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Coming Home Ch. 10

Once everyone had finally relaxed over Amelia, they sat down to discuss what Hermione was planning on doing now that she was back. This was one thing that Hermione wasn't sure about and had feared would come up. It of course was Ron who decided to speak up first, much to Hermione's dismay.

"What are your plans now though Hermione? I mean, you have been gone forever and now what?" He asked looking intently at her.

Hermione saw the look on his face and wished that he would have just left it alone. It was obvious that after all of this that a small part of him was hoping that maybe they could have a chance together. Though they had tried previously before their seventh year, Hermione had hoped that he would see that it was for the best.

"I don't know Ron. I guess the best thing to do right now would be to let Draco become acquainted with Amelia, and then he and I need to figure some things out. Maybe through all of this we can become a family. I want Amelia to have both her parents, together. I don't want her to have to go through anything because of us." Hermione said, trying to make it very clear that she wanted to work things out with Draco.

"So you want to work things out with him?" Ron asked, ignoring the looks that Ginny and Harry both gave him. Hermione sighed, knowing that she should have realized that Ron would be pigheaded over all of this. He had always been so damn stubborn and sometimes it was a big bother.

"Ron, you know as well as I that it is for the best. I mean, there must be something there for us to have been able to make such a wonderful thing happen." Hermione tried, feeling herself loose her temper.

"Or maybe it was just a drunken night that should have never happened!" Ron said, very close to losing his own temper. He had never truly gotten over Hermione and he did not want to see her with his worst enemy. He knew they could never have anything, but he didn't want to feel that Draco had beaten him in some way.

"Ron! How can you even begin to think that about me? After all of these years you should know me better than that. I may have had a little too much to drink, but I do know that I would never sleep with someone just for that reason. There is another reason I did all of this and I think that if we tried, Draco and I could be happy with one another." Hermione said, hurt by his accusation.

Ron looked around the table at all the angry faces before putting his head down. He was supposed to be her friend and here he was insulting her. Even if Draco and he had never gotten along, even after the war had finished, he wanted to be there for Hermione. If he didn't shut his mouth very soon, that wouldn't be possible and he would lose her again.

"Hermione, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped off on you. I know with everything that has happened that you would want to try things with…Malfoy, but I just want you to be careful. It is still Malfoy of all people." Ron said, giving Draco a look, letting him know that no matter how long it had been he still hated him and would never forgive him for any of the things he had done in the past.

"Ron, it doesn't matter what anyone thinks. This is my life, Amelia's life and I want it to be the way it is supposed to. I think that it is time for you, and everyone else to let go of childish grudges. It really is for the best." Hermione said, still a little angry with Ron for his insinuations of her.

She had known that with Ron's hot temper that he would be the one that would fight this, but she had hoped that he would have grown up just a little bit. Obviously she had been wrong, but she still had to hope that something would have changed.

"I will respect you enough not to say anything, but you cannot expect me to be all buddy with Malfoy! He may have changed for the better, as you lot seem to think, but I know that the same old Malfoy is in there. I just don't want you to get hurt." Ron said, trying to keep the peace but letting her know how he felt about all of this.

"I wouldn't ask you to change your views of anything Ron. You should know me better than that. I just hope that you don't try to change my mind. I don't want this to end badly, there's too much at stake for Amelia. I don't want her to get hurt and if she does, I will never forgive whoever made her unhappy." Hermione said, hoping to get off of this subject. She had just got her friends back and she didn't want to lose one the day she got them back.

"Hermione, I am sorry. I shouldn't have said anything, it wasn't my place. Of course you only want what is best for Amelia. Anyone with eyes could see that." Ron said, letting the matter go. He didn't want to lose her again from his own stupidity.

Hermione nodded and looked away from him, knowing that although it was hurtful, Ron was only trying to protect her in his own way. No matter what she went through or the older she got, he would always do that.

Draco watched the exchange hoping that whatever the Weasel said, Hermione would not listen to him. No matter what he believed, Draco knew that he had changed for the better. He was not the same person he had been in school, none of them were. He would just have to show all of them that he did not mean to hurt Hermione. He wanted to love her and he wanted her to love him back. That was the whole point in all of this and it felt good to know that she wanted to try this with him.

After that the day went by somewhat better. They all loved Amelia and wanted both Hermione and Amelia back into their lives. They understood why she had left, though they wished that she had not. By the time they all left, Hermione was certain that though things would be different, she would have all of her friends to stand by her side, even Ron.

After a long drawn out goodbye, where Hermione had to swear a thousand times that she would not disappear again, everyone left, leaving Hermione, Draco, and Amelia alone again. Though Hermione was happy now that Draco had called upon her friends without her permission, she had to sigh with relief that they were gone. It had been emotionally exhausting for her to go through all of this and she knew that as soon as everyone else found out she was back, there would be worse to deal with.

As she slid onto the couch in the sitting room, Draco sat next to her, happy to be alone with her at last. "Are you okay?" He asked, wanting to make sure that she was okay after such a trying day.

Hermione smiled and nodded at him, "Yeah, I'm okay, just a little overwhelmed. I am really happy that no one hates me like I thought they would." Hermione smiled, feeling tired now that everyone was gone.

"Does that mean you're no longer angry with me?" Draco tried, hoping that she really wasn't. He really had only just done this for her own good. He had known that her friends wouldn't hate her, and they really deserved to know that she was okay, even the Weasel.

Hermione looked over at him and smiled, "Yes I am still mad at you! You went behind my back and made a decision that I should have made on my own." She said watching his face fall a little. Hermione smiled and kissed his cheek, "But if you hadn't then I would still be without my friends and they would still believe that something horrible had happened to me. For that I thank you for." She said, giggling a little at the grin that appeared on Draco's face.

"I knew they wouldn't hate you Hermione. No one in their right mind could hate you." Draco said, happy that although she said she was still mad, he knew that she wasn't. Today had gone very good and he only hoped that the days would get better.

"Thank you, for all of this. I really don't deserve your kindness, not after everything. Because of my stupidity and fear, you never got the chance to be with your own daughter, hell you didn't even know that you had a child." Hermione said, beginning to feel sorry for keeping him in the dark all this time.

"Don't start that again. I know your reasoning and it really is my fault to. Let's just move on from it. We have both learned and I for one do not plan on letting you go ever again." Draco said, pulling her closer to him.

Hermione said nothing, just smiled and cuddled into his warmness. They would be alright, they had to be. This felt so right for them and there was no way that it could turn out wrong. Hermione laughed at the way that things were going for them. Never in a million years would she have thought that Draco Malfoy and her would end up together.

Authors Note: I know that it has been like a week and I am really sorry! With my new job, plus taking care of my kids it has been very difficult to find time to write...This is the first day that I have been off for the last week, but I will make a promise that every day that I am off of work, I will try my hardest to update! Stay with me because I am planning to make this a REALLY long and REALLY good story!