Breakfast at Natalie's

Mercifully, Malfoy was kept busy by the details of Joseph's trial and therefore had little time and energy to mourn over Charlie. He worked long hours, coming in as the sun rose and not leaving before it had already been dark for hours outside. Most of his colleagues had learned to steer clear of his way, talking in hushed tones as if he might explode if their words reached his ears. Even so, the work was taking a toll on him. His eyes were constantly puffy from lack of sleep, and his disheveled appearance had prompted Kingsley to ask him if he needed a break.

"Malfoy, you're working too hard," said Kingsley, as they bumped into each other while getting coffee, which they both did several times a day.

"Imagine that," said Malfoy, attempting a small laugh, "my boss complaining that I'm working too hard."

Kingsley poured cream into his coffee and stirred, not taking his eyes off him.

"This isn't normal, Malfoy," said Kingsley softly. "Really. You're pushing yourself too hard. I should take you off this case and give you a vacation."

"I don't want a vacation," said Malfoy stubbornly.

"You need one," said Kingsley. "Just look at yourself. When was the last time you had a decent night's sleep? Your eyes look like they're going to swell shut."

"I'm fine, Kingsley," said Malfoy, with a little wave of his hand. "This is nothing I can't handle."

"Malfoy," said Kingsley, stepping toward him and wrenching the coffee out of his hand. He looked him in the eye and said firmly: "You. Need. A. Break. And I am going to make sure that you take it, even if I have to jinx you and ship you to Fiji."

He took a step backward.

"Starting when?" said Malfoy, picking up his coffee again.

"Starting right now," said Kingsley. "I want you out of this office, and I don't want to see your face in here for at least a week, got that? Charge the expenses to the department. Charge them to my bank account. Whatever you want. Just get out of my face."

With that, Kingsley turned around and disappeared back into his own office, leaving Malfoy standing alone in the break room with a cup of lukewarm coffee in his hand.

A vacation? He couldn't possibly think of a worse time to leave work, and yet, here was his boss, practically throwing him out the door. He'd even offered to cover the costs, which was not something Kingsley was known for doing. He rarely ever sent Aurors away, and when he did, he kept them on a very tight budget. It was rumored that their department spent the least money out of all the departments in the Ministry.

He was still standing there when Kingsley opened his office door and bellowed, "MALFOY!"

"I'm going, I'm going," grumbled Malfoy, grabbing his coat and making sure that Kingsley saw him leave.

As he stood in front of the lift, he heard Kingsley's voice as the magical intercom crackled to life. "Attention everyone," his voice boomed. Several people cringed. "Your esteemed colleague, Draco Malfoy, will be taking a vacation. He is forbidden to set foot in this office for a week from the minute he walks out today. If you see him in the building, report to me directly. Thank you, that is all."

The intercom clicked and the office was silent for a fraction of a second. Then everyone resumed whispering, and Miranda the secretary turned to Malfoy. "Congratulations on your vacation," she said, smiling at him.

"Er, thanks," he said, jabbing at the elevator button. Was it broken or something?

"Where are you going?" she asked. "France? Italy? Maybe Australia?"

"I'm not sure yet," he replied.

"Well, if you want some travel brochures, I have a ton. My husband and I are in the middle of planning a trip and I keep getting them in the mail," she offered.

"Thanks. I'll be sure to do that." The doors to the lift whirred open and Malfoy stepped inside.

"Have a nice time!" said Miranda, waving. Malfoy gave her a nod before the doors slid shut again.

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Natalie looked up in surprise when the front door swung open and Malfoy walked in, looking a bit dazed.

"I wasn't expecting you for a few hours," she said, shutting the door behind him. "What's the matter?"

"Kingsley forced me to take a vacation," said Malfoy, discarding his coat on an armchair.

"Well, it's about time," said Natalie. "You've been working too hard. I've barely seen you at all in the past few days."

"It's not my fault," said Malfoy, before he could stop the words from coming out of his mouth.

"I didn't say it was your fault," said Natalie, giving him a strange look.

"I've been helping the prosecution put together the case we're going to present to the Wizengamot," said Malfoy.

"How long are you supposed to be on vacation for?"

"A week," replied Malfoy, groaning. "And Kingsley says I'm not allowed to set foot in the office until next Thursday. But Thursday is when we go on holiday for Christmas, so there won't be anyone there anyway. Why didn't I realize that before? I won't be able to get back to the office until after New Year's!"

"Draco, calm down. When is this hearing with the Wizengamot?"

"February seventeenth," he said.

"Exactly," said Natalie. "You have plenty of time."

"Not really," said Malfoy. "Most of the time we get three or four months to work on case presentation, but we're really rushing this one. It's even worse because the holiday break will cut two weeks out of our time."

"You worry too much," said Natalie. "Now lets get Cassie and Riley in the kitchen so we can keep an eye on them while I make dinner."

They went upstairs to the playroom, where Malfoy's legs were immediately attacked by the two excited children. Cassie insisted on holding his hand while they went down the stairs.

The four of them busied themselves in the kitchen, Riley dutifully reading cookbook instructions aloud to Natalie. Malfoy sat next to Cassie, helping her roll out dough to make the ravioli skins. Then they all helped make the pasta, and it finished cooking just as Hermione arrived. She frowned when she saw Malfoy in the kitchen.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

He raised his eyebrows. "I live here."

Hermione turned to Natalie. "Why is he home early?"

"Kingsley made him take a vacation," answered Natalie.

"Oh," said Hermione, setting down her purse on a chair.

"Dinner's ready though," said Natalie, sensing the tension and trying quickly to break it up. "Cassie, Riley, go wash your hands and you can help set the table."

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After they had all eaten, Natalie wandered off to watch a television show and Hermione gave the kids a bath. Soon afterward, she put them to bed. She took a shower herself and retreated into her bedroom, feeling tired. She had been working long hours at St. Mungo's, trying to distance herself from Malfoy, though it had been quite unnecessary. As a result, they had spoken little more than a few sentences to each other since Charlie's funeral.

She hated to admit it, but she missed him. She missed the way he looked at her, as if she were the only thing his eyes could see. She missed the gentle tap of his fingertips on her forearm when he told her to "Take care" each morning as she left for work while he ate breakfast.

She lay there on her bed, staring up at the ceiling, thinking that maybe she had made a mistake--a colossal mistake. Maybe she had been meant to marry him after all. They had been too young at seventeen to visualize what life would be ten years later--how could she have known? And yet, when she compared their courtship to hers with Joseph, she could see that there were large gaps missing. Joseph had been nice enough, smart enough. He'd take her out to dinner and buy her chocolates and roses on Valentine's Day. He even told her that he loved her, though not nearly as much as Malfoy had. It seemed that with Joseph, she was the one who needed him. She remembered feeling anxious when he didn't return her phone calls, and only now did she realize that he might have been cheating on her, not that it mattered anymore.

With Malfoy, everything was different. He gave her the wonderful and unique feeling of being needed, though at first she had mistaken it for clinginess. Now she finally realized that she had nearly destroyed him when she refused him, and she felt ashamed for treating someone who genuinely loved her like they were something disposable.

She was so immersed in her thoughts that she did not hear her bedroom door slowly creak open.

"Hermione?" whispered Malfoy.

"Oh my God," she said, sitting up so fast that the back of her head collided with the headboard. "You scared me."

"Sorry," he said, closing the door very softly. He stood in his slippers, letting his eyes adjust to the dim light of the smoldering fireplace.

"Aren't you cold?" she said, pulling the covers around her shoulders.

"May I?" he said, and she nodded, scooting over so that he could climb in beside her.

"Your toes are freezing," she said.

"Yours would be too if you had been standing outside in the hall for fifteen minutes," he replied. She instinctively leaned against him.

"Why were you standing out in the hallway?" she asked.

"I was trying to decide whether to come in or not," he said sheepishly. "I thought you were angry with me, so I didn't want to make you angrier. But then I figured that if I didn't come in, things wouldn't get any better."

"Well, I was mad at you," said Hermione. She reached for his hand. "But I don't think I am anymore. I was just a bit stung when you made that remark about Joseph."

"Why do you defend him? I don't understand. After all he's done..."

Hermione sighed. "When you fall in love with someone, even for a short amount of time, you develop this...I don't know, this instinct. You want to protect them, so you defend them whenever someone says something bad about them. And even when you leave them, that instinct stays with you, even if it's buried very deep."

"That was very philosophical," said Malfoy.

"I'm serious," said Hermione. "Really."

"I know you are," he said, turning his head and kissing her on the forehead. "You're always so serious. You were serious back at Hogwarts too."

"I can't help it," she said, shrugging. "That's just how I am."

"I'm not saying it's a bad thing. It's just...you need to go out and live, Hermione. Do something...unexpected. Wild. Otherwise what's the point of even being alive?"

"And I'm guessing that this is what Kingsley told you when he made you take a vacation?"

"Not quite. This is something I worked out for myself."

"Where do you want to go?" she asked.

"That depends. Are you coming with me?"

"That depends on where you want to go," she said, giggling. "I am so not coming if you pick the Sahara Desert."

"I've heard that it's quite beautiful," teased Malfoy. "But really. Kingsley even told me to charge it to the department."

"Wow, that's really generous of him."

"Yeah, which is why we should take advantage of this opportunity. I think we should go somewhere warm. Maybe a cruise. I've never been on a cruise."

"Neither have I," said Hermione. "And we can bring Natalie and the kids. They'd love it for sure."

"It's settled then," said Malfoy. "Tomorrow morning I'll call a travel agency and get our tickets booked. And we'd better start packing. I don't even think I own a pair of swim trunks...maybe I should buy some..."

"Shh," said Hermione, putting her fingers over his lips. "Don't talk."

She leaned over and kissed him hard. They pulled away, the firelight dancing in her eyes.

"Wow, that was really unexpected," said Malfoy, looking at her in surprise and pleasure. He kissed her back, tasting the soft sweetness of her lips and smelling the fruity scent of her shampoo.

"Draco?" she said after the fire had gone out in the grate and they were lying with their torsos pressed together.

"Hmm?"

"Can I tell you something else unexpected?"

"Of course," he said. "Anything you want."

"You know the day I was kidnapped?"

"I'll never forget it." He gave her hand a squeeze.

"I...I...took two pregnancy tests. They were both positive." She took a deep breath. "Draco, I'm pregnant."