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There are an infinite amount of things Draco Malfoy will do for Hermione Granger. Some things that could easily land him in Azkaban. He’d give up his magic for her if she so asked it of him, though he knew she never would. Nevertheless he knew he would give that up and so much more for her if it’s what she wanted. However as he shifts in his seat in his bestfriends home, he wonders why on Earth had he decided to do what he was doing now for her, especially since she wasn't even aware he was doing it.
Eyes squeeze shut as the pain from his scalp increases with every tug of hair. A huff escapes him as a giggle is heard somewhere to his left from where Draco is perched on a kitchen barstool. He wonders what he has done wrong in his life to find himself in this position, with his childhood friend seemingly determined to tear his hair out by the roots. Wonders if Granger would even be impressed or grateful for what he has decided to do.
Another huff as a particular harsh tug has the man attempting to crane his neck back to glare at his torturer. Despite his strength to look, his hair is jerked the opposite way to redirect his head forward again.
“You’re being a baby Malfoy.” The deep baritone voice chastises him.
“Maybe if you weren’t set on scalping me Zabini.” He grumbles wincing as his hair is pulled yet again.
“I’m not even pulling that hard. You’re lucky your hair doesn't knot as badly as ours.” Zabini says absently as he finishes off the braid he has done, tying it off with a small rubber band.
“It cannot hurt this bad normally.” Draco questions as he turns his head so Blaise can begin on the other side.
“Normally no but you don’t want them loose. They’ll become messy rather quickly given the unruly hair you’ll be doing them for.” A comb runs through his blond locks as Zabini begins to section off three segments to begin the second side.
Draco Malfoy has decided to get his hair braided. Just two simple cornrow braids, the way Blaise had worn his hair for so many years growing up. He recalls asking his father why he never did his hair this way instead of the slicked back style he'd been taught to do his whole adolescence. Lucius had scolded him then, telling him it was unbecoming of a Malfoy to wear his hair in any other manner.
Draco lifts the small hand mirror up to look at his hair now. Noting that while he never much liked the sleek style despite the ease of it, he very much likes the way the braids look with his hair now. He wonders idly if his father is rolling in his grave, smirking as he imagines the uproar if he had let Blaise do this for him during their Hogwarts years.
The snap of the rubber band calls his attention as he feels Zabini step away from him. He inspects the other side where a new braid has been completed, identical in style. Draco can see the white skin of his scalp in the parting going down the middle of his head. He turns in his stool to face Blaise completely, swishing his head to the side with a grin.
“What do you think? I like it.” he says proudly looking back into the mirror.
“You look utterly ridiculous mate. The style doesn't suit you at all.” The tall dark man tells him before turning to round the long couch in the middle of the living room. “What do you think of Uncle Draco’s hair, Adan?”
Draco watches Blaise bend down to scoop up his son from where he had been rolling around with plush snakes charmed to slither along the floor. He brings the boy closer so he can inspect Draco’s hair, reaching a chubby hand out to feel his braids. Upon touching Draco's hair, Adan reaches up to fist his own tight curls looking at his father inquisitively.
“We can do yours later. Do you like Draco’s?” Blaise asks his son as he smooths his hair back attempting to tuck the loose strands into his ponytail.
Adan nods and with a kiss to his forehead Blaise sets him down. Draco watches as he hurries back to the living room where the snakes roam. Watching as he attempts to round them up, bringing them back to where the two men stand placing them at their feet so he can play closer to his father.
Draco smiles as the boy places a snake in between Blaise’s feet in hopes they slither over his shoes. When they do he giggles, looking up with striking green eyes at Draco. He is always in awe of how much Adan looks like Blaise already yet the only thing he's gotten from his mother were her Slytherin green eyes.
As if on cue, Pansy strolls through the front door arms filled with a paper bag of groceries and another arm carrying a giant canvas. Draco rushes over to free her hands, smiling at the horrified look she is giving him.
“Zabini, what in Godric’s name has Draco done to his hair?” She pushes the door closed with her boot as she takes off her coat, hanging it on the wall as she stares at Draco’s hair.
Blaise chuckles as he walks into the kitchen, turning the stove on to prepare tea and reaching for a glass as Pansy fetches a wine bottle placing a sweet kiss to her son's head.
“A little surprise for Granger.” He pours her a generous amount while he bends to give her a kiss on the cheek.
As he moves to step away however, Pansy grips him by the front of his shirt to pull him back down. The kiss she gives him is much more lewd, causing Draco to grimace as he watches Blaise bring a hand up to tangle in her short locks. He turns away quickly when they moan in unison, quickly grabbing Adan off the floor and clutching the boy to his chest.
“Will you two please consider the baby?” He picks a snake off the floor as he walks over to the couches, plopping down as Adan makes himself comfortable in his lap.
He can hear the two move around the kitchen as they prepare tea and speak in soft voices. Draco holds up the snake by the tail and lets the soft head brush against Adans face as it moves in the air, causing a shriek of laughter as small hands bat the toy away. Pansy appears in front of them holding a champagne flute half filled with pumpkin juice, charmed to not spill. Adan takes it from his mum's hands and lays back against Draco's chest as he drinks.
“So what is this surprise you have for Granger?” Pansy settles herself next to them as she watches Adan adoringly, reaching out to hold his tiny foot in her hand.
“I just wanted to learn something that I could use later.” Draco replies, rubbing Adans other chubby foot in his hand. “She mentioned the other day that she hopes the baby inherits my hair and not hers. I just want to show her I'm prepared if and when they arrive.”
“That's very sweet of you Draco.” Pansy gives him a small smile, a blush warming his cheeks.
He fidgets and readjusts the boy in his lap so he lays against his arm, fully facing his mother next to them now. He is unused to others knowing how wrapped around her finger Hermione has him. So much so that he has decided to learn how to properly braid hair in hopes that he can surprise her when their daughter arrives.
Hermione had always been at war with her mane. From her Hogwarts days when chasing after her two best friends had her curls in tangles to Potions class adding frizz to the already thick mass. Years later, after her friendship with Pansy was formed, she was introduced to products that could easily tame it all, in ways her hair charms couldn't. However Hermione Granger was a busy woman and it was often Draco reminding her to take care of it before she left the house in the mornings. On nights when she would come home tired and ready for bed, he would gently detangle her curls and assist her in washing it before adding the products Pansy had given her, sending her to bed relaxed and without her own frustration at having to deal with it herself.
Draco didn't mind, while combing through her hair he would often remember their school days growing up and all the ways he would insult her and take aim at the “birds nest” as he had called it then. Smiling at the reminder that while his insults had seemingly been to hurt her feelings, he knew now, years later, it was his attempt at convincing himself he in fact didn't want to run his fingers through her curls, much like he was able to do now.
Other days he watched her contemplate chopping her curls off to a style much like Pansy’s or even Ginny's shaved head during Quidditch season, fighting with the voice in the back of his mind telling him he is part of the reason she's so self conscious about her hair. That it was him who had insulted her enough in their adolescence that now as a grown woman she cannot let go of the insecurities his bullying had ingrained in her. Although he believes over the years since their relationship has started she's become more secure in who she is. Her friends have helped in that regard as well. He made and continues to make the effort of helping her see herself how he does in hopes she’ll one day understand.
Blaise joins them in the living room handing him a mug of tea as he settles himself in the wingback chair across from them.
“I think it's your turn to practice now, Malfoy.” He suggests as he waves his hand, wandlessly calling for the brush and hair ties they've been using earlier. “Pansy wants to grow her hair out so I’m sure she's willing to let you try on her.”
Pansy reaches for her wand, waving it above her head in a flourish. Immediately her short dark locks begin to grow, stopping just about to the middle of her waist. She settles herself on the floor in between Dracos legs, reaching back to grab Adan and his toy snake from him.
“It’s not permanent, only lasts a couple of hours but it gives me a chance to try out hairstyles before I decide to actually grow it.” Pansy says over her shoulder as Adan opts for her wand instead of the snake, beginning to chew on the tip. “But for now you can practice your braiding.”
Draco sits up fully and begins to brush Pansy’s hair as she begins to tell her husband of the day she had at her art studio. Draco zones out and devotes himself to remembering the directions Blaise had told him when he did his braids earlier. The trio spend the afternoon this way, chatting idly as Adan attempts to give his own input into their conversations as best as a one year old can. Occasionally Blaise helps Draco with the numerous braids he has done in Pansy’s hair, grabbing a segment himself to assist Draco when he knots her hair on accident.
By the end of the night, Pansy has about twenty braids in different styles around her head. Draco feels confident enough to show what he’s learned and so with a kiss on the nose to a sleeping Adan and his goodbyes to his friends he takes his leave through their fireplace.
It is about 9pm when he walks through the floo of his and Hermione’s home. She is known to work late so he isn’t expecting her to be home when he arrives, however he notices her coat hung by the door and her purse on the side table. He smiles as he walks into the kitchen setting up a pot of tea before he takes the mugs down the hall to their bedroom.
He expects to see her in bed already showered and waiting for him yet when he nudges the door open the bed is still made exactly how he had left it this morning. He can hear the water running in the bath, realizing she probably has just arrived a few minutes before him.
“Granger.” He calls out with a soft knock to the bathroom door as to not startle her at his arrival.
He lets himself in after a moment, meeting her eye in the mirror across from where he stands in the doorway. She is stark naked wearing only a white face mask as she smiles at him without turning around.
“Hi Draco.” She says shyly and his heart warms in the way it usually does when he hasn’t heard her voice all day.
He takes three strides into their bathroom, placing his hands on her hips as he kisses her neck, avoiding rubbing against any of her face product. He kisses behind her ear, inhaling her scent, letting the smell of fresh roses invade him.
After a moment he peers at her in the mirror, a soft chuckle escaping him at the sight. To anyone else, if you were to walk up behind Hermione you wouldn’t notice it right away, even if she stood in front of you, albeit fully dressed, oftentimes it was hard to tell. However, seeing her nude now Draco can’t help but chuckle at her rounded belly, something he is unused to seeing even twenty six weeks along.
He lets his hand slide from her hips up to rub along her stomach as she continues to apply the face mask. He kisses her shoulder as he watches his own pale hands in the mirror caress her glowing skin. It is a wonder to him how pregnancy has made her even more beautiful. Thinking there was no way she could be more stunning in his eyes, nonetheless Hermione has proved him wrong every day since they performed the pregnancy detection charm in this very bathroom six months ago.
Hermione lets him stroke her skin in silence as she finishes up. She places her hands over his, turning her head to kiss his cheek as she begins to turn in his arms. Running her hands along his shoulders as he begins to stroke along her spine playing with the tips of her curls.
“I’m going to take a bath, will you wash my hair again?” She asks quietly, placing a kiss to his shirt where his heart is. She knows she doesn’t have to, that he’d do it without her questioning but she sometimes feels guilty for how much more he takes care of her now in her pregnancy.
“Of course.” With a kiss to her head, he moves to check the water temperature, nodding when he cools it down enough for her.
He discards his shoes and begins to unbutton his shirt as he watches her step in grinning at the look of contentment as she submerges herself beneath the warm water. Once he’s as naked as she is, he steps in behind her, sinking down so that she is seated between his legs and can rest against his chest. He begins to pour water over her hair, careful to not get any on her face where her face mask is still set.
“How was Blaise’s?” She asks idly as she floats their tea over from the counter where he’d left them.
“Fine. Adan liked the snakes we got him. Won’t let them out of his sight.” He tells her as he squeezes grapefruit scented shampoo into her hair.
“Did he say anything about the portraits?” She asks in a voice just barely a moan as he begins to massage her head.
“Pansy had to buy a bigger canvas. He thinks it’ll be better on a larger scale.”
They have commissioned Blaise and Pansy to paint their portraits when the baby arrives. One of each of them and then another of all three of them together. Hermione wanted to hire them before they got too busy as the two artists have been picking up commission work more often since their most recent art show gained popularity. That and taking care of their son Adan meant their schedules would be packed by the time the baby arrived.
“We have a check up with the healer next week.” She reminds him as she reaches for soap.
He hums in acknowledgment as he rinses her hair, debating with himself if he should show her what he’s spent the day learning. He conditions her hair, running a wide tooth comb to detangle the strands. She has to sit forward a bit for him to run the comb completely through her hair. When dry, her chestnut curls reach to the middle of her back, however when wet they reach her waist. He finishes with her hair and helps her wash the rest of her body, lifting her out the tub to rinse her face off and apply her nightly face routine as he finishes in the bath, releasing his hair from their braids.
When he’s done she is just about to begin on her damp hair, he can see the furrow of her brow as she debates with herself on if she is better off leaving it to dry on its own. Draco hides his smiles as he towels off, wrapping the towel around his waist before making his way over to her.
Taking the comb from her hands he kisses her shoulder. “Let me.”
She nods as she wraps the towel around herself tighter, pouting as her belly peeks out from between the slit. He navigates her to their bed, letting her get comfortable with pillows as he rounds up the curl protection serum and a hair band.
When he returns he sits behind where she waits with a book in her lap. He immediately begins to comb her hair, separating it into three segments. She is used to his interest in wanting to do her hair in the morning and after a shower. When she feels him dividing her hair up she pauses, looking over her shoulder questionly.
“What are you doing?” She asks him as she tries to turn her whole body.
He nudges her to face forward as he continues to brush. “I’m doing your hair Granger. Stop moving.”
“Are you.. are you going to braid my hair?” Her voice is raised with disbelief. He smiles as he watches his own hands begin to plait her hair.
“Maybe. Blaise taught me a few things.” He mumbles softly to her, unsure of how she’ll take his new skill. Wondering if she even noticed his hair when he walked in.
It’s silent for a moment, the only sound is their breathing and the rustling of his hands as he continues to braid.
“Thank you.” It’s whispered to him and he knows if he were to lean over her shoulder he’d see tears in her eyes, her emotions getting the best of her.
“I just want to be useful when she arrives.” He whispers just as softly, the admittance exposing an insecurity. “Malfoys always had boys so it was never really something I thought about before. Not that I thought about children in general after.. you know. After everything. I just didn’t see that for myself, never thought I’d have children with anyone.”
He takes a deep breath, willing his voice to find steady ground as he untangles a knot with his fingers.
“Never thought I’d have children with you.” He swallows hard. “Hermione Granger giving Draco Malfoy a daughter.” He scoffs with a shake of his head. “Unbelievable.”
He finishes the braid and ties it off. Running his hands along, feeling the bumps where he knows his shaking hands had caused him to mess up. Hermione, realizing he is done, sets her book aside, and turns in his lap, both still in their bath towels. Her cheeks are wet with tears and she reaches up to wipe at his, he hasn’t realized when his own had spilled over.
“Thank you.” She says quietly with a small smile, intertwining their fingers together. “For learning that. For letting me be the one you start a family with.”
He shakes his head.
“I should be thanking you Hermione.” He brings their joined hands up to press a kiss to hers. “I get to have a family with you and I can never thank you enough for that. For letting me be a father. For letting me be the one you start this part of your life with.”
She smiles as she arranges herself to lay next to him. He places a pillow between her legs before laying back with her. She vanishes their towels leaving them nude against the bed sheets. Draco leans down to place a kiss against the swell of her belly, kissing a path up between her breasts to her neck until he places a last lingering kiss to her lips.
“I’m so excited to have this with you Draco Malfoy.” Her sigh of contentment flowing over him, their noses brushing.
“I love you Hermione Granger.” He whispers back, settling himself closer to her so he can feel her bellybutton against his.
He pulls the sheets over them as they lay in silence. Their breaths sync up as the minutes pass. Right before he tumbles over into dreams he hears her speak.
“What was that?” He mumbles heavy eyelids refusing to open again.
“I said the braids don’t suit you.” She mumbles back causing a laugh to burst out of him.
“Blaise said the same thing.” He smiles, eyes still closed.
“Hmm he’s always right. That’s why we’re making him Godfather.”
“No we aren’t.”
He feels her scoot closer to him, seeking his warmth.
“And here I thought you did everything in your power to make me happy.” She reaches to lay her hand on his neck, fingers skimming his damp hair.
“Everything but making Blaise the Godfather.”
She hums absently as her fingers slow their movements and he knows when she has fallen asleep. He kisses her one last time thinking and planning the many other things he could learn to do for Hermione and their daughter.