Disclaimer: I own nothing apart from Ariadne Aurora Malfoy-Granger. Everything else belongs to the genius J K Rowling.

Summary: It was a normal day for Draco Malfoy, but as soon as he stepped out of the fire place and brushed the soot off his robes he knew something was wrong. On this bed was a wicker Moses basket stuffed with a bundle of blankets. Inside, just visible, was a baby girl fast asleep. She had nothing with her except a letter addressed to him and a golden necklace he knew too well. T for safety.


Chapter Two

Goodnight

Blaise Zabini knew that Draco Malfoy was in for a rough couple of weeks, maybe even months, because of the arrival of the youngest Malfoy. That was why he offered to move into Draco's six bedroom house to give his oldest friend a hand with the young child. Besides, he was sick of living in his own Manor ever since his mother moved back a couple of months ago after her recent divorce. Lady Zabini had placed upon herself to nitpick everything in his Manor and even though she stayed in her own wing of the Manor, she always seemed to mess everything around in Blaise's side.

The baby girl in his arms gurgled happily and contentedly as she looked up at Blaise's face. Blaise pulled a face at her and she responded with an even louder gurgle. Blaise sneaked a glance at his blond friend and noted that he hadn't moved a muscle. The blond had his face in his hands whilst a golden heart necklace hung on his fingers.

Blaise knew the blond was trying to think things through and he also knew to leave him alone with his thoughts until the latter could rein everything in and work something out. Blaise took one last look at his friend and gently laid the young child back to her basket before gently and quietly padded his way out of Draco's room.

"Tilly?" Blaise called out for the freed house-elf that served the young Malfoy. With a faint pop the elf that served Draco Malfoy since he was a baby appeared. She came to him the day Draco was disowned for she technically was owned by Draco and not his parents. Draco freed her, but she begged her master to let her stay and he complied as he felt sorry for the poor creature. He handed her an emerald green dress and an apron with the very strict command to make sure that she is not seen by his Muggle neighbours. Why Draco chose to live in a Muggle community just outside Muggle London was still a mystery to Blaise.

"Master Blaise, sir. What can Tilly do for master, sir?" The house-elf bowed low before she timidly fiddled with the brand new dress Draco gave to her just a month ago. Draco often bought her new dresses and sometimes he would give her fabric for the young elf loved to make her own dresses out of scratch.

"Tilly, would you kindly go to Diagon Alley and buy whatever baby equipment seem fitting for this little one." Blaise gestured at little Ariadne who stayed quiet and started to fall asleep.

"Oh! A little baby!" Tilly the house elf chirped excitedly at the sight of the young baby.

"Yes. Draco found himself in a rather complicated predicament." Blaise commented dryly.

"Right away, sir. Tilly will go to Diagon Alley now, sir." With a bow, she disappeared and saw to whatever she needed to do.


Later on that evening, a piercing baby's cry woke Draco up from his sleep. He groaned inwardly, flipped over on his stomach and tried to see what time it was.

"2 am." He muttered to himself as he tried to ignore the increasingly loud screams by muffling them with his pillow and scrambled for his wand to cast a silencing spell when the cries suddenly tugged at his heartstrings.

Hesitantly, he got out of bed and followed where the noise was coming from. He located where his young daughter was screaming her heart out and she was in the smallest room between him, the three other rooms and what is now Blaise's room. Light peaked out of the gap under the door and he lingered just outside the room before he tentatively pushed the door open. He found his freed house-elf Tilly stood on a stool trying to reach and comfort the baby who was red in the face and in her Moses basket in the middle of the bed just out of Tilly's reach.

"Master Draco, sir! Little Mistress is hungry, sir. Tilly is about to feed her, sir, but Tilly cannot reach her!" Tilly seemed distraught that she could not reach the young child. She waved the small bottle of warm milk in her hands to prove a point.

"It's all right Tilly, I've got it." Draco ran his fingers through his dishevelled hair before he walked towards the crying baby. He gently took the bottle away from the house-elf and unsure of what exactly he had to do, he picked the baby up into his arms and pushed the teat of the bottle into the baby's mouth. Ariadne, stopped crying at once and began to drink the milk happily.

As little Ariadne drank her milk, Draco took this time to properly look at here for the very first time. Blaise, for most of the night, had her as Draco thought over some things in his room. He was thankful that Blaise knew him enough to leave him alone with his thoughts.

From what he gathered as he listened to the commotion downstairs from his bedroom, Blaise ordered Tilly to buy whatever seemed fitting for the young child and when she came back, Blaise ordered the house elf to feed and look after little Ariadne as he apparated to his Manor to collect his things.

After half an hour, Blaise came back from his Manor with three trunks full of his stuff that was shrunken in size and it ranged from his actual bed, his books, and down to his huge wardrobe full of his clothes and large collection of shoes. He claimed the room at the bottom of the hallway and began to unpack as little Ariadne was still asleep.

Back to looking at his daughter for the first time, Draco noted that she looked exactly like him except for the heart shaped face, curly hair and a full lips just like her mother. She's a beautiful child, just like her mother.

Ah, Hermione Granger.

Draco wondered who exactly she was running from? The war ended seven years ago and the last time the Wizarding world saw her was the day they left Hogwarts. She was never seen since.

Apart from the day he bumped into her last Christmas. He was strolling around Muggle London looking for a gift for Blaise when she literally bumped into him. Draco noted that time that she looked well. He invited her for a coffee where she talked about what was happening in her life. She finally managed to track down her parents in Australia and restored their memory but they were so angered by her actions and blinded by their resentment of having their memories altered that they refused to even speak to her and no longer saw her as their daughter. And that was five years ago.

When he asked what she did for a living, she momentarily quietened down and took her time considering what to say. Draco knew something was wrong but he did not push her. She finally answered that she was not working at the moment but instead she was just travelling unsure of what she really wanted to do.

Draco wondered how long she had been running from the Death Eaters that were after her? Had she been running away from them since the day she left Hogwarts or was it just recently? Many questions that he knew was going to remain unanswered until the day she returns ran through his head.

Ariadne finally finished her milk and spat the teat back out. Draco was unsure what to do next but he remembered seeing someone feeding a baby and when the baby finished they hugged the baby and pat its back gently until it burped. Draco did just that but being only new to this he forgot to throw a towel his shoulder first before burping the baby.

He got a very nasty surprise when he felt a warm and wet liquidy substance drip on his night shirt. Groaning inwardly, he looked over his shoulder before he held her daughter at arms length. However, at the sight of her innocent face, a smile tugged at his lips and brought her back closer to him and rocked the little one to sleep.

Little did he know, Blaise silently stood outside the door watching as his blond friend began to bond with his young child, and Blaise's god daughter. Blaise and Draco performed the ceremony where Blaise vowed to solemnly swear to protect, care and love Ariadne if anything ever happens to both Draco and Hermione. Blaise held Ariadne in his arms whilst Draco cast the spell and when it finished, Draco left for his bedroom and never came out again until now.

Blaise hoped with everything that is magical, that Hermione Granger comes back alive and safe from whoever she was running from or he fears that Draco and Ariadne will never get over it if anything ever happens to her. Draco especially. Blaise knew about Draco's strong feelings towards the Gryffindor and even though people say that with healing comes time, but in Draco's case with time came longing. Longing for a certain bookworm that resulted in him sleeping with girls each night just to forget about her.

"Blaise, I know you're loitering outside the door." Draco's voice snapped Blaise out of his reverie.

"I was just checking if you needed any help. But it looks like you got it sorted." Blaise replied

"I have. We need to convert this room to a nursery tomorrow, you can help me then."

"Sounds good, mate. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."


A/N How is it? Read and Review, I'd love to hear from you all. In the next chapter, Draco and Blaise tackles the pain of baby shopping and nosy neighbours! Stay tune.