After a healthy dose of sober up potion, Draco found himself sitting on the couch in Thomas's living room. A cup of tea in sat in front of him, mocking his already churning stomach.

"Oh Merlin I feel like shit." He groaned

"As you should." Thomas said with a smile, "Drinking solves nothing."

Draco rolled his eyes, " Easy for you to say, Hermione is with you – not me."

"That doesn't have a thing to do with it." Thomas said calmly, "And right now My relationship with Hermione is up in the air."

That got Draco's attention.

"What did you do?"

"It's what you did, not me." Thomas sighed, "You confused her the other night and she had been ignoring me as well."

Draco smirked

"I wouldn't smirk yet. She said she still wants me but I told her to take a week to decide."

"Why would you do that? Have you lost your mind?"

"No, I would just rather her be sure before it gets any deeper. I am staying away from her this week and I want you to do the same."

"No, this is my chance to –"

"Its not and you need to keep your distance as well. She was a wreck and it's not good for the baby. She needs time to sort it out o her own."

"What do you mean?" Draco asked, suddenly feeling angry with him self.

"She is an emotional wreck right now and she doesn't need either one of us making this harder for her."

Draco nodded, normally he would use this time to go after her but not at the risk of his child.

"Why don't you just give her up?" Draco asked, "Things would be easier for her."

Thomas frowned, "Who she ends up with is her decision and my staying away would not guarantee she would go back to you. Besides, I have very strong feelings for her and I will not just give up unless she chooses you."

"But she is carrying my child or does that not matter?" Draco said a little angrily. Why wouldn't Thomas just give up?

"It matters but not as much as you might think" Thomas spat back.

Thomas stood from the couch and started pacing, "Let me tell you something Draco. I understand what you are going through, I understand how you feel when the idea of another man raising your child comes up, but I don't give a damn about your feelings – no one did when it came to mine. I refuse to give up a girl I could see spending my life with just because you want me to."

"How could you know?" Draco yelled

"Because my daughter is being raised by another man as we speak. I wasn't given the option, I didn't even mess things up."

Draco's eyes went wide, "Does Hermione know?"

"I've mentioned it." He answered, "I have always been honest with her."

Draco sat quietly for a few minutes before asking the burning question, "What happened?"

Thomas sighed and sat back down, "When I was 19, I met a girl and fell in love with her instantly. She was in Ravenclaw when we were in school so we never talked but we ended up at the same university and things blossomed from there."

Thomas paused for a minute to collect his thoughts, "Sophie Wilkins was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. She was smart, witty and could hold a conversation with ease. We started seeing each other after two months of friendship and were almost inseparable for almost a year."

"I was young, stupid and we were so involved with each other that we didn't take precautions and she ended up pregnant. I was thrilled and scared when she told me but I vowed to take care of her and our child to the best of my ability."

"When her parents found out, they wanted my head on a platter. Not only was I a Slytherin but I was also the guy who 'ruined' their daughters life by getting her pregnant. I was not wealthy, I was in school and didn't have a job so her parents forbid her from seeing me. I tried for months to get things in order so I could be with her and my child but nothing worked and her parents blocked me at every step."

"I got a letter a few months later with a picture of my daughter and the announcement that her parents had arranged a marriage between her and another man who was wealthy and willing to raise another mans child. I tried to stop the wedding, I tried to bring it to the Ministry but her parents had more pull then I did and the only thing I got was to see my daughter one time – she has no idea who I am even to this day."

"I have never felt the same way with another girl as I did Sophie until Hermione came into the picture and if she will have me, I will not give her up."

"So you will do the same thing to me because it was done to you?" Draco asked

"No, the situation is different. You lost Hermione because of your stupidity, I lost Sophie because I was apparently not strong enough to keep her. All that I am saying is that when the week is over, if Hermione chooses me, I will not walk away from her for you."

"And if she chooses me?" Draco asked

Thomas sighed, " Then I will walk away without a fight. I will not stand in the way if both parents want to be with each other."

"Fair enough" Draco finally replied.

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Hermione was sure she would stay with Thomas. He was always the perfect gentleman and he was always attentive to her needs. He was stability, he was everything she wanted in a man… so why in the hell was she confused? Because Draco was the father of her child and the man she was still in love with.

She weighed her options, compared Draco with Thomas, and she never could make one balance out more then the other. She wanted to be sure about her decision and really didn't want to hurt either man… she was stuck between a rock and a hard place and she hated it.

She was just about to give up her mission for the day when a knock came to her door. She expected Draco or Thomas but she didn't expect who was standing there… Narcissa and Lucius.