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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"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.

"I want them to be accepting, and Father especially... well he's been set in his ways."

"It will be all right," Mia says with a reassuring squeeze to his hand.

A short time later, Lucius's footsteps approached, the staccato thuds a sharp rhythm.

He paused, eying Mia and her mother before his eyes turned to Draco.

"Congratulations," he smoothly replied, and then added to Draco, "Draco, I wish to speak with you in private later. Meet me in my study." He gave a curt nod before walking down the hall.

Draco glanced at his wife and mother in law, "Well, that went better than I expected I think."

Narcissa then came out, "Lucius? Oh, well, I trust he is looking forward to his grandson in his way. Under the circumstances, well, granted we're pleased with how this is turning out."

"I'm happy to hear that, Majesty Narcissa," Mia says, giving Draco's hand another squeeze.

She then leans up to Draco as best she can and quietly asks, "Beloved, could you help me up? I need to make use of the facilities. And we're starting to get a little peckish, darling."

Draco nodded, and excused himself from the mothers. Especially since it looked like Narcissa was launching a discussion about the importance of early magical raising for a child with Lemia.

"Here, this way, luv," he said as he carefully helped her out of the room.

"Thank you, Beloved," she says, hearing Lemia counter with the need for physical education in the event of running into a foe that is protected from magical attacks.

Once she's taken care of her business (leaving the restroom with a funny look on her face, but it's gone so quickly that Draco likely won't notice), she goes back to her husband and asks, "Would baklava be all right for dessert, dear? It was so wonderful the last time you made it. And maybe a nice salad for dinner with lots of good vegetables. And plenty of cucumber in particular."

Beat.

"Oh, but you should probably see what your father wants, too. It will be all right; I'm nowhere near starving."

"He didn't state when, just later. I'll speak with him then."

He then paused at hearing what sounded like his mum laughing.

"Excuse me one moment."

Draco poked his head into the other room before returning to the kitchen.

"Baklava is fine, it won't take that long to make once I fix the dough. And salad's simple enough."

He was still rather surprised, and then asked, "Should I be worried our mums are getting along?"

"As long as you don't leave him waiting too long."

She reaches to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"And I'm glad our mothers are getting along," Mia says, just in time for her statement to be punctuated by some laughter from Lemia. "It means we'll be able to have family time like this more often. Here, I'll help you in the kitchen, Beloved."

"I'm hungry too, and it's time to eat anyway." Draco sent some ingredients into the air before mixing in a bowl to create the dough.

Mia goes to fetch some vegetables and gets some tools together so she can start assembling the salad.

"Will your family be okay with Greek?"

"The way I make it? Yes."

He floated the honey and nuts out to be available as he prepared the dough.

"Your food is always so good, darling," she says.

And after she has the salad ready, she comes behind him and leans against his back, with a quick, momentary nuzzle to his neck to briefly distract him and her hands on his shoulders.

Though a few moments later, she exhales against him. Not a romantic breath against his skin or even a sigh of exhaustion. Something different...

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