Chapter Three
Seated in Professor Dumbledore's office, the little girl slid out of Hermione's lap, and began exploring the room.
Professor Dumbledore peered at her, over the rim of his spectacles, "Miss Granger, do you care to explain this?"
Her jaw dropped. Surely he didn't think the child was hers!
"Sir," she said, "I'm not sure what you want me to explain. I don't have a child."
He looked inquisitive as he leaned back in his chair. Turning to Professor McGonagall, he said, "And she just appeared very suddenly?"
The stern woman nodded. "Yes. She just appeared out of thin air. Then she took off running toward Miss Granger."
"Interesting," he mused.
The young girl had wandered to his side of the desk. Hermione could see her little fingers gripping the edge of the desk, and her big brown eyes peering up at one of his many magical devices. Smiling sweetly at her, he said, "What's your name dear?"
Her attention was fixated on the contraption on his desk. Her hand shot up to reach for it, and she started whining in frustration.
In a grandfatherly fashion, he pulled her up into his lap, and put the object in her hands.
"Who are your parents?" he tried.
Without looking up, the little girl aimed an arm in the direction of Hermione, "Tha's mommy."
They all frowned.
"Who is your dad?" he asked.
She suddenly got very excited and started bouncing on Dumbledore's lap. "Da Da Da Da Da. Where is Dadda?"
In all of her movement, a flash of something shiny caught Hermione's eye. A locket. She had one growing up, and it always had a picture of her family in it. Pointing at the locket around the girl's neck, she said, "Look at her necklace."
With a wave of his hand, the necklace had unclasped from the girl's neck, and was hovering in the air before him. He inspected it closely and hummed.
"What is it Albus?" Professor McGonagall asked, leaning in to get a look as well.
He lowered it to his desk. "It's the Malfoy family crest."
Both adults turned back to Hermione, and her eyes grew wide once again. Honestly, how many times did she have to tell them?
"I swear, I told you the truth. Look at her! She's around three years old. Do you remember me being pregnant at thirteen?"
She punched Draco Malfoy in the face that year. It was most definitely not their child, which they clearly suspected.
Her eyes turned back to the girl. She had the trademark Malfoy hair. She knew the Malfoy family was small. If the child were truly a Malfoy, there were only two possibilities of who her father was. Though she highly doubted it was Draco; he was simply too young.
Suddenly, she remembered the ruby she saw in the Great Hall.
"Sir, I saw something interesting in the Great Hall. A ruby materialized in the floor where she appeared. It was embedded in the stone."
He looked concerned at that.
"I should like to investigate that myself. And I'd like to bring Mr. Malfoy here, to confirm this is a family crest," he said, removing the child from his lap, "I'll return shortly."
He exited the room, and the child returned to exploring his office.
Professor McGonagall turned to Hermione. With a motherly tone she said, "Dear, you know you can tell me anything."
Hermione bit her cheek, frustrated at having to repeat herself. "Professor, I didn't even start my monthly until last year. I've never had those kinds of relations. What you're thinking- It's not possible."
Professor McGonagall gave her a warm pat on the shoulder, "We'll get this straightened out."
They continued to watch the little girl play in the floor. A short time later, Professor Dumbledore returned to his office.
When Draco Malfoy entered the room, the little girl beamed with bright eyes and squealed, "Dadda!"
She ran to him with her arms in the air and started jumping at his feet. He looked down at her like she was some alien creature he'd never seen before. Completely ignoring the child, he stepped around her and approached the Headmaster's desk. Distraught, the little girl's face crumpled and she started crying with audible sobs.
Both Hermione and Professor McGonagall made disapproving sounds.
Professor McGonagall scooped the girl up and said, "I'll tend to her, while you three sort this mess."
Bouncing and cooing the child in her arms, she moved to a more secluded area in the office.
Professor Dumbledore gestured for Malfoy to take a seat, and passed him the locket.
"The child was wearing this necklace," he said.
Malfoy examined it closely, and shook his head in disbelief.
"Impossible," he said, "That is my mother's locket. Father bought it for her for Christmas, just last year."
Professor Dumbledore leaned forward, propping himself on his elbows. He said, "I have a theory. The ruby imbedded in the floor of the Great Hall is reminiscent of a type of gem magic used for time travel. I believe the child is from the future. I will need to research further, but this makes the most logical sense, given the situation."
Hermione looked at him incredulously. She imagined Malfoy shared her thoughts when she said, "In what kind of future do you dream it's logical that Malfoy and I have a daughter?"
Standing from his chair, Professor Dumbledore moved to a corner of his office and pulled out a pensive. Levitating it to his desk, he turned to the two teenagers.
"I think the best way to be sure is to have a look at the child's memories. The child would not be harmed, as I'm very skilled in the art of mind magic. Are you both comfortable with this course of action?"
Hermione nodded without hesitation. .
The Headmaster called Professor McGonagall back and explained what they had decided. Conjuring a soft blanket, the professor gently placed the sleeping child on the desk. Professor Dumbledore placed a tender hand on the girl's forehead and closed his eyes. A few minutes later, he extracted the silvery mist of a memory from his temple, and it disappeared into the pensive.
Turning to the others with sparkling eyes he said, "You should all have a look."
Heart pounding, Hermione stepped up to the pensive with Malfoy and Professor McGonagall on either side. Taking a deep breath, she lowered herself into the watery substance.
Instantaneously, the scenery changed. They were in a magnificent, white room. The ceiling was dramatically high, with crystal chandeliers hanging low. Large, tall windows lined the far wall, and rolling hills could be seen in the distance.
Hermione saw herself lounging on a creamy white chaise, smiling fondly at a spot on the floor.
Moving closer, she saw Malfoy on his back, with the little girl in his arms. Every few seconds, he thrust his arms into the air and the little girl squealed in excitement.
"You're flying, Carina!" Hermione exclaimed.
The memory shifted. The room was dark, and the little girl was tip-toeing quietly across the floor. She approached a large bed, and pulled herself up into it. Two figures in the bed stirred.
Upon closer inspection, Hermione saw it was her and Malfoy laying next to each other.
The little girl wiggled in between them, and they both wrapped arms around her, snuggling closer.
The memories continued to shift. Images of family diners, playing outside a gorgeous estate, being read books, and more flashed before their eyes. Hermione thought it looked like the little girl had a very good life with two loving parents. She just couldn't wrap her head around the idea that she and Malfoy were her parents.
The three of them were pulled from the pensive. She stole a glance at Malfoy, who looked paler than usual.
Turning back toward the Headmaster, she saw Professor Snape had joined their group.
Smiling knowingly at them, Professor Dumbledore said, "Minerva, would you prepare the East Wing? I think we're going to need it."
A/N:
This one is a bit longer, as requested! Hope you enjoyed it.
I corrected any mistakes pointed out in the last chapters. As always, I edit before posting, but if you catch something I didn't please let me know!
Thanks for reading : )