Recap:

"Come on mate," he said, pulling him to his feet. "I think we better get to bed."

Ron only managed a weak nod, allowing himself to be dragged up the opposite staircase, all the while wondering how he could have thrown away his one shot at true love.

Chapter 10: Time Will Tell

After all that had happened, Hermione didn't care one ounce that she was marching towards Slytherin House, intent on entering no matter who came to answer the door. Viciously she wished it was Pansy Parkinson, giving her an ample excuse to clock her good in the jaw. Anyone she would simply threaten, knowing full well that they knew she would and could follow through. She was far too angry and determined to not gain access. Plus, Draco would eventually come down to see what the fuss was about and let her in. If not there would definitely be more than hell to pay.

She knocked vehemently on the stonewall that was the Slytherin entrance, very aware of the fact that over the course of the day everyone in the school had not only found out she was pregnant but who with and what their plans for the future were. If she'd had enough energy she would personally interrogate each and every Gryffindor until the culprit or culprits were known. And then she would make them regret ever entering the castle.

"Granger!" Goyle spat, sticking his big ugly nose in her face. Without delay she pushed him back and slid into the common room without so much as a word, her wand out and ready for anything. "What the hell do—" It took no thought whatsoever for her to silence him with a simple charm, her aimed wand threatening more if he moved towards her.

"Where's Draco?" she demanded of the crowded room of Slytherins.

"Right here," came his agitated voice as he presented himself at the top of the staircase. "What gives? I'm the only one allowed to give Goyle what's coming to him." His secret smile told her she'd been right before—he would have let her in had there been a problem.

Quickly she made her way up to him, her anger somehow dissipating when she saw the look in his eyes. He must have thought there was something wrong with the baby, or else he wouldn't be looking at her like that.

"The baby's fine," she assured him, then motioned towards the bedrooms, indicating she wanted to speak with him in private.

"What's so important that you would actually set foot on enemy soil?" he asked cockily, his fears having been squelched. He was at his home base; he had the upper hand.

"Where is that notebook you've been writing the dreams in?" she asked, getting straight to the point. She didn't want to be here any longer than she had to be. He always seemed to get the better of her when they were alone.

"Why?" He would make her beg before he gave her something willingly.

"Because I want to check something."

"I thought they were a load of rubbish, something my mind concocted because I feared being a father."

"Last night I learned something new about our quandary," she caved with a sigh, and took a seat on the nearest bed, his bed. He noticed this with grinning pleasure and followed suit, though kept his distance. For now. "It seems Ron and I had been dating at the end of sixth year." Draco's smile dropped slightly. Where was she going with this? Had the weasel come out of seclusion last night and begged forgiveness that she'd in turn given? Were his chances with her blown? "It also seems that he and Lavender Brown snuck around behind my back." At this Draco's eyes brightened and he scooted closer to her. "I apparently found out and left him. He then dumped her because he realized he'd made a mistake," she said with a triumphant smile. "He tried to get me back but I refused to talk to him. One night he cornered me and demanded I hear what he had to say. You—"

"I was wondering when I would come in."

She glared at him, and continued.

"You were in the corridors as well and happened upon us. I guess you thought he was hurting me, so you stepped in and 'saved' me."

"Your knight in shining armor," he pointed out with a gruff laugh. "How valiant of me." He found this more amusing than anything, as she'd figured he would.

Bloody ferret.

"What do you need the journals for then? You have your answers right there. I rescued you and you fell for me. End of story."

"I have a hard time believing that you selflessly rescued me, Draco. I want the notebooks to reread the parts where Ron is mentioned. It might shed some more light on the situation."

"On one condition."

She groaned and rolled her eyes. But she'd been prepared for this and asked what.

"Stay with me tonight."

"Here!" she baulked, jumping to her feet. "Are you mad!"

"From time to time," he said with a shrug. "But I'm serious, Hermione. Stay with me tonight and you can keep the stupid journals. I'll even continue to write the dreams down and give you updates."

"Why?" was all that came out of her mouth when she opened it.

"Because ever since we woke up in the infirmary I haven't even thought of another girl. You know I want you all for myself, but right now I'll be content with a sleep over. All I ask is you sleep in my bed and let me hold you. If you ever feel I've crossed the line you're entitled to storm out."

"No," she said firmly. "It's not worth it."

He climbed off the bed and was in front of her before she could move. She wanted so badly to just turn around and leave, but she wanted to notebooks more. If she was doomed to live this life then she wanted to know why. But all that she could think of right now is how badly she could get back at Ron if she were to end up with Draco. The ultimate payback.

"I could make it worth it," he said silkily, brushing the back of his hand over her hard belly.

"Those lines might work on your whores," she said with a sneer. "But they won't on me."

"The more you resist me the more I want you," he purred. "Give me this one simple thing and you can have the silly journals."

"No." She was just as adamant as ever. "I won't hurt Harry just because I'm sore with Ron." And that was the deciding factor. However she was to get back at Ron it would have to not affect Harry. She loved him far too much to do such a thing. He didn't deserve to be miserable just because she was. "There has to be something else you want." It sent a dull pain through her temple to say it, but she needed those notebooks.

"How will this hurt scarface? I mean, you're already going to live at the Manor. What's one little night over here?"

"That's different," she tried to convince herself. "I'm only living there because it's what's best for the baby, and Harry knows that. This has no benefit for the baby, therefore I won't do it. You're just going to have to think of something else."

"Very well," he sighed. "But it's going to be tenfold of this."

She gestured irritably for him to continue. And he was all too willing to oblige.

"First of all, this weekend we're going to the Manor." She nodded, knowing it was inevitable. "Second, we're going there for part of the Christmas break."

"But—"

"I said part. And I'm not finished. Third, I want to be involved in the baby naming process. And lastly," he said, grinning ear to ear, "I want a kiss."

"Fine," she huffed. "But he is not going to be named Draco Jr." He smiled and opened his arms. She leaned in to peck him on the cheek, recoiling immediately.

"No, no, no," he laughed, tugging her to him. "Not that kind of kiss. A real kiss. And I have to feel like you mean it."

"Answer me something first."

"Anything."

"Why do you want me? And I want the truth."

"Because you're my soul mate," he said simply and honestly. "Now stop stalling and kiss me."

"How are we supposed to raise this baby if no one can know about us!" Hermione screamed, throwing the nearest object to her at Draco's head. Unfortunately for her, and very fortunate for him, she missed by a half inch, and the alarm clock clattered to the floor behind her. "I'm going to have to tell Harry and Ron and Ginny about this, not to mention my parents! I'm not going to lie when they ask who the father is!"

"I didn't say never," he protested, looking around the room as if her parents would come bursting in at any moment. But Hermione had sealed it with a silencing spell, and they were fast asleep. "Only until we're out of school!"

"I'm going to have the baby before graduation, Draco! You're just going to have to deal with losing your cronies for the sake of the baby! I might very well lose my friends, but I would do anything for this baby! Can you say the same?"

He frowned and attempted to approach her. She grabbed the bedside lamp, jerking it from the wall, and brought it back. He stopped dead in his tracks and she lowered the offensive near-weapon.

"I never asked for this, Draco," she sighed and practically fell back onto the bed. "But now that it's happened all I want is for him or her to grow up happy and with both parents. I won't let you ruin their life because you're a stubborn, righteous Slytherin!"

"Well then I guess I can't be who you want me to be," he said with crushing finality, his brow stitched tight. "I can't be the father to your baby, Hermione. It's just not going to work. We were stupid, hormonal teenagers. I won't let something like that ruin—"

"Your life!" she spat and snatched up the lamp, hurling it at him before he could duck. It landed square in his gut and he toppled over, sputtering out his words in a gasp.

"No—" he tried to say, but she stopped his lips tight with the same silencing spell she'd used on the room, then disarmed him quicker than he could reach for his wand.

"If you don't apparate out of here right now I'll do much more than plug up that vicious mouth of yours!"

Even if he could talk, he wouldn't have said a word. She was right to kick him out. He'd be lucky if he ever saw his baby now.

With one last glance at her fiery chocolate eyes he apparated out of sight, praying that there was some way he could fix all of this.

Ron mulled about Gryffindor House, as depressed and confused as ever. He couldn't, for the life of him, figure out what could have possessed him to cheat on Hermione. He loved her! How could he be so stupid as to throw it away for someone like Lavender Brown? Not that there was anything wrong with her, but she wasn't Hermione. If Hermione weren't a factor then he'd be glad to have Lavender, but as things stood he wanted his brown-eyed bookworm more than ever.

Perhaps she had put a spell on him that gradually set in so not to look suspicious. And then when it was in full force he kissed her.

"No," he grumbled to himself, glaring daggers at the fireplace as if it were the cause of his troubles. Lavender wasn't the type of girl to do something so evil and conniving. It had been his stupidity that brought him to this point; he had only himself to blame, no matter how much he wanted to blame someone else.

What made the situation worse was that ever since that night Lavender gave them a peek into the past Hermione had spent less and less time in the tower. He knew she was with Draco some of the time; there was no denying that fact. And when she was there she would pull Harry and Ginny away from him, remaining cool and collected whenever she was around him. He knew she was scheming to get back at him, but what she didn't know was that the ultimate punishment was not having her in his arms.

And the proverbial thorn in his side was that Lavender had been trying like mad to speak with him for the past few weeks. He would always brush her off, however, afraid that Hermione would see them together and guess the worst. Whatever Lavender had to say, it wasn't important enough to him to jeopardize himself further.

In time, of course, he knew Hermione would speak to him, be his friend again even. And while he wanted that, he wanted nothing more than her. She was his one true love and he'd thrown that away for a silly crush on a girl he hardly knew! He almost wanted to curse her simply for existing. But, pulling at his heartstrings, he was constantly reminded of the truth:

He'd lost the love of his life and the only person at fault was himself.

Ginny giggled uncontrollably as she swept her hand over Hermione's growing belly. She was now five months pregnant and looking very much so. Her abdomen had grown nice and round, while she'd managed to keep from gaining weight anywhere else.

"So," Ginny said, sitting back. "Have you thought of any names?"

Hermione glowered at this, rapping her fingers on her belly.

"Everything I come up with Draco hates, and everything he comes up with I hate. At this rate our son will be known as 'the baby' until he's twenty."

"What has he suggested?" she asked, still laughing under her breath. She could only imagine. "Draco Jr.?"

"That was never on the table for discussion. I told him that right off the bat. He wants to name him after someone in his family, but the names are so bizarre. I just want a nice normal name."

"How are things going for you two anyway? You never talk about him."

"It's manageable," she sighed. "When we went to the Manor a few weeks ago he didn't even try to make any moves, and we were completely alone. He showed me around, several times, and then we went shopping for baby stuff in Hogsmeade. I have yet to meet this aunt of his that's supposed to watch the baby when he's born."

"Does this aunt have a name?" Not once had Hermione mentioned it.

"Yeah. Melantha. Apparently—"

"Melantha Blake?"

"Err, yeah, I think. How many Melanthas can there be?"

"I know her!" Ginny cried out, startling Hermione into a near-fit. "She's hardly at the Order's hideout because she's always off on business. But whenever she's there she's so much fun! She takes me to all the places mum never lets me go, and because Dumbledore trusts her so much mum lets me go with her. I can't believe she's Draco's aunt!"

"How come I've never met her?" Hermione pouted. "And why didn't you ever mention her before?"

"Well I didn't think it was important. I was there a lot more than you. She was just never there were you were. But believe me, you'll love her. She'll make what happened with Draco seem like a blessing."

Hermione wrinkled her nose. Certainly this woman couldn't be all that great. After all, she had never heard of her before now. Not Ginny or Ron or Harry had ever said a word about her, for they must know her seeing as Ron was Ginny's sister and Harry her girlfriend, ever at her side.

"When do you get to meet her?"

"Why? Do you want to come along?"

"Don't be bitter with me Miss Granger," Ginny snapped, then smiled and took her hands. "Trust me when I say she is the best person to watch your baby. From what I've heard she's on Dumbledore's top ten list of witches and wizards in the Order. He'd trust her with his life."

Hermione looked at her friend at her last words. That had been exactly what Dumbledore himself had said not too long ago. Perhaps she was judging this relative of Draco's too quickly.

"I hope you're right, Gin, 'cause we're going again this weekend."

She gave her sullen friend a toothy grin, hugging her tightly.

"So, can I really come along? Or were you just being cynical with me?"

"I was being cynical," Hermione laughed. "But yeah, you can come. Bring Harry too."

"Harry?" she baulked. "Draco would never—"

"Oh yes he will," she said confidently. "If he wants me to come he will. Plus, he's been on this 'proving himself to me' mission. I doubt he'll give it a second thought."

"He really wants to be with you, huh?"

"As much as I don't want to be with him…"

Another Notice:

I'm having a rather difficult time picking a name for Hermione and Draco's son. I've looked on the internet to find a good name with a strong meaning that they could both agree on, but I can't find a thing. If anyone has any suggests then please feel free to let me know:) And be sure to give the meaning as well, because that's very important. And if I receive a lot of good suggests, then I'll post them at the end of another chapter and have you all vote on them.

As for my other notice, I think I'm going to go with the prequel idea. 1.) Because that's what I was leaning towards, and 2.) because that's what a majority of you wanted as well. Thank you for your input! It was much appreciated :D

I know that wasn't a big happenings chapters, but not every chapter can be on-the-edge-of-your-seat exciting, heehee. I think it was rather important in setting up for the next chapter, which will be the trip to Malfoy Manor. I didn't put in the first trip because there wasn't much to put. Draco behaved himself, which is no fun, and his aunt wasn't there. Hopefully in a few days I'll have the next chapter out and you'll get to see the great Melantha:)

REVIEW! If you love me :D