Chapter 21

"So, do you think they'll tell Ollie who you really are?" Harry asked as he and Pansy walked to the lobby.

It was the first time he had spoken to her since they left the Malfoys' flat, and Pansy was stunned by the question. "I, uh...I don't know," she replied. "I don't think so."

Harry shook his head as he held the front door open for her. "He's a smart kid. I'd bet ten galleons he figures it out," he replied.

"That's all you'd wager?" she asked incredulously as they stepped out into the cold, night air. "It's not much, Potter. I thought you had more faith in my...in him."

Together they crossed the street. "I'd bet more, but that Quidditch ticket set me back a bit," he joked. "So, was it everything you hoped it would be?"

They began to walk around aimlessly. "It was what I expected it to be," Pansy said. "I didn't think he would run to me with open arms, calling me 'Mummy', if that's what you mean. No, I fully expected him to be a bit distant, wary of me even. It doesn't make it hurt any less though. Especially when I saw how attached he is to Hermione."

Harry noticed the way she shivered, and led her into a nearby coffee shop. "Don't be mad at her," he said, finding a table in the back.

Pansy shook her head. "I'm not," she promised. "I'm jealous of her, but I'm not mad at her. It must take a special person to agree to raise someone else's child. I'm happy that they've got a good relationship. Living with Draco, I'm sure he needs it."

Harry frowned as their coffees arrived. "He's really good with Oliver," he replied, feeling defensive on his friend's behalf.

"It was a joke," she mumbled, blushing slightly as she sipped her drink. "I didn't mean for it to sound like I was putting down his parenting skills. It was more a commentary on the way he used to be."

Smiling, Harry nodded. "Ah yes, the arrogant prat who would never give the likes of Hermione and me the time of day," he recalled. "I do so miss his taunts and our little bickering matches. Watching him be turned into a ferret is still one of my fondest school memories. I wonder if Oliver knows about that."

"I'm sure you're itching to tell him," Pansy remarked.

Harry leaned in close. "You know, the first thing Hermione bought Ollie was a little stuffed ferret toy," he told her. "The kid loves it, probably because Hermione gave it to him. Me? I like to think it's because deep, deep down, somewhere in the recesses of his brain, he knows that his father was once a ferret."

She laughed delightedly, much to Harry's satisfaction. "You know, when I met with Draco tonight, I didn't expect the evening to end well," she commented. "This has been fun though. Sort of makes up for the whole 'meeting my son six years later' disaster."

"Give him time. Ollie will come around," Harry advised. "He wasn't too fond of me at first. Now, he almost tolerates me some of the time."

Pansy cracked a small smile. "So, you're saying there's hope for me," she replied, receiving a confident nod from Harry. "You know, this night hasn't been so bad. Talking to you has been nice."

Harry agreed, and placed a few bills on the table to cover their coffees. "Do you think you might want to talk to me again?" he asked.

0000000

"How did he figure it out?" Draco wondered as he and Hermione straightened up the living room. Oliver had gone to bed an hour earlier, angry at them for bringing Pansy into his life.

Hermione shrugged as she arranged the throw pillows on the sofa. "Six year old logic?" she guessed. "His mum's a witch, and the only witches he knows are me and now Pansy. It sort of makes sense that he would guess that it's her."

Sighing, he sat down and rubbed his eyes. "Did I do the right thing?" he asked. "Bringing Pansy here to meet him. Maybe I should have waited until he was older. How royally have I screwed things up?"

"You haven't," she promised, sitting down beside him. Leaning in, she kissed his cheek before resting her head on his shoulder. "He's just confused and trying to process it all. Honestly, I didn't expect you to spring it on him the way you did, but maybe meeting his mother shouldn't be his choice at six. You and Pansy discussed your custody fear?"

Draco nodded. "She said she doesn't want it," he told her. "I don't know though. Is it really possible that Pansy Parkinson has matured enough to realize that she needs to do what's right for other people, and not just for herself? I once saw her swear to Daphne Greengrass that she should buy a dress because it looked better on her, and then Pansy stole it from her wardrobe in the middle of the night. She's not exactly the kind of person whose word can be trusted."

"Maybe she's changed," Hermione offered. "Think about how much the war and being a parent changed you. Maybe it's done the same for her. Giving up her child must have been the most difficult thing she's ever done."

Sighing, he shook his head. "I don't know. I'm still not convinced that she's not going to try something," he replied. "Are you at all worried that she might do something?"

"No, I'm not," she said. "I really think she's changed. Ollie's not a dress. She's not going to sneak in in the middle of the night and take him. And I really don't think she's going to sue you for custody of him. She'd never win. It's been six years since she's seen him. I've done a bit of research on wizard custody laws. Usually, it's the mother who's awarded custody, unless they've been proven neglectful. Also, there are some old, archaic, pureblood laws wherein it states that the father would receive custody of the heir. Oliver's your only child, which makes him the Malfoy family heir. You've got two statutes on your side."

Draco chuckled. "Of course you've done research," he muttered. "Before or after she started coming around?"

Hermione shrugged. "The day after you told me she was his mother," was her answer.

He shifted beside her, laying her down on the sofa. Hovering above, he slowly leaned down to kiss her. "You're going to keep my life very interesting, aren't you," he mused.

Winding her arms around his neck, she fingered the hairs at the nape of his neck. "Yes, I will," she replied, pulling him in for another kiss, one that last longer than the previous one. "I'm also going to drive you crazy and make you want to throw things at the wall. It's important that you recognize my weaknesses as well as my many, many attributes."

"That's all I see," he promised. "I love you too much to see the bad stuff. Can you see past my faults?"

Hermione smiled. "What faults?"