Redemption

by Cherry Lychee

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns all the characters, settings, and situations you recognize from the Harry Potter series. The rest is mine.

Author's Note: Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews! Mz kane, ayumi-dono (your question will be answered in this chapter), Rebecca (I live in the Philippines… soon it'll be my turn to be jealous because the school year here starts during your summer vacation ^_^), some1, desdemona16, Crystalline Lily, exlibris, Lizzie, Sweet Sorrow, and Silinde, you have really made my day. I was also wondering if I should give this story a higher rating, due to its content. Any opinions on this?

Here's the next chapter. Enjoy! And don't forget to tell me what you think.

Chapter Two: Draco's Startling Discovery and Hermione's Memories

One week later, Draco was perched on a tree outside Hermione's bedroom window, wincing every time even the slightest movement caused him to get scratched or poked in the ribs by some annoying thorny branch.

"Master, you owe me big time for this," Draco muttered, shifting to find a more comfortable position. This resulted in one of the twigs overhead hitting him in the eye. "Argh! Damn it!"

His contact had informed him Hermione lived in this house in Little Whinging, Surrey, along with Ginny Weasley, Lavender Brown, and the Patil twins, and that her bedroom was the first on the second floor. Draco had been staying in the blasted tree for nearly an hour, using an Invisibility Spell to conceal himself from suspicious neighbors.

Not that I need it now, he thought, realizing it had gotten very dark. He checked his watch and was startled to discover it was already eight o' clock in the evening.

Sighing, Draco returned his attention to the window he had been watching zealously.

Hermione's bedroom was very neat. The bed looked as if no one had actually lain down on it for even a second. Beside it was a night table, on which rested a lamp with a frilly pink lampshade, a small clock, and a thick book. Across the room, a stack of papers lay on a study table. Very well organized.

Draco smirked. He wouldn't have expected any less from Miss Hermione Granger, Head Girl and model student.

The door opened slowly, and Hermione Granger, Head Girl and model student, stepped into the room.

At first, all he could concentrate on was her face. She still looked as beautiful as ever, with her waist-length chestnut-colored hair falling in soft waves down her back, her large brown eyes sparkling even from a distance. His throat went dry.

God, it felt so good to see her again after all these months!

Then his gaze traveled lower…

And he almost fell out of the tree from absolute shock.

"I don't believe it," he whispered. "Jesus Christ…"

His contact had told him a lot of things, but he sure as hell had neglected to tell him Hermione was pregnant.

Hermione drew a sharp intake of breath as what was now a familiar hot flash of pain spread from her front to her back. It subsided as quickly as it had appeared, and she smiled, her hand pressing against the roundness of her belly. A small foot shifted, meeting her touch.

It had been a nightmarish eight months. Voldemort had come back to full power barely a week before Hermione would graduate from Hogwarts. He and his followers had turned the beloved school into their headquarters… They had killed Dumbledore and the others who had put up a fight… even Neville…

Unbidden tears streamed down Hermione's cheeks. Poor, brave Neville! He had pushed Ginny aside just in time, and had been hit by the curse meant for her. I never knew he had it in him, thought Hermione, sitting at the edge of the bed.

After that devastating attack on Hogwarts, the students--- those who survived and refused to swear allegiance to the Dark Lord--- had been sent back to their homes, but not after being warned that they would no longer be safe. Hermione went back to her parents, and found out later that she was pregnant. Barely a week after that, her parents had died in a car crash, and Hermione, no longer able to bear the grief, had very nearly suffered a miscarriage.

When she woke up in the hospital, Ginny was at her side. Dear, sweet Ginny, whose parents had disappeared--- probably taken captive by the Death Eaters--- had offered Hermione a place to stay, with her, Lavender, Padma, and Parvati. Hermione had gladly accepted.

When she first found out she was pregnant, Hermione had been angry and shocked, knowing that she was bearing Draco Malfoy's child. Her immediate reaction had been to get rid of it, but soon shock and anger gave way to a sense of wonderment. She was carrying a new life within her, and there was no doubt in her mind that she would love and care for the baby as soon as it was born. That its father was a despicable bastard was something that simply could not be helped.

Hermione shivered, remembering that wild night. They were both drunk, and their hormones were in overdrive. After that first kiss, a kiss so overwhelming that it drugged her senses even more than the liquor had, there was no going back.

She had given herself to him so freely and wantonly that now it shamed her to think about it. His impassioned caresses had burned her skin; his hot kisses had made her lose all common sense. His ardent hunger had fired the need within her, until she was moaning his name over and over again, matching his movements, writhing underneath him, oblivious to everything else.

Who would have thought, said Hermione to herself, smiling in self-mockery, that I could behave like a harlot, or that Malfoy could be capable of such fire?

I wonder where he is now and what he's doing…

The smile turned into a frown as the most logical answer came to mind. He was off somewhere torturing Muggles under the orders of You-Know-Who.

Jackass.

A soft voice jerked Hermione out of her dark musings. "Knock, knock."

She smiled at Ginny, who was standing in the open doorway, wearing a pale blue nightgown and carrying a glass of milk. "Come in, Ginny."

The petite redhead entered the room and gave the milk to Hermione, who drank it gratefully.

"Thank you," said Hermione, setting the now-empty glass on the night table. "You really shouldn't have bothered."

"Nonsense!" said Ginny, sitting next to her on the bed. "Your baby needs all the nourishment it can get. It's almost due, isn't it?"

Hermione nodded. "One more month."

"Have you decided on a name?"

"If it's a boy, I'm going to call him Jordan," Hermione replied quickly. "And if it's a girl, her name will be Virginia."

Ginny blushed, obviously pleased. "How flattering."

"I never would have gotten through these months without your help, Ginny."

"It's what Ron would have wanted me to do," said Ginny seriously. "He loved you, after all."

Hermione bit her lip and looked down at the floor, on the verge of tears again. Ron had died so Harry could live. He had caused a distraction, challenging Voldemort and his Death Eaters and fighting them single-handedly, giving Professor McGonagall time to shove Harry into the secret passageway under the statue of the one-eyed witch.

"We've all been through so much, Hermione," Ginny whispered. "We've lost so many friends and loved ones… When will it end?"

Hermione placed a supportive arm around her friend's shoulders and held Ginny's hand tightly. "One day Harry will be able to fight You-Know-Who," said Hermione fervently. "He wasn't strong enough, but he's in training now. All we can do is believe in him… He's our only chance…"

"I hope you're right," said Ginny in a small voice.

"Of course I am!" Hermione declared with a trace of her old bossy attitude. Ginny gave her a weak smile.

The youngest Weasley had grown into a beauty, with alabaster skin, flaming red hair, and eyes that were as clear and porcelain blue as an angel's. But because of the bags under those eyes and the worry lines on her face, she looked more in her mid-twenties than sixteen years old.

That's one of the worst parts, Hermione thought sadly, longing to see once more the youthful sparkle that had once been such a part of Ginny. We've all grown old before our time.

Draco silently watched the two girls, wondering what they were talking about. It frustrated him not to be able to hear their soft murmurs to each other. At last, Weasley stood up and, taking the empty glass with her, went out of the room. Hermione stared at the wall, obviously lost in her own thoughts. Draco scowled when he saw the telltale glimmer on her cheeks.

Why is she crying? he demanded silently, suddenly seized by an urgent need to wipe away those tears. He considered bashing his head against the nearest brick wall. He wasn't supposed to care, damn it!

But whose child was she carrying? Who had she married? Jeez, she was only seventeen, for crying out loud! Wasn't there any law that prohibited underage marriages?

Snap out of it, you moron! cried his logical inner voice. Go get the girl! Now's the perfect time to do it.

With a disgusted snort aimed at himself, Draco lithely moved closer to the window, ignoring his aching muscles and the several branches that hit him as if determined to keep him away. He pulled out his wand and said, "Crystavanis!"

The glass disappeared and Draco eased himself out of the tree and into Hermione's bedroom.