A Bellamort Tale

Part 46

"I hate that you're leaving already, Draco. Why can't Snape just grant you permission to study from here? I mean, if he knows about me, then he certainly also knows that the two of us would be working incredibly well together, no matter how much he despises me. Not to forget that he, just like the dark lord, is just a halfblood!" Hermione sobbed into the young Malfoy's chest.

The boy held her close, kept rubbing her back and her lower belly at once, whispering.

"I promise to take every single opportunity to come here and see you, okay? I am one of the few people who can apparate directly into the mansion. So can you by the way, now that we're betrothed officially and you're carrying my son."

The young woman scoffed.

"There is still a chance that it will be a girl. And I am pretty sure there have been made precautions to keep me locked up in here."

"Try it, apparate somewhere. You'll see that it works. I want you to remember that, just in case. If anything went bad, people would manage to get into the house or worse this part of the manor, you must promise me to take Delphi and go hide somewhere. Is there any place where you would be safe? No! Don't tell me!" He stopped her from answering and she gave him a puzzled look. "It's too dangerous to tell me. We're in the middle of a war, love. If you have to go into hiding, I will make sure that 'you' will be able to find me. Here, take this."

Hermione smiled knowingly when he showed her two golden rings, one for her and one for himself.

"You used the protean charm, right?" She wondered and he nodded.

"I did. But I added a small extra. It's connected to both our blood, similar to a blood pact like Dumbledore and Grindelwald made. Those rings only work for the two of us or our children. I am very certain, you'll be able to figure out something to include Delphini into the magic if you have to." Draco explained proudly and slipped the smaller ring over her finger.

The gesture reminded them of the ceremony they had a couple of days earlier, the young father-to-be insisting on holding it in front of his family and the dark lord, to make sure Hermione was, from the moment, they became bonded to one another, protected by his family's magic.

"And now let's go to bed. It's our last night together for some time, my love." He suggested.

Before she could answer there was a gentle knock on the door.

"Yes?" Draco hissed impatiently.

When the door opened the young couple gasped. In walked none other than Severus Snape, swinging his robe with his arms around in his usual manner, his face showing annoyance. Right behind him was Lucius Malfoy but Snape gave him a death glare and said coldly.

"Thank you for bringing me here but I need to speak to my Godson and his... whatever alone!"

Lucius was about to object when he looked into the professor's eyes and quickly obeyed.

As soon as the door fell shut he returned his attention to the young adults.

"Shouldn't 'you' be with Potter? And you? Why wouldn't you invite your Godfather to your wedding, Draco?" He questioned sternly.

"W-Wedding?" Hermione wheezed.

"Oh? He didn't tell you? Draco? Explain?"

Sighing, the young man began.

"It wasn't a normal wedding, just a ceremony to bond Hermione to me and me to her." Malfoy justified his actions.

"You know very well that a ritual like the one you did, means even more than a regular wedding in front of some officiant. You should at least have given your 'wife' the chance to get all the information about it. Not that I would agree to your choice, but well." He looked contemptuously at Hermione. "Miss Granger, or should I start calling you Mrs Malfoy already?" He continued in a mocking tone. "Anyway, I brought you your schedule for the remaining weeks of the school year. I figured that Draco would like to go back here for the weekends to study and help you catch up!"

Hermione snorted through her nose.

Snape raised an eyebrow.

"Even you, Mrs Malfoy nee Granger, don't know everything. Mr Malfoy has been in school all year except for those last two weeks he spent here with you. Here, take these and get to work, I want two essays done by the end of the week, do you understand me? And exactly the length I assigned, not less and also not more."

He held out a stack of books to her and Draco was quick to get in between and grab them to place them on his desk. Then he scolded the young woman who had been about to take them.

"You shouldn't be lifting heavy stuff like that. It could hurt you or the baby!"

"Sorry!" Was all she could mutter because the piercing look that came from the teacher and the reprimanding of her obviously husband, made her cry in an instant.

Malfoy quickly pulled her into his arms and whispered softly.

"Please don't cry, love. I didn't mean to hurt you, just to protect you,"

Snape snorted through his nose.

"Your parents must be proud. Knocking up a Gryffindor. But now I understand the rushed wedding and why you wrote me a letter and asked to be allowed to spend the weekends home." He cleared his throat then hugged the boy clumsily. "Congratulations, Draco. And you too, Hermione."

He looked at her for a moment, his eyes drifting to a place far away and in the past, thinking of another muggle-born witch he had once known.

The pregnant girl's jaw dropped and she stared at him speechlessly.

"If only I had known that it was that easy to shut you up." Severus Snape mocked her friendly this time. "Draco, go and get your woman some tea, I'd like to have a few words alone with her. Don't give me that look, I won't hurt her in any way."

He did as he was told, but gave Hermione a kiss before he left and said quietly.

"Is this okay? If not, then..."

The young woman nodded.

"I'm okay, just go." She nudged him towards the door then faced the professor. "What do you want to know?"

"Potter and Weasley, do you know what they are doing and where they are?"

"I don't know where they are, but I do know what they are doing. Just that I won't tell 'you' no matter what you try to do to me."