Recap:

It was so quiet Hermione swore she could hear everyone's individual heartbeats.

"I'm pregnant…"

Chapter 10: Baby Boom

Ron opened his eyes at the feel of soft warm hands touching his face. Hermione was leaning over him, his head cradled in her lap. For a moment, he had no idea what was going on. And then, as he took in his surroundings, he remembered everything and shot up.

"Calm down," she said in a calm, soothing voice. She pulled him back and held him to her chest. "Think for a minute."

He did as he was told, for what else could he do?

"It's not mine," he said, looking up at her. "It can't be."

"I know," she agreed, allowing him to move away from her this time and climb to his feet. She followed suit, crossing her arms almost protectively over her chest. "If it was I'd be about to burst right now."

"Then whose?" His voice only sounded slightly hurt. He hadn't known she was seeing someone else.

Everyone's eyes were suddenly on Hermione, who stood, one foot on top of the other, in a simple yellow cotton sundress. Her cheeks were pink with what could have easily been mistaken for warmth. But the occupants of the room knew the truth. She was glowing with the formation of another human being inside of her.

"I…" She hesitated, catching Harry's eyes. And she was so startled, she almost couldn't continue. Was he angry with her? Both Ron and Ginny showed nothing but concern and a great deal of shock. But anger? Not at all. "I can't say," she whispered, looking at the floor.

"Why not?" Harry spat. She glanced up at him, then back at the floor. There was no question now—he was flat out mad. And this didn't go unnoticed by the others, but they weren't about to try to calm him. Over the years they'd come to realize that Harry was prone to sudden bursts of unexplained anger. No one blamed him, and no one got in his way. That was just the way he was. Only this time, he seemed completely out of line. Unless, of course, he knew something Ron and Ginny did not.

"He's a muggle," she managed to push out, not able to make eye contact with anyone. "From home…"

"What happened to the Ravenclaw sixth year?"

Shit! she swore in her head. She'd forgotten all about that lie.

"What Ravenclaw sixth year?" Ron stammered. Ginny pouted out her bottom lip, looking equally as hurt as her brother.

"She was seeing someone in the middle of the night all this year after you two split," Harry informed them with a sneer.

"He found someone else," she said quickly. "I wasn't really that into him anyway. He was a rebound."

Ron sighed and smiled a little. He didn't know why this made him happy, but it just did. She was moving on and finding other people, searching for that true love she wanted so badly; and he was happy for her.

"Then who is this muggle?" Clearly he wasn't buying it, just like he hadn't bought her lie about the Ravenclaw boy. She wondered why he never tried to speak with her privately about it.

"I don't know what I was thinking," she whispered, meaning every word. She hadn't known what she was thinking when she slept with Draco. And now this was the price she had to pay. Her son or daughter would hate her for it. They could never truly know their father, could never have a real family. "I was so depressed and lonely…I just latched onto him…But he's gone now."

"Gone?" Ginny asked, confused. "Gone where?"

"I don't know. He was only in town for a little while, visiting someone. He lives in another country, I think. I'll never see him again, and I don't want to. He was a mistake and I don't want him involved in my baby's life." She surprised herself with how much of what she was saying was actually true. She really didn't want to see Draco again, to have to be reminded all the time of her infidelity to Ron. And he was a mistake, and she did regret it and allowing herself to almost get attached to him. But she did want him involved with their child, to be a father, and a good father. She refused to raise another Slytherin-bound baby.

"What's his name?"

Hermione stiffened and met his eyes. She wanted to look away immediately, but held his gaze, staying strong. Nothing was worse to her than Harry being angry with her. Nothing.

"It's not important," she insisted, flinching only slightly when his eyes lit up with rage.

"Not important!"

This time, everyone flinched, and it was almost too much for Hermione to hold back her tears. If she could get out of this without crying then she had not completely lost.

"You're lying," he accused, turning away.

"Harry!" Ron and Ginny yelled in unison, astonished at his behavior. Not even Malfoy got him this worked up.

"Harry please," Ron sighed, placing a careful hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Isn't she under enough stress? She said he was no good. Why do we have to know who he is?" Of course he wanted to know too, but clearly she did not want this person in her life—ever. She was smart enough to raise and handle a child without the father; he knew that as much as the others did. Besides, there was no way she wouldn't have their help, whether she wanted it or not. Harry would cool down eventually and come around. It was all a matter of time. Everything was a matter of time.

Harry dropped his tense shoulders and let out a great sigh. He looked up at his friends, defeated.

"This is really what you want?"

"Yes Harry," Hermione said quickly, just happy to have his voice back to normal. "More than anything." She paused, weighing her options in the situation at hand, the Harry situation that is. "Do I have your blessing?"

A pin could have sounded like thunder in the silence of the room.

And then, startling them all, Harry smiled and chuckled softly, as if contemplating a previously-told funny joke. He approached Hermione some ten feet away and pulled her gently to him.

"Of course," he said, kissing her forehead. "I just wish the situation was better for you." He was still angry, still hurt, but he was beginning to accept her fate. After all, how could he stay mad at her forever?

"It's my only choice," she said truthfully. Either that, or risk her life, Draco's life, and the life of their future child. And nothing in the world could make her risk any of them. Draco deserved a good slap every now and then to set him straight, but to be in imminent danger? To come close to death or die? No, not even Draco deserved that. "Harry." She looked up, soothed by the sight of his calmed green eyes. "I want you and Ginny to be my baby's God parents should anything—"

"Hermione," he said, his voice stern. "Nothing is going to—"

"We agree," Ginny piped in as she came over and swung her arms around her best friend and boyfriend. Ron sighed with relief and joined the group, kissing Hermione a good-natured kiss on the cheek. "And congratulations 'Mione. You're going to be a great mother."

"Yeah!" Ron laughed. "And good luck. It's going to be a Granger, and that means hellraiser." Hermione couldn't help but laugh.

"Harry?"

"I hope you're happy, Hermione," he said genuinely. She didn't think his heart could get any bigger and not burst.

"I am," she whispered, her face lit up with a bright smile. "I really am."

18 Months Later…

Hermione yawned deeply and sat up in bed. She shut off her alarm and smiled. She had slept the entire night through without once having to get up for a crying baby.

In the year and a half after everyone knew her condition, Hermione had been quite the busy-bee. She now lived in a modest-looking apartment in the heart of London, only a few blocks from the Ministry, where she worked. Every morning, if the weather was favorable, she would walk to work, enjoying the freedom and fresh air. She hadn't thought that being on her own—and with such huge responsibilities—would give her such a soothing calm, but, then again, she was Hermione Granger, a girl who lived for her work.

Throwing on her bathrobe, Hermione headed down the hall to the nursery, a pastel-colored, plush-stuffed wonderland for any child. She knew her diligent work ethic at school would pay off in the end—her paycheck was quite more than adequate for what she needed.

"Mommy is so proud you slept all night," she said, leaning over the side of the cradle. Two wide blue eyes stared up at her, and then, right after, a set of sleepy chocolate brown eyes. "Daddy's going to be happy about that." She reached into the crib, but stopped, sensing a disturbance behind her. Her hand went instinctively to her robe pocket. Her finger just grazed the wand's handle, when Draco stepped into her line of vision, relaxing her immediately. "You're early," she remarked. "The girls just got up. And they slept the whole night through," she added, beaming with pride.

"So I heard." He went to the crib, looking down at his two plump and healthy baby girls, only two months away from their first birthday. Everyone had been surprised, to say the least, when Hermione gave birth to twins, two girls—one with brown eyes and one with blue. They all wondered where the blue eyes came from, and to that Hermione had replied, "They're her father's."

"Did you have any trouble getting here?"

Draco groaned and pulled the brown-eyed baby from the cradle.

"Scarlet," he said to his daughter, who responded to him with a spirited giggle and kick of her chubby little legs. "Why does your mother always insist on asking me that?"

"I don't know," Hermione mocked, and followed suit, picking up the remaining baby. "Jade," she said, smiling when the blue-eyed baby smiled up at her. "Why does your father have to be such an—"

"No trouble," he said, laughter behind his voice. "No one knows how and where I spend my personal time. Besides, who would need to contact me at seven in the morning?"

"Draco," she sighed, heading for the door to start breakfast. "You know why I'm so cautious about that."

"Cautious?" he scoffed. "More like paranoid."

Hermione gritted her teeth and placed Jade in the crayon green highchair next to the kitchen table. Draco held back his chuckle, and set Scarlet in the red highchair.

"You shouldn't risk coming here so often." Though, in truth, she would have liked him there all the time. He was more than helpful with the girls. In the beginning—before the babies were born—he had only come around maybe twice a month to check in on her, though he knew very well that she was fine from having seen her at work. Now that Scarlet and Jade were in their lives, he came over almost every other day. It seemed nothing could separate him from his daughters. Who would have guessed Draco Malfoy could be a father? And a great one at that.

"They're my children too," he said, cracking an egg into the frying pan. Hermione fished through the cabinets for two jars of baby food. "I should be living here, seeing them every minute."

"You're the one that was so worried about risk in the beginning," she pointed out, referring to the fateful day when she told him she was pregnant.

"That was before they—" He motioned to their impatient, giggling daughters who slapped lazily at each other across the room. "—came into the picture. I would risk a hell of a lot more for them." The passion and conviction in his voice gave her pause. She set the jars of food on the kitchen counter, staring at the man that was the father of her children. In the year and a half they'd been out and on their own, she had done an amazing job of staying away from him in every sense, other than that pertaining to her daughters. Not that she didn't want to be with him, fiery and wanted under the covers, but going through that door meant going through so many others.

But now, his love and devotion for his baby girls laid out so plain and proudly, she could not help but wonder what it would be like to have that sort of relationship with Draco again. Everything was different now; they had two babies who they were raising together. It would no longer be about having intimacy with someone else—they could both very well find anyone they wanted in London. But the thing was that neither had so much as gone on a date.

She shook her head and turned away, clearing her thoughts. He was just the kind of distraction she did not need in her life right now. She had work and the babies, and, of course, the all-encompassing threat of Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Besides, at this point in her life, she wanted to find someone she could love and who could love her in return. Draco Malfoy was certainly not that someone.

After they finished breakfast, Hermione went to get ready for work, while Draco dressed and changed the twins. By the time they were finished, they still had a good twenty minutes before the babysitter was due to arrive, and another half an hour before work started. Hermione always thought it was silly that Draco needed to stay until the moment the babysitter arrived every time he came over in the morning, but she didn't protested. After all, he was right—they were his children too.

"We need to start thinking about a school for the girls," Hermione said out of the blue, breaking the deep silence that had set in while they waited. They didn't really talk about much that didn't pertain to the children. And there was a very good reason for that.

"Hogwarts," Draco replied without a second thought, looking down at Scarlet in his lap, her curly mop of blonde hair framing her beautiful face perfectly. Jade, who was asleep in her mother's arms, had blonde hair as well, though they both figured it would darken as they got older. The only distinction between the two girls was their eyes.

"I mean in a few years. They can't go to Hogwarts until they're eleven."

"There are no schools bef—No!" he snapped in realization. "My daughters are not going to a muggle school!"

"Draco," she sighed, remaining calm. She knew this is what his reaction would be. Luckily for her, their girls were used to their parents' bickering and were able to ignore it. "Scarlet and Jade are part muggle, whether you like it or not. That's what comes with having a muggle-born mother. They spend time with my parents, Draco, what did you expect? I want them to have an upbringing like I did, because they certainly can't have one like yours."

He scowled, but said nothing. She was right, of course. For their daughters to have an upbringing like him they would have to know his parents, which was never going to happen. They would have to be brought up with both heritages, no matter how much he hated it.

"You find a damn school then," he murmured, his eyes still on his daughter.

"That's what I figured," she said.

Draco's head snapped in her direction, his teeth barred like an angry puppy.

"Don't assume you know me," he spat. "I want to be involved in every aspect of their lives, but there are some things that I just can't do."

"What is it about muggles that bother you so much?"

"Just drop it, Hermione. Their last name is Granger, that's muggle enough."

"Draco," she sighed, placing a cautious hand on his shoulder. He flinched and brushed her away. "Don't be cold with me."

"I am being cold?" he laughed, then leaned in, catching her eyes and holding them. He was so close, almost close enough to kiss her, when she pulled back and adjusted Jade in her arms.

"Drac—"

"Point proven."

Harry brushed stray, wind-blown hairs out of Hermione's face, following her eyes to the sandbox where her daughters played with Ron and Ginny. He knew what she must be thinking: I have the most gorgeous children in the world. And she was absolutely right.

"They're going to ask questions when they get older," Harry said, as if continuing a conversation they'd been having, when in fact he'd only just come over to her. It was harder than he thought to tear himself away from the girls.

"I know," Hermione sighed, looking to her best and most trusted friend. If she had to tell anyone about Draco, it would be Harry. But, of course, that would never happen. And she wondered what would happen when the girls started talking. Would they mention their father? Would someone put two and two together and figure it all out?

"Hermione." He took her hands in his, catching her full attention. "There's something I want to tell you."

Her heart quickened. No, she thought, he's figured it out already!

"Me and Gin were going to wait until after all the wedding next month, but I wanted you to be the first to know."

"Know what?" Now she was completely confused. What was he talking about?

A sly smile crept across his features, and he leaned in, whispering, "Ginny's pregnant. We're going to be parents!"

"I—" But for a moment she was at a complete loss for words. "Harry, that's wonderful." Nothing could have controlled the smile on her lips. She was truly happy for her friends. And now their children could play together! It was going to be perfect! "How far along is she?"

"A month or so." He was almost talking through his teeth his smile was so wide. "We're going to get the family together next week and tell them." And by family he meant the Weasleys.

"So Ron doesn't even know yet?"

"No," he said, his tone of voice telling her that he wanted it to stay that way. "Look 'Mione, I don't know what I'd do without you. You're the best friend a guy could ask for. I want you to be involved in everything in my life, I want you to know everything."

A sharp pang of guilt coursed through her. She wanted him to know everything in her life too.

"I love you Harry," she said, kissing him sweetly on the cheek. "But I think your fiancée misses you." She waved to Ginny in the sandbox, who beamed and waved back. Now she knew why she looked so familiar; she looked exactly the way Hermione had when she was pregnant.

"Duty calls," he laughed, and jogged the short distance to her.

Hermione sighed heavily and looked on, longing to be completely and shamelessly honest with everyone she loved.

"Draco Malfoy," she whispered, her eyes falling instinctively on Jade and Scarlet, the giggles carried away in the summer breeze. "You are the best and the worst thing that's ever happened to me…"

What shall I do next? Muhahahahaha!

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