Fragile || Draco Malfoy

Chapter 4.

"Has Draco come home yet?" I asked to no one in particular as I walked into the kitchen, pulling my hair into a ponytail. Hermione shook her head from her spot at the counter, where she was tying ribbons onto the last few goodie bags. I groaned, slipping on my ballet flats that sat beside the garden door, glancing through the window. All of the decorations for Cassie's third birthday party were hung and ready for the guests, but the one person that Cassie wanted here more than anyone was nowhere to be found - her daddy. "He is going to get such an earful from me. It's his daughter's birthday!" I said, opening up the kitchen windows and the back door to let in the summer breeze. "I'm ready!" A tiny voice called out, and Hermione and I both looked up to see Cassie bouncing into the kitchen, a smile on her face and proudly wearing her favorite green overall shorts. "Hello, birthday girl!" I said, picking her up and showering her face with kisses as she giggled. "Why aren't you wearing the dress Nana got you?" I said, sitting Cassie on the counter as I began to separate her dark curls into two pigtail braids. Cassie stuck her tongue out at the mention of the light blue party dress Narcissa had surprised her with last week, hoping she would wear it to her birthday party. "I don't like dresses!" She declared and I sighed, kissing her forehead as I finished her braids and setting her down on the floor. She scampered off into the garden to join Ron and little Rose and I looked at Hermione, shrugging. "I'm raising a tomboy." I said, laughing. "Knock knock!" I heard from the front entryway and I peeked my head around the corner, smiling when I saw Ginny, Harry, and their kids walking through the front door. "Auntie Issy!" James and Albus shouted with glee, running forward to hug my legs. "Hello loves!" I laughed, ruffling their hair as they raced each other into the kitchen, and turned my attention to my brother and sister in law. "And hello, you two!" I said, hugging both of them. "Where should we put this?" Harry said, gesturing to the gift bag he was holding. "You can set in on the kitchen table. And I'll be taking you now - hello, little angel!" I cooed, lifting baby Lily from Ginny's arms, laughing at her sleepy face. "Not long now for you, right?" Ginny said as we walked into the kitchen. "One more month and Merlin is it ever going slow. I'm so done with being pregnant, I'm just ready to be a mum again." I said, cradling Lily against my chest and smiling down at her. "It's so a girl." Ginny said, laughing when Harry and Hermione both yelled "It's a boy!" from where they stood chatting away in the kitchen. 

Not long after that, Molly and Arthur arrived with George and Angelina, and Narcissa came after that as well. Cassie was having the time of her life - she was being showered with affection from her aunts and uncles and grandparents, running around with her cousins and friends from playgroup, and was basically the center of attention which was something I wanted her to enjoy since there was a new baby arriving very, very soon. The party had been in full swing for almost an hour though and Draco still wasn't home. I was standing in the kitchen, arranging the candles on Cassie's birthday cake when I heard the tell-tale chime of the Floo. I walked into the kitchen, crossing my arms when I saw Draco stepping out of the fireplace. "Where the hell have you been?" I hissed, all my annoyance from the past few hours settling in. Draco stared at me, a little taken aback by my attitude but I was past caring. It was hot, there were 12 children running around and yelling at the tops of their lungs, and I was uncomfortably pregnant. "I had to beg Ron and Hermione to come over early and help me get the house ready for Cassie's party because you were supposed to be home hours ago but you weren't! Cassie was asking for you all morning and I had to make some bullshit story about how you were on a mission with Harry so you better have a good excuse for being so-" Draco cut me off abruptly by kissing me, not stopping until I began to relax under his touch. "I'm sorry, love. I got an owl at work yesterday that Cassie's surprise present was going to be ready late this morning so I had to go get it." I raised my eyebrows and looked down, now noticing the slim package he held in his hands. "What is that, Draco?" I said, and Draco grinned sheepishly. "The toy broomstick I had when I was a kid, just refurbished so it would work as nicely as the brand new ones. Plus it still has all the safety charms my mum put on it, which I know you'll love." I stared at the wrapped present and then up at Draco's hopeful face, tears filling my eyes. "Oh Draco, that's so sweet." I sniffed, leaning up to kiss him gently. "I'm sorry for getting mad, baby. It's just been so stressful this morning, plus the heat and this damn belly, I've just been on edge all day." I said and Draco shushed me, wiping the tears off of my cheeks. "Hey, don't apologize, love. You've been working your arse off to make this party perfect for Cassie and you're growing a human at the same time. You're a superwoman." He said and I laughed, hugging him as best I could with my burgeoning baby bump. "You should go say hi to the birthday girl and tell her it's cake time." I said, kissing him lightly.

Draco tucked the broomstick in the small pile of birthday presents that sat in the kitchen and hurried into the back garden. I smiled when I heard Cassie scream "DADDY!" while I put the last touches on her cake - a purple flower with sparkling gold decorations on it. I flicked my wand and it levitated instantly, floating just in front of me as I walked out the back door. A chorus of "Happy Birthday" began to float through the garden and I smiled when I saw my giggling little girl sitting at the picnic table in her Daddy's lap, happy as could be. I set the cake down in front of her and crouched down, kissing her head, smiling at her angelic face illuminated by the flickering birthday candles. "Make a wish, darling." I whispered, and Cassie thought very deeply for a moment before taking in a big breath and blowing out her candles, earning applause from her family and friends.

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The party had long since ended, the last guests trickling out as the sun had set and the children finally gave in to their exhaustion. I was in the kitchen, drying the last few dishes from the party and putting away leftovers when a pair of familiar hands slid across my hips. "She's finally asleep." Draco murmured in my ear, kissing the sensitive patch of skin beneath it softly and making me sigh. "You're incredible - planning a whole party at eight months pregnant? You should get an award." I chuckled, turning to face Draco. "Seeing her happy was enough for me. She's been so scared since Diagon Alley and all the adults being worried hasn't done her much good either. It was nice to see Cassie act like a kid again." I said, and Draco nodded in agreement. "I know. I feel like we haven't had real family time in forever. Or Mummy and Daddy time, for that matter." Draco said in a low voice, and I bit my lip at the lustful glint in his eye. He started to walk us backward until I felt myself being pressed against the counter. Draco placed his hands on the surface behind me to cage me in, but drew back and said, "Oh for fuck's sake!". I looked at his hand and then at the counter, laughing loudly - he had stuck his hand in a forgotten piece of birthday cake. Draco glared at me, but he was holding back a laugh too. "What? is this funny to you?" He said, wiggling his purple icing covered fingers in my face. I raised an eyebrow, grabbing his wrist and trying not to smile. "No. Is this?" I said, bringing his hand to my mouth and sucking on his fingers slowly, cleaning away any trace of icing. Draco's pupils were blown wide as I slid my tongue over and around his digits one by one, his breathing becoming labored. "I think we need to take this little party upstairs." Draco rasped and I nodded in agreement, kissing him hard before walking to the stairs as he followed me. "Draco?" I turned around, a wicked thought popping into my mind. "Don't forget the cake." I said, and a huge grin spread across Draco's face as he hurried back into the kitchen while I made my way upstairs, giggling madly. 

(A/N: So cute! Thank you so much for reading my lovelies! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you did, make sure you add Fragile to your reading list/library to get notified every time I update - UPDATE SCHEDULE HAS CHANGED! From now on, due to work obligations, I will be updating this story once a week on THURSDAYS. I'm sorry for the change, I hope y'all understand! Feel free to leave a vote/review down below - I read them all! Love y'all! - H xx )