A/N Hey guys! I haven't really got anything to say til the end of the chapter so let's get on with it!

Lots of love to fallingstar93, Avanell, spikeecat, ImmortalSoull, Noon's Phoenix, ONIX-21, fenrir'.girl, Kandygurl4, Beautifulveela17, hgdm07, Jaynie, lacking a better name, ctc, Nangini, The Queen of Confusion, dragon087, Rebecca, caseyjarryn, miffy and BloodredEmeralds for their reviews!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter world.

Chapter 12- A Trying Time

Silence. Hermione could hear nothing after Draco's announcement apart from the sound of her own breathing and the rapid thumping of her heartbeat. She closed her eyes as though she could pretend the revelation had never been made.

"What are you talking about, Malfoy?" asked one of the twins and the whole room seemed to rush back into her senses as she opened her eyes.

"I'm the father of the triplets," Draco said, more calmly this time.

"What? Don't be ridiculous," said Ron. "As if Hermione and you would ever…" he trailed off, his ears going red.

She could feel the burn of Harry and the twins' eyes on her.

"Hermione, could you please set this blond prat straight so we can toss him out?" asked Ron.

"Yes, Granger, let's hear the truth." Draco said, smirking at her.

The whole room was now looking at her and she found it extremely difficult to breathe. She felt sick to her stomach and her knees felt like they could give way any moment.

"Hermione?" Harry asked, uncertainly.

She closed her eyes again. Maybe it would be easier to say it to a seemingly empty room. It helped, a little. "Draco's the father," she whispered, nearly choking on the words.

She opened her eyes to survey the damage. Draco was looking triumphant, the twins confused, Harry hurt and Ron shocked.

"You…and Malfoy?" Harry asked, unable to believe what he was hearing.

Hermione nodded, incapable of saying anything further.

"Where the hell have you been for the last 3 and a half years, you piece of ferret shit?" asked Fred, looking angrily at Draco.

"Scarper as soon as she told you, did you?" spat George.

"Do you have any idea how difficult it's been for these three to bring up your kids?" Fred continued.

"I only found out yesterday that I had any kids. The mudblood neglected to tell me when she sent me packing."

"Bastard!" shouted Ron as he pulled his fist back then slammed it into Draco's face. The others started forward with livid expressions and Hermione knew she had to stop this before Draco ended up in St. Mungo's.

"Stop it!" she cried. "Stop right there or I'll stun you all!"

They all obeyed, still glaring at Draco. Ron was breathing heavily and Draco was trying not to look in too much pain as the area around his left eye showed red.

"Draco, I think you'd better leave." She said shortly. "I'll see you on Monday morning for the trial."

He gave her a last contemptuous look and left the room, childishly knocking his shoulder against Ron on his way out. The red head glared after him and they all heard the front door slam shut.

"I suppose we'd better go too," said Fred, giving Hermione a calculating look.

"Yeah, catch you later guys." George muttered as he left the room.

The others gave no reply.

"Did he force himself on you, Hermione?" Ron asked, gruffly. "It's ok, you can tell us if he did, we won't let him hurt you."

Hermione nearly let out a hysterical laugh in surprise. How typical of Ron to think that the only way she would ever conceive a child with Draco Malfoy was if he'd forced her. "No, Ron. He didn't force himself on me."

Ron frowned, while Harry still stared at Hermione with an unreadable expression.

"A love potion, then?" Ron continued in this deluded way. "He tricked-"

"Ron don't be thick," Harry snapped suddenly, without taking his eyes off her. "She slept with him of her own accord."

Hermione made to say something but she could find no words and so closed her mouth again.

Ron scoffed. "No, this is Malfoy we're talking about. Now I know he improved a little bit when we were in Grimmauld Place but Hermione wouldn't touch that Slytherin twat with a quidditch hoop. She's got way more sense than that."

"Ron, stop it!" Hermione cried, at the end of her tether. "You don't know what you're talking about!" Her resolve crumbled and she fell to her knees as the tears poured out of her eyes. She covered her face as her body was wracked with sobs.

"You…and Malfoy?" she somehow managed to hear above her crying. She looked blearily in Ron's direction and could tell instantly from the tone in his voice and his body language that he was furious.

"Ron," Harry said, warningly but the redhead paid him no attention.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he yelled. "Think of all the things he's done to us over the years!"

"You had this exact argument when he moved into Grimmauld Place and he proved himself on more than one occasion." Hermione reasoned as she managed to pull herself back onto her feet.

"This is different," Ron spat. "You let that creep touch you and stuff!"

Hermione blushed. "I'm old enough to do what I like."

"But Malfoy?" said Harry, speaking for the first time in a while. "Did it have to be him?"

"I'm sorry, Harry, I really am. I honestly tried to fight it but I couldn't." Hermione told him, her eyes pleading for him to believe her but he looked annoyed at the floor.

"So you were tricking us the whole time we were at Number 12? Bet you two thought that was a right laugh, sneaking around behind our backs, shagging in every room," Ron said, bitterly, glaring at her.

Hermione gasped and Harry looked at Ron in shock.

"It wasn't like that!" she said vehemently, the anger in her starting to rise. "You have no right to make presumptions about my relationship with Draco like that!"

"He was probably using you. You know that, right?" Ron continued.

"What?!" Hermione asked, in disbelief.

"He was probably just using you to get what he wanted."

"Ron," Hermione almost yelled, then took a deep breath. "Will you just stop it?"

"He was manipulating you," Ron carried on, not listening to her. "All Malfoys are the same. He was born that way."

Hermione's posture went rigid and her voice as cold as ice. "My children are Malfoys so be very careful what you say about them Weasley. I can't believe that you can even consider that Draco is anything like his father. Does that mean you think that Cato is going to be like Lucius?"

"Oh, Merlin!" Ron groaned as he put a hand to his forehead, "they're Malfoys!"

Hermione's hand went to her wand but Harry caught her wrist.

"Don't you dare treat my children any different to how you used to or I will move out of this flat tomorrow and never speak to you again," Hermione spat at him.

Ginny appeared at the door looking worried. "The kids are having a nap," she said. "Is everything ok?" she asked noticing Harry holding Hermione's wrist while she glared at her brother.

"They know," Hermione said, bluntly.

"Ah, I thought they might."

Ron whipped his head round in shock and Harry looked surprised too.

"You…knew?" Ron asked.

"Ginny was there when I found out I was pregnant. Madam Pomfrey made the discovery when she was treating me in the New Forest." Hermione informed the boys.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" Ron yelled.

"I swore her to secrecy," Hermione told him.

"You're my sister!" Ron carried on, ignoring her. "You should have told me. Family comes before friends!"

"What?!" Ginny choked out, before glaring up at her brother. "Ron, stop acting like a complete prat; you're being such a baby! It's time that you grew up! This is more important than some silly feud you had with Malfoy when you were in school."

"Get out," Ron snapped.

"What?" said Hermione, Harry and Ginny all at once.

"Get out of this flat," he said moving towards her.

"No!" exclaimed Ginny, "I want to make sure Hermione's ok." But Ron carried on and picked his sister up and took her out of the room. "Ron!" she squealed and started pummelling his arms and chest.

Harry and Hermione just watched with open mouths as the siblings disappeared from the room and heard the door slam shut.

"What's the matter with you?" Hermione screamed at him as he re-entered the room. "Ginny's right, you need to grow up, Ron."

The redhead glared at her then looked to Harry for support but it was obvious he was going to get none there.

"Fine." He snapped and flounced off to his room, slamming his door shut.

Hermione shook her head in astonishment before remembering that Harry was in the room too. She glanced at him and saw that he was staring at the floor once more.

"Harry," she said, quietly, "please say something to me."

"Did you love him?" he asked, not changing his gaze.

She nodded. "We weren't going to go anywhere with our feelings 'til after the war was done but one night we just got caught up in it. It was only once, the night we found Voldemort's camp."

"Why didn't you tell him?"

"I didn't want to burden him with fatherhood after he'd just become free."

"But you'd burden us?" Harry asked, finally looking up at her, his brows creased.

"I told you I didn't want to but you and Ron were fairly adamant about it," she said, attempting a smile but she found her facial muscles had temporarily forgotten how to.

"You could have told me." He said. "Ron and I are your best friends, you could have told us."

"I was too scared," she breathed. She reached a hand out to him but he looked away again. Hermione let her hand fall limply to her side and her composure crumpled in despair.

"I…I need to be on my own for a bit." Harry whispered as he walked towards the door.

"Are you ever going to forgive me?" Hermione called out to him as the tears trickled down her cheeks.

"Just give me a couple of days." He replied, looking sorrowfully at her.

She blinked and he was gone. She was completely and utterly alone. She took a few deep breaths and wiped away her tears. No, she wasn't completely alone. She walked quietly to the triplet's room and silently opened the door. They were running around the room with little toy broomsticks between their legs, making whooshing noises.

"You're supposed to be asleep!" Hermione exclaimed, pretending to be cross.

"Mummy!" the girls cried and the three came running towards her.

"Mummy can we have a snit to chase?" asked Elysia. Hermione frowned. A snit?

"Oh, you want a snitch?" she asked. They nodded eagerly. She walked over to their toy cupboard and cast a silent accio so that a closed snitch flew into her palm.

"Ok, guys, get ready." The triplets followed Hermione excitedly as she stood in the middle of the room. They each put a foot over their brooms, looking as though they were actually ready to take off. She tapped the snitch with her wand and it zoomed off to hide somewhere in the room. It moved slower than a real one but the kids had plenty of fun charging after it until Cato finally pounced on it. Hermione cheered and clapped her hands. "Do you want another go?" she asked them.

"Yeah!" the girls cried so Hermione let the snitch go again. She sunk down onto the floor, suddenly feeling exhausted. She conjured a load of cushions to appear next to her and flung herself onto them as she yawned. Cato clambered over next to her.

"You don't want to chase the snitch?" she asked him sleepily.

The little boy shook his head before laying his head on the top of her chest. She lifted her head up slightly to give him a kiss. "Ok, sweetheart, you stay here with Mummy." She stroked his hair as she tried not to think about the messy life she had created for herself outside of this room.

She honestly didn't think that Ron could've taken the news any worse but right now she was too mad to feel a great deal of sympathy for him. She felt a lot worse for Harry; he'd looked so hurt.

Mudblood

The word flashed through her brain unexpectedly making her wince. The word normally didn't bother her but hearing it come from Draco had felt like he'd punched her in the stomach. She knew that he was mad at her but did he have to use that word?

She sighed as she felt her eyelids start to droop. Two soft flumps next to her announced the arrivals of Seren and Elysia and Hermione just had enough will power to reach for her wand and conjure a large blanket over them all before she drifted off to sleep.

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Draco put his hands on either side of the sink and stared at his reflection in the mirror. He was only twenty one but he felt like he'd aged about ten years over the last week. The black eye did not help his appearance or mood.

It had been about 40 hours since he'd received it from that idiot Weasel and it was a disgusting mixture of purple and blue. He grabbed his wand out of the pocket of his robe and cast a glamour over his unsightly bruise. Today was a very important day and he did not want to spend most of it telling people how he'd got a black eye.

Today was his father's trial and he needed to look cool, calm and collected despite the turmoil he was experiencing on the inside. He could not get those children out of his head but nor did he want to. He had seen them only briefly but had tried to burn everything about them into his memory.

He closed his eyes and tried to picture them. One of his daughters had white blond hair, just like his and she definitely had his nose. She was the one that looked like him the most. A proper little Malfoy. His other daughter was much more like Granger with her bushy brown hair and facial features. In fact, if he recalled correctly they all had her chocolate coloured eyes, something he didn't have a problem with. His son was more of a mish-mash of the two parents. His hair was dark and very curly which he must have gotten from Granger but the shaping of his face was much more like a Malfoy's.

A Malfoy. What did that name mean to him anymore? Not a lot, if he was honest. It was just a name. It didn't rule him and form the pathway of his life like it had when he was younger. He was sure that the name of Malfoy was going to get a lot of beating today; Granger had pretty much promised as much.

Thinking of Granger and names made Draco wince. He could not believe that he had called her a mudblood. He completely deserved his black eye. He had not sent her an apologetic letter for he was sure she would incinerate it on sight. So he would apologise to her as soon as he saw her today. He didn't think of her in terms of blood in the slightest anymore and he'd only wanted to lash out and make her feel as hurt as he did. He knew that he'd completely lost it yesterday and really had to learn how to control his temper if she was going to let him see the kids.

He looked at his watch; it was half past eight. He inspected his glamour once more in the mirror before making his way to the Ministry of Magic.

He continued to receive stares from the various workers as he made his long way to the Courtroom. A Ministry official showed him to a seat in the stands and Draco sat, rather awkwardly, aware of the stares he was getting from the members of the Wizengamot, in their plum robes. He glanced along the rows of public seating, where he was sat, and saw to his dismay that Rita Skeeter and her acid quill were present. She was staring avidly at him and her quill moved rapidly across a piece of parchment. He looked away, quickly, so that she wouldn't come over and interview him. There were a few other people in the rows, none of whom Draco recognised.

He heard the door to the courtroom open and he turned to see Potter and Granger walk in together. Quite why Potter was there Draco wasn't sure. He watched as they shared a few quiet words together before Potter squeezed her hand and took a seat in the stands as far away from Draco as possible.

Draco tried to attract Granger's attention but she was stubbornly ignoring him.

"Granger," he whispered but she still didn't respond to him. "Damn it," he muttered as he jumped down to her level. She looked up at him in shock.

"Malf- " she began but he cut her off.

"I'm sorry for what I said on Saturday. That word, I didn't mean it in the slightest. I was just angry at you." He said in a rush. "I wanted to tell you that before, you know, all of this." He motioned to the courtroom. "Good luck," and with that he quickly made his way back to his seat, aware that he'd attracted everyone's stares again. 'Cool, calm and collected' he thought to himself as he took some deep breaths.

A door was opened from somewhere else and Draco saw three people enter into the Wizengamot and sit in the interrogators chairs. He did not recognise the two men and woman but knew who they were. The woman was Conchessa O'Brien, the head of the Auror department. She looked to be in her late forties and her dark hair was streaked with grey as it fell sleekly just past her shoulders. The man sat in the centre must be Gawain Robards, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, for he was scheduled to preside over the trial. A previous auror himself, his eyes were deeply shadowed and he looked a very grumpy man as he scowled down at the chained chair that was, as yet, empty. This meant that the final man must be David Blake, an advisor to the Minister. He looked like a rather kindly grandfather and Draco hoped that he could negate the grumpiness of Robards.

Now they were all waiting for one person.

Draco turned his eyes to look at Granger. She had conjured up a desk and chair on Draco's side of the court next to, but not too close to Lucius' chair. She was sitting down, browsing nonchalantly through a few pieces of parchment on her desk. Draco marvelled at her professionalism; she had to be under greater stress than he was considering that she was about to defend one of her deepest enemies.

The door behind her opened again and a sudden chill swept through the room. Draco instantly tried to block his mind from the effects of the entering dementor but he could hear the sounds that led up to his mother's death erupt into his mind. He looked up and saw the single dementor escorting his clearly frail father into the chained chair. The voices in his head suddenly stopped and a gleam of silver caught his eye. Granger's otter patronus was ambling up and down the length of the public stands. He looked to her in thanks but apart from her wand being out, she showed no sign of being aware that she'd cast a patronus, her form still appearing to read the parchments.

The dementor was soon gone and the chains on Lucius' chair had clinked into place. His father's body was wracked with coughs for nearly a minute before he slumped back into his chair. He groggily opened his eyes and looked around the courtroom. Every single face held a look of disgust or loathing.

"You are Lucius Tiberius Malfoy, formerly of Malfoy Manor, now a prisoner of Azkaban?" Robards asked, gruffly.

"Yes," Lucius spat.

"You have been brought before the Wizengamot because your son has requested that you live your last few days in your former residence."

Draco watched his father closely. When Robards mentioned him, Lucius sent his son a glare but Draco looked coolly back.

"Hermione Granger, you have been appointed to act on Lucius Malfoy's behalf?"

"Yes, Sir," she said, standing up from her seat.

"Your initial argument if you please, Miss Granger," instructed Blake, as a junior member of the Ministry hurriedly started recording the proceedings.

Granger inclined her head to the judges before looking up to address the rest of the Wizengamot.

"Wizards and witches of the Wizengamot, there is no doubt that Lucius Malfoy is guilty of the countless Unforgiveable curses that he was convicted of three and a half years ago. I myself, was witness to some and I am sure that if he was given the opportunity Mr. Malfoy would kill me right now. I am not asking you to forgive or forget what he has done, I certainly never shall and nor will the other victims of his crimes. But I want you to consider the message that we want to send out to the wizarding community, not just here but throughout the world."

Granger inclined her head once more and Draco raised an eyebrow. That was a pretty vague and condemning opening statement. He supposed that trying to get his father released from prison was a waste of time after all.

The interrogators shared looks of disappointment, as though they were expecting Granger to put up more of a fight than this. Draco personally wouldn't be surprised is she had admitted defeat. She was defending Lucius for starters, with possibly the most difficult case she'd ever had. But then she'd had to deal with the chaos of Weasel, Potter and himself finding out the truth about the triplets. He was impressed she was even standing and felt slightly guilty for the extra stress he must have given her with all his yelling. Sure, he was still mad at her but that didn't entirely excuse his behaviour. He cringed as the 'mudblood' incident flashed through his mind once again.

"Do you believe Mr. Malfoy to be a threat to other human beings?" Conchessa O'Brien asked.

Granger shook her head. "No, the progression of his case of Alutorsa has left him incapable of barely any physical activity without collapsing from exhaustion. His Healer believes that he will die before March is out."

Lucius showed no emotion to these words and Draco was sure that he was trying to block the whole experience from his memory.

"What will happen to him if we release him?" Blake asked.

"Lucius will be moved to his former residence in Wiltshire where he will be under the supervision of his son, Draco Malfoy. A request was put forth to the Ministry that a couple of aurors be stationed at Malfoy Manor for precautionary reasons."

"I thought you said that he posed no threat?" sniped Robards. "Why waste some of the Ministry's workers guarding someone who, according to you, is on their deathbed? Can Draco Malfoy not defend himself against a dying man?"

Draco glared at Gawain Robards for the insult. He really didn't like that man. Something told Draco that Robards was going to do everything in his power to make this case look ridiculous.

"I never said the aurors were needed to subdue Mr. Malfoy." Granger replied calmly and the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement raised an eyebrow.

"You think Lucius Malfoy in danger of an attack?" enquired Robards.

"Not really. While there are many who think ill of him-"

'Understatement of the decade!' thought Draco, wryly.

"-I doubt anyone would act on their dislike. That is why it's a precaution."

Draco's jaw nearly fell open. Did Granger just backchat one of the most powerful people in The Ministry?! Robards' sniping must be getting to her too for Draco knew that Granger was known as a very respectful member of the Wizarding community. He felt all his final hopes of winning this case ebb away as Robards' face flushed red and he scowled at her but she carried on as though she had not implied anything offensive.

"A healer from St. Mungo's will visit Lucius Malfoy four times a day to check on his deterioration and offer any medical support needed. Draco Malfoy has offered to pay for any expenses, which means that, financially, The Ministry of Magic will have nothing to object to."

"How reassuring," Robards remarked dryly.

Draco had a very strong urge to punch him in the face even though Granger had sort of asked for the sarcastic reply by pissing him off.

"So you believe placing Lucius Malfoy under the care of his son is a sensible prospect?" Robards asked, frowning.

"I'm not entirely sure what you mean, Sir," Granger stated although her voice had hardened considerably and her eyes had narrowed somewhat.

Draco could feel a lot of eyes on his face again and he tried not to show any emotion. He had a sickly feeling in his stomach as he guessed where the Department Head was going with this.

"Draco Malfoy was once, like his father, a follower of You-Know-Who. How do we know that Lucius will not pass on what he knows of the Dark Arts to his son and we will then have another threat to the safety of the wizarding world?" Robards sneered.

Forget not showing any emotion. Draco was livid. His hands were balled up into fists and he had to physically bite his tongue to stop himself shouting profanities at Robards. Draco supposed he should've guessed that his past allegiance would be called into question considering his ancestry but hadn't he proved himself with the fall of the Dark Lord?

The members of the Wizengamot were muttering to each other at Robards' question and out of the corner of his eye he could see Rita Skeeter muttering quickly to her quill as it danced across the piece of parchment. Robards looked perfectly calm as he glanced down at Draco but the other two interrogators were frowning slightly at the Head of Magical Law Enforcement.

"I'd sooner expect you of practising the Dark Arts than I would Draco Malfoy, Sir" Granger said, a vicious bite to her voice. She looked as angry as Draco felt. "Draco turned from Voldemort's side a year before he was defeated and Draco provided our side with a lot of information that was instrumental to Voldemort's downfall. He was one of those leading the way into the New Forest and more than proved himself to be an enemy of those that practise the Dark Arts."

Draco thought that Granger had slightly over played his usefulness in the war but the sickly feeling that had settled in his stomach lessened considerably at her passionate defence of him. She was glaring up at Robards, her eyes alight with fury. 'Merlin, she's sexy when she's mad' he thought and nearly jumped at where his mind had wandered. Now was so not the time…

Robards didn't look entirely convinced by her argument. However, he was a former auror and Draco was sure that aurors were more likely to hang onto their first impressions than most people so he wasn't too surprised. Robards was looking into the crowd above Draco's left shoulder and Draco frowned as he wondered what the grumpy man was up to now.

"Mr. Potter?" Robards called and everyone's heads swivelled to look at their glorified saviour. Potter looked highly uncomfortable to be put into the spotlight which gave Draco small comfort as he felt the trial falling rapidly apart in front of his eyes. "Do you think Draco Malfoy can be trusted?"

Draco heard Granger huff in annoyance somewhere behind him. She was no doubt annoyed that Robards hadn't taken her word for Draco's reliability. To ask a member of the public a question within a trial without submitting them as a witness was highly irregular and considering their past history, Draco was not sure whether Potter would give a fair answer, particularly after the previous day's revelations. Potter's answer would not only have an effect on this trial but probably on the rest of his life, Draco realized. If the saviour of the wizarding world said that Draco couldn't be trusted then no one would do business with him, he'd be shunned from the entire wizarding community! Why the hell was Robards trying to put him in this situation? As far as he knew, Draco had done nothing to offend Robards so what was his problem?

Draco looked back at Potter and the sickly feeling in his stomach increased again as he considered what that dark haired man would say.

Potter sighed and looked up at Robards. "You can trust him, Sir. He would not turn to the Dark Arts after all he's been through and I highly doubt Lucius would want to pass on his knowledge of the Dark Arts to Draco after his defection; they're not exactly the best of friends."

Draco let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. Potter looked almost pained to have said something reasonably nice about one of his least favourite people.

"If 'they're not exactly best of friends' as you put it, why do you think Draco Malfoy is petitioning for his father's release?" Robards questioned.

"That's something you'd have to ask him." Potter replied, obviously hoping that would be the end of his involvement in the trial. But…

"Do you think there is any ground for Lucius Malfoy to be released?" continued Robards but Granger had finally had enough.

"Sir, I really must protest," called Granger. "There is no reason for you to seek the opinion of Harry Potter on this matter. The decision is down to the members of the wizengamot, not Mr Potter. If you had wanted to seek his professional opinion then you should have submitted him as a witness before the trial started."

"Point noted, Miss Granger." Intervened Conchessa O'Brien. "We have established that Draco Malfoy is an adequate carer for his father. However, Miss Granger, a previous meeting of the Wizengamot nearly four years ago, sentenced Lucius Malfoy to a lifetime imprisonment in Azkaban."

"I know, Ma'am." She replied.

"You think the sentence incorrect then," O'Brien asked, "seeing as you are petitioning for his release?"

Granger shook her head. "Although my stance in this trial would appear as though I am campaigning to lessen the conviction Lucius Malfoy received for his crimes, I believe Ma'am that, in fact, I am seeking to enhance his sentence."

Draco was unable to stop his jaw from dropping this time as loud conversations broke out through the courtroom. He glanced behind him at Potter and saw that the black haired man was just as shocked at this statement as he was.

"Would you care to elaborate on that statement, Miss Granger?" asked David Blake as all three interrogators shared incredulous looks.

"Certainly, Sir." She said as she moved right to the centre of the court, all eyes on her and no sound heard by anyone but that of their own breathing.

"When I think of the life that Lucius Malfoy has led, my conclusion is that he has been a victim. He has been a victim of pureblood fanaticism; that fundamental belief that some witches and wizards are better than others because of their ancestors. This ludicrous idea has haunted our world for centuries causing death and despair whenever it rears its ugly head." She paused and the whole court held their breath, entranced.

"However, it is a battle that Purebloods have always lost, for, here I am, a proud muggleborn, able to talk freely and without fear of persecution. Which just goes to show that families like the Malfoys are not of this time. They are dying. Where, I ask you, are the Lestranges? All dead." She hissed viciously, slamming her fist into her palm. "The Blacks? All dead. Those pureblooded families steeped in the dark arts are a dying breed and a parasite on our society. Draco Malfoy has seen that; he has broken free of his family's ideals and is now a highly respected wizard." She glared at Robards at that point, daring him to contradict her but he remained silent.

"Draco knows that the stigma that accompanies his surname makes people wary of him, something that I'm sure he would prefer to live without. We, today have a chance to change that because ever since the defeat of Voldemort the Wizarding world has entered a new era. Lucius Malfoy is not part of this era; he has had his time. It is time for a new generation to step forwards and establish a society where all are equal, where people aren't judged on who their parents are or what their surname is. When a muggleborn child steps into our world we don't want them to be bullied and slighted for something that is out of their control, we want to make them feel safe and secure in this new part of their lives." She sighed and let a small smile loose.

"I could talk about how to integrate muggleborn children into the wizarding world for hours but it is important to realise that this is not a one dimensional problem, we need to look at the other side of the coin. When you meet someone like Draco Malfoy, someone whose surname may have been feared in the past or who might have been part of a particular house at Hogwarts, you should not shun them or treat them differently to anyone else. You should treat them as a person, not a name or house."

"There is not a single witch or wizard in the UK who did not loose a loved one in the recent racially motivated war. We have the chance to lay down a legacy for our children, and our children's children. We can create a safe world for them so that hopefully they will never bear witness to the atrocities that happened a few years ago. We all need to be in accordance for this to work and the Ministry needs to send out a clear message that it has no respect for people who would jeopardise the future that we are all working towards. So in order to establish the society we crave, we must get rid of what haunts our past. Letting Lucius Malfoy die in his manor is the sort of ruthless message that the Ministry needs to voice. We would be showing Lucius a sort of anti-respect by allowing him to die in his precious, prestigious home which holds all the values that he treasures so much. Let him die, and let him see that those ideals were not enough to give him the life, the respect, the power he thought he deserved. All the comfort he receives from his release will taste of mockery to him and it will be an utter humiliation, an added torment in his last few days, to know that we are using his death as the end of an era. The manner of Lucius' death will be a signal to all those who shared his ideals, that this government will not tolerate blood discrimination; that it finds the notion ridiculous. Some will say that it is cruel; that we will be celebrating someone's death, but I will not be celebrating anything. Lucius Malfoy has been dead in my eyes for the last three years, someone who was not worth thinking about until this trial forced me to. Yes, we could throw him back to Azkaban and let the Daily Prophet print a small paragraph when he eventually passes on, or, we could use this inevitable death to unite the people of this country to say, what has passed may be in the past, but we do not forgive and we do not forget. We are ready to start a new chapter in wizarding Britain and set an example to the world because as a community we will be stronger and tighter than ever before because we are united!"

Pandemonium. Members of the wizengamot were on their feet, cheering and applauding, others were shouting things across the room to one another. The interrogators were whispering furiously to each other, while Lucius had his eyes screwed tightly shut. Draco found himself standing and applauding with many in the public stands, a whirlwind of emotions flooding through him: shock, exhilaration, nervousness and there was a definite sense of awe at the havoc that Granger had created within this court room. She was still standing in the middle of the floor, her chest rising and falling rapidly and her eyes bright with passion. He really should have known that she'd try and put a twist on this case; she wasn't the best worker in Magical Law for no reason.

Never in a million years would Draco have considered going on the offensive in order to get his father released from jail and if someone has suggested it beforehand to him, he would have called it impossible. And yet, judging by the wizengamot's reaction, it seemed like she had done it. She had pulled off some sort of miracle!

Conchessa O'Brien shot some green sparks from her wand in order to get everyone to quieten down. The interrogators looked absolutely rattled, as though they couldn't quite believe how this trial had turned. Robards, Draco was happy to see, looked as though he was sucking on a particularly sour lemon.

"The, er, floor is opened to any other members of the wizengamot to voice any, um, questions they may have," O'Brien announced, weakly.

Draco looked around expectantly, as did Granger, but no one put themselves forward. He suspected that any who did have doubts about the proposal would be seen as being against Granger's idea of unity throughout the wizarding world- something that would not go down well with the Ministry at this tentative time after the Dark Lord's defeat. Either that or they didn't quite fancy facing a very pumped up Hermione Granger.

"Then let us proceed to the vote," said Blake. "If you could indicate your decision by casting a green dot on your parchment if you believe Lucius Malfoy should be released or a red dot if you believe he should be taken back to Azkaban. You have one minute to make your decision." He conjured an enormous hour glass into the middle of the room as each member of the wizengamot retrieved their wands to cast their vote. Draco's heart was racing as he realised he would soon know his father's fate. Once the final grain of sand had run through the hour glass it turned red and disappeared. Blake flicked his wand and lots of small pieces of paper zoomed towards him. They immediately started sorting themselves into two piles and it soon became apparent that one was quite a bit larger than the other.

The three interrogators checked and double checked the results while the court room held their breath. Finally, Robards looked up from the pieces of paper in front of him and cleared his throat.

"With a majority of 72 to 16, the wizengamot has decided to release Lucius Malfoy to the care of his son Draco Malfoy."

That tumultuous racket was back again.

She had done it. Draco could not quite believe that Granger had managed to pull it off and with such a clear majority! The witch in question was quickly packing up her things and seemed in a hurry to leave but Draco could not let her go without thanking her. He signalled to the three interrogators that he'd be back to resolve matters concerning Lucius in a few minutes before clambering down the steps. Granger was already exiting through the door with Potter before he made it down to the floor. He walked very quickly to the exit (his ego would not let him run in public) and called out her name as he entered the corridor.

"Granger, wait!" She and Potter stopped and turned, waiting for him to catch up with them. Neither of them looked particularly happy to see him.

"I just wanted to say thank you! You were incredible out there; I can't really believe that you managed to win that!" he gushed.

"You're welcome," she said shortly before a rather awkward silence descended amongst them. "Was there anything else? It's just that I've got to go and meet the Minister so that we can get as much out of this result as possible."

"Oh, right, of course," he stammered. "Um, I suppose I also wanted to say again, that I'm really sorry for yesterday. The fact that I was still, am still, in shock, it really doesn't excuse my behaviour. And I was just wondering if there's any chance that after I get all this Lucius stuff sorted out I could come over and meet them later?"

Granger bit her lip and looked at Potter who didn't look overly happy at the idea. However he shrugged his shoulders and muttered something that sounded like, "They're your kids."

"What about Ron?" Granger whispered back.

"I'll keep him out of the way," Potter sighed and Granger gave him a smile of thanks.

"You can come over for dinner tonight, if you want? Does half five sound ok?" she asked Draco.

"Yeah, yeah that sounds fine." He replied. "I'll see you later then, Granger."

"Bye, Draco." She and Potter turned abruptly away and Draco soon realised why as he heard the clicking of high heeled shoes coming rapidly closer. He turned to see the rather garish sight of Rita Skeeter, enchanted parchment and quill floating alongside her.

"A few words for the Daily Prophet, Draco? Tell everyone how you feel now that you've heard that your father is rather surprisingly set to be released."

Draco had to resist the very strong urge to groan.

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"Mummy? Where is Harry and Ron?" asked Elysia when Hermione, with the help of Molly got the kids safely back to the flat. She'd had to take the two girls at the same time but there had been no other option seeing as the guys and Ginny were still at work. Molly had left as soon as she had deposited Cato safely on the ground as she had to start work on Arthur's dinner so it would be ready for him when he came in from the Ministry.

"They're at work, sweetheart. I collected you a bit earlier today and it's a good thing I did because you're all filthy!" Molly and the triplets had been trying to clear a bit of the garden so that they could start growing some flowers. Consequently, the triplets were very muddy.

Hermione glanced at her watch and saw that it was already five minutes past five. If she was going to have all three kids washed and dressed and dinner in the oven by the time Draco got here it was going to be a miracle! Winning seemingly impossible court cases was one thing but handling triplets was something else!

"Right, come on guys, let's go to the bathroom and get washed up," she sighed.

Ten minutes later saw the triplets all sitting in a rather bubbly bath as animate rubber ducks swam and quacked around them.

"When's dinner?" Seren asked as Hermione rubbed shampoo into her hair.

"Um, not sure yet, hun. It won't be too long, though. We're having some of my pasta bake."

"Yay, that's my favourite," Elysia cried as she lunged forward to grab a duck but got a face full of water instead.

"Lissy," Hermione admonished her daughter as she pulled her upright again. "Just sit still and wait for your turn."

"I want mine like a butterfly," stated Seren, reverting back to the topic of pasta bake.

"Mine's gonna be a horse and Harry's will be some lightning like always." Elysia told her sister.

"Harry's not having dinner with us," Hermione informed them as she rinsed Cato's hair.

"Why?" the girls asked in unison.

"Because he and Ron are having dinner somewhere else." She replied.

"Why?" Seren repeated.

"Because they are," Hermione sighed, too distracted to come up with a convincing reason.

"Why?" Seren asked again, giggling.

"Alright smarty-pants, give it a rest!" Hermione laughed.

"So, it's just you, me, Seren and Cato having dinner?" Elysia enquired as her mother started shampooing her hair now.

"No, someone else is going to be there too." Hermione closed her eyes and bit her lip, knowing that this was going to be difficult.

"Who, Mummy?" Seren eagerly asked.

"The man we met in the park the other day. Do you remember?"

"The one who was shouting at you when we got back from the quidditch?"

Hermione winced at Elysia's question. "Yes, that one. He and I have been friends since before you were born but he's been living far away so I haven't seen him."

"Why was he shouting at you?" asked Seren.

"Because I did something very bad to him and he had every right to be angry with me." She explained.

"What did you do?" Seren asked eagerly.

Hermione sighed. "I'll tell you when you're a lot older." Seren pouted.

"Are you friends again now?" Elysia enquired as she wiped some water out of her eye.

"Yes, I think so." Hermione replied, frowning. "Right, no more questions until you three are out of the bath. We haven't got long until he's going to be here!"

After another five minutes the triplets had all been washed and were wearing small dressing gowns while Hermione picked out new clothes for them to wear. She had decided against telling the triplets straight away that Draco was their father because she was unsure how to word it. Perhaps he would prefer to tell them himself? She had just laid the clothes on the bed when she heard the doorbell ring.

She groaned. Was he early? She checked her watch as she made her way to the front door, her tots trailing behind her, and saw that it was half five on the dot. Damn.

She opened the door to reveal a very nervous looking Draco Malfoy.

"Hi," he said, giving her a small smile.

"Come in," she invited, opening the door further and the children scuttled to hide behind her. "As you might be able to tell, we're not quite ready. The kids and Molly were doing some gardening and they got a bit dirty so we've had to have a quick wash. Um, I'll quickly start tea and you can watch it for me while I get the kids dressed. Is that ok?"

"Yeah, that's fine. What are we having?" Draco asked as he followed her to the kitchen.

"My pasta bake," she replied over her shoulder as she reached for a large saucepan and started filling it with water.

"Ah, my favourite." Draco grinned, much to the delight of the triplets. "You were always the best cook at Grimmauld Place."

"The rest of you weren't that bad." She joked as she put the water on to boil. "Right, when the water boils you can put about half of this bag of pasta in and you lower the heat, ok?"

"Yes, chef," he said, in mock seriousness and Hermione rolled her eyes at him.

"Very funny. Oh, and we each have a small individually shaped pasta bake to make it more fun. Harry has his in the shape of a lightning bolt, Ron's is like a snitch so you think about what you want yours to be while I get these guys dressed. We'll be back in a few minutes."

Hermione and the kids went back to their room to get them dressed.

"He likes you pasta bake too, Mummy! Did you know he liked it?" Elysia asked as her mother pulled a t-shirt over her head.

"I might have remembered," she answered slyly.

"His hair is the same colour as mine," Seren pointed out.

"Hmmmm. That's interesting, sweetheart," Hermione replied, not sure what other answer to give.

Ten minutes later all three were dressed so Hermione led them back to the kitchen. "How long has the pasta been in?" she asked him upon entering.

"About five minutes," he answered, letting her take control of the stove.

"Ok, just give me a minute while I get everything ready and then this can go in the oven." The others watched silently as she threw a few ingredients into a large mixing bowl before adding in the pasta. She stirred it round a little bit before holding the bowl out to Seren.

"Your turn, sugar," she said and Seren stirred the mixture round a few times before her sister then her brother had a go too.

"And now it's your turn," Hermione said, holding the bowl out to Draco.

"Um, ok." He muttered, a little confused.

"Right, time to decide our shapes. Girls, you wanted a horse and a butterfly, yeah?" The girls nodded. "And do you want yours shaped like a man again?" she asked Cato who also nodded. She turned to Draco and gave him a questioning look.

"A champagne glass, to celebrate your triumph this morning."

Hermione blushed and turned back to the counter.

"What's your shape?" Draco asked.

"A book!" cried Seren, before immediately colouring. "Mummy always has like an open book."

Draco chuckled at Hermione's back. "I should've known."

Ignoring him, Hermione used her wand to levitate some of the pasta out of the bowl onto a baking sheet. With some nifty wand work she sculpted the pasta into five shapes that were clearly their designated objects.

"How come they don't fall apart?" Draco asked, clearly impressed.

"Binding charm," she replied as she sprinkled on some cheese. She placed the tray carefully into the oven and turned to face Draco. "Shall we go into the lounge then? Dinner will take about 20 minutes to be ready."

"Sure," he agreed and they all trouped from the kitchen.

"So, I suppose some introductions would be a good idea, huh?" Hermione asked, feeling suddenly very nervous. The kids were sitting with her on one couch, Draco on the other. "Guys, this is Draco Malfoy. Draco, this is Elysia."

"Hi, Elysia," Draco greeted, while she said a very quiet hello back.

"This is Seren." The same greetings were repeated.

"And this is Cato."

"Hi, Cato." Draco said to his son but, of course, Cato said nothing back.

"Um, Cato hasn't said his first word yet." Hermione informed Draco, nervously.

"Oh, ok," he replied, obviously unsure what to say.

An extremely awkward silence came upon them. Neither adult could think of an appropriate topic of conversation and so the children sat, looking bored.

"I haven't," Hermione started, then paused, before carrying on again. "I haven't, er, told them about, you know…" then silently mouthed, 'you being their father.'

Draco nodded.

"I wasn't sure how to go about it. I thought you'd want to, or not" she added hurriedly, "I mean, you might not want them to know." She babbled.

"No, I do" he replied, quickly. "But maybe it's best to wait a little bit."

Hermione nodded.

"Is everything ok at home?" she asked.

"Yeah, a couple of Azkaban guards helped me to transport him and The Ministry have provided me with at least one junior auror 24/7 so he's fine. A healer checked on him just before I apparated over. How did Kingsley take the news?"

"He was surprised, but quickly saw the potential the outcome presented him with. He was so pleased that he ordered me to take the rest of the week off."

"Are you actually going to?" Draco smirked at her.

"He has officially banned me from stepping into my office so, yeah. And it means that I get to spend lots of time with the kids." She turned to the triplets, "You guys don't have to go over to Nana's for a few days. You get to stay with me. That's good isn't it?"

"Oh, Mummy! Can we go to the zoo?" exclaimed Seren.

"Oh, yes! Please can we go Mummy?" begged Elysia.

"I dunno," Hermione sighed. "It's only going to be me looking after you. Harry and Ron will still be at work."

"Please!" the girls implored her.

"I could help you look after them, if you want?" Draco offered and the girls both squealed.

"You don't need to look after your father?" Hermione questioned.

"I've hired someone to help me. So between them, the aurors and the Healers I think he'll be ok." Draco explained.

"I wanna see the lions," Seren announced and did her best imitation of a lion roaring.

"Hang on, I haven't said yes yet!" Hermione pointed out. "Let me see how you behave over dinner and then I'll tell you."

"Oh," Elysia whined, "please will you take us?"

"We'll see," Hermione smirked at her daughter.

"I want to see the snakes." Draco told the children. "Snakes have always been my favourites." He flashed a grin at Hermione who shrugged her shoulders.

"I've never liked snakes," she said snootily. "I agree with Seren, lions are definitely the best."

They spent the next few minutes talking about what animals they might see at the zoo before a beeping from Hermione's wand informed them that dinner was ready. And so, Hermione, Draco, Cato, Elysia and Seren enjoyed their first meal as a family.

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A/N Ok, so no prizes for guessing where we're going in the next chapter! I decided not to leave you with a cliffhanger for once. I hope you appreciate the gesture!

Some of this chapter was fun to write, some was not. I don't pretend to be a particularly eloquent speech writer and there are probably millions of people who could have written Hermione's big speech better than me but it's my story so I'm stuck with that lovely task! I also added in a different voting system because I find it quite surprising that they wouldn't have secret balloting in the wizengamot. I dunno, maybe it's just me. Oh, and just before you ask, no, Draco hasn't completely forgiven Hermione yet. He just hasn't really gotten a chance to say that to her.

A couple of things that I think you might find interesting: my sister is a big sci-fi fan and went to a convention about a month ago where one of the guests was Tom Felton! She got an autograph with him and a picture and she said that he was really, really nice; very chatty and friendly to the fans. She is also going to another convention soon where she gets to have a photo taken with the Weasley twin actors (James and Oliver Phelps). She's trying to get me to go too but I'm not sure yet. The other thing is that me, my sister and our friend are going to stake out the Half Blood Prince UK premiere in a couple of weeks! They're both gonna dress up but I would be too embarrassed to do that! So, next time I update I shall let you know if I managed to see anyone and whether I went to the convention.

I just wanna congratulate my sister because she graduated from University today. She looked very smart in her robes and my hands got very tired from all the clapping I had to do. They had 3 chocolate fountains at the reception and I cannot recommend strawberries coated with melted white chocolate enough! They were yummy!

Anyway, I hope you are having a good start to the summer! I will try to update soon but I'm quite busy with my annoying summer job. L

Until next time!

Lil Drop of Magic

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