Chapter Nine: Tomorrow's Just Another Day

"I'm sorry Hermione; I shouldn't have reacted like that." Those were the first words Ron Weasley said to her when he entered her office. She couldn't help but let some more tears fall down, but they were tears of joy. She had underestimated her best friend. She ran to him into a fierce hug, letting her tears fall onto his shirt.

"Can't bre-athe Hermione."

She let go of him quickly, "Sorry Ron, I guess I got a little carried away."

"A little?" He smiled.

"Don't test me Ronald Weasley," Hermione said menacingly.

"Look, I'm sorry I stormed off earlier, I was just angry and upset that you couldn't tell me the truth. I'm supposed to be your best friend and you lied to me."

"I'm sorry Ron, I hadn't meant too. I just wasn't sure how to tell you. I thought it would be awkward with our past. I know that you're with Luna now, and I'm really happy for you."

"I'm really happy Hermione, and if you think that you being pregnant is going to change our friendship, then you have another thing coming. You are and foremost my best friend and nothing is going to change that. We ended our relationship on a mutual agreement, remember?"

"I know, I'm acting paranoid for nothing aren't I?"

"Yes, but you wouldn't be Hermione Granger if you weren't," He paused with a smile, "Oh by the way, the next time you see Malfoy, don't be too surprised that he'll have a bloody nose for awhile."

"Ronald Weasley, what did you do?!"

"I may have, might have been on purpose, kind of punched him in the face."

"Ron!"

"Can you really blame me? I mean we've hated him for as long as we've known him. How was I not to think the worst of him when I found out you were pregnant with his child?"

"You honestly think he forced himself on to me, I even think Malfoy wouldn't go that low."

"Are you sure, I mean how much do you actually know about him? You said it yourself; you don't remember what happened that night."

Hermione had thought of this, but it would have been impossible. She knew Malfoy, well not as much as she'd liked too, and that thought itself scared her. "No, he wouldn't have, he may have been cruel in the past but he wouldn't, not now."

"Alright, I trust you, but it doesn't mean I'm going to trust him."

"I know Ron, things we'll never be the same once this baby is born. I'm actually happy, even if the child is Malfoy's."

"As long as you're sure, I don't want anything to happen to you." Ron said.

"I promise to be careful, I've already talked to Mr. Tajo about my job and he said not to worry till I'm five months along."

"Good, as long as you keep yourself safe and as much as I don't like the git, I think he realizes he'll have to take care of you too, not just the baby."

"That thought actually doesn't scare me as I thought it would."

"Weasley, Granger!" They were both startled out of their conversation but turned to look at the new voice in the room. Mr. Tajo stood there with a stern look on his face. "I need you both in my office in five." They nodded their heads, and just as swiftly as he came he left.

"Well it looks like I won't be doing much paperwork today, it looks like another mission," Hermione announced. She was actually disappointed; she had really wanted to finish up last minute paperwork, also to the fact that she felt kind of queasy, and her stomach felt like it was in knots. Then again she hadn't gone on a mission in over a month.

"We should probably go then, don't want Mr. Tajo coming after us," Ron said, with a chuckle.

Hermione pulled Ron in for another hug. "I love you Ron."

"Oh don't get all emotional on me Hermione." He said with a laugh. "But you know the feeling is mutual. Come on, let's go." Ron pulled Hermione, wrapped his arm around her neck and they both left for Mr. Tajo's office, wondering what was in store for them.

XXX

"Now as you know, we are nowhere near closer to finding Greyback then before but in the meantime, just this afternoon there was a raid in Hogsmeade. I'd like the three of you to check out the damage, talk to a few employees in the shop, and ask around."

"It's no problem Mr. Tajo," Weasley said, leaping to his feet from the chair he was previously sitting on.

"Mr. Malfoy, a word with you before you leave with Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley."

"Of course sir."

Once Granger and Weasley were out the door, Mr. Tajo decided to speak. "I could have easily spoken with them in the room but I figured you'd rather have this conversation in private. Ms. Granger told me of her situation and as I told her, I had advised her to be careful. I'm only telling you to be very cautious with her, being an Auror and pregnant is not particularly safe whereas if she were just working in an office." He paused in afterthought. "I told her she wouldn't have to worry till she was at least five months along but if she's not careful she could easily lose the baby, there are risks. This is why she won't be going on a lot of missions but I can't neglect the fact that she is one of our top Aurors. All I'm asking is if you can keep an extra eye on her, for her safety and your child's."

"I understand the consequences sir, I will try my best." Draco said. He then took his leave from the office and followed Weasley and Granger in silence. Once they reached the apparition point, they took their leave to Hogsmeade. They walked the streets of Hogsmeade, seeing the damage done towards the stores and stands on the streets. A couple of clothing stores were destroyed, glass shattered everywhere. Smashed bricks, rocks were spread across the ground. The raid hadn't been too horrible from what they could tell.

"I'll start on this end of the street, and you two can go on the other side, and we can meet back here in half an hour." Granger said.

"Sounds good to me." Weasley said. Draco kept quiet but nodded. His wand was pressed tightly in his fist. He wouldn't take any chances. He was still embarrassed by the fact that Weasley had punched him just earlier this afternoon. He'd been able to clean up the blood, and the swelling had gone down but if he sneezed, he knew it would hurt like hell. He was hoping to prevent that from happening ever again. They walked in silence in the opposite direction of where they'd been before. Weasley was the one to break the silence.

"Look, I'm sorry I punched you."

Draco looked at him with his eyebrows raised. "No you're not Weasley, just admit it, you've been wanting to do that for years."

"True but not under those circumstances, I should have reacted better."

"Maybe, but you and I know both that you hate me. Besides the fact that Granger is pregnant with my child pisses you off." He paused in afterthought. "Do you wish the child was yours Weasley, is that why you're so protective of her, do you still love her?"

"That's none of your business but for your information, I don't. I'm happily engaged to Luna. Hermione was my first love, yes, but it doesn't mean it always lasts. Do you even know what love is, Malfoy? As long as I've known you, you've never shown an act of kindness to anyone, not even your own family."

"I do know what love is, Weasley, just because I don't show it doesn't mean I don't feel it. You don't know anything about me."

"No, you're right. I don't know a damn thing about you. At Hogwarts all we did was spit out insults and hexes towards each other, but I know we've both grown past that. So it seems we're just going to have to get used to be in each other presences."

"Why do you say that?" Draco asked.

"Well, if you think about this logically, you're the father of Hermione's child, so you're going to be around, a lot. And as much as I hate that fact, I can't ask you to stay away from her. Hermione is one of my best friends and I intend on protecting her with my life."

"I may not know Granger very well but I intend on protecting her and my child."

"Good, now that this conversation has been settled, let's get these bloody raiders in Azkaban."

XXX

Hermione walked to streets taking in the damage. There weren't many people around; most of them abandoned Hogsmeade when they heard that raiders were near. This wasn't the first time she had to deal with this sort of thing. It was usually former death eaters who liked to cause trouble. The Dark Lord had been dead for a long time. There was no sense in trying to bring him back or start another war. Hermione didn't think she could handle another one; one was enough.

She entered a few shops, most of them empty. She wanted to ask a few questions, find out exactly what had happened. A jewellery store caught her eye; a light was shining through the darkness of the store. She entered quietly, trying not to make too much noise in case someone was in here, terrified. She then heard a muffled cry in the corner, there lay a figure with their knees pulled up. She couldn't tell if it was a woman or man at first. She heard the sniffling and decided she might as well say something.

"Excuse me, is anyone in here? I'm an Auror."

The crying stopped, and as Hermione had figured, a woman looked up from where she'd been standing. "Hermione Granger?"

"Yes, that would be me, and you are?"

"Pansy Parkinson."

Hermione knew exactly who she was but she looked nothing like the Pansy Parkinson she knew in school. "I'm sorry I didn't recognize you, are you alright?" Hermione asked her.

"Do I look alright? My shop is ruined, it took me years to build and all of my funding has gone down the drain."

"You own this shop?" Hermione asked.

"Don't you mean, used to? I've spent three years saving up, I've wanted to own a store like this my entire life and suddenly ex-death eaters appear and just like that, my dream is gone."

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"Well I was in the middle of processing an order, when I heard a crash from across the street. I could see what the window that the store across from mine had been broken into. I wanted to make sure that I could protect myself and my customers so I had my wand out instantly. I knew this wasn't just a burglary, it felt like the when we were all in the war again and it scared me. I didn't want to be a part of it, but this time felt different, worse even. I could hear people screaming, and most of my customers had left by then. I was scared; I hadn't been this scared since the war. I closed all the cashes and tried to make sure everyone was out of the store before I closed the shop. As soon as I turned out the lights, I was grabbed by the throat and threatened that if I tried to scream, I would be killed," She paused, wiping the rest of her tears away.

"What happened next?"

"Well I didn't know who the the ex-death eater was but I knew I had to protect myself so I kicked him in the groin and he let go of my throat. I sent a hex his way and he disappeared. As far as I know, I believe they were after something, or someone."

"When was the last time –" Suddenly Hermione couldn't finish her sentence as another wave of nauseous passed through her. It seemed as though Parkinson had noticed this.

"Are you alright? You don't look so good," She mentioned.

"Was your loo damaged?" Hermione asked hurriedly, as she needed to use the toilet quickly before she puked on the floor, and she knew for a fact Parkinson would not be pleased.

"No, it's straight down that hall. It's the last door."

Hermione hurriedly ran towards the washroom as fast as her legs could carry her, her hands on her mouth, refusing to spill anything until she reached the toilet. When she finally reached her destination she'd emptied her stomach, finally content. She returned the main room five minutes later, only this time Parkinson wasn't alone. It appeared that Ron and Draco had been looking for her, and it seemed that Draco and Pansy were catching up. Hermione tried not to suppress any ounce of emotion towards the couple, she was not jealous, they were just really good friends, that's all.

"Hermione, there you are. We've been looking for you," Ron said. Hermione smiled at Ron's concern for her, which showed through his features. She was lucky to have him as one of her best friends.

"Are you alright?" Draco had asked her, noticing her pale complexion.

"I'm fine, just a little nauseous and dizzy. I'll be fine." Hermione answered him, not wanting him to worry.

Pansy then looked at her then back at Draco, wondering what was going on. Surprisingly, she was a smart girl and Hermione hadn't given her much credit for it in the past. She was wrong. "You're pregnant. I would also assume that he's the father."

Hermione nodded her head, too speechless for words. "How did that happen, last time I checked, you two hated each other. Are you two dating?" Pansy asked them.

"Yes."

"No." They answered at the same time. Hermione looked then at Draco, wondering what he was up to. She then also noticed Ron's shocked face, but decided against saying anything; she didn't want to upset her best friend further.

"It just sort of happened, we figured we were past prejudices and Hogwarts that, it was about time we moved on," Draco continued.

"I don't believe this, you two dating and having a baby together-"

"I don't really know what else to tell you Pansy, besides were not here to talk about my relationship; we're here on Auror business," Draco interrupted. Hermione was thankful for the subject change; she wanted this entire conversation to drop. They had more important matters to discuss.

"Right, well I'll tell you everything you want to know."

Author's Notes: End of chapter 11, this chapter is a bit longer than the other ones so I hope I didn't disappoint. I hope to finish chapter twelve soon.

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