Chapter 10
Draco stood outside the Ministry of Magic for the first time in seven years. Nerves consumed him. What had he gotten himself into? Suddenly, confronting Potter seemed like a bad idea. He had no wand and his magic was rusty. There was nothing stopping his childhood foe from harming him. He could only hope that time had matured Harry Potter as it had him.
Taking a deep breath, he entered and went in search of the Aurors' office. His legs felt like lead the closer he got to Harry's office. Whatever conversations went on around him, Draco could only hear the frantic beating of his own heart. Just as he raised his fist to knock, Harry stepped out of his office.
"Malfoy?" he asked, surprised to see him.
"We need to talk," Draco stated. "About Hermione."
Nodding, Harry stepped back and allowed Draco to enter his office. The two men sat down, both nervous and feeling the awkward tension that passed between them. "Is she alright?" Harry finally asked after several long moments of silence.
Draco looked up, startled by his question. "She's fine," he promised.
"Then what's this about?" Harry wondered. "And what do you have to do with Hermione?"
Draco blushed. "I guess she hasn't told you that we're dating," he replied, amused by the shock on Harry's face. "Anyhow, she's trying to find Pansy, and I want you to stop her."
When he recovered, Harry asked, "Why?"
"Because she's doing it for me," Draco replied. "And I'd really rather not have Pansy Parkinson back in my life."
Harry's dark brows furrowed. "Then tell her that yourself," he said, bordering on angry. "Why should I get involved in your love life?"
Shaking his head, Draco got to his feet. "It's not about my love life," he stated. "I have a kid, Potter. A kid who has never met his mother, and I'd like to keep it that way."
"Why?" Harry wondered. Having never known his own parents and wishing he had, it perplexed him that anyone would deny a child the right to know a parent.
Sitting back down, Draco stared at the framed photo of Lily and James Potter that Harry kept on his desk. "Say your parents hadn't been killed. Say they were the ones who left you on that doorstep and never looked back," he said. "How would you feel if you were just abandoned? Would you want to know them?"
Sitting back, Harry released a deep breath. "I don't know," he answered honestly.
"I love my son, Potter. I love him more than anything else in the world. I just want to protect him, keep him from getting hurt. Help me do that," Draco implored.
Harry nodded. "Tell me something first," he said as Draco prepared to leave. "Where the hell have you been all this time? And how did you find Hermione?"
Draco smiled. "She found me," he replied. "I'm a muggle now, Potter."
It was then that Harry put it together. "Our case. The use of magic in a muggle area case. That was you."
Nodding, Draco confirmed it was. "Hermione doesn't know," he lied. "I stopped as soon as we met. It was completely harmless, I swear."
Harry frowned. "I should arrest you for this," he stated. Draco nodded in agreement and cast his head down, but inside he felt hopeful that Potter might look the other way as Hermione had so many months ago. "I'm not going to though."
Looking up, he hoped he looked surprised. "You won't?" he asked gratefully.
"You don't seem to have much family," Harry commented. "I'd hate to see your son be without his father. I know what it's like to have guardians who hate you, and I don't wish that on anyone."
"Thank you, Potter," Draco replied with a soft smile. Once more, he walked toward the door. "I know I don't deserve to ask for a favor, but could you maybe not tell Hermione I was here? I don't want her to worry."
Harry frowned. "Why would she be worried?" he inquired.
"You know Hermione. She worries about everything," Draco replied. Smiling, Harry nodded in agreement and promised to keep their conversation a secret. Feeling like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, Draco opened the door to leave.
"Malfoy," Harry called. "Stop around again some time. This wasn't terrible."
Draco smirked. "Yeah, it really wasn't," he concurred. "I'll see you soon."
He breathed easier when he was finally away from the Ministry. As long as his visit didn't get back to Hermione, he would be fine. Entering the club, he made his way to his dressing room and was surprised to find that it wasn't empty. "What are you doing here?" he wondered.
Closing her book, Hermione smiled at him. "I heard this place has a great lunch buffet," she commented, getting to her feet. "Can we have lunch together today?"
Her arms wound around his waist, and Draco held her just as tightly. "Sounds like a plan," he murmured before kissing her.
Pulling away, she rested her head against his chest. There was a new smell on him, one that concerned her. "You smell like magic," she commented. "Oh god, Draco. What did you do?"
She stepped away in a panic, all the color draining from her face. "No, love, it's fine," he tried to assure her. "It's not what you think. I haven't done any magic. I just...I went to see Harry today."
"Harry?" she asked. "Since when is he Harry? And what did you do?"
"It's fine," he promised, holding her shoulders. "We just talked. I thought it might make your life easier if you didn't have to hide me anymore. We got along fine. Hell, he asked me to come back."
Hermione scoffed. "Probably to arrest you," she exclaimed. "Does he know about your use of magic? Does he know about Oliver? What does he know about us?"
"It doesn't matter what he knows," Draco stated. "What matters is I know I can trust him. I know I love you. Can you say that's something you know?"
Sighing, she tugged on his shirt, drawing him closer. "I do now," she murmured.
He kissed the tip of her nose. "Do you think you might feel the same way?" he wondered.
Grinning, Hermione nodded. "I do love you," she replied. "I also worry about you. And Ollie."
"I know you do," he said softly. "You have nothing to worry about. Ollie and I are fine. You and I are good. Everything is going to work out fine."
Nodding, she kissed him and prayed he was right.