When I finished "Last Wish" I mentioned that I had something else in the works. And here it is! I hope you enjoy what I've got so far!

I own nothing.

Chapter 1
"But I'm not sleepy."

Hermione Granger groaned. It was late and she had had little sleep the night before. "Well, I am," she admitted, pulling the covers up to the little girl's neck. "But you know I can't go to sleep unless you go to sleep. So please, Ruby, tonight, just sleep."

Hermione shot the child a pleading look she hoped would worked, especially with the dark bags underneath her eyes. Ruby tilted her head to the side as if considering her request. "Okay, Mummy," she conceded, hugging her stuffed teddy bear to her chest. "But just this once."

With a chuckle, Hermione kissed Ruby's forehead and turned on the nightlight. "Sleep tight, love bug," she murmured. Just as she reached the door, Ruby called out for her to stop.

"You didn't sing me a lullaby," the little girl pouted, her gray eyes wide at her mother's slight.

Again Hermione groaned, but joined Ruby at her bedside. She began to softly sing their nightly song as Ruby drifted off to sleep. Halfway through the song, Hermione was interrupted by a sharp rapping on the front door.

"It would be so heavenly, holding you close-" Hermione stopped, brow furrowed. "Who could that be?" She glanced down to see Ruby sleeping, and was relieved that the interruption had awoken her. Quietly, she rose from the small bed and left the room, closing the door behind her.

With her wand pointed defensively in front of her, Hermione stealthily neared the front door. Through the stained glass window she could barely make out the figure on the other side. But white blonde hair caught her eye and she knew who it was.

"What are you doing here?" she inquired, training her wand on Draco Malfoy.

No longer did he cower in fear as he pushed aside her wand arm. "I own this house, Granger. What are you doing here?" he asked snidely. His lips curled into a sneer, one Hermione wanted to slap off of his pointed face.

"I live here," she shot back. He pushed past her, moving into the living room. "No, please, by all means, Malfoy, come right in," she grumbled. She closed the front door and turned to glare at him. Her former classmate had made himself quite comfortable on the sofa; he looked right at home.

"So, why are you living in my house?" he asked casually. In his hand was a silver picture frame and he studied the image carefully. He turned it around so Hermione could see the picture. It had been taken on Ruby's third birthday, and her happy face was smeared with vanilla frosting. His eyes silently asked the question of who the little girl was.

"Put that down," she said coldly. "Please."

Surprisingly, Malfoy complied, gently setting it back on the end table. "She doesn't look like a Weasel," he commented.

"I don't believe that's any of your business," Hermione retorted, crossing her arms over her chest. Draco Malfoy was the very last person on Earth with whom she would share Ruby's back story.

Draco rose from the couch and moved to the framed pictures on the mantle. Hermione watched him with narrowed eyes as he assessed each one as if they were fine art. "She doesn't look much like you," he mused. "Must take after her father. Imagine, a Granger without wildly out of control hair."

Before she could hex him into next week, a small voice called out for her. The adults' heads turned towards the staircase as the sound of soft foot fall neared. "Who's that, Mama?" Ruby asked, rubbing her tired eyes. Behind her, as she descended the stairs, trailed a pink blanket that she'd been attached to since infancy. Hermione met her at the bottom of the stairs and picked her up.

She hemmed and hawed as she tried to explain who Draco was, but Hermione was just as confused as to his reasons for being in their house.

"I'm an old friend of your mum's," Draco stepped in, smiling kindly at the child. He held out his hand to her. "My name is Draco Malfoy. What's yours?"

Ruby curled into her mother, resting her face against Hermione's neck. "This is Ruby. She's a bit shy around strangers," Hermione answered for her. Draco's eyes remained trained on the pair, effectively making Hermione uncomfortable. She excused herself to put Ruby back to bed and returned minutes later to find him still staring at the photos on the fireplace mantle. "Are you going to tell me what you're doing here?" she asked.

In his hand was a framed photo. "I know this girl," he said, ignoring her question. "How do I know her?"

"That's Cassandra Clearwater," Hermione answered. "She went to school with us; a Ravenclaw. Her older sister is Penelope Clearwater. Now, I've answered your question. Answer mine."

Put the picture back, he shrugged. "I already told you - I own this house," he replied simply. "It's been in my family for generations. Imagine my surprise to find you, of all people, already residing here."

Horror crossed Hermione's face; he was going to evict them. Before he could catch the look, she narrowed her eyes on him. The words were barely out of her mouth when Draco held up a hand to silence her. "I'm not kicking you out. Not yet, at least," he assured her. "Maybe if you didn't have a kid upstairs I would, though."

Hermione snorted derisively. "How very magnanimous of you, Malfoy," she remarked, crossing her arms over her chest. She watched as Draco smirked at her and took a seat on the sofa once more.

How had she never known that the house belonged to the Malfoys? Cassandra Clearwater had been a close friend and colleague who worked with her in the Ministry of Magic's Department for the Care of Magical Creatures. Both were only two years out of Hogwarts when they were hired and assigned to a case together. A fast friendship had formed between the two women, and when Cassandra tearfully announced that she was pregnant and alone, Hermione quickly offered her help. Cassandra had been the one to acquire the house, and Hermione never thought to question it.

That had been five years ago. Six months after Ruby Clearwater had been born, Cassandra left. She had left a note in the baby's crib that she couldn't be a mother anymore, that she didn't have it in her to care for her daughter. And so, raising Ruby had fallen to Hermione.

Not that she would tell Malfoy any of that.

"Look Malfoy, I'd really like to go to bed. Could you come back tomorrow and we'll work this out then?" she asked.

Draco shrugged. "Sure," he replied, but made no moves toward the door. It wasn't until she pointed her wand at him again that he rose from the couch and made to leave. He opened the door and stepped into the bitter night air. When he was sure she had gone upstairs, he sneaked back in and made himself comfortable on her sofa for the night.