A/N: Hello, I am back and this story is pretty much finished so updates should be smooth. I would like to apologise for my absence, I have been very unwell and have been unable to write, or even think about writing however, I am much better now, better than ever honestly and so I am bringing this back. Read, Review and enjoy 3


January 2004:

"This is a mobile phone." Hermione addressed the room, she held a smallish hand held device in her hand. It had a small screen and lots of buttons. A lot of confused faces looked up at her. They'd had a small break for Christmas and the New Year but now they were all back to work. She smiled at Draco who was bouncing Lyra in his lap. She slapped her hands against the table as her face lit up in delight. "These devices are used by muggles to communicate with each other. Each one of you will be given a pre-loaded phone. So you will need to know how to use it. These will be your communication to each other and to the order when you are out in the muggle world." Hermione slowly instructed the squad on how to use a basic phone once she'd pulled her mind back to what she was supposed to be doing. She watched with pride as phones started ringing and beeping as they all got the hang of it relatively quickly. Hermione circled the room with Lyra in her arms, answering questions and showing people where they were going wrong. Lyra loved having a phone and spent most of the session with Hermione's in her mouth.

"Okay guys, keep your phones with you. Familiarise yourself because as you are aware, there is not long left now until you guys set off." Hermione closed the lesson. There was now only one lesson left before the guys would be heading off for the mission, the thought terrified Hermione as she watched Draco laugh with the twins. Lyra babbled in delight at the mobile phone in her hands as Hermione's thoughts moved to how much had changed since this time last year. Honestly, if someone had come up to her and told her that she would have a baby and re-find a position within the order she would have laughed in their face, but here she was with her daughter in her arms watching her boyfriend chat and joke with people he once swore he hated. She smiled to herself, her heart swelling with a feeling that even after all this time, she still struggled to describe.

"Are you okay Hermione?" Harry asked as he appeared next to her, an amused smile upon his face. Hermione shook her head slightly and looked to her best friend.

"Sorry, I was in my own little world then." Hermione apologised, her cheeks turning a pale shade of pink. Harry chuckled offered to take Lyra. Hermione happily handed her over, her arms were starting to ache as a result of carrying around her heffalump of a daughter.

"How are you feeling about the mission?" Hermione asked. Harry shrugged his shoulders in between making funny faces at Lyra who giggled in delight and slapped her hands against his chin.

"I think that we've had the best teacher possible so the chances of success are high." Harry admitted, he turned his head to smirk at Hermione who shook her head. She was not good at accepting compliments and she didn't think she would ever be able to. She watched as Harry babbled to Lyra who was happily attempting to pinch his nose, then she scanned around the rest of the room, the room that contained most of the people that she loved the most. Her stomach churned as she thought about the risk that her friends and loved ones took every day as they fought for a better future. Her eyes finally rested on Draco and she was sure that she wanted to faint. She had never loved anyone the way she loved him, the fire he lit within her burned so bright that it allowed her happiness even in amongst all of the surrounding pain and suffering. She would be able to battle any war that was thrown at her as long as she had Draco by her side and their daughter in her arms. The thought of losing Draco shook her to her core. She desperately tried to block those thoughts from her head but sometimes they slipped through her barriers and consumed her, They spiralled in her head, round and round, she would always try to ignore the spiral, push it out of her head but most of the time her attempts were in vein and the spiral would just get tighter and tighter. The images of her without him circulated in her mind and she found herself slowly wandering off from Harry and out of the kitchen. She leant against the wall just outside of the door and let the tears fall. She folded her arms across her rib cage and held herself as the panic that had been slowly bubbling boiled over. The room started to spin and her hands started to shake. She could feel the sweat forming on her palms and her top lip. She couldn't catch her breath and even when she could take in air it felt like it was burning through her airways and causing a wild fire in her lungs. She clamped her eyes shut, her sobs shaking her shoulders as she slid down the wall. Why was this happening to her? What was happening to her?


Draco looked around the kitchen and frowned, he was sure that Hermione had been talking to Harry literally a second ago, he couldn't ignore the rising panic within him now Potter was standing alone with Lyra. He rose to his feet and mumbled that he would be right back, he just couldn't ignore the overwhelming feeling that something was wrong.

He didn't know how right he was until he walked out into the hallway and saw Hermione crumpled on the floor, gasping for breath through sobs that shook her body. Draco's heart leapt in his chest and instantly started hammering as he knelt down in front of her.

"Hermione. My love, you need to calm down okay?" He spoke with a calm tone of voice, soft, tender and full of love. He recognised instantly that she was having an anxiety attack. "My love, you need to listen to my voice, I know you can hear me okay? We're going to breathe together." He guided her through taking some deep breaths which quickly calmed both her breathing and her crying. Sensing that the immediate danger was over, Draco slowly reached out his hands and cupped her cheeks. "Look at me." He whispered softly. Hermione slowly opened her eyes and focused on his. "Are you okay?" Draco asked, concern radiating through him. Hermione was still breathing heavy but her eyes were focused on his. He loved the amber flecks in her hazel eyes, so unusual, so unique, and perfectly hers. Hermione nodded slowly, a small smile rising to her lips.

"I love you." She whispered and leant forward to wrap her arms around his neck and bury herself in his chest. He closed his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. His heart finally starting to slow its beat knowing now that Hermione was okay.

"I love you, now let's get you upstairs and you can have a rest. I'm sure Lyra and I can entertain ourselves for a couple of hours." He suggested. Hermione straightened up and nodded. She gave no resistance as Draco helped her to her feet before scooping her up into his arms. She lightly wrapped her arms around his neck and leant her head against his as he carried her up to their bedroom.

Once she was safely tucked into bed, Draco left her in peace and returned to the kitchen. He gladly accepted Lyra from Harry and bid the people that were leaving goodbye before he and Lyra headed up to the fourth floor.

"It's just you and me for a little while pudding, so what shall we do?" Draco cooed to his daughter who was looking up at him with her eyes wide as he wandered around the fourth floor escape room. He waked over to the bookshelf and picked the first book he could reach before he settled down on the love seat with Lyra settled in the crook of one arm and his wand in the other hand, he charmed the book to float in his eye line. Lyra yawned and stretched her hand out to touch the side of Draco's face. Draco smiled down at her as his heart inflated inside of his chest. How something so small could take up so much room in his life, he would never understand it but he reluctantly turned his gaze to the book he knew that

"The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland. By Lewis Carroll." Draco read out. "Oooh this is one of mummy's favourites." Draco cooed to his daughter who giggled at him and waved her arms around, Draco chuckled before he started to read.


Hermione awoke from her nap to darkness surrounding her. A panic rose within her. How long had she been asleep? Hours? Days? What time was it? She stumbled out of bed and whilst wiping sleep from her eyes. She stood in the middle of the bedroom and told herself to think slowly. The best place to start is the kitchen.

She went down to the kitchen only to find Harry, Ginny and the twins there. She asked them if they had seen Draco and Lyra but none of them had since they left earlier. She clocked that it had only been two hours since she fell asleep before she left the kitchen slightly confused as to the whereabouts of her boyfriend and daughter. She stood at the bottom of the stairs and looked up for a moment before it hit her light a bludger. With a bubble of excitement in her chest, she raced up the stairs to the fourth floor where she finally found Draco and Lyra both asleep on the sofa.

Hermione smiled to herself as she looked at them both. Draco was stretched out across the sofa, his head rolling over the arm, with Lyra tucked into his arm, she looked to be half squished between him and the sofa but it looked incredibly comfortable. The love that was surfing through Hermione as she summoned her camera and snapped a shot of the sleeping father and daughter overwhelmed her as it often did. She couldn't believe how quickly a year could change your life.

Hermione was about to turn and leave when she heard Draco groan a little, she turned back around to see him rubbing the back of his neck with the arm that wasn't supporting Lyra.

"Morning." She greeted with a smile rising to her lips.

"Wait, it's morning?!" Draco asked as he slowly moved Lyra in his arms so he could sit up. He looked at Hermione with wide, panic filled eyes, until Hermione started laughing. He shook his head and glared at her before breaking in to an amused grin. Hermione went over and joined him on the sofa. She pecked his lips with her own. As she looked down at her daughter, still asleep in Draco's arms, she couldn't believe how blessed she was, the thought of disbelief often crossed her mind when she was in the presence of her daughter and her boyfriend.