With you in my Arms

51. "It's safe to look now, Potter."

Kingsley Shaklebolt was sitting in his office starting to wonder, if he should get a bed put in as he had been spending so many very late nights here recently. He rubbed his face trying to dispel the tiredness he was feeling. It wasn't really working. Maybe he should just go home and get as much sleep as he could. There was the nagging feeling in the back of his head that the morning would bring more work and probably more bad news.

When he was about to close the door a memo in form of a paper plane was zooming towards him. He caught it, looked at the sender and groaned. What did the head of St. Mungo's want now? At this time of night? The parchment unfolded itself and while reading the slightly sprawling text the Minister's brows furrowed. He had been right, more bad news and without the benefit have him having had a good night's sleep.

He sighed, wished to be able to just ignore the information he had just received and go home. He would be leaving the Ministry, but alas not to enjoy the comfort and piece of his own place.

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Draco sighed in happy contentment. There was nowhere he wanted to be right now except for this hospital bed. His witch was here and she was awake So was he, come to think of it. Warm brown eyes were smiling at him, inviting him to drown in them. He would've liked nothing better than to do just that. There was the promise of more in her gaze, of so much more.

"Draco, have you been in my bed the whole night?"

He felt himself blush.

"Yea."

"You seem to have developed this habit of wanting to share my bed..." she said with a joking tone of voice.

He grinned. "Can you blame me for wanting to be close to the girl that is the most important person in my life?"

She smiled broadly at him, there was a hint of mischievousness in it. "Well, what if somebody comes in? Somebody might already have. I heard a voice."

"Yeah, so did I, but I thought I had just dreamt it."

"No. It think there was really somebody in here."

"That's just tough. Who ever that was will have to deal with the fact that you belong to me now. There is no space for other guys."

She grinned and kissed him.

"What about my friends? I want them in my life."

"Your life. Not your bed."

Hermione laughed. She felt refreshed, ready to face another day, another adventure. Slowly the memory of the previous day came flooding back. She was in their house in Edinburgh with Draco. They had been told that his father had escaped from Azkaban and that he was intend on killing the man she loved. It had been hard for him to take. She had felt the pain he had been eating his soul. Vowing to protect her with his life as his existence would not be worth pursuing any longer he had made her realise how serious he was about her, as if she had needed to be reminded. And then Lucius Malfoy had suddenly appeared out off nowhere. He had used the Killing...

She looked at Draco. "He's tried to kill us." she whispered. He nodded.

Somebody was clearing his throat at the foot of the bed. They both raised their heads and saw a man in ordinary robes and with an astounded expression on his face. Neither of them knew him.

"Who are you?" Hermione finally asked.

"I'm Auror Wilson. I'm here for your protection."

"Our protection? Oh, right, my father is still roaming the streets."

"He isn't. In the moment he is spending his time in the section of Azkaban that is hardly ever been visited by human staff."

The implications were clear, only Dementors would be guarding the prisoners and he was still alive. Had the Kiss been performed? Neither of them wanted to actually ask that question. The thought of it happening was terrifying enough.

"I am glad that you both have finally woken up. The healers hadn't been very optimistic. I suspect that you will need to remain here for a couple more days, but after the length of time you have already spend here..."

Draco looked at Hermione. She was thinking the same as he did that much was obvious. They had spend one night, one night, here and he made it sound as if it had been days.

"I'm sure that somebody should have made you aware of the fact that we only arrived last night. Your colleagues seem to have forgotten to inform you." the witch corrected him.

There was a rather peculiar smile playing around the aurors lips now. For some strange reason he seemed to think her words humorous. The young couple exchanged glances.

"It will suffice for the moment that you are awake and know of the protection that has been provided for you. I suspect, my boss will be coming later in order to explain the situation."

He vanished from their view and they heard the door close a moment later.

"What was that all about?"

"I have no idea."

Draco let his fingers run slowly over her back, sighing happily as he felt the dragon prod his hand with its snout.

"I thought I lost you, you know."

She kissed his cheek.

"You are not getting rid of me that easily."

There was silence enveloping them for a moment.

"My father has tried to kill us."

Hermione nodded.

"He cast the Killing Curse and when it singed my hair and I felt you fall backwards...," his eyes were searching hers, "I thought he had managed to kill you."

Warm lips caressed his fingers.

"I have used the Cruciatus Curse on him. I wanted him to feel the pain I felt. I would have killed him, if Potter hadn't shown up suddenly."

"Harry? He was there?"

"Yeah. Though I have no idea why or how or what he did. I think he stunned my father and I blacked out a moment later."

Wandering fingers found their way to her tummy, lingered and then his face showed a surprised frown.

"What?" she enquired, but he didn't answer. "What is it?"

"When I last saw you... improperly dressed, there was just a small bump, hardly visible." He got hold of her hand and then lay it on her stomach. "Feel that? How can that have happened literally overnight?"

He was right. She felt the extension in space their child needed all too clearly. Without thinking she pulled the covers down and her pajama top up. They both gasped. There was no denying it. She was pregnant and it was visible.

She looked at him with panic in her eyes. What had happened to her? Had his father managed to curse her after all?

"Merlin! You two are unbelievable."

It was Harry's voice that suddenly intruded their privacy. Hermione covered herself and Draco pulled the cover back up. Raising his head he could see that the other wizard had his hand before his eyes.

"It's safe to look now, Potter." he drooled.

The hand was lowered and a blushed face appeared.

"Harry, what are you doing here?"

He came closer and sat next to the bed. On her side as Draco noticed.

"I've come here every morning before work for the past fortnight."

"Yeah, right, Potter. We have spend the night here that's all, so what are you on about?"

Disbelieve was the only emotion on Harry's face.

"Has Wilson not told you...," he stopped, "obviously not."

"What, Harry, what hasn't he told us?"

"What day do you think it is?"

What kind of silly question was that? Before either of them could answer they were told.

"Today is the 29th of November."

Shocked silence. The end of November? How could that be? Yesterday it had been... the end of October?

"You two haven't just spend one night together in this bed but more or less a whole month."

Dropped jaws were the only answer to this announcement.

"You are joking!" Draco's voice was conveying the start of panic he was beginning to feel.

"I wish, I was, but as you two have just discovered for yourself Hermione is not just about starting to show any longer." he gazed at his friend with an expression that was a mixture of concern and something resembling pride. "You are at the beginning of the 23rd week."

"I can't... it can't..." she stuttered.

"Believe me, I would give a lot, if the last month hadn't happened, but alas it has. There have been aurors here 24/7. One sitting over there," he pointed to the now empty chair in the corner, "and one outside, in front of your door."

He took Hermione's hand and run his fingers over it.

"A lot has happened during the time you two were... sleeping."

Was that embarrassment tinting his face?

"What exactly has happened, Potter?"

"For one, Ginny is back at Hogwarts even so she wouldn't need to."

Hermione's eyebrows rose.

"George and Alicia got engaged last weekend."

"Who?" Draco interrupted.

"The remaining Weasley twin, George."

"Oh."

"And of course there is the... goings-on with your mother, Malfoy."

Harry found himself glared at. He sighed.

"Do you know a guy called James Mulligan?"

"Who is that supposed to be?" There was curiosity in his voice, but also something else. It wasn't quite threatening, but not far off.

"That is the auror who has been appointed personal bodyguard to your mother. I might be a guy, as Ginny often enough reminds me, but I'm not blind. You must at least know of him. I reckon they have been friends in the past at some point as they behave like Hermione and I would."

He let that sink in first, before trying to say or explain anything else.

Leaning back into the pillow Draco was wondering, if that name had ever come up in the past. He wasn't sure. It hadn't been in the past fifteen or so years in any case. His eyes were roaming the face of the girl next to him. Her hand lay on his hip, he was glad it was under the covers though, for some reason he was suddenly craving privacy. He wanted to be alone with Hermione, wanted to hold her close, feel her body tightly pressed against his own.

Harry sensed the tension radiating off the other wizard and decided to leave. They had enough to think about and come to terms with. Without a further word he stood up, smiled at his friend, nodded to her fiancé and then left the room. 

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Outside in the corridor Wilson was just talking to Dawlish about the unexpected awakening.

"Hi, Harry," there was an expecting look on Wilson's face, "any news as to why they have suddenly woken up?"

Harry shook his head. "I have no idea what has happened and I somehow doubt that they do as well. They think they have been here just for the night. For them it's still the end of October."

Stunned silence.

"You're kidding?"

"No. They really thought it was yesterday that they were tackling Malfoy's father."

"Merlin's beard!"

There was a slight hesitation before he asked the next question. "Where is Mulligan? I think I should warn him and Mrs. Malfoy of them being awake..."

Before this could be answered or commented on Dawlish discreetly pointed towards the lifts.

"Too late."

They saw as Lady Malfoy was walking towards them, closely followed by their colleague. The new arrivals didn't stop or even acknowledged the men watching them approach, they proceeded straight into the room.

As the door had closed Wilson exchanged a glance with Dawlish. Harry frowned. 

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Ginny was sitting at the back of the classroom trying to attract as little attention as possible from Professor McGonagall. She was way too wrapped up in her own thoughts as that she was paying any attention to the methods and means of transfiguring hair colours and styles.

She had been thinking for what had seemed months that she was pregnant. Which had turned out to be not even a false alarm, but an evil curse put on to her by Malfoy's father. She had been wondering, if Hermione had felt the same panic and exhilaration when she had found out. Though she had been sick all the time and Ginny hadn't. Did that mean she wouldn't be when she was really expecting either? Or was that just because she hadn't in fact... She felt a tear run over her cheek and hastily wiped it away.

This whole episode had taken its emotional toll on her. Harry had been up to meet her in Hogsmead very single weekend since she had returned. McGonagall had insisted that she saw him. There had been all sorts of rumours and she had been called a teacher's pet and worse for a while until the headmistress had found out and given some rather severe detentions. Nobody had dared so much as utter their thoughts any longer. The rumours hadn't stopped though. They had just sort of gone underground.

She sighed. Having a child or even children with Harry would be nice. Nice... Was that really the right word? It would be a lot of work and her mum would be fuzzing over her non-stop, but she had seen the dreamy look in Hermione's eyes when they had talked about having a family and what it would be like. Her friend had insisted that she would be pursuing a career regardless of having children. Draco could be a stay-at-home dad. They had both laughed at the thought of the proud Slytherin spending his days between nappies, bottles and trying to get a wailing infant to sleep. Then again, maybe he would be unexpectedly skilful in dealing with his offspring.

Would Harry want to have a child soon? Being able to play with the Harpies for a few years would be great, but if it wasn't to be...

"Miss Weasley!" Her head shot up. "As you have decided to not pay attention in my class for the past hour you'll have the chance to catch up tonight when you serve detention!"