A cool, morning breeze pushed past a drape of curtains into a very old-fashioned drawing room. I slowly awakened to the sweep of cold air that brushed past my face, my eyes opening to a cobwebbed chandelier that dangled overhead.
I had fallen asleep upon an old, slightly dusty sofa. Nearby was an old cobbled fireplace, a gold-linen mirror sat only a few inches above. The more I lazily stirred, the clearer the soft hiss of a radio became, the sound of voices at a distance.
When my eyes grazed the room, that's when I realised no one else was here with me. At that moment, my body jump-started to life and I sat upright, my eyes frantically darting across the room.
"Hey, hey! Calm down, you're okay..." An arm wrapped itself around my stomach. "I'm right behind you..." At that moment, I felt myself relax when I heard Draco's smooth voice glide through my ears.
"I'm sorry..." I whisper quietly, stealing a glance over my shoulder at the tired blond behind me. Draco shook his head and leaned forward, pressing his lips against mine. "Don't apologise." He murmured, dragging his lips down towards my neck. "Did you sleep well?"
"Mhm..." I hummed, clutching Draco's shirt between my fists. "Good," He whispered, pulling back to cup my face. "You want anything to eat? Drink?"
"Yeah..." I nod, breathing in his scent. "Just some tea please..."
Draco nodded, gently brushing his fingers over my cheeks. Then, he stood up and headed for the double door that led to the kitchen. At first everything was fine, I just sat, patiently waiting for him to return. But then a sharp pain in my stomach caused me to hiss.
A clench of my jaw later, I rapidly followed Draco out of the room and found him standing by the kitchen counter, the kettle boiling just in front of him. The golden trio was also there, but they all sat around a table with copies of the Daily Prophet in hand.
"Morning—," Ron tried to say but I stumbled past him towards Draco.
Draco heard my footsteps and looked over his shoulder, brows furrowed in confusion. "Darling? What is it?" He asked when he saw the look on my face. My cheeks were completely flushed up.
"I need you..." I murmur, wrapping my arms around Draco's waist. The pain was intense and travelled up to my chest— making it hard to breathe. "Everything— it hurts..."
Draco turned around and brought one hand to the back of my head, about to press it into his chest when he looked down and saw that my thighs were trembling. "Oh, darling..." He whispered, wrapping his arms around my waist. Within a second, Draco heaved me up on top of the counter and stood between my legs.
I instinctively reach out and wrap my arms around his neck, our foreheads pressed together. He ran a gentle hand along my thighs, trying to soothe my tremors. "What's going on...?"
"Leg cramps." I explain softly, still feeling short of breath. "Stomach ones too, but that's nothing new." When there was another tightening and stretching of ligaments in my abdomen, I squeezed my eyes shut and rolled my head into the crook of his neck. I grabbed onto his shirt for support.
"Fuck!"
Draco moved a hand towards my stomach and pressed down against the swell. "It's okay... you're okay... I'm here..." he whispered softly. "I'm here..."
"Y/N?" Harry's voice sounded from the table. He was looking at Draco. "Is she okay?"
"She's fine," Draco answered, not taking his eyes off me. "Just a bit of discomfort."
"Mum said the first pregnancies are always the worst." Said Ron, making Hermione shoot him a glare. "Is that meant to make either of them feel better?" She hissed. "Well at least now they know it's normal!" Ron retorted.
Seconds later Hermione lashed her copy of the Daily Prophet down on him.
"Honestly, Ronald. Sometimes it's better to just keep your mouth shut."
"Draco..." I murmur softly, my eyes opening and closing. "Hm?" He hummed, pulling back slightly to look down at me. He narrowed his eyes in concern when I slumped against him and whispered— "I don't feel too good..."
~
Apparently, hot flashes were a part of pregnancy I had no idea existed. So, you can assume what had happened after my body overheated.
"Note to future self, keep ice packs on hand." Draco murmured, pressing a cold cloth against my forehead. After a moment, he took it away and replaced it with the back of his hand, feeling my temperature. "How is that? Better?"
"A bit." I nod, my eyes roaming across his face. His brows were knitted in concern and he held his lip in between his teeth. "It'll just be a change in hormones, Draco. Don't worry about it too much."
"I am going to worry. I worry all the time," Draco placed the cloth back on top of my forehead. "The last thing a man wants to see is his pregnant girlfriend fainting right in front of him."
"Well, now we know what it is and how to avoid it from happening again in the future." I reassure him. "So just focus on the bright side of things, hm?"
Draco's eyes turned up to meet mine. "Since when did you become a motivational speaker?"
"Ever since you became a negative nancy," I grin, watching his face drop. Draco leaned forward and nudged my face upwards with the tip of his nose. "Cheeky," He murmured, showering me with kisses all over. I clutched onto his shirt for support, all the while I giggled endlessly at his affection.
"Y/N? Draco?" A voice called from the room next door. Draco pulled back and looked over his shoulder.
"What?"
Ron's head appeared through the slim gap in the door. "I think we found something."
~
"Who are they?" Draco asked, the curtain slipped to the side as he gazed into the courtyard outside. Two dark figures stood near a tree. Another sat on a bench.
Ron peered over his shoulder and followed Draco's gaze. "Oh, them? The two clinging to the tree are Death Eaters for sure. Dunno 'bout the bloke on the bench." Draco dropped the curtain, his face hard. He turned to look at the rest of us seated around the table, sloppy stacks of old daily prophets covering its surface.
"They can't see us, of course." Ron added, "But we'll have to be careful coming and going. C'mon, Draco. Sit down. There's something else you need to see."
Draco crept away from the window and slumped down into the empty seat beside me. His arm instinctively dropped around my shoulder and pulled me close into his side.
There was a thin, tattered note in Harry's hand. It was the same one from the locket. "To the Dark Lord. I know I will be dead long before you read this. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it..."
"R.A.B. was Sirius' brother?" Ron looked around. Half an hour before, they'd discovered Regulus Black's old bedroom, his initials matching R.A.B.
"Must be," Draco clasped his ring-clad hands together. "Question is, did he actually destroy the real Horcrux?"
Harry looked down at the locket and seemed to contemplate this. My gaze shifted to Draco's hands and he seemed to notice, so he moved one away to grab mine and brought it back between his.
Just then, there was a clutter of falling glass from a cupboard just outside the kitchen. Everyone turned their heads to the source of the sound, eyes widened in alert. Draco protectively rose from his seat and Harry slowly crept towards the cupboard.
Seconds later, Harry lunged forward and pulled the cupboard door open. He reached inside and dragged Kreacher the house-elf out by one ear. Kreacher mumbled foul oaths to himself.
"Kreacher..." Ron's eyes darkened.
Harry let go of the elf's ear and shoved him forward. Kreacher immediately darted to the other side of the kitchen, venom in his eyes as he glared back at Harry.
"Been spying on us, have you?" Harry hissed.
"Kreacher has been watching..." The elf rasped. "Kreacher always watches."
"Maybe he knows where the real locket is?" I suggest, pressing the heels of my hands against the table. Draco looked down and saw me grit my teeth, so he immediately wrapped an arm around my waist and helped me to my feet. "Y'okay, darling. Nice and steady..."
Harry glanced over at me and his eyes flashed. He took the locket and dangled it before Kreacher's massive eyes like a hypnotist. Kreacher watched the emerald pendant sway back and forth.
"Ever seen this before?" Harry asked. Kreacher grumbled incoherently to himself. "Kreacher," He repeated, this time in a warning tone. "I own this place. Sirius left it to me. Which means I own you too."
Kreacher grimaced mightily. After a moment of hesitation, he finally gave in. "That was Master Regulus' locket."
"That's right. But there were two, weren't there?" Kreacher's eyes widened in surprise. He nodded again. "Where's the other one?" Harry pressed.
"Kreacher doesn't know where the other locket is..." He grumbled.
"But was it here? Did you ever see it?" Hermione asked, taking a step towards the house-elf. Kreacher spun on his heels, his waxy face ugly and vicious: "Filthy Mudblood— The Death Eaters will soon be coming for you!"
Draco bit his lip and turned his head away. The insult he used to use so often was like venom to the whole room's ears.
Ron grabbed a pan from the kitchen counter and lifted it in the air, about to smack Kreacher with it when—
"Ron!" Harry scowled, stepping forward. Hermione gasped and wrenched Ron back by his arm, forcing him to drop the pan.
"Blood-traitor Weasley—," Kreacher gurgled bitterly from behind Harry's leg. Yet another insult that made Draco's ears turn pink— likely eaten up by the guilt of his childhood actions.
"Answer her question, Kreacher." Harry hissed.
"Yes. It was here, in this house." Kreacher admitted slowly. "A most evil object..."
"How do you mean?" Harry lifted a brow, intrigued to know more. When Kreacher hesitated to answer, Harry pushed the locket closer to his face, making the elf flinch.
"Before he died, Master Regulus ordered Kreacher to destroy it." Kreacher reluctantly spoke up. "It was the last thing he asked of Kreacher. But no matter how Kreacher tried, he could not.."
"Where is it now? Did someone take it, Kreacher?" Harry asked.
Kreacher nodded slowly. "He came in the night. He took many things, including the locket."
Harry furrowed his dark brows. "Who, Kreacher? Who was it?"
"Mundungus." Kreacher rasped. "Mundungus Fletcher."
The five of us glanced between one another. Harry turned back to Kreacher and looked him dead in the eye. "Find him." He ordered. "Find him and bring him to me."
Crack!
Kreacher vanished. And now, the waiting commenced.
(A/N: If you haven't already, please support me at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/belleame <3 Every penny counts and would really help me with my situation <3 Remember, I love you all, make sure you take care of yourselves. Drink water and have a goodnights sleep, muah! <3)