Unfortunately, Dixie_Charmer's computer has been a bad, bad boy, so the chapter is NOT BETAED. Thus, mistakes all mine. Pointing them out (so I can correct them) will earn you goodwill aplenty! Do it nicely though, you don't want to upset me do ya? (Shakes her head grimly)

Thanks to these ammmmazing recent reviewers who light up my life with each word: Ren-san, margaritama, blueskyshymoon08, evenstar101, nathy7, tfobfmv18, HarryPGinnyW4eva, Irulan 24, laNegrita, lily. Li0n3ss and xCailinNollaigx, I know you will come and thank you for the assurance that you allow me to hold. Always Sunny in Omashu/ tia Thanks for your replies to my rant/ questions for chapter 17 :) Much appreciated.


Strange and New

Hermione had thought she'd seen a tender side of Draco before, now though, she witnessed the evolution of a completely distinct human being. She could not have guessed in her wildest dreams how thoughtful and gentle the ruthless sovereign of the Malfoy dynasty could be.

That afternoon, flooing to her flat in a rush, they had confirmed her pregnancy with a muggle test. Draco had held her close to him for hours as they spoke of their plans. She wanted to make sure her baby had the best of both worlds- muggle technology and magic. Draco didn't raise an eyebrow. On Monday, Hermione called a muggle ObGyn and took an appointment with her as well as healer Tara, with whom she sought to fix an appointment at the healer's private clinic.

As soon as Draco walked into the private clinic, Tara grinned at Hermione, "I see the carrots worked then." The healer wasn't fazed that Draco made her sign a confidentiality agreement. She didn't seem awed that two of the principal celebrities in the magical world were her new patients. She just continued talking about how carrots had saved the day for many a couple. Draco rolled his eyes heavenward more than once but was silenced by Hermione's warning glares. The goofy grin made multiple appearances.

The muggle doctor, Dr Christina Wentworth, gave Hermione an ultrasound that Draco attended. Surrounded by large muggle contraptions, Draco held her hand and squeezed it tight, though that may have been more for his benefit than hers. He stood beside her as the doctor pointed out a mass of cells on the monitor, who was their blossoming child. Once his hesitation ebbed, he passed his now familiar infectious grin as the doctor told them that their baby was due around early January.

Over the next few days, there was no doubt left in Hermione's mind that Draco deeply cared for their child, and in his own Malfoy-way, for her as well. He was there when she got home from work, got the elves to make her fresh meals, helped Hermione clean her flat and do her laundry when she refused to let the elves do those chores for her. He pampered and cosseted Hermione like she had never been before. He fetched pillows and blankets and food and water… he wrote long parchments for her as she dictated notes for her column. He gave her shoulder rubs and gentle back rubs. If she stayed too late at work, he owled her to get her "arse home".

They started going for evening strolls in a muggle park close to Hermione's building. There they had long conversations about sometimes, nothing in particular, and sometimes, particulars that mattered much.

One such evening, they'd been walking in comfortable silence for a while when they saw a little boy standing alone, looking lost, with his little lip wobbling in a preamble for tears. Draco and Hermione scanned the area quickly for an attending adult, but finding no one they slowly approached the boy who couldn't have been more than seven years old. As the child craned his neck upwards to evaluate Draco's form, his fear seemed to grow with each towering inch.

"Hello there," Hermione knelt down next to the boy as Draco scowled at her, probably because he was wondering if kneeling was bad for their baby. "Where's your Mum big boy?"

The child looked a little relieved at Hermione's kindness, but sensibly, didn't seem to trust strangers immediately. "She's around, I just can't see her right now."

Draco looked at the boy with scepticism clear in his gunmetal eyes. "What's her name? We'll try hollering for her."

"Am… Amanda." The boy replied nervously.

Hermione shouted for the boy's mother a couple of times then started questioning the boy regarding where he had seen her last. Draco had deemed it a good time to rest on a bench with his eyes closed in apparent slumber. It was the little boy's turn to look at Draco with no little hint of sarcasm.

A few seconds later, Draco got up, as if bored of the entertainment and started walking towards the setting Sun, his black billowing cloak forming a striking contrast against the orange and magenta sky.

Hermione, who had tolerated his disinterest in finding the child's mother, couldn't help but voice her disbelief at this sign of abandonment. "Where, what? Draco!"

He looked back at her as he continued walking away. "Checking on something… I'll return in a moment."

Hermione stood by the little boy as she unrelentingly called out for the missing Amanda. The boy had finally warmed up enough to reveal his name, Peter.

It had barely been a minute or so when Hermione saw Draco head back their way with an anxious looking blonde woman by his side. The woman and boy ran towards each other. The boy jumped up into the woman's arm as she hugged him, sobbing in relief.

"Oh Thank God! Where did you go Peter? You were there on the swings one minute, I turned to talk to aunt Miranda for two seconds and you were gone! I've been going mad looking for you, haven't I! You almost gave me a heart attack, you did!"

"I'm sorry Mum, I saw a big squirrel and I started chasing it, but when I looked around I… I didn't know where I was."

"Don't you ever, EVER do that to me again, you hear? What would I have done if someone had taken you? Thank the Lord it was these nice people here that found you!" The emotional mother turned to them as she held her child tight to her chest.

"I can not thank you both enough. I am so sorry for the trouble."

"The next time, just keep your eyes on your son, yeah?" Draco admonished Amanda gently as she looked down guiltily and nodded her goodbye. Hermione waved at Peter who happily, now, waved his goodbye.

They resumed their walk. This time the silence was not comfortable. Hermione was nervous. There was no denying it. Having wanted a baby for years, now that she was pregnant, she began to fret over her own capability as a mother.

"What if I am a horrid mother?" she blurted out in a tone that belied her anxiety.

Draco took a hold of her hand as he guided her around a puddle in the path, "You will be the best mother in the world. Really, I won't be surprised if you enter a contest to prove it to yourself… and to the world, that you are the most dedicated and detailed mother to ever walk the realms of this earth. If anything, our baby might grow up feeling smothered by you, so I'm going to have to keep you in line. No, behind the line."

"What if the baby and I don't bond?" Hermione's eyes now scanned the path below carefully, examining each rock and pebble that marked her path. Askance, she could observe Draco examining her just as vigilantly, before he answered.

"Of course you and the baby will bond. The baby will love you… and me, more than anyone else in the world, just like we will love her. She will love me more though, be prepared for that."

Hermione smiled at that, and turned towards him, "So we're having a girl, are we?"

The now beloved smirk appeared as Draco tossed his hair back and shrugged. "I've broken all Malfoy traditions so far, I don't see why I should stop now. We will have a daughter and then our daughter will inherit. Arbraxas will be flagrated in his grave. Rotten grandfather, smelled funny too… of dark magic and spoilt Finnish ale. Grumpy old snoot." Draco pulled his nose up in a disgust, in memory of the offending aroma.

Hermione had been trying to weigh her priorities ever since she realised she was pregnant and gave voice to her conundrum, "Do you think I will be able to balance work and taking care of the baby? If I work the hours I'm keeping now, I'll have to enrol the baby in a crèche. Then I'll feel guilty about not spending time with him."

Draco seemed to be weighing his words carefully, "Her. You may want to quit at least one of your commitments for a while. Let someone else have the… honour… of contributing to the world. You can easily write for the Prophet and Quibbler from home and you can just as effortlessly oversee the running of the sanctuary, the baby can visit with you. The ministry job, there could be danger there from vengeful creatures. I would recommend you take a hiatus from that for a while. Everyone will understand Hermione." When Draco saw the protest forming on Hermione's lips, he continued, "You aren't going to accomplish less, Granger. You will just be prioritising. You will be investing in your child's future. That takes talent, commitment and dedication. It is a very worthy career, nourishing your baby to be a decent human being. Besides, you won't be satisfied with our daughter just being a wonderful person, you will probably aspire for her to be the most skilled and accomplished witch… or wizard that Hogwarts has ever seen, after us of course. No, Dumbledore doesn't count." Scoff "Potter was dragged along by your accomplished finger, so he doesn't count at all."

They headed home as dusk settled comfortably, making the sky it's own.

While Hermione was tossing a salad, Draco heated the soup that the elves had dropped by earlier. It was his turn to wonder out loud, "Will we ever get time to ourselves anymore? After the baby?"

Hermione forked the salad into their dinner plates as she looked up at him and smiled gently. It warmed her that Draco expected to be around enough with the baby to want time alone with her. "I am sure the grandparents will be more than happy to baby-sit on weekends. They'll probably fight over who gets to have him more. Then there is the Weasley brood, we'll just temporarily charm his hair red and throw him in with the lot. What's one more? They won't even realise he's there."

Draco shuddered, "No, we will not dye her hair red."

The two had a peaceful dinner and headed up to bed. They changed into their comfortable nightclothes. Draco did not habitually sleep in his boxers, much to her dismay! He said his arms hurt in the mornings if it got cool at night, and as seeker, he couldn't afford the stiff brachial muscles. Hermione had noticed that since the past week or so, Draco had not been sleeping too well. He woke often and even when asleep, seemed to thrash restlessly. She'd enquired if something was bothering him but his eyes had gone blank and he'd changed the topic.

As he turned the lights out and turned to hold her hand, Hermione let another thought slip. "What if the baby doesn't sleep during the nights for a whole year?"

She could visualise his indulging smile in the dark, "There are spells and tinctures to help a baby sleep. I know because Misty's mother, Aga, used to force them down my throat at night. I always felt like I would miss out on some big adventure if I went to bed too early. No, they don't have any side effects. I turned out fine, didn't I? What? That is so not debatable!"

The next morning, Hermione steeped out of the shower to find Draco shaving there, with the mirror charmed to remain mist-free. This had been a recent development. Typically, Draco returned home in the mornings for his morning routine. Recently though, every once in a while, he would prepare for the day and leave for work from her place. This meant some of his possessions had made their way into her home. Hermione had cleared some space in several drawers and her coat closet, and had enjoyed seeing them fill with odds and ends from his daily life. A pair of cufflinks, some smalls, a few books, his prized phoenix feather quill, his Corona 3007 broom. His shampoo in her bathroom, his toothbrush on her sink, his cologne and shaving kit in the closet beneath it.

She studied his reflection and he suddenly looked absolutely terrified, "How will we know how to bathe the baby?"

"Our moms brought us up, didn't they? Grandmothers know things like that. They'll teach us how to bathe him safely."

"Her."

Everyday, myriad apprehensions emerged, and everyday Draco helped Hermione worry less about each.

"What will my parents say?"
"What will Harry say?"
"What will the Weasleys say?"

"Your parents will love our child probably more than they loved you, and who can blame them, with my genes, our baby will be irresistible. The Potters and Weasleys will care as deeply for your child as you care for theirs. The shock will wear off, you will see."

Draco always knew what to say to make her feel better. Almost always, anyway.

There was one concern Hermione didn't voice: what if she got jealous of Draco's attention being focused away from her? Would she feel competitive over Draco's sparse affection? Hermione buried the thought, deeply ashamed at her selfishness. Draco would be with her, caring for their baby, almost every important step of the way, at least in the beginning. That was more than he had promised and all that she could ask for. Eventually, once he married someone else and had children of his own… legitimate children of his own… then she would worry about his lacking attentions.

Hermione was no fool, she knew her child would have to face several stigmas in the wizarding world – purebloods would taunt her baby about the mudblood mother; prudes could throw the slur of 'Illegitimate bastard'; 'Malfoy spawn' would be brandished in hate by those who had suffered from Lucius' evil acts directly; and in fear by those who had borne the brunt of Draco's irate disapproval.

Hermione had recalled and replayed in her mind the conversation she had seen in Harry's penseive repeatedly. Draco had been right about Hermione; she would protect her child from unfair discrimination. If the only recourse was to remove her child from the magical world for a while, then so be it.

Disappearing for a few years and returning with a story, that option had several merits. She could proclaim that she'd married a muggle who had tragically passed away, allowing her to return to the wizarding world with his child. That was fairly believable, right? The more tragic she made the story, the more human nature would direct her audience to lap it up. Then the child would have fewer stigmas to worry about. Mudblood heritage meant less and less to the magical world with each passing year. By the time the baby reached 11, it might even mean nothing. The pureblood race might not be extinct by then, but it would be an inch closer. Hermione had been tough enough to take the abuse, and even though she wanted to protect her child from that discrimination, she was sure their child would be tough enough to take on the world, if necessary, in time. If entirely necessary. In plenty of time. Or never?

Draco would need convincing to see the virtues of this plan, Hermione was certain. So she kept it close to her heart. She would play it by ear; first gauge the reactions of the people closest to her. If the initial general opinion regarding her controversial pregnancy proved unfavourable, she would leave. She accepted that Draco had the right to be involved in his child's upbringing but she could not allow anyone else to be in command of her life. She reserved a place in her mind and calendar to address these concerns at a more opportune moment. For now, she kept her eye on the big picture. She was pregnant! With the child of the man she had loved for years. Draco was very much visible in the happy picture, playing the doting father-to-be, precisely as a doting father-to-be ought. Life was brilliant.

She blossomed in the novelty of his attention, the warmth of his affection and the comforting blanket of his protectiveness. Life was really, really brilliant.

Except that she perpetually wanted to throw up.

~0~

May had ushered in gorgeous days and clear skies. Hermione spent her first Sunday of the month at Ashram. She was feeding Zara a sandwich for lunch in the Great Hall as the energetic little girl ran to and fro between bites. "Zara you should sit in one place and eat."

"But Hermione, I finish eating, then I run. It's so boring to sit in one place. Did I tell you, I was running outside near the lake one night, I was running behind Oscar and Vicot was there!"

The revelation aroused not only curiosity, but also a significant amount of concern. Vicot Esway had belonged to a group of rebellious teens at Ashram that had made her almost regret her decision to start the house. His mother had died of an illness whilst he was still a child and his death-eater father had been killed in the final battle. Vicot, though not the instigator of many a strife, had been found complicit in several delinquent acts. Raza, Fargo, Vicot and Nethaniel had been involved in many duels with children from other backgrounds. Amongst the oldest in the sanctuary when it's doors opened, their death-eater sympathies had been quite unadulterated. As a final act of defiance before they left upon graduating, they had started a fire that had burned Ashram's outhouse with the muggle equipment. No one had been hurt, but the level of antipathy and lack of remorse had appalled Hermione.

Vicot's presence around an un-chaperoned little girl, out on the dark grounds, was not a circumstance Hermione wanted repeated. She speculated about the reason leading to it.

"What did he want Zara?"

"He was asking about Tynen. I told him he doesn't live here anymore so he asked to speak with Eva, but I told him she had gone to meet Tynen for Easter. He told me he would love to come in and have tea, but I didn't want to ask him in. He was so messy and I know Warden Sani doesn't like if we bring in dirty clothes and shoes. I didn't want us to get into trouble. So I told him I'd get Rosemary to scourgify him first. When I came back with Rosemary, he was gone. I know I was mean, I shouldn't have been. I'm sorry?"

"You did fine Zara, you listened to your instincts When in doubt, always call an elder and never, ever talk to strangers. I know Vicot isn't a complete stranger to you, you've seen his picture and heard of him, still you can't trust him. Also, this is very important, I do not want you running out of the dorms at night, especially without an adult present. There are snakes and wild animals out there, you could fall into the lake… something bad could happen. I need you to follow rules. I'll be very disappointed if you go out alone again. Oscar is a big dog now, he can take care of himself. You, on the other hand, are my little baby girl and I can't have you hurt, can I?"

Zara nodded her head so her curls bounced angelically, then she started to hop in the excitement of a story yet untold. "You know what Serena did yesterday? She jumped into the lake with her clothes on and Madam Pierce had to jump in with her clothes on to get her out because Serena's feet were caught in the Slipnight weed!"

Hermione was taken aback. "Why didn't warden Sani clear the weed away or tell someone to do it? I'm surprised Neville didn't clear it away the last time he came."

Zara looked forlorn, but only for a moment as was her nature, "Oh, Neville hasn't been around for months! Neither has Luna. Maybe I'll send them an owl and ask them to drop by. I bet they'll come if I ask nicely."

Hermione kissed the little girls temple as she got up, "You do that, princess. Good job with lunch, you can have some ice cream now. I need to check on Serena and make sure she's all right. Slipnight can be scary."

Hermione didn't mention that she intended to have a serious word with the warden. That a little girl was running out of the building at night was bloodcurdling. It was entirely irresponsible on the part of the adult supervisors in whom Hermione entrusted the safety of these children! Nevertheless, Hermione accepted that no adult in Hogwarts had been able to stop the Golden Trio from doing exactly as they pleased. The supervisors could not be held accountable for each action of each child, even though that was their job. However, that a potentially dangerous weed had grown unchecked in the shallow waters of the Ashram lake - that was unacceptable.

Hermione had hired the new warden just a few months ago after running several background checks. The carelessness displayed by Ms Sani Kreosouriamanut O'day in the past month alone had been quite annoying. Hermione had given Ms Kreosouriamanut O'day multiple chances and overlooked a number of minor complaints, with the view to give her time to settle in. Now she was beginning to wonder if it was time to look for a replacement. She would also have to have a word with the Principal. Hermione was incensed that she had not been contacted immediately subsequent to both incidents. Shaking her head, Hermione sought out little Serena, who, in her resilient ways had all but forgotten about the Slipnight. The little girl articulated her story flourished with the excitement of having splashed the prim Ms Pierce, Ashram's version of Professor McGonagal.

"I wan in and she wan in after me. You know, she walked funny and swipped four times! I swipped one time." She exclaimed proudly. "I wet her I wet her! Her hair got sooo funny! Then she brought me out and gave me hot chocolate! Before wunch! I wike her, she's not as bowing as Pria says. I don't wike Mam Sani. Mam Sani scwoded me."

It was final then, time for Ms Sani Kreosouriamanut O'day to find alternative employment.

Hermione came home fuming and told Draco about the incidents at the school. He was inadequately responsive, as always, but he did update her with the news that he had renewed the contract with the marine ecologist who had initially created the natural lake environment. He admitted to a lack of foresight, "Luna is pregnant too you know, around 2 months. I should have known that Neville would not have too much time for Ashram right now. The Slipnight should have been cleared by now, and I'll instruct Renada to start looking for a new warden."

Hermione almost commented on the fact that Draco had known about the Slipnight before her, which meant Principal Homewood had informed him and not her. Was that on Draco's order? She let it go. If he wanted to take care of these things for her, she wouldn't complain. "Luna is pregnant too? That's excellent! How do you know? Even Ginny didn't know!"

Draco looked up as he set the colourful earthenware plates on the island table in her kitchen, "Granger, when will you learn? I know everything. Like I know that it is time for your dinner and then time for bed if you want to read that new book I saw in your study. Tell me, what are you doing with all those muggle newspapers?"

"Just some research for work... muggle relations." Hermione turned around and walked to the opposite counter to unpack the take-out boxes that held their warm dinner. "Hmm, how did you know I wanted to have Thai today?" She turned to smile at him.

"Oh, I don't know." Draco rolled his eyes as he forked the rice into a nice bowl. He would concede to eating take-out food, but he was adamant about eating it from proper tableware. "Maybe it was the owl that claimed you were craving Green Curry? Or was it the owl that announced you were craving Penang curry? No, I think it was the owl that promised me some action if I got you some Pad-Thai today. Do you know how many restaurants I had to check before I found one that did not use MSG? You owe me some darn serious action. Though, I don't really think we ought to partake in any action in the foreseeable future… it feels distinctly odd. The baby is right there, what if she feels uncomfortable. No, we'll wait for a while. Nine months too long? Merlin that sounds painfully long."


See, I told you I would post today :) It took me ages, obsessing over this chapter, I never quite found it good enough, always wondering if I got Draco's reactions/ gestures right. Now, finally, now, I think it is sorta ok. Please let me know what you think? Thanks!