Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my imagination and whatever else is in this story that doesn't make sense. I was inspired by another romance novel and J.K. Rowlings wonderful world. Enjoy!

Chapter 10

"Wrapped so Pretty"

A week later, Draco sat in his accustomed seat near the front of the room. An older wizard, with cinnamon red hair had been going over some of the up coming games. Most of the players either slept or rubbed the soreness of old bruises.

With Draco, his ankle ached from an injury he had received in last nights game.

Afterwards, Petur had gone in to replace him, and Draco had been sacked for stirring a brawl with the seeker from Ballycastle.

His injuries were getting more serious the closer they drew to the playoffs, for the Quidditch World Cup.

There was the shoulder dislocating of six months ago, thigh bruise after that, and now this. The nurse for the Infirmary Quarters diagnosed his fourth high ankle sprain in the last two years. He was only twenty-four, but felt like a hammered forty year old. Plus, his ribs hurt, but that could have been from his heart aching after the disastrous incident with Buttercup.

~~

Two nights ago, Ginny, Harry and Mrs. Weasley had stopped by Hermione's place. It was Molly that spotted the books on pregnancy.

A Witches Magical Guide to Motherhood, Editions One, Two, and Three. Mrs. Weasley wasn't at all thrill of her becoming a mother so early in her career and so unwed. Still, the three of them seemed genuinely happy for her over all.

It was a rather unwelcomed visit, because Hermione had not expected anyone to come by and she most certainly hadn't wanted anyone to spot those books on her kitchen table. But, what is done is done. And it wasn't as if she could hide the condition forever and she didn't plan to try or deny it. Her entire world had turned into beautifully long days at work filled with happiness when planning for their future. She was at last, a mother to be.

But this morning, instead of concentrating on her newly planned market list she found herself thinking of him…..Draco. According to the newpapers lying across from her on the breakfast table beside her books on motherhood. He would be spending the next three weeks traveling around the country for the usual endorsements to help promote tryout enrollments for next season's Quidditch line up.

The knowledge that he had forgotten about her should have been comforting, but she couldn't keep focus lately. She envisioned the décor for the nursery…and thought of him….She decided to paint it a neutral buttercream yellow….and thought of him….she planned to have her baby grow up surrounded by everything beautiful…..and again, she thought of Draco.

The team had rented out the place, and all the players who stayed in town after the game that evening were there. Esa was officially at work, but she'd been sipping from everybody's drinks all night, and now she was royally pissed. Those lying sacks of shits promised her number twelve. He was to be signed, sealed and delivered if she came up with Draco's birthday present. But it was now heading into the month of September, and they had not delivered on their end of the bargain. She stood behind the bar counter, watching Zabini, --her promised number twelve. And the fact he was kissing his girlfriend of the last two years didn't sweeten her mood one bit.

"Thunder roared outside the pub walls, and a fresh batch of party goers entered increasing the noise level another notch.

"Tupper," Esa shouted, marching up. "I would like a word with you and Pulanski, right now!"

"Later, can't you see he's kicken my ass." Tupper tossed another dart and it landed near a lower twenty.

"You two made a promisè, but I still don't ave number twelve 'anghin any where in my closèt. You two may 'ave forgotten about em but I 'ave not."

"I told you Esa, we're working on it." Tupper aimed for the center mark and missed. "Bloody Hell!"

"Ye! Well I'm not buying that one anymore. Every time I try to talk to em, e treats me like I'm invisible."

Tupper stepped aside so that Pulanski could take a shot. "The thing is Esa… Zabini isn't being very cooperative about the bonking you deal."

"Are you sayin, e doesn't want to sleep with me?"

"No, it not entirely that simple." said Pulanski. He focused on the mark, and yes made it easy as pie. Tupper screamed, and lost another hundred galleons. Esa stood there with her arms folded. Pulanski shook his head. "The thing is, this big bash we're having is for him. Zabini hasn't been in the last two games you see…." Pulanski took off his glasses and cleared them with the corner of his shirt. "They're hitched!"

"Who's hitched, what are you talking about?"

"Zabini and his girl, they tied the knot last month."

"And…."

"Aaaaaannnd Maria is expecting…."

"Expecting what…?"

"Their kid…she's having his baby."

"So, what does that 'ave to do with me? I did my part, we made a deal. If I found you that ooker for Draco's birthday present, I would get number twelve. I did my part dammit!"

"Not exactly. Oooo yeah you did your part alright you filthy little scag!" Pulanski had reached his boiling point with this lush. "But you didn't come up with a hooker did you?"

The sound of that drawling english tone, sent a shiver down her spine. She turned and looked head on into Draco's pale gray eyes.

She bit her lips. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"O …I think… you most certainly do." He snatched her arm, curling his fingers around it and drugged her out the back door into a dark alley out into the pouring rain.

"You're crazy," she shouted, and tried to pull away as he pulled her through a deep puddle and into the flooded alley. It was truly storming now and the rain came down like white sheets. "Stop! Let GO! It's freezing out here, -you lunatic!" E'sa screamed for help but another thunder filled the sky.

All day the shoreline had been warning them of the approaching storm and as the three of them hit the alley. Draco looked for shelter against the rain, but when he spotted nothing but dented trash bins and a dumpster, he no longer gave a damn. He knew he could have pressed his friends for some answers, that was until he overheard Esa's conversation. Now the gig was up.

No matter how he tried he couldn't put the matter of Buttercup out of his mind. He found himself worrying about her at the strangest times. Where was she? How many rooms had she wandered into since he last seen her? For all he knew she could have moved on to some lucky bloke from the Puddlemere's team. The idea of it made him sick to his stomach.

"Who is she?" Draco shouted shoving the drenched witch against the wall.

Esa was wearing her usual uniform and it didn't provide much warmth against the September rain, her teeth were chattering. "She's just some ooker I found out about."

Part of his brain screamed a warning. Draco let it go! What if he was polking his nose in too far?

"You're fucking with me Esabelle! I don't like it when people fuck with me. I heard you in there!" his voice rose higher letting her arm go, but moving closer to her trapping her between the brick wall and the dumpster.

Esa knew two very important things. One, never use your wand to stir your drinks, and two, never piss off a Malfoy. Her eyes darted to the side. "She's just somebody I meet."

"I-want-her-name!" he withdrew his wand.

"Draco mate calm down!" Pulanski urged his friend when he saw E'sa' eyes widen.

Draco lifted his wand up to her throat and Pulanski was now afraid that he would actually take things too far.

"I can't -Look. I can't do that, it's none of my business."

"Bloody hell it's not…now give me her name."

She started rubbing her arms, she and he were both soaked, but Draco didn't care. Esa's teeth began to chatter. "Bloody fucking hell Draco it's cold out 'ere."

"Funny, I don't feel it." he said, with streams of rain water trickling through his blonde hair and down his skin.

"Er name is Jean something…look this is bullshit."

"I don't believe you…Jean what?"

"I forgèt…ok, alright!"

He knew he was scaring her, and that was what he wanted. If it took this to find her again, then this is what he had to do. "Working here, serving these guy's like a common house elf, means a lot to you doesn't it." he said. There was another clap of thunder.

"What, I'm not a bloody ouse elf…take that back!" she shouted at him. Then regarded him warily because he had not lowered his wand at her neck. "……It's okay…I guess." she answered slowly.

"I think it's more than okay, I think it's the most important thing in your sad little life. And I know you'd be real upset, if not one Falcon had anything more to do with you. If none of them could stand the sight of you. If saw to it personally that you never got a gig in another London pub ever! -Give me what I want, or I'll sell this place off brick by brick and chase you down like the bitch you are until you do and that's a bloody promise."

She knew he meant it. But she made one last attempt at defying him anything. "She's nice Draco, real nice, she's just aving a 'ard time. She's happy now and I'm not gonna let you urt her."

"Name." he growled. A flash of lightning filled the alley and struck the roof top of the building wall, bricks shattered followed by the explosive sound of lightning when it strikes.

"That's all I know….so leave her alone….it's Jean, just Jean."

"What's her fucking name!"

"You're a shit Draco Malfoy, you know that. A real piece of shit! That's why Pansy left you….you're a bully, a git a real git!" she rubbed her arms for warmth trying to weigh out the importance of her job against protecting Hermione and the baby. "Jean….That's all I know." E'sa felt she was going to cry any moment. A second bolt of lightning filled the sky and she turned her face from him, and he blocked her exit. She couldn't leave. He didn't say a thing, he just stood there and waited. "She's a Healer, at the Hosipital. She works there….. on the children's floor. I don't know which one. She's a geek, real smart…but she's real shy and just didn't know a bloke good enough."

The more the witch talked about his missing Buttercup, the more the skin on the back of his neck tighten.

"…she didn't mean any harm." Esa was shaking it was so cold. "You don't get it, I promised….it is 'er whole life…it means everthing to 'er."

A chill shot through him that had nothing to do with the rain.

"It's not as if she would pop up on your door with the kid or something. She's got a good job, and she's smart -real smart Draco! So just go on….. why don't you just forget about 'er!"

He was having a hard time just pulling air into his chest. "Are you telling me she's pregnant! Did she ….did she use me…..to get pregnant?"

"Yes, but it's not like it's your real baby, you were just …-a guy...a donor." said Esa, not showing an ounce of remorse for the wizard.

Draco felt as if his head was going to exploded just taking it all in. He could barely manage his own life. If it were not for Quidditch, he had no idea of what he wanted to do with his life. He was only twenty-four, and now he was some stray kid's father.

"She's too smart for 'er own good really I think! but she said everyone made her feel like a freak or something growing up…She was trying to do what would be best for the kid…you're a pureblood and well she wanted to be sure the baby was born of magic."

Draco backed against the wall behind him, with eyes shut, he listened to everything she said...but all the pieces were falling the wrong way...all of it...and he couldn't breath anymore, couldn't think. He slid down to the pavement. A thread of fear stormed his brain like the rain in the alleyway...all he needed was the truth, and a name.

"Who is she?" Pulanski asked her again.

"She just wanted the baby alright!…she just wanted to be a mum."

"Who is she E'sa…..who-?" Pulanski demanded again.

The witch looked over at Draco, she didn't understand why he was having such a fit over this, all he had to do was walk away. That's all.

"...- Hermione Granger." she said.