With you in my Arms

87. Valentine's Day Surprises

The photo of Draco, Hermione and their son on the front page of the Daily Prophet made the 14th February 2000 a Valentine's Day nobody in Britain or Ireland would ever forget.

Draco had insisted on taking his family to the Manor as he didn't believe the hospital would be able to keep the reporters in the best case and the nutters amongst pureblood society in the worst at bay. There had been a long and heated argument between the determined young father and the head of the maternity. She had had to let them go in the end however much she protested about Hermione being moved so soon.

Sitting on their bed with her son next to her Hermione leant back into the pile of pillows and sighed. Everything had happened so fast. A year ago she had been looking at the different career options. She had been talking to Ron's dad about working at the Ministry though she hadn't been sure which department she wanted to choose. She had been talking to Mr. Blotts as well. Working in a bookshop had been sounding tempting. Though when she had spoken to one or two healers at St. Mungo's during the Easter holidays she had known what she wanted to do, she wanted to become a healer.

A smile was playing around her lips as she remembered the Graduation Party. It had been fine until Ron had wanted to talk to Dean about the latest broom instead of dancing with her. She had slipped away to try and make up her mind about her and Ron's relationship. She had still had feelings for him, but somehow the spark had gone and then she had been found by him, Draco. He had still been Malfoy at the beginning of the evening, but had been so much more by next morning. She glanced at her son. He was peacefully slumbering. As he was laying on his tummy his face was turned towards her. His skin was just as pale as his father's and the soft tufts of hair that had been dark when he was born had lost nearly all there colour already. He really was his father's son. Even the baby blue eyes had started to turn into a light shade of slate.

He wrinkled his little nose in his sleep, spreading a wide smile over his mother's face.

"Hi." a soft voice suddenly said beside her.

Draco was standing next to the bed, a red rose in his hand.

"Happy Valentine's Day." he bent over her for a sweet kiss, "You mind being my Valentine?"

She gently threaded her fingers through his hair.

"No, I don't mind. I might actually quite like the idea of you being mine."

"Oh, I'm all yours." he whispered, "and I have you know that I would have never thought my first, true Valentine would be my wife."

She gazed at him, clearly surprised.

"You don't seriously think that I'm going to believe you had never a Valentine in all our years at school."

He gave her his best smirk.

"They were never true Valentines."

"What is a true Valentine?"

"That is somebody you can't live without any longer, somebody that can make you smile even when you have just been beaten 350:0 in the all deciding Quidditch match in the finals of the World Cup, somebody you want to hold and cherish for all eternity. A true Valentine is the one girl that a guy loves with all his heart."

He feathered a kiss onto her blushing skin.

"You're my only true Valentine, Lea."

Hermione didn't reply anything to his declaration. She was wondering, if Ron had ever been her true Valentine. It had been wonderful to spend Valentine's Day with him last year. They had been having a wonderful day out in Hogsmeade. She had thought herself totally happy and content. Though, if she was honest, there had been the first cracks appearing already. She sighed. It seemed like decades away now.

"Lea?" tender fingers were brushing over her cheek.

She smiled at the wizard next to her. He truly was her Valentine. Even so sometimes he still lapsed into his old ways. Like the thing with him choosing the name for their son. She was a bit apprehensive about it.

"Would you promise me something?"

He was about to say "Anything." when his instincts kicked in and he replied, "Depends."

"On what?"

"On what you want me to promise." his brushed her lips with his, "I can promise you to love you forever. I can promise you that I'll always be there for you. I can promise that I'll make earth moving, mind blowing love to you..."

She laughed and slapped his arm.

"What? I can promise all that without having to think about it, because you, my lioness, are my life."

Kissing her he didn't give her a chance to answer.

"So, what do you want me to promise you?" he asked while happily surveying her face.

"Promise me that you're not going to give our son some outages names. Something silly that he'll be suffering for for the rest of his life."

Her expression was serious and he knew she meant it. He sighed. Hopefully the name he had already chosen wasn't to outrages for her.

"I promise. Our son is not going to suffer because of his name."

"What are you going to call him?"

He smirked. Nice try.

"You'll have to wait like everybody else until the Naming Ceremony, dearest witch." he said, trying his best not to laugh.

"I'm his mother." was her defiant answer.

"Yes, " he kissed the tip of her nose, "you're the mother to my children, but it's a Malfoy tradition. The first born is always named by the father. For our next child we'll select a name together."

"Our next?" she wouldn't have thought him wanting any more children after what had happened with this one.

Sensing her thoughts he proceeded to tenderly stroke the cheek of his son before saying anything more.

"You, Hermione, are going to be the mother to my three children." there was pride in his voice.

"Your three children?" she mock frown, "Aren't we a bit presumptions?"

He laughed.

"We are going to enjoy every moment of trying to have another couple of..."

Right on cue a loud wail interrupted him. They both looked at their child. He had woken up with a start and was now trying to attract the attention of his parents.

Hermione picked him up and the wailing stopped, being replaced by contended gurgling sounds.

"Is he hungry?"

"No, I think he needs his nappies changed." Hermione grinned.

Draco frowned. Changing nappies... She didn't seriously expected him to... Her face told him, she did. He took his son with a sigh and went over to the chest of drawers they were going to use as a changing table.

He lay the happily kicking baby on his back and looked at him.

"Your mum is thinking that I'll be changing your nappies without any magic." he tickled the infant's tummy, which squeaked with joy, "But I won't. I've been reading a book..."

He took his wand out, waved it in a swooping wave while muttering under his breath.

"So, young man, I hope that's okay with you."

The child was picked up again and as he turned Draco realised his wife had fallen asleep again. The whole ordeal really had taken a lot out off her.