Warning: this chapter explains a dark past, and why Sarai is scared of her father, and how he treated her in the past. It also hints towards a past Dramione… now the moment you've all been patiently waiting for(:

Explanations

Walking into the kitchen, Draco found his daughter wearing very tiny grey athletic shorts, and a white tank top that she rolled up over her chest. It looked as if her stomach grew three inches in the week that she's been staying with him. Sweat dripped down her forehead while she rolled up her hair into a tight bun. Dressed in his own long jeans, and a black colored turtle neck sweater, he couldn't understand why she was so hot. Taking just one look at her father caused Sarai to groan out in annoyance and rush to the freezer for ice cubes. She was living in hell itself, and he was dressed as if it were bloody snowing outside. Staring at him with a glare, she saw him sigh with relief when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it Twinkle," Draco announced to the house-elf. Opening the door, his jaw hung open. Dressed in blue jean shorts that reminded him of his daughter's, and a light maroon colored shirt, was Hermione. With her hair tied back into a ponytail, she smiled up at him. His eyes noticed the words carved into her arm, but he did his best not to stare. He was glad that Molly Weasley killed his aunt, or he would have done it himself. "Granger."

"Hullo Malfoy," she smiled, "Ginny told me to meet her here, something about stopping by just to check on Sarai."

"Ginny?" then he remembered the red head's promise to his daughter and he chuckled. "Oh right of course. Erm sure… come on in."

"Thanks," stepping into the house, Hermione allowed him to shut the door behind them, "So how is Sarai doing?"

"She's always eating," he began to squeal on his daughter's actions. "And no matter how much I hide the salt, she always seems to find more of it. She's in the kitchen right now, sweating up a storm."

"That's normal," Hermione nodded her head.

"Hermione!" stopping in the entrance to the sitting room, Sarai held the spoon in her mouth, while her hands held onto the tub of chocolate ice cream. "Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Ginny called me," she explained. "She's stopping by soon to check up on you, and she invited me along as well. I hope you don't mind."

Wishing that they mistook her blush for the heat, she shook her head, "Of course not. Ginny's coming by today?"

"Yep."

Seeing her father standing there, unsure of what to do, Sarai groaned. "Father, can you change your clothes. You're making me bloody hot! This is July. July! Not winter. Put on a bloody tank top and shorts or something. I can't breathe with all those layers of clothing."

"You aren't the one whose wear-" he saw the flash in her eyes, and quickly took a step back. In the past week, they seemed to be doing a little better. They could hold a calm conversation now, but once her hormones kicked in she was unbearable. "I'll be upstairs if either of you ladies need me."

"We'll be in the kitchen," Sarai shouted at him, already with her back turned. Then she stopped and turned around, "Oh right, Ricky owled me last night. He's coming over with Uncle Blaise and Aunt Pansy."

"What? Why?"

"Aunt Pansy just returned from her business trip to Italy, and she wants to see me. And Uncle Blaise wants to see you. Ricky's coming just because… I think he's going to harass me about the Daily Prophet."

"I told you, Sarai," Draco shook his head, "Just ignore all the reporters. As long as we know the truth nothing else matters."

Draco immediately wished he hadn't said that. There was a flash in his daughter's eyes, making him want to take it all back. It seemed like she was remembering all of the truth, and most of it was how he wasn't the innocent one like the reporters liked to claim. "We'll be in the kitchen," was all Sarai said, before leading the following Hermione.

When Hermione declined her offer at anything to eat or drink, Sarai sat at the table, and moaned in the taste of the ice cream. Watching as Hermione sat across from her, her eyes flickered to the scar. She's heard all about the war, and about how Hermione was tortured in this very manor. She felt sorry for her, and knew how hard it must be for her to be in here again. After all, she went through almost the same thing.

"Aunt Pansy changed," Sarai said suddenly. When she saw the confusion in Hermione's eyes, she chuckled. "When I was living with my mum in the muggle world, Aunt Pansy would visit sometimes, and she told me all about Hogwarts. I know how the two of you didn't get along really. But she's changed, she doesn't hate muggles anymore. She spoils me after all."

Chuckling, Hermione nodded her head. "I know. She had a couple of jobs in Paris, and we would run into each other once in a while. Pansy and I are friends now."

"Oh," Sarai smiled. "That's good then."

"So how are you feeling? I know the stress from the reporters mustn't be too good for you or the twins at the moment."

"It's just annoying," she sighed. Licking up another spoonful of ice cream, she leaned against the table. "I feel bad for James though. I mean I only just met the poor kid, and that picture was when he stopped me from falling to the ground. I swear the next time I see a beetle, I'm stepping on it."

"Pansy told you about that then, huh?" Hermione was laughing. She was still laughing when she heard the footsteps, and stopped abruptly when she saw Draco enter the kitchen wearing a black colored tank top with red muggle basketball shorts. The dark mark on his forearm made him seem much more dangerous than she remembered him to be, and a whimper got caught in her throat.

Anyone within a miles radius would've been able to see the silent heated exchange between the two adults in the kitchen, and it made Sarai smile to herself. What was the story between those two? "Is this better now Sarai?"

"Mhmm," she nodded her head. "So Hermione," she decided to ask, just to get a rise out of them both. "The last I heard, you were married to that Quidditch player. What happened to him?"

"He cheated on me," Hermione's eyes met Draco's and she saw the urge to laugh in his eyes. He warned her that this would happen, but she was too caught up in the fact that he was married to a muggle woman, that she ran off and married Viktor despite Draco's warnings. "I knew about it for a while, but I chose to ignore it. Five months ago though, I put an end to our marriage, and I moved back three months ago."

Looking between her father and Hermione, Sarai opened her mouth to say something, but a gasp came out instead. "Oh god!"

"What?" running to his daughter's side, Draco grabbed onto her, ready to rush her to St. Mungos, but he felt the movement in her stomach instead. Frowning, he placed a hand on her stomach. There was another pressure. And again. "What is this?"

"They're moving," frozen from the idea of her father gently touching her stomach, Sarai sighed. "It's been happening all morning. It's like they're playing football in there."

Smirking, Hermione shook her head, "Being Malfoys, they're playing Quidditch in there."

"I can – I can feel them," Draco gasped, not noticing his daughter and the ex-Gryffindor both laughing at his antics.

Calling on Twinkle to open the door when it rang again, Draco continued standing there feeling as his grandchildren moved around inside of his daughter. Is this what it felt like every time his wife would ask him to feel his daughter moving? Looking down at his daughter, he saw a knowing look in her eyes; as if she knew what he was thinking. Hearing the clearing of a throat, he turned to see Blaise standing there with a smirk on his face. Dressed in a purple top and white shorts, Pansy looked as if she hadn't aged since Hogwarts, which was a lie seeing as how she was as old as he was. Pin straight black hair to her shoulders with haunting jade eyes and golden skin, she was as beautiful as ever. Then their son entered the room, and Draco heard his daughter laugh once she saw him. Pulling away from Sarai, Draco watched her jump up and quickly run across the kitchen until she was in Ricky's arms. He watched as they greeted each other like they were the best of friends, and then he felt sick. They were the best of friends. While he pretended he didn't have a daughter, his best friend and his family were still going to see her every weekend.

"I don't know what's worse," Ricky Zabini told the girl holding onto him, "Hearing that it's Potter's baby, or knowing that it's Todd's baby."

Pressing her lips together as if thinking about a response, Sarai grinned, "Oh I know. Let's just say it's yours."

"I'm not ready to be a father," he teased.

Laughing at her best friend's response, Sarai moved over to the witch waiting for her, "Hullo Aunt Pansy."

"Oh, love," squeezing the young girl as tightly as she could without harming the babies, Pansy pressed her lips to Sarai's forehead, "As soon as your uncle told me what happened, I had half the mind to floo over to your mum, and Crucio the bitch, but I figured Draco would've taken care of that for me," hearing the clearing of her husband's throat, Pansy saw Draco lift his chin towards the kitchen table, and she smiled, "Oh, hullo Hermione."

"Hey Pansy," Hermione tried to pretend she didn't just hear what she heard. "Hullo Blaise."

"Hullo Hermione," Blaise smiled, then gave Draco an odd look. After Draco shook his head, he nodded his, and then pointed at his son. "Hermione, this is our son Ricky. Son, this is Hermione Granger."

"It's nice to meet you ma'am."

"Nice to meet you as well Ricky," Hermione smiled, observing his dark skin, cat like jaded eyes, and short raven curls. "God, you look just your father. But you've got your mum's eyes," pausing to think how cliché she sounded, and remembering how much Harry hated hearing those exact words when they were children, she shook her head, "I'm sure you get that a lot. Sorry."

Ricky laughed, and it didn't sound heated like his father's, or like scratching nails like his mum's; it sounded nice. "I do. And it's alright. Uncle Draco always says I'm lucky to look like my dad because Mum resembles a pug."

Dodging the heated glare coming his way, Draco sheepishly scratched his chest, "Right… so anyways. We men will be going now. Ginny's coming over as well, and I'm sure you women want to fawn over Sarai," then he remembered something that Ricky said once he entered the kitchen. "Wait – Ricky. You said the name Todd? You know the father of the twins?"

Ricky, Blaise, Pansy, and Sarai all started laughing. "We all know him, mate. He and Sarai have been dating for two years now. I can't believe the ponce would just up and leave her like this, but we all met him. Nice kid, up until now."

"Don't worry about it Uncle Draco," Ricky stated, "I got him good with a Crucio once I found out the news. I'm a bit hurt that I had to find out from the Daily Prophet. But I got him."

"Ricky," Blaise shook his head in a warning way, while Sarai broke away from Pansy, and slapped her best friend.

Looking over at Hermione, Ricky remembered that she also suffered that very curse in this manor, but he knew that wasn't why they weren't allowed to speak freely in front of her. "What?" he asked, "I'm not ashamed of what I did. The bastard got what he had coming, and it's not like Uncle Draco never used it on Aunt Laura or Sarai before."

The gasp from the kitchen table caused Pansy to grab her son by his ear and drag him away, while Draco and Blaise both groaned. Sighing, Sarai shook her head. "Why don't we have a little talk, Hermione?"

"Sarai?"

Turning to her father, she glared at him as if it were he that just spilt the secret. Then again… this was all his fault. "Don't worry Father, I'll fix this."

"C'mon mate," Blaise began to pull Draco out of the kitchen, "Why don't we have a shot of firewhiskey. Or five."

Hermione understood it now. Why Sarai was jumpy around her father. Why guilt always flooded Draco's face when a certain thing was said or done, and why Pansy stopped talking about wanting to curse Laura. It wasn't because they all remembered what Hermione suffered while in this manor. It's because they all knew what Sarai suffered while in this manor. Staying seated, Hermione allowed Sarai to catch her own breath after she sat down. Five minutes went by, and Pansy walked into the kitchen. Another five minutes went by and soon Ginny was seated with them as well. Pansy and Hermione both shook their heads at Sarai, but she took in a deep breath. It's better that Ginny hear it from herself than hear it from Hermione. This way nothing gets twisted, this way they hear only the truth.

"Father hated Mum," Sarai began to explain. Ginny looked confused, but the two older women shook their heads at her. They would allow Sarai this peace of mind. "Mum was nothing more than a one night stand. From what he used to shout at me, he used Mum only for a quick shag. She got pregnant from that one night, and she guilted him into marrying her. She was a muggle, and she knew he used her only to escape from whatever it was he was running away from after the war-" they all saw the guilt in Hermione's face, and Sarai smirked. At least now she knew what her father ran away from, or more whom he was running away from, "-and she knew of how Malfoys held pride; they didn't abandon their responsibilities. In that one night of meeting Mum, Father told her all about himself, and how he was a wizard. He told her everything, and she used it against him. The wedding was a trap, and I was the cause."

"Sarai, I'm sure you-"

Placing her hand on Hermione's, Pansy shook her head. "Let her finish, Hermione."

"Mum told me about how Father used to beat her while she was pregnant with me. He didn't want me to survive it, but I did. To make things worse, I was a female. The minute I was born, he apparated to Gringotts, and took me off of everything. Being the first female born to the Malfoy bloodline, and the first half-blood, he didn't want me inheriting anything," Ginny and Hermione both gasped in shock, while tears were already in Pansy's eyes. She knew how this story continued. "He wouldn't look at me or touch me in any sense. He would continue to beat Mum, and use all, except for one, unforgivable on her. I would always run up and hug him, but he would shove me away. He didn't want me anywhere near him. I was four when he first used the Cruciatus Curse on me," there were gasps again. "I asked him why he didn't eat dinner with me and Mum like Uncle Blaise ate with Aunt Pansy and Ricky. He pulled out his wand, and told me that he would teach me not to speak out of term again. He never lifted his hand to me, and would only use the curse on me, but he would beat Mum over and over again. Sometimes Mum would jump in while he was cursing me, and it would only make things worse on the both of us. He blamed me for all of it, saying how much it's my entire fault; that if I only died in my mum's womb like he wanted me to that my mum wouldn't be getting hurt so much. Then one day I drew him a picture while he was gone. When I went to give it to him, he cursed me again. That night, it lasted for an hour. Mum sent Twinkle to get Uncle Blaise. The next day they were divorced, and we were living in muggle London."

Hermione and Ginny expected the story to end there. They both looked at each other with looks of horror on their faces, and turned to Sarai, but Pansy stopped them. "You're almost there my love."

Nodding her head, Sarai continued. "When I was ten, I got my acceptance letter to Hogwarts. Father came over that day, and I thought it was to tell me Happy Birthday, but instead he brought me to Diagon Alley, he brought me my wand then took me back home. After threatening Mum that she better not let me into Hogwarts, he left again. Me living back in the wizarding world would bring up questions, and force him to be my father again. He didn't want to deal with it. Uncle Blaise and Aunt Pansy would come over every weekend though. And they showed me how to use my wand. Mum remarried when I was twelve-" not wanting to get into how much her mum's new husband used to beat both her and her mum, Sarai skipped the details, "-and I was thirteen when I got hit by a car," purposely leaving out how it was her stepfather's car that hit her, something even Pansy didn't know, she continued, "It was a hit and run while I was walking home from school one day. I needed a blood transfusion, and I was going to die without it. Nobody had my type of blood, and Mum called Father up crying. He told her to let me die, but she threatened him. She said that if I died, she would go to the Minister of magic, and show him her memories. She knew how much my father tried to clear up the Malfoy name ever since the war. The threat was what brought him. He gave his blood, and left once he heard that I lived through the surgery."

"That fucking ferret!" Ginny shouted. All these years… all these years, she pitied him because she believed that his ex-wife was the monster in the divorce, but he's been playing all of them.

Shaking her own head, Hermione reached across the table and grabbed onto Sarai's hands, "Then why did you come back?"

"I got pregnant," Sarai shrugged her shoulders, pulling away. "My step dad's family is respected in the muggle world, and Mum didn't want me tarnishing their name. I came to Uncle Blaise for help in representing me as my lawyer, and to have my father sign the custody papers. With him as my legal guardian instead of Mum, I would be pretty much free in the muggle world, seeing as how I'm still underage until my eighteenth birthday."

"And he wouldn't sign the papers?" questioned Ginny.

"No," Sarai growled. "He signed the papers alright, but he won't let me leave. He's threatened to have me listed as a runaway if I leave to the muggle world without his consent."

"Why?"

"Something about not being like my mum, and kicking me out," she shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I think it also has to do with me comparing him to his own father every chance that I get."

Thinking back to the day in her office, Hermione remembered the pained guilt she saw in Draco's eyes when Sarai mentioned the father of the twins leaving her. "He feels guilty for how he's treated you in the past. He wants to make it up to you by being there for you now."

"That's what he says," Sarai shrugged her shoulders again. "I don't believe him though. I think it's just for the publicity. Look how much the media's been making him look like the hero," she saw Hermione open her mouth to speak again, and she interrupted, "I don't want anyone knowing about this. I promised him I would play the loving daughter role. Outside of this manor, we're the happy family who loves and supports each other. I don't want to give him any reason to hate me. I can't go back to my mum or else I'll lose my twins, and for now we've been keeping peace. He doesn't use his wand around me, and he gives me my space when I go through my moments. I'll stay here until I'm eighteen and then he doesn't have a hold over me anymore."

Pansy, Hermione, and Ginny all stared at each other. As if speaking in their minds, they all nodded their heads. "Where will you go from here?"

"I was thinking of getting a job," she told them. "And just saving up until my eighteenth birthday. I should have enough to get a flat by then, and then if anything, I can keep my job and just keep working. I have a friend who can watch the twins for me."

"Nonsense," Pansy waved her idea away, "My grandchildren are going to be with me while you work."

Ginny sighed. "You've planned this all out haven't you love?"

"Every morning when I wake up," Sarai chuckled. "Look I'm only telling you two because Ricky's big mouth mentioned it in front of Hermione, and I knew she would tell you once you left. But I see how my father is in the wizarding world. He really is kind to the rest of you guys. So just keep looking at him how you have been?" although she spoke to all of them, she stared directly at Hermione. She saw how Hermione looked at her father, and she didn't want to be the cause of another ruined relationship.

"The sad part," Ginny rubbed her forehead, "This is the Malfoy I've always known."

Hermione nodded her head in agreement, "I just can't understand why he would want to be anything like Lucius. He always told me how much he loathed his father, yet he became him."

"He told you?" Pansy questioned.

Looking up, Hermione blushed. She realized her mistake. She spoke aloud. "I may or may not have spoken to Malfoy in a civilized manner a couple of times. And he told me of what his father used to do to him. It's exactly like what he did to you, Sarai. The only difference is that he was never erased from the inheritance. But Lucius used to beat Narcissa and make Malfoy stand there, forcing him to watch it. He wouldn't use his hands on Malfoy, but he would always curse him. It could be for any little reason. He went until Malfoy became a statue of emotions. He became his father, and it sounds like he was trying to turn you into himself."

"Well it didn't work," Sarai shook her head, rubbing her stomach. "Luckily for me, my mum took me away from it before I reached that statue stage."

Swirling the amber colored liquid in his glass, Draco felt the two pairs of eyes staring at him. Looking up he saw Blaise taking a large swig from his own glass, and Ricky taking a sip from his bottle of butterbeer. They were both waiting for him to say something. They knew that Ginny had arrived already, and they knew that Sarai was explaining everything to Hermione and Ginny. Draco half expected his co-workers to come in, and arrest him at any second now. It's been an hour, and the males haven't said one word yet. Another hour went by, and he heard the footsteps drawing closer to his door. A couple of seconds went by, and he inhaled deeply. This was the part that he was dragged to Azkaban.

"Sarai just laid down to take a nap," Pansy's head poked in. "Hermione, Ginny, and I are going to make tea. Do you three want to join us?"

Please review! Happy Holidays! Hope you guys liked the chapter(: