Chapter Eleven

Molly Weasley was talking with a small group of people from the Order of the Phoenix when the silvery course galloped up to her. She immediately recognized her daughter's Patronus and new that it could only be unwelcome circumstances that brought it.

"Mum, follow my Patronus into the forest. We need you help." Ginny's voice echoed strangely in the warm afternoon air. Molly looked at her fellows worriedly before taking off after the glowing horse.

She had seen Harry and Hermione wandering off in that direction sometime ago, with Ginny following close behind. Now she worried about what could have befallen the trio in the forest, it had been mostly cleared of dangerous creatures near the castle. Her worry urged her forward, sending her recklessly down the forest paths. She almost ran after the silver horse, trying to keep up and not lose sight of it. When it did disappear, she stumbled to a stop, looking around for the bright red hair belonging to her daughter.

Once her heavy breathing slowed, she heard a trickle of voices coming from just up the path. She flew forwards, catching a glint of red off the path and through the trees.

Ginny and Harry looked up when Molly rushed into the secluded hollow. They had been watching Hermione and Draco bicker about names for the two tiny infants as they cuddled close together as a family.

"Oh my goodness. Just what, may I ask, is going on here?" Molly's startled question finally alerted the new parents to her presence. Hermione beamed at the older woman, smiling even more at the flushed face and warm eyes looking at her in confusion. Draco blushed like he had been caught doing naughty things, completely unsure about the whole situation.

"It's a long story Mrs Weasley, but believe me, you'll want to hear it." Hermione reached out a hand to touch Draco's face, and that of the baby girl he held. He in turn kissed her forehead, for a moment forgetting that there was a small audience.

"Well, you all can tell me the whole thing once we get everyone up to the Hospital Wing. These babes need a check up and Hermione looks much too pale." Molly began hustling the young people to their feet, taking the babies from Hermione and Draco and giving them to Harry and Ginny. Draco pulled Hermione off the ground and to her feet, but as she wobbled he decided she was safer in his arms. The ready group set off through the forest, aiming for the castle on the other side of the large grounds.

As the trees began to thin, Ginny called for the group to stop.

"Harry, we need to hide Draco again. He's not supposed to leave your house right? Even if he is with you?" Ginny asked, holding out her arm to take the second baby. Harry handed the little bundle off before pulling his cloak from his back pocket.

"Right. Come here you two, you can both go under the invisibility cloak until we get up to the castle." Harry tossed the cloak over Draco's shoulders, pulling the hood up and making sure both Hermione and Draco were completely covered. "Alright, let's go."

The group made their way across the lawns and up tot the castle. Molly walked between the shrinking crowds at the lakes edge and the two carrying the newborns. They didn't want hordes of people swarming the saviour and his girlfriend for mysteriously appearing with two small bundles in the midst of a ceremony. They managed to make it all the way to the front doors without bumping into anyone. Professor Mcgonagall stood in the front hall, directing visitors and guests coming and going from the Great Hall and the rest of the castle. She strode up to them as they wound their way through the crowds.

"Well, well, what have we here?" Mcgonagall starred at the bundles of blankets, seemingly not perturbed by the arrival of two small infants. "Are people giving their children away in thanks now, Potter? Are they aware of how much trouble you truly cause?"

Harry smiled, laughing at his former teacher's dry humour. "Well, they certainly aren't mine, but they do belong to someone important to me."

"I would only assume so. I would also assume that you are on your way to the Hospital Wing. I shall make the trip with you." Mcgonagall's lips turned up slightly. "I want to hear what is sure to be a fascinating and thrilling tale."

The group chuckled as they made there way up the stairs to the Hospital Wing. Mcgonagall lead the way, her steady pace and stern face making sure nobody stopped or interrupted them. Curious looks however, were impossible to stop. Portions of the crowd had moved in to the school to see what work had been done in the last year, and to reminisce about their time at Hogwarts. Muggle relatives and partners had also been invited to the dedication, and they were wandering around in a daze, trying to take in all the information around them. Finally, the hallway cleared, no one was near the Hospital Wing, too many unhappy memories filled the air.

Mcgonagall opened the door, ushering them all into the room. Once she was sure the coast was clear, she set about spelling the door to alert her of any arrival immediately. Retreating inside, she headed towards the far end of the room, where the small crowd surrounded a bed. She was quite shocked to find an ashen faced Hermione propped up against the pillows, with an equalling pale looking Draco beside her.

Madame Pomfrey was checking each of the babies, weighing and measuring, writing down everything on a floating piece of parchment. Satisfied, she handed the infants to their parents, giving orders to feed and burp the little ones, as they were getting fussy. Spotting Mcgonagall watching the happy circle, she joined the elderly witch, keeping one eye on the new parents wile she talked.

"Minerva, what exactly is going on? I swear I saw Miss Granger at the ceremony this morning, looking much healthier and definitely not pregnant." Madam Pomfrey worried her hands, keeping watch over the new parents, hoping for an answer.

"Poppy, I have no idea how this situation came to be. I too saw Miss Granger this morning, looking distinctly not pregnant. And the fact that Mr Malfoy appears to be the father is entirely unexpected." Mcgonagall too, watched the young couple, hesitant to interrupt the happy scene with her unspoken questions. Molly, however, had no such qualms.

"Now then, will someone please explain what is happening? I know you are a brilliant young witch Hermione, but infants don't just grow to term in a matter of hours." Molly put her hands on her hips, entering furious but very concerned mode. "And Harry, why is Draco with you? He is supposed to be at your house, awaiting the rest of his trial."

"Mrs Weasley, this is all because of me." Hermione's voice was weak but determined. She handed her son over to his father to be burped and set up her daughter on her own shoulder before launching into her story.

"I went back in time to try and save Ron. I guess I failed in that task though." Hermione's eyes filled with tears, exhaustion and hormones breaking her down. Draco rubbed her back to comfort her so she could continue. "I had no way back to the present, so I hid away with Draco for the last year. We helped each other through a very difficult time and we fell in love."

Draco felt his eyebrows rise into his fringe. She had never said she loved him before. She had told him with her actions of course and he understood that she was still healing from the grief of Ron's death. He leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on her cheek, making her aware that is was the first time she said she loved him out loud.

Hermione smiled at him, understanding the small gesture. When she faced forwards again the tears were slowing. "I promised I would meet Harry back here, I never expected to get pregnant while I was hiding."

Harry stepped in at that point, explaining the second of Molly's questions. "I brought Draco with me because I worked out that Hermione had been with him for the past year. They were separated when the aurors captured him, but I knew Hermione would be here today, come Hell or high water."

Molly nodded, it was a somewhat outlandish story, but almost anything could happen when magic was involved. She took in the sight of the twin babies, gently resting a hand on each. "Now that we know a little of how these two came about, what have you decided to name them?"

Draco and Hermione looked at each other, having a silent war with their eyes. Each had a very different idea of what an appropriate name would be, and neither would back down. Hermione was favouring simpler names, more common names, while Draco was fighting for his family's tradition of naming children after stars or constellations. The battle continued while the watchers glanced from one stony face to the other.

All was interrupted when an owl flew in through the open window, dropping a letter on Harry's head. He quickly opened the letter, read through it, his face draining with each line. "Draco we have to go."

"What? Why? I can't leave Hermione and the babies." Draco remained seated, glaring at the bright green eyes above him.

"They'll be fine, let's go."

"No, not until you tell me what's going on."

Harry sighed and pushed his messy hair off his face. "This is from the Ministry of Magic, your father has escaped from custody. They checked my house because you were supposed to be there and you weren't. You're now to be arrested for helping your father escape. We have to head to the Ministry right now to get this sorted out."

Draco looked aghast, this was the worst news possible. Nodding stiffly, he rose, passed his son to Ginny, and kissed Hermione goodbye. He quickly followed Harry out the door, disappearing from sight before Hermione could say a word. The small group still situated around the room was quiet, no one was quite sure what to say.

Hermione was the first to speak. She kissed her daughter's forehead gently, and motioned for Ginny to pass over her son. "I will name her Aquila and his name will be Arrakis."

HGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDM

Hundreds of kilometres away, Lucius Malfoy stood in the living room of the very same cabin his son had been arrested from just days before. He sneered as he looked around, eyeing the piles of books and clothes that had been tossed around during the auror's search. Not knowing the cabin had been occupied for close to a year, it seemed to him that his servants had not taken very good care of the place in his absence from his estate.

He decided that he would at least look around, hoping to find some food at least. The swill served to prisoners would force a pig off eating. In the kitchen he found plenty of dried goods, including meat, salted for preservation. He didn't remember telling the servants restocking this place each year to add meat to the stores, and he definitely knew that even if they had, it would have been rotted away in the past year. He spotted a piece of bark on the floor covered in writing. It was a calendar, including the year and dates. Some one had been living here, at least until recently. He moved to the bedroom, searching for some clue as to who had been trespassing on his property. He found long hairs on the pillows and in a book casually tossed under the bed was a name. It was written in minuscule letters in the top corner of the front cover, but Lucius could read the name just fine. Hermione Granger.