A/N: AHHHHHHH! You all are absolutely amazing! I was literally blown away by all the amazing reviews, favorites, and followers! And just within the last chapter! I was hoping I'd get the reaction I did with the previous chapter! You didn't fail to disappoint me and I hope I don't disappoint with this chapter! I worked very hard on this chapter, so please let me know your thoughts on it! Enjoy and until next time!

Chapter 10

"Draco? How is this possible?" Narcissa asked wearily, breaking Draco form his thoughts.

"What? How is what possible?" Hermione asked, confused by Narcissa and Draco's reactions to what had just transpired. She didn't see why they were so shocked when Tillie brought Adalyn a drink. Wasn't that what house elves were supposed to do?

"Uh, Hermione, I think we need to talk," Draco said, slowly, finally bringing his eyes away from Adalyn.

"Okay, so talk," Hermione said shortly. She was starting to think that something big must have happened, but for the life of her, she didn't understand what.

Draco looked at her and back at Adalyn. "I need to speak with you and my mother, alone." He looked back at her almost pleadingly.

Hermione wasn't sure if she wanted to know what was going on. Narcissa was almost scared, and Draco was acting shocked and furious. Maybe coming here wasn't a good idea. But the curious side of Hermione won out, and she turned to Adalyn. "Adalyn, why don't you go pick out a book to read, and I'll be there in a few minutes."

Adalyn looked at her mother and the others around the table. She was completely oblivious to what was going on. "Okay. Goodnight Mr. Draco! Goodnight Mr. Draco's mum!" She said before hopping off the chair, and running out of the dining room.

Narcissa looked close to tears, but before Hermione could question it, Draco stood and walked out the door, with Narcissa following him gracefully. Sweet Merlin if he wanted to talk so badly, why did he just walk out? Intent on chewing him out for his rudeness, she followed Narcissa through the door and went through another door, which turned out to be a study.

After she entered the doorway, she crossed her arms and glared at Draco. "What in Merlin's name is going on here?"

Draco turned and waved his wand behind Hermione, shutting the door. He also put up a silencing charm around the room for good measure. Eight years of being an auror and having constant vigilance had become a habit. "Granger, you may want to sit for this," he suggested, waving to the couch that his mother was currently sitting on.

She crossed her arms and looked at him defiantly. She looked exactly as she had in school when she disapproved of the twins and their experimental testing on younger students. Had Draco been in the mood, he would have smiled. But for now he couldn't. He was raging with emotions at the moment, and he didn't have the patience for Hermione's stubbornness. "Sit, Granger," he ordered, pointing at the couch.

She raised an eyebrow and turned and walked to sit in a chair across from the couch. Sweet Salazar she was infuriating!

"So, are you going to tell me why your mother is upset and why your mood has changed drastically?" She said haughtily. She was starting to get a headache, but she was not going to let it bother her now.

"Hermione, you do realize what we just witnessed in there, don't you?" Draco asked.

She raised her eyebrows. "You mean Adalyn asking Tillie to bring her a drink? I don't think that's any reason to get upset. I mean, I am upset she didn't use her manners when asking Tillie, but-"

"She didn't ask, Hermione. She ordered Tillie to bring her that drink," Draco said.

"Yes, and that is why I'm upset with her. Look, I know she was being rude, so I will take care of it. I just don't understand why you are upset about that," Hermione said looking from Draco to Narcissa.

Draco threw his hands up and looked to his mother for support. She dried her tears and nodded. Looking at Hermione she said softly, "Hermione, dear, I know you were a supporter for elf rights back in school, correct?" At her hesitant nod, she continued. "How much do you know about house elves?"

"House elves are given no holidays for their work, nor pay, they are treated unfairly by their owners, uh, well, some of their owners," she said, looking at Narcissa guiltily. "They are given orders by their owners that are to be carried out, or else they are to be punished."

Draco and Narcissa looked at Hermione as if she had said exactly what the expected her to, and that their answer was in there. Hermione sat there and thought about what she had just said. 'They are given orders by their owners that have to be carried out, or they have to be punished.' She didn't understand. Did Tillie do something wrong by getting Adalyn a drink? She had seemed upset about it. She looked back at Draco and Narcissa. "Did Tillie do something wrong? Is that why she was upset?"

Draco could have stabbed himself with the Gryffindor sword. This was Hermione Granger; the brightest witch of their age! How was it she wasn't seeing the obvious?

He couldn't control his anger and rage any longer. "She took an order from Adalyn! Only those of Malfoy blood can give Tillie orders because she belongs to the Malfoy family! If Adalyn had asked her for it, it would have been different because it was a request! But Adalyn ordered Tillie to do it!"

Hermione sat in silence for a few minutes while Narcissa sniffled a few times. "So, you're saying that, because Adalyn gave an order to Tillie, and Tillie obeyed her, that, that means…that Adalyn is…" she couldn't even finish the statement. It was impossible! She shook her head, "No, that's not possible. Tillie must have understood it to be a request. Adalyn wasn't aware of what she said. It can't be…" She knew she wasn't making any sense, but she could believe that Adalyn was Draco's daughter. She was Toby's daughter!

"Hermione, it's true," Draco said, coming to kneel before her. "Adalyn gave a direct order to Tillie, and because of the Malfoy blood in her, Tillie had to obey it."

"No," she whispered quietly through her tears.

"It was eight years ago that we got together," Draco stated, desperate to make her see the truth of it. "Adalyn has my color of hair, not to mention that her eyes are exactly like mine. How can you not see it?"

"It can't be," she said more to herself than to him.

"Hermione, open your eyes and look at the facts! I didn't want to believe it at first, but Harry kept pressing the matter and –"

"Harry?" she asked, confused.

"Harry pointed out that there was a great possibility that Adalyn was mine. I didn't want to believe it because I didn't want to accept the truth." Draco cringed. He didn't mean to say it that way.

Hermione's face changed in a second. From distraught to furious, she glared murderously at Draco. "You didn't want to accept the truth? Is it so degrading for you that you might have a daughter with me? Are you that repulsed by me that you didn't want to accept the truth that she could be yours?"

"No Hermione, that's not what I meant," Draco said, standing slowly.

"Oh I think it is Draco. You've been more of a father to Adalyn these past few days than her own father has been the last five years! Why is that Draco? If you don't want to accept that she could be yours, why place yourself in her heart? So you can break her heart like you did mine? I'm not going to let you do that to my daughter!" she yelled before running out of the study and up the stairs.

"Hermione, wait!" Draco yelled. "Salazar I've screwed this up," he said banging his head against the door.

"Yes, you have," his mother said, walking over to him. "You've always had a way with words, Draco. But this time, you really, as the muggles say, put your foot in your mouth."

"How do I fix this? I can't lose Adalyn and I can't lose Hermione again."

"Go after them Draco. Stop her from leaving and making the biggest mistake of her life."

Draco scoffed. "She made the biggest mistake of her life when she left me eight years ago," he growled before going after Hermione. He'd be damned if he let her leave him again, along with his daughter. He would not let them walk out of his life again.

oOo~oOo~oOo

"Adalyn get your things, now!" Hermione ordered through her tears. She should have known not to trust Draco to hurt her again.

"But mum, I want to stay here," Adalyn complained, holding her blue dragon. She looked terrified. But why shouldn't she? Her mother had just come in yelling at her to get her things, crying, and looking hysterical.

"Adalyn Rose, don't you dare argue with me! You better be packed by the time I come back," she ordered before walking to her room.

Merlin how could it be possible? She had seen all the things Draco had pointed out, but she hadn't wanted to believe it. She hadn't wanted to get her hopes up. Especially since Draco had left her, why would he care if he had a daughter?

She tried to slam the door on her thoughts, doubts, and dreams while throwing clothes in her bag. If she had been thinking logically, she would have just accioed everything into her bag. But she was obviously past the point of thinking logically.

"What are you doing?"

Hermione's head snapped up and saw Draco standing in her doorway. "I thought that was obvious. I'd think that someone who knew my daughter was his after a few days would know that I'm packing," she snapped at him.

She heard him sigh heavily and walk closer to her. "Hermione –"

"Don't!" She whirled around and pointed her finger at him. "I don't want your pity, I don't want to hear you talk, and I don't want you," she said a bit shakily before turning away from him.

"Well, that's too bad, because you're going to hear what I have to say!" He said firmly, closing the door behind him. "I know you're smart, Hermione. Bloody hell, you're the brightest witch of our age! So I know you saw the similarities between Adalyn and I from the beginning!"

He saw her shoulders shaking and knew she was crying. The words he heard next nearly broke his heart. "You think I'm a terrible mother." He rushed over to her and turned her towards him.

"I never said that Hermione. You're a wonderful mother! Adalyn is the luckiest girl in the world having a mother like you. I just don't understand why you stayed with him and didn't come back to me."

"At the beginning, I firmly believed that she was Toby's, until she opened her eyes. I think I knew deep down she was yours but I didn't want to face that heartache again. I knew you didn't want me, so why would you want Adalyn?"

"Why do you think I didn't want you?" He asked trying to get her to look at him.

"Because you left me! I woke up the next morning and you were gone!" Hermione rubbed her head. Her headache was coming back again full swing.

"I didn't leave you! Ok, I did, but not like that," Draco said. "While you were sleeping I went out to get, uh, something, but I ran into someone robbing the potions store. I had to try to stop it, and then report it, and I just got so caught up, I forgot to let you know what had happened and where I was. I had planned on being back before you woke up. When I finally did get back, you were gone, and Harry and Ginny refused to tell me where you had gone. So technically, you had left me."

She looked up at him. "Did you catch him?"

He looked at her confused. "Who?"

She chuckled a little. "The man who robbed the potions store?"

Draco grinned. "No, he got away. Now can we get back to the subject at hand?"

She blushed and looked down. "I didn't leave, I just…ran away. I had felt like I had just been used by you, and it hurt because I had such strong feelings for you and-"

"Had?" Draco smirked.

"Shut it," Hermione said, pushing him on the chest.

"Hermione, I never meant to hurt you. That night, it was the most; it was such an incredible night for me. You were everything I ever wanted and the fact that you had wanted me too just made it even more amazing!" He saw her blush and he grabbed her shoulders softly. "Hermione, I let you get away from me eight years ago, and I'm not going to let you go ever again. Because not only do I love Adalyn, I love you and I have never stopped loving you."

Hermione looked up at him in shock. Her eyes were glistening, and her heart was pounding so hard she was sure he could hear it. Did she dare take another chance on love? She knew she didn't love Toby; her heart had always belonged to Draco. The only reason she had stayed with Toby was because of Adalyn, but now it seemed like that wasn't even accurate, because she was Draco's daughter. She shook her head. "Draco, I don't understand why you would want me. I'm tarnished goods, I'm not who I used to be," she said lowering her head. She didn't understand why he would want her. She certainly wasn't as pretty as she had been eight years ago, and even without the bruises on her face she was plain.

Draco placed his finger under her chin and brought her face up. He caressed her bruises softly while she closed her eyes. She really had no idea how much she affected him, how much she meant to him. "Hermione, you are in no way tarnished goods. And you may have changed since I last saw you, but you still have that fire in you. You still have that desire to learn and know everything possible," he chuckled.

"Draco, I-"

"No! Stop doubting yourself and stop doubting me. Trust me Hermione. Believe me. I am not letting you go, and I'm not letting Adalyn go. I love you."

Hermione let her tears fall as she looked up at Draco. She touched his cheek affectionately and said, "I love you too." She barely had time to get the words out before he crushed his lips onto hers. In that one kiss she forgot about Toby, she forgot about the abuse, she forgot about the years of pretending, she forgot about everything, except being in Draco's arms.

When they broke apart, Hermione laid her head against his chest. "Merlin Hermion, I've missed you!" Draco said as he placed a kiss on her head.

"I missed you too." She clung to him as if he would disappear if she let go.

"Mummy!" came Adalyn's voice from the hallway.

"Oh no! What do I tell Adalyn! How do I explain all of this to her?" Hermione said quickly, stepping away from Draco. Her headache had just returned and she clutched her head in desperation.

"Hermione, stop worrying. We'll set Adalyn down and explain it to her," Draco said, walking towards her.

"No! She thinks Toby is her father! She is already confused with what he did and why we aren't with him. How can I spring this on her when I have barely wrapped my head around it?" Hermione rambled, more to herself than to Draco.

"Hermione, what do you mean what he did?" Draco asked cautiously. He obviously already knew Toby had beat Hermione and Adalyn, but Hermione still wasn't aware that she had said that out loud.

"What?" She asked wide eyed. She hadn't even realized what she said.

"Hermione, what did Toby do? Why is Adalyn confused with what he did?"

"I-I can't—"

"Hermione, please!" He said desperately, grabbing her shoulders so she would look at him.

Her headache was getting worse and she wasn't seeing clearly. "Draco, he-" she breathed before she collapsed in his arms.