In Greek mythology, Aphrodite was the goddess of beauty, love, and fertility. Together with Eros, the god of war, she became the mother of Harmonia, the diety of peace; warrior twins Phobos and Deimos; and Eros, the god of love.

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a n g e l

Rutherford was a stout, polished man with opal-white hair and a brushy moustache to match. His pinstripe shirt barely held his overflowing belly in, and he always had on the same long black coat. He strutted about our street every day, puffing at a thick cigar that never seemed to burn out. Up, down. Up, down.

He was polite and just friendly enough, but kept a haughty air that many Ministry old-timers had. On the weekends, I would invite him to sit in our garden, where he could stretch out his legs and read the papers for a bit. While he did not seem particularly nimble or strong, his keen blue eyes saw everything, taking notice of even the slightest change.

Your daffodils have begun sprouting, he told me when the sprouts were still barely visible through the thick layer of soil. There's a crack on this pipe, he observed another time. It wasn't there yesterday.

It was admittedly unnerving, having someone constantly hovering around like that. His presence was a reminder that there were Death Eaters out there who might possibly want to hurt us. But it also meant that should something happen, the Ministry would be alerted at once.

But nothing would happen. Voldemort was dead. I had given my life in exchange for Draco's, but by some divine hand, I was spared. I wouldn't have to do it again.

I tried to carry on my life as normally as I could. I went to work, I was never late. I filed papers and ran around departments delivering messages and documents. I had lunch with Lorcan, Hermoine, and Codrus. It was always a struggle to keep my food down, especially after riding the erratic lifts, but I never let on.

The only thing that changed was that I stopped joining them on the weekends for drinks down at the Dragon's Horn. This made Draco happy, of course. He could spend more time with me.

Hannah and Susan began to come around more, often bearing freshly-picked berries and specially-brewed potions for pregnancies.

"When are you going to tell him?" Susan sighed as she watched me down another vial. This one was for healthy fetal heart development. It tasted like how I would imagine animal innards to taste like.

"Maybe when the baby is born," I joked. They didn't laugh. In fact, they were frowning.

"Angel, is there a reason why you don't want to tell him?" asked Hannah, blue eyes blazing with concern.

I touched my stomach. It just looked like I have had too much to eat. "If I tell you guys something, will you promise not to tell anyone?"

"Of course," Hannah said.

"Promise me you won't think different of me."

"Angel, what is it?"

"This baby... I don't want it."

Their mouths gaped open in unison. Draco and I were so in love. Why would we not want to start a family together?

"I don't want him to have another excuse to shut me in," I answered their unspoken question. "I'm tired of being with him all the time. I feel like I can't breathe. This... it will only make things worse. I don't think I would be able to bear it."

They stared at me for a while. Susan took my arm. "I know a spell."

"A spell?"

"It will be like it never happened."

"Tell me."

She whispered it to us. The words were twisted and ugly, a foul medicine on the tongue. It was dark magic, words uttered in dingy alleyways in the back of illegal shops, or in bathrooms alone.

"It will hurt. A lot. Think before you use it. And, for what it's worth," - she shifted closer to me and lowered her voice - "Draco loves you. I know it's difficult to see it sometimes, and we may not like him much, but he does. Just because you can't see the stars on cloudy nights doesn't mean they aren't there, does it?"

"Maybe," I said. "I'll think about it."

"It's not our place to tell you to keep it or not, but I really hope you do," said Hannah. "I'm no expert on these things, but you know, something tells me Draco would be a great father."

"Where is this coming from?" I laughed. "I thought you both hated him!"

"He's an oaf, but we know a good heart when we see one. Weren't you the one who taught us that?" she winked.

I couldn't stop looking at my stomach. Somewhere deep within, I felt it - the life growing inside, the ghost of a heartbeat that did not yet exist. "Do you really think Draco will be happy?"

"You won't know if you don't tell him, love."

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I pondered their words for days. I constantly leapt from bed in the middle of the night to throw up, and I garnered a distaste for even my favourite Fizzing Whizzbees.

Part of me hoped Draco would notice my now slightly-distended belly, so he could suggest it himself and I wouldn't have to be the first to tell him. But he just thought me sickly, and each time he stroked my back, his winter-grey eyes wide with worry, my tongue knotted to conceal the truth.

At work, people began to wonder why I was becoming sluggish and using the bathroom so often. The secret was a heavy burden to carry under the scrutinising eyes of Madam Faulkner and my lunch mates.

It was one of these days when Codrus and I stood outside the public toilets, waiting for Draco, when he turned to me urgently.

"What's going on with you?" he asked.

"Nothing!" I sputtered immediately, almost too soon. "I'm perfectly fine, Codrus."

"You didn't want your crisps at lunch. You always eat your crisps. Tell me what's wrong."

I looked up at him. He was almost an entire foot taller than me, and his cologne tickled my nose. The light above refracted through his white-blond hair, casting a halo not unlike one of those cathedral paintings.

A wave of energy passed between us, and I suddenly felt safer than I ever had in a long time.

"I'm pregnant," I blurted.

Surprise flickered over his features, and then, another expression. Relief? He probably expected me to tell him I was sick or something of the sort. "Okay. And why does that trouble you?" he asked. 

I bit my lip. "I'm not sure if I want Draco to know. I'm not even sure if I want it."

"What are you afraid of?" he asked.

I sucked in the air. What I had told Hannah and Susan had been true - I didn't want Draco to use it as an excuse to shut me in. But it was more than that. There was a sinking feeling in my ribcage, like I had swallowed a stone whole. 

"I don't know," I said honestly.

He scratched his nose with the back of his thumb. "Well, your secret's safe with me. But you know, Angel, how do you think he would feel if he finds out, though? If my wife kept such a secret from me, I'm not gonna' lie, I'd be hurt."

"I know, I just-" My hand flew to my mouth. It was that dreaded sickness again. It came more often now, every hour or so. I leaned my palm against the wall, trying to steady my breath. I was absolutely, positively, not going to throw up in London's filthy underground toilets.

Codrus rested a palm gently on my back as I squeezed my eyes. "Are you alright? Is there anything I can do, a spell I can use? Sorry, I'm not very... well-versed in this kind of... thing..." he rambled. 

I shook my head, still fighting to keep the sick down. If I opened my mouth, everything would certainly come spewing out.

"What are you doing?" A voice called from behind us. I didn't have to turn, I knew that voice. My heart sank.

"Nothing, mate," said Codrus. The weight lifted from my back as he took his hand away.

"You were touching my wife, that's what!"

I managed to swallow it down and spun around to face him. "Draco..." I began, but he was already chest to chest with Codrus. "Touch her again and I'll make sure your body rots at the bottom of the Thames."

Codrus scoffed indignantly, folding his arms over his chest. "You're joking! Why the bloody hell would I touch her?"

"I saw your hand."

"That's way more than you have touched her in the past month, I'm sure."

That was enough to make Draco swing at Codrus, his fist catching him squarely in the side of the face. There was a sickening thud. Codrus stumbled, but didn't fall. He bounced back easily, and I saw his arm pumped and ready to throw one right back.

I stepped in between them. "Enough!" My voice echoed off the walls in the empty space. "You two are acting like children!"

Codrus rubbed his lower jaw. "Angel, you should really see a-"

"I'm quite alright, thank you, Codrus," I cut in sharply. Then I turned to Draco. "We're going home."

Draco narrowed his eyes, but took my hand in his sourly. With a loud snap and woosh, we Disapparated.

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A/N:

Helloooo! Thank you so much for staying with me thus far! I know it's a little of a slow-burn, but I wanted to take my time and have the characters interact more with each other instead of just monologuing in their heads!

Things are going to take a daaarkkk turn in the next chapter! ☹️

P.S. spicy scene up ahead, and not with Draco Ö