I do not own anything in the Harry Potter universe. Those all belong to The Beautiful JK Rowling. I'm just borrowing her characters to make a story of my own. I hope you all enjoy.

Also, this story is mine, as are any new characters that I introduce. Please do not steal them.

And back to the show…



Chapter 2

Try and Break Away

Draco sat with his back against the fireplace, trying to figure out a way of escape. Bellatrix was already scouring the Manor to find evidence of their betrayal. He had to get his family out of this mess, at least get his mother out. She had been forced into the situation, trying to keep her son alive. Draco had to keep her alive. "What is this?" he heard his mother say. Draco turned to the entryway to see the dreaded werewolf with a horrid smile on his face. It made Draco's stomach turn to see him so happy.

"We're here to see He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!"

His mother answered Greyback, "Who are you?" Greyback seemed as though he was insulted that Narcissa didn't know who he was. Draco knew exactly who he was.

Draco wasn't focused on Greyback though. Through the door way he could distinctly see a head of brown bushy hair. It's not possible he thought to himself. Could they have really caught the Golden Trio? Narcissa lead Greyback and the prisoners into the drawing room, in front of Draco. He clearly recognized Weasel and Granger. He looked at the swollen kid and shook his head. Was that really Potter? This could be his chance for his family to escape. If they turned them in, the Malfoy's would be welcome in the circle once more. "Draco, come here."

Draco walked forward to stand next to his mother. His eyes traveled down the line of prisoners and they locked on the brown-haired girl. Her eyes were pleading with him, trying to find some good. Could she see how reluctant he was to confirm his suspicions? Draco realized that if this was Potter, his family would receive no credit. They would merely be put to death for questioning if it was him or not. Draco tore his eyes away from the others and looked back at Potter. His face was distorted, but it was definitely him.

"Well, boy?" The voice of the werewolf interrupted his thoughts. Draco looked at the man standing near him and felt a shiver go up his spine. He didn't want to help the freak anymore than Greyback wanted to help him. His father came up behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder. It took everything in him not to shy away from the hand. Shaking his hand, a sigh escaped his lips. "I can't – I can't be sure."

Greyback inched forward towards the father and son, as Draco backed into his father. Greyback's lip curled back from his teeth, looking deathly. Lucius came to stand between his son and the danger, "But look at him carefully, look! Come Closer!"

Draco's father's hand left from his son, sitting at his side. Though they have been outcasted, Lucius still stood tall. "Draco, if we are the ones who hand Potter over to the Dark Lord, everything will be forgiv-"

The dream began to chance suddenly, as though cutting itself short.

Draco now stood next to a fireplace, watching as the muggle-born witch lay on the floor in front of him. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as he watched the complete look of joy cross her face. It was sick, the way she was enjoying the torture. It merely made Draco feel sick to his stomach. He could taste bile in the back of his throat as he waited. He could vaguely here someone hollering Hermione's name, but he couldn't quite understand who it was.

After the first bout of screaming was over, she once again looked him in the eye. He watched as her expression changed. She noticed, she knew how he was feeling. He was about to step in, stop what Bellatrix was doing, but a jet of light hit her once again.

"No!"

Draco sat up quickly, his body drenched in sweat. He looked around him, half expecting his aunt to jump out and say Boo! Well perhaps that's not exactly what he was expecting, but it worked. He didn't move from that spot for a few moments, waiting for his heart to slow. He hadn't had that nightmare for a long time. "Damn Granger, this is her fault."

"Daddy?" A small voice said from the doorway. Draco looked down, seeing Eltanin illuminated by the hall light. The little boy's teddy bear was hanging limply from his right hand, tears streaming down his face. Draco felt his heart break as he watched the little boy. "I'm right here Elt, what's wrong?"

The little boy took a deep breath, a sob threatening to escape his lips. "I heard you, you sounded sad. I don't want you to be sad Daddy." The little boy stumbled into the room, crawling up into his father's bed. "Are you ok daddy?"

Draco smiled down at the little boy and bundled him in his arms, kissing the top of his blond little head. "Daddy is just fine. I was just having a nightmare."

"Do you want me to stay Daddy? You always stay with me when I have a bad dream. It makes me feel better." The Elt wrapped his arms around Draco's neck and tried to give him a big hug. A smile came to Draco's lips as he sat there in the arms of the most important thing in the word to him. He pulled the boy closer and laid his cheek on his sons head, taking in his scent. How Draco got lucky enough to have such wonderful son, he would never know. Visions of his father popped into his mind, and he hugged the boy even closer. "I would love if you stayed with me. I bet I'll feel much better."

A large smile came to Elt's face as he laid down next to Draco. "Ok Daddy, night night. We have to get up early. I have school with Ms. Hermione tomorrow."

Oh yeah. I have to see Granger tomorrow, great.

The rest of the night, Draco slept peacefully, his hand resting on his son's back. It wasn't until a sliver of sunlight crossed over his eyes that he realized it was morning. Eltanin was sitting on the edge of the mattress, watching his father sleep. Draco grinned up at him. Elt laughed and shook his head, "You make funny faces when you sleep."

With a laugh, Draco grabbed his son and started tickling him, laughing along with his son. "So, funny faces huh?"

"Dad! I was kidding, you don't….you don't!"

"Who is the best Dad in the world?"

"You are Daddy! You are!"

Draco released his son and stood up. "That's right I am."

Eltanin laughed and stood up like his father. His eyes brightened with understanding. Draco was confused for a moment, but his question was soon answered. "I get to go to school today," was all Elt said before sprinting out the door to his room. The sound of footsteps could be heard down the hallway and into the room next to his. Draco walked over to his closet and pulled out a shirt and slacks to wear. Of course, they were black. Before he made his way to the hall bathroom, Draco glanced into his son's room. Elt was looking at himself in the mirror, holding two different shirts up. Draco chuckled, leaning against the doorframe, "I thought you didn't want to go to school. Yesterday you said that school was dumb."

Elt turned around and faced his father, an exaggerated look on his face, "Dad... that was yesterday. It was before I saw Ms. Hermione. She is amazing!" Elt's face changed to a dreamy look, "I can't wait to be in her class."

Draco rolled his eyes, holding back his retort. It wouldn't be right to talk badly about Eltanin's new teacher. Instead, he shrugged. "I'm going to jump in the shower. See if Willow will make you something for breakfast."

At the mention of her name, a tiny little house-elf stumbled into the room. She was moving so quickly that she tripped over her own feet and Draco was forced to catch her before she face-planted. "Oh…Willow is sorry Master Malfoy. She was just very excited."

Elt took the liberty of answering for Draco, "That's ok Willow. What shirt should I wear? I want to stand out for Ms. Hermione." On that note, Draco left his son with Willow.

As he walked into the bathroom, Draco couldn't help but shake his head. That boy is only 4 years old. He should think girls are gross. This was not something a father wanted to deal with. So that's exactly what he did, he didn't deal with it. Instead, he looked around his small bathroom, taking in his surroundings. If Granger were to see where he lived now, she would never believe it. He had found a simple cottage had been enough a appease him. Draco had spent his entire life in the large Malfoy Manor, so the large and over eccentric wasn't necessary. He quite enjoyed the simple life.

When the shower started, Draco pulled off his clothes and stepped underneath the steaming water. He used the water to take out the kinks in his neck and back, cherishing the feeling of his troubles washing down the drain. It felt amazing, being in the security of his bathroom, but it couldn't last forever. Thoughts of his nightmare drifted back into the corners of his mind. Granger he mentally growled. He wasn't sure which was more annoying, the fact that his son was obviously smitten with her, or that she was bringing back memories that he had long ago buried.

A shrill voice echoed through his apartment, "Draco, I'm here for Eltanin." With a sigh, Draco turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist and exiting the bathroom. He didn't even spare himself a second glance, there was no need. Daphne wouldn't care what he looked like, and if she did, he didn't. "Hello Daphne."

Daphne's eyes widened as he walked into the kitchen, running her eyes up and down his body. He rolled his eyes, remembering just how physical she was. "It's rude to stare."

Daphne huffed, crossing her arms, "Well it's rude to around your house naked in front of your ex-wife."

Draco smirked, knowing how to push her buttons. "It's my house. Also, until this afternoon, you are still my wife." He picked his wand up from the counter, conjuring a glass of juice. Willow also knew just where to put his things, she truly was a blessing. After a long drink, Draco looked back at his soon to be ex-wife. "Why are you here exactly?"

"For Elt of course." Daphne gave him a 'duh' look. Draco merely shook his head, going to open the door. Daphne's eyes filled with tears that Draco knew were fake. Thank God Eltanin hadn't walked in. He was always a sucker for her tears.

With a sweep of his hand, Draco motioned for the woman in front of him to leave. "When you decided to divorce me, you lost your rights to our child. I am going in today to decide on the custody issue, but until then, you are not to see my son." Daphne's eyes flashed in anger. If looks could kill, Draco would not be standing with his trademark smirk upon his lips. "Any questions?" he asked, opening the door wider.

Daphne started to stomp from the house, stopping in front of Draco to give him the finger. He laughed, shaking his head, "I've been down that road. Although I may have Elt, I will certainly never tread those murky waters again."

The gasp that erupted from Daphne's lips fueled him further. She looked hurt, but only for a split second. Having left Hogwarts as a Slytherin, she was just as practiced as he was at hiding feelings. With a sharp smack, her hand landed on the side of Draco's face. Anger coursed through his body, paralyzing him for a moment. For a split second, he considered grabbing her, making sure she never touched him again, but Granger's face flashed before his eyes and he sighed. From the day in that drawing room, he refused to strike a woman. "Please, leave."

Daphne did just that and Draco shut the door, glancing at the wizarding clock his father gave him. He was late, which meant Elt would be late for his first day at school. As though on cue, Eltanin emerged from his room, fully dressed. "Dad, I'm late. We have to go. I'm going to get into trouble."

"Ms. Hermione wouldn't do that," Draco assured him, but hurried none the less.

In no time flat, Draco had dressed, freshened up, and grabbed his briefcase. He was meeting with a lawyer today, regarding the issues with his son. Speaking of his son, Elt was standing on the counter. Draco dropped his briefcase, running over to his son and pulling him off. Draco's heart was speeding from the rush, fear making him scold his son. "You know better. Do not climb on the counters. If you want something, ask Willow or me. We will get it for you."

Elt crossed his arms, much like his mother just had, "I just wanted to be a big boy. I wanted to get my own cookie." Draco sighed, grabbing a small cookie and halving it with his son. "That's all you get." Elt nodded, pleased with himself. With that, Draco picked up his things and Eltanin, apparating to Diagon Alley.

As soon as he landed in front of Sunny Skies, Elt was fighting to get down. "I'm late! I'm late!" Draco allowed him down and followed him inside. The woman from yesterday, Christy, was sitting at the desk. "tsk tsk, Late on the first day, Mr. Malfoy, Hermione won't be happy about that." Draco watched as Elt ran into his classroom, not even waving goodbye. Draco watched him and sighed, signing Eltanin in. "I'm sorry, I'll try and be on time from now on." Once done signing his name, Draco looked up at Christy and smiled. He was surprised to see Granger standing right behind her. He nodded to her and she smiled, "Hello. I was just making sure you signed him in and everything was set. I noticed how reluctant he was yesterday. Will he be alright?" Draco looked past her to Elt, who was already making friends with a boy who looked about the same age. Draco nodded, "He should be fine."

Hermione nodded with him, pulling something out of her pocket. In her hand she held what looked like one of those plastic muggle cards. Draco took it examining it in his hand. "It's our way of contacting you quickly if there is any emergency. We will only use this if the need arises. Any small misdemeanor or problem will be owled to you. If an emergency does arise, the card will burn in your pocket." Granger was looking at Christy with a question in her eyes. The other girl nodded and turned back to Draco. "Yes, that will be it. I believe you are free to go, and please remember, your son is in safe and capable hands." Draco wanted so badly to say something, but bit his tongue. Infuriating your child's teacher on their first day was not nice. So with a nod and a smirk, he left the two women to their business. Little did he know, the day was about to take an interesting turn.


Hermione watched as Malfoy walked out of her school, as arrogant as ever. He hasn't changed much she thought to herself. She released her tongue from her teeth, knowing it was safe to speak, and tasted blood. "Well that's just great," she said to herself, heading back to her classroom. The minute she walked in, she had to pull her wand out. They were all in total chaos. It looked like the thirty seconds she had left them on their own had been a mistake. The only child who was behaving happened to be the very child who was late. With a smile, she walked past him and to the front of the class. As she raised five fingers, the students began to settle down and make their way back to their seats. Hermione noticed how the art supplies were scattered all along the back wall and there was a soft blanket of feathers over half the class. Hermione sighed, cleaning everything up with a flick of her wand. "Well, I suppose we won't have art today, seeing as most of you have used up our art supply already. Now class, I have a new student today. I want you all to welcome Eltanin to the class."

The class echoed her words, "Hi Eltanin."

The little boys face grew bright red as he looked around at his new classmates. Teddy was sitting next to him, trying to get his attention. Once again Teddy finds a way to disrupt my class. Instead of punishing Teddy for trying to make a friend, she motioned for Eltanin to come to the front of the class. His face turned an even darker shade of red as he trudged up to the front. Hermione, familiar with shyness, bent down and looked him in the eye. "How about you tell us a little about yourself?" she asked, allowing him to take the floor.

Elt looked at her with fearful eyes. Hermione smiled and beckoned him forward. The little boy looked at his classmates and crossed his arms, kicking the carpet. "My daddy calls me Elt, because it's easier to say," he started, looking down at his feet. "I have a friend named Willow and she helps me around the house. She helped me pick out this shirt." Elt pointed to his shirt and looked around at everyone, hoping they would be as excited as he was. Hermione merely smiled, watching this boy come out of his shell before her eyes. Elt looked around the room, clearly trying to think of what to say next. He eventually decided on something, because he went into a rant then, "My mother came over this morning and my daddy wasn't happy. They were talking about a word called … divorce. My daddy told her," Elt didn't get to finish his sentence because Hermione was quicker.

"Very good Elt, perhaps we'll finish the story later. Now we must all pull out our Alphabet tablets and begin saying our letters. Please, recite them with me, A … B…. C" and the class repeated her until they made it to Z. They were all getting into their studying, which was why Hermione decided writing may be fun. "Alright, today we are going to learn how to draw these letters. Most of the time this is called writing, but you all already knew that." The students all laughed, including Eltanin. Hermione couldn't help but smile at how much he was already enjoying himself.

The day past on without anything else interesting happening, that is until lunchtime. The children were each at their desks, drawing with colored pencils on paper that was bewitched to allow the pictures to move while they were drawing, and Hermione walked around watching them. One girl, Bethany, was drawing a sunset. She was enjoying drawing the colors cascading out from where a yellow ball set on a drawn horizon. Hermione made her way around to Teddy and Elt, who were busy drawing with their heads together. Teddy had yet to begin his drawing, and Hermione marveled at how much he looked like Remus, his real father. She didn't dare allow herself to dwell to long on the subject though, because her eyes still filled with tears when she thought of them.

Rather than focus on Teddy, Hermione looked down at Elt's drawing. He was drawing what looked like an old dinosaur. This dinosaur was obviously herbivore, as he was taking leaves off a nearby tree and chewing on them. "That's very good Elt, I'm very impressed." Eltanin smiled in delight, holding up his picture. He was about to say something to Hermione, but was interrupted by Christy at the door with a frightened look on her face. "Hermione, we have to get the kids out of here!"

Hermione didn't even stop to think once. She put her want and picked up the closest kid, which happened to be Eltanin. Teddy grabbed on to the bottom of her robes, looking scared, "Aunt Hermione, what's wrong."

Hermione looked down at him, showing it was okay, "We just have to go outside." She turned to the rest of the children, trying to get them to stand. "Come children. It's such a nice day outside, let's go and see." All the children rose, seeming convinced that there was no danger. "Christy, take them outside. Wait until I get back outside to alert parents. Just take them across the street. I'm sure Patty wouldn't mind feeding them ice-cream." Hermione tried to stay calm, even as she saw the panic in Christy's eyes. Hermione understood and passed Elt to her. "GO!"

The children filed out, and Hermione saw why they had to leave. At the end of the hallway, in the nursery, there was smoke billowing out of the doorway. Hermione made sure to block this from sight so that the kids wouldn't panic, even though she felt like panicking herself. Once in the clear, she grabbed her want and headed into the nursery. Luckily, Jean had already gotten all of the children out, Hermione said a quick spell to confirm that. What Hermione didn't expect was for Jean to be dueling one on one with a masked figure. "What the hell!" she said, pointing her want at the man, "Stupefy," she yelled. The man was quick, deflecting the spell and making it hit Jean. What happened next, Hermione will never forget. The man pointed his want at her, and she heard the distinct words, "Avada Kedavra." Without thinking, she dived to the side, hoping the spell would miss her. Luckily it did, and she was able to yell out the first spell that came to mind. It was Ginny's famous Bat-Bogey Hex. The man screamed as his mask fell and bat wings sprouted from his face. Hermione rushed forward and seized him, conjuring up ropes and wrapping them around him. Jean was next to her then, using a levitating spell to lift him to safety.

Hermione's heart was racing as she looked around the room for anymore. Secure the room, then evacuate. Luckily, no one else was in the room. Unfortunately, the fire was growing out of control. "Quick, we have to get out of here." She led the way, Jean following close behind with the man floating behind her. The entire encounter had only taken a minute, but Hermione felt like she had been at it for hours.

Once outside, she looked around for Christy and the students. A few mothers were with the children, trying to keep them calm. Hermione felt a wave of gratitude towards these women. She wasn't able to focus on this fact long though, because her Auror instinct kicked in and she examined the crowd. There were a few passersby, but none looked as though they were troublemakers. Hermione allowed her nerves to relax as she took in the damage. It only took one look to realize her dream was gone. The school that she had going was on fire, flames licking through the roof. A few wizards were trying to put it out, but Hermione knew it was no use. After a few moments these men must have come to the same conclusion, because they stopped trying to stop the fire and focused on putting barriers up before the fire could spread to other buildings.

It was now time to turn to what was required of her. She told Christy to summon the parents and began to take a head count. Poor Elt, he was really enjoying Sunny Skies too. It was all quite sad.

In the end, Hermione came to the conclusion that everyone was present and accounted for. It was at this moment that parents decided to show up.

Some were angry, and they had words to exchange with Hermione before they picked up their children and left. They spoke of irresponsibility and carelessness. Hermione wanted to point out that it wasn't her fault, someone had attacked the school, but Jeanette had already hauled the guy off to the Ministry of Magic. Harry was going to have a long day.

Others were grateful at Hermione's quick thinking skills and ability to keep calm. They noticed that their children were not frightened at all, merely curious. For those who knew Hermione had complete Auror school before she started her own school, they were in her debt. They told her how wonderful she was and that, if she were to reopen Sunny Skies, they would be the first to come back.

By the end, Hermione was numb from the emotional draining that she had taken. She had finally been left with only Elt and Teddy. Elt sat in her lap and ate his ice-cream quietly, while Teddy had to make a big deal out of the mess he had made on his shirt. Hermione hushed him and he fell silent, pouting at the table. Hermione grinned at him then turned to look for Harry. She had told Christy to alert Harry of what had happened and was expecting him at any moment. What she didn't expect was for Harry to show up accompanied by Malfoy. When he got a look at his son, Malfoy's face completely relaxed and he seemed put to ease. Harry, on the other hand, was tense. "Hermione, thank god you're alright." Eltanin jumped down and ran into his father's arms as Harry dragged Hermione into his. "I should have warned you, I had a feeling they would attack today. I just never thought it would be at your school."

Hermione shook her head, confused, "What do you mean?"

Harry gave her a bewildered look, "You didn't know? Ron didn't-" but he stopped at the look on Hermione's face. It was clear that Ron had 'forgotten' to mention that someone would be attacking her school today. "No Harry, he didn't."

Harry looked taken aback, "Well if Kingsley or I would have known, we would have informed you. Come on, let's go back to the ministry. I'll explain everything there."

Hermione allowed herself to be ushered by Harry, who was carrying Teddy on his back, towards the Leaky Cauldron. She glanced back at her once beautiful school, which was no longer standing. Malfoy was following close behind them, hugging his son to his chest. He was watching Hermione with apologetic eyes. She got the message, he was sorry for what had happened to her. In this moment, it clicked. Whoever that man was, he wasn't after Hermione, or any of the Golden Trio. He had been after Eltanin. This masked killer had merely ended up in the wrong room by accident. "Oh Harry," was all she was able to say. She spared a glance back at Malfoy and Elt, asleep in his arms.

This little boy was in trouble, and she had to find out why.


I hope you all enjoyed that chapter. I very much enjoyed writing it. If it was a little too quick going into the action, I'm sorry. I promise though, this is in no way a climax to the story. I was planning for this story to be novel length. I'm so excited too! This chapter is almost twice as long as my first one.

I'll write more author's notes on my website if you are interested, just check it out.

In response to Reviewers:

Hannah: I'm glad you couldn't wait, neither could I. I've been trying to put my thoughts onto my computer all day. I was so excited to get this chapter out!

Joseph: Aww .. I know right! My goal was to make him the most likable character in the book, so I just tried to channel my inner cute child. That didn't work, so I wrote Eltanin, he's so much better than my inner child.

Wooster: I agree, I wasn't fond of Scorpius either. To answer your question though, I was planning on using the children from the Epilogue. It was completely my fault, I got James and Albus' ages mixed. I was thinking Albus was older, which I was wrong. So I'm just going to improvise, since this story is only 4 years after the end of the war, James isn't born yet. Albus is the older child of Ginny and James. I had to put Teddy in too, since I could totally see Remus being the most rambunctious kid. He's just so smart.

Ally: I completely agree, tis my favorite too.

Thank you guys for reviewing, you have no idea how absolutely Giddy I was to find reviews! It just made me want to write more and more!

Until We meet Again,

Ms. Darcy