Author's notes: Disclaimer. I want to give a special thanks to for their review. Hope you guys enjoy. R&R. Also can anyone name the TV Gemini was talking about last chapter?
Chapter 14
Hermione was so beyond furious. She was so close! The closest she had ever been to really making a difference. Lucius Malfoy. He was the scum of the earth. He deserved to be feed to a group of newly hatched dragons and have people enjoy a nice red wine as he was torn limb from limb. Hermione still remembered all the issues Lucius had caused her. Of course, it wasn't that she was exactly faultless. She was the reason he went back to Azkaban after all. Lucius had always been arrogant and believed that his son and wife should bow to his every whim. There had never been a reason to hide any incriminating documents or correspondence from them and when she and Draco had first come out about their relationship Lucius assumed that he could control her as easily. He had been very very wrong about that.
Now he was free. Why? Because he's a fucking cockroach! The whole world could get hit with a nuclear bomb and somehow some way Lucius would not only survive but thrive. She took a deep breath because she needed to focus on making her presentation even more solid and undeniable. Yet, as she gazed at her research the letters started to run together, and she felt utterly exhausted. Looking at this project had become her life and she just needed a break. Her kids were at school and there wasn't anyone to judge her, so she went and got a bottle of muggle tequila and decided that cups were for people who weren't watching everything they have worked for go up in flames. She deserved a stress-free day and by Merlin's saggy balls she was going to take one.
Draco burst into Blaise's office and didn't even stop when Blaise's secretary tried to stop him. "Blaise I need to talk to you now!" Draco announced barely holding his vicious fear and anger from lashing out from him. He could feel his magic crackling against his skin.
"Draco not right now I'm due for a conference call with Asia and I don't have time for your whining about me and Hermione having drinks okay? She was my friend too and I've missed her." Blaise rose up and brushed off his suit jacket as he went to move around Draco.
"I couldn't care less about your measly drinks with her at this particular moment. My father is free, and he wants to go after Hermione if I don't give him what he wants." Draco spat as he grabbed his friend's arm to hold him in place. Blaise's gaze whipped to Draco to make sure he was telling the truth. What he saw in his friend's eyes froze him to his very soul.
"Iris cancel all of my appointments and don't let anyone interrupt me for the rest of the day I'm going home." Blaise yelled at his secretary and then he grabbed Draco's arm and dragged him to his house via floo.
"Alright Drake what the hell are you talking about and don't you dare leave anything out," Blaise snarled as he locked his floo. Draco explained his altercation this morning and the dilemma he was now facing.
Blaise just shook his head and then burst out laughing. Literally fell down holding his sides barely able to breath laughing. Draco saw red and grabbed Blaise off the floor and slammed him into the wall.
"What the hell is your problem Blaise? Do you even know what a disaster this is?" Draco demanded shaking him.
"I-I-I apologize man but-but-but he basically gave you the out you've been begging for-for-for so long and you were stupid enough to fight him on it. Oh that just puts me in stitches." Blaise finally got out as he shook his head and whipped the tears from the corners of his eyes. Draco just gazed at his friend in disbelief.
"What?!" He demanded.
"Well honestly it's just under a month till they vote on Hermione's inisitve again so all you have to do to come out on top is get your father to make a vow that he promises not to interfere with you or Hermione as long as he breaths in exchange for you giving him your seat on the council. I can help you with the wording so that after the vow you let him sit on the council for a few days and then take it back and give it in legal writing over to Remus which if you recall is what I told you to do in the first place." Blaise pointed out, "And best of all you get to divorce that shrill harpy who makes you miserable. I recommend divorcing her before you take back your seat though."
Draco found himself gob smacked again. Was Blaise right? Could he manage to turn this whole thing around on his father and actually protect Hermione?
"Blaise you are a genius. No wonder you were neck and neck with me for 2nd of our class." Draco stated shaking his head.
"Should we iron out your wording? You know, so you can go convince your dad he managed to pull one over on you? I'm sure he's already going out to get new robes and I know I have some legal document we can repurpose." Blaise asked as he started looking for the document.
"Blaise why are you so quick to help me out eh? I figured since Hermione hates me so much now you would try and win her over after all these years," Draco pointed out even though he dreaded the answer.
"Draco let me make one thing immensely clear. I love Mione without a doubt she is one of the most amazing witches I have ever had the honor of meeting and yea at one time I would've kill to have the chance I have now. But even with all that you are my brother, maybe not by blood but by everything that matters, and that woman is your second half. She makes you the best version of yourself and you keep her on her toes in a way no other man could. You two belong together and after all these years you both deserve to be happy. That's why I am helping you. Plus, I think Astoria's hot and would be a fun rebound once you two are divorced." Blaise finished by waggling his eyebrows suggestively. Draco rolled his eyes and helped Blaise find the document. The sooner he got this figured out the sooner he could start winning back a certain curly haired temptress. He couldn't suppress the wicked grin that spread across his face.
Hermione knew she was drinking too much however it didn't really bother her as she watched old movies on the telly. She wanted to feel good and numb and hopefully she could get a good night's sleep without the vast memories that always plagued her. Her head was finally reaching that warm fuzzy stage where everything was hilarious and finally some of her tension eased out of her body.
There was a sharp knock on her door and Hermione questioned whether she had actually ordered the pizza she had been thinking about. Assuming that was it she jumped to her feet and due to her inebriation wound up falling over and crashing into her end table sending a loud line of curses to fall from her lips.
Suddenly her door flew open and in strode Draco his usually pleasant feature contorted in pure fear and anxiety.
"Hermione are you okay?!" He exclaimed rushing to her side. She was dreaming Hermione decided. That had to be why he was here and after all she had drank she let herself fall into the illusion that he still cared for her.
"Draco I'm so happy you're here. I've missed you so much love. Oh you should see them Drake. Those kids have grown so much. She's just like you, you know that? Gem is so smart with potions and so just so effortlessly graceful. And sneaky my god so sneaky. But then Ris oh he is very me. So very me. I suppose when you have twins at least one has to act like you right. Draco I wish you were really here. That you had really been here all along. I met your son. He and Gem look so a like. If they ever find out Ris is going to be so put out that he got my hair. We'll introduce them someday right? You won't always avoid me and eventually I'll grow up and tell you how amazing our kids are right?" Hermione spilled her guts to dream Draco and waited for him to comfort her like he always had.
Draco's head was spinning a mile a minute. Twins? His twins? Another son? A daughter? His brain was on overload, so he decided to focus on the very drunk Hermione beside him. He couldn't get any words out, so he picked her up in his arms and settled on to the couch with her on his chest.
Hermione let out a content sigh and snuggled deeper into his chest marveling at how very real he felt and how amazing it was in his arms. She started getting lulled to sleep by his hand stroking her hair and knew in that moment she had to really tell Draco when she was awake. He was bound to find out anyway and it would be better if it was from her.
Draco just watched as Hermione fell asleep in his arms and felt this deep ache as he remembered the night she left his life all those years ago. She was pregnant and he sent her away. Hell, he didn't even treat her with an ounce of compassion or decency and yet she didn't terminate the pregnancy. In fact, she raised them on her own if her pictures on the walls were to be believed. He had fucked up. There was no other way to look at it. Yet, as he looked down at the sleeping beauty in his arms he knew he was going to do everything in his power to fix everything because he was never letting her go again.
He turned his thoughts and eyes to the collage of pictures that featured two young children as they grew up. No not just two children, his. His children. He was awestruck as he gazed at one picture of his son and his daughter around a cake with 5 candles on it and their happy excited faces. His daughter was missing her front two teeth and his son was sticking his tongue out. They were obviously muggle photos but Draco wished in that moment that they were wizard photos so he could pretend he was there with them. 11 years he missed out on 11 years. A spurt of anger flared in him and he knew it wasn't rational but he was still mad he had missed out on so much time. Tomorrow morning was going to be very long and very difficult, but even with that hanging over him Draco fell into the deepest sleep he been able to achieve since loosing Hermione and he hadn't even had a single drop of alcohol.
