dragonofgrey | Holidays in Wiltshire

Holidays in Wiltshire

"Careful there," Draco said, helping his wife, Mia, along. He glanced over at his mother-in-law, Lemia, to make sure she was all right as well as they approached the front gate of the Malfoy Manor. Already there was the familiar screech of the white peacocks strutting around, much of the place now back to how it was prior to the war.

Closer to the gate, and upon recognizing Draco's magical signature, the metal gate swung openly easily. The traps and hexes dissipating for the time being.

"It's just up the walk here."

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Mia still has no idea why everyone fusses over her husband's hair. Or his waistline, for that matter. He's still as handsome as ever.

"Could you help me get my coat, dear?" she asks Draco as she steps inside, Lemia following some steps behind.

She'd rather not wrestle her way out of it if that's all right. No need to put even more strain on her back.

Draco headed over to her, and took care of her coat once they were inside.

Only to hear a sucked in breath.

"...Draco darling. Is there something you need to tell us?" Narcissa finally asked sharply.

"Oh yes, well, Happy Christmas, and in a few months, you can be expecting your grandson Cepheus," he simply remarked as he sent Mia's coat to be hung up, so he could focus on supporting her.

"Actually, more like ten weeks," Mia says, her hands on her belly as Draco helps her to a chair.

Draco remarked, "Well that would be a few months. It's still a little over two after all," He replied, standing near her.

His mother blinked at this.

"Draco, is there a reason you couldn't have Owled us this? How are we supposed to prepare."

"I wanted to tell you in person, and I didn't know how you would react." He was worried they wouldn't want to accept the grandchildren, or question on whether they would be wizards or not.

"A few sounds like more than just over two, though."

She carefully slips her shoes off.

Lemia, meanwhile, is looking at the young couple and finds herself sympathizing with Narcissa.

"Wait, so I knew all this time and your own mother didn't?"

Mother-in-law shakes her head a bit at Draco.

"You know how busy we've been!" Draco exclaimed to Lemia, and added to his own mother, "I have a great deal of duties and responsibilities now, Mother. It's not that easy for me to just go through the door and Apparate over."

"There is no need to shout at me," Lemia replies with a soft kindness. "It wasn't so long ago that I was working the same job."

"Do we really need to do this now?" Mia asks.

Draco sighed, "No dear."

Narcissa continued to glare at him, "You still could have Owled, you obviously don't do so enough."

"I thought he had," Mia admitted. "You did let your parents know that we were coming, didn't you?"

"Now look," Lemia starts. "At this point, what's past is past and the stress of worrying about it isn't going to do us or it any good. Why bicker when we can focus on our grand-?"

And then what Draco said earlier catches up to the former Guildmaster.

"Grandson? You know already?"

Perplexed Lemia is Perplexed.

"Oh he did mention the visit and there would be big news. He just neglected to give us a hint of what it would be."

There was a sniff from his mum about her drama king son.

Draco glanced toward Lemia, "Yes well, we had an idea that was later confirmed shall we say?"

"Well, we thought the news itself might be a pleasant surprise since you had asked about grandchildren the last time we visited," Mia comments.

Which, if Narcissa remembers, was definitely less than nine months ago.

"Confirmed?" Lemia asks. "I remember Mia saying that you were both hoping for a boy, but how?"

"The pictures we received from Doctor Sandhu," Mia chimes in. "My ultrasounds."

"Wait, those 'ultrasound' things the both of you and Rabastan have been talking about are actually pictures of the baby?!"

Pardon Lemia. She has to go collect her brain cells. She'll be right back.

"I know it sounds rather odd. It's one of those Muggle devices, but it worked well I suppose."

"How?" Lemia asks, still perplexed.

"It's kind of like an echo?" Mia says, getting out the most recent ultrasound. "The device is put against me and it makes sounds that bounce off of the baby. It then takes the information it gets back and makes the picture."

Lemia goes over and looks at the picture with her daughter, not able to suppress a little gasp of amazement.

"Oh, look at him," she whispers. "He's just perfect..."

Mia smiles and, looking up at Narcissa, asks, "Would you like to see?"

Narcissa blinked with confusion, and gestured to it.

"See? That Muggle picture? Is that why it doesn't move?"

Draco explained, "Yes, they don't move on that, but when you look at the screen while the scan is happening, well I could see our son moving."

"Pictures that don't move are muggle?" Lemia softly asks.

Mia just gives a shrug and answers back, "Well, Blue Star magic is different from Lunar's magic."

The former Guildmaster accepts this and goes back to admiring her grandson.

"What was it that you called him again? His name?" she asks.

"Cepheus. Draco and I want to name the baby Cepheus."

Mia puts a hand to her belly, feeling him kick.

He explained, "Wizard pictures have special Charms and spells used so they can move. Our paintings interact with us."

He then came closer to Mia, "Is our Cepheus awake then, darling?"

Lemia will have to study this. It's all very new to her and she's intrigued.

"He is," Mia says, smiling at her husband. "I wonder if he knows there's someone here to meet him."

Narcissa commented approvingly even as she found the ultrasound picture odd, "A proper name for a Malfoy." She glanced at it along with Lemia.

"Well, still I trust he should be in good health when he is born?"

Draco gestured to his mum, "Mum, would you like to meet him?"

She raised a pale eyebrow at that, but then approached. She then carefully placed her thin pale and manicured hand gently on Mia's stomach.

"The doctor said that he looks just fine from the ultrasounds and I haven't had any health problems."

Mia smiles at her mother-in-law while the baby kicks towards her hand, feeling around with what magic he has for his grandmother.

Draco then said, "Mum. Do a charm."

Narcissa eyed her son, though she did bear a small smile at the feel of the little kicks.

"Draco, what ever do you mean?"

"Just something small."

She fetched her wand, "Well, rather bored with the look of the mantle." She murmured some words before poking her wand toward it, and the candles and flowers changed to something with a more snowflaked theme decoration.

The baby felt around at the charm. So this is what Grandmother's magic is like. It's not like Mama's or Nana's, more like Papa's.

"I think he likes it," Mia replies.

"He's going to be brilliant," Lemia says.

"What?" Narcissa put her wand away, and stared at Mia and her belly again.

"Mum, he can sense magic already."

She quickly shook her head, "Draco, that's impossible. You didn't even sense magic until around 5 months."

"Children in Lunar tend to be more precocious."

"We actually didn't know we'd be able to sense him so early," Mia says. "It was kind of a pleasant surprise."

"It's not that surprising, considering that he's an Ausa," Lemia adds. "Mia was a prodigy. She's been the strongest magician in her age group for almost a decade."

"Mama..." Mia says sheepishly.

"Is that so?" A small surprised and yet pleased smile crept up the older witch's face.

"How very reassuring."

A distant crack.

"Ah that must be your father. Excuse me." She then stepped away to go greet Lucius leaving Draco to hold and pat Mia's hand.

Mia laced her fingers together with Draco's.

"So far so good," she says.

"It's silly to worry," Lemia says. "Parents are always happy when they learn they're going to be grandparents."

"We know," Mia murmurs. "Draco just wants his parents happy with him. He's always like that about the people he loves."

"So I've noticed," the former Guildmaster says with a smile. "And I'm glad he makes you happy."

Lemia reaches over and gives Mia a kiss on her forehead and Draco a gentle squeeze on his shoulder.

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