With you in my Arms

63. The most unexpected Christmas gift ever

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THANK YOU! 

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Tomorrow was Monday and there were only five days left until Christmas. Draco had been wrecking his brain as to what he should get his dear witch as a gift. He had thought about books she might like to read, but then everybody knew she loved to read and therefore books. To get her a book wouldn't be special enough. He needed something only he could think of, something truly unique. After trying to remember all they had shared so far, all the places they had been a large grin suddenly appeared on his face.

Hermione was still sleeping. It had been a long night... Though he started to be rather aware of her being pregnant during their most intimate moments. He wasn't sure, if he wouldn't be too scared soon to... She mumbled his name in her sleep. An unruly lock was gently brushed from her face by his long fingers as he glanced at her with love in his eyes. A moment later the grin lit up his face again. He knew exactly what would be his Christmas gift for her.

He got dressed, scribbled a quick note to leave on the bedside table and then went to set his plan in motion.

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It had to be at least lunch time Hermione thought as she slowly surfaced from her pleasant dreams.

"Draco?"

No answer. She frown and got out off bed. She smiled as she saw his note on the night stand.

I'm getting you the most unexpected Christmas gift ever – will be back soon

There was an imprint of his lips as he must have kissed the paper, his mouth must have been covered in her only lipstick. For a moment she wondered how he had gotten the idea to use it on himself as somebody was knocking on the door.

"Coming!"

She quickly summoned her bathrobe and went to open. The manager of the hotel stood before her in the corridor. His face showing a seriously concerned expression.

"Yes?"

"Frau Malfoy, bitte entschuldigen Sie die Störung, aber da wir seit Sonntag kein Lebenszeichen mehr von Ihnen oder Ihrem Mann hatten, sah ich mich genötigt mich zu vergewissern, daß alles in Ordnung ist."

She knew that she should had insisted on visiting a place where she would understand the natives. Here she had no idea what the wizard in front of her had said. His features and body language told her that he was agitated about something, but what exactly that was she had no idea.

"I'm very sorry. I don't really speak German..." she tried to convey the meaning of her words with a few gestures and it seemed to work, as the manager was waving his wand between them and then seemed to repeat what he had said before only this time Hermione actually understood him.

"Mrs. Malfoy, I'm sorry to bother you, but as we didn't have a sign of life of you or your husband since Sunday I saw it my duty to check that everything was okay."

She waved him to come in. What did he mean "no sign of life since Sunday"? It was Sunday, wasn't it?

While Hermione went next door to get hastily dressed the hotel manager stayed in the main room. When she returned he was hovering at the door he had entered through.

"So, everything is fine I presume?" there was a slight hesitation in his words.

"Yes. My husband has just gone to get my Christmas gift." she waved the note she had found.

"I see. Sorry again for having bothered you." he took his leave.

'Sunday? Isn't today Sunday?' she wondered as she read Draco's note again. There was a knock on the door and as she opened one of the girls she thought she had seen at the reception when they arrived was smiling at her. She held several newspapers.

"Ihre Daily Prophets."

"Thank you."

Hermione took the papers from the smiling girl and the "Please don't disturb" sign from the door handle before looking at news prints as if they might be self combust any minute. The date on the top most paper read 23.12.1999. That couldn't be. It was Sunday the 19.12.1999. What was going on here? She lay the papers on the small desk by the window and looked around. Her senses seemed to go into overdrive. The war wasn't long enough past as that she couldn't switch back to battle mode within an instant.

She looked around. Everything seemed to be as she remembered it. Wait, there should be a tray with their breakfast on the small enchanted table between the high backed chairs. Her shoes stood neatly next to each other in front of the wardrobe. She was certain that she hadn't had the time or inclination to be so organised ever since they had arrived. She looked at the Daily Prophets beside her again. They looked like the genuine article.

As she couldn't see any of Draco's clothes she could assume that he was wearing them. Though at this moment in time she didn't want to take any chances. The doors to the cupboard swung open easily. They had been slightly squeaking the day they arrived. As she looked inside her breath caught in her throat, the side where his clothing had been was empty. Empty. She blinked. Where had all this things gone? She close to run into the bathroom and there were her hairbrush and toothbrush and the toothpaste she liked, but his things had vanished. Neither his old fashioned open razor was there nor were the sweet smelling shaving soap or the comb with the mother of pearl inlays. What was going on here?

She sat down on the bed again and tried to sort out all the information she had so far. It didn't seem to be Sunday as it was supposed to be. Instead it was... she checked the papers, it was Thursday. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve. Christmas, she had been thinking about this first Christmas she would spend with her parents again, and her husband of course. Where was he? Where was her husband? She could feel her eyes water. Somehow it felt as if the world was ending for her. Had he left? Had he finally realised that she wasn't the girl for him after all? Was the knowledge of becoming a father next March at the tender age of nineteen too much to take for him?

Everything seemed too much all of a sudden. The world was a horrible place and she felt utterly alone. Why had she been believing him all this time? Why had she been so gullible and... She sobbed. No, she didn't want to think about her having been tricked after all. His own mother had announced her to all of pureblood society as his wife. She was officially the consort to the Malfoy heir. She knew him to be too proud as to allow such a thing to be made public when it wasn't true.

Her hormones started to mess with her logic and whispered all kinds of nasty, little titbits about him and his behaviour over the years they had been at school together. She tried her best to shut them up, but her efforts were close to in vain. Finally the tears she had been fighting were falling over her face.