Chapter 12

"I think it's time we had a house of our own," Draco decided as he ate breakfast with his mother.

Narcissa Malfoy's pale eyebrows rose. "Do you mean you and me?" she joked. "Whatever will people think?"

"They'll think my mother is crazy, and needs her son to take care of her," he retorted. "I meant Astoria and myself. Maybe living like this isn't prudent. If we lived somewhere smaller, we'd be forced to spend more time together. Maybe then you'd get that grandchild you've been begging for. I don't know, you might not either. We could kill each other before getting that far."

Narcissa frowned. "I thought you two were getting along," she commented. Though she hated seeing her only child unhappy, arranged marriages were the way things were done. Some couples were lucky. They knew of the arrangement long before they came of age, and most formed friendships with their betrothed. Narcissa had harbored feelings for Lucius long before their wedding, and was fortunate that he reciprocated them. But for every happy outcome, there was a Draco and Astoria.

"Sometimes we do," he admitted. "It's when we discuss children and the future that I remember why I dislike her. I know it isn't strange to have other people raise your child, but is it so strange that I want to be a part of it?"

Narcissa smiled as she covered her son's hand. "You wanted so badly to be like your father when you were little," she recalled. "It scared me because, even though I knew he loved you, he didn't know how to express it. Hearing you say this gives me a little hope that you'll be different. Don't be like your father, sweetheart. Let your children know how much you love them. If you want to raise them yourself, then I know that's what you'll do. Astoria doesn't have to like it, and she can allow other people to handle her maternal responsibilities. You handle your own."

Draco smiled and nodded, glad to have his mother's support. "You know this doesn't mean we're having a baby any time soon," he reminded her. "Honestly, I don't know how I feel about bringing a child into such a loveless marriage. It doesn't seem fair."

"I know, but we both know it's your duty," Narcissa replied, albeit unenthusiastically. "If you want out of this marriage, it means producing an heir. Your father saw to that."

Draco scowled. "Didn't you just tell me he loved me?" he asked. "What kind of parent forces their only child to do something like this?"

"The kind who upholds tradition," was her proper reply. "And when your children are of age, they'll have the same arrangements made for them. This is what we do, Draco."

With a roll of his eyes, he left the dining room to prepare for the day. Dressed, he took to wandering Diagon Alley. Thoughts of Hermione returned as he passed the Leaky Cauldron for the first time in months. It had been their place, but now it was just a place. The pub brought back wonderful memories of the months they had spent together. He focused on that instead of the heartbreak of her walking away.

"Malfoy!"

He turned slowly, too lost in his own thoughts for swifter movement. He spotted Harry and responded with a halfhearted smile. "Bit early to be slacking off, isn't it?" Draco wondered.

"Had to take the morning off," Harry announced, "because I'm having a boy! Doesn't that sound great? I don't think I've ever been this excited about anything. And don't tell the wife, but yes, this is more exciting than our wedding day."

Draco chuckled as he looked around for Mrs. Potter. When she was nowhere to be found, he laughed harder. "Congratulations," he said when the mirth abated. "I, uh, I'm glad one of us is happy."

Harry tried to frown, but Draco could tell he was too happy to fully commit to any other emotion. "What's bothering you?" he wondered.

Sighing, Draco shook his head, letting him know he didn't want to discuss his problems. He worried that asking about Hermione too much might cause suspicion. Besides, he decided he wanted nothing to do with the witch. She had chosen to walk away, picking Weasley over him. Though there were still no reports about the wedding, honeymoon, or their blissful life together, Draco refused to allow himself to believe that she might come back to him.

"So, she's doing well?" Draco asked as the pair began to walk. "I can't imagine living with a pregnant woman. Are the crazy cravings true?"

Harry laughed. "Last month, everything she ate was sweet. This month it's pickled," he recounted. "There was also a curry month. We slept in separate rooms. Nothing beats Her...her cake for breakfast phase. I think I gained ten pounds."

"Cake for breakfast doesn't sound so bad," Draco mused. "Astoria and I are supposed to procreate eventually. That sounds like pretty good incentive to actually do it."

Harry laughed as he nodded in agreement, though he was glad that Draco had not noticed his near slip of the tongue. "Is a kid something you want?" he wondered.

Draco shrugged as they entered the Quidditch shop. "Gets me out of my marriage," he muttered. "I would get full custody, thanks to those archaic pureblood laws. This could be my chance to do something good. I could raise a kid who'll be good and kind. This could be my only chance to do that."

"You'll get to," Harry replied confidently. "Listen, I should get home. It was good talking to you again." Draco nodded and watched Harry leave the shop. Once outside, he Apparated to Hermione's flat. She looked up, surprised, but not startled by his sudden appearance. "You have to tell Malfoy."

"Tell him what?" she wondered, setting aside her book.

Harry scowled. "Don't play stupid, Hermione. You're not good at it," he chastised. "About the baby. He wants this. He wants to be a father, and this is his chance."

With a heavy sigh, she shook her head. "I can't, Harry," she replied. "Besides, he's married. His wife should be the one giving him a child."

"But-"

"There's no but, Harry," she interrupted. "Draco's married. I was just a fling, and I will deal with the consequences on my own. He can't leave her to help me, not until he's divorced. And I won't ask him to leave her for me. It's bad enough he's forced to be with her. Is it really fair to force him to be with me?"

Harry sat down beside her and held her hand. "Maybe it won't be that way," he reasoned.

She reached for her book and handed it to him. "This is a book on pureblood law," she explained, opening to the chapter she had been reading. "And this is the chapter on child custody. If he wanted, he could take my baby. He wouldn't have to allow me the right to see her. If he finds out that I'm pregnant, I might never see my daughter."

Without looking at the book, Harry set it aside. "And by not telling him, you're making sure that he won't know her either."

"That's a chance I have to take," she said sadly.