A/N: First of all I think I should say, I love you all and I hope I didn't butcher the story with this chapter. I might have gotten carried away. Second of all... Dolohov is not McGonagall's child... Although, that would have been an awesome idea, her son didn't turn out like his father they were just in the same house. Esemme Tresemme I hope you don't hate me anymore! haha! Also, about the dates, I have a bit of OCD, so I will most likely get rid of them when I finish the story, but at the moment there rather impulsive. This chapter is supposed to be more friendly then the last one, because the one after this... Well, just beware... DON'T HATE ME. I RATHER PREFER TO BE LOVED. I'M A BIT OF A HIPPIE THAT WAY.

Chapter 21

March 4th, 1997

The next day, Hermione didn't even bother to get out of bed. When she awoke she stared up at the ceiling, fighting back tears. Just when she thought her life was turning around for the better, he was brought up. While Dolohov being engaged to Cordelia Zabini wasn't a personal hit to her person, the mere fact that he was marrying into one of her friends' families was enough to cause alarm. Even when Blaise cut himself off from his mother.

She had every right to be frightened by the news. She had every right to worry... But as she lay there and really thought about it, and honestly surveyed her feelings. She was scared for Blaise and not herself. She knew first hand what Dolohov was capable of, his actions spoke beyond words as his child rested in her womb.

Her silence down at the lake and also spoken pretty loudly, the day before and now, they all knew. Pansy and Ginny had started crying and Luna looked as if she might start, but the blonde had merely bit her lip and her dreamy expression had vanished. Blaise nearly collapsed at the horror of the situation and Draco helped her up and escorted her back to her rooms when she asked him, it had all been too much.

When she finally looked at what time it was getting to be, Hermione saw it was passed lunch. She knew she should probably eat- and with that thought a plate appeared, balancing on her stomach. She yelped in surprise, but caught the plate before it could plummet off the side of her belly. She glanced over the food on the plate, all of it was fruit, so she knew who had sent it. McGonagall. She smiled appreciatively and picked up a slice of watermelon, nibbling at the corner of it.

The plate disappeared when she was done and she turned over and let sleep consume her once again, sleeping until dinner. She had missed her classes, but when she got up she noticed the pile of books on her coffee table and she slipped into the plush chair and looked over her assignments. She easily took out her quill and parchment and started on them, finishing well into the next morning.

Three hours of sleep and one hot shower later and Hermione was ready to join the rest of the student body for classes. When she stepped out of the portrait hole, she found Draco against the opposite wall and she paused.

"Hey..." she said, a little uncertain. Ever since that day in her common room, they been a little uneasy around each other. A little nervous. And then the other day with the article hadn't made anything better. She still hadn't grilled him over the fight with Ron nor asked him how he came to be outside so quickly when moments before Blaise had told them he was meeting with Dumbledore. "How's Blaise?" It was the first thing that came to mind and really the most important of questions to ask. She wasn't the only one to be affected by this turn of events.

"He's disgusted," Draco replied honestly. "And distraught that Dolohov is now marrying his mother."

Hermione nodded and then she took a step towards Draco. It was a moment before she could find her voice. "Can we put whatever rift this is behind us, Draco? I feel that there's going to be worse things to come in the future without us becoming childish from a stupid incident," she then told him rather suddenly, feeling his eyes bore into hers, as well as seeing it. "I'm sorry if I did something wrong the other day-" He cut her off with a chuckle.

"You? Do something wrong?" she watched him as he shook his head and then his hands were resting on her hips while he looked at her stomach. "Hermione, I'm a guy..." she almost shied away when she found that same lustful look in his eye as the other day. "We can't help certain things from happening around attractive women. But, I should be more careful, I shouldn't let it become so obvious, not with what's happened with you in the past... I should be the one apologizing here."

"I don't think so..." Hermione whispered. "Aside from the awkwardness, you made me feel rather special."

He chuckled again and wrapped his arms around her, bringing her as close as he could without putting pressure on her stomach. She burrowed her face in the corner of his neck, as her arms wrapped about his shoulders. She could never understand why she felt so safe in his arms. They stayed that way for a couple minutes.

"You going to be okay?" he asked her, his voice soft, as his hands rubbed her back.

"I think so," she told him. "With you at my side, I should be," she spoke quietly and his arms tightened gently around her, obviously pleased with her reply.

They walked down to breakfast hand in hand, joining their friends. Hermione sat down next to Blaise and seeing the sadness in his eyes she managed to give him as firm a one-armed hug as possible, and told him that everything would be fine. While she usually didn't like to assume things, she said it anyway.

Hermione had only received a copy of the Daily Prophet that morning when the mail arrived. She fed the owl its payment, but otherwise ignored her post and continued to eat. Listening to Pansy talk about something that had happened in Charms the day before. Seamus Finnigan had blown something up, again. When would that boy learn? Hermione thought he deserved it for the way he had so rudely told Blaise about his mother, as if he hadn't a care for the other boys feelings whatsoever. But when did Gryffindors ever care about the feelings of Slytherins? Aside from her, Ginny, and Neville, that was.

"Can I look over this?" Ginny asked her and Hermione nodded, watching out of her peripheral vision as the ginger unrolled the paper.

Hermione looked up quickly when moments later Ginny gasped and she gazed at the redhead worriedly when the girl could only stare at the front page of the newspaper. "What is it? What's happened?" she asked, thinking Voldemort had once again done something monstrous. But when the other girls gaze suddenly fixed on her, Hermione reached over and took the periodical to see for herself.

Her jaw went slack when she was met with a picture of herself, smiling brightly back of her. A quick glance at the headline and she groaned. 'Not So Perfect After All'. The picture was a couple years old, it had to have been taken in her Third Year, because Harry and Ron were just noticeable on either side of her with her arms thrown over their shoulders.

"Really? There's a Dark wizard out their killing people and this ghastly woman thinks my private life is what really matters?" she asked, nearly on the verge of hysterics, not noticing that her voice had raised somewhat and a couple people were looking at her. She crushed the paper in her hands crinkling it until it was nothing more than a ball.

"The question is how she found out..." Theo said, watching as the ball of paper rolled along the table when Hermione threw it down in frustration.

"People went home for the holidays," Pansy stated, logically. "Who wouldn't gossip about Hermione Granger ending up pregnant to their families..."

It only took a moment for the real chiller to seep into Hermione's mind, she turned to look at Draco with the utmost terror in her eyes. "Draco... What if..." her eyes filled with tears and she found herself pulled to his chest before she could say anything else.

"We won't let him get to you, Hermione," it wasn't Draco that spoke, but Blaise. His tone was hard with authority but soft with the delicate nature of her position.

She had to force herself to classes and to stay calm throughout her lessons. She didn't miss the looks she received from the other students, or even the looks she'd gotten from her professors. Harry had even stopped her in the halls between classes to ask if she was all right. She controlled her features enough to smile and say she was fine, but she knew he didn't believe her.

It took a lot of control not to tell him everything, and she fought with herself on many occasions. She was still worried that he would go run off and get himself hurt if he knew what else had happened. So, no. She wouldn't tell Harry, not yet, anyway.

/-/-/-/

March 8th, 1997

A couple days passed and Hermione was still a bit of a nervous wreck. One question, or rather a couple, always on her mind after reading Skeeter's article about her pregnancy. What if Dolohov found out? What if he came after her? What if he took the child away from her? Either killing her or leaving her to deal with the loss? She had grown attached. She already loved the child, even under the circumstances of her conception. She'd bonded with her daughter, talked to her before she went to bed and Hermione even started reading aloud when alone so her daughter could hear her voice and get a feeling as to who she was.

And when she was alone with Draco, well he talked to her too. Always telling her that he was her daddy and that he loved her... The first time it had happened, Hermione had been shocked, and rather than let awkwardness settle over their relationship, she had kissed Draco's cheeks and ran her fingers through his hair.

To try and calm her nerves she instigated a study night after dinner, inviting everyone (her friends), to her rooms. Neville couldn't make it, according to Luna he was busy with Professor Sprout watching a couple of plants grow. She shot Draco a glare before he could comment, leaving him with his mouth held open for a moment before he relented and shut it with a scowl.

Draco had been the first to arrive and when he had, Hermione greeted him by running her hand over the cut above his brow. "Why don't you let me heal this?" she had asked him and he had simply shrugged and boasted about how it made him look hardy. She didn't understand why he was so persistent on keeping every wound. First it had been Theo's punch long ago, to which she still didn't know why the tawny hair boy did so in the first place. And then she'd watched as Neville's hit slowly healed, leaving a light scar on his cheekbone. And now here, he'd have another one nearly severing the curve of his eyebrow.

Once everyone else had showed up, the room had filled with the sound of scratching quills. Every now and then someone would look up and ask a question, that someone else would answer. It differentiated each time.

And while it seemed everyone was hell bent on studying, each one of them was thinking about Dolohov. Either in the since of what he had done to Hermione or how he was now going to be marrying Blaise's mother.

"I've got it!" Pansy then spoke, pushing her potions text off her lap an onto the piece of floor in front of her. "Elizabeth."

Hermione frowned. "Elizabeth?" she asked, unsure of what Pansy was saying.

"Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice," Pansy said, with a soft smile. "It's your favorite book. You could name her Elizabeth. It's only a suggestion, but it's a sturdy name."

"Or you could also go for a more unique name and call her Darcy," Luna joined in dreamily.

Hermione was in a bit of a state of shock. Just moments ago she was silently worrying while trying to decipher a bunch of ancient runes at the same time, and now her friends were coming up with names for her daughter? She glanced down at Draco who was sitting at her feet, since Theo had sat next to her on the sofa, brushing his finger against her shin in a soothing motion.

"I like Caroline to be honest," he spoke, as if the subject was a bit of a bore. But she saw the spark in his eye, that immediate flicker of relief at a hopeful diversion from his thoughts. She smiled and her hand found his hair, silky to the touch.

"Caroline was a jealous and conceited harpy. Lydia is a pretty name too, but I didn't like her in the story. You two don't want your daughter running off and eloping now, do you?" Ginny added her two sense with a jesting laugh. "My favorite was Jane."

It seemed Theo and Blaise didn't have a clue what they were talking about so they just stared at them all. Until Theo decided he wanted to be apart of it all. "You could name her Theodora! Theodora Malfoy has a nice ring to it, don't you think?"

Hermione laughed, turning her head to her friend. "Theo, as much as I love you. I'm not naming my daughter, Theodora. Now, if I ever have a son in the future... Theodore will be at the top of my list."

"Really?" Draco sneered, obviously not thinking too highly of the name. "And if I refuse?"

Feeling absolutely stupefied, Hermione's mouth hung open for a good minute or so, their friends now silent as the grave as they stared at one another. Hermione looking down at him entirely overwhelmed. Did he really think- "And what makes you so sure my future son will be yours?" she asked, surprised that her voice sounded as strong as it did.

She watched his lips quirk in amusement, but it couldn't be called a smile. "Don't make me laugh, Hermione. It might not be before she-" he glanced at her belly, "is born, but I'll have a ring on your finger by the time we graduate."

Had her world gone completely tipsy turvy, or had he just proposed? She heard someone gasp, but she paid them no mind, as her look of astonishment slowly curved into a frown. Now, she didn't like this at all. They hadn't established anything between them. No declarations, nothing in all this time and he decides to say something along the lines of marriage, in front of their friends no less! Did a couple of kisses really warrant that or was it all pity? And why did it feel like every nerve was tingling?

"I think we should talk about that later, privately," she said and looked to the textbook in her lap. "I happen to like the names Mary and Georgiana," Hermione declared suddenly and on that note, the conversation was brought back to the baby.

/-/-/-/

When everyone left Draco stayed behind to help Hermione clean things up. Empty boxes of Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans littered the floor where Blaise and Pansy had been sitting and the cushions on the chairs and couch were all askew. When everything was right again, he turned to find Hermione watching him with her arms crossed and settled over her stomach. He knew that look, that disproving frown.

"What is it?"

"Do you love me?" the question almost made him recoil, but he stood his ground, although couldn't quite hide the shock on his face.

"Excuse me?" Good, he managed to keep his voice in check.

"Do you love me?" she repeated, this time seeming uncomfortable, shifting on her feet. "Because, I don't appreciate you practically asking my to marry you like that. When we- When we have only kissed. So, you either love me, or you said that because in reality you pity me and are just trying to make light of the situation you got yourself in. Which is understandable, the child's not yours, and-"

"Hermione, shut up," he caught himself from yelling at her, but he couldn't quite help the small rise in his voice. He stepped towards her. "Do you really think I pity you? Really? After everything?" he shook his head, his hands on his hips. There was a long silence, where he could practically hear the minutes ticking by, or maybe that was his heart thundering in his chest. "I don't know if I love you," he then said so quietly, looking at her like he was lost. "I'm not good displaying my emotions. I know I feel something though, and it's not the fact my pants get tight every time I see you," he watched her cheeks color at his crudeness. "And you can't say she's not mine. She is. She doesn't have my blood running though her veins, but if what I feel is how a father feels when they love their child, then I would like to think that's enough for me to earn that title. She'll carry my name and call me 'dad'. And sometimes I think when she's older how I'll teach her to ride a broom-"

"She's not even born yet, Draco..."

"That's besides the point, Hermione!" He said frustratingly. "I love her and I know that what I feel for you is somewhere near that category if it isn't already there, yet! So, yeah, someday I see you as Mrs. Malfoy, and someday I would like to have a son with you and a future. It that so hard to believe?" He watched her as her eyes grew glassy with fresh tears, but he didn't rush forth and try and apologize. "Maybe I started seeing all of that after I agreed to be her father, but-" he was cut off when she dashed forward and planted her lips on his, feeling her tears drop on his cheeks and slide down his chin.

/-/-/-/

Hermione listened to him, taking in everything he said. After what Dolohov had done, she had thought she had been unclean, dirty, he had really made a mudblood out of her that night when he sullied her for his own sadistic needs. She had thought her chances of finding love and a future with any guy had stopped then and there, because how could she handle being touched again? How could she live with kissing or making love to someone when that face popped into her mind every time?

While at first, Hermione saw Dolohov when Draco kissed her. Now she knew it was the blonde haired boy and not that scraggly haired man. Draco lips were smooth, his touch was soft, and he made her body feel alive like no other, completely opposite from her attacker. And now here he was declaring love to her child and that he very well might be in love with her, as well. She couldn't stop herself. She flung herself at him, shutting him up with her lips. The fact he saw her in his future, that he actually really meant he wasn't going to leave her and he was going to treat her daughter every bit as his own, just made her love him more.

Yes, she did love him. It wasn't as much of a revelation as she had thought it would be. Maybe she had loved him for a while. She couldn't pinpoint when she had fallen for him. She couldn't name the time, the day, the month... But she knew now. She knew that pull on her belly, that flutter in her heart, that essence of calm and serenity whenever he was near her, it was love. It had to be, what else could it be, if not?

And well, she must have loved him for quite some time, then.

TBC