Work Text:
The door to Hermione's flat swung open violently, rattling as it hit the wall. She dove for her wand on the side table, her fingers brushing the edges of the wood as the effects of petrificus totalis hit her body.
The intruder, cloaked in a dark hood strode into her home leaning down next to her. He pocketed her wand, tsking from beneath his hood as he placed a portkey in her hand.
She saw a brief hint of steel grey eyes as she swirled into the power of the portkey.
~~~~~
Draco waltzed into the manor's formal library to see Adrian pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace. Draco rolled his eyes, the man worried for nothing, everything had gone according to plan.
"Is it done? Is she okay? Is she angry?"
Draco poured two glasses of fire whiskey, Ogden's finest of course, and handed one to his worried friend.
"Of course it's done, I wouldn't have come back if it wasn't." Draco relaxed into one of the wingback chairs. "First off, she's going to be pissed. Second, she's fine, completely unharmed as promised. And third, I suggest you hide this." He handed the witch's wand to Adrian. "Be glad she needs it to hex you."
Adrian took the wand and slid it into a holster beside his own. He knew this was drastic, but she wouldn't talk to him, and he needed her to talk to him.
"Zabini has the grounds warded, she won't be able to leave. Once you get there, you'll have 3 days, after that the wards will drop and she'll be able to leave. Zabini and Nott will be in the guest house on the other end of the grounds if you need them." Draco shot back the rest of his whiskey, "any blowback is on you. I hope you know what you're doing."
Adrian sighed, he wasn't going to give up, he loved her, he needed her to understand he had made a mistake and that he would do anything to fix it. He was a right ponce, always putting his foot in it, but he was going to make it right. Somehow.
"When does the other portkey activate?"
"Twenty minutes."
Adrian nodded. Long enough for the spell to wear off and for her to get her bearings. He would be walking into a lion's den of an angry woman and he knew it. He just didn't know any other way.
~~~~~
Hermione came to on an antique fainting couch, the blue brocade fabric was in remarkably good condition and not at all scratchy as she would have expected one to be. She rubbed her head, it would ache for a bit unfortunately. Hermione wanted to hex Malfoy, and she would, as soon as she determined where she was, found her wand, and got back home.
Oh she knew that he didn’t mean her any harm, he would not have been allowed into her flat if he had, the wards would have prevented that. That did not negate that she was going to hex him six ways from Sunday when next she saw him.
“Miss Granger, lovely to see you awake. Would you care for a drink in the solar?”
“Barnaby,” she nodded to him, “how have you been?”
“Well, Miss Granger, doing quite well.”
“Were you expecting me?” She could always trust Barnaby to tell her the truth, if what she suspected was true, this was set into motion by Adrian, and she was not in the mood to talk to him, let alone see him.”
“Indeed. Master Zabini told me to make arrangements to receive you, though I did not expect such an abrupt entrance.”
“So Adrian has not only roped Malfoy into whatever scheme he’s cooked up but Zabini too.” She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Who else has he dragged into this?”
“Master Nott is staying with Master Zabini at the east side of the estate.”
“Will Mr. Flint and Mr. Pucey be joining us?”
“I was only asked to prepare a suite for yourself and Master Pucey.”
“Thank you Barnaby, I will take that drink now.”
Barnaby nodded his head and straightened his butler’s coat, “this way please.”
~~~~~
On the Eastern side of the estate
Adrian stepped out of the floo, brushed the ash from his trousers and made for the whiskey tray near the window. Blaise met him halfway there and stopped him from grabbing a drink.
“Not today mate, you need to be sober, much more so than you are now.”
“Do you have a plan for how you are going to get her to even speak to you and not throw something at your head?” Theo asked from his spot on the sofa.
Blaise shoved a bottle of sober up potion into Adrian’s hand, “drink that. Now.” Adrian unstoppered the bottle and threw back the contents. “Theo’s right, you haven’t mentioned having a plan aside from getting Hermione here.”
Adrian slouched in the seat next to Theo and sighed. “I...I don’t have a plan.”
“She is going to throw a vase at your head.”
“Geeze, have a little faith, it’s not like I cheated on her.”
“No, you just ran out when she told you she was pregnant.”
“But I came back!” He screamed. “A bit too late it seemed as she’d locked me out of our flat.”
Theo put his feet up on the mahogany table, Blaise gave him a withering stare, which he ignored and sipped his drink. “You might have come back mate, but you should never have left in the first place.”
“Don’t you think I know that,” Adrian screamed, “I fucked up, which is why I need your help here.”
Blaise walked over to the fireplace and threw in a small bit of floo powder, “Barnaby,” he called.
Barnaby’s face appeared in the flames, “sir?”
“Please let Hermione know that Adrian will be joining her shortly.”
“Indeed, sir.”
“Why did you do that?” Adrian sounded whigny.
Blaise chuckled, “You didn’t think that I would let you be the only one prepared for these three days, did you? Hermione doesn’t deserve to be ambushed by you. Or any of us for that matter, and yet, here we are. I’m allowing her the luxury of knowing you are coming even if she can’t escape as it were.”
Theo clapped Adrian on the back and pushed him up to stand. “Time to get moving, so she can throw that vase at your head, mate.”
Adrian groaned as he grabbed a handful of floo powder and travelled to the primary manor house.
~~~~~~
Barnaby strolled into the solar where Hermione was sipping lemonade and reading a very large book. He cleared his throat to get her attention so as to not startle her. "Miss Hermione, Master Zabini said to tell you that Mr. Pucey is on his way."
Hermione resisted the temptation to roll her eyes and groan. "Thank you, Barnaby, I appreciate the heads up."
Just then the fireplace roared to life and Adrian stepped through. She was not prepared to see him, her heart skipped a beat and her stomach did this silly little flop it always did when he was near. She had to remind herself that she was mad at him, she couldn't forgive him that easily, and aside from that he had arranged her kidnapping.
"Hermione." His voice was low with a hint of trepidation and shyness that she hadn't heard from him since they first started seeing each other. He took a step towards her and she held up her hand, ready to leave the room if she needed. He stopped moving and hung his head. He knew this wouldn't be easy.
"Where are we?"
"Provence, the Zabini winery." His voice was flat, he was trying to hide his emotions.
"Provence. That's in France," She sounded puzzled, "I thought they were based in Italy."
"This is Blaise's personal venture."
"And just how long do you plan on keeping me trapped here?"
Adrian sighed, "you're not trapped," She glowered at him, "okay, so maybe you're a little trapped." His sighs were going to eat him alive from the inside out. "Three days." He sounded resigned.
"I'll be in my room then."
"Hermione. Please?"
"Please what, Adrian? Please don't leave like you did? Please listen, like you didn't? Please is just a word and it means nothing."
"Don't you think I know I messed up?"
"Seems to me you're still messing up. You kidnapped me, or rather had Malfoy do so and then had Zabini ward the estate to keep me from leaving, and I'm not even going to ask about my wand."
Adrian sunk into the wingback chair closest to the fireplace. "Our wands are with Blaise and Theo. We had Mags set up two separate rooms for each of us, I hold no delusion that you want to be in a room with me." He rubbed his hands over his eyes, "I needed to find a way to get you to talk to me, or at least listen to me."
"You walked out when I told you about the baby, you were pretty clear on how you felt."
"No!"
Hermione crossed her arms, her look saying everything.
"You're wrong Hermione. I know how much you hate to be wrong, but here, you are wrong."
"Then maybe I was wrong to kiss you first in fifth year, or to trust you with our lives during the war, or to trust you with my heart. I started this, but you ended it."
"No!"
"That seems to be your favourite word right now."
Adrian stood again, he stood tall and strong before her, shaking off any trepidation he had entered with. He walked towards her, causing her to rise from her seat and back towards the door. He continued to approach her, his strides long and sure. Her back hit the door, but her hand couldn't find the knob to open it. Adrian boxed her in, his thighs leaning into hers, his hands on the wood of the door next to her head. Hermione felt her breath hitch in her chest.
"Hermione Jean Granger, I am in love with you, I have been in love with you for years, and I am not running out on you or our child. This is fact, and I don't care how long it takes to get you to understand this. We may only have three days right now, but I intend to make use of each and every minute of that time." He leaned in so his mouth brushed her ear, he felt her shiver, "throw whatever you want at me, but you're mine, now and forever."
Hermione closed her eyes, trying to focus on her breathing and not his closeness. The uncertain Adrian that had entered was not the Adrian that held her now. This was the man she fell in love with, the one that had protected her and her friends, betrayed his own father for her, and loved her with everything he was and is. She didn't so much as feel him step away from her, but felt the loss of his heat.
"MAGS!" Hermione hollered and moments later a tiny house elf popped into view. "Will you show me to my room please?" She needed to get her bearings and the only way she could do that was by getting away from Adrian. He had set heat coursing through her body and she wasn't going to give in to passion. Her rational and logical brain would handle this, not her heart or her sex.
Mags took Hermione's hand and popped out of the room.
~~~~~
She hadn't thrown anything at him, that was definitely a start. She was absolutely still mad at him, but he could tell that she wasn't unphased by him also. He had spent far too much time being worried and anxious.
When she had told him she was pregnant he was completely thrown off guard and didn't know how to react. He had been a gauntlet of emotions and instead of staying and talking to her he left without a word. By the time he had returned to the flat, she had changed the wards to keep him out and wouldn't take his owls or floo calls. She wouldn't take a meeting with him at her office. The only message she would give the guys was 'fuck off', and that had hurt him. Adrian realised he probably deserved that hurt, knowing that his actions had hurt her as well.
Now that they were here, he was going to show her with his actions that he meant what he said. He wanted her in his life, for now and always. He knew that the first time she had leaned up and kissed him in the Hogwarts library her fifth year.
"Barnaby," Adrian called the butler.
Barnaby stepped lightly into the room and inclined his head.
"Please inform the kitchen staff to prepare a meal from the list that I sent over last week. Preferably the alfredo lasagna."
"Indeed sir. Would you like me to have Mags show you to your room as well?"
"No," he shook his head, "I know the way."
"Very good sir." Barnaby nodded once more and left the room.
Most Wizarding families that Adrian knew had only house elves for staff, but the Zabinis were different, they employed squibs and other magically challenged wizards and witches like Barnaby. Whom had worked for the Zabini family for nearly fifty years. Adrian had never seen a household run more smoothly than that under the leadership of Barnaby.
~~~~~
Hermione paced her room, there was so much for her to think about, especially being in close quarters with Adrian for the next three days. Though, how close of quarters could it be considered in a 20 bedroom manor? She was sure that she could probably avoid him for the 3 days, but honestly that wouldn’t resolve anything.
She flopped back on the bed. Which was really comfortable. Hermione scooted back towards the head of the bed and lay in the nest of pillows. A nap wouldn’t go amiss here.
Hermione laid her hand on her growing belly and relaxed into feeling her baby move. This was an experience that she had hoped to share with Adrian. Wanted to share with him.
Three hours later
Hermione slowly opened her eyes, the light in the room had dimmed, she realised that she took that nap and felt better for it. Not quite on edge at least.
“Mags.”
The little house elf popped in nearly silently. “Missy Hermione.”
“Can you ask the kitchens to prepare some dinner for me?”
Mags wrung her tea towel.
“What is it Mags?”
“I cannot tell the kitchens, Missy Hermione. They have dinner waiting already.”
“Adrian.” Hermione grumbled under her breath. She smiled at Mags, it wasn’t her fault that that infernal man was in everything. “It’s okay Mags, what did the kitchens make for us this evening?”
“Master Pucey requested an alfredo lasagna.”
Her mouth watered at the thought, alfredo lasagna was one of her favourites. “Does it happen to have chicken and spinach in it?” Mags nodded her head. “You may return to Master Pucey and let him know I will be down in half an hour.” Mags popped out, presumably to the kitchens or to Adrian.
Hermione ventured into the walk-in closet and found it full of clothes, just her size as it were. Not exactly her normal style, but comfortable nonetheless. She chose a light cotton knit blue sundress with sunflowers circling the bottom. Picking up a pale blue shawl, she wrapped it around her shoulders in comparison to the dress. Crinkling her nose at the clash of blues she hung it back up. Deciding that perhaps a tan would go better she pulled it off the hanger and compared it to the dress. Yes, that is much better.
She took the clothes and hung them up next to the towel rack so she could grab a quick shower. Preferably she would relax into a bath, but that would take longer than thirty minutes and Hermione was really looking forward to some alfredo lasagna. She inwardly cursed Adrian and his knowledge of her.
Hermione took her time under the spray to let the hot water relax her muscles and clear her mind. She needed to have her wits about her to face Adrian tonight. Her heart was still vulnerable to him and she wanted to be sure before she trusted him again.
~~~~~~
Adrian stood in the formal dining room facing the fireplace, there was no fire going, it might be easier to concentrate if he had something other than blackened bricks to look at. At the moment he regretted leaving his wand with Blaise and Theo, at least then he’d be able to start a damn fire.
He really hadn’t thought this whole plan through. He couldn’t even be sure that Hermione would come down for dinner. The only thing in the world that he wanted was to be back with her, to build their life together, raise their baby. Together!
Adrian slammed his hand into the mantle, the marble edge slicing the side of his hand. He remained oblivious to the cut and the blood slowly dripped onto the floor. How could he have been so stupid?
“Adrian?” Hermione’s voice stopped him from punching his hand into mantle a second time.
He turned to face her, but didn’t get a chance to say anything as she rushed towards him. Hermione grasped his hand and pulled the shawl off her shoulders quickly wrapping the end of it around his hand to stem the flow of blood. Hermione held the shawl on his hand with her left while smacking him repeatedly in the shoulder with her right. “What. Were. You. Thinking?! You idiot!”
Adrian grinned and shrugged, “I missed your doctoring.”
Hermione glared at him and resisted the urge to smack his arm again. Instead, she held onto his injured hand and whispered a healing spell. Adrian felt a tingle of magic along the cut and realised that if Hermione didn’t want to be here or really wanted to hex him, she could have done so from the very beginning.
“We’ve been together for six years, how did I not know that you could do wandless magic?”
Hermione’s lip quirked in a half smile, “never seemed important.”
“Could you get past Blaise’s wards if you wanted to?”
Hermione contemplated her answer for a moment as she unwrapped Adrian’s hand and placed her shawl on the chair. “When we were on the run looking for the horcruxes, times you couldn’t hide us, I had to set up more complex wards than this to hide from the Snatchers.”
Adrian grabbed her hand when she made to move away from him. “Hermione,” his voice was plaintive.
She didn’t look at him, but answered his question anyway, “yes, Adrian. I could have left before you ever got here. I could have hexed you the moment you walked into the room. I didn’t,” she hesitated, “I didn’t because I wanted to see what you would do. I wanted,” she sighed again, “I wanted you to fight for me, the way I would fight for you.”
Adrian grabbed her around the waist with his free hand and pulled her in close to him. He claimed her mouth with his. It took less than a second for her to succumb to his embrace and kiss him back. Adrian walked her back into the wall, lifting her up so her back was braced on the wall and her legs wrapped around his waist. Hermione braced one hand on his shoulder and the other around his neck, pulling him in.
He leaned his forehead against hers, taking a breath, “come with me.”
Hermione cupped his face in her hands and smiled at him. “You have me against a wall with my legs wrapped around you and you want to go somewhere else?” She kissed him gently at first and then with more fervor.
“Tomorrow works too.” He smiled, so wide that he thought he might break his face, if such a thing was possible. “Tighten your grip.” Hermione giggled, locked her ankles behind his back and her hands around his neck.
Adrian carried her out of the room and up the stairs. Stopping every few feet to kiss her like there was no tomorrow. “I’ve missed this, missed you.”
“At least you finally came to your senses.” Hermione laughed, kissing him again.
Adrian pulled back and cocked a grin at her, “Me? Are you sure it isn’t you that needed to come to yours?”
“Don’t be daft, of course it was you. Now, take me to bed.”
“As the lady wishes.”
~~~~~
In the glistening light of dawn Adrian propped himself up on one elbow watching Hermione sleep. His eyes trailed to her growing stomach, his fingers lightly traced the outside of her growing bump. He was rewarded with feeling a light flutter, like butterfly wings under his fingers.
To think that he’d nearly missed out on this, this new life, with the woman he loved more than anything. They’d talked in between bouts of love making, which was more like manic sexcapades. He understood how his walking out had hurt her and why. Knew that there were better ways to handle things. He silently chuckled, it was the differences in their houses as much as their personalities. Mistakes that he would not make again. She assured him that he would make new mistakes, they both would, but talking it out was what mattered.
Adrian leaned in and gently kissed her belly. Her hand brushed through his hair. He turned his face to look at her, his cheek still resting against her belly. Hermione smiled at him, a genuine, heartfelt smile that warmed him from the inside out.
“As much as I love seeing you like this,” his fingers trailed down her leg and back again, “I would like to take you somewhere.” He kissed his way up from her belly to her lips.
“If you want,” kiss , “to go”, kiss , “out,” kiss , “then we,” kiss , “ADRIAN!” Hermione laughed, holding his head in her hands. “Stop kissing me if you want to get out of this bed.”
“I’m not sure if I want to let you out of this bed or not.” He kissed her more thoroughly this time. “Took me long enough to get you back into this bed.”
Hermione squirmed out from under him and made her way to the window. Adrian lay in the bed and appreciated her naked form, though he didn’t want anyone else to see her naked body.
“Luv, do please put on some clothes.”
Hermione laughed long and hard, “first you want me naked in your bed, now you want me to put clothes on. Please decide.”
“I don’t want others seeing you naked.”
Hermione spun in a circle in front of the open window, arms splayed out and hair wild. “Who do you think is going to see?”
Adrian rose from the bed and stood between her and the window. “Well let’s see, the manor has house elves, Barnaby, and Theo and Blaise are on the other side of the estate.”
“You’re worried about people that are nowhere near this window or can see into this window.”
“I told you long ago that I don’t share, and this,” he gestured to the window, “is you sharing.”
“Well, I suppose that I will just hide away for you.”
“Hermione,” Adrian grabbed her hand, “that’s not what I meant.” He sighed, “words and I are not on the best of terms.”
“I can tell.” She kissed him on the cheek, “shall we dress then.”
She hadn’t forgiven him completely, or perhaps, maybe, she wasn’t ready to fully trust him. It saddened him to know that he had broken her trust in him. He knew that trust, once broken, was hard to regain.
~~~~~
Of all the places that Adrian could take her, the vineyard fields were not what she expected. For that matter, the vineyard fields themselves was not at all what she expected.
"Why are we here?"
"I wanted you to see what we make here. That I can make something good, not just mess things up."
"Adrian," Hermione grasped his hand, "I know you can make good things." She brought his hand to her belly, "our baby is a wonderful thing, and they wouldn't exist without you."
"I love you, Hermione."
"I know." She kissed his cheek. "Now, will you please explain these fields to me?"
Adrian grinned from ear to ear, these fields were his idea. "The winery may be Blaise's venture, but each of us have pitched in in some way." Adrian took her hand and walked her between two rows of vines, "there are plenty of wineries who do grapes, or blackberries, but very few that make a mixed berry wine. I thought that if you mixed blackberry and raspberry it would keep it from being too sweet or too tart. And I was right. The wine gets this amazing balance."
Hermione watched as Adrian got more and more animated as he spoke. He truly had a passion for this. Hermione picked an oddly coloured berry that seemed to be a mix of both raspberry and blackberry. Popping the berry in her mouth, the taste was a sweet explosion with just a hint of tartness in the after taste. She picked another berry and held it up, "how did you do this?"
"The hybrid?" He picked a few berries and held them in his hand. "By mixing the vines, we get not only the original berries but also a hybrid berry that takes on the characteristics of both. The best part is, that in a few more years, we will have fields that are just the hybrid berries and can start creating a new wine from those. Granted it will still be a mixed berry wine, but also a standalone."
"Do you have a name for this new berry?"
"Not yet. We do have a herbologist that's been helping to see to the health of the fields and the growth of the hybrid." The grin on his face told her that there was something else to that.
"Well, don't make me wait."
"Neville Longbottom." He said it so proudly.
She jumped to hug him. Neville was the best herbologist she knew since Professor Sprout. "Neville must be thrilled to be involved."
"Neville is an amazing herbologist, he helped bring my vision to life."
Looking at the vines and their hearty berries, she could imagine that Neville had been quite diligent in tending to the plants with Adrian and the guys.
Adrian pulled Hermione into his arms, "if you weren't pregnant, I would have you try our wine."
"Oh yes, you did fantastic bringing a pregnant woman to a winery." Her voice was full of mirth and sarcasm.
Adrian wanted to smack himself, he really didn't think this through.
"It's okay, honest. I love that you wanted to share this with me. And truly, a small taste is not going to affect the baby." She would have sworn that he gave the briefest squeal of excitement. Something that was very anathema to the strong Slytherin male persona that he had taken years to cultivate.
"We have some back at the house. We can have it with that alfredo lasagna we didn't eat last night."
Hermione's mouth watered at the thought of that lasagna. Merlin, she wanted it. "Yes, please."
~~~~~
Six months later
Hermione held their one month old son while Adrian talked animatedly with Neville, Blaise, and Theo about the mixed berry field. They guys were apparently extremely excited that the new plants had already taken root in the secondary field and their first harvest next spring should be well worth the effort they've put in.
"We should get married in the vineyard."
The men all stopped talking and looked at her.
"What?" Adrian questioned.
"Did I stutter?" Hermione put Niko in his swing.
"We hadn't even talked about marriage."
"Well, if you don't want to marry me, just say so. I figured after six years you'd jump on this. But okay, Niko and I can move out."
Adrian gripped her around the waist, "hell no! You and Niko are my family, and I'll be damned if I lose you again." Adrian turned his head towards Blaise, "you best have this place in tip top shape come spring. What my woman wants, my woman gets."
Hermione laughed, six months ago she wasn't sure that they would be a family. But here they were and she couldn't be happier.