PART 1 Disclaimers:

Her-my-ow-ninnny, Draco and all the rest ain't mine, but sometimes I like to pretend they are. Lyrics are from Celine Dion's "In His Touch". "..busily exploring all the shades of red a person could turn" is from (I think) Cassandra Claire. "She lost something & I was just helping her look for it in her mouth" is from Maya's "Draco Malfoy, the Amazing, Bouncing... Rat".

Forgive me

Don't know where to start I guess we've come to

The serious part

I need to find out

If there's a chance for us *** Hermione was skivving off Potions again. It was the third time this week, even Snape had noticed and questioned them about it. Harry had lied and said she was sick. Thankfully none of the other Gryffindors had challenged his claim.

It was only Potions she was missing, as far as Harry and Ron knew. At the beginning of this year, their sixth year, classes had been rearranged so Potions was the only class they still had with the Slytherins so both Ron and Harry could more than understand Hermione's reluctance to see the Slytherins.

But this was Hermione!

Hermione, who had only missed school twice, once when she had transfigured herself into a cat accidentally and the other time when she had been petrified; who had, in the third year, used a Time Turner to voluntarily take three times as many classes as everyone else.

As Snape turned away, Harry noticed Malfoy staring at them without his usual sneer. They locked eyes for a moment until Ron noticed him stared and flipped him off.

Malfoy's signature sneer returned and he faced Snape again.

Harry and Ron exchanged a glance. They would talk to Hermione right after Potions.

~*~*~*~ As it turned out, when Potions was dismissed Hermione was waiting outside the dungeons.

Harry started towards her. "Hermione - "

She looked up and peered at him as if she couldn't quite figure out what he was doing there. "Harry... go on. I need to speak with... Snape. I'll meet you in the Great Hall."

Harry stared at her for a moment, then nodded and followed Ron away.

They were outside the Great Hall when Ron swore suddenly and violently. Harry grinned. Ron had a surprisingly large vocabulary (or, perhaps, not surprisingly considering who his older brothers were) of swear words and used them at the slightest provocation.

Ron turned back towards the dungeons. "Forgot my Potions book." he explained, heading for the stairs.

Harry followed. "Maybe we'll run into 'Mione on the way."

As they rounded the last corner to the Potions classroom, they heard raised voices.

"...been avoiding me! Don't try to tell me you haven't! You've not been to Potions OR Arithmancy in nearly a week! What's going on, Hermione? I deserve to know."

Ron and Harry exchanged a glance. Hermione? And that drawl was unmistakable - Draco Malfoy. What was he doing talking doing to Hermione?

"Draco... I - I'm not sure. I can't... not now. I'll know for sure tonight and I'll tell you then." Hermione sounded close to tears.

"You'll tell me now!" Draco made to grab her shoulders but Hermione neatly sidestepped him.

"Draco, listen to me." she placed her hands on his chest and Ron made an odd choking noise. Draco placed his hands over hers, placed a quick kiss on her lips and Ron nearly fell over.

"Oh Draco." she set her head on his chest and her next words were muffled, so Harry and Ron couldn't hear her.

But Draco could. He wound his fingers through her hair, and whispered something back. Hermione smiled, wrapped her arms around him and kissed him full on the lips.

At that, Ron lost it and, before Harry could react, was storming towards them. "Hermione!"

Hermione and Draco sprang apart, Hermione looking furiously guilty.

"Ron!" she spluttered.

"Hermione," he said dangerously and suddenly, ridiculously, Draco was afraid.

"It wasn't.... - " Hermione started.

The excuse "She lost something and I was just helping her look for it in her mouth" came unwittingly to Draco's mind but thankfully he swallowed the words before making a fool of himself.

"Ron." Harry came up behind Ron and put a warning hand on his arm.

Ron ignored Harry. "Please, Hermione. Please tell me I was hallucinating. Please tell me I did not just see you kiss DRACO MALFOY!" Ron was screaming by the end.

"Ron..." Hermione could tell by the glint in his eyes that if she made a wrong move now, she would lose him forever. "Draco... Draco and I have been dating since August."

Draco stepped slightly in front of Hermione, placing himself between her and Ron.

Ron, busily exploring all the shades of red it was possible for someone to turn, opened and closed his mouth several times, doing a remarkable impression of a fish.

"Dating, hmm?" came a snide voice from down the hall. All four turned to see Snape leaning against the doorjamb. "I'm all for inter-house relations, but I must say, Mr Malfoy and Miss Granger... that is a pairing I daresay, even Professor Trelawney couldn't have predicted." Hermione blanched and Draco placed a supporting hand on her arm. Snape sneered suddenly. "Now I suggest you take your little soap opera somewhere else lest I deduct points from your houses."

They nodded and turned as one to go when Snape spoke again. "Miss Granger. A moment alone, if you will."

Hermione nodded and started towards Snape, then turned to face Ron, Harry and Draco.

"Go on. I'll catch you up." she said to Ron and Harry. Draco, she merely looked at beseechingly and he nodded and strode towards the Slytherin common room without another word. After another moment Harry and Ron left as well, leaving Hermione alone with Snape.

"Miss Granger... that potion you asked me about..." Snape seemed to be having a hard time talking. "It was for you, wasn't it?"

Hermione nodded, unable to meet his eyes.

"And may I presume that Draco is the - "

"Yes!" Hermione blurted out.

Snape nodded and before he could stop himself, was talking. "Hermione."

It took Hermione a moment to realize that this was her name and therefore logical for him to call her it, so odd was the sound of it coming out of his mouth.

Somewhere between his brain and his mouth, a connection was not being made because, although his brain was screaming for him to shut up, he kept talking. "I know I'm not going to win any popularity contests, but if you need help, with whatever decision you make, I will help you." Finally his brain won out and his mouth clamped shut.

Hermione, to her credit, didn't drop dead from shock. "Thank you, sir." she managed to say.

They stood there, Hermione staring at Snape as if she had never seen him before and Snape looking down at her, feeling oh-so-stupid. Finally, Snape set his mouth in a sneer and straigtened his shoulders. "I assume I will see you in class tomorrow."

It wasn't a question.

Hermione started, then nodded. "Yes. And... I'm sorry for missing class. I've made up the work and - "

"Don't bother." Snape said brusquely. "Your grade can't get much higher."

Hermione stared up at him and after a moment, he swept his robes about him and stalked into his classroom, shutting the door behind him.

~*~*~*~ All through dinner, Harry and Ron had been trying to get Hermione to talk to them and Draco had been staring intently at her from across the hall. Finally able to take no more, she stood and started across the hall. Ron and Harry made to stand but she shook her head sharply.

"Later." she promised.

Harry sank back down, concern evident in his green eyes, and pulled Ron back with him.

Hermione didn't need to look to know that Draco had followed her out. He caught up with her as she was leaving the school, headed for the lake.

"Going for a walk?" his voice was steady and light, not betraying any of the worry he was feeling. She allowed him to slip his arm through hers as they walked.

She said nothing, despite his numerous attempts to start a conversation, until they had reached the lake.

"Draco..." she said turning to him, fear making her brown eyes huge. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course." he reached out to touch her cheek, but she turned, faced the lake, the wind whipping her hair about her face, tearing away her words so he had to lean close to hear her.

"Do you want a family?"

Draco blinked, unable to disguise his surprise. "A family?"

Hermione nodded. "A family. You know, the whole deal, a wife, kids, a dog, a minivan."

"A minivan?" Draco echoed, feeling like the only one at a party who didn't get the joke.

"Never mind." she was silent and Draco realized that she actually wanted an answer.

"I suppse." he stammered suddenly inexplicably nervous, all his inate grace abandoning him. "I mean, everyone wants a family, don't they?" he took a breath to steady himself; what was this about? "My father just wanted an heir, but I... I do." he sounded decisive. "I want a family. I want children. And a dog. And a minivan?"

Hermione stifiled a laugh.

"Hermione. That's what I want." he stopped and an odd look crossed his face. He squinched up his eyes momentarily and shook his head. "That's what I want," he repeated "if that's what you want."

Hermione's shoulders sagged, still facing the lake and when she spoke he wasn't sure that she had spoken at all or if he had just imagined hearing the words. "I'm pregnant, Draco."