Chapter 12

Hermione stared at the spellbook she had borrowed from the Malfoys' library. For days, she had read and reread the paternity spell, but had yet to work up the nerve to cast it. Lucius had vowed to take care of Ron, but she knew nothing of his plan. It scared her, the lengths he would go to to keep his family together.

"Just do it," Draco said, startling her. "You could be saving my father the trouble of killing your ex."

She looked up at him sadly as a new, unwanted thought occurred to her. "Will things change?" she wondered. "Between you and me - will they change if Lizzie isn't yours?"

Frowning, he sat beside her and shook his head. "Why would they?" he asked. "I will always love Lizzie. Lizzie will always be my daughter. I've known for a long time that there's a chance that, biologically, she might not be mine. Knowing for sure won't change anything though. I'm a husband and a father, and those are the jobs I want."

Lucius and Narcissa quietly entered Hermione's room as she slept. Draco, seated near the window, held his newly born daughter in his arms. Looking up, he grinned and waved them closer. "Her name is Elizabeth Rose," he told them proudly. "A little over seven pounds, and as beautiful as her mother."

While Narcissa cried, Lucius stepped forward with his arms open. "May I?" he asked. Wary, Draco held his daughter tighter and took a step back. "I won't hurt her. We both know I fear Hermione far too much to let any harm come to the baby. I just want to hold my granddaughter."

Draco asked him to sit before placing Elizabeth in his father's arms. He laughed softly at the sight of his uncomfortable father. "First time you've held a baby?" he inquired.

Clearing his throat, Lucius settled back in the chair and repositioned Elizabeth. "It's been awhile," he conceded. "Merlin, she is perfect."

Like his son, Lucius actively tried to avoid the Aurors' office. His only grandchild was a good enough reason to break that rule, however. Without knocking, he entered Ron Weasley's office and made himself comfortable while the redhead stared disbelievingly.

"What are you doing here?" Ron asked.

"Came to chat," Lucius drawled, removing a stack of parchment from his blazer pocket. "My daughter-in-law worries, you know. Normally, I would see that as Hermione being Hermione, but these new concerns of hers have become concerns of mine as well. I believe we have you to...thank for that."

Ron scowled as he leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't want the kid," he stated. "I have no intention of separating her from her family."

"You just wanted to scare her a bit, didn't you?" Lucius asked, smirking. "Yes, it is such fun to put a little fear in someone we feel wronged us. And convincing a mother that she might lose her only child, well, clearly she had that coming."

Blue eyes widened. "It wasn't like that," Ron mumbled. "I was mad. I wasn't thinking."

Nodding, Lucius laid the parchment before him. "Then sign this."

"Perhaps the three of you should stay with your mother and me for a little while," Lucius suggested when Hermione was discharged from the hospital. "While I believe you're fully capable of handling a newborn, it might be nice to have a couple extra pairs of hands around."

Hermione smiled, pleased that the wizard who had for so long hated her was now offering her a place in his home. "Are you asking us to live with you so you don't have to hand Elizabeth back to me?" she wondered. He had the good sense to look chagrined, but still held his granddaughter. "Were you like this when Draco was born?"

Glancing down at the baby held protectively in his arms, Lucius shook his head. "I regret to say I was not," he murmured. "It feels like I've gotten a second chance with Lizzie though."

"Lizzie," Hermione considered the nickname. "I like that."

Ron grabbed the documents and read them over before scribbling his name in all the right places. "Happy?" he asked.

Lucius pocketed the documents and stood. "Ecstatic." He left the Ministry and arrived at his son's house. Lizzie sat on the front lawn with a book, but set it aside when she spotted him. "What are you doing out here?"

"This is the best place in the whole house to read," she told him. "Well not in the house, but you know what I mean. Besides, Mummy's upset about something, and Daddy's with her. It's easier to be out here. Is she upset about me?"

He knelt in front of her. "Not...directly," he admitted. "You've been asking about your father, and your mother wants to tell you. Certain things needed to be handled first though."

"Papa, if it's not really Daddy, don't tell me, okay?" she asked.

Though the offer to move into the Manor was rejected, the newly created guest bedroom in their flat was set up for Lucius and Narcissa. So enamored was Lucius that he spent much of his free time with the new family.

"You reckon he's ever going home again?" Draco wondered as Hermione fed Elizabeth and he folded laundry. "His things are slowly migrating here. I don't want to live with my mummy and daddy anymore. That's why I moved out of their house."

"Hmm, I thought you moved out because your child would be here," Hermione commented. "Were you actually seeking your independence? I think you did it wrong."

Sighing, he took the baby from her arms so Hermione could redress. "I wasn't looking for independence," he replied. "I was looking for a home. I love my parents, but this is my family now."

She rose from the rocking chair and stood before him. "You've always got one," she promised. "And I love you almost as much as your father loves Lizzie."

Draco chuckled as she kissed him. "He's head over heels for her, isn't he."

Nodding, he picked her up and carried her inside. "I don't want you to think badly of your mother though," he stated. "She did the right thing all those years ago, choosing your daddy."

Lizzie kissed his cheek as he took her to her father's study. "I know, Papa," she murmured. "But what happens if that Ron guy is really my dad? Is Mummy gonna marry him?"

Draco, who seemed to have heard them coming, stood outside the study. Arms crossed, he smirked at the sight before him. "Who is Mummy marrying?" he inquired, taking his daughter from her grandfather's arms. "Because, last I checked, I married her a long time ago."

Lucius entered the study and hugged Hermione. "I have something for you," he said, pulling away. He reached into his pocket and produced the documents Ron had signed earlier. "I thought it would be good to have these, just in case."

"Statement of Parental Rights," she read. "You convinced him to sign over rights he might not have? Is this legal?"

He nodded, a smile lifting the corners of his lips. "It didn't require much effort on my part," he confided. "I think he felt guilty about what was said to you. But now there's nothing holding you back from finding out the truth, is there?"

Sighing, Hermione was forced to admit that there was nothing keeping her from learning her daughter's true parentage now.