Chapter 3

Beautiful Boy

So, here's Chapter three. It's longer than both previous chapters and advances the plot more. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I still own nothing...

Draco awoke to an annoying tap on his chest. He reluctantly opened his eyes to Hermione standing over him, brandishing her wand. "Morning," Her muttered.

"Is that all you have to say?" She asked, obviously upset.

Draco rubbed his temples and sat up on the couch. "Is that your version of thank you?" He retorted.

"Thank you? You expect a thank you? For what?" Hermione responded hysterically.

"Granger, you were drunk and out cold." Draco attempted to explain.

Hermione paced back an forth in front of the couch were Draco had slept, her wand still pointed in his direction. "So you took me home with you?" She asked and stopped to look him dead in the eye.

"What other choice did I have?" He asked as he stood and approached her slowly. "I couldn't possibly have left you at The Leaky Cauldron." He added, his voice calm.

Hermione continued to stare into his beautiful grey eyes. His eyes were no longer cold. His gaze seemed warm, almost caring. "I'm Sorry..." She said, breaking the awkward silence between them.

"I understand." He said with a nod and a slight smile, "Now if you'll just lower that I'll make you some tea."

Hermione laughed nervously and lowered her wand. "Sorry..." She muttered again, now staring at the ground, out of embarrassment.

"That's better. Now how about that tea?" Draco asked as he headed to the kitchen.

"Malfoy!" Hermione called after him. "You might want to put on a shirt and some pants." She said and let her eyes wander over his half naked body.

"Why? You seem to be enjoying it." He said with a wicked smile.

"Was not." She insisted.

"You were looking." He said as he put the tea on.

"So? I'm a woman. I'm entitled to look." She retorted.

He smiled and winked at her, obviously pleased with himself. "Well I had no idea little miss know-it-all had eyes for anything but books."

"Just because I looked doesn't mean I'm interested." She said and took the liberty of looked at his muscular chest and arms one more time.

"And I suppose the second look means nothing as well?" Draco asked as he walked past her towards his room.

"Exactly." She called out after him and made her way into the kitchen. Unlike Harry's flat Draco's had a woman's touch. All of his furniture matched and went well with the wallpaper, not to mention the fact that the entire place was spotless.

"Is that done?" Draco asked, pointing to the tea as he buttoned up the white shirt he had chosen.

"Oh, sorry I wasn't paying attention to that." She said.

"Oh, daydreaming of me, where you?"

"No! I was actually wondering who did your design work." She as she took a seat at his kitchen table.

"My mother." he mumbled, but it could barely be heard over the loud whistle of the kettle.

"Your mother?" She asked with a slight laugh. "Does she clean it too?"

"No!" Draco said defensively. "I have a house elf that comes one a week to clean. In fact he came yesterday." he added and flicked his wand at the kettle. It rose into the air slowly and poured two cups of steaming water into the two cups on the counter.

Hermione shook her head. She did not agree with elf labor. Never had. She found it to be disgusting and degrading.

"Here." He said as he placed as cup of tea carefully in front of her.

"Thanks." She muttered. This felt odd. Her sitting in Draco Malfoy's flat having a decent conversation. She slowly lifted the cup to her lips and took a sip. The wonderful flavor of English Breakfast tea filled her mouth.

"Sugar?" He asked.

"No it's absolutely perfect." She said and placed the cup back on the table. "About the ministry yesterday..." she started.

"You don't have to explain. It was no big deal." Draco said and held up his hand, cutting her off.

"But I feel awful about it I didn't mean to. I was in a rush that's all."

"Oh I could see that." He said and nodded.

"What department do you work in?" She asked out of curiosity.

"The Department of Magical Games and Sports."

"Is Ludo Bagman still running that department?" She asked and took another sip of her tea.

"No, He resigned no to long ago. It was all over the prophet. Didn't you see?"

Hermione hung her head slightly. She knew if she told Draco where she had been for the past five years he would ask questions and she wasn't prepared to answer them. "I haven't seen the daily prophet in almost five years." She finally answered.

"Five years. That's an awfully long boycott." He said jokingly, assuming she still had problems with the publication due to things they printed about her during their years at hogwarts.

"It's not a boycott. I've been living a muggle life for five years." She said quietly.

"Five years?" He asked and tilted his head to the side to express his confusion. It was so cute it almost made Hermione laugh.

"Yeah five years. I went to live with my parents after Voldemort fell."

"But why? You were always the best witch in our year. You had such a bright future. You and Weasley..." He stopped when he saw tears running slowly down her face. He had forgotten. 'Draco you idiot!' He thought to himself. "I'm sorry Hermione..." He muttered, not realizing that he had said her name for the first time.

"You're right, I had a future here, but it wasn't the one I wanted. I couldn't see my future in the wizarding world without Ron, so I left." She said and wiped the tears from her cheek. "And I think I made a mistake in coming back."

Draco looked down at the table, afraid to look at her, afraid he would say something that would upset her more.

"People won't let me forget. Everyone talks about how I was a war hero when really Ron was the hero." Hermione said with a sniffle as she began to retell the story, more for her own benefit than Draco's. "He proposed to me two days before he died. One minute he was there and the next... h...he wasn't." She stuttered. "That curse was meant for me..." She managed to say. This was the first time in years she had spoken about it with anyone except Harry, and she had even avoided it with him, but for some reason she felt like telling Draco, would make her feel better.

"You know Weasley would never have wanted you to leave your life behind. He would have wanted you to be happy, and you don't seem happy." Draco said and placed his hand on hers, attempting to comfort her.

"I was for a while... But certain circumstances have changed that." She said and looked up at him. "I missed my wand. I missed my friends, and I missed being a witch. I tried to convince myself I wasn't..."

Draco lifted her chin up and smiled at her. "Being a witch is a gift and you're a damn good one." He said as he looked into her chocolate brown eyes. "Not to mention the fact that you are a very beautiful woman." He added and leaned in closer to her.

Hermione jumped slightly and pushed him away. "What are you doing? I don't know why I even bothered to assume you had changed! You see a vulnerable girl and you pounce! You haven't changed a lick since we were in school!" She screamed and backed away from him.

"I didn't mean to, really... I'm sorry..." He muttered and placed his head in his hands.

"Yeah I doubt that. I spoke to you like a friend, Malfoy, and you're not! I was too comfortable with you! For some reason I thought you cared!" She said and stormed out of the room. She turned around and looked at him one last time before she apparated.

"I'm such a fucking idiot!" Draco screamed and stood, with the intentions of following her, but where had she gone? He had an idea.

Hermione appeared in the middle of a rather small living room, decorated in obnoxious pink flowers. She quickly sank down into the rather old couch and buried her head in one of the pillows. She inhaled slowly. The scent calmed her and she relaxed.

"Hermione?" Came a voice from the hallway.

"Mom?" Hermione called back.

"Sweety, I thought you were coming home last night. I've been worried about you." Her mother said as she hurried around the corner and sat next to her daughter. "You look a mess."

"I had a long day yesterday. I stayed the night with a friend." Hermione replied. "The interview didn't go as planned. I panicked and I was a wreck." It disgusted her to call Draco a friend after the uncomfortable situation they had been in earlier, but for her mother's sake she'd say just about anything.

"Well I'm glad you're alright." Her mother said with a kind smile. She had learned not to ask questions about the wizarding world, because the answer would most likely be something she did not understand. "Clean yourself up. Dinners ready and someone misses you."

A smile spread across Hermione's face as she heard the patter of small feet from the hallway. "Mommy!" The boy cried as he jumped into Hermione's lap and wrapped his arms around her neck. He was no more than five years old and the color of his hair gave away who his father way. The bright red curls bounced around his freckled face as he excitedly greeted his mother. "I made you a picture!"

"Really?" Hermione asked as he jumped off her lap and led her to the kitchen were he pointed at the refrigerator.

"See? That's you and Grandma and Grandpa and Me!" The boy exclaimed. "Do you like it?"

"I love it." She said as she knelt down. "And I love you." She added giving him a hug. "Now go wash your hands for dinner, ok?"

"Yes Mommy." He said and ran off towards the bathroom.

"He look just like Ron," Hermione said to her mother as she set the table.

"He looks like you too." her mother replied when there was a knock at the front door.

"I'll get it." Hermione said and headed for the front door. "I'm coming." she called when the person outside knocked again. She unlocked the door as quick as she could and threw it open only to be face to face with Draco Malfoy.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him in a hushed voice.

"I came to apologize." He said and presented her with a bouquet of yellow roses from behind his back.

She looked from him to the flowers.

"Who is it Hermione?" He mother asked and peaked around the corner.

"Mother this is Draco Malfoy. Draco, This is my mother." Hermione said and put on the best fake smile possible.

"Well aren't those beautiful. Why don't you come in and stay for dinner?" Her mother asked and reached for the flowers. "I'll just put these in water." she added and hurried off.

"You're mother is quite nice." Draco said as he stepped in and Hermione regretably closed the door behind him.

"Mommy! I'm done washing my hands!" Said the little boy as he ran around the corner towards Hermione. "See they're clean!" He said and held them up for her to see.

Draco's eyes widened as he looked at the boy. He was the spitting image of Ron Weasley. The boy couldn't possibly deny who his father was.

"Hi!" The boy said and waved at Draco, still grinning. Draco waved back and smiled, trying not to make the situation any more awkward than it already was.

"Yes, sweety they are clean you did a great job, now go help Grandma set the table." Hermione said and watched as her son ran off toward the kitchen.

"You didn't tell me you had a son." Draco said and shuffled his feet.

"I haven't told anyone."Hermione said and turned to look at him. "I didn't want it printed all over the front page of the prophet. I didn't want him exposed to publicity at a young age." She explained.

"He looks just like Ron," Draco commented.

"Yes. Yes, he does. He's named after him." She said with a smile, the first real smile in days. "Ronald Andrew Weasley."

So, You like? I hope so!

Beautiful Boy is the title of a John Lennon song written for his son Sean.

I'll update asap.

Read and Review!

Thanks!

-Elle