"I can't believe that you have a baby." Harry said as he leant over a cradle in which a little bundle of pink slept quietly.
"Well sometimes we do things we shouldn't." Hermione paused "But she is by no means something I shouldn't have done." She finished with a content smile gracing her pink lips.
"That is good you don't regret having her." Ginny said from where she stood inches behind Harry looking down at the baby sleeping peacefully.
"I only regret labour have you ever tried to put a basketball through something the size of a golf ball?" Hermione laughed lightly.
"No I'm yet to try that one but in seven months we will see." Ginny said turning to smile at her friend.
"You're pregnant?" Hermione asked with her grin spreading.
"Yes, we're so happy." Harry said looking up at her and grinning.
"I'm so glad for you both, may it all be a wonderful experience." Hermione said as a soft cry emitted from the cradle.
"She's awake." Ginny said as the little baby rubbed her eyes with the back of her little fists. Her eyes opened sleepily and Ginny gasped looking deeply at her.
"Yes?" Hermione asked looking at Ginny curiously.
"She has the most peculiarly coloured eyes." Ginny said picking up the baby gently and handing her to Hermione who cradled her closely to her chest.
"Yes they are a rather peculiar colour aren't they." Hermione said looking at Ginny pleadingly.
"That they are, but beautiful all the same, what will you name her?" Ginny asked and Hermione sighed softly glad that her friend took notice of her request for not going any further with what her child looked like.
"I'm unsure as to what to name her yet but I am rather fond of Caprice Paris Granger." Hermione commented.
"That is a lovely name." Ginny smiled and watched as Hermione looked down at her daughter....
~*~
16 Years Later...
"Caprice!" Hermione called to her daughter who she heard make a thud as she fell out of her bed.
"WHAT!?!" She screamed as she rubbed the back of her head.
"You'll be late if you don't hurry up." Hermione said and waited at the foot of the stairs for her daughter to make her way down the stairs.
"Coming." Caprice called and she appeared at the top of the stairs in stripy blue pyjama pants and a white tank top.
"You will need to do something with that hair." Her mother said before kissing her briefly on the forehead.
"Uh huh." She said and poured some cereal into her bowl on the breakfast counter and an orange juice.
"Well somebody got out of the wrong side of the bed didn't they!" Her mother teased as she munched on her cereal with a roll of her eyes.
"Well its not my fault its some ridiculous hour in the morning..." She growled with attitude.
"You sounded just like your father then." Hermione said with a smile.
"So you going to tell me about him now?" Caprice said looking up at her hopefully.
"No, now Uncle Harry and James will be here to collect you in an hour and a half." Hermione started.
"NOT JAMES MUM! You know we hate each other notoriously." Caprice whined childishly.
"It won't kill you to take a five minute car ride with him to the train station, now I have to go to work I will see you for Christmas, make sure you write to me." Hermione said as she walked towards the door checking her watch as she went.
"Whatever!" Caprice called after her with a grumble and made her way to the refrigerator. When she heard the doorbell buzz, "Shit." She muttered to herself and wandered towards the door.
"Hello." She said as she flung it open to reveal a blonde haired man about her mothers age.
"Hi, I was looking for Hermione Granger I obviously have the wrong house." He said and went to turn on his heal.
"Right house but she just left for work." Caprice said and smiled at the man who she noted had eyes similar to hers.
"Oh right is your father here then?" He asked curiously.
"No, I have never met him, he doesn't know I exist." Caprice said looking at the stranger closely.
"Oh fair enough how old are you?" He asked with a smile.
"I'm sorry sir but I don't even know your name and you are asking me my age." Caprice said with a laugh.
"Draco Malfoy." Her mothers voice came from behind where the man stood.
"Hermione." Draco said almost breathlessly turning to face her.
"Get off of my property." She said with a growl.
"Mum, who is he?" Caprice asked as the three of them stood looking at each other.
"This is your good for nothing father." Hermione said and pushed her daughter inside closing the door behind her she turned to face Draco.
"I suggest you leave now, we can make arrangements for you to meet with Caprice at a later date." Hermione said with a frown.
"I'm sorry but she is my daughter?" He asked completely flabbergasted.
"No Draco she has blonde hair and silver eyes because she is my daughter." Hermione hissed sarcastically.
"I'm sorry for what I did." He said weakly not looking her in the eye.
"Don't tell me that tell your daughter that, when you truly mean it." Hermione spat.
"You shouldn't have kept her from me Hermione." Draco said calmly.
"You shouldn't have ran and I wouldn't have." Hermione said with a glare making Draco slightly uncomfortable.
"Well again I am sorry, I suppose I will have an opportunity to get to know her this year because I'm the new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts." Draco said looking at Hermione.
"Let her come to you Draco don't force it. Until then I must be going I'll be late for my shift." She said and walked outside the gate disappearing. Draco turned to leave also but the door was flung open causing him to stop.
"Why did you run?" Caprice yelled "Didn't you want me?" She finished.
"It's a long story Caprice something I will tell you as we get to know each other. Of course I wanted you, I didn't know you existed." Draco said and looked at his daughter who had fire in her eyes.
"Mr Malfoy, I will get to know you on my own terms no body else's." Caprice said and closed the door as she went inside to get ready for school.
An hour later Caprice locked the front door and dragged her trunk to the edge of the road where her Uncle Harry had pulled up and loaded it into the boot for her.
"Hi Caprice." James said as she got into the backseat next to him.
"Don't talk to me Gryf." She said and looked out the window as they made their way to Kings Cross Station.
"Ok you two have a good year I will see you both at Christmas!" Harry said as the two of them put their trunks on a trolley each and walked off.
"Seeya Dad!" James called.
"Thanks Uncle Harry." Caprice said as she walked towards the entrance of the train station. She passed through the barrier nine and three quarters and made her way towards her friends.
"Caprice!" Harlow Parkinson-Zabini called as she pulled up next to the bunch of Slytherins.
"Hey Harlow." She said and smiled at her best friend.
"We were just talking about who we think the new DADA Professor will be with Professor Potter off on Maternity Leave." Shiloh Crabbe said with a grin.
"I thought it might be Dad." Harlow laughed with a smile.
"Nope, I know who it is." Caprice said and shook her head.
"Who is it?" Harlow and Shiloh asked.
"Draco Malfoy, my father." Caprice said and Harlow gasped as Shiloh's jaw dropped.
"Your dad is a MALFOY?" Shiloh spluttered.
"Yeah why?" Caprice said and went about putting her long blonde hair into a bun on the top of her head.
"Malfoy's are like the oldest pureblood line in the whole world." Harlow said looking at her.
"Oh righto." Caprice said with a smile.
"Come on best find a compartment." Shiloh said with a grin.
"Hello Ladies." James Potter said as he passed the group of Slytherin girls.
"Get a life Potter." Caprice said and led the girls towards the train.
"I've got one, pity your not apart of it though." Potter said with a cheeky grin.
"That boy is by no means an attractive specimen." Caprice said as she loaded her trunk onto the train.
"Are you insane? He is so HOT!" Harlow chimed in a sickeningly sweet voice.
"No, but clearly you are!" Caprice laughed at he friend.
"Insanity runs in the family, it practically gallops." Harlow retorted with a pout plopping herself on the bench seat.
"No shit." Caprice laughed and sat opposite Shiloh.
"So anyways the boys in the Greek Islands are YUUUUMMY!" Shiloh squealed as she launched into a full story about her holiday in the Greek islands.
"We will be arriving at the platform in fifteen minutes please ensure that you are dressed appropriately in your school uniform." A voice came over the intercom.
The girls went about pulling their uniforms on. They were known throughout the school for notoriously short skirts blouses that cupped their assets perfectly showing some cleavage and their ties hanging around their necks not tied at all.
"Hi Hagrid!" Caprice called to where Hagrid and Grawp were calling the first years towards him.
"Hello Caprice!" Hagrid waved as did Grawp.
"Excellent the last carriage as per usual." Harlow smiled saucily as the other two jumped in. It was known that these three girls ruled the school and nobody was to get in their way when it came to that. Interhouse unity had become amazingly wicked over the last ten years so the girls intermingled with a few from various other houses but the rule was to never leave one of your own.
"Hi can I ride with you please?" A small blonde haired girl asked and looked up at the girls politely.
"Uh, sure you are?" Caprice asked giving the girl a hand to get in.
"Mercedes Malfoy." She said with a smile and looked at Shiloh and Harlow.
"What year are you?" Shiloh asked looking up from where she was filing her nails.
"Sixth, I'm new, transferred from Salem Academy in America." She said with a smile.
"Right, and you are in what house?" Harlow asked from where she was checking her makeup.
"Slytherin, same house as my brother was in." She said and smiled at them all.
"You said your brother?" Caprice said eyeing the girl.
"Yeah Draco Malfoy who is the new DADA teacher is my older brother." She said and smiled at the girls.
"That's my dad." Caprice said quietly.
"Oh he mentioned I might meet you." She said with a smile and looked her up and down. "He did pretty good." She finished.
"He was never there." Caprice replied and looked at her.
"That was because we were on the run from some psychotic killers who were after him because he fought for the light side. He wanted to stay and be with your mother he loved her, never been with anyone else ay." Mercedes finished.
"Conference." Caprice barked and Shiloh and Harlow snapped to attention and came closer where the girls were whispering.
"You can't go without being in a clique here Mercedes. So as you are my Aunt, who is the same age is me quite scary really, you are being invited to be apart of our group." Caprice paused "We have rules that you need to follow though." She finished.
"Rule One, You never leave one of your own." Shiloh said with a smile.
"Rule Two, never shag, snog or even look at any of your owns exes unless a conference is held and a decision is made that it is allowed." Harlow chimed.
"Rule Three, nobody goes near James Henry Potter." Caprice said with a smile.
"Okay I'm sure I can do that." Mercedes smiled.
"Welcome to the group." Shiloh and Harlow chimed together.
"Cool." Mercedes smiled as the carriage pulled up out the front of the school.
"Now this first walk is important it stamps our authority and people will be looking because there is four of us." Caprice said and let the other three get out first. She followed them single file up the stairs where at the top they fanned out into a side by side formation. They entered the Great Hall and the chatter stopped whilst the girls made their way to the Slytherin table and sat down. After they were seated the chatter started again.
"Well that was interesting." Mercedes said and the other three girls laughed. As the sorting ceremony began with Abbot, Malcolm.
"Welcome students new and old! Only a few announcements this year, welcome to our new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, Professor Malfoy, also welcome to his sister Mercedes who is in Slytherin, Mr Filch has asked me to remind you that all products from the Weasley Wizarding Wheezes are strictly forbidden for a full list please see the list on his office window." Professor McGonnagal paused "The forbidden forest is exactly that and Mr Potter for the love of god do not enter it!" with that everyone in the hall laughed as James smiled sheepishly.
"So with all that said dig in and have a good year." She finished as the food appeared on the platters in front of all the students.
"Bed time I think." Harlow said with a smile as they finished their chocolate pudding.
"That I can agree with." Mercedes laughed.
~*~
"CAPRICE!" three girls chorused the next morning.
"What?" She grumbled rubbing her eyes.
"Classes start in twenty minutes and we haven't even got out schedules!" Harlow said with a rush of words.
"Right!" Caprice said running into the bathroom and brushing her teeth and racing to her cupboard to get her uniform.
"Okay lets go." She said as she pulled her hair into a messy bun on the top of her head.
"Good, quickly now." Shiloh said handing Caprice her book bag as she flew out the door and down the stairs followed by the other three girls. Up the dungeon stairs and into the great hall.
"Glad you could join us this morning Miss Granger, Miss Malfoy, Miss Crabbe and Miss Zabini." Professor Malfoy said handing each of the girls their class timetables.
"Yeah whatever Drake." Mercedes said as she grabbed a piece of toast and began to butter it.
"Cheers dad." Caprice said with an evil grin, she watched him shudder which made her laugh slightly.
"I'm Professor Malfoy here." He said somewhat sternly.
"Sure thing sunshine." Mercedes laughed as her brother stalked off.
"Is he always like that?" Caprice asked as she took a bite of her apple.
"Well no, okay yeah, he's always like that, he can be good fun though." Mercedes laughed and they all looked at their timetables.
"I have History Double then DADA double followed by a single of Charms and a single of Potions." Caprice said looking up at the other girls.
"Same." Mercedes smiled.
"Same except I have Herbology instead of Charms." Harlow said putting her timetable down.
"I don't have Potions I have a single of Arithmacy." Shiloh said with a sip of her pumpkin juice.
"Do you have Runes double tomorrow first up?" Caprice asked Harlow.
"Yeah sure do." Harlow replied as she stood up.
"Same here." The other two girls chorused.
"Excellent." Caprice said as they wandered towards History of Magic.
"Hi Caprice." James Potter said as she lined up outside the class room.
"Go Jump Potter." She retorted and Mercedes smiled.
"How high?" He asked in all seriousness.
"Off a cliff." Caprice said and shook her head.