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Hey guys, sorry it's taken so long to post a new chapter. I've tried to make these chapters longer than my normal. I hope they're okay.

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I stared at the inside of the monumental cupboard. Unable to find anything appropriate to wear, I looked at the cupboard next to it. Thankfully, this one contained several dresses and a few skirts. Reaching in to grab one, I frowned at the silky smooth feel of them all. Some of them must have been made of the finest silk. Blindly picking one, I took it out and pulled it over my head, flicking my hair out from under it. My hair seemed slightly shorter than I remembered; just to the bottom of my shoulder blades instead of my waist. The dress I picked was a frilly light colour, almost pink. I ran my hands over its softness, completely entranced by it.

Squaring my shoulders, I pulled the door open and stepped into the hall.

My bare feet felt cold against the hard wood floor. Paintings lined the walls, all seemingly nice people. Many stopped to say hello, calling me by nicknames and endearments. I gave smiles I didn't really want to give and moved on, nodding as the paintings gave me directions. Soon, I didn't have to follow directions, because I heard childish laughing coming from ahead of me. I followed the sounds and wound up in what appeared to be a gigantic living room.

Cassie was squirming on a bean bag, being tickled by her father- I had to pause when I thought of that word. It seemed disgusting to me. But apparently, every time I forgot, I learned to love him. Maybe I thought I hated him every time. I hoped so. I hoped this wasn't a one off.

"Mumma!" Cassie screamed when she saw me.

Malfoy turned and shifted off the bean bag, and Cassie came running, barrelling towards me with all the enthusiasm of a hyperactive puppy. She jumped up and down on the spot, hands in the air, begging for me to hold her. Instead of doing so, I knelt next to her and hugged her around the waist. She planted a sloppy kiss on my cheek. I kept wary eyes on Malfoy, who was looking at me with pained eyes.

"Mumma, you 'member me! Daddy, Mumma 'members me!" She turned and skipped back to Malfoy, who picked her up easily, supporting her on his hip.

Seeing them close together, it was easy to see the resemblance. She had his pale hair and complexion, his grey blue eyes. Her hair was darker though and her eyes had tiny flecks of brown. I didn't want to think it. I wanted to deny it with every fibre of my being. The problem was, I believed my diary, which meant I had to read between the lines: I had let this man touch me, impregnate me. This man who had called me 'Mudblood' so many times it was criminal, who had been on the side of the death-eaters. This man who just stood there in silence while I was tortured by his aunt in his living room. This man who I hated more than anything in the world.

"Looks like she does, baby girl." Malfoy replied to her joyful cries. He threw her in the air and caught her on the way down, swinging her legs as he planted her back on the floor. She seemed delighted.

"Mumma, you gotta play with me! That way you'll 'member me p'op'ly."

Cassie took my hand and towed me off to a far corner of the room, where she had set up a doll's house. I knelt down with her and watched in amazement as she played out the lives of her dolls. We played together that way for a while, Malfoy looking on in amusement, until Cassie got suddenly serious.

"Mumma?"

"Yeah, Cass?"

"Do you like me?" The question made me look at her sharply. She didn't seem to notice, just went back to moving her dolls around her tiny house.

"What makes you ask that?"

"You always forget me and Daddy, but you never forget Uncle Harry or Uncle Ron, or Grandma Molly or Grandpa Art'ur. Do you like me, Mumma?" Hesitant, I risked a glance at Malfoy.

He was staring at Cassie as though seeing her for the first time. Knowing that he was just as freaked out as I was, I reached out my hands for her. She came to me willingly, fitting herself against my chest as though she belonged there. I guess she did.

"You know I love you, don't you Cassie?" She nodded miserably. "And I like you, of course I do. Sometimes I forget you, but that's not because I don't like you. I forget you because-" I glared at Malfoy over Cassie's head, making sure he got the message. "Some very bad people stole my memory. They did some very bad things and they made me forget." Malfoy's eyebrows lifted in surprise, but then he just shrugged, as if saying 'Fair enough'. Pulling Cassie away from my chest, I looked her right in the eye. "But that doesn't mean I don't like you. I like you a lot, little one." She beamed at me, showing twin dimples, and threw me into a choker hold, her skinny arms winding around my neck like a boa constricter. I hugged her back with the same enthusiasm.

It was about an hour later that Kitzy came in and said that it was time for Cassie to have a nap. It surprised me, because she seemed to have limitless energy, but she dutifully yawned and rubbed her eyes. I smiled when she gave me a hug, and then frowned when she did the same to Malfoy then left me alone with him.

He smiled as he watched her go, holding Kitzy's hand, bending her legs slightly so she could reach the house-elf's bony fingers. When he turned back to look at me, his eyes were full of fatherly pride. I was still in denial. I still didn't want to believe it. I could see sympathy in his features, but also impatience. I wondered how many times he had thought about leaving- giving up on me. It made me wonder what made him stay each time.

"I've written to Harry and Ron. They're on their way over." I was struck dumb at the use of their real names, without the sense of condescension or hostility I was used to. "They should be here by the time she wakes up."

"I have a question," I worked on keeping my voice level, on not seeming unreasonable. "How do you make me... fall in love with you every time?" I couldn't stomach it. The words tasted vile- wrong- coming out of my mouth. His grin was quick and immediate.

"Killer abs." He replied, very simply. I was not impressed.

"Can you be serious for ten seconds, please?" He turned very stoic. It shocked me.

"You want the truth? I have no idea. I know I don't deserve you, or our daughter, or your family. I don't deserve the friends you've given me, or the life without death and violence that I had before you saved me. I have no idea why you love me, but I know I'm not going to just walk away,"

"But what do you get out of it?" That was the bit I didn't understand. The entire time I'd known him, he'd always been looking for the best, and I knew for a fact that, in his opinion, that wasn't me.

"Have you seen our daughter? She is absolutely and completely perfect. When we get together, we make perfection." He took a step closer to me, and I took a step back. According to the look that flashed across his face, he noticed. "What can I say? I'm for it."

"For what?"

"Perfection," He smiled fondly at me, seemingly not fussed by my shock. "Now, I've got to go do some work. Do you need me for anything?"

"No!" My response was too loud and too quick. It hurt him. I was surprised I noticed. He nodded, his grey eyes softening for a second before he turned and walked out of the living room. I held my head in my hands and breathed out a frustrated sigh.

I had been right when I said it was going to get complicated.

Harry and Ron came bearing hugs and children. There was an army of them, honestly. A huge herd of screaming rascals. Some were freckled redheads, some were brown eyed and raven haired, a couple were chestnut brunettes and one had deep green eyes under floppy lemon yellow and ice blue hair. I recognised the latter immediately.

Harry bent to kiss my cheek and Ron gave a brief hug before going after one of his kids. I shook my head as I watched him scold that child for doing something that I hadn't even noticed. Cassie came skipping into the room and got smothered by heaps of people vying for her attention. I chuckled when Harry and Ron started play-fighting over her, playing a tug'o'war with her as the rope.

The kids seemed to know something of what was going on, looking at me hesitantly, as though waiting for me to do something. I smiled hopefully. They didn't move. I opened my arms. They swarmed. Harry and Ron looked on with sad smiles as I tried to guess at names from height, but instead opted for the general 'Hey guys!' I didn't want to regret using the wrong name on the wrong child.

"Go and play down the hall, kids. We've gotta talk with Auntie 'Mione." Harry told them, pushing them in the direction of Cassie's room. The words struck a blow. Almost as bad as 'Mumma' did.

"But, Dad, you always have to talk to Auntie 'Mione!" One of the raven haired boys whined. He seemed smaller. I guessed he was Albus.

"That's just 'cause she's way more interesting than the lot of you," Ron joked, shooing them away. They finally filed out, shouting about a game of Quiddich.

When the room was quiet, Harry and Ron both sat down on the couch and laid their arms against the back rest, perfectly synchronised. It was kind of alarming.

"So, what was your theory this time?" Ron asked, cocking a brow.

"Huh?"

"You always have a theory when you don't remember. Imperious Curse, Stockholm Syndrome- you've had quite a few. What was it this time?" I looked down in embarrassment.

"Love spell," I murmured. Both boys laughed, mocking me. "I just don't understand how either of you could let me do this!" I finally cried, sick of their teasing. "I mean, all the time my daughter has to live with the fact that I don't remember her! How could you let me do this?"

"Because, regardless of what you may think now, you and Drake just work," Ron told me. I reeled at the use of the nickname. "And also because, why should you have to live without a life just because your head is broken?"

"Is everything in that diary true? Fred and Tonks and Remus- are they really-"

"Yeah. They really are." Harry spoke before I could say the word. I felt a tightening in my chest and I wanted to scream.

"I'm so sorry, Ron." We were silent for a while, and then I heard footprints.

"Hey, four-eyes." Malfoy said. I started to turn.

"Hey, blondie." Harry replied, his voice oddly cheerful

"Hey, weasel."

"Hey, ferret." Ron seemed fine with the insults too. This was a very weird day.

"They're endearments, Hermione." Malfoy informed me, coming over to sit on the right armrest of my chair. "Not insults."

"Manly endearments," Ron hastened to add, ignoring the looks he got from Harry and Malfoy. It was so strange, having them in the same room and not shouting at each other. I took a breath, and decided to jump right in.

"So," I started. "Are there any photos I could look at?"

Later on, I sat with a huge book in my lap in front of a roaring fire. Malfoy sat next to me, every so often pointing at something in the book. Harry and Ron and the kids had left a half hour before, but I was still trawling through the photo albums, Cassie playing with her blocks in front of my knees.

"And that's you at Victoire's first day home," Malfoy said, pointing at a scene in a lounge room, people bustling around a familiar woman and a bundle of blankets. "And that was her when she woke up," The baby he pointed at was beautiful, pale blue eyes and downy pale hair on the top of her tiny head, staring inquisitively at me from the photo. "That was you going back to Hogwarts for the last year," I frowned at that, crinkling my brows. "And that's you the next week coming back," I chuckled, surprised that I had remembered that long. My photo self waved at me, and I fought the urge to wave back. When Malfoy stopped talking, I turned to look at him. He was staring at me, his grey eyes stormy and intense. I flinched back, nervous. "Sorry. I just haven't heard you laugh today. Sorry. Where was I? Oh, and this one is one of my favourites," He pointed at a picture of me wrestling with a garden-gnome. "First time you tried de-gnoming." I blushed as he laughed.

I flicked through years of photos, smiling at the memories I wasn't able to have. Then it got serious.

"And this is the first time you and I played mini-golf, first time we played badminton, first picnic we went on, first milkshakes, first..."

The list went on, and I nearly cracked, wanting to scream that it wasn't me. It couldn't be me. I would never do any of this with him.

"First date," He paused, smiling fondly at the photo. "First kiss," My eyes widened as I looked at the two in the photo, obviously not needing oxygen. His voice turned sad, melancholy. "First time I told you I love you. First time you said the same back. First time Ron and Harry had a decent conversation with me." There were so many firsts. I wanted to rip up all the photos and tell him point blank that they were fake. They weren't me. I would not do that. How could he think I could love him? But the look on his face stopped me. There was an age of sadness beneath the memories, like a tiny stain on a favourite dress.

"This was when I proposed to you," He was on his knee on a stone bridge, strangers all around clapping. Someone had been holding the camera on land, recording the moment. Malfoy was smiling, beaming at me, and my hands were over my mouth. As I watched, I dropped my hands and nodded. He stood up and kissed me, then the scene started again. "And this was our wedding day."

Malfoy and I stood on the top of a hill, him in a tuxedo, black shirt and black tie and me in the perfect wedding dress. A tight fitting bodice with lace and pearls, and a skirt the flowed around me like water. My veil had been long and lovely, and my shoes- Merlin, they were heavenly. Malfoy had me in his arms, and I was looking up at him like I adored him. My hands were on his chest and I was pressed close against him. Wind whipped around us, moving my veil and hair about, my dress shivering in beautiful waves, birds flying above us, but I didn't take my eyes off him, and his attention never wavered from me, the picture seemed to be an eternal homage to the perfect wedding. I looked up at him. He was smiling, but it was marred with sorrow. A sorrow so terrible I couldn't even comprehend.

"You forgot me the next morning," His eyes turned misty, water lining his lower eyelids. He wiped the back of his hand under his nose and I fought the urge to place a hand on his shoulder in comfort. "From that day, we learned that you must always have pyjamas on when you wake up." He shook his head and got back to business. "This was the day you moved in, and this was our first candlelit dinner here. You were worried the the house would catch fire, if I remember correctly." I watched a few months go by, my stomach getting increasingly larger. Then it wasn't large at all, and I was holding Cassie in my arms, sitting in this chair. "This was Cass's first day home,"

"I wanna see!" Cassie cried, jumping into Malfoy's lap. She giggled when she saw how small she was. I couldn't make sense of it. I couldn't imagine her being that tiny. "I got bigger, Daddy," She said, pointing at herself in the picture.

"Yep, you sure did, bubba. Still my little girl, though." It was hard to watch Malfoy hold Cassie. It was hard to see that he loved her so much. It made me want to like him.

I watched her first and second birthday, and all the days in between. It was nice to see my life played out so I could visualise it.

I just wanted to remember it.

Dinner was served in a massive dining room. The table, by comparison, was tiny, although not to Cassie, who had to sit on two encyclopaedias and a copy of 'Hogwarts: A History' in order to see over the tabletop. She was happily enjoying her chicken parmigiana which Malfoy had just cut up for her, along with beans, potatoes and a warm tomato salad. Malfoy seemed to have the same thing, except more of it, and I had the same as well. Except, I didn't have any chicken.

"Um," I stuttered. Malfoy's blonde head snapped up to look at me. It was the first time I had spoken since I had finished looking at the photo albums. "I just wondered... um... where's my chicken?" Malfoy smiled, his flint grey eyes twinkling.

"You're a vegetarian, remember?" Now he said it, I did remember reading that. It was strange to think that I had made such a big decision and yet couldn't even remember it.

"Oh. Good for me." The last word trailed off, almost like a question.

Malfoy started laughing, then Cassiopeia joined in as little kids do when adults start laughing- to join in on the fun and look like a big kid- while I shook my head. After a while, I couldn't help joining in as well. Laughter is contagious. It shocked me when I realised I liked his laughter. It seemed musical to me, soothing. It made me relax a little, realise this was easy.

After we all settled down, Malfoy asked Kitzy if she could get me some chicken, and she rushed off, evidently used to making spare. I tucked in when my plate was resettled in front of me and was surprised when Malfoy suddenly started talking.

"So do you remember we have that thing tonight?" My head spun, and I tried to remember something from my diary.

"Um," Was my brilliant reply.

"The Hero's Banquet at the Ministry..."

"You're one of the Heroes?"

"No... the only recognised heroes are the ones who fought and gave their lives in the War. The rest are just soldiers. People are grateful to them, but the ones who died gave the ultimate gift." I frowned and started to ask more questions, but Cassie interrupted.

"I wanna come! Teddy and Vicky and Jamie and Booboo always get to go." She whined from her end of the table.

"That's because they're not three," Malfoy explained exasperatedly. "And also because they don't have a seven thirty bedtime."

"But I want to stay up later! Mumma, Daddy's being mean!" The father in question smirked, reminding me very much of our school days together.

He didn't say a word and waited for me to reply. I didn't want to. I wasn't going to admit that he was right, but I couldn't argue with him. What he said was true, she did have a bedtime, but at the same time, she was- ugh, she was too adorable to refuse. My mind was going wild, trying to come up with a solution to what I believed was a real problem.

"You know you have a bedtime, Cassie." Her bottom lip turned down and she started to cry.

"But I don't want to-"

"Cassiopeia Nymphadora Jean Malfoy, you stop that noise right now or you won't get dessert!" Malfoy's tone was demanding and stern, but not smug or nasty or anything else I associated with him. It was not arrogant or disdainful. It sounded like he knew what he wanted, and he knew how to get it. His voice was just assertive. Cassie's golden head dropped in remorse and her voice shook as she apologised.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," She whimpered.

"I know, darling girl. You will get to go to one of these things eventually; just not tonight." After one, fond smile at his daughter, Malfoy turned to me and gave a questioning glance. "So what do you think, 'Mione? Shall we go tonight or blow it off?"

I didn't reply for a few minutes, unnerved by his easy use of the nickname. It seemed so natural coming from his lips. I didn't want to think about the hundreds of times he'd called me that and other names that were so much more personal. Closing my eyes, I shook my head and gave my answer.

"I guess we can go. What time will it be?" Malfoy gave me a look that was hard to figure out. It was almost proud.

"We have another hour or so." I blinked a few times and then started to panic. He noticed. "Kitzy can help you get ready, if you'd like. You picked out what you were going to wear yesterday," The blonde smiled at me quite tenderly. "You're organised that way."

Yeah, that did kind of sound like me. Taking a deep breath, I smiled and tried to calm my racing heart, which had picked up speed almost as soon as this topic had come up.

I stared at myself in the full length mirror in absolute amazement. The last time I had been this elegant was at the Yule Ball in fourth year. Well, the last time I could remember anyway. Kitzy was next to me, smiling at my reflection in the mirror, obviously pleased with her work. I didn't want to smile. I just wanted to stare.

My dress was a light, forget-me-not blue and it seemed to shimmer around me. It was ankle length and it had sort of a wavy feel about it. If I spun a little, it flowed around my ankles in a fairy circle. Kitzy had done marvels with my hair, using her elf magic to pin it in an elegant, simple updo that was both fabulous and slightly gravity defying. My face was highlighted and bronzed in all the right places, and my eyes seemed to pop, demanding attention.

"You look lovely, Miss." Kitzy informed me, not sounding surprised in the least. "Just right."

"Thank you, Kitzy." The almost-stranger smiled in the mirror and the little house-elf nodded.

"Will that be all, Miss?"

"Yes, Kitzy, thanks."

"Well, then, I'll be knocking off now, Miss. You have fun tonight." She patted my hand and walked out, leaving me to greet Malfoy like this on my own.

Steeling myself, I turned and walked out the master bedroom and down the hall, asking the paintings where Malfoy was. When I found him, he was drawing with Cassie, using what looked like really quite excellent crayons and canvas. I guessed that with his money, he could afford to waste such good mediums. Or we could.

It was still so strange to think of Malfoy and me as an 'us' or 'we' entity.

When he heard me come into the room, he looked up and smiled. The look froze on his face as he got a look at me and I hastily smoothed my hands over the fabric of my dress.

"What? Is something wrong?" It took a while for him to answer.

"No," He replied finally, like it was obvious. He smiled, one of those odd, nice smiles I had only seen throughout today a few times. He shrugged. "You're perfect. Cassie, how good does Mummy look?" It was then that my daughter looked at me, and her eyes sparkled and he mouth creased into a childish grin.

"Mumma looks like a princess. A Rathenclop princess. Mumma, you look like Rowena Rathenclop." I smiled softly at the little girl and walked over. I picked her up and supported her on my hip. I kissed her downy hair.

"Thank you, Cassie." I bent down and placed her back on the ground. She skipped over to Malfoy.

"I think it's bedtime for you, missy-moo." He told her.

"No it's not." She replied, unconvincingly.

"You have to go to bed, Cass."

"No, I don't." Malfoy looked up at me and gave me a mockingly traumatised face. I frowned at him.

"Well, I guess there's nothing for it. We'll have to sell her." Cassie gasped and I bit back a grin. "Yes, we'll have to sell her to the pixies. They'll lock her up and tie her up and only feed her cucumber and Brussels' sprouts, but if she's not going to go to bed, that's the only thing we can do."

"No, no, no! Daddy, no!" She turned away and started running. "See Daddy, I'm gon bed. Don't sell me, Daddy." Malfoy smiled after her and shook his head.

"Works every time." He gloated.

"Do you do that a lot?" I asked him, staring after our cute girl in Mickey Mouse pyjamas.

"We do that a lot." He corrected.

I frowned, still not used to the 'we' principle. Malfoy gave a sad smile and waved his hand in the direction Cassie had toddled off to.

"Why don't you go say goodnight while I go get dressed and then I'll say goodnight and we can go?" I gave a slightly confused smile. "Down the hall, turn right, third on the left." He left to let me find my way and went in the direction of the master bedroom.

I followed his directions and found Cassie's room. I was helped along, though, by the sign that informed me that it was 'Cassie's Room'- it had a cute, pink butterfly flittering around the sign as well. When I stopped to admire it, it fluttered it's right wing as though it was waving at me. I blinked a few times before entering Cass's room.

It was a pink and purple paradise. Her walls were painted lavender, her roof a creamy pink. Her bed covers were a hot, bubblegum pink, decorated with little elephants in varying shades of light purple. There was a deep, almost blue, purple fairy net draped over the sides of her bed. Over by the window at the far corner sat the doll house she had been playing with earlier today. I wondered who had moved it.

Cassie was hovering almost protectively over a cot, whispering excitedly to her toys inside. When I went to kneel next to her, I saw that there were three miniature dolls and a stuffed cat, all staring at her as if real. She was telling them not to worry, that the monsters wouldn't come back- Daddy had taken care of them. She whispered goodnight and kissed them all on the forehead. Then she toddled into bed, taking my hand and pulling me along with her.

I pulled back her covers and watched her slide in, cuddling her teddy bear close. Her lovely grey eyes looked at me with what I could only describe as childish love. I wanted to stay here and savour that look. Despite the fact that I didn't think I knew her, I loved this little girl already. It felt as though my heart would break every time I thought of the fact that I might not remember her tomorrow. It seemed to be weighing on her mind too.

"Mumma?"

"Yes, Cassie?" I brushed her hair back from her forehead gently and smiled.

"Will you 'member me tonowwow?"

"I don't know, bubba." I replied sadly- I so wanted to give her reassurance, to let her believe I would never forget her.

"Will you try to?" Her voice was small and scared.

"Of course, I will. You know I will." She smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. She reached out with her skinny arms to hug me around the neck. I didn't want to let go.

"Goodnight, Mumma." I kissed her forehead and left the room.

Malfoy was coming down the hall, looking sickeningly dashing in a black tuxedo, white shirt and tie. His hair was combed but not slicked back the way I remembered it. I thought he looked better this way, then cursed myself for thinking he looked good at all.

"I'll just say goodnight, then we'll go."

I heard him talking with Cassie but didn't want to interfere. He came out after a small while and put his arm out for me to side apparate with him. Before I took his arm, he asked me a favour.

"Don't call me Malfoy tonight. Can you just try to call me Draco?"

It wasn't just pleading in his eyes: there was fear and doubt as well. Instead of replying, I just nodded. He smiled, and we zipped off to the gala.

A/N: So what did you think? Too angsty? Not angsty enough? Was Draco a believable Draco? I'm trying to make him nicer but still with a sort of sarcastic sense of humour, if that makes sense. Either way, let me know.

Love Stormy. xoxox