A/N: First, I want to start out by saying a massive Thank You to all of your outpouring love and support for the loss of my mother. Your kind words mean so much to me, and I'll never be able to properly express that.

Now, onto the chapter we've all been waiting for. Draco and Aurora meet at last…. More notes at the end.

Chapter 19, House Warming

"I'm never sleeping again." Aurora announced to her mother with such conviction that Hermione was almost able to ignore the drooping eyes and the yawns coming from the small girl.

"Is that so, my love?" Hermione asked her as she tucked the girl into her bed at her parents' house.

Helen and Roger had agreed to keeping Aurora overnight as they knew that Theo had invited a lot of people for the house warming party. There was only going to be so much sleeping that would be happening as even with the aid of a silencing charm in place, a lot would be happening to keep Aurora interested. Helen had been more than happy to walk over earlier in the evening and bring Hermione and Aurora back over to her house for dinner before Theo had arrived to begin setting up.

After a quick bath, Aurora had used her puppy dog eyes to convince Hermione to be the one to put her down for bed. Multiple stories were read, a million questions were asked, and now they had finally reached the point when Aurora Jean just couldn't keep her eyes opened another moment.

"I'm not sleepy, mummy." Another yawn crept out of the little girl's mouth as her eyes began to drift close, clutching her dragon closer to her chest as sleep took over.

"That's okay baby, you don't have to sleep if you don't want to." Hermione muttered against the mass of white blonde curls, listening as Aurora's breathing began to even out, indicating that she had at last been taken over by sleep. Not another sound was uttered from her daughter when she slipped her arms cradling the girl out from under her and silently slipped from the room.

Closing the door after making sure that the night light was shining the constellations on the ceiling, Hermione crept away from the door listening to make sure that Aurora didn't wake up now that she was alone. With no calling out to her, Hermione was happy with the thought that her daughter was asleep for the night.

Once back in the sitting room, Hermione smiled at the look of her parents sitting next to each other reading their own books. It was the picture perfect scenario that Hermione had craved for her daughter since she'd found out she was pregnant.

The hushed whispered conversation between her two parents as they commented on what they were reading. The soft kisses shared between the two as they shared their love with each other, having such a deep connection that was still as strong as ever, after everything they'd lived through and experienced together. Hermione knew that if she was ever going to fall in love with someone that she wanted a love like her parents had.

That wasn't what she'd found with Ron, and why ultimately she knew that he was never going to be the man for her. Hermione couldn't think about what type of relationship she wanted though. She had a father – daughter relationship that she needed to be focusing on. Not a romantic relationship for herself, there was a time to look for that and that time wasn't right now.

Clearing her throat and pulling her parents focus away from each other, they turned to look up at her. "Aurora is down, I can't imagine that you'll have any issues. I can come by in the morning to grab her or you can walk her over." Hermione said to her parents who shared a quick look with each other.

"Darling, I know that Theodore is in charge of throwing this party for you. We'll plan on seeing you tomorrow afternoon so that you can enjoy a bit of a lie in. No need to rush yourself in the morning, I think we can handle our granddaughter for a bit." Her mother sent her a wink and Hermione began to protest, but was cut off by her father holding up his hand.

"It's no trouble at all. Aurora is going to be helping me care for Missy in the morning anyway, you take all the time you need." He reiterated to her, Hermione deciding that this was not the time or place for her to continue any sort of argument. After the morning she'd had, Hermione wasn't going to deny that she really was craving being able to just lay in her bed and possibly take a long soak in her tub to decompress. Maybe even getting that reset might help her sort a few things out.

Knowing that she was convinced, Hermione gave her parents both a nod before leaning into them and wrapping her arms around them both. "Thank you, both, for everything" she murmured into their ears as they hugged her back.

"Alright, that's enough of that. Off with you, I suspect your guests will be arriving soon and it won't do to have the hostess not at her own party." Roger said pulling back from her embrace and waving his hand towards the front door. Rolling her eyes, Hermione back away from her parents thanking them once more before disappearing out their front door.

The walk back to her house was short and didn't allow for much time for Hermione to let her thoughts rattle in her brain. Maybe that was for the best though. She'd not only invited Draco Malfoy; father of her child and the man that was carrying on an affair with her; but he'd accepted her invitation and would be at her home. Tonight. In her house. Where she lived.

If Hermione hadn't been sorted into Gryffindor, fought in a war at eighteen, and then had lived by herself in a country far from home raising her first child, she might have crumpled under her nerves. As is, Hermione was not going to let this little event break her. In fact, Hermione was going to welcome the man into her home and maybe she'd show him around. Really go out of her way to be the perfect hostess.

That, or, Hermione would let Theo be Theo and play the host and Hermione would drink way too many margaritas and slip off to bed before the party was over without saying anything to any of her guests.

Really, it was a toss up of how the evening could go. Hermione knew what way she would prefer to approach the night, and sober was not one of the options on the table. Oh no, Hermione had not bought too much tequila to stay sober tonight.

"Granger! We have incoming guests! You are not slinking off to bed just yet, so get your arse in here. Harry has the margarita pitcher made up for you already!" Theo's voice carried out into the yard before she'd even reached her porch. Sometimes, most times, having her best friend married to a Legilimens was a nuisance. Times like this, when the drinks she was in need of were already flowing, made her thankful for Theo's gift.

"Still not a nuisance, Granger! Weaslette and the Italian just flooed in and they'll have your liquid courage consumed in a matter of seconds if you don't hurry yourself up! Don't worry, your blonde isn't here yet, so get in here and start drinking!" Theo called out the window again as Hermione pulled open the porch door and stepped inside to the sound of thumping music, so loud that it was vibrating up her legs.

Shaking her head, Hermione finally opened the door connecting her porch to her kitchen and entered the room with her mouth gaping. "Theodore, I'm going to need that drink now." Hermione muttered looking around at what he'd done to her house.

It looked as if she'd walked inside an enchanted forest and not her home. Fairy lights were floating everywhere, giving off the dim lighting. The goblets looked to be made from wood and were engraved with vine, matching her wand perfectly with the pattern. There was moss growing up the walls and tables, letting off an earthy scent and wild flowers that came from the field outside were positioned everywhere there was a flat surface.

"Worse case, you'll never get all the moss off the walls and it will consume your entire property." Hermione turned around facing the bright green eyes of her best friend as he lifted his own goblet to his lips taking a drink.

"Worse case, I murder your husband for going over the top and you have to raise your goddaughter as a single parent because I'll be in Azkaban and obviously your husband will be dead." Hermione replied looking around at the over the top décor. "This is a house warming party, you can't even see my house." Hermione stressed as she gestured to the space that was no longer recognizably her kitchen.

"Theo was excited." Harry said taking another drink from his goblet.

"This is Theo taking advantage of the fact that he knew I was not going to be able to stop him because I had to work this morning and then spent the evening keep Aurora distracted at my parents'." Hermione replied accepting her own goblet from a grinning Theodore.

"I can't help it that you don't appreciate the delicacy that is party planning, Granger. If it were up to you, we would be drinking out of those ghastly plastic cups you tried to force on us at Aurora's first birthday. We aren't peasants and I won't have you acting like we are." Theo said shooting a wink at her as he raised his own goblet to his lips. "Oh good, Pansy's here" he said as he finished the drink in his goblet, setting it down on a stump and walking away from them towards the sitting room.

Harry and Hermione exchanged looks as they both shook their heads and let out a laugh as they followed through the doorway that Theo had just disappeared in. Walking into her dining room and to her living room, Hermione was shocked at how many people were already packed in her home. Ginny and Blaise were wrapped around each other in one of her wingback chairs, not looking as if they would be coming up for air anytime soon.

Members of the DA were all over the place, along with many of the Slytherins that Hermione had rubbed elbows with after Harry and Theo had begun dating. Not only that, but also the rest of the Weasley siblings and their spouses (minus Ron and Lavender) were also in attendance. Hermione's eyes squinted as she looked around at her packed home and leaned over to Harry as she realized a problem.

"I appreciate Theo's need to have such a big party to welcome me back to England, but isn't this a security risk having all these people in my home?" Hermione whispered with a bit of a bite in her tone, worried thoughts drifting to someone possibly wandering out of her home and over to where her parents and Aurora were.

"Oh, no need to worry Mione. We warded your home, so no one who isn't already keyed into your wards can leave the house except through the floo. That and no one can go upstairs to the bedrooms. This is just as safe as if we weren't even at your house and at some random pub." Harry replied, making Hermione much more comfortable at the mass amount of people gathered now.

Hermione and Harry stayed together as they drifted through the crowd and spoke to whoever she hadn't had a chance to speak with since her move back. Hermione was shocked at just how much she'd truly missed a lot of these people that she'd once been so close with. Getting swept up in conversation after conversation and copious amounts of alcohol, it felt like no time at all had passed, and Hermione had all but forgotten about a certain guest who still had yet to make his appearance.

It was only when Hermione laid eyes on Rachel in a skin tight satin mint green mini dress stepping out of her fireplace, closely followed by a silver eyed white blonde dressed in tight charcoal grey trousers and a white oxford with the top button left open.

"Oh, fuck me. Do you think Malfoy is into blokes at all?" Harry whispered into her ear, causing Hermione's arm to slap into his chest. "Fuck, okay, okay. Well, maybe he's trying to entice you to give Aurora a sibling, because. Damn." Harry finished quickly retreating before Hermione could get her hands on the man again.

"I'll have you know, Harry James Potter, that Malfoy and I can have sex without procreating." Hermione hissed at his retreating form causing him to stop and turn around with his eyebrows raised into his hairline.

Before he could reply, Harry was interrupted by his husband throwing his arms around Harry's neck and pulling him in for a snog. Turning away from the couple, Hermione turned back towards her fireplace to get another look at Draco, but he was no longer standing there. Scrunching her eyebrows together, Hermione began looking around the room, but wasn't able to locate either Draco or Rachel.

Wondering where they could have gone, Hermione wandered through her home smiling and making small talk to whoever stopped her, still not finding either of the people she was looking for. Hermione found herself back in her kitchen filling up another goblet with another margarita, when she heard the baritone that she'd been searching for.

"I shouldn't have agreed to come. She doesn't actually want me here. It was a pity invite, and I shouldn't have accepted." He was saying out on her porch.

"Oh my God, Drake. It wasn't a pity invite. She's crazy about you, have you not noticed the way she's been eye fucking you every time she sees you. I think it's disgusting, but you know. So, get your pretty boy ass in there and find the damn witch and shag her till she screams. Just, not where I can you hear you, I'd rather not vomit tonight. Really don't want to be able to hear my brother having sex." She could hear Rachel replying, causing Hermione's already flushed face to get even redder.

She wasn't that obvious, was she? Harry never said anything about the way she acted around Draco? Theo would have been relentless if he'd had any idea. Also, what did Draco mean that she'd just given him a pity invite? Did he really not know that after everything they'd done since she moved back actually meant something to her? He wasn't just the father of her child; he was so much more than that to her.

Shit, but he was married still. She needed to rein anything outside of her wants of him to have a relationship with their shared daughter in until he was divorced. As much as she felt for him, she wasn't going to continue being a mistress. That had to stop.

Hearing the porch door opening, Hermione ducked behind the island in the kitchen, so that she was out of sight of the pair re-entering her home. It wouldn't do to have them know that she'd been listening in on a private conversation after all.

Hermione stayed in her hiding spot long after they had exited the room and stood up to find Luna with her elbows bent and her face propped up on her hands, just watching Hermione. Making eye contact with the blonde, Hermione raised her eyebrows and looked around to see if she might be missing something. When she turned back to Luna, she wasn't even sure if the woman had blinked in that time.

"Alright there, Luna?" Hermione asked her.

"Oh yes, quite alright." She answered in her dreamy voice.

"Did you, um, need help with something?" Hermione asked, glancing around the room again.

"Oh no, your home has the most peculiar aura. I've never seen such a color, could it have to do with your daughter being a magical being?" Hermione's jaw dropped. She knew that she'd kept Aurora being a veela under a tight lip, not wanting that information to be public knowledge.

"Luna, how did you know that?" Hermione hissed at the blonde, feeling her mama bear shackles rising.

"Why, it clings to you, of course. And your home. Houses are always so in tuned with their owners. You were always the most beautiful color yellow and now you have such a strong violet mixed with you that it could only mean that she's a magical being. Have a lovely night, Hermione." Luna said as she drifted out of the kitchen and disappearing back into the crowd.

Hermione shook her head, accepting that trying to make any sense of Luna was a lost cause, as often as she was spot on with her wild assumptions, it was still easy to dismiss her wild theories. After refilling her goblet again, Hermione made her way weaving through the crowd, still looking for the father of her child, so they could hopefully talk.

ooo

Aurora Jean

Eyes slowly opening, Aurora was confused looking up at the ceiling of the room she was laying in. This wasn't her canopy bad with her see through pink curtains drawn tight. No, looking up she could see the stars and some of the constellations that her mother was always teaching her about.

Draco was her favorite and the only one that she could easily pick out. Draco was the dragon, just like she had a dragon. Rolling to her side, Aurora found her dragon pushed away from her, pressed up against the wall. After grabbing her friend and sitting up, Aurora remembered that her mother and Uncle Theo were having a party she was wanting to be at.

Silly mummy, she'd put Aurora to sleep in the wrong house.

Well, sitting in bed just wouldn't do. Pulling on her fluffy white dressing gown on and buttoning it up, Aurora quickly found her pink bunny slippers and put them on her feet. Quietly crossing her room, Aurora opened the door and looked out into the dark hallway. The house was quiet, but Aurora wasn't scared. She could feel the magical pull across the hall to her Gran and Papa's bedroom where they must be sleeping.

No, Gran and Papa would tell her that she needed to go back to sleep and not let her go to the party. Aurora slipped into the hallway and started walking towards the front door, following the magical pull that she knew was her mother. Aurora got excited though she realized that she could also feel the magical pull that was her Uncle Harry and Uncle Theo. They must both be at her house waiting to play with her!

There was another magical pull that Aurora didn't know though. It felt like mummy's, but it was different, somehow? Aurora had never felt this magical pull before, but it felt familiar, comfortable, and safe. The pull had her interest and Aurora was very excited to go and find out who this bond was connected to.

Oh, it didn't really matter. Mummy could tell her when she got to the party and got her piece of cake. Maybe there would be presents that Aurora could open? Slipping out the front door, Aurora turned around to close it. Papa keeps telling her that if she leaves Missy's door open that she could get out and get lost. If Aurora left Gran and Papa's door open, they might get out and get lost too, then she would be sad.

Shuffling across the damp lawn, following the stone path that would lead her to her house, Aurora clutched her dragon a bit tighter to her chest. It was much darker outside than she'd ever seen it before, and that scared Aurora. She didn't want to get lost, so she hurried her little steps along the path towards her house.

The lights were still on, so Aurora knew where she was going, but she was still scared. Reaching out, Aurora focused on her mum's magical pull so that she felt their connection. Her mother wasn't too far away now, but she wasn't the closet magic that Aurora could feel. The one that she didn't know was closer, maybe whoever that was could get an ice lolly. She really liked ice lollies.

Holding onto the handrail while her other arm was wrapped around her dragon, Aurora ascended the wooden steps that lead into her porch. Opening the door, Aurora slipped into and was shocked to feel music pulsing up her legs. That's strange, she'd never been in her house when it was so loud. Her mother and gran always liked it being quiet, so they all had to speak with soft voices.

The new magical pull felt like it was just on the other side of the door leading into the kitchen, making Aurora very curious as to who it might belong to. Standing on her toes, Aurora looked in through the window of the door that separated the kitchen and porch finding a man standing all alone. Strange, he looked just like that other man she'd seen when her and her mummy had visited Ms. Ella.

Aurora gasped as she realized that his magical pull also kind of felt like that man's too. Too excited to wait any longer to get closer to the man who looked so sad and alone, Aurora burst into her kitchen and ran up to him. He still hadn't noticed her entrance when Aurora used her small hand to grab the pocket of his trousers and tugged on them to get his attention.

When he looked down at her, Aurora was so excited to see that his eyes matched hers too, just like that other man! A grin spreading across her face, Aurora raised her arms up in the air to let this new man know that he needed to pick her up. "You match me too" she said as he obliged and leaned down to lift her into his arms.

"You feel like my mummy and you look like me." Aurora let out a gasp as she had an idea. "Does that make you my daddy? Louie has a daddy that he looks like, but I don't have a daddy and I don't look like my mummy. I match you, see?" Aurora was so excited as she reached back and pulled a handful of her hair forwards to show the man holding her that her hair matched his perfectly.

"Um, er." The silly man was stumbling over his words and that made Aurora giggle into her dragon.

"I have a dragon, see." She held up her friend for him, only causing his eyes to get bigger as he continued to look her over.

Aurora could feel her magical pull with her mother coming closer until she could feel her also standing in the kitchen. Aurora turned in the man's arms to smile at her mummy and wave at her.

"Aurora Jean, what in the world are you doing over here? You're supposed to be at Gran and Papa's house." She asked looking between Aurora and the man holding her.

"Hi mummy, is there anymore cake?" Aurora asked, staying snuggled against the man's chest.

"What cake Aurora? Sweetheart, come here, you can't just ask people to pick you up, you silly child." Her mother said as she got closer and Aurora pulled away from her back towards the man.

"No mummy, I didn't get so big to break the roof. He can hold me." Aurora said looking between the two adults. Her mummy and the man that looked like her and felt like her mummy. "Is he my daddy? He feels like you and looks like me, can he be my daddy? Please mummy?" Aurora asked her mum, looking back at her.

"Um, well. Draco Malfoy, I'd like you to meet your daughter. Aurora Jean." Aurora grinned at her mother, turning back to the man grabbing his face between her two small hands, forcing his face to look down at her.

"My favorite constellation is Draco."

ooo

Hermione

When Theo had grabbed Hermione's arm and told her that Aurora was in the kitchen, she was not expecting to walk in and see her daughter in the arms of her father, just acting as if she just belonged there. Draco, on the other hand, did not look like his normal calm cool and collected self. In fact, Draco looked like he would rather be anywhere else in the world rather than standing there holding his daughter and that broke Hermione's heart a bit.

At Aurora's declaration that Draco was her favorite constellation, Draco's face finally began to thaw away from the shock that he'd just met his daughter. His eyes warmed and his face flushed a bit while a grin that matched Aurora's began to grow over his face. Okay, maybe he just need a little time to adjust. Not that Hermione could totally blame him for that, it was one thing knowing that he had a daughter. It was a completely other thing to finally meet said daughter.

"Is that so?" He asked their daughter as she nodded her head enthusiastically, sending wild white curls flying in every direction.

"Oh yes, Draco is the dragon and dragon is my favorite." She announced looking back up at him, now holding her dragon so that he could see it.

"Aurora, darling, it's much too late and past your bedtime. Would it be alright if mummy took you back to Gran and Papa's house so you can go back to sleep?" Hermione asked, feeling slightly bad that she was about to rip this father – daughter introduction much shorter than she would have wanted their first meeting to be.

Draco's arms visibly tightened around the girl while Aurora gave a short pout followed by a yawn. Hermione stepped forward and held her hands out to the small girl waiting for her to pull away from her father. Rubbing her eyes with the hand holding her dragon, Aurora turned away from Draco and fell back into Hermione's arms, snuggling up against her chest.

"Goodnight, daddy." Aurora murmured with her cheek pressed against Hermione's chest as she reached out to touch Draco's chest, before letting her arm drop as her eyes began drooping as sleep took over once again.

"Goodnight, my love." Draco whispered as he leaned in and left a gentle kiss in the mess of curls, causing the corners of Aurora's mouth to lift. "Could I, would you mind that is, if I came back tomorrow?" Draco said, keeping his voice down as not to wake Aurora.

"Oh, yes, of course. You're keyed into the wards. Any time after ten is fine with me." Hermione replied watching Draco continue to study their daughter who's breathing was again evened out signaling that she was again fast asleep in Hermione's arms.

"Alright, well, I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Hermione." Draco said finally lifting his eyes to meet hers, before looking back down at their sleeping child. Without another word, Draco slipped from the kitchen and into the emptying party where there were only a few stragglers were left.

Looking down at the little girl in her arms, Hermione decided that if she didn't put her back in her bed at her grandparents' house, that it would cause more trouble than it was worth to just put her to bed upstairs. They would most certainly wake up in the morning and look for her, and there was no need to cause a panic when they were a quick walk away. With that thought in mind, Hermione exited her house and walked the short path towards the second home on her property and silently slipped inside.

As Hermione was finishing tucking Aurora under her thick blanket, the small girl began to stir a little before opening her eyes slightly to look at Hermione. With a smile on her face as she noticed Hermione, Aurora softly said "I want to be your best friend and daddy's best friend" before her eyes drifted close and fell into a deep sleep once again.

A/N: I think my heart grew a few sizes writing this. In my original outline, I was looking at this being when Draco found out about Aurora. Only, as I went over it more, I didn't like it. I did still like that this would be he first time of them meeting, and I really enjoyed how it turned out. Also, I can't get over how much I love Theo.

There are three Aurora quotes in here that I took from my 4yo. Can you guess what they are?

Next chapter will be Draco, Hermione, and Aurora spending the day together. Hopefully looking at a Thursday or Friday update.