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Chapter 1

"Mummy, what's my dad like?"

Hermione Granger stood in the dark doorway to her daughter's room. Back to the little girl, she couldn't see her mother's panic. In her five short years, she had never asked about her father, and Hermione had hoped she could avoid the subject a little while longer.

Taking a deep breath, she turned and attempted to smile. "He was a good man," she said. "Now sleep, my baby."

The little girl rolled over and Hermione left her room for the kitchen. Dishes sat in the sink from dinner, but she was too tired to deal with them. Opening the cabinet above the stove, she removed the wand she had stashed there years earlier. Her daughter knew little of magic, and Hermione intended to keep it that way just a little longer.

When the dishes were done and the kitchen cleaned, she retired to the living room. Hidden behind a row of books was a small photo album she kept from her school years. Though her daughter knew Harry and Ginny Potter and their two young children, Hermione had not much contact with most of the Weasley family since she finished her final year at Hogwarts. Flipping to the last page, she removed a picture of her fellow "eighth" year student and the father of her only child.

"Oh, Draco, where have you gone?" she wondered, placing the album back on the shelf.

Early the next morning, Athena Granger tiptoed downstairs to find her mother asleep on the sofa. Kneeling down beside her, she gently touched Hermione's cheek to wake her. Hermione stirred, but her eyes remained closed as she deftly maneuvered Athena to her side. "Hungry, Mama," Athena said, tucking her head beneath her mother's chin.

"Sleepy, Daughter," she murmured. "I have something for you before breakfast." Athena sat up anxiously, begging her for her present. Sighing, Hermione reclined against the arm of the sofa and handed her the photo she'd held clutched in her hand all night. "That's your daddy. I thought you might like to have that."

Athena studied the picture and frowned. "I don't look like him," she said sadly, toying with a brown curl that, like her mother's, was uncontrollable.

"You have his eyes," Hermione pointed out. "And his wit. He was quite witty. He could always make me laugh."

Nodding, Athena held the photograph close and stood, ready for breakfast. "Did Uncle Happy know him?" she asked, sitting down at the kitchen table.

Hermione padded around the kitchen, pulling out plates, bowls, the griddle, and ingredients for pancakes. "He did," she replied. "They, um, weren't friends."

The little girl sat quietly until Hermione placed breakfast down in front of her. They ate silently for a few minutes until Athena put down her fork and pushed away the plate. "Mummy, does he know me?" she wondered.

With a crook of her finger, Hermione beckoned her daughter to her. "He does," she promised, settling Athena on her lap. "And, oh did he love you! You, my dear, are impossible not to love."

"Then where is he?"

Hermione had often wondered the same thing, and found herself unable to answer her daughter's question. Thankfully, the front door opened just then and Harry made his presence known. "My girls!" he greeted them, entering the kitchen. "I brought donuts. Chocolate for Miss Teeny."

Athena merely smiled and thanked him for the treat, then asked to be excused. Harry sat down and looked at his best friend pointedly. "She's asking about Draco," Hermione told him. "And I...Harry, I lied to her. I've never lied to her."

"She's five. What are you going to tell her?" Harry wondered. "Daddy was a Death Eater and went on the lamb when school finished after finding out Mummy was pregnant? I know she's a smart kid, but do you really think she'll understand?"

Hermione sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "Being a Death Eater had nothing to do with him leaving," she replied. "At least I don't think that was the reason. We were so young."

"That's no excuse for skipping out on your child," Harry retorted. "And you know it."

She assured him she wasn't defending Draco's actions. "It's complicated, Harry," she finally said. "We were complicated. We weren't like you and Ginny. This wasn't some 'til death do us part kind of relationship. It was a fling. At the time it seemed better to go our separate ways than to force ourselves to be a family for Athena's sake."

"So, what now?" he wondered. "What's the plan now that she's asking about him? No one's seen Malfoy in years. No one knows where he's gone. He completely cut ties with his family, so asking Narcissa is out of the question. Do you reckon she even knows she's a grandmother?"

Hermione was positive Draco had kept Athena a secret from his parents. "It doesn't matter," she decided. "He wouldn't have wanted them involved anyhow. Frankly, I don't either. Blood purists and muggleborns don't really mix. I'm sure they won't approve of their son having a halfblood daughter."

"Does Malfoy?" Harry asked bitterly. He long considered Draco Malfoy a coward for leaving Hermione alone to raise their child. Though he'd sent money monthly, it wasn't enough in his eyes. There was more to parenting than financial aid. Hermione scowled, but said nothing. "Maybe...maybe we could track him down. The child support is coming from somewhere. If you want me to find him, I'll do what I can. It's up to you."

Opening the box, she pulled out a jelly donut and took a bite. "I don't know," she murmured. Harry sat patiently as she finished the treat. "I want this to be his idea. I want him to want to be here. We've managed just fine for five years without him."

When she had learned of her pregnancy, she had assured Draco that she expected nothing of him. It had been his choice to send money, and her choice to accept the little help he offered. He wasn't ready to be a father at nineteen, and she had let him walk away shortly after Athena's birth. A part of her had hoped that seeing his daughter might convince him to stay, but he was gone the next morning.

"Maybe it's a bad idea," Harry commented, playing with the lid of the donut box. "You and Athena both deserve better. You're both better off without him."

"Maybe," she agreed halfheartedly, hoping he was right.