Chapter 12

Draco sat slumped in his chair. A position that was completely undignified for a Malfoy, but Draco didn't care at the moment. He was far more interesting in his thoughts while under the influence of that darn potion.

The potion made you say and think the truth, so why was there something important that was lost to him. He knew that whatever it was it would be life changing, but for the life of him he could not think what it was. It had something to do with a woman. That much he was positive on. Was it a love affair? Did he owe someone money?

It wasn't his 'fiancé'. No, this… thing had nothing to do with Astoria. But it was bloody important. Was it his mother's birthday? No, that was in a few months.

Draco run his hands through his hair trying to sooth the headache that had built in his head from worrying. How could he have forgotten something so important?

The door opened and a very pale Potter walked in.

"Potter you right?" He asked as Harry sat down in the chair across from Draco.

"How long have you been involved with Hermione?" Harry asked.

"I told you, we only met up again a few days ago. Apart from that I hadn't seen her apart from a few times in the Ministry, but she was normally running around doing something." Draco said.

"NO!" Harry yelled. His hands formed fists before hitting the table. "H-how long have you known Hermione?"

"Potter, didn't I just answer that? I knew her at school and I was a complete git to her but, now… she's different. I'm different to her." Draco said.

"You don't know? She really did wipe your memory." Harry was looking directly into his eyes, searching for anything that would tell him that Draco was lying.

"Know what? Who wiped my memory?" Draco yelled. Harry remained silent.

"Fucking tell me. If it involves me than I fucking deserve to know." He stood up suddenly, sending his chair to the floor.

"I can't tell you Draco. She's going to have to show you, or give your memory back." Harry stood up now, moving towards the door.

"Wait Potter, don't you fucking leave. Tell me something, anything!" Draco followed after Harry.

"This, the problem with your memory involves Elizabeth Granger." Harry confessed before closing the door.

Draco stood by the door for a moment before slamming his fist into it. Why was he keeping secrets from him? If it involved him that he had a right to know. Especially if it involved the child, he had become so protective of. There was no reason for this sense of protectiveness towards both Hermione and her daughter. But Draco could not deny it. This protective need towards them was all-consuming and seemed to seep into every part of his body.

He pushed his hair out of his face and sat on the table. What was it that Hermione had done to him? Potter said something about memories. Memories? But Hermione was not an active witch, she couldn't have messed with his memories without a wand and to the best of his knowledge she didn't have one.

But she could borrow one…

That was true. Any witch or wizard knew that you could use another's wand. At times there was a bit of resistance from the wand but with enough practise and time, the wand would submit to the new owner. But this kind of change took time, something Hermione did not have. So how could she have performed a spell?

The door opened again and Draco looked up to find Potter leading Hermione and Liz into the room. Liz looked as if she had fallen asleep, though Draco guessed that this was only due to exhaustion. Hermione meanwhile, seemed nervous and tense. She fiddled with her rings and averted her eyes from his. It was obvious that she was avoiding telling him about something.

"What's going on?" He asked standing up.

"Hermione?" Harry said turning to her. She shook her head and clung tighter to Liz.

"This is your problem and you need to face it." Harry told her, giving her his hand and slowly pulling Liz from her arms.

There was a few seconds of anticipation in the room as they all held in a breath to see if she would wake up. But she didn't so Harry went back to looking at Hermione, while she in turn glanced at her feet holding his wand as if it was poisoned. And Draco shifted his eyes between the two of them, frustration growing as everyone refused to speak first.

"Hermione, you have to do this. He deserves to know." Harry said, placing a hand on her shoulder and giving her a reassuring look.

She looked up at him and didn't bother to stop the tear that escaped. She nodded slowly and Harry made a move to leave.

"Granger, what is going on?" He asked moving to stand next to her.

"Draco, you know how you have this 'protective' feelings towards Liz and I" She said after a deep breath. "I know why."

"Tell me. Please…" He said.

"She's your daughter. I don't exactly understand this myself, since I only saw a small snippet of the memory, but I know that she is yours. You left us when you found out that I had kept the baby." She explained sliding down the wall.

"What do you mean? What memories?" He questioned her sitting across from her.

Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She raised Harry's wand towards Draco and thought of the counter curse for the memory charm she had cast. Pain surged into their heads as moments in time that had been removed were fitted back into their memory. There were flashes, bright lights and shadows one memory merging into another. They lost knowledge of where they were instead finding themselves submerged in the memories.

OoOoOo

It had been a two years after Hermione had been thrown out of the Wizarding world. Her friends hadn't contacted her and she had been working at 'Witches' for only a few months. She had worked at a fast food restaurant for the past year but was fired after she had lost control. This happened often, especially when her emotions became too much. She had never intended for the oil to spill on the girl. She had just started bragging about how selfish her parents were. Hermione had all her parent's furniture and other items in her small flat that she had bought with the little muggle money she had once she had her wand removed.

"Hermione." A voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Dylan, what did you want?" She asked standing up and walking over to him in her skyscraper heels.

"You've been asked for." He said seriously.

Her heart rate increased. Asked for? That was not a good sign.

"I, I can't. I only just started…" She mumbled out.

"Hermione, you have to go, it was part of your contract. I assure you though, if anything happened to you we can and will report it." Dylan assured her placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Okay." She nodded her head.

"He's in the second room." He said leading her to a corridor.

Hermione nodded again before watching Dylan walk away. It was true she did have to do. Not just because it was in her contract but, every dancer in this place relied on each other. If you didn't do something not only did it mean less money for you but for everyone else as well.

She took a shaky breath before walking slowly towards the door. Her stomach shifted and her palms grew sweaty, but she had to do this. It was all part of her life now. After another deep breath, she opened the door and walked in.

It was dimly light with a spacious bed in the middle of the room. In a chair beside the bed sat a man. She couldn't make out his face but she could tell that he was facing her. She made her way over to him and put her hands on her hips in front of him.

"You took your time." He commented. His voice was familiar.

"I wasn't expecting anyone to call for me." She answered honestly.

"I had to see you." He shifted slightly, so that he now leaned forward on his knees, head turned towards her.

"Any why would that be?" She asked squatting down so her face was in line with his.

"So I could do this." He said.

Hermione had to grab a hold of his shoulders so that she didn't fall over as he kissed her. The kiss was strong and sinful, something she wasn't used to. This was nothing compared to the innocent kisses she had shared with Ron. There was passion behind this and she found herself burn with lust towards him. He moved away from her lips, instead burning kisses along her neck and beneath her ear.

"Who are you?" She breathlessly released eyes closed, fighting off the compulsion to release the moan that was building.

"A fucked up bastard who never expected to see someone like you here." He said lips returning to he's.

He placed his hand onto her hips and lifted her up until she was standing. From there he wrapped her leg around his waist allowing her to feel the hard length against her skin. Hermione squirmed, from anticipation or nerves she wasn't sure. She felt him half carry her towards the bed. He didn't throw her down upon it, like Ron had done so many times. Instead he continued to tease her with his lips.

"I'm going to make you mine, Hermione. I'll show you how a real man cares for a woman. And I'll do it far better than the Weasel." The man said into her ear.

She paused in her actions, hands pausing as she ceased to undo his buttons. Weasel? Only one person called Ron that. Malfoy. She released his shirt and attempted to move away but another thought stoped her. Who cares?

It wasn't as if Harry or Ron would find out because she hadn't seen them in about two years. And it was unlikely that Malfoy would tell anyone that he had been with her, because she was still 'just a mudblood'. So again, who cared?

This time, Hermione looked straight into his eyes and saw their colouring. Molten steel. Yes, this was Draco Malfoy, she would recognise those eyes anywhere. Forming a smirk that would rival the man in front of her, she turned him around and carelessly pushed him onto the bed. He lay there for a moment, shocked at how he had lost control of the situation, before sliding up the bed to allow her room.

"So even while knowing who I am you're still going through with this?" He asked, sitting up on his elbows to watch her.

"Draco, who the hell is going to know?" She asked straddling his legs.

"Well I'm most certainly not telling." Draco said pulling her down until their lips touched.

OoOoOo

Hermione knew something was wrong. She hadn't been feeling herself since her night with Draco. Funny that. After sleeping together she now referred to him by his first name instead of his surname. But something was odd. Her stomach wasn't… right. Almost like there was something there that shouldn't or couldn't be there. She ran her hand along her stomach and dared to speculate what it was. She couldn't be pregnant. That was impossible.

Or was it?

She could remember a lot from their night together, but the one thing she didn't remember was if any form of protection had been used. Whether it was magical or physical.

Hermione suddenly stood up from the lounge in her small flat. They hadn't used anything. She ran a hand through her hair and quickly grabbed her bag, anxious to go to the local chemist and find out for certain.

Upon returning she raced to the bathroom and proceeded to do as the instructions told her to do. With growing worry and nerves, Hermione paced the small room, waiting for the result to show. What was she going to do? Her job meant that she had to be thin and attractive. Pregnancy was not attractive. Well, at least not to her. What about Draco? How was she supposed to contact him? She only stopped chewing her nail when the metallic taste of blood, alerted her to the fact that she had chewed it so much that it had started to bleed.

Her timer went off, and she raced for the small item. Hermione closed her eyes and prayed, for the first time in a long time.

"Please God, Please. I am begging you. Please be negative. Please." She chanted to herself tears leaking out of her eyes.

Finally she opened them. Two lines were staring at here. Two lines.

Hermione fell to her knees. This wasn't possible. Wasn't possible! She couldn't, no. She wiped at her eyes and took a shaky breath before looking at it again.

Two lines.

She stopped thinking. Stopped trying to comprehend the situation. Stopped trying to think of a solution. Instead she cried. She curled up into a ball, as small as she could possibly get and cried. There wasn't anything else she could do. There was someone growing inside her and she could not get rid of it. Why would it suffer for her mistakes? No, this person was going to live.

But she still cried. She still felt the stress of the past years wash over her and consume her whole body. What would her parents say? What would Harry and Ron think?

For the first time in so long, Hermione finally felt completely, hopelessly and utterly alone.

OoOoOo

She had found his number in their client list. It was such a relief to know that he had been forced to provide his phone number and address after requestion her. Admitting these records were usually destroyed after a month, but she had especially requested that they remain intact.

After a deep and heavy breath, Hermione knocked on the door. She wasn't even sure if this was his place, or if he had just given some false address. Her thoughts were broken when he opened the door and stoped greeting her.

"Her-Granger, what are you doing here?" He asked, closing the door behind him.

"I have to talk to you." She said, anxiously fiddling with her hands.

"What is it? I paid didn't I?" He sneered.

Her heart dropped a little by the comment. It didn't seem that he was going to be too thrilled with the news that she was about to tell him.

"Yeah, you did." She took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. "I'm pregnant."

He froze. His face displayed several emotions, all in a matter of seconds. Shock, confusion, anger and then it settled on nothing.

"Say something, please." She asked, eyes looking at the floor, where her feet were nervously awaiting his reaction.

She suddenly felt hands on her shoulders. She looked up, into Draco's smiling face.

"I'm happy." He said simply.

"Really, not angry or…" She drifted off.

"I am happy." He said again. This time, his arms dropped so they were around her waist, where he lifted her up, to enable their lips to touch with little difficulty.

"I'll be with you, you know that. I'll take care of both you and the child, whatever it ends up being." He promised.

OoOoOo

After a difficult nine months, it appeared that the child had decided today would be a good day to see the world. So after seven long hours of labour, during which Hermione cursed the very ground the child would walk on, a small baby was safely tucked away in her mother's arms, fast asleep.

Draco wasn't there for the birth, though he had popped in to see how Hermione was doing after she had fallen asleep. The nurse told Hermione all this. She said that she had warned the man not to wake her, saying that Hermione would need her rest. As true as that was, Hermione did want to introduce Draco to his daughter.

Three days later Hermione found herself at home, in her small flat with a sleeping Elizabeth. Since Draco hadn't been to see her again, Hermione had gone ahead and named her. Elizabeth Jane, named after Hermione's favourite Muggle book characters. Elizabeth, being Elizabeth Bennet from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Jane from Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. Elizabeth was a sweet child and so far, wasn't too difficult, although there were times when Hermione wished she had a spare pair of hands.

"Granger, you here?" A voice called from the lounge room of her flat.

Hermione walked out, carrying Elizabeth, since she was going to put her to sleep, but Draco had arrived and she guessed he would want to see her.

"Draco, good to see you." She said walking towards him.

"So this is it then. This is the brat that you claim s mine?" He sneered.

"Draco, please. You have to recognise her. She has your eyes." Hermione pleaded.

"Hermione, I was willing to have a night, nothing more. I don't care if it is mine." He said.

"I can't afford to raise her. Draco you know how little I make doing what I do." She yelled at him, momentarily forgetting about who and what she held in her arms.

Draco proceeded to fiddle around with his wallet for a few moments before handing her a large sum of Muggle money. "This should last the first year. That's it that's all you're getting."

"You're really leaving me now. Did you forget about what you promised?" Hermione yelled at him. This caused Elizabeth to start to squirm and cry out.

"This was not part of it." Draco pointed angrily at Elizabeth.

Hermione had to bite her tongue to resist the immediate erg to remind him exactly of what he had promised.

"You leave now and I will ensure that no one knows about this. The child will not know her father, you will forget me and I will forget you." She warned him, knowing that he would provide her with a wand to ensure the secrecy of Elizabeth.

"Fine by me." He spat out.

The reality of the situation was finally clear to Hermione. Despite, everything they had been working on the past few months, he didn't love her. He had played her and she fell for him completely.

"I loved you. I hope you know that." She found herself admit, wiping tears away.

"Just do the spell." Draco said sharply, passing her his wand.

OoOoOo

Draco was the first to speak when they had their memories returned to them.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled.

Hermione let out a non-humorous laugh. "Sorry? You're sorry for turning your back on me when I needed you the most. You know I haven't spoken to Harry or Ron, since a few moments ago. I was completely alone and you had to rub salt into that."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know any better and from what I can see Elizabeth is in a much better place then she would be if I had stayed." Draco retorted back.

"What made you change your mind? Was it Daddy? Did Lucius Tell you to leave the mudblood?" She yelled.

"No. Hermione, no one knew about Liz. I didn't tell a soul." Draco replied.

"Well, maybe that was the problem. Had you told someone they could have made you leave me earlier?" Hermione crossed her arms.

"I couldn't have told anyone. You know how the Pureblood world works. I couldn't have you. I am not allowed to have this life with you and Liz. I'm technically still engaged to Astoria." He cringed as he remembered this information.

"So what, despite knowing that you have a daughter you are still going to ignore us?" She shook her head in disbelief.

"I have to. My family's reputation is still in tatters, we have to continue as normal." He said.

"No! Do you know what you are? You're a coward. You refused to stand up for what you believe in even during the war. Coward." She said coldly. This got a reaction from Draco who immediately moved towards her and held her against the wall.

"Do not call me that. You have no idea of the pressure I was under during that time. Do you think I wanted to kill Dumbledore? That I wanted to lead the Death Eaters into Hogwarts? I had no choice, it was that or I died." He yelled into her face.

"Coward. You could have sought help form Dumbledore. He offered you help, I know Harry told me. You could have joined the right side, instead you did as your fucking father wanted and now you have no one to blame but yourself." She spat at him.

"You really don't understand do you? Voldemort would not have hesitated to kill me if I'd done any of the things you suggested." He said.

"And now?" She asked in a small voice.

"Now?" He asked, leaning away from her a little.

"Now, what are you going to do? There is no threat of Death over you? You could finally stand up to your parents and admit to your mistakes. You could acknowledge Liz as your daughter." She said.

"Hermione, all hell would break loose if I did that. Do you know how much fun The Prophet will have with the fact that I have a bastard daughter? It won't work." He said sadly.

"Of course it will be difficult and hard, but do you know what? Fighting for the Order was hard and difficult. But we won." She placed a hand on his cheek. "I don't think I thanked you for looking after Liz while I was out."

"Doesn't matter, I know now why I was so anxious to care for her." Draco smiled.

Hermione bite her lip before leaning in and connecting their lips. A sudden current ran through them, just as it had their first night. Hermione felt his tongue against her lip, wanting to connect with hers and explore her mouth. Her arms fought their way to his hair, while his wrapped around her waist drawing her closer.

"Mione, Elizabeth… Really you two?" A voice said, causing her to pull away from Draco.

Harry stood there, Elizabeth in his arms crying slightly. Both Draco and Hermione stood up and moved towards him to see if Liz was alright.

"What happened?" Hermione asked taking Liz into her arms.

"I think it was the effects of the memory charm wearing off. She suddenly cried out, clutching her head." Harry explained.

Hermione set about trying to calm Elizabeth down. Eventually after a few moments she was able to look around the room. It was then that both parents noticed the change the spell had caused on her. Her eyes were now grey, the same grey as Draco's eyes.

"Daddy." The small child said reaching out to Draco.

"What on earth is going on here?" A cold voice sneered in the doorway.

A/N: Not-real-in-any-way cookie to whoever guesses who the voice belongs to. I think it's rather obvious but anyway. Longest chapter ever I think. Hope you all enjoy it. I know I breezed through Hermione's pregnancy but I kind of just wanted to get to the fight at the end. Anyway as this may end up being the last update of 2013, I'd like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and an excellent New Year