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The Ministry announced a Marriage Law would be put into place at the end of their 8th year. No one was happy about it. There were protests. They had just fought in a war. They were children. But in the end, they accepted their fate and people wouldn’t shut up about who they thought everyone would be paired up with.
Whoever they were paired up with, they’d be given one year to produce a child to increase the magical population. Hermione shuddered when she thought about it. That’s so soon, she thought, But then again, a year is so far away. That gives time. Right?
They were seated at their celebration dinner when owls flew in through the opened Great Hall windows and dropped letters onto each of their plates.
They all waited to open their envelopes until everyone was holding a piece of the golden parchment. Everyone took a look around the Hall. Hermione looked around the Gryffindor table. Harry gave Ginny nervous looks. Seamus and Dean kept their eyes on each other, hands clutching their pieces of parchment. Ron sat next to her and nudged her shoulder, expecting them to be paired. In her head, she rolled her eyes at him, but instead she just gave him a small smile that didn’t even reach the apples of her cheeks. There was someone Hermione was hoping she’d be paired with but she kept that thought deep in the trenches of her brain where no one would ever see. And no one would ever know. And there was no possible way that his name would be on her parchment. How could there be?
They’d become closer this past year since they were the only two in the more advanced classes that either of them really knew. They started by simply sitting next to each other in class—but they wouldn’t talk. Then one day he asked for a piece of parchment and a quill. She was stunned he was so cordial. Then he came up to her in the library one afternoon and asked for the book she was using since they both needed it for an assignment. She suggested he just sit down at the table with her and then that started a little daily study session they’d have together in that odd time in the afternoon after classes but before dinner. Another day he’d brought her sugar quills (did he know that they’re her favorite?) because he said his mum sent too much. She thanked him and sucked on one as they studied and didn’t miss the way his eyes kept flitting to hers from his book.
Headmaster McGonagal appeared at the front of the Hall, where Dumbledore once stood, and cleared her throat before speaking.
“Once everyone has opened their envelopes, the couples will be announced and they will walk out of the Hall, where they will be joined magically, to their new quarters until they leave tomorrow morning to join the wizarding world. Now,” she looked down at the table and her voice hesitated a bit. “Everyone please open your envelopes.”
There was a great sound of rustling paper echoing off of the stone walls. And then sounds of cheer, and some of disappointment.
Hermione didn’t know what to think as she stared at the name on her piece of parchment. She could feel her cheeks starting to get warm with blush but chastised herself for it. She looked up from her paper and his eyes caught hers. Those dove grey eyes.
Draco Lucius Malfoy, her parchment said. Her breath caught.
She’d fancied him all term but hadn’t told anyone, especially not him. It was a secret she kept to herself that she’d really only think about when she’d space out in class and he was in her line of sight—those hands— or at night when she’d put a muffliato spell on her bed and close all the curtains so she could be alone with her thoughts and her fantasies. Part of her liked the idea that maybe he fancied her too. Sometimes, she’d look up in class or in the dining hall to find him looking at her and then a blush rising to his cheeks when she’d catch him. But that would be absurd.
“‘Mione!” Ron yelled, looking over her shoulder towards her paper. His voice shifted when he saw the name. “Oy! This Marriage Law is rubbish! There’s no way ‘Mione was paired with Malfoy!”
It felt as if the room went silent when Ron yelled that to the whole table.
And then Headmistress McGonagal began to call out the couples.
“ Hermione Jean Granger and Draco Lucius Malfoy,” her voice cooed.
Hermione gave Ron a look that said she was mad and then stood from the table, walking towards the doors of the Great Hall to meet Malfoy.
They nodded at each other as they met in the middle of the doorway and then turned to leave. Draco kept his hands in his pockets as they walked down the corridor.
It wasn’t until they were out of gossiping eyesight that Draco let his hands fall near Hermione’s, joining them together almost naturally.
“Were you surprised to see my name in your envelope?” Hermione asked quietly as they walked. She stared down at the stones in the floor, at the way her Mary-Jane’s shined in the light of the lamp flames lining the hallway.
“No.” His answer was short, quick.
“No?”
“No.”
She looked up at him. “Were you disappointed, then?” She almost dropped his hand as she asked that but he held onto it tighter.
“You misunderstood me, darling,” his voice lowered, “I knew it was going to be you as soon as they announced the law. We’re so compatible it’s ridiculous.”
They had reached their room for the night. Hogwarts created an extra wing of the castle to accommodate the new couples.
Before they walked in, Hermione turned towards Draco, “Were you happy, then? When you saw my name?”
He answered her by kissing her. His hand that wasn’t holding hers had snaked its way around to cup the back of her head. His lips felt so good against hers and he tasted like peppermint and black tea. She’d only been fantasizing about it all term but hadn’t done anything about it. She sighed when he pulled away and rested his forehead on hers.
“Does that answer your question?” He smiled at her and the door to their room opened. She pulled him inside and shut the door behind them.
✷
They collapsed onto the floor, breathing heavy but with smiles on their faces. They couldn’t believe it had already been nine months since they were joined magically on that day in June when they left Hogwarts. Sweat beaded on their foreheads and they turned to look at each other, moving closer, grabbing and pulling their bodies closer, until their lips met with smiles on their faces.
“I think that was the last box.” Hermione said in between breaths. They had recently purchased a little cottage on the outskirts of muggle London. It was perfect for them. Fading white paint and shutters with window flower boxes and a complete garden that by spring and summer would be overflowing with greenery and life.
The last nine months had been filled with couple after couple fulfilling their part in the Marriage Law by becoming pregnant shortly after their magical unions. Baby after baby had been born. The Daily Prophet put out announcements nearly everyday lately. Everyone was having babies, everyone except for Hermione and Draco.
They told themselves that they were waiting. They had a year after all, that was plenty of time. Plenty of time to get to know each other, explore each other, all without the added pressure of bringing a child into the world. But it wasn’t as if the outside world wasn’t putting pressure on them. Any time they’d step out, there were questions about when they’d have their baby. When, when, when. Hermione’s head was spinning and Draco would always answer for them, “ When we’re ready.” And then he’d mumble that it’s none of their business.
They weren’t the only couple who hadn’t fulfilled their duty yet either. There were others, plenty of others. But all eyes were on Hermione and Draco because everyone was curious what the result would be between the Golden Girl and a former Death Eater. When Hermione read that in the papers she wanted to scream and run down to the print office and demand a reprint or an apology but Draco calmed her down and said it didn’t matter to him. As long as she didn’t see him that way, then it didn’t matter to him. And of course she didn’t see him that way. She hadn’t in a very long time. A long enough time where she wondered if she really ever thought about it at all.
It wasn’t as if they weren’t having sex, either. If anything, she should’ve been pregnant given how much sex they were having, but they were being safe about it. One of them—or both of them on occasion—would mutter the spell. Or there were times that she’d have to run to the muggle pharmacy the next morning for the morning after pill.
But now the time they had was dwindling down: they only had three months. Three months to complete their part in the marriage law before their magical union was disregarded and made null and both of them were given different partners to try again with. Hermione shuddered at the thought. She couldn’t imagine herself with anyone else.
And so they unpacked with flicks of their wands. By the end of the day, their little cottage was almost complete with all of their belongings.
Hermione hadn’t been able to stop thinking about how they now only had three months all day. In retrospect, ninety days felt like a good amount of time. But then again, so had the last nine months. They always said, “We have time, we have all the time in the world.” But not anymore. As Hermione rubbed lotion on her hands and legs that night, sitting at her vanity table, she looked at Draco, shirtless—because he could only sleep in his boxer briefs—and reading a book in bed with his knees perched up in front of him.
“Draco?”
“Yes, darling?” He didn’t look up from his book.
She walked over to the bed, put her knees on it, and then crawled to sit in front of him. That made him put his book down.
“I think it’s time.”
He looked at the clock. It was nearly midnight. “You’re right, it is almost time for bed—”
“No,” she laughed—Godric, they were already like an old married couple—pushing his legs down and moving up to straddle his legs, “it’s time.”
Draco must’ve gotten the hint because his hands moved to her waist and then down to cradle her bum that was only slightly covered by her silk nightie.
They’d always been safe. Because they weren’t ready yet to bring a child into the world just yet, didn’t like the idea of becoming parents so young. But lately, the idea of having a piece of Draco inside of her, of him getting her pregnant, made her thighs clench, made her shift in her seat. She thinks Draco had been thinking about it lately, too. Like when they go to visit Harry and Pansy and hold their baby girl. She sees Draco melt a little and then look at Hermione with glassy eyes. Or when Luna and Theo visit with their baby boy with a mound of light blonde curls about his head, Hermione wonders if their baby would have platinum blonde hair like their daddy. She also thought about it last week when they stopped for ice cream and a little boy next to him dropped his cone so Draco rushed to grab him a new one.
Hermione’s cheeks heated under the dim light of their bedside lamps as she pushed herself further into his lap. He was growing harder and thicker underneath his briefs.
“I mean, we just bought this cottage, with plenty of room.”
“Mhmm,” Draco only mumbled as she leaned in, her chest in line with his head. He leaned in towards her too and nuzzled into her soft skin. “D’you think we’re ready?”
“Honestly?” she asked.
He nodded.
“I don’t think we’ll ever be ready, no one ever is.” She spoke honestly and traced a finger along the sharp features of his face, “but the idea of you fucking me so good that you put a baby inside of me has gotten me all hot and bothered that I can’t take it anymore.”
She felt Draco’s Adam’s apple bob underneath her finger tip, gulping as she talked. Without saying a word, his grip on her bum grew tighter and he flipped them over so that her back was on the bed and her nightie had ridden up around her waist. Draco let out a low moan. She never wore panties to bed; easier access for relief at night. And in the morning.
Hermione let out a little giggle and Draco buried his face in her neck, sucking sweetly on the spots he’d grown to know she liked in the past nine months.
“Gods,” he said to her skin, “I’ve been waiting for this for months .”
She pulled his head up by the hair at the back of his neck. “Really?”
“Hermione, I would’ve gotten you pregnant on the first night if you asked.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because after our first night, you said you wanted us to get to know each other better first. And I wanted to respect you since after all, the universe decided to work in my favor and match me with the girl I’d had a crush on for ages.”
“Ages?” she asked, her nose scrunched in disbelief.
“I think since you punched me in Third Year.”
That made her laugh and she rubbed her palm along his cheek where she punched him so many years ago. “And now?”
“And now,” a dangerous smirk played on his lips, “I want to fuck you so hard into this bed, our bed in our home, that you aren’t able to sit down for weeks and make sure that you’re pregnant with our baby and give me everything I could ever ask for. A family.”
How was it possible for him to make her ache between her legs and shed a little tear from her eyes in earnest all at once?
The smile on her face was so wide it nearly reached the corners of her eyes and she leaned down and kissed him hard. Hard enough that they were devouring each other with a hunger that they’d both been holding back.
His tongue traced the seam of her lips, but he didn’t just ask for permission; instead he thrusted his tongue in her mouth, his hips thrusting in tandem. She broke her mouth off of his and threw her head back in a moan, mouth open. Draco took the opportunity to kiss her neck, hungry for the taste of her on his tongue.
“ Please,” she begged.
“Tell me what you want, baby.”
“Put a baby in me—”
Draco pulled her nightie over her head before she even had the chance to get all of the words out. The silk felt like butter moving across her soft skin.
When she was fully nude underneath him—they were in this position so often but suddenly she felt hotter than usual, the deep red flush moving up her whole body, her chest becoming cherry red, and her cheeks, too ; Draco just wanted to bite all of it—this time felt different. They’d made love and fucked too many times to count but this time, there was an intention to it. She had to admit though, as safe as they thought they were in the past, they weren’t really. They took precautions but there was part of her in the back of her head–and she suspected Draco thought this too–that felt if she happened to get pregnant any other time before this, neither of them would have been upset.
But with the intention there now, her skin burned hotter under his gaze.
Hermione reached down to his waist to pull his briefs down his thighs, but he stopped her. He bit his lip and shook his head, pinning her hands above her head and her hips naturally tilted up, seeking him.
She shivered when he started to kiss down her body. He started with her cheeks, giving each one a little peck. Her mouth. Her chin. The kiss on her nose was what made her groan. It was too pure when she just wanted his cock inside of her so desperately.
She writhed against him, urging his mouth down further, begging him to do something. But he just held her hands down and murmured into her skin, “Be patient, baby. You’ll get it soon enough.”
Hermione sucked in a breath when his lips touched her belly, right there below her belly button. His lips lingered there, savoring things.
“Soon you’ll be full of me and everyone will know how much you’re mine.”
“Draco, please.”
He didn’t even look up at her, he just continued his kisses down her body and she shivered under his touch.
When he was finally kissing her creamy thighs, he lifted his head and let go of her hands pinned to the bed. She knew he loved it when she buried her hands in his hair, pulling at the strands when he’s between her legs. Draco prepared her by putting one of her legs over his shoulder.
And then he dove into her.
He groaned with every lick and every flick of his tongue.
“Mhmm,” he moaned into her flesh, “so damn good…every time…can’t get enough…so sweet.”
Draco paid special attention to her sensitive little clit. He savored every lick. He licked her from top to bottom, gathering her slickness, and then brought the tip of his tongue up to that sensitive bud.. While his tongue fucked her, he added one finger, opening her up for him. And then another.
Hermione arched off the bed, pushing his tongue into her cunt further and it was so much sensation at once. She whined as she chased her high. His name fell from her lips.
“Good girl, baby, come for me. And then I’ll put a fucking baby inside of you.”
She felt pleasure run through her. Those words are what pushed her over the edge.
He licked her until she started closing her legs, too sensitive for anything more, but then he moved back up her body and held himself above her. His cock teased her too sensitive entrance that was slick from the way he just made her come.
When he kissed her, she arched up into him and he held onto her tightly before pushing into her so slowly— but they both savored every inch.
“ Gods, yes,” she moaned when he finally sheathed himself fully inside of her. He stilled there for a moment, feeling her around him.
“Fuck, baby.”
This time felt so different than every other time before. Usually, this was where one of them would perform the charm. But this time, there was a look of understanding on both of their faces. A playful smile cut through both of their lips and they were beaming at each other.
Hermione nodded at Draco and pushed her nails into his skin, urging him to move. She was so desperate for that sweet, sweet friction between them.
And when he moved, it was pure bliss. At first, he moved in a rhythm that made her cry out. She pushed up and nearly sank her teeth into his shoulder, but then threw her head back with a sigh escaping between her pouty lips. His cocks always hit that spot inside of her so right.
Buts much as she loved the feeling of the languid pace, she needed him to speed up.
“Faster, Draco, please.”
“What if I like taking my time with you?”
She wasn’t sure how he was able to form such coherent sentences. His hand caressed her face and then moved down her body so fluidly, finding that bundle of nerves between her legs. She jolted, clinging onto him even more when he first swiped his thumb across it and she looked down between them where they were joined.
“I like taking my time with you, baby. Making sure I get you nice and pregnant with our baby.” He sped up his thrusts and she threw her head back.
She was so close.
“I can feel you, baby, clenching down on me and… fuck… come, please, I need you to come.”
Yes, yes, yes, yes. She wasn’t sure anymore if she was saying this out loud or just in her head, but she didn’t care.
When Draco rubbed his thumb over her clit and then caressed her belly with his hand, that’s what made her orgasm hit her harder than the one before. She was clutching onto him for life. And hoping he was pushing life into her.
Hermione pulled him closer to her as she cames, whispering in his ear. “Come, come, let me make you a daddy.”
He groaned in her ear and thrust erratically. She felt him come inside of her, hotness spilling into her. She wanted to hold it in when he stalled above her, breathing in pants. When he opened his eyes and she was gazing into his beautiful warm, dove grey eyes, he smiled and rolled them over so that she was on top of him and he was still inside of her.
Draco laughed, a little happy giggle falling from his mouth as he rubbed his warm hands up and down Hermione’s back, holding her tight against him.
“Do we think it worked that time?” he asked.
“Oh,” she answered, drawing patterns with her fingertips along his jaw and his neck and his chest, “I think we’ll have to try again, and again, and again. We can never be too sure. Just in case.”
✷
Three months later, a day before their year would be up, Hermione Granger announced that she was pregnant with their first child.
And Leo Hermes Granger-Malfoy was born six months later with a head of platinum curls and wide eyes already a bright brown.