Draco Malfoy was not one for charity work. Unfortunately charity work was exactly what he did five days a week. It was his condition for not going to Azkaban alongside his father. His charity work was split between the wizarding world and the muggle world. In the muggle world he work alongside the homeless at a shelter, he did not enjoy it.
Leaving the shelter he hurried along, looking for a dark alley to apparate home from. He switched allies every time he left the shelter, just in case someone was following him. He found a small, dank alley he had never used before. Looking around in case anyone was in the alley, he prepared himself to leave.
Then he heard it, a small mewl, almost like a distressed cat. Draco swiftly moved towards the sound, somehow knowing it wasn't a cat. He neared a pile of what looked like garbage, plastic bags, and old clothes, spotting a great deal of dark, bushy hair. The hair looked vaguely familiar, but Draco dismissed that idea quickly. He pulled back some of the debris covering the small person, realizing that it was a girl his age, and she was unconscious.
He uncovered her completely, intending to take her to the nearby shelter. Movement from the blanket around her upper body startled him, he thought she was out completely. Pulling apart the blanket revealed a tiny baby, awake and whimpering. It looked painfully thin and desperately in need of nourishment.
The baby turned towards Draco, opening its eyes. Draco almost fell over in shock, his own eyes looked back at him. Shaking, he removed the small hat covering the baby's head. Pale blonde hair sat fine and straight all over. This child could be his copy.
Movement from the girl pulled his attention away from the child. The girl's left arm had fallen out of the blanket, finally giving him a clue to her identity. Written in bright red scars was the word MUDBLOOD. This girl was Hermione Granger.
Draco was stunned. What was Granger doing living on the streets? And why did she have a child that looked just like him?
Draco watched as Hermione slept in his guest bed, she'd been there for three days. He glanced over at her child. The baby boy looked much better than he had when Draco found him. Draco had brought in a Healer as soon as he had placed Hermione and her child in his guest room. The Healer had given Draco a special formula for the child, to help him gain weight and much needed nutrients. The Healer had also prescribed a paste-like potion for Hermione, to help her get nutrients while she slept.
The baby fussed until Draco picked him up. He cuddled the child close, stroking his soft blonde hair. He was so absorbed in the child he didn't notice stirrings from the bed.
Hermione didn't remember passing out and was incredibly confused about where she was. The bed was comfortable, too comfortable, and her arms were empty. Opening her eyes, she saw none other than Draco Malfoy holding her son. Just for a moment she stared in awe. The look on Draco's face was startling, he looked so gentle, so open. And it didn't help that together the two boys looked like father and son. She tried to pull herself up into a sitting position but was much too weak. She looked on in growing dread, Draco Malfoy had her child and she could do nothing about it.
"Le-let him go!" Hermione's voice was weak and scared. Draco looked up; large brown eyes stared at him from a thin, distressed face. Her fingers were fluttering, trying to reach out and take her child away from him. Draco placed the child in his basinet. He moved to the bed, wincing at the fear in Hermione's eyes. Carefully, he slipped his arm behind her neck and shoulders, pulling her forward so he could prop more pillows behind her. Making sure she was comfortable in the new position, Draco picked up the baby and placed him on Hermione's chest. The child snuggled in, content to hear his mother's heartbeat. With massive effort, Hermione tilted her head forward to kiss her son's head.
Draco contemplated the pair, hesitant to interrupt their reunion. He was curious though, about her, her son, her circumstances, even about where her two best friends were.
"What happened?" Hermione's soft questions brought him out of his musings. Her face showed less fear, but more wariness.
"I found you in an alleyway, in muggle London. You were unconscious, so I brought you back to my flat. I found a Healer to treat the two of you, and you've been here ever since." Her disbelief didn't surprise him, so he asked a question instead of elaborating. "What's your son's name?"
"Caelum." She spoke without thinking. She watched him nod to himself, only curiosity in his eyes. "Why did you bring me here?"
Draco hesitated, he wasn't really sure himself. "I wasn't going to at first. I didn't recognize you, so I was just going to take you to the homeless shelter down the street. Then I saw him." He trailed off, noticing the fear had returned to her eyes. "And I saw your arm. That's when I knew who you were, and I knew you couldn't go to a muggle hospital." He hurried through, trying to get away from his observations about Caelum.
Hermione visibly swallowed, forcing herself to continue the conversation. "I still don't understand why I'm here though. You could've taken me to St. Mungo's. Or you could've called somebody else to get me."
Draco noticed the bitterness in her voice when she talked about calling her friends. Another question was in order. "Why are you on the streets anyways? Shouldn't you be living the dream with Weasel and Potty?"
A hard gleam entered her eyes at the mention of the names. Draco wasn't sure if she was upset with him for using them or at her friends in general.
"My friends don't care about me. They abandoned me when I needed them most." Draco could see she was winding up for a long rant. "It's not my fault I got pregnant! I didn't ask to be raped and tortured! They should have accepted that and helped me get through this. I didn't want to have to handle a new born all by myself. Of course they don't know that, they probably think I'm with my parents in Australia. Well, I'm not! My parents are dead, I have no one, no one at all."
She finally descended into tears, startling Caelum awake, causing him to cry. Seeing that Hermione was too upset to comfort him, Draco got up from his chair to sit on the bed. He picked Caelum up and rocked him back to sleep. Still holding the baby, Draco stroked Hermione's hair, knowing that she needed comfort too. She fell asleep then, but Draco didn't move. He had too much to think about.
So Caelum was the result of rape. He could only think of two people that could be the child's father, and he couldn't remember ever doing anything to Hermione in the past year. That only left his father, Lucius Malfoy. Draco tried to count backwards, trying to figure out when it could have happened. The Healer had said the Caelum was about five months, albeit a small five months. It was May now, so that would put his birthday in sometime in December, and his conception in March. March. Draco remembered now. The night the trio was brought to the manor by snatchers. Bellatrix and Lucius had tortured Hermione, Draco had seen that, but at some point he had been sent to fetch someone from the dungeon. That must have been when Lucius raped Hermione. Caelum was his brother, an ill-begotten, illegitimate half-brother. The thought of Lucius raping anyone made Draco sick. He looked at the small boy in his arms, hoping that he would never find out the truth about his conception.
"Why do you look at him like that? It's like you care." The tone of Hermione's voice was wondering and still slightly wary. She had been watching Draco since she awoke, watching the emotions fly across his face. It was quite something to see so many emotions on a boy that was normally so expressionless. Confusion, then understanding, anger, disgust, compassion, and finally a wistful smile graced his features in quick succession. Now it showed resignation, knowing he would have to answer truthfully.
"I was thinking about you actually. I think I understand what happened, at least at the beginning. I'm disgusted with my father, I had never thought he would sink so low. I'm sorry you had to go through that." He looked into her eyes, she was unsure about his confession, but seemed to believe him, at least a little. "I was also thinking about Caelum, and how I hope he never knows the circumstances that brought him into being."
Hermione was quiet. She regarded Draco with critical eyes, wondering at his seemingly new and improved attitude. Just a year ago he had been trying to kill her and her friends, how could he just change his mind now?
"I know what you're thinking. You want to know what happened to me that makes me think like this. Where's the arrogant arse that spent years tormenting you and your friends? When is he going to show his true colours?" She looked guilty at his very accurate guess. "Well, truth be told, it's all still there, I just don't want to let it define me anymore. You know, as part of my conditional release from the Ministry I have to do charity work for two years. I work at a homeless shelter in muggle London and at St. Mungo's helping curse victims recover. Both of those jobs showed me that money and power isn't everything, that bravery and dedication are much more important. I don't dread going to those places anymore, I still don't like it, but I want to help people."
Hermione sat in stunned silence at his lengthy explanation. She could see truth shining from his eyes, but also fear. Inexplicably, she trusted this new Draco, he didn't have to care for her and her son, he could have passed her on to muggle authorities, or to St. Mungo's. She decided to be a little more forthcoming with her own feelings.
"Do you want to know why I'm on the streets?" She asked.
"Only if you want to tell me." Hermione's reply to that was interrupted by Caelum, crying loudly, hungry. "Hold that thought. Binky?"
A house elf popped up beside the bed, holding a couple of bottles. "Heres you go Sir, just right for baby!"
"Thank you Binky. Could you bring some tea and sandwiches up as well? We kind of missed dinner." Binky nodded and disappeared. Seconds later she returned with food, only to bow and vanish again. Draco turned to Hermione, offering her a drink. She tried to lift her arm to take it but only managed to get her arm off the bed a few inches. Draco chuckled and placed the cup to her lips, letting her drink her fill before setting the cup down once more.
"Are you hungry? Who am I kidding? You must be hungry. Have some chicken salad." He brought the food up to her mouth, and she quickly polished off two sandwiches, never taking her eyes off her son. He was holding the first bottle to his lips, contently suckling away. She swallowed again before speaking.
"He's comfortable with you." It was a statement, not a question.
"I'm surprised too. But I have been the one taking care of him for the past few days, so it was bound to happen." Draco looked down at the small boy, smiling softly. "Anyways, you were saying?"
"Oh, right. Well, since you know pretty much what happened up to the final battle, I'll tell you what happened afterward. I found out I was pregnant about a week after the battle. I was terrified, none of my friends knew I had been raped, in fact the only other people who knew were your parents. At least I think your mother knew. Well, I didn't want to admit to anyone what happened so I hid everything. I hid the morning sickness, my growing belly. Everyone attributed the mood swings to grief. I was about seven months along when Ginny caught me changing. She was so excited she ran to give her congratulations to Ron. Of course Ron was shocked, doubly so because we had never had sex. I didn't want him close enough to see my stomach. He confronted me, mad as hell, told me to get out of his life. I pleaded with him, begged him to allow me to explain. He would have nothing to do with me. I left to find my parents, I didn't say goodbye to anyone, I just left a note saying I was going to Australia. I never found my parents, not alive at least. I found their names on a memorial dedicated to airplane crash victims in Melbourne.
"After that I came back to London. I was horribly depressed. I had Caelum at a muggle hospital. When I was released I had nowhere to go, so I sat down in an alley and stayed there. I breast fed Caelum and lived off the scraps of food people would give me. I mean, I was a young girl with a baby, people took pity on me. My milk ran out about a week ago I guess, I just didn't know what to do anymore. Caelum cried for a long time, but I had nothing left to give him. I must have passed out shortly before you found me.
"Thank you for saving my son's life."
Draco sat in horror at what she had been through. No wonder she looked like death warmed over, she was lucky to be alive. He stared into her eyes, seeing pain turn to peace and relief. She was happy that someone finally knew. Draco shifted Caelum to his lap, leaving his arms free to wrap around Hermione. She squeaked in surprise, but relaxed into his tight embrace. She could hear him mumbling 'I'm sorry' over and over in her ear. He pulled away suddenly, cupping her face with both hands.
"Stay with me."
"What?"
"You heard me. Stay with me. Let me take care of you and Caelum. You may not realize this but you're now my family." He laughed at her shocked expression. "Your son is technically my brother, but you don't have to raise him that way. We never have to explain his parentage to anybody."
"Family. I never even thought." She looked guilty and confused. "I mean even if I had thought about it, I don't think I would have sought you out. I didn't know you would be so, so different."
"So, does that mean you'll stay? I could have you transferred to St. Mungo's if you prefer. I'll send money to help care for Caelum. If, if you want, that is." He looked uncertainly at her, hopeful yet frightened by what she might say.
"I think I would like to stay here, at least for now." She smiled at his joyful expression. "You take such good care of Caelum, and me, for that matter. I do have one concern though." His expression slipped, just a bit. "Where's your mother?"
"Oh, ah, she still lives at the manor. She's redecorating it entirely between her charity work. This place is actually a small flat just down the road from the Leaky Cauldron. I have neighbours, but no one will bother you. Not even my mother comes here."
"Thank you for that reassurance. I just don't think I could handle seeing her right now. Not when I feel so vulnerable."
"I understand. Just so you know, I do have to go back to work tomorrow. Don't worry though, Binky will be here, she can help you with anything." He tried to ease her worry about being alone. He gently removed the extra pillows from behind her back. "Sleep now, I'll see you in the morning."
Draco got off the bed, quickly changed Caelum's diaper, and put the baby boy in his pyjamas. Rocking him gently, the baby fell asleep at once. Draco placed him in his basinet, then walked to the door. Turning back to face Hermione, he smiled at her sleepy eyes.
"Good night Hermione."
"Good night Draco."
The days flew by after that. Hermione got stronger and stronger every day. Soon she was able to hold and feed Caelum by herself, something she had missed greatly. She had started trying to walk, but it was slow going. Her relationship with Draco also got stronger, and though he could still be an arrogant arse, he was patient with her and gentle with Caelum.
About four weeks after coming to Draco's flat, Hermione found herself craving something she hadn't had in a very long time. She brought it up one afternoon while she was playing with Caelum and Draco was reading a book.
"I want a bath."
"What?" Draco looked over his book at her. She never took her eyes off her baby.
"I said I want a bath."
"I heard you the first time, but I don't think you're strong enough to get in and out by yourself and Binky definitely isn't big enough to help you." He turned back to his book.
"You'll just have to help me."
"What?" Draco put his book down and stared at her.
"I said-"
"I heard you, I heard you. Have you thought this through? You'll be naked, with me, alone." His tone was incredulous. She wanted him to give her a bath?
"You don't want to see me naked?" She looked at him with a teasing pout.
He sputtered on that one. "Well, uh, fine. I'll go run you a bath."
Stiff as a board, he got up and went to the single bathroom down the hall. Hermione could hear the water turn on, and then off. Draco returned a few minutes later, dressed in an old shirt and shorts.
"Can you walk, or do you want me to carry you?" He held out his arms, indicating his help.
"I'll walk. You'll have to help me into the bath though." She handed Caelum to Draco before carefully pulling herself off the bed into a standing position. Slowly, gripping furniture and walls for support she made her way down the hall. Making it to the bathroom, she plopped herself down on the closed toilet. Draco followed her with the baby, stopping short when he saw her pull off her shirt. Next went her pants and finally her underwear. Sitting naked she chuckled at the sight of Draco frozen in the doorway. Caelum giggled and held out his hands to his smiling mother.
"The water should be cool enough for him too." Draco smiled as he handed the boy over,staring solely at the giggly baby. Hermione soon had the squirming baby undressed and cuddled in her arms.
"Okay, we're ready when you are scaredy pants." She teased.
"Fine, just for that." Draco was undressed and holding her before she fully registered his words. Laughing now, she wiggled in his arms until he settled her at one end of the large tub. He climbed in opposite of her, a slight blush warming his face when she eyed him up and down.
"Keep your eyes above the waist, love. You are my kid brother's mom." He winked at her. Her laughter was quick and tense. Draco kicked himself for bringing it up. "Look, I'm sorry I said that, it just slipped out."
Hermione shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I just wish you weren't his brother. Maybe then I wouldn't have waited so long for this."
She moved towards him, careful not to squish or dunk the baby between them. Leaning in, she used one hand to pull his head down. Slowly, giving him time to back away, she gently placed her lips on his. Draco's response was immediate. He used both hands to hold her head against his as he deepened the kiss, pulling soft moans out of her.
A squeal from between them eventually pulled them apart, reminding them of their audience. Caelum laughed and splashed the two adults, unaware of what he had interrupted. They smiled indulgently at him, one again settling down to enjoy the warm water. With one difference, Draco spun Hermione around so she could lean back on his chest, nestled between his legs.
Bath time ended when the water got too cold for the small baby cuddled into Hermione's chest, but it started a whole new chapter in life for Draco.
Three months after Hermione and Caelum came to live with Draco he came home from a meeting at the Ministry with some interesting news. Draco found Hermione and the now eight month old Caelum in the kitchen making dinner with Binky.
"You'll never guess what happened today." He started after he kissed Hermione's cheek and Caelum's head.
"Good news I assume." Hermione placed some bite sized pieces of food in front of the baby and a plate in front of Draco.
"Good and bad, but most importantly interesting." Draco waited until Hermione sat down with her own plate of food before continuing. "As you know, I had that meeting with the courts today. Lucky for me, my sentence was reduced because of good behaviour. I only have to do one year of charity work instead of two."
"I guess that's the good news." Draco nodded. "What's the bad news?"
"Well, it's not really bad news. I found out that two months ago Potter and Weasley filed a missing persons report on you. They were in today asking if there was any new information. Apparently, at least one of them cares for you."
"Oh really, which one?" Hermione was intrigued and saddened by her friends' actions. Why had it taken so long for them to notice she was gone?
"Potter, he was almost yelling at the poor law enforcement officer. Weasley didn't look too interested though. Then again, he's a fool for letting you go in the first place. Now you're mine and I'm not sharing." He smirked at her until a piece of half chewed chicken hit him in the side of the head. Turning to Caelum he laughed. "Oh fine, I'll share her with you, silly boy."
Caelum giggled away as Draco tickled his stomach and chin. Hermione smiled at the two, they really could be father and son. Her smile slipped as she thought about Harry and Ron though. She really should let them know she was alright. Draco noticed her sad face and took her hands in his own.
"Hey, want me to owl Potter? He could come here to see you, if you want." She searched his face, seeing only love and concern. She nodded. "Would you? Only Harry though, I can't handle Ron right now."
Two days later, Hermione waited expectantly for a knock at the door. Draco had taken Caelum out for the afternoon to a nearby park, not wanting to overwhelm Potter with new information.
Hermione was pacing nervously when the knock came. She hurried to the door, but hesitated to open it. Taking a deep breath, she pulled open the door, revealing a mop of dark hair, wire framed glasses and brilliant green eyes. Immediately she started crying. Harry Potter swept her up in his arms and carried her to the living room, closing the front door behind him. Setting Hermione down on the couch, he pulled back to take a good look at his friend. She was considerably thinner than the last time he had seen her, but otherwise she looked healthy and taken care of. He rubbed her back, hoping she would calm down enough to talk.
"Hermione, what happened to you?" He asked gently.
Hermione stopped crying altogether at the question. "As if you don't know."
Harry was shocked by the venom in her words. "What are you talking about?"
"Didn't Ron tell you? Or Ginny?" Hermione's voice was losing some sting and gaining some confusion.
"Ron and Ginny didn't tell me anything. We all just woke up one morning to a note saying you were going to Australia. Should they have told me something?" Harry was confused now too.
"Oh, no, I'm sorry I snapped at you Harry. It's just, right before I left I had a fight with Ron, and Ginny knows the reason for the fight. I thought they would have told you about it." Hermione was near tears again. "Are you mad at me?"
"Not anymore. At first I was, mostly because you never said goodbye or asked for help. But then you didn't show up for the anniversary memorial. At that point I was concerned. I went to Australia to find you. All I found was your parents' names on a memorial." Harry trailed off, seeing a pain in Hermione's eyes. It wasn't a new pain though, she already knew her parents were gone. "When I came back to London I filed the missing person report. So far, nobody can find you. Then I get another note, not in your handwriting might I add, telling me to meet you at this address. Where did you go, Hermione?"
Hermione tried to compose herself, she wanted to tell Harry everything before Draco returned with Caelum, they were due in an hour so Hermione could introduce her son to Harry. Just as she opened her mouth to begin, she heard the front door open.
"Sorry Hermione, I tried to stay away but it's like an explosion went off-" Draco froze as he turned the corner into the living room. He could see panic on Hermione's face, and rage on Harry's. Hermione's face though quickly turned to laughter when she saw the panic in Draco's eyes. He was holding Caelum face out at arm's length and the giggling baby was kicking his legs like crazy.
"Did you carry him all the way home like that?" Hermione giggled as she moved to take her son.
"Yes, and this is why." Draco twisted his arms to show Caelum's back. There was poop everywhere. "He was playing in the sand with a bucket, quiet as can be, when I heard a poof. Then he started giggling like a mad man. That's when I saw this, it's like a small explosion went off in his pants."
"Give him here, I'll go wash him up. Play nice while I'm gone." She looked at both men when she said that, before turning and heading for the bathroom.
Everything was quiet for a moment, except for the soft murmurs of Hermione talking to Caelum. Draco smirked at the guppy-like expression on Harry's face. "What, never seen a baby before Potter?"
Draco sauntered into the room and threw himself into an armchair. Harry watched him with a look that quickly turned calculating.
"You sent the note." Harry accused.
"I did, because she asked." Draco shrugged.
"You've been holding her here, haven't you?" The rage was returning to Harry's body.
"No, I've been taking care of her, and our son." Draco thought Harry's eyes would pop out of his head. Luckily Hermione returned with Caelum. Seeing how close her friend was to exploding, she handed him Caelum. "Here, have a kid." She sat down on the couch next to where Harry was standing. Slowly he sat too.
"Hermione, do you really think it's safe to give Caelum to him? Has he even held a baby before?" Draco watched anxiously as Harry stared open mouthed at the small blonde boy.
"Draco, Harry has a godson not much older than Caelum. He has experience." Hermione reassured quietly.
"Hermione, he's yours?" Harry turned his disbelieving look on his friend.
"Yes. Harry, this is Caelum, our son." She indicated Draco as well as herself.
"I can clearly see that he is Malfoy's kid." Caelum smacked Harry on the chin. "And there's you. Yep, he is definitely your child Hermione. Is this what you were trying to tell me about when we were interrupted?"
"Yes, for the most part. You see, Draco found the two of us in London, and in pretty bad shape too."
"Where in London?"
"Uh, muggle London, I'm not sure exactly where. Anyway, he found us in an alley and brought us here."
"An alley? You were on the street!?"
"Harry, shut up and let me tell the story."
"Yeah Potter, shut up."
"Draco, you too."
"Sorry."
"As I was saying, Draco brought us back here and found a Healer. Both Caelum and I were severely malnourished and I was incredibly weak. I've only just recovered fully. Caelum bounced back a little quicker, but he will always be small for his age." Hermione finished quietly, watching Harry's face, as well as her son. Harry processed her story, thinking through the events and how they fit in his view of things. Something didn't quite click about the baby though.
"How old is Caelum? You said Teddy wasn't much older than him." Harry knew something about the baby boy was bugging him, he just didn't know exactly what.
"Caelum is eight months old, just eight months younger than Teddy." Hermione's voice was soft and hesitant, like she knew what Harry was thinking about.
"So you were already pregnant with him when Teddy was born?"
"Yes, about a month. I didn't know at that point though."
Everything clicked in Harry's mind. The night in the manor and Hermione's tortured screams filled his mind. Rage filled his body. Passing a suddenly whimpering baby to Hermione, Harry turned on Draco, still slouching in an armchair.
"You! You raped her that night didn't you!?" Harry yelled with all his might, sparks flying from the wand suddenly in his hand. "You put her through so much pain and fear!"
"Harry, calm down, it wasn't him. He wasn't even in the room." Hermione's voice broke through his rage, barely. He glanced back at her, she was struggling with a screaming baby. Harry looked back at Draco, he hadn't moved, hadn't pulled out his wand.
Draco watched as Harry struggled with his wild emotions. He wasn't truly afraid of the dark haired man, he was more worried about the bawling baby behind him. Draco stood up, forcing Harry to move back. He moved across the room, taking Caelum from Hermione. Almost instantly the baby calmed, curling into Draco's neck and shoulder. With one last look at Harry, Draco cupped Hermione's cheek, kissed her, and whispered in her ear. Hermione kissed her son and the blonde pair left for Caelum's bedroom.
"Hermione, please explain this. I'm so confused." Harry pleaded with Hermione, looking incredibly lost.
"Come sit down Harry, I'll tell you about it." Hermione sighed and patted the couch next to her.
Two hours later, Hermione went to fetch Draco and Caelum from the bedroom.
"Is he okay now? He's not going to freak out?" Draco brushed Hermione's hair away from her forehead, showing his concern. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Harry's fine, he's in the kitchen making pancakes. How's Caelum? Do you know why he cried?" Hermione leaned into Draco, allowing a comforting hug.
"He's sleeping now. I think Potter's wild magic gave him a fright, especially since he was still in his lap when it started. Wait, did you say he was making pancakes?" Draco stared in the direction of the kitchen. Hermione laughed and picked up her sleeping son.
"Yes, he does that when he feels guilty. We ate a lot of pancakes last summer and I'm sure he's made plenty more since I left." Hermione headed for the kitchen. "Come on, they're really good."
Draco grumbled as he followed Hermione down the hall. Sure enough, the smell of cooking batter preceded their entry into the brightly lit kitchen. Harry plopped two plates of pancakes down on the table before returning to the stove.
"Do you want one for Caelum?" Harry asked without looking.
"No, he's asleep. If he wakes up I'll give him some of mine." Hermione smiled at her friend's back. Harry nodded, flipping the last of his delicious pancakes onto a teetering stack. Carefully, he carried the stack and his own plate to the table. Sitting down, he noticed nobody had started.
"Well, go on, eat. Everything is better with food in your stomach." Harry watched as Hermione started eating with glee, she had clearly missed his cooking. Draco carefully cut all his pancakes before starting to eat, but eat he did. Harry took the opportunity while their mouths were full to speak his mind.
"Look, Draco, I'm sorry for accusing you. Hermione told me everything that happened, including everything you've done for her, and what you mean to her. Obviously you've changed, and for the better. Really, I'm just kicking myself because you're one of the people on my watch list at the ministry. I should have realized this was your address." Harry shoved most of a pancake in his mouth to avoid saying any more.
Draco was stunned, but only by the apology, everything else was old news. Hermione burst out laughing, waking Caelum, who giggled sleepily along with his mother. Hermione just couldn't believe how ridiculous the two men were. At least there wouldn't be any more fights. Reaching fingers brought her attention back to her son. She started cutting smaller pieces for him when Draco wriggled his fingers. Caelum went willingly and immediately started picking pieces off Draco's plate. Harry watched in silence, comparing Draco and Caelum to himself and Teddy. It was eerily similar.
Hermione leaned in closer to Harry. "They're good together, aren't they?"
Harry nodded. "It's something I thought I would never see. I'm happy for you Hermione, I truly am, but why didn't you tell me from the beginning? I wouldn't have put you out. I might even have kick Ron's arse for you."
Hermione sighed. "I know Harry, but it was just so hard."
"You need visit Molly. She's worried sick about you."
Hermione glanced at Draco, she could tell he was listening, even though his attention was on Caelum. "Soon, I have to talk it over with Draco. I want him to come with me, but I need to know how he feels about it."
Harry nodded again. He understood perfectly why she was hesitating; the Malfoy name did not sit well with the Weasley clan.
After diner, Harry did the dishes, and, after securing a promise from Hermione that she will visit Molly, said goodnight. Draco turned to Hermione and pulled her close. Caelum was asleep on the couch, lulled by the adults' conversation. "We can go visit Mrs. Weasley next week if you like, maybe on Monday. That way most of the family will be at work." Draco spun Hermione around while he talked, almost like a dance.
"That would be good. I really want to tell her our news first." Hermione smiled into his chest.
"Let's go to bed."
Monday rolled around, and Hermione's nerves were shot. She was so shaky that Draco took care of Caelum until it was time to leave. They had decided to go just before lunch, because Molly would most likely try to feed them anyway. They were also making it a surprise visit. Without any warning, Molly wouldn't be able to have a gathering ready to welcome Hermione home.
"Let's go Hermione, the quicker we get there the quicker your nerves will go away." Draco huffed from near the door. He had Caelum in one arm and the diaper bag on the other. He was wearing a nice shirt and jeans. Hermione hurtled around the corner panicked.
"Are you sure we have everything? Do we have extra diapers, outfits, a bottle, toys?" Hermione reached over to check the diaper bag again. Draco pulled it out of her reach, above his head.
"Relax, we have everything twice over, and if we forgot anything, I'm sure Mrs. Weasley will have it. Now let's go." He handed Caelum to her and wrapped them both in his arms. Apparating to the edge of the Weasley's property,
Draco set Hermione on her feet. He grabbed her hand and pulled her up to the kitchen door of the Burrow. He rang the doorbell, then shoved her forward.
They heard a faint yell from in the house, and footsteps approaching the door. Harry opened the door, grinning from ear to ear. In his arms was Teddy Lupin, his godson.
"About time you lot showed up, I've been waiting a week. Come on in, Molly's in the living room." Harry turned and led the way through the house. "Molly! I have a surprise for you."
"Harry, what are you doing?" Hermione whispered frantically.
Harry could only grin at her. Just before entering the living room, Harry took Caelum from Hermione. "I'll take him. You two will have your hands full."
He nodded to Draco, who pushed Hermione through the door. He went in next, with Harry and the two boys behind him.
"Harry, who was it?" A scream tore from Molly Weasley's throat. She threw herself across the room, pulling Hermione into a bone crushing hug. Much to Hermione's chagrin, Molly started crying, leaving her feeling guiltier than ever.
Hermione patted Molly's back gently. "Molly, it's okay, I'm here now. Hopefully I won't have to leave ever again."
Molly pulled away at this point, startled by Hermione's words. "Why ever would you leave? You know you will always have a home here."
"This may change things." She reached behind to grab Draco's hand and pull him forward, into Molly's view. "This is Draco, he is the one who found me when I was lost."
Molly stared for a moment, taking in the sight of the nervous young man holding Hermione's hand. Surprising everyone, she pulled him into a tight embrace. "Thank you for finding her and taking care of her. To be honest, Harry told me a little of what was going on, just to ease my mind I think. I'm glad you chose to visit together. Now, where is your little one?"
The afternoon passed quickly after that. Molly and Teddy liked Caelum right away, and soon Teddy was leading the younger boy all over the house, babbling in his toddler vocabulary. Harry stayed with them most of the afternoon, only leaving to give Ginny a heads up as to who was visiting before she got there.
When she did arrive she cried all over Hermione, apologizing again and again for telling Ron her secret. Hermione forgave her and distracted her with Caelum, who was crawling by at the perfect moment. Ginny was even open and accepting with Draco, only asking one scathing question about his role in Caelum's life.
"For all intents and purposes, I am his father. That's how he will grow up and that's how I want to raise him. He doesn't need to know the more grisly details of his life." Draco answered calmly, earning a kiss from Hermione and nods of approval from everyone else.
The small family headed home just before the rest of the Weasleys were due home. Hermione and Draco waved good bye from the edge of the property, preparing to apparate home. A pop next to them startled them, delaying their departure.
"Ron!" Hermione squeaked in surprise. Draco saw the red head turn in their direction, stunned. Swiftly grabbing Hermione and their son, he pulled them home in a twist of magic.
All Ron could think of was Hermione's scream of fear before Malfoy had taken her away. He let his anger surge, using it to fuel his magic and take him away.
"Draco, that was Ron!" Hermione pulled out of Draco's arms, looking around as if the red head had followed them.
"Yeah, I know. It was the bloody git that threw you out of his house when you were seven months pregnant. Like I'm going to let him anywhere near you anytime soon." Draco huffed and set about getting ready for dinner. "Go put Caelum down for a short nap, he needs it after playing with Teddy all day."
"Fine, but you're looking after him when he wakes hungry in the middle of the night." Hermione stormed away to the child's room. She muttered about overprotective arses while she fed Caelum a small bottle of formula. She was so distracted she didn't even here the commotion in the front rooms until two aurors burst through the door of the nursery.
"Are you Hermione Granger?"
"Yes, sort of."
"Come with us."
She followed, Caelum in arm, the armed wizards to the living room. She stopped short when she saw Draco stunned and tied up lying on the floor.
"Is this Draco Malfoy?" An older wizard asked. He was clearly in charge of the group.
"Yes, but what's going on? He hasn't done anything wrong."
The older wizard ignored Hermione, reviving Draco to a groggy consciousness. "Draco Malfoy, you are being charged with the kidnapping and imprisonment of one Hermione Granger, along with her child. You will be escorted to Azkaban to await trial."
He grabbed Draco by the arm and apparated away. One by one the other aurors left as well, until only one was left.
"Hermione, it's for the best." Hermione whirled on the voice, recognizing Ron Weasley by his pathetic whine. She crossed the room, not hesitating once as she punched him straight in the face. He fell to the ground, nose bleeding, muttering oaths under his breath.
"How dare you, Ronald! You have no idea what you've done! I'm taking you straight to your mother. She can sort you out!" Hermione grabbed his arm, pulling him through until they popped in existence in front of the Burrow. She never let go of him until she was standing in the Weasley's kitchen, in front of most of the family. All were shocked, some more than others.
Harry started to his feet, concern flooding his face. "Hermione, what happe-"
"I'll tell you what happened. This idiot saw us when we were leaving earlier. He decided that I needed saving, so he gathered some aurors and stormed his way into my home. Next thing I know, my husband is on his way to Azkaban, and this sorry idiot is trying to tell me it's for the best!" Hermione raged, chest heaving. Realizing she was still holding Ron, she threw his arm away in disgust before plopping herself in a chair. She pulled Caelum, miraculously still asleep in her other arm, up to her shoulder, patting his back to distract herself.
Meanwhile, her words caused chaos around the table.
"Hermione! You're alive!" Arthur.
"Ron, your face!" Fleur.
"Did you just say husband!?" Ginny.
"Where did you get a baby, Hermione?" George.
"Ronald! How could you!?" Molly.
"Hermione, are you alright?" Harry.
"Looks like she broke your nose, Ron." Bill.
"Why does that kid look like a Malfoy?" Percy.
The last question had everyone staring at Caelum, some noticing for the first time his pale blonde hair.
"Hermione, I think you have some explaining to do. Mum, why don't you take Ron into the living room to beat the snot out of him? We need to be able to hear in here." Charlie's calm suggestion settled everyone around the table.
Molly took Ron by the ear and dragged him to the other room. Everyone could still hear her screams, but at least it was somewhat muffled.
Harry stood up. "I need to go to the Ministry. I can probably get Draco back and have the charges dropped." He flew from the room, a distant pop told them he was gone.
"Okay Hermione, spill." George turned everyone's attention back to Hermione.
Sighing, she opted for the short version. "Long story short, this is Caelum, he is my son, he's just over eight months old. I ran away while I was pregnant, went to Australia, came back, and had him. About three months ago, Draco found me unconscious on the streets and took me back to his place. I've been there ever since. Three weeks ago, we got married and Draco officially adopted Caelum. There, that's the gist of it. Ginny, do you mind if I hide out in your room for a bit?"
Ginny stumbled for a moment, overwhelmed by the rush of information. "Um, sure, just be careful, Teddy is in there sleeping."
Hermione nodded her thanks and understanding. Standing up, she carried her sleeping son away up the stairs. Ginny turned back to her family, each one looking exactly how she felt, stunned and overwhelmed. That was a lot of information to process in a very short time.
Harry hurried along the halls of the Aurors office in the Ministry of Magic. He had been told that the auror in charge of Draco's case was interrogating Draco in his office. Reaching the office, Harry took a moment to calm his breath and features. He knocked politely, waiting for the gruff answer. Stepping into the room, Harry was shocked at the state of the man before him. Draco was covered in blood, cuts covered his face and neck.
"Well, what do you want, Potter? Come to take a crack at him yourself? I heard it was your friend he kidnapped. Probably tortured her too." The older wizard, a man named Jenkins, chortled, not at all put off by Harry's horrified look.
"Only if you call banging her every night because she begged for it torture." Draco spat a mouthful of blood and contempt at Jenkins.
"Malfoy, shut up. You're not helping yourself at all." Harry turned towards Jenkins. Squaring his shoulders, he did he best to intimidate the older man. "Draco Malfoy did not kidnap Hermione Granger. He took her in off the streets, offering multiple times to take her to St. Mungo's. She willing stayed with him, with no coercion or extortion. Auror Weasley assumed too much when he saw them together. He let his anger get the best of him and didn't wait for the full story."
"You forgot to mention that she's my wife." Draco spoke up sarcastically.
"As he said she is also- Wait, what? You two are married?" Harry turned to Draco, forgetting the older auror behind him. "Since when?"
"About three weeks ago. I also adopted Caelum, just to make everything official. He doesn't have a father listed on his birth record, so no one will make the connection." Draco glared as Jenkins, as if willing the wizard to contradict him. "It's all a matter of public record, check it if you will."
"I don't think that will be necessary." Harry turned back to Jenkins. "Look, Hermione is not pressing charges. In fact, she broke Ron's nose for even suggesting that Malfoy kidnapped her. Let me take Malfoy home. We can forget this ever happened."
Harry stared meaningfully at Jenkins, his pointed hand indicating the blood all over Draco.
"Fine, take him. But if anything happens to your little friend Granger, don't come whining to me." Jenkins waved his wand, removing the bindings holding Draco to the chair. Harry stepped forward, taking Draco's arm before the blonde could make an aggressive move towards the older man.
Harry pulled Draco from the office forcefully, he just wanted to get back to the Burrow before Hermione or Molly killed Ron for good.
"What about my wand, Potter?" Draco was furious. Being attacked in his own home and then accused of kidnaping his own wife, ridiculous.
"Right here, Malfoy. I picked it up from the storage room before I got you." Harry pulled them to the fireplaces exiting the Ministry. He threw some floo powder in, then shoved Draco into the flames. "Go, she's waiting for you."
Draco arrived in the Burrow's kitchen, which was still full of stunned but no longer silent Weasleys. Ginny noticed him first, quickly pulling him away up the stairs. She led the way to her room, patted his arm, then disappeared back downstairs to greet her boyfriend. By the increased volume in the kitchen, Harry had arrived.
Draco pushed open the door, it creaked just a bit, drawing a wince. He stepped inside and looked around the small room. It had a crib on one side and a bed on the other. In the crib was Teddy, sleeping soundly. On the bed was Hermione, curled around Caelum. Obviously she had been crying, her cheeks were tear stained and pale. Draco conjured a blanket and climbed in next to her. He threw the blanket over them and wrapped his arm around Hermione. She turned, bringing Caelum with her, to snuggle into his chest. Caelum opened his eyes at the disturbance, but only saw his father. He smiled and went back to sleep. Draco kissed both his loved ones on the forehead before falling asleep himself.