Chapter 13

Confusion Sets In

By day four, after the conversation and… other happenings between Hermione and Draco, he still hadn't exactly been his normal sociable self. At first thought, Hermione would have guessed that he was angry with her about the whole situation even thought he didn't seem to be angry during the later hours of the night. Well, if that was angry, she hoped he got mad more often.

She had tried her best to keep Julie by her side at all times but as with all children, Julie would be there one second and gone the next. This was one of those instances.

"Julie." Hermione groaned as she searched the long narrow corridor of one of the less traveled lower levels in Malfoy Manor. "This has got to stop." She spoke mostly to herself because she was sure Julie was long gone.

After searching the whole of the level, or what seemed like the whole thing, it all looked exactly the same, Hermione called for Tilly. With a pop and a low bow, Tilly asked, "How will the missus need Tilly to help her today?"

Hermione smiled and patted the small house-elf on the head, "Tilly, I know it is silly but I need you to help me find my way out of here." She waved her arms about herself, signaling to Tilly that she really had no idea which direction was up.

Tilly shook her head and gave a toothy grin, "No, no Missus Tilly does not think this silly. Tilly would never say anything was silly. Tilly will lead the way, ma'am." She extended her bony arm, offering her even bonier fingers to Hermione.

"Julie Rhyan Weasley!" Hermione screeched upon reaching the kitchen she'd heard from one of the other house-elves Julie was in.

Julie's small stature froze on the spot when she heard her mother's voice ring in her ears. She knew that tone, that wasn't the good tone, no way, that was the 'you're-in-big-trouble-mister' tone. Brushing her powder covered hands on the lower part of her dress she mustered the best smile she could and slowly turned to face her mother. "I was making you a prize mummy."

Hermione took her right hand from its place on her hip, where her left one remained, and shook one finger at the little girl. "You may very well have been making something for me, but you know better than this!"

Julie scanned the room with her eyes, looking everywhere but at her mother. "But—but—mummy…"

"There will be no buts Julie! I want you up to your room and in the bath right this instant! You're absolutely filthy!" Hermione crossed the room and grabbed Julie by the hand. Pulling her daughter off of the top of the counter, wondering only momentarily how she'd gotten up so high, she tried in vain to brush the white power from the child's clothing, but it was no use. It seemed to her that this powder belonged in George's shop somewhere between the 'Visible-Invisible Ink' and the 'Evaporating Underpants.'

Just as Hermione reached the doorway, with Julie in tow as she scolded her, Draco stepped into their path.

Clearing his throat, more to stifle his chuckle, he said, "So, Hermione, I see you've found us out."

She looked up at him confused and crinkled her nose as she narrowed her eyes, "Found you out?"

He crossed his arms as he bounced back and forth on the balls of his feet. "Yes, Julie and I. I am assuming you've found out that we were planning to make you… something." He glanced down at the little blond and gave her a wink which instantly made her confused look disappear.

Hermione looked down at her daughter and ro Draco twice before speaking, "So you helped her do this," she gestured to the powder covered child, "to herself, did you?"

He nodded, "Yes, I suppose I did."

She huffed, "well, she needs to go and have a bath right now."

Flexing the muscles in his jaw Draco knelt down to examine Julie's now mostly white dress. "Julie, did you know that I have had an extremely long day?"

Julie shook her blond curls over her shoulders, "No."

"Do you know what would make my day much better?" He asked smiling.

Again she shook her head but this time she was beaming at him, "No, what?"

Extending his arms toward her, to which she responded in reaching out for him as well, "a nice big hug from you, may I have one?"

Julie giggled, absolutely thrilled, and leapt into his outstretched arms.

Just as soon as Draco had caught his little girl, he stood to his feet and pulled her as close as he possibly could without hurting her and spun her in circles. By the time the two of them stopped spinning and Draco had let the little girl down, the entire front side of his black slacks and button-up shirt were covered in the same white powder.

Hermione sighed heavily and cast Draco a grimace, "You are absolutely infuriating!"

As she turned to stomp off, knowing she'd been defeated, Draco called after her, "Looks like the both of us need a bath now!"

Just before she disappeared from Draco's line of sight, she said, "Well I suppose you'll have to take care of that, now won't you?"

Draco smiled to himself and looked down at his little girl. He chuckled lightly and reached for her, picking her up he nuzzled her neck with his face, "come on, Julie, I'll get your bath ready alright?"

Julie squeezed his beck with her arms, "Alright, Mr. Malfoy."

His smile faded instantly.

Walking with Julie in his arms he thought, 'That has got to stop. If I am her father, she should know. I will not have any child of mine calling me,' a look of disgust took over his handsome features, 'Mr. Malfoy.'

Later in the night, after dinner, Draco informed Hermione that he would be going out for a walk and that she shouldn't expect him to be home until late in the night. Julie, naturally, was quite disappointed that Draco wasn't around to help read her bedtime story but she did end up having to go to sleep anyway, despite her complaining about it.

Hermione settled herself in a large black plush wing backed chair in the sitting room off the main hallway of Malfoy Manor, with a good book. She wasn't exactly tired at the time and did intend on speaking with Draco about his recent behavior… She just didn't quite know what she was going to say. She'd thought many times about what he was up to and why he was being so distant, but knew it was probably best for all those involved if she just gave him some space. And so that is what she'd been doing, giving him space.

Several times she found herself waking up due to her shivering violently. The house truly was as cold as its former inhabitants had been. With a lazy flick of her wand, Hermione conjured the blanked she knew was resting on the foot of her bed, and it instantly covered her entire body. Again she propped the book open in her lap and began to read. And again she awoke shivering.

Time seemed really to have lost all meaning to her, she didn't know exactly how late in the night it was, but she knew Draco wasn't home, at least not yet. Pulling her blanket tighter around her frame, she stood from the chair, stumbling slightly over her fallen book, and began to pace the room.

'Where has he gone off to?' She sighed heavily. 'Why did I have to go and ruin this? Why did I have to tell him? No! Hermione, it was the right thing to do. Draco has a right to know just as Ron does. Ron… Oh Merlin, where are you, what's happened to you? And even more, why do I give a damn? It shouldn't matter to me what you're doing. You are not the man I thought you were. But I am still your wife. I'm still Hermione Jane Weasley! And Julie… Oh Julie, what's your mother done? She'll never understand, she is but a girl, a child. Yes, she is a child. Maybe it will be easier for her to cope with things; maybe it's best for this to happen when she is so young. If she were older, she'd resent me, and Ron, and probably Draco too. Oh Hermione you stupid, stupid, woman!'

As if on cue, Hermione's internal struggle was interrupted by the slamming of the front door. At first it startled her simply because the house had been quiet for hours upon hours, but her unease quickly vanished when she realized what the sound must have meant. Draco was home.

Sticking her head out into the entrance way, she called "Draco, is that you?"

Draco groaned as he sauntered nearer to her, "Yes love, it's me."

Hermione sighed, "Well, I don't know what…" She trailed off as the light behind her filled his face. Extending her hand to touch his face her brow furrowed, "What happened to you?"

He shrugged her off, "It's nothing."

Cupping his chin forcefully in her hand she turned his face from side to side as she examined it, "These cuts here aren't 'nothing'. What in the hell happened?"

With a bit more effort than he would have liked to give at the time, Draco pulled his face from her hand again, "Really, Hermione, it was nothing. I met Potter and…" a low growl emitted from his throat, "your husband, while I was out and well… they weren't getting on very well, to say the least."

She gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, but managed to say, "What? How did this involve you?"

Draco chuckled lightly, "well I couldn't very well just sit back and let Potter have all of the fun could I?" Propping himself with his back against the wall and his head turned toward Hermione he continued, "It's not like he didn't have it coming to him."

Hermione firmly placed her hands on her hips, "And by 'he' you mean…"

"Ron, Hermione." He sighed.

"Draco! Didn't I ask you not to go looking for trouble with him? Didn't I?" She huffed as the worry that was once present in her face began to dissipate quickly.

Draco made a sort of sucking noise with his tongue against his teeth. "Yes, I do remember you asking me not to go looking for him. And I have obeyed your request. It was mere coincidence that I happened upon the two of them tonight."

She scoffed, "Coincidence is it? That's rich! Really." She paused for several minutes, in which time Draco hadn't opted to speak, knowing full well she wasn't finished. And he was right in his thinking, "So, what exactly happened? You just ran into Ronald and Harry, and you three had a nice little chat… Or, no," she shook her head frantically from side to side, "I know, you had tea together and exchanged war stories." Clapping her hands together and pointing both of her first fingers at him she said, "Am I on the right track? Did you have to reenact some of the maneuvers in the war, is that why you look like you've been hit by a heard of angry hippogriffs?"

He gritted his teeth so tightly he thought they may shatter at any given time, with his signature smirk he replied through his clenched teeth, "Yes, Hermione, that's exactly what happened."

Hermione huffed, "Fine. Have it your way then."

Before Draco had time enough to reply or even properly process her comment, Hermione was across the entrance way and at the top of the stairs. Blinking several times before loosening his jaw, Draco watched as her shadow was consumed by the darkness of the hallway.

Mumbling to himself, he walked up the stairs the opposite way to his own bedroom. "Oh sure, just walk off, don't pay any mind to me, I'll be just fine. Git. This is absolute rubbish. Bloody Potter and the Weasel getting me into trouble as always. Merlin this stings a bit. 'Have it your way' she says." He scoffed, "Yes, I will have it my way. See if I ever let her blind my judgment again."

Again several days passed, days in which Hermione kept her distance from Draco. It wasn't until the night of the fourth day that he tried to speak to her at all.

"Hermione?" Draco called as he softly knocked on the closed bedroom door.

When he heard no response, he opened the door quietly and peeked inside, Hermione was lying with her back to him, as always, and Julie appeared to be fast asleep though Draco was relatively positive that she wasn't. He walked a few feet inside the door and decided to try again.

"Hermione?" He whispered.

With her back to him, Hermione answered, "I thought my not answering you the first time would make you go away." Rolling over to face him she glared up at him with her big brown eyes, "Apparently I was wrong."

Draco sighed, crossed his arms over his steel grey dress shirt and said the three words no man or woman wants to hear, "we need to talk."

A/N: I'm sorry about the long wait and the short chapter. I've had a lot going on lately, a lot of bad things, and I didn't want the story to reflect that mood, though I'm afraid it does a bit. I hope to have another chapter finished quickly, but I can't promise anything. Thanks for reading and please do review! Sway