Chapter 8

Lucius felt as though he had rare occasion to smile lately. When he was with Hermione and Draco, he smiled most often. It was almost an unintentional reaction. The moment he stepped through the Floo, his lips twitched, a physical representation of the joy in his heart at having found himself so complete after a lifetime of feeling fractured.

When not at home, however, he knew his reputation for being strict and stiff was running away from him. At first, he'd maintained that façade in order to regain respect. It had worked too well, and respect had turned into fear. He didn't want that; that was what had happened before, and he'd vowed to never go down that road again. It was increasingly difficult to put any measure of effort into his work because all he wanted was to just leave, to just go home and see his wife and husband. He still did his job and well...better than anyone else on the Board, certainly. He would be up for chairman in the next year. The position would have lent power unlike any he'd personally known. It would have transported the Malfoy name from the mud for good. It would have opened doors for his family, his future children, and certainly himself.

And all he could think of how much he didn't want it.

He hadn't had to look far for incentive. Draco had as good as demanded he stay home. Lucius wanted to quit and Draco had given him an out. He would take it. He had put in his notice, such as it was, to Minister Shacklebolt already, and he'd begun the training of his replacement the week before. If he brought his work home with him for about a week, he could be completely free of the Ministry's clutches in less than ten days.

There was a drawback: for those days, he would likely not see much of Hermione or Draco. The thought tugged at his heart...how had he gotten along without them, truly? The truth was that he hadn't. He'd merely lived in someone else's shadow, borrowing glory in the naïve hope that it would one day belong to him. He thanked Merlin every day that he had not damaged Draco beyond repair with his decisions. That Draco had forgiven him was an additional boon that he hardly felt he deserved.

Alas, he wasn't retired yet; the weekends were still his. He stretched leisurely, careful not to jostle Draco beside him. Ever since Lucius and Draco had made love for the first time, Draco had taken to sleeping in the middle of their wide bed. Hermione didn't seem to mind...she'd only rolled her eyes the first time he'd switched places with her, winking at Lucius in that conspiratorial way of hers.

"Go back to sleep," Draco mumbled, face buried in his pillow. Hermione was draped artfully over his back, her head resting between his shoulder blades.

Instead of heeding Draco's demand, Lucius petted his son's pale hair, and then Hermione's thick brown strands. She shifted slightly but didn't awaken. A warmth began inside him as he realised that once he retired, every morning could be like this, full of lazy awakenings and warm, sleepy kisses.

Lucius kissed Hermione's cheek and then Draco's. He couldn't help it...he wanted them awake. He felt like he never saw them, and certainly not in the mornings. Even on weekends he often worked, never allowing himself the simple pleasure of sleeping in, but he was determined to that day.

"Lucius," Hermione said around a yawn. She pried herself off Draco's back, her breasts bared as Lucius watched appreciatively.

Draco gave an unhappy grumble at the loss of warmth. He curled up against Lucius and promptly fell back asleep.

"Good morning, pet," Lucius said, reaching over Draco to caress Hermione's cheek.

She looked especially eager that morning, smiling at him and turning her head to kiss his palm. "I propose we stay in bed all day," she said, pressing herself against Draco's back and leaning over him to kiss Lucius, slowly and with some restraint.

Draco's eyes opened at that. He arched, rubbing against both of them in a most feline fashion. "I second that motion."

Lucius chuckled. "Motion passed."

There was something of a tangle of limbs as they arranged themselves more comfortably. Draco turned to face Hermione, and Lucius pressed himself against the heated, smooth skin of his son's back. Lucius watched as Hermione and Draco shared a rather secret smile. He narrowed his eyes, the Slytherin in him certain he wasn't getting the whole story. He decided it wasn't important, given that he and Draco also shared a secret: his plan to stay home. He truly hoped Hermione approved of that plan. He had to trust Draco in that regard.

Hermione made the most erotic noises as Draco slid within her. Lucius had noticed Draco being gentle with Hermione of late, and this time was no exception. On their sides, Draco could do little thrusting, and in fact, Hermione was doing much of the work, impaling herself down onto him with what little leverage she had.

Lucius spared a moment's jealousy for the fact that Hermione needed no real preparation, unlike Draco. Lucius shook his head minutely...it was impossible to compare the two. Draco was tighter, but Hermione was more... welcoming. Lucius was never afraid of hurting Hermione, but Draco wouldn't admit to discomfort, so Lucius had to be especially careful.

He prepared Draco almost lazily, enjoying watching Hermione's reactions to Draco's lovemaking, especially when Lucius grazed Draco's prostate, causing a chain reaction ending with Hermione crying out at being filled hard and fast.

Finally, deeming Draco ready, Lucius stilled him by gripping his hip. There was an air of anticipation, and when Lucius met Hermione's eyes, they were near feral with desire. Her eyes darted between his and Draco's as Lucius pressed forward, stopping only when his hips met Draco's arse. Then Hermione was kissing Draco harder than he'd ever seen, and Lucius watched, feeling delightfully voyeuristic as he thrust into Draco's tightness.

Hermione came first, shocking all of them, as she usually had to work harder for her climax. Lucius actually blushed a little at the thought that it was him fucking Draco that had brought her off so quickly. Her body went pliant, but her hips still ground against Draco's until he, too, cried out in orgasm.

Lucius hurried to finish, knowing how sensitive Draco became after coming. Draco's soft moans, half pained and half replete, combined with Hermione's appreciative murmurs and eager eyes, sent Lucius over the edge. His hand clamped down on Draco's hip at he emptied himself within him.

No one made a move to escape the tight circle of their embraces. Lucius' arm rested on Hermione's waist across Draco's, keeping them together.

Draco fell back asleep.

"I've missed you," Hermione whispered, reaching over Draco and carding her fingers through Lucius' tangled hair.

"It won't always be like this," he promised.

She smiled knowingly. "That's true."

Again, Lucius had the feeling that he should ask what she meant by that, but she distracted him by leaning over the resting body between them and kissing Lucius.

"You would think he hadn't gone to sleep at the same time as us last night," Lucius said fondly, tucking Draco's slightly damp hair behind his ear.

"He always did need the most attention, didn't he?" Hermione kissed Draco's cheek softly.

"I can hear you," Draco grouched, opening one eye to glare at Hermione.

"Did I say something untrue?" she teased.

"I don't know...did you?" Draco's voice held weight beyond the simple retort.

Lucius frowned as the conversation went from light to leaden with meaning.

Hermione looked at Draco for a long time before grinning and leaving the bed.

"Er..." Draco sat up, surprised, watching her leave. "She'll be back." He didn't sound exactly confident, but he was correct...a moment later, Hermione climbed back into the bed with two small packages. She handed one to Draco and one to Lucius, and then sat back with the visage of someone withholding great excitement.

Draco's reaction was startling...Lucius had been about to open his own curious package, but before Draco even lifted the lid, he exhaled sharply and stared at Hermione for a long moment. Again, feeling somewhat on the sidelines, Lucius just watched the interaction and tried to dissect its meaning.

"Open it, Lucius," Hermione said quietly, her face intent. She nodded to Draco, who turned to watch Lucius rather than open his own.

Feeling rather unprepared for what was obviously an important moment, Lucius opened the package.

Inside was a small green infant's sleeper. Lucius raised an eyebrow and unfolded the garment. On the chest in dark grey writing were the words, "My Daddies Love Me."

It took longer than he would ever admit to understand. He saw Draco holding a similar sleeper, in yellow, which read, "Daddies' Boy."

"I know yours is wishful thinking, Draco," Hermione said, her voice trembling. "But I got another one that says Girl, just in case."

"Hermione," Lucius said more sharply than he'd intended. His hand clenched on the sleeper.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered, a tremulous smile tugging at her lips. Her eyes shone. "We're going to have a baby."

Draco gave a rather unMalfoy-like whoop and pulled Hermione into his arms. "When did you find out?" he demanded.

"This morning, when I got up to pee. I tested on a whim, and it was positive."

"You're..." Lucius was having a hard time keeping up.

"Pregnant," she confirmed. "It's Draco's, technically, but it's really ours."

"But the preparations..." Lucius was certain he recalled discussing the contraceptive charm for himself to ascertain the first child was the heir. "How can you be certain?"

Draco looked sheepish and Lucius immediately realised what had happened. The plotting looks between the two, the tenderness Draco had shown Hermione lately...

"You planned this?" he asked. His eyes dropped back down to the cloth in his hand. Daddies. Oh, Merlin. He was going to be a father. "I'm going to be a father?"

"You are a father," Draco said, rolling his eyes. He released Hermione and they both moved closer to Lucius.

"Of course. Yes, of course. But I'm... you're pregnant?" And then it really hit him. "Draco, you're going to be a father!"

Draco cheered. "I'm going to be a dad! And you're going to be a mum!" He hugged Hermione again and she laughed through her tears.

Lucius hadn't realised she was crying. "Come here," he said thickly, and both his husband and his wife folded themselves into his arms. He had wanted this, oh, gods, for ages. But things had been so near to perfect lately, he hadn't realised he had room in his heart for more. The thought, the very idea, proved him wrong. There was so much room. So much.

"Are you angry?" Draco asked tentatively, a few moments later. He looked up at Lucius with achingly familiar wide, grey eyes. Would their son or daughter have the same eyes? Or Lucius' own more solid grey? Or Hermione's warm, knowing brown eyes?

"No," he said honestly. There was not even an iota of anger inside him. How could there be, with a child on the way? It was too perfect to even contemplate. "I'm so very pleased. ...And proud. ...And anxious. I hope you've been taking the folic acid potion," he said to Hermione, who rolled her eyes at Draco and smiled.

"I've done my research, count on that." She tilted her chin up as if challenging him to suggest otherwise.

"Of course," Lucius said, the ball of anxiety relaxing just a touch as he realised that no one would be as prepared as Hermione for pregnancy. "Why didn't you tell me you were ready? I would have..."

"Put a lot of pressure on her with your expectations?" Draco finished, though he softened his words with a kiss.

Sighing, Lucius knew Draco was right. He did tend to be overbearing about things like that, and having him hovering around every time Hermione went to the bathroom wouldn't have done any of them any good. "But from now on..."

"From now on," Hermione said in a stern voice, "You will be involved in every decision. We all will."

Lucius' chest felt swollen. He remembered all too clearly the way Narcissa had spoken of her pregnancy. He'd loved his wife, but the pregnancy had been a duty. Once Draco had been born, that was when everything had changed. He hadn't felt like this during the actual pregnancy, though; so attached to only an idea. He pulled Hermione close once more, wrapping his arm around Draco as well, who was pressed against his side.

If either of them noticed the shimmer of water in his eyes, they said nothing.

*

"Yes." "No." "Yes."

Hermione and Lucius turned to Draco. "What?" Hermione asked, frowning.

The Healer unobtrusively picked up a chart and pretended to look through it.

"I don't think we need to know. I think a surprise would be better."

"I've had enough surprises!" Hermione cried, making Lucius wince inwardly as he thought about his own surprise, his impending retirement.

"And I would like to prepare properly," Lucius added.

Draco looked implacable. "It's not like it could possibly be a bad surprise, Hermione. Boy or girl. There's no third option that you won't like." He turned to Lucius. "And you can easily prepare using gender-neutral colours. I don't want our boy wearing blue or our girl wearing pink, anyway! Green and purple are much more regal and appropriate and can both be worn by a boy or girl."

"You'd have a boy wear purple?" Hermione asked, sounding surprised.

"Of course. It's a lovely colour and looks amazing on pale Malfoy skin."

"I look horrible in purple," Hermione said, tilting her head to the side and looking into the middle distance as if picturing how their baby would look in purple.

"In any case," Lucius interrupted, catching the impatient glance the Healer sent him. "I wasn't referring to the child's clothing or the décor of the nursery. I would also like to prepare my will, as should you, Draco. A boy will inherit the estate, and a girl will inherit upon her marriage."

"Uh," Hermione said, her eyes wide. She sat up straight in her chair, obviously gearing up toward an epic fight.

"Misters Malfoy, Ms Granger, please," said the exasperated Healer, raising placating hands before herself. "Why not take a few days, talk it over. I know the sex, so you can just owl me when you know what you want to do."

"You can just tell me, then," Hermione said. She glared at her husbands, silently ordering them to leave.

Draco grabbed her arm. "No! All of us know, or none of us. Now, we heard that the baby is perfectly healthy, and that's all we really need to know."

"Fine," Hermione huffed, standing. She shook the Healer's hand, thanking her. Lucius and Draco did as well, and Hermione stormed off.

She couldn't have gone far, seeing that it wasn't recommended for expecting mothers to Apparate, and they found her in front of the Floo, about to throw powder in. They slowed their steps, relieved that she hadn't run out into Muggle London...and so they weren't close enough to stop her when she called out for the Burrow instead of Malfoy Manor.

"Oh, no," Draco said, eyes wide in horror.

"No, this is a good thing," Lucius said reassuringly. "She'll cool down and come back knowing that we were right. The Weasleys are pure-bloods, after all. They will explain how inheritance works."

Draco just shook his head at his father, pity writ across his strained features. "You have no idea what will happen. We're about the have the wrath of Harry Potter on our doorstep. He's almost as protective of her as we are."

The truth of Draco's words hit Lucius. "I don't understand what she is so upset about. This is the way things have been done since time immemorial."

"Maybe so, but Hermione's not the type to go along with something just because it's tradition...if she were, we wouldn't be together, would we? Change can't be all that bad if it brought the three of us together."

Lucius ushered Draco through the Floo, calling out for their manor, and then repeated the action for himself. Once in the parlour, Lucius immediately sat himself on the settee and gestured for Draco to sit with him. Taking his son's pale, slender hand in his own, he relished the ability to show such easy affection. There had been a time when he'd thought he'd never have a close relationship to his son. Perhaps Draco was right.

"What do you suggest?" he asked slowly, staring at the hearth as though Hermione would step through any minute.

"We don't have to change the world," Draco said. "Just our own ideas. So we'll simply switch things up a little. Female and male children will both inherit at the same age, regardless of marital status."

Lucius considered. It wasn't that much of a concession, really. When he thought about his potential future daughter marrying, his hackles went up, anyway. He would not want her to seek out an inferior husband just to inherit. "All right," he agreed. "I can accept that."

Draco grinned and stretched out, propping his feet in Lucius' lap and prodding his toes into Lucius' hands until Lucius gave in and began to lightly rub them. Draco gave a cat-like purr. "And what happens if our first child is a girl? We're going to face the same problem; Hermione won't want her daughter to not be able to inherit just because of her sex."

The whole thing was turning into an enormous hassle...not that Lucius regretted the fact that he had a child on the way. He'd simply never anticipated being married to a witch who would demand change.

"If the first child is female, she can inherit as long she keeps the Malfoy name, and her children do, as well," Lucius stated with the importance of someone delivering a decree.

"Are you sure? That goes against every custom I was raised to follow."

At this, Lucius sighed. Just the familiar way Draco talked and acted around Lucius, not to mention their intimate relationship, spoke of Lucius' willingness to forgo tradition in favour of happiness. "It will make Hermione happy, and perhaps it is time for the old ways to be reconsidered. I won't think of my children as pawns to sacrifice, or as chattel to be bartered." He gave Draco's foot a meaningful squeeze, and Draco smiled, leaning up for a soft kiss.

"You're an amazing father," Draco whispered, his grey eyes sincere.

Lucius nodded and looked away, struck by the power of the moment. Ever since Hermione had told them of her pregnancy, he seemed to be affected by her hormones...he was more emotional than a man of his status should be.

Just as he'd been about to make a flippant remark, the Floo lit green and Harry Potter stumbled through, wand drawn, his power no less intimidating for his ungraceful entrance.

"Hermione would like me to tell you that you are being barbaric, thoughtless, misogynistic and..." Harry trailed off, coughing and losing his hardened look for a moment.

Draco outright laughed at him, and Lucius stood to address him face to face.

"Sexist!" Hermione cried from the Floo before stepping through. She stood behind Harry, looking for all the world an Amazon, arms crossed over his chest, eyes narrowed and set on Lucius. To Harry, she hissed, "That was the most important one!"

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. Then he returned his glare to Lucius.

"Down, boy," Lucius said, easing the coldness of his words with a smile. "Draco and I have discussed the shortcomings of our traditions, and we've come to a conclusion."

Hermione nudged Harry, who said, "And?"

"And we will make it so marital status is not taken into consideration for inheritance. Children of either sex will inherit at seventeen."

With wide eyes, Hermione looked from Draco, who nodded and grinned, to Lucius, who simply held his back straight and waited for her...or Harry...to answer.

Standing on her tiptoes, Hermione whispered something to Harry. Harry then said, "And what happens if her baby is a girl?"

Draco chuckled, obviously remembering his prediction that she'd want an answer for that. "I knew it." But he offered an innocent smile when both Harry and Hermione's heads snapped toward him.

"Should our child be a girl, she can either take her husband's name in marriage and not inherit as the heir..." At this, Hermione half-turned to leave, but Harry grabbed her arm and held her as Lucius continued. "...Or she can either remain unmarried, or marry and keep the Malfoy name, and inherit the Manor and the title."

"Wow, Hermione, that's..." Harry began, but Hermione just closed her eyes.

"I know. More than I'd even hoped for." Giving Harry a quick hug, she guided him toward the Floo. They spoke in low tones for a moment, and self-deprecating smiles were exchanged. Harry called out his quick congratulations to Draco and Lucius. After he left, Hermione looked a little embarrassed.

"I'm surprised you let a man speak for you," Draco teased, raising an eyebrow.

Hermione toed the ground. She seemed afraid to come closer. "I just didn't want to say something I didn't mean." She took a deep breath. "Lucius, I can't thank you enough. I know your ways are the ways of old and all that, but I just want things to be fair. I'm so glad you do, too."

Lucius rolled his eyes and brought Hermione into his arms. "I've had a lot of help realising how change can be positive." He held out his hand to Draco, who took it, wrapping his other arm around Hermione's slight shoulders. "Next time, instead of running off, let's talk things through. I don't like the idea of the Weasleys all knowing our personal business."

"I only told Harry," Hermione said. "Er, and Ginny."

"So basically, they'll all know in a few hours," Draco clarified, shaking his head.

She nodded. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it. It's not good for the baby," Draco said, placing a protective hand over the non-existent bump of Hermione's belly.

Hermione gave a long-suffering groan, but let herself be tucked into a three-way embrace. "Thank you," she said, her voice muffled by Lucius' chest.

"Just get our baby to us safely, and we'll call it even," Lucius said, his lips brushing her temple.

"But really, a boy would be great," said Draco, crying out in mock hurt when Hermione swatted him.

Author's Note: Sorry for the mild lateness on this. I dragged my arse a bit in getting it to my betas. Speaking of, thanks, as always, go to Krystle Lynne and my anonymous friend for their hard work on this! I couldn't do it without either of you.