximately? Oh, Godric... you think I might be pregnant, don't you. Morning sickness- terribly named, if I might add, because it doesn't always happen in the morning-"

"I mean, viable possibility. Morning sickness usually peaks at eight weeks, aaand.. prime symptoms of morning sickness usually involves nausea and vomiting."

"I'm not fucking ready to have a kid- for Merlin's sake, Astoria, I'm twenty-three years old! I didn't even plan to have blown through two jobs already. God my life has turned upside-fucking-down.." Hermione ran her fingers through her hair, a slightly miserable look on her face.

"I know that you probably had your life planned out by now, but- some things are spontaneous, and that's okay. Just like your wedding, and falling in love."

"Yeah, but- pregnancy is a whole other thing, Astoria. It's like- it's not something you can ignore, or cancel, like a wedding or emotions. I'm literally growing a human inside of me."

"And that's a gift." The blonde laid a gentle hand on Hermione's thigh.

"I don't know, Astoria... I'm just not good at dealing with emotional things, you know? I used to calculate test scores in advance, I used to finish homework a week in advance, learn material before we even learned it in class so that I could always be ahead and not.. surprised, I s'pose. I like being in control of my life, and lately I.. I really haven't." Hermione sighed and put her head in her hands.

"Sometimes life's like that. But just because you're not in control doesn't mean it's a bad thing. I understand that you're a logic-driven person, and that it's an uncomfortable thing to process- but you've got plenty of people around you that are ready to help you undergo it." Astoria grinned. "Salazar knows that Draco is one of the biggest emotionally-driven people I know."

"Really?" Hermione blinked.

"Looking at it the way I have, from inside and out, it's a mix of both. To the people outside his circle, he seems cold and logic-driven. To the people on the inside, he's actually a great deal more emotional relative to his exterior. To me, though, he's such an emotion-driven person. HIs mother was the reason he became a Death Eater, to protect her. Otherwise, he would have defected. Trust me. He's been pining after you for over a decade, and- do you remember when Weasley came back with a broken nose and amnesia?"

"In our eighth year, you mean?"

"Yep- that was Draco. After he'd seen you two kissing."

"Draco actually expressing his jealousy instead of brooding and sulking about it for days is something that surprises me."

"But the way he acts around you, Hermione- you have to have noticed. He's been so in love with you for ages now, and everything he's done for you has all been based off of that."

Hermione nodded, curls bouncing slowly. "I see what you mean."

"So it's going to be perfectly fine, yeah? You and I and Pansy and Draco.  Draco and I will help with the emotional things, and Pans and you deal in logical thinking, hmm?"

"I think I can work with that."

***

Despite talking with Astoria about trying to train herself to not worry about not having control, when the Muggle and wizardry pregnancy tests came back positive, Hermione nearly passed out. "My God. I'm actually pregnant."

Her voice was quiet as Astoria helped her to the couch. "I'm actually.. carrying a child. I'm going to be a mother and Draco is going to be a father- oh my god, what is Draco going to say?"

"I think Draco is going to be most pleased with that news." A new voice joined the conversation as the door swung open. Hermione gasped; Astoria patted Hermione gently on the shoulder.

"I think that's my cue to leave." She slipped silently out of the open door. Hermione still felt like the air was knocked out of her lungs.

"I'm assuming that you heard.. literally everything that was said before you walked in dramatically."

"I did, actually."

"So.." Hermione folded her hands over her laps and bit her lip nervously. "What do you think?"

"What do I think?" Draco plopped down beside her seriously. "Yeah." Hermione glanced down. "What do I think- what could I think except for the fact that it's bloody brilliant! We're going to be parents, we're going to have a kid, and we're young, yes, but- hey, no one said we needed to be forty to be parents. It's amazing, and I love you. And He pecked Hermione's cheek, before bending down to her flat stomach.

Hermione took a breath, sighing in absolute relief and hope. "I love you too."

***

Nine months later and Draco was in the midst of pacing worriedly outside the farthermost room in the maternity ward of St. Mungo's. No one had seen them come in, thank goodness, and the nurse was perfectly aware of the stakes should anyone ask of Hermione Malfoy. But his wife was screaming at the top of her lungs, and while Theo was currently reassuring him that screaming during labour was to be expected, he couldn't help but worry a little.

Well, maybe it was more like full-out panic.

Both Pansy and Astoria were in the room, with Hermione and the poor St. Mungo's nurse who was attempting to deliver their baby.

"Are you overthinking something? You look like you are. Yes, you have a.. pondering face."

Draco scowled. "Do not."

"If I asked Hermione, she would totally agree with me."

"She'd agree because she wanted to prove to me I'm a twat, not because she agrees it's true."

"So you agree you're a twat." Draco rested his forehead on his fingertips.

"You are absolutely no help."