Against All Odds

Chapter Eleven

The next day, Draco came again. Ginny was the one to welcome him this time and apologize for the way she, Harry, Ron and Luna had treated him when he had come back.

"It's all right," Draco said before she finished. "Really, don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault; you only did what Hermione had told you to."

"Are you sure?" Ginny asked.

"Of course I'm sure."

Daniel came out of his room. "Dad!" he cried, ran towards Draco and hugged him.

"Hi, son," Draco said, grinning. "How was school today?"

"It was okay," Daniel answered as they both sat down on the couch. "The teacher was kind of angry with me for not coming to school yesterday. But then Joey Turner – he's in my class – started hitting another boy, so she forgot all about me."

"You were lucky there, mate," Draco grinned. "I remember one time at Hogwarts – I was late for Potions and old Professor Snape didn't do anything to me. I'd always been his favorite. Of course, the following day I was late for Transfiguration with McGonagall, and she gave me a detention."

Daniel laughed. Just then, Hermione walked in.

"Hi everyone," she said and smiled.

"Hi, Mom," Daniel called from the couch. Draco nodded and smiled, and the two of them continued to talk.

"He looks so happy," Hermione whispered in Ginny's ear.

"Yes," Ginny nodded. "He finally looks like a normal, happy child. I'm glad you let him meet Draco again, Hermione. Best decision ever."

Hermione watched Draco and Daniel and grinned. The two of them looked happy and content, and she was starting to feel happy about it as well. Her son had finally found his father.

"You know, he also needs something else," Ginny went on.

"What does he need?" Hermione asked.

"You know."

"I don't know."

Ginny shrugged and fell silent. Hermione turned around and kept watching at Draco and Daniel. They had started playing Exploding Snap again. Draco had apparently just told something extremely funny, because Daniel was rolling with laughter.

Suddenly she heard Ginny whispering in her ear: "When will you finally admit it, Hermione?"

"Admit what?" she wondered.

"Admit that you love him," Ginny answered. "It's so obvious now! You can't hide the truth. Not from me."

Hermione felt her face go red and flushed with embarrassment. "Shhh!!!" she whispered angrily, caught Ginny's wrist and dragged her to the kitchen.

"What the hell was that supposed to mean?" she demanded as soon as the door was closed.

"It's not that difficult to get it," Ginny snorted. "Every blind man can see you can't take your eyes off of him when he's around. Come on, you're so hot for him!"

"I am not!" Hermione insisted. "He's the father of my child, I'm supposed to be looking at him, to see how he treats Daniel."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous. He takes care of Daniel perfectly well, and you know it. You're looking at him because you find him HOT!" Ginny teased her.

"I do not find him HOT," Hermione sneered. "And just to remind you – he's engaged. In a few months, he'll be married. I'm not stupid enough to be in love with an engaged man."

"But you are."

Hermione sighed loudly. "Ginny, for the last time, I am not in love with Draco. My love for him has faded eleven years ago, when he left me and went to America."

"Then why haven't you gone out on dates ever since? Eh?"

Hermione fell silent. She was suddenly strongly reminded of Daniel – how, just an evening before, he had looked at her with his big, innocent blue eyes and asked: "...you would have probably been happier if you had tried dating someone, wouldn't you?"

"I didn't want Draco to be replaced by another man," she told Ginny. "I thought Daniel had only one father, who was Draco, and I didn't want someone else to take this place."

"You didn't want Draco to be replaced by another man," Ginny repeated slowly. "You didn't want someone else to take his place..."

Suddenly Hermione realized how Ginny had understood that, and her face flushed again.

"Not in my heart!" she protested. "I didn't mean in my heart! I meant in Daniel's life, not in mine!"

"Are you sure?" Ginny asked. And again, Hermione remembered Daniel's question: "Mom, do you still love Dad?"

Hermione hadn't answered that question, because even now, she wasn't sure what the answer was. Obviously, she did NOT love Draco anymore. It had been eleven years since he left her. How can you love someone who's not even around for eleven years?!

When Draco was abroad, Hermione was sure she didn't love him anymore. The thought of him caused her pain, but the pain softened during the years. However, now that he was back, her confidence was gone again... Had she fallen in love with him all over again? Or had she been in love with him for all these years and simply didn't know it? And worst of all: what would she do now? He was engaged, in love with someone else. She had no chance.

Hermione raised tearful eyes to Ginny, who nodded at her. "I know," she whispered. "You don't have to tell me."

"It was not supposed to happen!" Hermione wailed and threw herself in Ginny's arms.

"But it was meant to be," said Ginny softly. "You two were supposed to be together and have Daniel together. It was just this damn job in America that ruined everything. And now he's got that stupid blonde who's dazzling him, and he can't see the truth."

"And what is the truth?"

"The truth is, you two were just made for each other," Ginny declared. "And one day, Draco will realize it too. I just hope, for you and for Daniel, that this day will come soon."

----

"Hermione, can I come tomorrow, too?" Draco asked after Daniel had fallen asleep on the couch, and Hermione had got up to walk him to the door.

"But tomorrow Daniel's going to a birthday party, didn't he tell you?" Hermione said. "It's a new friend he has, they just started talking yesterday and hit it off, so Daniel was invited to this party."

"I know, he did tell me," Draco answered. "It's great that he's got a friend in class. I'm really happy for him. But I still want to come."

"Oh?" Hermione raised her eyebrows. "What for?"

"To talk to you, actually," Draco answered. "You know, about Daniel. I want to keep in touch with him as much as I can, and I won't be able to come here every day, so maybe we can work something out."

"All right," Hermione agreed. "I'll be home at six P.M. tomorrow. You can come around seven, and we'll have dinner."

----

Draco came at exactly 7:00 P.M. Hermione had already made dinner, and they both sat together to eat.

"Well, first of all," Draco began, "for all these years, you have raised Daniel on your own. Not only have you educated him, but you have also supported him financially without any help from outside. I know that's the reason you have to work so many hours a day. Now, listen. He's my son, too. I've already missed the first ten years of his life, and nothing could ever give them back to me. Please, let me support the two of you. I'll give you a certain amount of money each month, from my own salary. That way, Daniel will have more of you in his life. You won't have to work that much."

Hermione gazed at him. At first, the suggestion hurt her pride a little – she had supported Daniel for ten years, she was definitely able to keep on like this! But when she looked into Draco's pleading eyes, she was touched.

"Thank you, Draco," she replied and smiled. "It will be great."

Draco grinned. "Anyway, there was another thing I wanted to ask," he said. "Look, I won't be able to come here every evening. I have some work to do at home as well, and I have a fiancee – "Hermione's lip curled, but Draco didn't notice, and went on – "I have a fiancee to whom I haven't been paying enough attention for a long time. Actually, ever since I found out about Daniel, I've been neglecting her, and she doesn't stop complaining. That's another reason. So, I wanted to ask for your permission: can Daniel stay at my place every other weekend?"

Hermione's jaw dropped. The thought of Daniel leaving the house every other weekend and going to Draco's, leaving her all alone for two whole days, frightened her.

"But – but – "she mumbled, "then I'd stay alone in here."

Draco's expression changed. "You're right, I haven't thought about it," he agreed. "So all right, not for the entire weekend. But how about just Saturday? I'll come a few times during the weekdays, but on Saturday I really want him to come to my place. That way he can get to know Christine as well. Please?"

"...okay," Hermione agreed reluctantly. She realized Draco was right, but a whole day?...

Just then, an owl flew in threw the open window, dropped an envelope on Hermione's head and fleed. Hermione opened the envelope, read the letter and jumped to her feet.

"What's the matter?" Draco asked.

"Oh, it was an urgent owl from St. Mungo's. They need me there now," Hermione answered while putting on her cloak.

"Oh no, how long will it take?" Draco asked worriedly.

"I expect not more than an hour," Hermione replied. "Will you wait here in case Daniel returns? And we haven't finished our talk. I'll be back as soon as I can. Bye!" and she Disapparated.

Draco was left alone, gazing into space. For a minute, he just stared. Then he sighed and finished dinner by himself.

Maybe I'll practise Exploding Snap, he thought after he had finished, but he really didn't feel like playing without Daniel. As he looked around, he realized how empty and depressing the apartment looked without Hermione and Daniel in it.

It looks just like it used to be eleven years ago, Draco thought and got up from his chair. Then he took a walk around the kitchen and the living room. They looked just the same, except for a new armchair Hermione had bought, and some new pillows on the couch. One of them seemed to be home-made by a little child, and Draco guessed Daniel had probably made in the kindergarten, or maybe in art classes at school.

Draco took a look at the bathroom, which had also stayed the same, and then his eyes fell on Hermione's bedroom door.

You should not go in there, he told himself sternly. This is a woman's room, she doesn't want you in there, you're not her boyfriend anymore.

Then he changed his mind. I'll just take a look to see if anything's changed, he told himself. No harm can come from one quick glance. And she'll never know.

Don't do it, Draco, he warned himself as his hand pressed the doorknob. Don't do it... don't!!

But the door had already been opened and Draco was inside, looking around him with wide-open eyes. Nothing had changed here as well.

His eyes fell on the bed. It was still the very same double bed, in which he himself had been sleeping so many times. In fact – he realized – this is probably the place in which Daniel had been created...

Draco sat on the edge of the bed. The drawers hadn't changed as well, he realized. While thinking, he pulled the top drawer out and pushed it back in, just for fun, not looking inside. Then he pulled out and pushed in the middle one. Then he moved to the bottom drawer, but he pulled it too hard, and it fell out.

"Damn!" he cursed. Luckily, the stuff inside the drawer hadn't fallen out as well. He lifted it and started to push it back into its place, but then he stopped abruptly.

His eyes were fixed on something inside the drawer. With trembling fingers, he reached out and took it in his hand.

It was a small jewelry box, dark-blue with golden lines. There was something really, really familiar about it... but no. It couldn't be what he was thinking. She couldn't have been keeping it for all these years...

He opened the box with his trembling hands, and there inside was a shiny diamond bracelet. The same bracelet he had given Hermione eleven years ago, the day before he got that job offer in America.

"Wow," he murmured and lifted it with his fingers. Why on earth had she been keeping it? Maybe as a souvenir? But she had been so angry with him for leaving, why would she want a souvenir?

Not unless...

Well, maybe she had just left it here and forgotten all about it. But it wasn't like Hermione.

But now I have a fiancee, Draco thought desperately. She can't keep it! My ex-girlfriend can't keep a jewel I gave her once. What will Christine say if she ever sees her wearing it?

Should I tell her to throw it away?

But then he realized, he did not want her to thro it away. He wanted her to keep it, to... remember him...

Why? Why on earth should she remember him? She did not love him anymore. Or did she? He didn't know, but all he knew was that he wanted her to...

No! NO! I can't do that! Draco protested voicelessly. I love Christine now. I'm going to marry Christine, not Hermione, so it means Hermione can't love me and I can't love her!

But I do, he thought. Struggling with that horrible understanding, it suddenly didn't seem so horrible anymore...

----

A/N: Gotta finish now, sorry, I could and would go on and on, but it's late and I've got school tomorrow. But don't worry, I'm starting my summer vacation in a few days. Review please!

Love

Roni.