Hi, friends! I'm sorry for the killer cliffhanger last week! Love to dreamsofdramione and mcal forever for all of their work on this story, especially now as it comes to a close.


The next morning, Draco was beside her. She slid closer to him before her eyes flew open. Already awake, Draco was propped up on his elbow as he watched her sit straight up. "How are you feeling?"

She blinked. Hermione looked around the room and found herself in clothes she didn't remember wearing. "I don't know." She swallowed and took in his face once more. "What are you doing here? We didn't sleep together last night, did we?"

He laughed, but she couldn't find the humor in it. "No, we didn't. Actually, we talked last night on the porch."

"I don't remember." Bunching the sheets in her hands, Hermione tried to focus, but nothing came to her. "I would have told you to go away. I'm furious with you."

"Yeah. You did tell me to leave, but once you realised I was drunk and hadn't eaten anything, you sat down to talk to me. But you fainted in my arms, Hermione. You scared the hell out of me like nothing I've ever felt before. I was terrified."

From the sound of it, they'd had a conversation—and she could assume it had been a lengthy one—but she had no memory of it. None at all. "Did we talk about Astoria?"

"We did."

"Did I forgive you?"

Draco was still fully clothed and he reeked of alcohol. It seemed he'd slept on top of the blankets if he'd stayed in the bed at all. "I don't know. Even if you had, I wouldn't expect for you to still forgive me. But yes, we talked about it, and you allowed me to explain what happened. I groveled pretty dramatically while crying into your chest."

Her eyes widened. "I need to call my doctor to arrange an appointment and I need to go to work—"

"Hermione, no,"

"I'm going to work and you're not going to stop me," she barked. "I think I'd like to hear what you told me last night. But… maybe not while we're in bed."

He smirked. "I'd like that.


The bell over the shop door sounded and Hermione hastily made her way to the front while sliding her pen into her hair. "Hello, how can I help you today?"

At first glance, Hermione would have described the woman as having pinched features, but a second later, she watched her demeanor soften. "Miss Granger?" she asked, holding out her hand.

Not one to appear impolite, Hermione shook it. "Yes, but you can call me Hermione if you prefer. How can I help you, miss?"

"I came to meet you." The woman adjusted her cloak as she smiled. The curve of her painted lips didn't quite fit her face. "Pardon me, I should introduce myself. I'm Narcissa Malfoy."

"Narcissa," Hermione echoed. "It's lovely to meet you. I'm sorry I'm absolutely filthy. There's so much dust in the back."

The door chimed again, but this time it was Draco coming to meet her for lunch. He froze in place, his eyes hardening as he took in the scene before him and his fingers curled around the edge of the door. "Mother, what a surprise."

Hermione wiped her clammy hands on her jeans. "Um, we were just about to go to lunch if you'd like to join us, Narcissa. There's a nice restaurant not far from her if they'll let us in."

Draco didn't smirk or chuckle at her subtle mention of Adam.

"I'd enjoy that very much, Hermione. Would you mind if I spoke with my son first?"

She shook her head. "I'll, um, be in the back." After escaping around the corner to tuck herself out of sight, a weight settled on her chest.

Hermione had met Narcissa Malfoy before.

She wasn't sure how, or why, but she fought to keep that realisation close to her chest even though it didn't seem to make any sense at all.


Dodging his mother had been no easy task. Draco had been shocked to see her, his stomach dropping all the way to his feet, but he'd quickly collected himself. When Hermione ducked around the corner, his mother had followed him outside the shop and down the street a little ways where no one could overhear them. The conversation had been short, but at least it had derailed any plan of going to bloody lunch.

Gently steering his mother by the arm, Draco endeavoured not to grimace. He failed.

"Draco." She patted his hand. "There's no need to be alarmed."

"No—" Draco shook his head, the singular word coming out choked. "No worry? Do you even hear yourself, Mother? What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd quite like to meet my grandson since you've never given me the chance."

Fucking bollocks.

He surveyed the area around them to calm his already frayed nerves. Granger was nowhere in sight. "I didn't know Scorpius existed until September. I didn't even know Granger was alive until the exact same moment, and well, once I found out, I certainly had no intention of telling you."

The way her face crumbled was slight, but he caught it. "I see." She clasped her hands. "You don't trust your own mother, is that it? Well, I suppose that's all that needs to be said."

"You've been trying to marry me off since I left." Draco slid his hands into his pockets and arched a pale brow. "Fuck, you've been trying to marry me off since I became an Auror and suddenly the Malfoy name wasn't so heinous anymore."

Quicker than he could follow, Narcissa gripped his chin and forced him to look at her. "I would have terminated the engagement if I had known. I am not your father. You know I value your happiness over anything else. The Granger girl—Hermione—" She cleared her throat. "You were with her during the war. Your father and I knew, of course."

Narrowing his eyes, he faltered. "You never told me that you knew."

Narcissa released his chin, her face softening. "You didn't want to tell me. By the time I could have told you the truth, she was gone, and I worried I would be pouring salt in your wounds."

His mind whirred, all of his thoughts coming together as she dangled a new piece of information in front of him. "Lucius knew?" All this time, and…

Mother nodded. "Draco, I can't assume what's going on here, but from our short interaction, I know that woman has absolutely no idea who I am. If she did, she'd have recoiled in fear. She might have thrown up on my shoes if she remembered Malfoy Manor."

He didn't need to be reminded. Images cut across his mind of Granger writhing on the floor and screaming, Granger coming back to the safe house, still broken and bleeding.

He wished it had been him to cast that spell instead of Molly Weasley.

"However," she continued. "I came for two reasons: to meet my grandson and to tell you something. If I'd known she was alive, I would have told you, but—" She looked at her feet and Draco realized he had never seen his mother stare at the ground.

She'd always kept her head up. It was what he'd been taught as well.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he asked, "What would you have told me, Mother?"

"Bellatrix knew about the two of you. She never mentioned it to me, but she made remarks that left no question about it."

"Do you know who would have helped her? Someone has been coming here for years to cast glamours on Granger's arm—on that scar—so she won't remember. It's a curse that activates if she starts to remember anything."

Narcissa nodded. "Has anything triggered her memories?"

"A few things." Draco's voice cracked. "Scorpius had a bout of accidental magic and I thought I was going to lose her. I can't lose her again."

Wrapping her arms around his middle, she pulled him into a tight hug. "Then we'll make sure you don't. If it's Hermione Granger that kept you alive during the war, then I owe that woman a great deal."


Scorpius was with Clara, which meant she had no excuse not to swallow her pride. Hermione picked at the chipping paint of her mug. She needed to go to Draco. They'd spent a healthy amount of time discussing the fallout of Christmas. It hadn't been so easy to sit there while he bared himself, while he admitted that he'd been lying nearly since he'd arrived. It wasn't easy to accept that the day he'd left a note saying there was a family emergency—which was ordinary enough to be believable—he'd been listening to his parents inform him of an arranged marriage.

God, who forced their adult son into an arranged marriage anyway? It was barbaric.

"Okay," Hermione grumbled, curling her fingers around the edge of the counter. "You're delaying the inevitable. Adults communicate." Her pep talk in the middle of her kitchen did nothing to spur her forward.

But she missed him.

It was impossible to realise how much she'd looked forward to waking up beside him until he was gone, even if it had only been a week.

Hermione grabbed her coat before she could change her mind, tugging her knit beanie over her head. The door locked behind her. The cold snap bit her cheeks and she wrapped her arms around herself while hurrying down the street. It was only a short distance, but her steps slowed as her anxiousness increased.

She knocked on his door twice and only had to wait a second before he opened it. Draco looked her over, his shoulders relaxing.

"I think we should talk."

He allowed the door to swing open. "We've been here before, haven't we?" Draco took her coat. "I'm sorry."

Rubbing her hands together, Hermione shook her head. "It's okay. Really, we discussed most of it yesterday and I'm not angry. I was hoping you would just reassure me a bit. It was a lot to take in at once and trusting you is easy. So easy that it terrifies me because you lied to me and I never had any idea."

"I'll never lie to you again."

Blinking, Hermione bit her lip. "Yes, but that's what you would have said to me when this started. It wasn't a small lie either. Yet here I am, ready to trust you again because I can't stand to see myself without you now."

His feet carried him forwards and Draco closed the distance. "Can I tell you something?"

"There aren't any other secret fiances, are there?" She laughed. "Okay, too soon for jokes."

He cracked a smile then. Draco ran his knuckle over her cheek. "I did make that joke about catching the stove on fire, so that's probably fair."

"I forgive you." Hermione slid her fingers through his belt loops and pulled him close. "I'm not sure whether that makes me naive, but I always knew I would forgive you."

"Even when Astoria was on your porch?"

She huffed. "Yes, even then. Her name makes me irrationally angry. I'm not a violent person, but…"

He snorted.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Nothing at all."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Back to what I originally came over here to say, Scorpius misses you, and I know that you miss him." Her fingers slid under his shirt without a conscious thought. "I need you to promise me something."

"Anything."

"You're a father now. We're doing this, and there can't be secrets like this. It will destroy us. It'll destroy him. Is there anything else I need to know?"

Draco didn't hesitate. "There's nothing."

"Promise?"

He tilted her head up, his lips centimeters from hers. "I promise."


Narcissa Malfoy was an intense woman, and if her husband was worse than her—which Draco had led Hermione to believe—she wasn't sure she ever wanted to meet the counterpart. In fact, dread coiled in her stomach as she kept her thoughts to herself in the following days. It was such a familiar name: Lucius, but she couldn't remember where she'd heard it.

Hermione's relationship with Draco improved quickly over the span of a few days. She was eager to be able to wake up beside him again.

The topic of dinner with his mother made her stomach turn. When it had come up, there hadn't been a feasible reason not to invite Narcissa, and Hermione sat through an hour long dinner while battling her internal debate. Scorpius liked her, even if he was also hesitant at first to greet her. Just like normal, it wasn't long before Scorpius had his newfound grandmother wrapped around his finger.

Their night took a sharp turn as they saw Narcissa out, and Hermione thanked her for coming.

Clara made her way up the walkway, a dish in her hand, and she froze as she took in the woman on the porch. "Cissy, how lovely to see you."

Hermione watched in bewilderment as the colour drained from Narcissa's face. "Miss Prewett, how unexpected to see you in France. You must know Hermione."

"Yes," Hermione interjected. "Clara has always watched Scorpius while I worked. She's a close friend. Did you say Prewett?"

Clara's wrinkles deepened. "It's my maiden name. I prefer not to go by it because it brings up so many distasteful memories. I'm sure it can't be too surprising that I'm here. If you're aiming to not bring up the topic of my family, it's more insulting to vaguely hint at it, my dear."

Hermione wasn't sure what to make of the scene in front of her and looked to Draco. He shook his head.

Clara pressed the dish into Hermione's hands and pecked her cheek. "You be careful, dear."

As the woman left, Narcissa explained that Clara had been a family friend to the Blacks—she'd whispered the name, but Hermione had heard it. She'd known Clara when they were children.

Her fingers gripped the dish tightly and Hermione excused herself.

She vomited in the loo, and her head pounded, but her thoughts didn't vanish.

Who was to say if that was a good thing?


"It will be okay, won't it? I've never allowed anyone but Clara or you to take him." Hermione bit her nail, her eyes sweeping from side to side. "I don't mean to sound rude. She's your mother. I've just never—"

He kissed her forehead. "It will be fine. Mother will look after Scorpius at my house so he'll still be in a comfortable place, and they'll be right there if they need anything. Which they won't." Draco rubbed her arms until his hands were on her shoulders. "She just wants to give us a day to spend together and I'm sure she'd like to spend time with him alone. If you don't want to, then we won't."

It was tempting to take the out, but she shook her head. "No, it's fine. Scorpius is already curious about her. He'll have a good time."

Draco squeezed her shoulder. "Perfect. I'm going to go get them settled, alright?"

Watching him go, she knew she ought to tell him. Hermione had been on the verge for days, but pushed the thought away while she gathered movies to watch. Draco had agreed, during a post-coital haze the night before, to watch all the movies she wanted. Strangely enough, when she'd told him she was only teasing and he could pick films to watch as well, Draco murmured that he didn't know any movies.

"You've never seen a film? That's not possible."

He'd distracted her by sliding his hand between her thighs.

The door creaked open, signaling his return, and she met him at the sofa with a bowl full of popcorn. "You're sure you don't have anything you'd like to watch?"

"Anything you choose is fine." He stretched his arm around her, resting it on the back of the sofa.

Hermione tucked her legs under her, popping food into her mouth as she leaned into him. "Will you press play?"

His brows knitted together. "Pardon?"

"Can you press play? I don't want to get up to start the movie." Hermione spoke around a mouthful of popcorn, giggling. "Please?" Maybe he hadn't been lying when he said he'd never watched a film given the way he fumbled with the telly. She watched with muffled amusement. "No, it's the other button. The other, other button."

He pressed eject. "Fuck!"

The decorative pillow she held against her mouth did nothing to hide her roaring laughter. "I can't wait to tell Scorpius about this."

Draco glared at her from where he crouched on the floor. "Planning to make fun of me, are you?"

"Of course I am." She felt the teasing curve of her lips. "Maybe films aren't the best way to spend the day."

Still yanking on cords that weren't going to solve his problems, Draco asked, "What would you suggest then?"

She crossed her legs and hugged the pillow. "Tell me about your mum. Don't give me that look. She's going to be in our lives now, isn't she? I should know more about her, and maybe… maybe more about your father as well."

He's going to be trouble, Hermione.

Unable to recall just where that memory had come from, Hermione plastered a smile on her face to ignore the familiar ache that bloomed.

"I don't think talking about my father is such a good idea." Draco scratched the back of his neck and his tone left no room for argument.

She wasn't the sort of woman who was going to take that as a response. "No, I think we should talk about Lucius and why he's going to be trouble." As annoying as it was to experience yet another lapse in memory, she knew he'd told her that.

Even if she didn't know when.

His head snapped up. "What did you just say?"

"You told me he was going to cause trouble. I'm not sure what that entails, but it sounds—"

"Hermione, I told you that the night you fainted." Draco gritted his teeth. "He's just a fucking arsehole. I don't know what else to tell you, honestly, but I don't trust him. I don't want him around you. I definitely don't want him anywhere near our son."

Air rushed from her lungs before she drew in a long breath. "I don't understand." The words formed slowly on her tongue. "Did he hurt you?"

Draco opened his mouth and closed it. "It was a long time ago."

Fabric snagged on her nail. "What did he do?" Her blood was boiling.

"It's—I can't talk about it. I'm not saying I won't, but please not right now." Draco's eyes pleaded with her, and she wanted to let it go.

It felt like a string that had been pulled tight suddenly snapped. She didn't mean to question him over such a sensitive subject and Hermione knew how terrible it was to do so, but the words were out there before she could stop them. "Who is Lucius Malfoy? Would he hurt me? Scorpius?"

Previously hot, her blood turned to ice in her veins as she watched him nod. "I don't know, but it's not a risk I'm willing to take. Arranging a marriage is not where our family dysfunction began. It's not even where it ended, and it's certainly not the worst thing to ever happen to me."

Hermione wasn't a violent person. She'd never been violent, but she swore she'd rip the man apart if he ever stood in front of her.

"The scar on your chest. You promised me once to tell me about it. You told me it was Harry. That it was an accident. Was it your father?"

"No, no. Fuck." He dragged his hands down his face. "Will you trust me?"

"I do trust you. Do you trust me?"

"Are you really asking me that? Everything I've ever done—"

"What do you mean everything you've ever done? You sound like you've known me for years, Draco, and I don't—" Hermione cut herself off, her lips parting as she slumped backward. "You know me?"

Draco stared at her, unmoving. "Does your head hurt?"

Hermione swallowed and found her mouth was already dry. "You've always known me."

"I've always loved you, too."

Tears formed in her eyes. "You're Scorpius' father, aren't you?"

"Granger—"

She wiped her face. "Why do you call me that?"

He chuckled. It sounded fucking miserable. "We always called each other by our surnames. We never got along in school. We always bickered. We fucking fought like mad when it got going. Potter thought we'd tear the house down sometimes, but fuck, there is nothing I've ever loved more than making up with you."

She stood, her legs shaking as she walked towards him. His hands found her hips as she crouched in front of him and Hermione got the overwhelming sense that they had been here before. "Did you leave me?"

"Never."

Hot tears rolled down her cheeks, and she flinched when he wiped them away, his thumb sliding in an arc across her skin. "Why didn't you find me sooner then?"

Draco leaned his forehead to hers, and cradled her face. "I thought you were dead." His breath hitched. "I didn't know you were pregnant, but I have never, never stopped searching for you. Everyone told me you were gone but I never gave up on you."

"It's a lot to take in."

"I know." He slid his fingers through the spaces between hers. "Hermione, even if you forget, I'll still be here. I want you to know that. I'm always going to be here."

Hermione whimpered and tightened her grip on his hand. "Always? Sounds like rotten work."

"Not to me." Draco kissed her temple. "Not if it's you."


The chapter count for The Best of Me has been bumped to twenty-one. I am flattered and guilty to have received the title of The Cliffhanger Queen, but I do think this one is more mild than the others. Lol. The chapter was cut because it would have been too many plot points put together at once, and in the effort to improve my storytelling...it had to be done. That being said, I really do feel that I have put you guys through the ringer with this story, and you've stuck with me so well that there is going to be an extra update on Friday. And then the regular weekly updates on Tuesday through the end of March.

Contact me on tumblr at mrsren96, facebook at Kelsey Ren, or PM me on here! In other news...I started working on two dramione multichapters today.

See ya in a couple days, friends. Thanks for sticking it out. We're in the endgame now. (- been waiting to use that)