So, here's something I've been pondering for awhile now. If two muggleborns have a child, what's the blood status?
Chapter 3
He slept for a full day.
And awoke in a panic.
Grace was nowhere to be found. He threw away the blankets and scrambled from the bed. In his bare feet, he crossed the room and ran down the hall to the stairs. "Where is she?" he demanded when he entered the kitchen. Hermione was seated at the table where he had eaten breakfast a day ago. Grace was in her arms as she held a bottle to the baby's lips. Draco breathed a sigh of relief, and immediately felt contrite. "I'm sorry. I just got so scared when I woke up and she wasn't there."
Hermione rose from her seat. "It's understandable," she replied, handing Grace to him. "She's changed, fed, and a bit sleepy. I was just about to put her down in the nursery."
"Thanks, but I feel better when she's near me," he said, watching as Grace's blue eyes closed.
"Of course," she agreed. "We can set up a cradle in your room for her. The healer looked her over while you were asleep. She's small, but healthy. He wants you to feed her a few more times a day to get her weight up."
Draco nodded. "Yeah, that's been kind of tough this last week," he admitted. She wore a look of concern, ready to offer more help. Instead, he excused himself and left the kitchen. Hermione followed, intent on apologizing if she had offended him. She found him just outside of the living room where a small group of children played. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and turned back to the kids. "It's sad," he said thoughtfully.
"What is?" she wondered.
"That no one wants them," he replied. "At least they have a home here."
Hermione shrugged. "I know what it was like to be orphaned by the war," she told him. Her own parents had been killed. Their memories modified before she fled, they had no idea who she was or why Death Eaters were trailing them. "At least I could take care of myself. I saw kids who had no one, either because they really had no one or because the people they had couldn't take them in. I just wanted to help."
"I think it's great." A blush colored her cheeks as she quietly thanked him. She stood awkwardly by his side, answering questions about each child. "I really do want to help."
She smiled. "Who are you and what have you done with the Draco Malfoy I know?" she inquired.
Draco chuckled. "I think I read that he died in the final battle," he replied. "I don't know. Things seemed so different after the war. I didn't want to be me anymore."
"Are you happier?" she wondered.
He shot her a surprised look. "You mean aside from being homeless and left alone to raise my daughter?" he asked. "Yeah, I guess a part of me is happier."
"It's something, I guess," she said. He nodded in agreement as a little girl ran up to them.
Long brown braids swung as she moved and she seemed flustered and out of breath when she reached them. "Mimi, Henry keeps taking my doll and he won't give it back and it's my favorite one and I want it," she said in one long breath. "Who's that?" She pointed to Draco curiously.
Hermione ignored her question and called a small, red haired boy to her. Holding out her hand, she merely smiled at him and he handed over the doll. Bending down to the little girl's level, Hermione presented the doll to her. "Effy, I'd like you to meet a special friend of mine," she said with no hesitation on the word friend. "This is Draco Malfoy. We've known each other for a very long time. And the little baby is his daughter, Grace. Draco, this is Effy."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," he said to her, holding out his hand to her. Grinning ear to ear, Effy wrapped her fingers around three of his and shook them.
"She's tiny," Effy commented. "Like my dolly."
Draco chuckled. "She sure is," he agreed.
"Mimi, can I hold her?" the little girl asked.
"I don't think so, sweetheart," Hermione replied. "She's sleeping right now. We should let her rest. Why don't you go play? Maybe when Gracie wakes up, Mr. Malfoy will let you hold her if you promise to be careful."
Nodding, she returned to her play group and settled in. "She's a cute kid," Draco said as he continued to watch the children.
Hermione smiled knowingly and led him away from the living room. "I'm not supposed to say this, but she's my favorite," she confessed. "She was the first baby to be brought here. Her mother was killed during the war and the hospital didn't know who the father was. She stayed in the nursery at St. Mungo's until we opened. She's been here ever since."
"Why didn't anyone adopt her?" he wondered as they returned to his room.
She summoned a cradle and began to lay bedding in it. "I don't know," she replied. "When the war ended, I guess no one was looking to adopt the orphans. A lot of them came here from St. Mungo's because they didn't have the room for them. Anyhow, I guess by the time people were ready to take in new children, they wanted the babies. The older children, like Effy, hardly get a second glance. Sometimes I think about adopting her, but then wonder if that would really be fair to the other kids."
"They would still have you here," Draco pointed out as he laid Grace down in the cradle.
She nodded. "Um, you haven't eaten today," she said. "Are you hungry? I could find you something in the kitchen."
"That would be great," he replied. "Thank you, Hermione. Really. It's, um, it's nice to know that I can count on someone, even if it's only temporary."
"Your little girl isn't the only one who needs a home, Draco," she replied. "The both of you have one here as long as you need it."
The door closed behind her, and Draco moved to the bassinet. "Did you hear that, baby girl?" he asked the sleeping baby. "We have a home."
