AN: Merci beaucoup for all the reviews! If you want to watch some exclusive Draco and Hermione music videos that I made, visit my profile. Over there you'll find the URL to the website I made where you can download them. They don't take long to download, for their quality isn't of the very best. But they're cool all the same, even if I do say so myself. Enjoy.
Chapter Three
"Oh, great." Celeste said from the doorway, rolling her eyes as if someone beat her in a game of Snakes and Ladders. "You found us. Mum will have a fit when she finds out."
"That's the way to greet your father, whom you've never met until now." He sneered sarcastically, shouldering past her to enter the house. "Well look at you, all beautiful. Ofcourse you would be, having a father like me and a mother as pretty as Hermione."
"I'm not just a pretty face," Celeste said, going to the siting room as if entertaining awaited guests with her father in tow. "I'm going to get into what Mum calls my ostantatious conceited braging, or something amongst those lines…."
Meanwhile, upstairs, Hermione heard voices. She stopped. Her daughter's voice…. Could she possibly be talking to a house-elf? No, wait, is that HIS voice?
Hearting pounding, she rushed down the stairs.
"Stop!" She shouted, seeing the two siting on the couches. "I came to here to ensure that you distance yourself from us! So that you won't kidnap my baby! Wha- how… how did you find us?"
Celeste rolled her eyes, her favourite thing to do these days, while Draco smirked at Hermione.
"Easy." He answered, putting an arm around his daughter's shoulders to watch Hermione squirm at the sight. "I asked the watchman where he heard you floo yourself to. He said Russia. I knew for a fact that your old classmate Lavender is the only one you know who lives in Russia. I sent her the fake signal that she should head to work, because she's uptight about security. And so here I am."
"Here you are indeed," she said, narrowing her eyes. "What are your intentions?"
"My intentions…" he repeated thoughtfully. "I came here to, believe it or not, apologize to you. For everything. My daughter's disappearance from my life had me thinking a lot, about the errors of my ways… and although I shall never forget it, I am willing to forgive you for the punching bag you made out of me back in my office."
Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing. Is this really the Draco Malfoy she knew ande despised, mutually, whom was standing before her as if he had feelings?
"Apology accepted." She said, unable to keep herself from glaring at him. "Have a nice life. Don't let the door hit you on your way out. Or do. It would give Celeste and I a good laugh, you see."
"And me as well," an angry voice hissed from a corner.
They turned to the speaker. Lavender was standing there, fist clenched, her face red.
"I should've known a former Slyhtherin was behind this. Imagine! Tricking me out of my own home." She took a deep breath, looking back and forth between them. "But I can see that this is a family issue, so I'll leave you to it."
She hastily headed up the stairs, muttering incoherently to herself.
Draco turned back to Hermione. Celeste, feeling very uncomfortable, had excused herself to check on the pie she was making ("Did you really inherit my flair for cooking?").
"I'm not going anywhere, Hermione. I want to be part of my daughter's life. If you object, I'll take the matter to court. And because of my good connections at the ministry as a Malfoy, I think it'll be safe to assume that I would win the battle for custody over Celeste. Now, don't fret. I don't intend to bar you access from her, you are her mother and the only parent she's ever known after all. But only if you force me to, I will. Besides, financially, it would be a really good thing for her."
Hermione was at a loss as what so say. But come to think of it, she is his daughter. He does seem to have changed for the better… she had denied him access to their daughter for long. And giving Celeste a father she never had, whom was rich, couldn't hurt. Besides, at this difficult age, Hermione thought that Draco would give Celeste the discipline she felt her daughter seriously needed from a paternal guardian.
"Fine. Provided you seek my consent," Hermione said slowly. "And inform me of how long and where you will spend time with her, you may do so."
Draco beamed at this, which was another shock for Hermione. Since when did Malfoy grin?
"Ah, now that this is settled, I would like to discuss other things. Now you really did move to the UAE to escape me, didn't you?"
Hermione was about to say 'Duh!', something her daughter contageously passed on to her, but caught herself in time.
"Yes. That's right. Leaving England was the hardest thing I ever had to do."
"Well then, now that you don't need to escape from me. Why don't you move back? I understand that you've built a life for yourself over at the UAE. But you can have a fresh start back in England. The Malfoy Manor, is humongous, people sometimes think that 'Mansion' is an inappropriate classification for it, and that 'Palace' would be best to describe it. So I propose that you live there, with Celeste, as there's plenty of space for you. It would be a healthy environment for a family such as ours. And you don't need to carry on working. I will take care of your needs."
Hermione's head was reeling. This was too much to digest for one day. Way too much.
"Can… can I think about this? I'll go upstairs, sleep on it, and get back to you with an answer tomorrow. I'm too exhausted to think straight right now."
Draco nodded curtly before getting up.
"We made a beautiful child, Hermione. I couldn't be more proud of her."
Hermione shrugged. Is this about the ostentatious conceited-brag talk? He left the box he'd been clinging on to at the coffee table.
"For you and Celeste," he said shortly.
He moved on to the kitchen.
"That's a fantastic pie. Very good. But not perfect. I'll teach you how to be a professional at cooking later on." Hermione heard him saying.
He went out, magicked the door shut behind him, his cloak swishing after him.
"Oh. My. God." Lavender was sprinting down the stairs, her beautiful long hair bouncing at her shoulders, in a black sundress. "He's become so sweet. Oh, you lucky thing! Living with him! At his palace! With your fantastic love child."
Hermione was now spulering. Love child? The man had raped her!
"You've been eavesdropping." She accused.
Lavender blushed sheepishly. "You were loud. But that's not the point. Are you, or are you not going at accept his offer? I think you should. You'd live like a princess. Or should I say, Queen. Draco's King, and Celeste's the princess."
"My my, what an imagination, Lavender." Hermione said. "You seem to live like a princess. Your place is spacious."
"Something my rich father gace me." She shrugged. "Stop changing the topic! Won't you go live with him? Who knows, maybe he'll fall in love with you…"
"That, I guarantee, would never happen. Earth to Lavender! I am Hermione Granger and he is Draco Malfoy, the two students who hated each other the most at Hogwarts, with the exception of him and Harry and Ron, of course."
At the mention of Ron's name, Lavender stiffened a bit, but quickly turned back to the situation at hand.
"Hermione, forget about the past! It's ancient history. It was what, over sixteen years ago? Focus on what's best for you and Celeste at the present."
"Lavender! I've spent all my life running and hiding from this very man, sacrificing my blood and sweat in the process. Why would I just drop everything at his word and suddenly trust him enough to accommodate with him? I don't even know him!"
"And you will as time goes by."
"How about someone asks me what I want?" The teenager demanded.
They turned to Celeste. Her hands were on her hips.
"I want to live with both my father and my mother, simultaneousely. He seems nice enough, unlike the stories you told me about him, which are true- I'm sure- but he's good now. I want to live with him in a palace. I want to live in England, it's where I belong. Where I'm from. And then we can visit Gramps and Grandma everyday!"
"I know you," Hermione hissed at her daughter. "You heard that Mike wants to study healing in London and you can't wait to jump at the opportunity to live close to him.
"Guilty as charged." She said unblushingly, picking up the package her father left and opening it. "Parially, only. Oh look Mum, he's left you a diamond bracelet, me a cute little top, a remembrall, and oh… a souffle! With its recipe on paper. Strange."
Hermione suppressed a grin at the meaning behind those.
"He's certainly trying to buy your affection." She observed.
"So who's complaining? Honestly, Mum, stop being so pessemistic. Oh Mum, how sweet. You made a 'punching bag' out of him, and he still forgave you for it. So when are we leaving?"
Hermione threw a cushin at her daughter.
"I think that when we do leave, we'd move back to our house in the UAE and nowhere else."
!A!
Draco stared at the photograph Celeste had handed him, in bed. He gazed fondly and elatedly at his daughter. Then he traced her mother's face with his finger. She really is a beautiful, smart woman. If only she knew…
He placed the photo besides his alaram clock and fell into dreams of his family.
If, until now, you don't understand the previous events reffered to which occured, then I suggest you read this story's predecessor: Souffles. If you've inquired about it, it's posed on my profile.