A/N: Thanks for the reviews, everyone. I wish I could thank each of you individually. Take it from me that I do it in my heart, and I remember all of you. :-)

Tickled Pink89: LOL... here's the next chapter... I hope you enjoy it. I tried to update as soon as I could! I really am busy, I swear!

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Against All Odds

Chapter Four

If Hermione hadn't been sitting at that moment, she would have probably fallen down. She bit her lips again. It was too hard to believe. Why was it happening to her? What had she done wrong?

Maybe she deserved to be punished because she had never told Draco about Daniel. Maybe she had it coming, because it was her fault that Daniel didn't have a father, and that he was not a happy boy.

But why did she have to be punished that way?

"Who is she?" Hermione said, not recognizing her own voice, which sounded so cold and far.

"Some girl he met in America, Christine," Ginny replied hesitantly.

Hermione stared straight forward without a word.

"Hermione?..." Ginny tried to put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but Hermione fliched and got to her feet.

"I'm fine," she said hoarsely. "I'm totally fine. It's just that..." and without finishing the sentence, she ran out of the house and slammed the front door shut.

----

Draco was sitting in Harry and Ginny's living room again. He had been there and in Ron's place almost every day the last week. At first he pretended he was simply coming to visit his old friends, but now he wasn't even bothering to do so. He wanted to know what was going on with Hermione.

"Why won't you at least tell me where she lives?" Draco demanded. "Why are you making it so hard?"

"Why is it that important to you?" Harry asked.

"Because she had been my best friend before I moved to the US, and now that I'm back, I have to see her. Do you have any idea how much I missed her while in there?"

"What does your fiancee have to say about it?" Ginny asked. She pronounced the word 'fiancee' with a little sneer, but Draco didn't notice.

"Nothing," he replied, shrugging. "Why? What can she say about the fact that I'd had girlfriends before I met her? She had boyfriends before meeting me, too."

"Not about that," Ginny said. "About the fact that you're doing everything you can to see Hermione, who used to be your girlfriend. Doesn't she care about that?"

"She understands me. She's a very understanding person – that's one of the reasons I fell in love with her," Draco answered and stretched his arms high above his head. "So, anyway," he went on and put his arms back down, "what is going on? Please tell me what's up with Hermione. Doesn't she want to see me? Does she even know I'm here?"

Harry and Ginny looked quickly at each other.

"Does she?" Draco demanded.

"Yes, she knows you're here," Ginny said, still looking at Harry.

"I'll send her an owl," Draco decided and got off the couch. "You guys are driving me crazy. You won't tell me what's going on, and I have to – "

At that moment, the front door was opened and Hermione stepped inside.

She looked almost as he remembered her. Her body was fit, not as thin as it used to be, but still well-built. Her hair, which she used to let down in long curls down her back, was now shorter and softer-looking. Her face was young, but she had a line in her forehead,

She stopped dead as she saw Draco. Her jaw dropped. She looked astonished – then her eyes filled with something Harry and Ginny did not understand. It was as though she was recalling her history with Draco, how much she had loved him –

Draco, too, stopped dead in his place. Staring at Hermione, he swallowed hard. He took a deep breath, and then smiled. "Hi," he said quietly.

"Hi," Hermione replied, also very quietly.

"Harry, can I see you in the kitchen for a moment?" Ginny asked loudy. Harry nodded, and they both left the room.

Draco and Hermione kept staring at each other.

"I've missed you," Draco finally said.

"I've missed you too," Hermione answered. Why was she even talking to him? He was engaged to another woman. She decided to leave, but her feet wouldn't move.

"D'you – do you want to talk about it over dinner?" Draco asked. He had gained all his heart-strength to ask this question.

Hermione's expression changed. For the worst. It turned much colder. And much more irritated, as if he was simply wasting her precious time. "No," she answered, gritting her teeth.

"Why not?"

"Don't you have a fiancee?" she asked coolly.

"So what? It's just a friendly meal – between two friends who haven't seen each other for ten years. Right?"

Hermione's face grew hot. "If you don't understand, Draco, I have nothing more to say to you," she said furiously.

Draco left.

Hermione burst out crying. Ginny came immediately out of the kitchen. She didn't say a word, but as she hurried over to Hermione and hugged her tightly, Hermione knew she understood.

----

They met again the following day, in Diagon Alley. Draco had left Christine at the Leaky Cauldron and went to have a look at the Quidditch supplies shop. As he walked down the alley, he saw a woman about fifteen meters ahead of him. There was no mistake about that hair.

"Hermione!" Draco called loudly. She turned back and saw him. Her face filled with fury. She turned again and broke into a run.

Draco ran after her and caught her wrist.

"Let go!" she screeched hysterically and tried to scramble out of his grip.

"I won't, not until you tell me what the hell is wrong with you!" Draco said angrily and caught her other wrist. "You were my best friend. You still are. Maybe you don't think of me as a friend, but I do. And I never leave my friends! Ever!"

"You left me ten years ago." She struggled to pull free, but he was too strong for her. "Draco, let me go!"

"I did it only because I cared about my career. You would have done the very same thing if you had had the option!" he yelled back.

"It doesn't matter now. All that matters is that you – "she stopped talking and struggled again, without success.

"What? I what?" he demanded, still gripping her wrists forcefully.

"You left me alone and that's all I know!" she shouted. "Now let me GO, before I start screaming and make people think you're attacking me!"

"We need to talk, Hermione," Draco said, his eyes flaming. "Even if I let go now, I will never let go of you. Not until you tell me why you're so upset. Are you telling me that you're still angry with me for leaving?"

"No," said Hermione quietly.

"So what's your problem?!"

"I don't owe you any explanations, Draco. Leave me ALONE!"

As Draco was hesitating, a little blond boy came out of the next shop and went over to them. "Mom, I – "he began, and stopped as he saw Draco, who quickly let go of Hermione.

Draco turned to look at Hermione, whose eyes had widened with fear. She suddenly turned so pale, that she looked as though she were about to faint. Her breath became quicker – Draco could hear her panting.

A few seconds later, she pulled herself together. She even smiled a little – the first smile Draco had seen on her beautiful face for the last ten years. "Daniel," she said to the boy, "I want you to meet Draco Malfoy. He and I were friends many, many years ago."

Daniel raised his big, blue eyes to Draco, and Draco looked back, wondering... Who was this boy?

"And Draco, this is Daniel Granger," Hermione cleared her throat, "my son."

Draco's jaw dropped. He looked at Hermione, his eyes wide, then back at Daniel. He didn't understand... Hermione wasn't married – Ron had told him so... How come she had a son?

"Hello," Daniel said shyly.

"Hi," Draco said hoarsely, still gazing at him, not understanding... "Nice to meet you... Daniel."

----

"Mom, Mr. Malfoy was looking at me oddly," Daniel said fifteen minutes later, as he and Hermione were walking back home.

"No, I don't think so," Hermione replied shortly and sharply.

"I'm telling you," Daniel insisted. "He was looking at me as if he knew me. As if he were trying to read my mind or something."

"It was probably your imagination," Hermione said.

Daniel changed the subject. "Why haven't you two been in touch for so many years?"

"He went to America many years ago, and he only returned now," Hermione answered.

"Oh, so will you invite him over to dinner?" Daniel asked enthusiastically. "He seemed very nice, and you two have probably missed each other." As he said that, he raised his eyes to look at her, and was surprised to see a tear at the corner of her eye. She blinked quickly a few times and the tear disappeared.

"Are you okay, Mom?"

"I'm fine."

"So will you – "

"No, Daniel!" His mother's voice was suddenly icy. She gritted her teeth. "I will not invite him, and I don't want you to do it."

"But he was so nice," Daniel protested quietly.

"Did you hear what I said? I meant it. Don't ever invite him. I don't want you to keep in touch with him at all. Just trust me about that."

Daniel fell silent. But in his mind, he knew that if he ever met Draco again, he would definitely be nice to him. He couldn't help it – he just liked Draco. He wished his mother were less stubborn.

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A/N: So? What do you think?