Madam Pomfrey was sitting opposite them in their rooms. She had come to tell them the results of Daniela's tests.
"Miss Drayton is pregnant," she kept her gaze on Draco who's face remained expressionless. Hermione could hear her heart beating in her chest. "She is one week further into her pregnancy than Miss Granger."
"Then the baby can't be mine," Draco said, emphatically.
Madam Pomfrey opened her eyes a little wider. "I'm sorry Mr Malfoy but the paternity test confirmed that you are the Father."
Hermione felt the room spin. How could this all be true? She had really believed Draco and she trusted him but the truth was now staring her in the face. He'd been lying to her. Draco was staring at her, his eyes deep grey, his face pale.
"It's not true, Hermione," he said, quietly. "I don't know how or why this is happening but it isn't true."
"You can't argue with the tests," Madam Pomfrey said in her typical manner. She stood up and looked at them both. "I'll leave you to discuss this news. Please remember to keep this all in perspective. The most important thing is keeping Miss Granger and her baby safe. I am keeping Miss Drayton in the infirmary as she seems a little confused and we can monitor her behaviour in there. Good evening."
The door closed behind her and there was silence. Draco had his head down, his hands clasped in front of him.
"You have to believe me, Hermione," Draco said, quietly. He didn't look up at her.
Hermione blinked rapidly "I don't know what you expect me to say. I can't believe this on top of everything else..."
"I told you I've been faithful and I have!" He looked angry but she wasn't sure if it was at himself, Daniela or her.
"Do you know what? It doesn't matter! Why are you bothering to explain yourself? You had no obligation to be faithful to me. Daniela's right – this is all fake. If it wasn't for this Marriage Law then we wouldn't be together. You were with her because you wanted her to be and I'm your wife because we want to save magic."
"I told you I don't want to be with her."
Hermione continued. "I'd rather you were honest with me..."
"I am being honest with you!" Draco sounded frustrated and Hermione found his behaviour truly puzzling.
"Maybe you should think about what she has said. Her baby...yours and hers was conceived by two people who cared about one another. Our baby..."
"Don't you dare even say it!" Draco's voice was harsh as he interrupted her. "Don't you dare imply that I should be with her or that I would care more about her baby than ours! I know what the results were but the fact is Hermione that I haven't been with Daniela or anyone else since I married you. The results are wrong." He was adamant and forceful and Hermione stared at him. He was so convincing and he sounded so genuine. Could the tests be wrong? Draco was staring at he and his eyes searched her face. "The results are wrong." He repeated his phrase and Hermione gave a little gulp, wanting so much to believe him but being faced with test results presented by Madam Pomfrey.
"I want them to be wrong..." Hermione whispered. "But they can't be, can they? There tests carried out by a very experienced Mediwizard. I want to believe you but I can't ignore the results."
"Please Hermione..." Draco tried to grab her hands.
"NO!" Hermione stood up. "I need time to think. If you did see Daniela I just wish you would tell me instead of all these lies."
"It's not a lie!"
"Draco! Stop treating me like an idiot. Of course it's a lie! The test results can't be wrong which means you can't be telling the truth!" She stormed to the door. "This is bad enough already and you're just making it worse!"
Draco opened his mouth to answer when there was a muffled noise from outside their room followed immediately by a loud thud on the door. Draco jumped up and rushed to open it, Hermione close behind him. The corridor was full of a black, thick smoke but Hermione hardly had time to register this because Hannah was on the floor, right in front of them. That must have been the thud they had heard as she fell against the door. She looked pale and Hermione couldn't tell if she was breathing. Draco was immediately on his knees but suddenly Neville appeared. He pushed Hermione back into their room, dragging Draco who was still holding Hannah into the corridor.
"Get inside and stay there," Neville said. "The smoke is lethal to the babies." He tried to close the door but Hermione put her hand out to stop him.
"What about Hannah?"
"I need to get her to the infirmary – now go inside!"
The door shut, leaving Hermione staring at it. She stood completely still for ages, her mind trying to process the rapid turn of events. She couldn't keep up with everything - she'd just been dealing with having to marry Draco then learning about his illness and then the whole Adina situation. And now she had a pregnant ex-girlfriend to deal with! So what was this now? On top of everything else!
The noises outside her room were terrifying and she wanted so desperately to open the door and try and help. She wanted to make sure Hannah was okay, she wanted to be with Draco but she knew she couldn't. If what Neville said was true then she had to stay in here, she had no choice. Eventually, she walked over to the sofa and sat down heavily before burying her head in her hands and sobbing. Every emotion she had been bottling up came flooding out and it took a long time before she could stop.
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Hermione had no idea how long it was before there was a knock at the door. She hadn't moved from the sofa and it was starting to go dark outside. The knock was repeated and she slowly moved to answer the door.
"Who is it?" she called.
"Hermione, it's me – Harry."
She stared at the back of the door. Harry? When did Harry get here?
"How do I know it's you?" she asked. "How do I know it's safe?"
"You always pack your knickers inside your socks in case you're suitcase pops open," Harry's voice said from the other side of the door and had circumstances been different, Hermione would have laughed. Only Harry, Ron or Ginny would know that. She flung open the door, suddenly desperate to see a friendly face. And then she was in Harry's arms, receiving and giving a hug that lasted a few minutes.
"Is everyone okay? Draco? Hannah? What happened? Where's Draco? Why isn't he here?" Hermione pulled away and fired questions at Harry who put his hand up to halt her onslaught.
"Let's go and sit down," he said and Hermione stared at him in horror.
"Why? Why do I need to sit down?"
"Because it's a long story." Harry grabbed her hand and pulled her to the sofa. She perched on the edge of it, her body tense, her face frowning. "Daniela was under the Imperius curse, along with several other curses. She was made to come here and to tell her story . It was all a lie, she wasn't pregnant – that was all an elaborate spell and a very clever one. Madam Pomfrey was completely fooled. She was acting like the hard done by girlfriend but only because they were controlling her. She knew she was lying but she couldn't fight it and they made her say everything she said. It was just a way to get her into the castle and while the infirmary was left unattended, Daniela somehow summoned this contraption that produced the black smoke you saw. The smoke filled the Castle and it was lethal to the babies..."
"Oh, Harry! Please tell me the babies are okay?" Harry's face gave her the answer and she covered her mouth in horror. "NO!"
"Two of them didn't survive..."
"Oh god! Oh god!" Hermione felt tears running down her face. "Hannah?"
"Hannah is okay, her baby was saved but only just in time," Harry explained gently.
"Does Draco know about Daniela? Where is he?" Hermione's mind jumped and she blinked rapidly.
"Draco doesn't know about Daniela. The smoke was harmful to him..."
"What? Why? Oh Merlin..."
"He's alive," Harry interrupted her before she thought the worse. "But we've called Abraham. The smoke affected Draco, we can only presume because of his condition. The potion isn't working so we have no choice but to let Abraham put him to sleep..."
Hermione jumped up. "I have to see him...he has to know about Daniela...I have to tell him it was all a lie..."
"He's unconscious Hermione," Harry paused. "Daniela's dead. She died as soon as she let the smoke out."
"Dead? Oh god! But I still have to see Draco," Hermione insisted.
"Of course, we'll go straight there now but I had to let you know what has happened first."
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Draco was at the far end of the infirmary which was full with lots of the pregnant women and several Aurors. Madam Pomfrey's attention was entirely focused on Draco though. She was standing over his bed, continually waving her wand across him whilst referring to a book on his bedside table. Hermione and Harry approached and Hermione stared down at Draco who looked like a ghost.
"It's bad isn't it?" she asked because she had grown to recognize the signs.
"I'm afraid so," Madam Pomfrey never stopped waving her wand. "I'm managing to keep him alive but we have sent for Abraham urgently. The only thing we can do now is to put Draco to sleep." Hermione had never seen the unflappable Madam Pomfrey quite so agitated. "If you would be able to check how long he might be?" She directed this to Harry who rushed off.
Hermione bent over Draco who was breathing rapidly, his skin clammy. She took his hand.
"I'm sorry! I should have believed you..." she said.
"He can't hear you dear," Madam Pomfrey said but Hermione ignored her. She didn't care that Madam Pomfrey could hear her – she just had to say it.
"I won't let anything happen to you...I need you and so does the baby," Hermione put her head closer to Draco's ear. "I'm sorry...I love you..."
There was a noise down the end of the room and Hermione looked up to see Abraham approaching.
"Hello my dear," he addressed Hermione in his usual calm manner as if this was just a normal visit. "If you could let me attend to Mr Malfoy." Hermione moved out of the way watching him anxiously. Abraham spoke to Madam Pomfrey. "When I give the signal you must stop your spell and I will initiate his sleep."
Madam Pomfrey nodded. Abraham withdrew his wand from his cloak and then nodded his head at Madam Pomfrey who ceased waving hers. Draco's body immediately started to shake, his breath loud and short. Hermione went to step forward but felt Harry holding her back.
"Let Abraham deal with this," he said.
Abraham waved his wand over Draco, repeating some sort of strange incantation over and over until Draco's shaking stopped and he lay still and peaceful. Abraham turned to Hermione.
"He sleeps," he announced. Hermione stared over at the bed feeling a hundred emotions at once – mainly relief that Draco appeared to be resting now combined with an awful sense of despair that she wouldn't be able to speak to him for months and that she hadn't been able to tell him about Daniela. Abraham spoke again, this time to Harry. "I don't have to tell you to look after Hermione," he stated. "You do a very good job of looking after one another without my instructions." He then turned to Hermione. "You have to be strong for Draco. You must take care of yourself and concentrate on nurturing your baby. She may be the child that saves the magical world but first she needs to save her Father."
He left, accompanied by Madam Pomfrey but as he reached the doors, Hermione suddenly ran after him. He turned calmly to look at her.
"What is it, Hermione?" he asked.
"You said she..." Hermione said. "You called the baby she. Do you know it's a girl?"
"Of course not. It's just a feeling," Abraham answered with a smile.
"That's what Draco said!" Hermione said.
Abraham smiled his kind, old smile at her and just nodded.
Hope you enjoyed it - thanks for all the great reviews x
