……………………………………

Wants and Needs

……………………………………

Draco tapped the end of his quill on his desk. He was doing his homework and giving Hermione enough time to have lunch before going out to meet her by Hagrid's cabin. But as he tried to keep his mind on the foot-long potions essay, he couldn't help but let his mind drift.

Graduation was just around the corner and he'd have to find a job so that he could take care of Hermione and they child. The thought scared him more than what hew as willing to admit. He knew that a baby was a great responsibility and cost, but this was a consequence that he and Hermione had to deal with.

Draco put his things in order and then made his way out of his room and towards his meeting with his other half. He was making his way down the grand staircase when a vicious pain raced through his body. His first thought was Hermione and then he nearly blacked out, but he forced up his shields just as he fell to his knees.

When he opened his eyes, he saw that he was leaning heavily against the banister and the students passing by were staring and asking if he was okay. But he wasn't. That pain hadn't been his; it had been Hermione's.

"Malfoy!" Harry yelled as he spotted him.

As he spotted him, the worry in Draco's gut intensified and he knew that something was wrong. "Where?" he gaped out.

"The infirmary," Potter said simply.

Draco nodded and forced his legs to work as he pushed himself to his feet.

"You alright?" Harry asked. "You're really pale."

"I just need to see her," Draco relied as he started to move as quickly as he could without attracting attention to himself. He burst into the hospital wing without care of who could see him. He just wanted to see and know that Hermione was all right.

There was only one person there, in a bed surrounded by curtains, and he knew that it was Hermione without being told. As he approached the bed, Madam Pomfrey intercepted him.

"How is she?" he asked before she could utter a word. Though he could admit to himself that he hadn't wanted this baby in the beginning, for too many reasons to recap, his heart threatened to break if Hermione lost it now.

He had seen the bulge of Hermione's belly grow a little every week and had come to terms that another life was growing inside her. When those thoughts came to him, he forgot about his grandfather, about the lack of money or direction, and about the fact that they were still teens, young adults, but not fully grown-up yet.

"She's under a dream-less spell. She's out of danger of a miscarriage for now, but if you want them both to be safe, she'll have to take it easy and stay in bed for at least a week, maybe two."

Draco nodded and felt a wave of relief wash through him. He was still anxious to see her with his own eyes. "What caused this?" he asked grimly.

The medi-witch sighed. "The stress of exams. Receiving strong news. I can only assume at this moment. I don't specialize in maternity, so I cannot tell you exactly what went wrong with her. I have called a healer who specializes in maternity and she will be here today to tell us if the baby is okay."

If the baby is okay. Draco felt his heart sink into his stomach again. "Thank you," he muttered before walking slowly towards Hermione's bed. He felt his heart skip a beat as he parted the curtains and laid eyes on her.

She was like a pale angel, her hair fanning on her pillow as she slept. He sat next to her for the next hour, forgetting everything and everyone. His eyes rested on her stomach for most of the time and he prayed, something he had never done, that the baby was okay.

He wanted to be a father. He wanted to prove that he was nothing like Lucius or Lucian. He wanted to see his son or daughter grow up and get sorted into either Slytherin or Gryffindor. For Merlin's sake, he wanted to have grandkids in twenty or thirty years.

He needed all those things the way he needed Hermione in his life.

Draco bowed his head and felt hot tears trail down his face.

…………………………………………

"Draco?"

He started at the mention of his name and looked at his surroundings in disorientation. Then his eyes fell on the face of the other half of his soul. He smiled in genuine happiness.

"Hermione," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her as if she were made of a delicate crystal.

She smiled slightly and patted his back as she returned the hug. "What happened to me?" she asked.

Draco pulled away from her and frowned. "I was hoping you could tell me," he said.

Hermione closed her eyes and tried to remember what had happened. Then her eyes flew open wide and her breathing became erratic. "Your grandfather!" she cried in anguish.

"Please calm down!" Draco said urgently.

"The baby! How's the baby!" she cried, feeling her belly to make sure it was safe.

"The baby is okay for now! Calm down unless you want something to happen to him or her!" Draco bellowed.

That calmed her right down, though her breathing was still coming in erratic pants. "The baby is not safe?" she whispered tearfully.

"Not yet. You're stable, but a maternity healer needs to see you in order to tell us if the baby will be okay," he said as he took her hand in his.

"Now what happened?" he asked in a carefully controlled voice. It wouldn't do her good to let her know how scared and agitated he was really feeling. Their link was closed so there was no danger of letting something slip.

"Your grandfather sent me and the baby a gift. I don't even know how he found out that I was pregnant, as far as I know, I'm still under the spell. He suspects that it's yours and wants us to get a paternity test to prove that the baby is Harry's."

"What gift did he send you?" asked Draco calmly.

"This," Harry said as he walked into the little makeshift room and handed him the velvet box and letter. "We had Professor Lupin look at it to determine if it had any dark magic residue, but he said that it's clean, the letter too."

"So there was no curse put on it?" Draco asked as he read the letter and looked at the contents of the box.

Harry shook his head and held Hermione's other hand in his own.

"It was the shock that I felt when I found out that he knew about the baby," she whispered, tears filling her eyes and falling. "I was so afraid of what he would do now that he knows. I felt something wet trailing down my pants before pain even hit me, and I reached down to see that it was blood." She choked on a sob and rubbed her belly desperately. "The baby isn't moving."

Draco frowned. "You told me yourself that he doesn't move every second, so there's a chance that he just doesn't want to move, right?" he asked desperately.

Hermione nodded her head vigorously. "Please god, let my baby be okay," she whispered before the tears came in torrents.

…………………………………

"How's Hermione doing?" asked Ron as he and Draco walked with Harry down the path to Hogsmeade.

Draco sighed. "She's been in bed for the past week. She's done all her homework and just sits there. She wants to talk with me every single moment. She wants me to be there with her, but then I start feeling a bit… I don't know, like she's choking me or something. I just need some space and I need to be alone for a little while. She's taking it out on all of her girl friends whenever I can't. I never thought your sister would be such a life saver."

"And the kid?" asked Ron.

"Started moving after her first day in the infirmary. The healer told us that he's fine, but she needs to stay off her feet for the next few months," Draco muttered, shooting dirty looks to whichever student was foolish enough to look at them strangely.

And it was strange to see three former enemies walking and talking together and in a civilized form.

"But she's going to be okay, right?" Harry asked. "It would destroy Hermione to lose this baby this far into her term. You guys haven't seen how excited she gets when she's thought of a new batch of baby names."

"Or when she's looking at the little baby clothes her mother has sent her," Ron said.

"Of course I know!" Draco snapped in irritation. "I live with her."

"Oh, right," said Harry. "Okay, so let me go over this again. You two will be sitting in a shadowy table, listening with extendable ears to what your grandfather is saying. Are you sure that you're not going to get angry and blow my cover, because he's bound to say something about you or Hermione that will be insulting."

Draco nodded. "I know that, but for Hermione's and the baby's safety, I will have to control myself." They stopped in front of the small place and walked in separately, leaving Harry alone once they were inside.

They were half an hour early to meet Lucian Malfoy.

…………………………………

Hermione sighed and rubbed her fingers over a particularly itchy spot on her belly. She felt like crying of boredom. This wasn't her! She was head girl for crying out loud! She was supposed to be out there patrolling the corridors and taking points off of little first years who dared each other in Moaning Myrtle's lavatory.

Ginny and a few other girls had come by to see her already. Luckily, her secret was safe still, but Hermione had no doubt that it would soon come out. She couldn't take the walls of her bedroom anymore. But she had to. For the sake of her baby boy, she had to.

Hermione snickered evilly. Draco didn't know that she knew the baby's gender already. When the healer had given her an exam a few days ago, she had asked Hermione if she had wanted to know that baby's sex.

She had debated whether or not to know, but had decided that yes, she did. The knowledge had certainly cut the list of baby names in half. She already knew that she had to search for a boy's name.

There was a knock at the portrait and she slowly stood. She could walk perfectly well without getting winded or having pain, but she still wasn't allowed to walk to her classes. One more week of this, she kept telling herself, only one week and for her baby's sake.

She opened the portrait and in blinked, eyes wide.

"Mrs. Malfoy!" she exclaimed, standing there, frozen to the spot for a few minutes.

"Hermione," Narcissa said pleasantly. "May I?" she motioned into the common room and watched Hermione flush in embarrassment.

"Yes of course. I'm sorry about my manners, but you must know that this visit comes as a shock to me," she said as she moved aside and allowed the tall, glamorous woman to enter. "To what do I owe this visit or are you here to see Draco?" Hermione asked.

"I'm here to see you," she said. "I am here to offer an apology to you."

Hermione's mouth nearly dropped open, but she forced her jaw to stay shut. "For what?"

"It is my fault that Lucian knows about the baby. I expressed to him my concern that you might have been carrying a Malfoy heir, even after marrying Mr. Potter," she said quietly.

"I… Mrs. Malfoy—"

"You don't need to deny it. I know you are under a spell that hides your impending motherhood. Would you remove it so that I can see you completely?" Narcissa asked with a small smile.

Hermione nodded mutely and took out her wand, casting an end to the spell.

"Oh my, look at you," Narcissa crooned, placing her hand gently on Hermione's belly. "How much longer do you have to wait?"

"A little less than three months. The baby is due about a month after graduation," Hermione said.

Narcissa nodded and sat down. "I want to help you, Hermione."

My, my, Hermione thought. Narcissa Malfoy is calling me by my given name and is being polite to me. These were some strange times.

"I know that having a baby at your age is a big deal because you're young and inexperienced. It's okay for you to have doubts and fears. This child you're having will be a living, breathing thing," Narcissa murmured. "Please tell me, is this child……… Draco's?"

Hermione bit her lip and debated whether to tell her or not. She lowered her shields and prodded and Draco's gently. They had agreed that she wasn't going to hear what was going on with his grandfather so that she wasn't further agitated.

When he responded, she showed him her thoughts and told him what was happening.

'Don't tell her that the baby is mine. Stay firm on Potter's supposed paternity,' Draco whispered into her mind.

'She's being so polite to me, it's unnerving,' she replied.

'We don't really know if she's on our side or my grandfather's side,' he told her seriously.

"Hermione?"

She jumped slightly. "Yes, Mrs. Malfoy?"

"My question? Is this Draco's baby?"

Hermione shook her head. "No. The father of my baby is Harry, my new husband. When your father-in-law threatened me, I realized that I would never be accepted into your family. I was devastated because I had believed Draco and I had something good. Harry was there to help me move on. I love him and our baby with all my heart."

Narcissa was serious but then nodded and didn't keep pressing Hermione. She eyed her belly again and sighed softly. "You can still consider me for advice if you'd like. I'm trying to right the wrongs I committed in the past."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Hermione asked politely.

"By helping you. I want you to be cautious in regard to my father-in-law," Narcissa said.

Hermione's eyes widened. "Why? I'm not with Draco anymore! How can I possibly be in danger?"

"Lucian is convinced that the child you carry is Draco's."

Hermione's breath hitched in apprehension. "That's ridiculous!" she exclaimed. This couldn't be happening to her! "Would he truly harm me and the baby?" she asked softly, uncertainly.

Narcissa shook her head, her face carefully blank. "He won't harm the child. But—he will try to take him or her from you. He will never allow a Malfoy to be raised by a muggle-born, even if said Malfoy is a half-blood."

Hermione paled and felt as if the world was going to crash over her. "He'd take the baby from me and—and Harry?" She thanked God for not letting Draco's name slip.

The blonde woman nodded somberly. "He would, and he would do it completely legal."

Hermione felt fury invade her. "He wouldn't dare! I will protect my son from everything and everyone and I will defend him with any means necessary!" she nearly yelled.

"Don't be a fool, child! What can an eighteen year old muggle-born witch do against a man that is rotting in his own money and has many contacts in the ministry?" Narcissa snapped. Then she realized something. "Did you say 'son?' Is the baby a boy?"

'A son?' Asked Draco at the same time.

Hermione nodded. "Yes. The baby is a boy."

"You know," Narcissa started slyly. "If you are not sure of who the father is, we will know when he is born. Malfoy men have had the same physical characteristics in every generation, no matter what the mother looks like. We'll know for sure when your son is born."

Hermione started to shake slightly, but forced herself to calm down. It wouldn't' do her baby good for her to go into a panic attack. "Mrs. Malfoy, I hate to be rude, but I think I need to be alone."

Narcissa watched her reaction closely and then rose. "That is fine. I will take my leave. Just remember what I have said to you. Be careful and take care of your son," she said before walking out through the portrait without a backwards glance.

'Did you hear her?' Hermione asked anxiously. 'If the baby looks like you, they'll take him away from us!'

'No. I will never allow that to happen. If they try, I will turn this into the scandal of the century, and my grandfather does not handle scandals. He prefers to lie low. They won't take our son, Hermione. I promise,' Draco said reassuringly. 'I have to go, love. My grandfather is here. If you feel even remotely bad, go to the infirmary. Please take care of yourself.'

'I will. I love you, Draco,' she said before the connection was cut.

Hermione sat back in the couch and rubbed her belly when she felt her baby kicking her insistently. She giggled softly, but it turned into a sob when a bump rose on the skin of her belly. Probably a knee or an elbow.

"I'll protect you with all of me, sweetheart. No one will ever take you away from me," she vowed, her heart swelling when there was an answering kick from her son.

……………………………………………

Draco's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched his grandfather walk into the pub as if he owned the place. And people wondered where his father had gotten his ego from. Well, it was like a Malfoy trait, passed down from generations of Malfoy's who considered themselves above everyone else.

The oldest Malfoy looked around and his eyes narrowed when he saw that Hermione was nowhere in sight, but Harry Potter was staring him down from a table by the corner.

Draco and Weasley were sitting at the next table, their obvious hair colors hidden by dark cloaks, as well as hiding the extendable ears through which they would heard the conversation that was ahead.

"Mr. Malfoy," Harry said tightly.

"I was not expecting you," Lucian said in a controlled tone. "Where is your dear Mrs. Potter?"

"She wasn't feeling well, and we both know why. She showed me the letter you sent her, so I decided to come in her stead," Harry said curtly. "Please have a seat."

Lucian sized him up for a few seconds and then took the offered seat. "If you read the letter, then you must know what my concerns are. I want to know if the child she carries is my grandson's. I think we all have a right to know."

"Not when you make threats and try to make Hermione feel afraid of you. I don't appreciate what you are doing. Hermione is my wife and the child she is having is mine," Harry said softly.

"How can you be so sure about that? She was with my grandson before she was with you and there is a great chance that the father is Draco and not you," Lucian said with a slight smirk.

"I have no doubts, Mr. Malfoy, and I don't appreciate you harassing my wife. I came to this meeting with the sole intention of telling you to stay away from her and our child. If you do not and persist on tormenting her, I will be forced to file a complaint with the Ministry," said Harry darkly.

"Is that a threat?" Lucian asked merrily. "My dear boy, let me tell you that you do not scare me. One way or another, I will find out the true paternity of that child. If it is yours, then I will express my sincere apology, but if not, I am warning you now that I will not hesitate from taking that child away from that girl so that he or she can have a proper upbringing."

"You wouldn't dare," Harry snarled.

"I am older than you, Potter. You don't know me or what I am capable of doing," Lucian Malfoy said in a pleasant tone. "Consider yourself warned. If this child is Draco's, tell your dear wife to start saying her goodbyes to him or her, because once that child is born, I will do all that is in my power to take custody. Good day," he said before standing and leaving.

As soon as he was gone, Harry left the table and sat down with one best friend and the other's husband. "You heard your grandfather, Malfoy. He's going to take your kid away if he finds out that its yours."

"It's a boy," Draco said softly. "Hermione told me that the baby is a boy. My mother was just visited her too. She told her the same thing. That you had to beware of Lucian because he suspects that I'm the father."

For the first time in his life, Harry Potter found himself feeling respect for the Slytherin. The look on his face as he spoke of his son with Hermione was enough to convince Harry that Malfoy genuinely cared for them both.

"We have a few months to find a way to help you and Hermione out of this. We can even have Hermione go into hiding somewhere," said Ron. "Harry, why don't we take her to Number Twelve Grimauld Place?"

Harry's eyes brightened. "That's a perfect place for us to hide her while she waits the last month of her pregnancy."

"The house of Black?" asked Draco with a raised brow. He had known that it existed, but had never really thought about it.

"Does your grandfather know that it exists?" Harry asked.

"I'm not too sure. My aunt Bellatrix may have mentioned it, but I don't really know. At this moment, my grandfather can't do anything to Hermione while we're in Hogwarts, but once we leave, she won't be safe anywhere," Draco said as they stood and left the pub.

"If you're going to live out the whole marriage thing, Hermione can stay with Harry at the Burrow," Ron said.

Draco gave him a flat look. "I want to be near her and the child, you dolt. Your mother will never allow me into your home, and we can't tell her the truth about Hermione and I either."

"Why not?" Ron asked. "My mother loves Hermione and will do anything to help."

Harry nodded. "He has a point. Hermione will be well protected at the burrow and we can also do something to make your grandfather think that she's living somewhere else."

Draco shrugged. "I have to think about it and run it by Hermione. We can't rush into anything blindly."

…………………………………

Two Months Later…………

Hermione sat in a chair as all the Hogwarts students hugged and congratulated each other. Their commencement had just ended and they were all going off into the real world now.

The baby would be coming soon for her and Draco and they had decided to hide out at the Weasley's while she had the baby. Draco and Harry had finally come to an agreement to tell Mrs. Weasley about the situation and were now speaking to her about it in professor Dumbledore's office because Narcissa and Lucian Malfoy had been at the ceremony to see Draco.

Her mother and father approached her after mingling with other parents for a while. Her father still wasn't speaking to her, but Hermione was too concerned to let herself cry over it. Lucian Malfoy was giving her narrowed looks.

"Hey sweetie," her mother said as she hugged her.

"Hello, mum. I got all the little clothes that you sent to me. I'm going to miss not staying with you anymore," Hermione said.

"Well, it's for the safety of you and the baby. And we also understand that you're a married woman now. Once you and your husband settle, you'll live in your own place," Mrs. Granger said with a teary smile.

Hermione hugged her and then looked at her father. "I'll miss you too, daddy."

He forced a small smile onto his face. "Be safe, Hermione. I hope you are happy," he said before moving off to speak to the professors.

Hermione's eyes watered and she choked on a sob. "He still hasn't forgiven me."

"Just you wait until he sees his first grandson. You'll see that his icy exterior will melt and he will be the same father you have always known," her mother reassured her. "I will try to see you as often as possible, okay?"

"Okay, mum. I love you, and tell my dad that I love him too."

The older woman nodded and smiled. "Have you thought of a name yet?"

Hermione nodded and smiled. "Donovan Draco Malfoy."

"A double 'D' name," her mother said with a grin.

"Yes. Draco picked the first name and I chose his middle name," she said as she resisted the urge to rub her belly.

"Oh sweetie, I hope I'm available when the due date comes. Maybe I can come by to be with you and to give you pointers on how to care for a baby the first few days after birth."

"I'll contact you, mum. Don't send any letters to me unless they're with the reply owl. Someone may try to track the owl to find us and I don't want that. I'll try to write everyday if I can and then I'll let you know when the baby is coming, okay?" Hermione asked sadly.

Mrs. Granger nodded and hugged her again before leaving with her father. Hermione then stood to say her final goodbyes to the professors and other staff and followed Harry out when he motioned her over.

They would leave separately from the Weasley's and then meet them at the burrow later on. Harry pulled her into a classroom with a chimney and floo'd them to Professor Dumbledore's office, where Draco was waiting to say his goodbye.

Hermione hugged him tightly, mindful of her huge belly. "I'm going to miss you," she whispered, tears leaving her eyes.

"I'll miss you too, but Weasley's mother told me that I can visit you whenever I want, as long as I don't do it late in the night. The floo to my bedroom at the manor will always be open in case you need anything."

"Are you sure that there is something that you can do about your father's will?" she asked him softly.

"I don't know yet, but I will seek legal help from someone who doesn't get bribed. That money is mine, Hermione, and my grandfather will not keep it from. Besides, I want to get a respectable job, and maybe professor Snape can help get into something that has to do with potions," he said.

Hermione nodded and managed a small smile when he cleaned away her tears. "You must do it before the baby is born. If we have no source of income, then your grandfather can argue that we aren't fight to be good parents and he'll take Donovan from us."

Draco nodded. "I promise you that I will do all that is in my power to protect our son and you. Once I have an answer concerning the will, we will be able to start making plans to make our marriage go public and I'll buy you and the baby a house where we can like in peace."

"Okay," she whispered, cupping his face in her hands. 'I love you,' she said into his mind.

Draco smiled in a sad sort of way. 'And I love you. Take care of yourself, and I will see you tomorrow.'

She nodded and watched as Harry and Draco saluted each other before she used the floo to go to the burrow.

From here on out, she and Draco were on their own.

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An update that's been long overdue! So what did you guys think of the Malfoy adults? Sneaky, aren't they, and it leads you to believe if they aren't working together to taker Hermione's baby away from her.

Well, thanks for past reviews and concerns about me continuing this story. I'm sad to say that this won't be as long 'Make Me Forget His Name,' but it will be close. I hope to hear good things from everyone, but I must go now.

I'll just answer one question about Hermione feeling when Draco got into a fight with Harry when he found out about them marrying. She didn't feel it because they were shielding, and if I remember correctly, shields serve to stop them from entering and hearing each other's thoughts and feeling each other's pain. Same goes for the whole baby stuff.

Well, I hope I didn't confuse anyone further, and if I did, I'm sorry.

Byebye

!Joey!