Chapter Ten: An Unexpected Compliment

Author's Note:

Thank you again for all the kind reviews, follows and favourites.

PixieWillow 3

August 10th:

The day of the big announcement had finally arrived, and Hermione felt nowhere near ready for it. She had been vomiting all morning from sheer fear of what was going to happen later on in the day. Malfoy had been with her the whole time, surprisingly gentle with her, whilst she sat next to the toilet in her en-suite bathroom. After about 2 hours of sitting there without moving or trying to talk to him, Hermione turned towards him.

"I"m sorry, Malfoy. I get ill whenever I'm nervous," she said sheepishly. Malfoy laughed: "We all have different reactions to stress, it just so happens that yours involves vomiting up a weeks worth of food."

Hermione felt her face go red. She hated seeming weak in front of anyone, but at the same time she felt happy that he was looking after her in her time of need. She wouldn't want anyone else to be in his place, not even Harry.

"Do you think you're done?" Malfoy asked her, bringing her out of her reverie.

"I do feel better, and I should probably get ready now anyway," she replied, whilst he helped her stand.

They had decided to hold the announcement in their living room, so as not to make it seem too formal. Hermione had to admit that she was glad that she wouldn't have to travel, so as not to vomit up what was left in her stomach, that is, if there was anything left. Malfoy walked with her towards her bedroom, before leaving her to change.

Hermione had planned out every single detail of her outfit the day before, and hadn't shown it to Malfoy, for fear that he would make fun of her. She had chosen a new dress that she hadn't worn before. It was a dark green, silky skater dress that really accentuated her skin tone, whilst bringing out the hazel colour of her eyes. It also hid her burgeoning belly, which she thought was best before the announcement.

She quickly dressed, before putting on her makeup. She had never been very good at putting on makeup, but she had made sure that Ginny showed her what to do in the last few days. She had been practising every night, trying to get the flick of her eyeliner right. When she had finished, she slowly turned in front her full length mirror, admiring her handy work. She was actually quite proud of herself for managing to look presentable. She could hear voices drifting into her room from the living area, so she headed towards them.

When she arrived in the living room, she found herself standing in front of her best friends. They were chatting to Malfoy, who had his back turned away from her. From what she could hear, the three of them were discussing who they thought would win some quidditch championship. Not that she knew anything at all about that. Sports were not her thing. Harry and Ginny noticed Hermione first, as they were facing her way. Both of their mouths dropped open mid-conversation. Malfoy didn't understand at first, and kept talking whilst they stared past him, before he himself turned around. His reaction made Hermione blush crimson. His mouth dropped open as he stared at her, before looking her straight in the eyes and murmuring to himself. Hermione walked towards her friends.

"Hermione, you look beautiful," said Harry and Ginny in unison. She smiled at them whilst whispering her thanks, embarrassed at their reaction. She looked up at the father of her child, who was still gaping at her.

"You... Wow... I..." A stream of words fell from Malfoy's mouth, hardly making any sense at all. He coughed, standing up straighter than he had been before. "That is to say, you look absolutely stunning, Hermionee." He put his arm around her.

Hermione blushed, both because of the compliment and the fact that he used her first name without any precedent. She looked up at him, smiling sweetly, blushing all the while.

"Thank you, Draco," she said quietly, so that only he could hear her. She knew about Ginny Weasley's bat ears, and wanted this moment to be only theirs. She had never said his name before, and she had to admit how easily it rolled off the tongue. She could get used to using it more often.

The parents-to-be were in their own little bubble, but it was popped all too soon with the arrival of the Minister for Magic. Their announcement was going to be broadcast on Wizarding Radio, as well as on special screens that had been set up in the Ministry itself. Before Hermione's nerves could get the better of her, Kingsley had announced what was going to happen, and Hermione moved to the centre of the room. They had discussed how they would announce their pregnancy a lot in the past few days, but Hermione still didn't feel ready. That being said, she wasn't one to back down, and they had decided that it would be best if she spoke first, so she stepped away from Malfoy, albeit reluctantly.

"I decided to set-up this broadcast today because I have some important news to announce. As you may already know, throughout the past couple of months, there have been a few newspaper articles concerning who I have been spending time with recently, and I haven't mentioned it in public, because I believe that I should be allowed to have my own privacy, as anyone should. That being said, writers like Rita Skeeter have been publishing rumours and lies about me, and I'm not just going to sit back and let that happen. So today, I am going to tell the truth, my truth. I am here to announce that I am currently 3 months pregnant. If you were wondering where I am speaking from today, we are in the flat that I share with the father of my child."

That was Malfoy's cue. He walked into the range of the camera, taking Hermione's hand in his, squeezing tightly, so that she knew that she had his support.

"Our situation is far from ideal," he started, just as they had planned. "Of course, that does not mean that we are not capable of dealing with it. We are going to do our best to give our child the best life that it can have, but for that we felt that it was necessary to not lie to the public. We ask that you give us the privacy that we deserve in this time of new beginnings."

Hermione looked up at him as he talked. It seemed so easy for him, and whilst she had to admit she was jealous, she was also extremely proud that he stood up and did this, for her and their child.

"I would like to add that I am so proud of Hermione Granger at this point in time. She is going to the best mother to our child, and I couldn't imagine going through this with anyone but her. I hope that you all realise how brilliant she is."

Now, that she hadn't been expecting. She blushed a bright red, before leaning up to kiss the father of her child on the cheek, tears glistening in her eyes.

With that, the broadcast ended, and Hermione and Malfoy sat down together on the sofa. Ginny rushed over to them, taking them both in her arms. For some reason, she was crying.

"Don't worry," she said, "they're only happy tears. You both did so well. I'm sure that you won over the whole of Britain."

Ginny had always been one to exaggerate, but Hermione was still happy with her friend's reaction none the less. She thanked her friend, still holding Malfoy's hand in hers. He squeezed hers gently, smiling at her.

"Thank you, Ginny," he replied, genuinely. "I'm glad that Hermione has you to be there for her."

"Don't be silly, Malfoy. You both have me," Ginny exclaimed.

Malfoy blushed at the unexpected declaration, before coughing, whilst Ginny skipped off to her boyfriend, who was still talking to the Minister for Magic.

Hermione leaned in towards Malfoy, who put his arm around her.

"Thank you for taking the time to do this for us, Draco," she said quietly. "I couldn't have done it on my own."

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world, Hermione," he replied. "Say my name again."

Hermione blushed. "Why?"

"Because," he replied, smiling down at her. "It's never sounded so good."

"Well, Draco," she said, smirking at him. "I feel the same."

She nuzzled into him then, the fall of the adrenaline rush hitting her. She fell asleep like that, lying on Draco Malfoy with a smile on her face.