Draco left the house. He was confused and horrified. What was he going to do? Was he really going to apologize? Or else... he would have to leave home - forever.

He had nowhere else to go. Yes, he had a lot of money in Gringotts, so he could buy or at least rent an apartment - but then he would never see his mother again. And though she had scared him to death before, he still loved her very much. She had been so kind to him during the long years when he suffered from his father's fury.

So WHAT the hell was he going to do? He wasn't very good at apologies - besides, she was probably going to throw him out of the house before he had a chance to say something.

He was convinced that Hermione deserved an apology, though. Even if she didn't agree to hear it, he should at least try. He turned and Apparated to Hermione's back yard.

As he found himself standing there, he quickly looked around to check no Muggle had seen him appearing out of thin air. But the place seemed deserted. He slowly walked around the house towards the front door.

Only when he stepped onto the sidewalk he realized he was wearing a cloak, which was very unsuitable for a Muggle street. He sighed, took it off, folded it and squeezed it into his jeans pocket. Then he knocked on the door.

"Just a minute!" he heard Hermione's voice calling from inside. Then he heard her footsteps down the stairs. A few seconds later the door was opened and Hermione stared at him with her huge eyes.

He had never forgotten how beautiful she was, but after over a year that he hadn't seen her, he was struck again by her beauty. Oh, dear lord, he thought, gazing at her with his mouth slightly open. He knew he must look as stupid as he felt, but he couldn't help but doing it.

Hermione had got herself together by now, and she straightened herself and narrowed her eyes at him. "You," she said in a low voice.

"Uh - uh - yes," said Draco, forcing himself to think. "Yes, it's me."

"What are you doing here?" said Hermione in a dangerous voice that remided him awfully of Narcissa.

"I - I - " he stammered, then shook his head and said: "we need to talk."

"DO we?" said Hermione, her eyes shimmering like an angry cat's eyes.

"I think we do," he replied.

"What makes you think I want to talk?"

"Well," said Draco, pretending to be calm though he was shaking from inside, "we do have a daughter - don't we?"

"It's nice you remember," Hermione snapped. "Have you even LOOKED at her picture?"

"What picture?" asked Draco, confused.

"I thought so." She turned angrily from him. "Why am I even talking to you? You don't deserve this. Go away."

"Hermione, I - "

"GO AWAY!" She screamed and slammed the door in his face.

But Draco was not going to give up after two minutes. He took a deep breath and knocked again.

"I told you to leave!" yelled Hermione from inside.

"I know that," he yelled back, "but I am not leaving, not until you listen to what I have to say. I'll stay here all night, if I have to."

"I'm afraid you will!" he heard her stomping around the room.

"OK," he said loudly, "just let me conjure a sleeping bag."

"WHAT?"

"I'm going to sleep on your doorstep," he informed her.

"You're nuts!" she screamed.

"Fine!" he screamed back. "Don't you have to whisper, so OUR baby doesn't wake up?"

"Oh, suddenly you care about OUR baby?"

"Yes, I do, otherwise you wouldn't have seen me sleeping on this stone, that's for sure! I came for you - but also for her, you cannot deny she's my daughter too!"

"Oh yeah?! Why weren't you there for YOUR daughter when she needed you?!!"

"When did she need me?"

"She always needed you! She needs a father! Every child needs a father!"

"But - "

"Shut up!" she screamed.

"Let me in so we can talk like grown-ups!" Draco demanded.

"Don't tell me what to do!" she shouted. "I will not have you in my house, you hear me? Go away!"

"I've already told you, Hermione. I'm not going anywhere until you let me in."

"Then you'll have to wait there until your dying day, I guess." He heard her going up the stairs. The lights of the second floor were turned off.

Draco sighed, pulled out his wand and conjured a sleeping bag, not before making sure no Muggle was around. He got into it and tried to sleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

he didn't know how many long hours of miserable thoughts passed before he fell asleep. All he knew was that he woke up when something very hard hit him on the side of his body.

"Ow!" he screamed and opened his eyes to see a furious Hermione standing over him, her hands on her hips. He looked sideways and understood that she had opened the door and hit him with it.

"Why did you have to open the door so hard?" he mumbled, shaking his head and holding his aching side.

"Good morning to you too," she replied, rolling her eyes. "I was going to take OUR child for a walk, if you don't mind. She's used to morning trips. Now step out of the way."

Draco stood up slowly. He looked into the house through the open dor and saw a baby-carriage in there. The excitement almost choked him - inside it, there was his daughter. He couldn't see her from where he stood - but he knew she was there.

"I said, out of my way!" said Hermione angrily.

"And I said, I am not going anywhere," he replied.

"You're such a jerk!" she almost slapped him. "What do you want?"

"Well," he said, sending another longing glance towards the baby-carriage, "can I see her?"

"No," said Hermione, blocking the way. "You had your chance to see her."

"But she wasn't even born when I had the chance - I didn't know that I wanted to see her - "

"She was three months old when you had the chance!"

"What?" Draco was so surprised, that he turned to look at her. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, you've already forgotten the owl?"

"What owl?"

"The one you hurt!" Hermione yelled. "It came back to me bleeding from feather to toe!"

"What? Hermione, are you crazy? I've never hurt any owl in my life."

"Don't you lie to me, I sent you an owl three months ago suggesting you keep in touch with Monica, and the owl came back to me - "

"Monica?" Draco cut her off. "Who's Monica?"

Hermione's eyes shimmered dangerously.

"Our daughter, Monica," she said coldly. "I guess you didn't even read the letter before tearing it into pieces and trying to kill my owl."

"But Hermione, I haven't received any owl from you for at least a year now," said Draco, completely confused. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I would have never hurt your owl. I didn't even know our daughter's name is Monica."

"How did you know it was a girl, then?" asked Hermione in suspect.

"Someone from work told me," said Draco. "A few months ago. I just want you to know that I've been thinking about the two of you all the time throughout this year, and had I got this owl from you, I would have never hurt it - on the contrary, I would have Apparated here as quickly as possible."

Hermione gazed at him, but didn't say a word. Draco didn't know whether she believed him or not.

"Can I - see - Monica now?" he asked hesitantly.

Hermione kept staring for a few seconds, but then she moved aside and shrugged, as if she didn't care.

Draco stepped forward towards the carriage. He leaned over it to look inside.

There, inside the carriage, lay his daughter. He saw her holding a doll in her small hands and looking up at him in wonderment. She had Hermione's eyes - Hermione's tantalizing, clever, charming eyes. He felt as if his insides were melting - how can you immediately love someone so small so much?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A/N: Whoa, reviews galore!!!!!!! Thanks guys, I loved them!!! It really makes me want to write more - you see, I updated very quickly! :D I hope you had fun reading this chapter and the next one will come as soon as possible (if you keep up the reviews)!

Burgundyred: You said I'm "the queen of angst"... well, first of all, thank you so much!!! :D Second, I know it sounds weird but - can you tell me what's the meaning of the word "angst"?

Love you all,

Roni Black.