Chapter 2
It was the same routine day in and day out. Hermione went to work and Draco stayed home with Gemma. It wasn't that he minded; he never wanted her around anyhow. But there was something lonesome about sitting at home all day long with no one for company but a soon to be twelve month old. Lately, the little girl had been getting into everything as she started to walk. She had yet to take her first official steps, but Draco swore they would happen any day now.

When a bright green flame erupted in the hearth, Gemma squealed with excitement as if she knew who was about to step out. Hermione dusted the excess soot from her robes before removing them. Gemma lifted her arms in the air as a sign that she wanted to be held. Hermione shot Draco a tentative look, curious to see if he was angry that someone wasn't asking for his attention.

"Dinner's on the stove for you. I placed a warming charm on it so it should be fine," he told her. "I'll be in my room."

Gemma whimpered as Draco made his way up the stairs. "Dada," she cried.

Hermione's mouth fell open. "Malfoy, come back."

He turned on the stairs and came back to the living room. "Did I just hear...did she just say?"

"Yeah, I think she did." Hermione smiled sadly as Draco took her from Hermione's arms. He spun Gemma around causing her to laugh uproariously.

"Say it again," he prompted her. "What's my name?"

As she made her way into the kitchen, Hermione could hear Gemma saying "dada" over and over again. A plate of pasta sat on the stove, but she was no longer hungry. Resting her elbows on top of the counter, she let her hands cradle her head. It was jealousy she knew she was feeling. Of course Gemma would say his name first. He was always around while she was never home.

The kitchen door swung open and in walked Draco with the curly haired toddler in his arms. "It's bedtime," he informed her with a ridiculously un-Draco-like smile on his face. "Want to do it?"

Hermione shook her head, which caused the smile on Draco's face to disappear momentarily. "Okay, I'll be back down in a few minutes."

When he returned with a look of worry, Hermione still hadn't moved from her position at the counter. He moved nearer to her, but she inched away.

"What's going on?" he asked.

Lifting her head, Draco could see the faint lines of tears on her cheeks.

"With what, Malfoy?" she inquired. "With work? Work is fantastic. The Weasleys are good too. My parents are taking a trip to Sydney next week. Ever since the war they've been big fans."

"I meant with you," he replied softly. "You seemed a little down when I came in before."

"You don't care," she spat out, turning away to leave for her room.

He caught her shirt sleeve before she reached the door and spun her around to face him. "If I didn't care I wouldn't have asked," he stated angrily. "Is it because of what she said? Did calling me dada upset you?"

"A bit," she replied timidly.

Draco sighed and led her over to the table. "It's not uncommon for a child's first word to be some derivative of dad. It doesn't mean she likes me better or loves you any less. You're the only mother she'll ever know, Granger. Give her time. She'll be calling you Mummy more often than you ever want to hear it."

Hermione laughed softly, but felt the sting of tears renew. "I've been thinking about cutting back my hours at work. Maybe only work part-time, at least until she starts school," she told him, fearful that he would tell her she wasn't needed at home.

"Sounds like a good idea," he agreed. His lips twitched when a look of surprise touched her face. "You work too hard and too long. Be a 23 year old, Granger. Besides, it's not like you really need to work."

"Oh, really? Are you gonna take care of me, Malfoy?" she joked. He merely shrugged one shoulder in response and smirked. Shaking her head, Hermione rose from her seat. "I'm going to bed."

"Sleep well, Granger," he replied, moving over to the stove to put away her leftover dinner.

"Hey Malfoy, I'll handle the feedings tonight," she offered. "You probably need to sleep more than I do."

Morning came too quickly for Hermione's liking. Between bottles and diaper changes, she had gotten a grand total of three-and-a-half hours of sleep. Her legs felt heavy as she slowly walked down the stairs. There was noise coming from the kitchen, and she briefly considered hexing Draco until it stopped.

"Coffee," she mumbled, pushing open the kitchen door. Her vision was hazy, which afforded her the inability to see a smiling, well rested Draco move around the kitchen with Gemma on his hip.

He set a mug of hot coffee before her and took a seat opposite her. "Go on, Granger. Tell me, how long did you spend coaching her to say Mummy? Don't be shy, you can tell me."

"Sod off, Malfoy," she groaned, taking a long sip of her coffee.

Aghast, Draco covered Gemma's ears. "Language, Granger," he reprimanded. "Wouldn't want her second word to be foul."

Instead of replying, she frowned and sipped her coffee again. They sat in silence, watching as Draco bounced Gemma up and down on his lap. She squealed and laughed with each movement. Hermione wondered if this was what it would be like if the three of them were really a family. A sense of longing washed briefly over her at the thought.

"You're frowning again, Granger." Draco's words pulled her out of her reverie. When she didn't respond, he continued, "I'm meeting Blaise at the Three Broomsticks today. Will you be okay with her by yourself?"

"It's not the first time, Malfoy," she muttered, pushing back her chair. She walked over to the coffee pot and poured herself a second cup. Just when she thought they were making some kind of progress towards civility, he took two steps back. He stood and walked over to Hermione, transferring Gemma from his arms to hers.

"It'll probably only be a couple of hours, and you know where I'll be in case you need to get in touch," he said before kissing the top of Gemma's head. "Bye, sweetie."

"See you later, darling," Hermione replied cheekily.

Draco smiled and shook his head before heading for the floo. He stepped into the Three Broomsticks and ordered a butterbeer before taking a seat at the first free table he saw. He was halfway through when Blaise Zabini strolled up and took the unoccupied seat. The Italian was dressed in the finest Italian-made robes, and walked with more than an air of confidence.

"Malfoy," he greeted with a tip of his head. "Good to see you."

"Yeah, you too. Haven't heard from you in a while."

Blaise shrugged. "We've been friends for a long time, Draco. When I heard about Pansy it seemed wrong to not talk to you."

Silence filled the air between them as they slowly sipped their drinks; butterbeer for Draco and firewhiskey for Blaise.

"She had a daughter, ya know," Draco remarked. "And as was Pansy's sick sense of humor, she left her to Hermione Granger and me." Blaise nodded in understanding and finished off his liquor.

"I have a few errands to run. I'm not in town for long," Blaise explained. "We'll have to do this again sometime soon."

Draco stood and shook his hand. "Come around some time. She looks exactly like her mother."

Blaise nodded. "What's her name?"

"Gemma," he told her. He watched as his friend departed before he finished off his drink and headed for the floo network. When he arrived at home he was greeted by the sounds of applause and laughter.

Hermione looked up and smiled at Draco. "Well, that was quick. Come watch this," she told him giddily. Gemma rose up onto unsteady legs and took two small steps before falling onto her bottom. She looked up at Draco and laughed. He lifted her up and held her tightly to his chest. "You missed the first one, but those were steps two and three."

"That was amazing," he murmured in awe. "Merlin, Pans would have been so proud."