Just to prove that this wasn't a one time thing. Aha! Hope you all enjoyed the last chapter... mistakes and all.

ENJOY.

Dragon's Blood

Chapter Thirty-Six

ooo

Hermione wave at Astoria as she walked down her newly planted garden, pass the front gates and then suddenly disappearing into thin air. Even Hermione was having a hard time that she spent so many hours with Astoria without saying much between them. She wasn't sure how they even migrated to the garden and proceeded to plant and seed the small bare patches across the front lawn. Teddy and Jessa resumed playing after witnessing Hermione hesitantly accept Astoria within the perimeters of her home.

Hermione kept a close eye on Astoria through most of the day but nothing in her face indicated any interest other than concentrating on digging small holes. Hermione wasn't sure to feel alright about it or if she be even more alarmed but as the day dragged on and the sunset, the night bugs came out to to play, chirping and buzzing Hermione let down her guards bit by bit.

Astoria smiled, clapping her hands together dusting her hands off. She groaned as she sat down at the steps of the front doors of the manor. She proudly chuckled, as she looked out at their work. Hermione slowly sunk beside her. Jessa and Teddy long gone for their dinner that Astoria refused to have.

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked again.

Astoria nodded.

"I should be going." Astoria shook her head smiling, "I bet I have the entire hospital on edge because I haven't shown yet."

Hermione pressed her lips together, unsure of whether to laugh or not.

"She's a very lovely thing." Astoria said outloud, sighing. Hermione could only imagine what she was thinking of if it wasn't attacking her family, then it must be of the family she always wanted to have, if it wasn't for her.

"I'm very sorry, Astoria." Hermione gulped.

"You shouldn't be." She waved off, "There's worse things than broken marriages, right? It's not like that challenges our exisitance, right? Like before? It's just a bump in the road."

Hermione sourly looked at the ground, "An awfully big bump..."

Astoria laughed, "I should get going now."

Astoria rose to her feet and began walking off and just before she reached the gates she turned around.

"Take care of her!" She shouted, "God knows Draco will have a fit when he finds out."

Hermione couldn't help but to laugh as she waved at Astoria, just before she disappeared. The light jokes were a nice touch to the very awkward encounter but nonetheless, Hermione was glad that it seems that no hard feelings were being held. Just before she slipped back in her home to have a nice meal with her family, the light feelings disappeared. It was suddenly replaced by fear and before Hermione knew it, she skipped dinner in order to pack for Jessa.

ooo

George smiled down at Jessa who grabbed his hand tightly with her own small hand. She sipped on a cup of lemonade that Hermione had gave her before she handed Jessa over to George that day. Jessamine would hop and skip every several steps causing her green raincoat hood to fall off her head several times.

Those several times gave him a heart attack due to Hermione's orders but nonetheless, George was glad Jessa was bright and happy at the moment. There were several times he witnessed her sulking and glowering at people and it reminded him of Draco.

They walked down the cobbled path of Diagon Alley, it was slow paced as it always with the exception of the summer months which they were now nearing. And as Happy as Jessa was to visit her uncle, the day did not reflect that. It had been threatening to rain all day but despite the weather, Uncle George knew what kids liked.

He knew exactly were to take her: the owl emporium. He knew she was probably too young for her own owl but children loved animals. George was sure she would love it. Plus, there was nothing wrong with spoiling his favorite niece a little.

"Uncle George." She piped.

"Yes?"

"Mum said that I get to spend the night in the attics of your shop." Jessa nodded, "Do I get a bed?"

George chuckled, "Yes but it's not as big or comfortable as the one you have."

George began to feel uncertain that his living accommodation will be adequate enough for Jessa. For goodness sake, she was half a Malfoy after all and she was living in a big manor. George had nothing more to give her than the simple things his family owned.

All while arguing this in his own head, Jessa looked up at him and tugged his arm.

"And a pillow too?" She asked, her grey eyes rounding out in awe.

She looked so innocent George couldn't help but to squat down to her level and ruffle her blonde hair that was exposed again. George replace the hood once more and smiled.

"Yes, a pillow and a warm blanket." George assured her.

Jessa sighed out, "Oh. James told me that I'll sleep on the floor under the kitchen table. The bed isn't underneath the table, is it?"

"No." George closed his eyes, "Don't listen to James. He's a twat of a fellow."

"Twat isn't a nice word." Jessa informed.

"Ah yes, then I suppose I should not use it." George sighed, "I'm such a twat."

Jessa giggled.

"Why is that funny?" George crossed his arms, "Are you agreeing I'm a twat?"

Jessa's giggle began to take a life of it's own. Her small hands flew to her mouth as George began to tickle her neck.

"Little Jessamine thinks I'm a twat?" George gasped, "What will mummy think about this?"

Jessa squeezed her eyes shut, "I never said anything!"

"Oh alright." George said, "Before we go anywhere, it's getting a bit chilly let's get the scarf on you. One thing about spring is that there's always those freezing days when it's warming up. I don't want you to catch a cold now, would we?"

Jessa shook her head as George took out a Navy blue scarf from inside his light jacket. She bend over slightly to have George wrap it around her neck. Once it was neatly bunched around her neck, George stood back up and pointed over to the owls.

"Look there Jessa," George said, "How 'bout we go look at some owls?"

Jessa beamed.

ooo

Draco browsed through the book aisles, looking for nothing in particular. Something about books themselves reminded him of Hermione and the time they spent days fixing up her unreasonably large library. He had a multitude of errands to do in Diagon Alley but he had been able to avoid every single thing on his list since his arrival. He wasn't sure what to do with his life at the moment. He wasn't depressed but he certainly wasn't happy. The grey middle from the two extreme's had him at a lost of thoughts and it certainly made him question exactly who he was.

He was no longer Draco Malfoy, the death eater and pure blood extraordinaire, he just felt like another wizard, just another face.

"Excuse me? Can you please hand me that book, sir?" Said an extremely high-pitched voice.

Draco looked around only to find a green tiny human standing at his feet. Draco took a step back and analyzed the little critter.

He couldn't see much of her face. The rest of her was clothed in a muted green raincoat with white stockings, and black shiny rainboots.

Draco scoffed and shoved his hands in his pockets, "What's a child like you doing in a book store alone? Isn't your mum around?"

"I'm here with my uncle." She responded. Draco caught the narrowing of her grey eyes, beaming a glare at him, "What's a man like you doing in a book store alone? Isn't your mum around?"

Draco did a double take at the fierce little girl. She couldn't be older than 5 years old and she was throwing clever insults at him. Even insults that aimed right at his broken soul. Draco cleared his throat and scanned around. He didn't see anybody except for the familiar red-headed George Weasley who was asking the counter lady about a shipment.

"What book did you want?" Draco mumbled out.

"The Adventures of Bobbity Wobbity and Sir Galvin." She said.

Draco looked around and made a face. They were in the Guidebook section, any children's books had to be upstairs. Everybody knew the main floor was meant for miscellaneous schoolbooks. Draco let out a dry chuckle and shrugged, "There isn't a Bobbity Wobbity book around here."

"Yes there is." She shot out.

"No, there isn't."

She shot him a piercing look before reaching up towards a shelf that was way past her grasp, "It's right next to the Guidebook of Everything You Wanted to Know About Dragon's and More. See? It's blue isn't it? It has a photo of a fat fluffy bunny, doesn't it?"

Draco was amazed that she even recognized the Dragon guidebook. Did she know how to read already? Even if her assumption was a bit off, Draco took down the book she was point at and showed it to her. Draco could see it in her eyes that she was disappointed.

It was not a fat fluffy bunny like she hoped for, instead, it was a moving picture of rare Pygmy Puffs that zoomed in and out of the cover. She looked annoyed. At this point Draco found her amusing.

She grabbed the book in her delicate hands and let out an exasperated sigh.

"What's a Pygmy Puff?" She asked, hesitantly.

Draco found it funny that she hadn't given up on the book despite it not being what she hoped for.

Draco kneeled down and opened the book for her, she quietly let him explain what the creatures were and what the book was about. Draco found it quiet odd that a 4 year old girl had the patience to listen to him for a full five minutes. Then again, Draco didn't have a lot of experience with children to know what their attention span was. But what was stranger to him was how familiar she felt to him. Even if all he could see was her grey eyes, it felt like he was staring at someone familiar, like his father.

After his explanation she remained unmoved for a second before making a face. She hand the book back to him and begged him to hand her the book of Dragon's. Once the replacement book was in her petite hands, she beamed.

"Uncle George!" She shouted, "I think I found a book!"

Hers cheeks rose, giving the impressing that she was smiling underneath her scarf. She quickly left without thanking him. Draco let out a questioning hum. So she was George's niece. He narrowed his eyes waiting to see George's reaction. He witnessed him looking down at the girl, stopping his conversation with the counter lady, and smiling down at the little girl. Draco wondered to which Weasley brother she belonged. He had to admit; he didn't find anything Weasley about her. George scooped the girl in his arms and sat her on the countertop, making the lady squeal with excitement.

Draco moved around, lurking behind books and shelves, trying not to draw attention to himself. The girl was showing off her new book pick to her Uncle George when he gave a loving chuckle at her and unwrapped the scarf around her face.

Draco nearly walked into a bookshelf. He bumped his shoulder into the corner that caused a shooting pain. His mouth flew open as he held back his gasp. His slight commotion began getting the attention of the counter lady so he grabbed the biggest book he found and covered his face with it.

It took a full ten seconds to have the counter lady lose interest in him; while Draco was thankful for her lack of curiosity he remained aloof.

Upon seeing her face, Draco wished he could have spent more time in Daphne's memory. The small round face was as soft and pure looking as porcelain and a nose that was small but a little angular that stuck up a little. Her tiny lips formed a perfect cupid's bow and although they were a bit thin, they were still shapely. Even with all the distinct features of the little girl, Draco looked at her eyes the most because although the color was off, the shape and the tuff of thick eyelashes completed the face that entirely belonged to one unmistakable person: Hermione.

Hermione did have a child and although she was a little bigger than he had expected, the facts were right in his face. She had moved on, like Daphne had said, like Hermione said. He was the only one that insisted there was something there, perhaps Hermione found someone who was more suited for her...

But then again, he hadn't heard anything about Hermione marrying someone else or being with someone else. Something didn't add up and he wasn't sure why he was suddenly so invested in trying to find out, but it certainly gave him a drive.

He inched closer listening in on the conversation.

"...we were there for about a minute when Jessa decided that she rather chase around a street cat than look at all the owls." George sighed, "After all I planned and she chooses to play with a mangy cat."

"It was brown." Jessa piped.

The counter lady smiled, looking absolutely enthralled with Jessa.

"Was it now?"

She nodded, "And it let me touch its tail."

"Made her wash her hands right after," George shook his head, " 'Mione's gotten a bit worried so she left her with me. Astoria paid her a visit, a couple of days ago. That women is as crazy as a bat, Dear. So we get to have little Jessa just in case that other nut case comes around. What time is it? I think I've got to get going. Lunch should be almost ready. You should close for lunch soon, dear. I've got some meat pies that I left in the oven."

"What else did you make?" Jessa asked as George picked her up and placed her down on the floor. He made sure to wrap the scarf around her once again and he paid for the book Jessa had picked out.

"Pumpkin casserole." George announced, "See you soon, Angelina."
Angelina sighed and pointed to the back, "I've things to sort out in the back, I'll be there soon."

George nodded and began for the door saying his farewells, Jessa copied him making sure she stretched her arm high enough for Angelina to see her waving good bye as they walked by the display window.

ooo

"Name?"

"Draco Malfoy?"

"Reason for visit?"

"I came to unjoin my vault value."

The scrawny goblin looked up. His black beady eyes, glazed and unmoved, flicked down to Draco who impatiently looked back at him. His lips were turn down into a scowl and his foot had the urge to tap as loudly as it could. He had been in and out of Diagon Alley for three days trying to fix the last of his divorce before Astoria admitted herself. Still, he had trouble admitting that his entire life was suddenly not what he envisioned. He knew he should have known better than spending most of his days in the Leaky Cauldron, abandoning all his errands but the encounter with Hermione's daughter suddenly, had him rushing around Diagon Alley, completing his errands.

The goblin's ears perked up when a twisted smile stretched across his face.

"Is that so?"

Draco force out a smile and glared at him.

"Will you hurry and do you job?" Draco snapped, "Or I will withdraw all my savings."

"No, no, no." The goblin quickly said, "That won't be necessary. It's only a few easy questions in order to estimate each of spouses vault value."

"Split it down the middle." Draco dryly said.

"That's not how it works."

"Split it down the middle." He hissed, "Or I'll take my money elsewhere."

The goblin gulped. It was the first time Draco has seen those conniving malicious creatures sweating up a storm but then again, even as much as Draco was use to being wealthy it was nothing compared to the love of wealth that goblins had.

"Can we have a signature?" The goblin asked, "For record purposes."

Draco rolled his eyes and took up the feather that was handed to him. He skimmed over the small statement on the parchment and signed his name.

He calmly placed the feather on the counter and turned on his heel to walk away.

"Mr. Malfoy!" The goblin shouted, "Is there anything else we could do for you."

Draco continued walking until he reached the cool air of the outside world. He was finally free of all the legal terms of the divorce. Draco looked at the time and decided to spend the remainder of his day to visit Astoria, that would make her happy, especially since she just admitted herself. That would focus his mind. But even after finializing the split at Grinngots, his wandering increase. He wasn't sure what he did most of those two lost hours but he somehow found himself in front of the Leaky Cauldron, yet again. Draco sneered.

Yes, visiting Astoria would be nice.

Draco briskly walked away looking for a spot to disapperate. He was so focused on finding a spot that he hadn't notice a small little body sitting at the side of the pavement, until a musical hum reached his ears and abruptly stopped his pace.

He turned to find that same little girl reading her book outside at the foot of the entrance of the Joke Shop. The same green raincoat. Scarf and all. Draco glanced around the abandon streets of Diagon Alley weighing his options. He had a strange feeling he shouldn't be probing around Hermione's family since she forbidden him to ever see her again, but technically… this little girl wasn't her. A gnawing gut feeling told him that maybe he should leave to see Astoria before he caused any trouble but maybe that gnaw was telling him something else.

So what else was Draco to do but to finally appraoch the little girl again.

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