Auribus Teneo Lupum *Dramione*

Chapter Nine

Hermione woke to a warm body pressed against hers. It was a direct opposite of how cool the room felt and she snuggled against the heat, half asleep.

As she grew more alert she was lulled by the sounds of the ocean, as they had left the balcony doors open the night before, and for a moment she forgot where she was or who she was with. It had been so long since she had felt this calm and at peace and she didn't want that feeling to go away anytime soon.

She slowly opened her eyes and was met with the pale blonde hair of her now husband. Reality set back in and she rubbed her expanding stomach, feeling the baby kick as her hand passed over her womb. A grin pulled at her lips as she rolled over and sat up, looking out at the ocean before deciding to get up and spend her morning watching the sun rise over the blue waters.

An hour later she sat wrapped in a warm blanket and sipping tea, a good book laid over her stomach. Draco, who had woken up to an empty bed, thought that the sight couldn't have been any better.

Noticing the presence behind her, Hermione turned her head and offered the blonde a smile. "Good morning."

He made his way out to the balcony and her eyes widened slightly as she took in his state of dress - or lack there of.

"You're up early." His voice was rough with sleep and his hair slightly mussed, though her eyes were drawn to his chest and stomach.

He made his way next to her and sat down on the loveseat, kicking his feet up on the table. "This is nice, you wanna go down to the beach today?"

Beach? "Oh, um, I don't know."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't you want to?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Because it's freezing?"

He laughed, head tilted back. "Babe, I'm a wizard and you're a witch, I think we can manage a few warming charms."

She flushed. "I don't want to hear it."

He patted her knee, grinning. "Come on. Let's get dressed and grab something to eat downtown."

"That I can totally get behind." Getting up she grabbed onto Draco's hand. It felt odd to have someone be a gentleman, because Ron always assumed she didn't need help - which she didn't! But with Draco it didn't feel like he thought she was incompetent, but rather he wanted to help her. Part of her bucked at the gestures, but the more time she spent with him the more she began to see the feelings behind it.

Thirty minutes later they were wrapped in their warmest coats and waiting on the cab to take them to the shopping center. She hid a grin, thinking about how her thirteen year old self would feel about Draco Malfoy dressed in muggle clothes and waiting on a muggle cab.

Life surely had changed, and for the first time in a while she found that she welcomed the changes.

They lingered in a few shops, stopping at a small cafe for a bite to eat and, thankfully, some tea. She always enjoyed being out and about in muggle areas, as she was just another woman with just another man. She was enjoying herself so much that when she felt a slight pain in her stomach she ignored it, figuring that it was just a Braxton Hicks.

She also ignored it when it made her gasp in the taxi, assuring Draco that it was nothing. After all, these were normal pains, right?

Finally, as they were getting ready to head down to the beach, she was hit with a pain and a gush of liquid between her legs.

She stared it shock at the mess on the floor, unable to say anything as Draco began to call her name. She felt him lead her to the sofa, but was in such a state of shock that she couldn't manage even a nod of her head.

"Hermione, love, I'm going to take you to St. Mungo's, alright?" It felt like she was in a tunnel, he seemed so far away.

"Draco?"

She felt him brush his lips against her head and then lift her, her arms automatically going around his neck, before the pull of appritation caused her head to spin and darkness took her.

..00..

Draco sat his his elbows on his knees, head down and thinking of nothing.

He felt blank, cold, and couldn't remember how long he had been sitting in the hard metal chair of the St. Mungo's maternity ward. During his rotation on this floor he had seen many expectant fathers waiting to hear word, or extended families happily gathered. Usually this floor saw such happiness, but today he felt like his very being had been ripped away.

As soon as Hermione had groaned and saw her water break he pulled out his wand and cast a diagnostic spell, his heart seizing when she lit up red in her midsection. He immediately took them straight to the hospital, begging the first person he saw for help.

He was so use to being the one helping, and now he felt utterly helpless.

"Mr. Malfoy?"

He jerked his head up to see Healer Wood standing in front of him.

"How is sh..."

"She's fine, well, as fine as she can be. We had to go ahead and take the baby, or we would have risked losing them both. Your daughter was born at 2:31pm and right now she's in the NICU. I'd suggest being there when Mrs. Malfoy wakes up, as she will be in for a shock. As soon as possible I will come to you both and give you more information." He held his hand out and caught Draco's sleeve. "Slow down. You have to be strong, because they both need you to be. Take a minute and get your bearings and then I'll take you up to your wife's room."

He nodded, incapable of speech. He was a father. He had a daughter.

"How is..."

"You're daughter will be alright, but she'll have to stay her for some time. Everything will be explained once both you and your wife go upstairs."

He sat back down with a thud. The Healer walked off to give him some space and when he knew he was alone he let the tears fall.