Stormy Weather

Hermione curled a little more into the warm presence behind her, her head slowly lifting as sunlight tickled her eyes briefly. She turned away, seeking the warm comforting darkness of sleep, but it wasn't going to work out like that. I'm awake. Another day. She leaned back, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes with a soft smile as she realized she was cuddling up to Draco, who was also just now opening his eyes. Something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye and she looked over to see a large tray of breakfast and a note.

"It's from your mother." Hermione picked it up and read quickly. "Your parents want us to enjoy the morning and we're to meet them for lunch at Diagon Alley." She yawned a little, dropping the note, and snuggled back into him. "You're comfy..."

Draco chuckled softly as he put an arm around her. I don't think she realizes what she's saying. Must be groggy in the mornings. He looked down as she tried to snuggle closer to him, murmuring a few incoherent things as the sun struck her eyes once more, then winced when a sudden cramp from having spent a few hours in the same position smacked into his muscles. She looked up at him, a little more sense in her gaze this time.

"What's wrong?" He must have at least looked in some pain, otherwise she wouldn't have asked that question. He was going to have to work on that; Malfoys didn't show pain, or feel pain.

"Just a little cramped. I'll be all right."

Hermione apparently wasn't going to believe that, however. She squirmed around behind him and started to rub his back carefully. It was obvious she wasn't expert at this, and probably hadn't ever done it before anyway, but it still felt better. "You're not used to sleeping on the floor, are you?" The question got just what it deserved: a slightly annoyed look and a grunt. She just grinned at him. "It's an acquired ability, I think. Are you feeling any better?"

"Yes." He stretched carefully, wincing a little more at the same time. He'd have to find Suvvy, one of the few house-elves who could actually pull off a decent massage, when he had some spare time. But what she'd done would do until he could manage that. "You've got nice hands." A compliment or two wouldn't kill. Sad about that, sometimes. He wouldn't have minded getting rid of a Gryffindor or two with a well-placed phrase. Someone with red hair and freckles came to mind on occasion.

Unaware of his thoughts, Hermione peeked around at him, picking up some toast as she did. "What do you want to do today?" She chewed it as he considered the things that were available, and settled on what had seemed good the night before.

"Show you around the mansion. What you can see of it, at least. There are places that non-Malfoys aren't allowed to see." He reached over to get some breakfast for himself, thinking of some of them. Even he wasn't allowed into some of his father's rooms. He wasn't all that sure he'd want to, either. He watched as she selected a nice robe out of her closet, then headed into the bathroom to get cleaned up for the day. This really wasn't what I was expecting when we made that bargain. It's a lot more.

He knew he had changed as well from that moment weeks earlier when he'd seen her watching him fly. He wasn't all that certain if he liked the changes, but they were there, and he was just going to have to live with them. When did she really start meaning more to me than just a convenience? The closest thing he could pin down to a time was their kidnapping. That torture had been because of him. When had he developed a conscience? It was sickening if he thought about it too long.

"Something on your mind?" He jerked his head up to see Hermione looking at him curiously, her hair damp and a clean robe on, and shook his head quickly.

"No, nothing really important." He darted out quickly and headed for his own room, showering and changing as swiftly as he could. He made certain he didn't indulge in any more soul-searching as well. That was best saved for when he was alone, and wasn't going to be interrupted. When he got back into Hermione's room, she was curled up on the bed, her eyes closed and breathing quietly. She better not have fallen asleep. "Ready to tour?"

She opened her eyes and sat up with a bright smile. "Of course. Where do we get started?"

"Right outside." He guided her out there and started pointing out the various paintings of his ancestors, all of whom peered down, and he could hear some of them muttering about Mudbloods and Gryffindors being in Malfoy Manor. Well, they're just going to have to get used to it.

The tour of the viewable part of the Manor took up a few hours, and by the time they'd reached the end of it, noon was creeping up on them. "We should head to Diagon Alley soon." Hermione noted, glancing at the time. "Your parents will be waiting for us."

"All right." He motioned to their casual robes. "We should change first, though. Mother and Father will probably want lunch at one of the more expensive restaurants there."

A quick scouring spell and a change of robes later, Draco walked back into her room to find her looking at a picture of himself on the mantle. He was dressed in his Slytherin Quidditch robes and was flying in and out of the frame with the greatest of ease. "How long have you been flying?" she asked as she saw him coming over.

"Since I was about two, I think." That was when he first remembered being on a broom, at least. It might have been even younger. Malfoys were supposed to be the best and that meant getting started as early as possible.

"That's kind of young, but you were lucky to be born into a family where you could do that." Hermione commented, touching the frame lightly. Picture-Draco eyed her warily, then flipped his hair back arrogantly and flew around some more. "I feel like I missed out on so much."

He shrugged. "Not everyone is as lucky as I am." He deserved it, too. He was a Malfoy.

A quick Floo to Diagon Alley later, they were hurrying along the rows of storefronts. "I don't see them." Draco muttered, peering briefly into a couple of smaller stores that Hermione passed over. That's where Father usually gets some of his Dark Arts things. But he's not there. Not that he was surprised; that sort of shop usually didn't do much business til after dark. It was one of the few that weren't in Knockturn Alley, since they mainly sold 'upfront and honest' merchandise. However, if you knew what to ask for and who to ask it of...

"Draco!" Hermione motioned inside Flourish and Blotts. Lucius stood there, just visible through the window, peering into some of the new arrivals with a disapproving cast to his features. As they came up closer, he put the book he'd been examining back on the shelf and turned towards them.

"Your mother is waiting at the Silver Hawk." He stalked past them towards the door, letting them follow in his wake until they reached the restaurant. Narcissa smiled gently as they took their seats, nodding politely to them.

"Have you had a good day?" Draco asked, making sure to sit in between his father and Hermione, even if it meant the two of them would be staring at each other already. Narcissa nodded quickly, an eager gleam to her eyes that came only when she was doing something she really enjoyed.

"We've been quite busy. What about the two of you? What did you do today?"

Draco glanced over the menu briefly, then ordered. "I showed Hermione around the mansion. The public parts, at least." He could see his father's pale gaze on him, and quaked internally. He had a feeling Lucius was going to be interrogating him pretty intensely about this later.

"Your grandparents will be up tonight for the small party." Narcissa told them. "You two are free for the afternoon then."

Draco nodded, and Hermione noticed his eyes lighting up at that. I guess he likes his grandparents. She hadn't thought about her own for a while, any of them. Meeting them should be interesting, to put it one way.

Once they were done, Draco stood up. "We'll see you later, mother, father." Without another word the two of them hurried out of the restaurant. Narcissa watched, a frown creasing her face between her eyebrows.

"They were quiet." She commented. Lucius nodded slightly, and she could see something in his eyes, curiosity and perhaps worry. "Something the matter?"

"You were like that once."

Blood drained from her face as realization dawned. "I was like that five times in my life." She knew each of them in rich detail as well. And that worries me that he might have..." She fiddled with her fork for a moment, then nodded. "I'll talk to her." This had to be dealt with at once."

"You've been very quiet." Draco murmured softly, looking at Hermione. "Is everything all right?"

She nodded quickly, with a reassuring smile. "Everything's fine. I just have a lot on my mind." She glanced away, a look of discomfort crossing her face. I don't feel so good. She forced herself to act normal, keeping hold of Draco's hand as they walked through Diagon Alley.

"Did you want to look around any here before we go home?" Draco wondered. Hermione checked around, then nodded.

"The Magical Menagarie. I have to get something for Crookshanks." She headed over there and started talking with the witch who ran it, while Draco eyed the skipping rats and rabbits who were turning into hats and back again. Once she was finished, she glanced over at him curiously. "Was there something you wanted to look at?"

"No, not really. There's not much else that can be done here anyway." Diagon Alley was really more of a place he associated with getting school supplies at any rate.

Hermione nodded. "What do you want to do this afternoon?" They had to do something, after all.

"How about some practice Quidditch?" Draco asked after a few moments of thought. "You could get in some practice, before it gets too dark."

"What about you?" With as self-centered as he could be, she was surprised he hadn't said something about his practice as well. That got her a patented Draco Look.

"There's only two of us. We can't let out the Bludgers or the Snitch without someone else there to keep an eye out, and I can't be watching for it and you." Rich scoffing tones filled his voice. "I thought you of all people would have realized that."

Hermione whacked him upside the head. "Cut the attitude and let's get out of here."

"My attitude is me." Draco was utterly serious. "Going to have to deal with it."

She shook her head; this was what one got when one dated a Malfoy. They hurried back to the mansion, and quite soon were hovering several feet off the ground, the Quaffle in Draco's hands.

"All right, try to block it." He told her, then threw it as hard as he could. Hermione got a good grip on her broom and darted over to where she could see it heading, grabbing it out of the air instinctively. She grinned and threw it back at him with a sweet smile. Something about his smug attitude made her almost be upset that it hadn't hit him in the face.

They kept it up for several hours, and no throw he made could get by her. If she didn't grab it, then she knocked it away with her broom. Draco's usually pale face was a little flushed as he flew near her. "I think you're a natural."

"It's all those volleyball games I played back before I was accepted into Hogwarts." She brushed back her hair quickly, then dodged another incoming shot, whirling at the last second to get the Quaffle with the brush-end of the broom. "Tricky."

"I can be worse." Draco warned as he swooped down to grab the Quaffle and threw it at her harder. Almost as soon as it left his hand, a low roll of thunder boomed across the sky. "I don't believe this, it's going to start--"

Crack! Silver-white lightning ripped the sky open and a downpour nearly drowned the both of them in seconds. The Quaffle slammed into Hermione just as her attention was pulled from what was going on by the sudden lash of rain, and she slipped off of her broom, heading for the ground. Draco flew towards her quickly, the slight worry in his eyes covered up quickly. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Just soaking wet."

Draco squinted through the rain and inched a little closer to her. It was almost impossible to see anything more than an inch or so away already, and his hair was starting to get plastered into his eyes. "Let's head inside."

With brooms and Quaffle bouncing around in their arms, they got back inside the mansion without slipping too many times. Draco went down hard once, and stared at his reflection in a mirror once they were inside, covered from head to foot in mud and worse. "I hate rain!" He was glad no one from Hogwarts had seen this, especially no one else from Gryffindor. If Potter or Weasley had, he would've Memory Charmed them and taken any consequences for it.

"Let's go get cleaned up." Hermione shook back her hair and squeezed some water out of it, then grinned over at him. "You look like a drenched ferret!" She scampered off to her room, waving her wand briefly to get rid of her damp hair before stripping and jumping into the shower briefly.

Once she was clean and changed again, she settled in front of the fire and stared into it, letting it dry the last traces of dampness from her. This is really relaxing. I've heard some people in other countries meditate by fire. I wonder if I could find someone to teach me how to do that. Even if she couldn't, just watching the flames flicker and flare was more than relaxing enough. She let her mind wander whatever it wanted, not lingering on anything, especially not the fact she felt comfortable enough in this place that not very long ago would've been the 'home of the enemy' to do this in the first place.

"Interesting view?"

Her head snapped up to see Draco looking over her, that usual amused quirk to his lips. "Sorry." She apologized out of reflex, since she hadn't done anything to be sorry about. "I was thinking about some things." She mentally grabbed at something she could talk to him about. "I'm nervous about meeting your grandparents."

"Everyone who meets them is nervous." He told her that in a way that was trying to be reassuring, but really wasn't. It wasn't as if he had that much practice, after all. "It's a Malfoy trait."

She rolled her eyes; he'd been going on about being a Malfoy so much lately she wondered if he was trying to convince her or himself. I'll figure it out later, she decided as he put an arm around her and pulled her into a soft kiss. They stayed like that, soft and tender, heart-warming kisses, until a throat was noisily cleared and they both looked up to see two older people there, in wizarding robes, and with the man having the pale eyes, hair, and general look of the Malfoys.

"Grandfather." Draco pulled himself up quickly. "It's nice to see you again."

His grandfather nodded slightly as the youngest Malfoy crossed over to them, giving them quick and loving hugs. "You've grown into quite a young man." Pale eyes flicked up and down Draco before looking back over to Hermione.

"You are going to introduce us to this young lady, aren't you, Draco?" The elder Mrs. Malfoy asked with a slightly amused grin, her dark brown eyes twinkling in a very un-Malfoy-ish way.

Draco nodded quickly as he headed back to Hermione. "Grandmother, Grandfather, this is my girlfriend, Hermione Granger."

Mrs. Malfoy grunted in surprise. "Granger? Would your father happen to be a dentist?"

That really ranked high on the scales of shock. What would a wizarding family, especially one as highly socially conscious as the Malfoys be doing knowing about her family. "Yes, ma'am." Hermione wanted to get this cleared up as swiftly as possible. "I didn't know that you knew them."

"We met them two years ago." Mrs. Malfoy lightly nudged her husband's arm with her elbow. "He finally agreed to see someone about his tooth. All of the wizarding healers were occupied at the time, so I insisted he find the next best thing. It appears that turned out to be your father."

The elder Mr. Malfoy obviously still wasn't that thrilled to have had to do it, but he just sniffed. "It's just as well he was good. If he wasn't, I would've turned him into a snail and had him for dinner."

"Of course, dear." His wife murmured in a very clearly unbelieving tone. Draco's lips twitched briefly, doing his best to keep his composure.

"I didn't think that you'd be here this early. The party isn't for hours yet."

His grandmother nodded in confirmation. "We heard that you had brought a young lady home, and our curiosity got the better of us." She smiled warmly at him as she came over to hug him. "And we missed you."

Hermione watched as the elder branch of the family indulged in something that she would have bet Lucius would have Avada Kevadra'd her for seeing. It must be because there's only family here, except me. It made some kind of sense. Just what kind, she wasn't very certain yet.

"We're going to see that father of yours." Mr. Malfoy declared at last. "See you at dinner."

As they left, Draco looked over at her and shrugged a bit ruefully. In imitation of many other grandchildren everywhere, Muggle to Muggleborn to wizards, he just said, "Those were my grandparents."

"I gathered that. Once you called them that a few times, I was able to make the connection."

The two of them settled down together by the fire once more, Draco's long fingers going through her hair gently. Hermione shivered softly as she moaned in pleasure. "Don't start something you can't stop."

"And now isn't the best time to start anything." Disappointment rang in his voice, and she nodded against her will.

"No, it isn't." Right then, she hated being a teenage female with all of her hormones doing very annoying things at highly inconvenient times. And it was only going to get worse as she got older, she knew. I'm not an animal, though. I can control what I do. What we do. "But it is nice to be here like this."

She stared into the fire, feeling his warmth all around her as she did, then sighed as a clock began to chime the hour somewhere in the mansion. "We should get ready."

"You're right." Draco sounded as annoyed about it as she was, if not more so. This was not a night for romance.

On the good side of things, they were both finished fairly quickly, and back together. Hermione smiled at his dress robes, which were a much more attractive cut than the ones that had made him look like a preacher in their fourth year. "You look very handsome."

"You look beautiful." He responded, noticing her slightly curled hair and lovely dress robes. "You clean up good."

She rolled her eyes. "Do you say that to all of your dates?"

"No, just you."

Hermione wondered just how she kept herself from smacking him upside the head. When I have the time, I'll do some research. She shook her head a bit, then looked at him. "Ready?"

Arm in arm, the two of them headed down to the grand ballroom where the party was to be held. Hermione peered around unobtrusively, taking in as much as possible at the moment. There weren't quite as many Malfoys and relatives as she'd expected at first. Mrs. Malfoy did say something about this being just for the immediate family. Warmth filled at the thought of being considered family, along with a faint sense of dread. Lucius' gaze, cool and icy from across the room, still said plainly he didn't like her being there.

"Hermione?" She met somewhat bored gray eyes as someone tapped on her shoulder. Draco took her hand as she turned and started to tug her out of the room. "Come on, I want to show you something."

That was unusual; he was supposed to have shown her everything that he could show her already! No one seemed to notice them as they headed out of the ballroom. Draco guided her to a set of steps hidden behind a tapestry, steps which wound higher and higher until they reached the very top of the mansion.

"How many people use this?" Hermione noted. "It's kept very clean, for a 'secret passage'. There aren't any cobwebs and not a speck of dust anywhere. And it's been cleaned just today." She sniffed a little. "With three different types of magical cleaning liquid too."

Draco wasn't surprised she'd noticed all of that. "Mother insists that every part of the mansion be kept clean, even the ones that no one else sees except once in twenty eons or so. That includes this. Besides, this isn't very secret." They'd passed several doors, tapestries, and odd paintings that whispered and pointed at them, and he came to a halt in front of one set of carved double doors. "No one but a Malfoy can open this door."

"I'm not surprised. No one but a Malfoy can do a lot of things around here. Do you have Malfoy exclusive lavatories?"

"Of course. Did you think we made do with those little ones like in your room?" Draco honestly looked surprised at the very thought, then he looked at the door and spoke very clearly. "Blood rights."

As the word was uttered, the doors opened slowly, revealing a wide and empty room behind them. What really caught Hermione's attention was the ceiling, however. At first she thought it was something similar to the spell on the Great Hall, then as a flicker of lightning arced across the sky, she realized it was made entirely of glass.

"We can watch it, but we won't be bothered by it." Draco looked rather proud of that fact. "My great-great-grandfather had it installed. We could've just used a spell, of course, but..." He glanced about briefly and murmured, "Great-great-grandfather was a little touched in the head."

Hermione's lips twitched a little bit. "Somehow, I'm not surprised you said that." He glanced back at her curiously but she just shook her head, looking up at the ceiling above them and the storm raging beyond it. "It's so beautiful."

"I've seen better looking things." Draco put an arm around her, guiding her to a comfortable chair to sit in. "And I can think of one particular one that's very close."

She smiled a little. "When you want to, you can say the sweetest things." She poked him in the chest. "The problem is getting you to want to."

The two of them snuggled together, watching the storm rage and blast above them. Time meant absolutely nothing...until a throat was cleared from the doorway, and both whirled to see Lucius standing there, hands folded over his cane.

"Shouldn't you be at your mother's party?"

Draco got up at once, helping Hermione to her feet. "I'm sorry, Father. We lost track of the time. We'll be right down." His father nodded slightly before heading back down the stairs, and Draco sighed, shaking his head. "A perfect moment, ruined."

"Do you think he's mad?" Hermione wondered. He'd certainly looked mad, which in someone with his self-control was fairly surprising.

"Probably. Don't worry about it, though." Draco shrugged it off. "He usually finds a reason to get mad at me at least once a week or so." With that, he headed back down the stairs. She watched him go, a frown between her eyes.

What did he mean by that? She knew that they didn't have the best relationship, but that comment...chills ran up and down her spine as she repeated it to herself.

"Hermione?" Draco stopped before he was out of sight and looked over his shoulder towards her. "Coming?"

"I thought we were going to be behaving ourselves tonight." She grinned teasingly at him, and he just shook his head.

"And you said that I have a dirty mind?"

He made it too easy sometimes. "No, I didn't. But now that you mention it..."

"Let's just go." He hurried down the stairs, her laughter following him just a few steps ahead of herself, until they got back down to the ballroom. He glanced around quickly, skipping over where his father was looking at them with the usual glare of disapproval. There they are. He spied them under one of the floating candelabras and grabbed hold of her wrist as she came up behind him. "Come on, I'm going to introduce you to my other grandparents."

Hermione didn't have a chance to say anything before she was pulled over to an older witch and wizard, both of whom cooed and awwed over her in a manner that reminded her somewhat of Narcissa, only a lot gooier. That only made sense, since they were her parents, after all.

"Hermione?" Speaking of Narcissa, the lady of Malfoy Manor was suddenly at her elbow and tugging her away. "I'd like to speak with you for a few moments."

"Of course." Hermione was about to go with her when a sudden wave of exhaustion swept over her, and she almost staggered. "On second thought, could it wait? I really think I should get to bed."

Narcissa shook her head, a grave look in her eyes. "No, I'm afraid it can't. But we shouldn't be long."

Stifling a yawn, she went along with her boyfriend's mother curiously, and found herself outside in a rather splendid garden that Professor Sprout would've died to get into, or get her out of. I don't think I recognize half of these plants...they must be Dark Arts related. Part of her wanted to sort and catalogue them, while the rest of her just wanted to run screaming.

Neither got a say in what happened, though. Narcissa met her eyes firmly. "Hermione, have you and Draco had sex?" The fiery red blush was the perfect answer, but Hermione really didn't expect her potential future mother in law to pull out her wand and point it at her.

"Mrs. Malfoy---" Hermione was cut off as the older witch spoke two words, and a beam of white light shot out from the tip of her wand, encircling the teenager. What in the world is going on here??

The light seemed almost to hover around her, then it turned a brilliant blue and for a moment she could have sworn that it focused on her stomach. Narcissa dismissed it with another word and sighed. "I suspected as much."

"What?" Hermione closed her hands around her stomach, checking for any kind of hex or spell or anything. "What did you do?"

Narcissa looked at her with almost tender eyes. "You're pregnant."

It was amazing how the world could fall apart and yet remain whole at the same time. Hermione collapsed onto a bench, her head spinning. "I'm...pregnant?" Narcissa confirmed it once more, and she nodded, forcing herself to think logically. "All right. Let me be the one who tells Draco, please."

"Are you certain?"

She nodded sharply. "I think that I should be the one." Her hands were trembling so hard she doubted she could hold a wand if she had to. "When the time is right. Merlin, why didn't we think?" They'd gotten so lucky that first time, but now...

Narcissa touched her shoulder lightly. "It happens. That's why you felt so tired. You'd best go rest now. You're going to need it."

"I know." Hermione took a deep breath and stood up. "Let me go talk to Draco first." She remembered something else that had happened the last time they'd had such a scare, and she had to find out something.

She didn't really remember leaving the garden, but the next thing she clearly saw was Draco talking to some of his relatives, who seemed to be giving him a hard time about dating someone like her. At least that was what she assumed when he looked relieved to see her. Of course, they could have just been boring him to death. "Draco? Can we talk? Alone?" She caught sight of Narcissa speaking with her husband, and those Malfoy eyes were glaring coldly across the room at her boyfriend.

"Of course. Back where we were?" His eyes flicked upward and she nodded quickly. That was the best place she could think of for privacy right now.

Once they were back up there, she closed her eyes. I'm going to do this. I'm a Gryffindor, I can do it. She opened her mouth and asked, "What are the risks for someone without veela blood to carry a child with it?"

"Impressive. There's a good chance that they could die." Draco had been taught this from childhood, so he had the answer ready.

"So, if you wanted children, you'd have to marry a veela or someone with veela blood, correct?" Hermione's stomach churned, and she didn't think it was because she was the only Gryffindor in a houseful of Slytherins right now. Draco nodded once more, curiosity bringing life to his usually lifeless eyes. "Is that something you want? Children?"

Curiosity shifted into confusion. "I don't know yet."

"But it's a possibility."

He nodded, and she tried to gather her courage once more to say something about it. Before she could, he had something of his own to say. "I've heard they're trying to find a way around the problem. The Malfoy line does have to go on, after all. Why do you ask?"

They have to find a way. He shouldn't be an only parent...and I don't want him resenting me for this. Hermione learned right then that there were some things that were too terrifying even for a Gryffindor to deal with, at least right in that moment. "Just curiosity."

"Are you sure?" There was something in those eyes. He knew. She was certain he did, but he wasn't saying anything about it.

I can't deal with this right now. She only half-faked an impressive yawn. "I really need to get some rest. I'm going to go lay down."

As she left, Draco decided what he needed to do was go talk to his mother. By the time he got back downstairs, most of the rest of the family had disappeared, and his parents and grandparents were seated by the fire, talking quietly and enjoying afterdinner drinks. "Mother? I want to talk to you." He skipped the usual pleasantries and got right to business. "Alone."

She put her cup down and gazed at him briefly, then stood up. "Excuse me." Narcissa never forgot her manners, not even when she was home with her family. The two of them walked outside together, and as soon as the door closed behind him, she asked, "What is it that you want to know?"

"Why was Hermione asking me about veelas and non-veelas having children?"

Narcissa shook her head. "I can't tell you, Draco. She asked me not to tell you what we talked about. She wants to tell you herself." She looked up at her well-grown son. "Don't do anything to lose her. She's very good for you."

Draco closed his eyes. "Mother. If she's pregnant..." He wasn't really all that certain what he'd do, but he'd do something!

"Ask her." Narcissa could offer no better advice than this. "But she was rather tired. Did she go to bed?"

"That's what she said she was doing." Draco wondered if her exhaustion had anything to do with any possible pregnancy, then shook his head. Medical magic was not his forte.

"Your grandparents want to spend some time with you." Narcissa glanced behind him to see Lucius emerging from the mansion and motioned Draco back inside. He hurried by, nodding quickly to his father as he did.

As soon as the door closed behind him, it sealed magically so no one could hear anything the two of them said. "I've sent a letter to Dumbledore about this. Snape might be able to find a way to save the girl and the child."

Narcissa nodded in agreement, amusement flickering through her eyes. "Does this mean you want her to be saved?" She teased, but she knew how much sending that owl had hurt her husband's pride. He didn't like consulting the Headmaster on anything.

"Saving her will save the baby, who is part Malfoy." That was all Lucius would say about the matter, but as he put an arm around his wife, she knew perfectly well that if anything happened to this child, he would be as devastated as he was. They had lost many other children to the veela blood in his veins, and to lose another would be a blow to them both. Something had to be done about this.