Disclaimer: obviously not mine. Why would it be on a fan fiction site?

Chapter nine

Malfoy showed up half an hour later. Hermione saw him sidle in through the same side door she had entered looking pretty much healed except for the bloody graze that was partly hidden by his hair. He gave Hermione a wonky grin, which seemed to suggest that he hadn't fully recovered, before disappearing into the parlour.

"So… tell us again what happened?" Lavender asked in a whisper, her eyes eagerly following Malfoy out of the room.

"I told you" Hermione said in a drained, stressed voice. "We were talking and Frederick came out and bashed him."

"You still haven't told us why you were talking to him, Herm" Ron said in a dark voice. He was frowning slightly at the fact that his Hermione had been out fraternising with the enemy.

"I…we were contemplating a contract…"

"About what?"

"Never you mind"

Through all of Hermione's explanations, Harry had stayed quiet and brooding, almost as if he knew what was going on…

Hermione glanced idly around the room; Frederick was standing, whispering hurriedly to Jamie-Lyn in one corner. He had a huge lump on his head but, as Charlie had pointed out, he simply claimed that someone had grabbed him from behind…

The main doors suddenly burst open and Charlie came in dragging a struggling Nigel in on hand and another boy in the other hand. They were both sopping wet. Clarisse came hurrying over to them with a harassed look upon her face.

"They've been fighting, your highness" Charlie said gruffly, pushing the boys forward. "I found them in the garden but before I could stop them they dragged each other into the pool."

"Oh for heavens sake!" Clarisse threw her hands above her head in disgust as a few people crowed around to find out what was going on. "I am absolutely sick of this fighting! All of you, in the parlour… now!" she pointed out a few teenagers whom Hermione knew had fought on other occasions but she was most shocked when Clarisse pointed to her as well.

She gave her friends an odd look before following Nigel into the parlour.

She, and the other chosen people seated themselves in the sofas and armchairs. Hermione sat in the corner of a sofa and was soon joined by Malfoy.

"Are you ok?" she asked nervously. He shrugged and grinned.

"They healed me pretty good- not as good as Pomfrey could have done- but I do have concussion…"

"How bad were you hurt?"

"Cut lip, heaps of bruises, two fractured ribs… not much…"

"Not much!"

"I can assure you, Granger, that I have been worse off"

"Why didn't you heal the graze?"

"I like to keep a memorabilia"

"Oh" Hermione stopped talking as the last two people – Frederick and Jamie-Lyn- sat down and Clarisse moved forward to confront them. Several other elders stood behind her, looking quite grave.

"I am utterly sick of this fighting!" Clarisse started in a loud voice. "I know you don't always see eye to eye but over the past months this fighting has gotten to much! You are all far too old and far to mature to continue this petty squabbling! Oh and don't think I don't know what its about! It is time you stood up and became a good influence to your countries!" several of the other people standing around nodded heartily. "Now I know you are capable… so we are going to leave you all in here until you can resolve your problems like adults!" Clarisse turned and stalked out with the other adults close behind. The selected teens stayed, sitting in silence and glaring around at each other. Finally Malfoy leant over to whisper to Hermione.

"So are you ok? Did Charlie get you out before the help came?"

"He did and I'm fine… just a little shaken… why are you fighting anyway?"

Malfoy gave a halfhearted shrug and glanced over at Frederick who was watching them closely.

"Lots of reasons… mainly power. I have it he wants it. That's why he's chasing you as a bride, he wants the power that your family holds and he feels threatened by our intimacy."

"I know some one else who feels threatened."

"Really? Who?"

"Jamie-Lyn"

"How do you know that?"

"At new years eve she got in a massive fight with Lilly because Lilly reckons you invited her to your place but Jamie-Lyn thinks you belong to her"

"Ah. What a life we lead; being so powerful" Malfoy said loudly so a few people looked over at them. Silence fell over the group once more before Jamie-Lyn shifted her chair so she was sitting close to Hermione.

"Hey, Hermione…" she said in a politely sweet voice. Hermione raised an eyebrow as Jamie-Lyn moved even closer. "Are you and Draco seeing each other?"

No, I'm only pregnant with his kid… she thought; quite annoyed that Jamie-Lyn couldn't mind her own business.

"Of course not"

Jamie-Lyn moved closer still. "You can tell me the truth, I wont get mad…"

"I am telling the truth!"

"No your not! I know there is something going on between you two… why are you always with him then?"

"There is nothing going on and even if there was I wouldn't tell you."

"So there is something going on!"

"No there isn't!"

"You are a really bad liar, Hermione! You do know that Draco loves me…"

Hermione let out a harsh laugh and looked around. The rest of the group was listening in curiously. Beside her, Malfoy was carrying a look of amusement on his handsome face.

"He does not!"

"You bitch!" Jamie-Lyn's hand shot out and she slapped Hermione hard around the face. A few people, including Hermione, gasped while a few even laughed. Hermione felt red-hot anger swelling inside her and she jumped to her feet, ramming Jamie-Lyn into a wall as she did so. She slapped Jamie-Lyn back as hard as she could before she felt a pair of arms close around her and pull her away. Jamie-Lyn lunged at her but Frederick caught her around the waist.

"He doesn't like you, he likes me!" Jamie-Lyn screeched as both girls struggled to get at each other's necks.

"You wish! Why would he like someone so powerless as you?" the words were out before Hermione could stop them. Both Jamie-Lyn and Frederick froze. Hermione's words had obviously struck a nerve in both of them. The rest of the group watched in utter silence.

Then suddenly Frederick let go of Jamie-Lyn and lunged at Hermione. She was flung aside by Malfoy who met Frederick in a head on, bodily, impact. But before punches could be thrown several bodyguards had entered the room and put an immediate halt to the fighting.

The whole affair was finally calmed down by Narcissa, who made a gracious appearance just before Clarisse was about to blow her head, and collected Draco to take him home.

"See you at school" he said to Hermione before disappearing out the door, leaving her to face the verbal beating from her mother about acting so out of character in front of the guests.

Hermione was having mixed emotions about going back to school. On the plus side, she was getting away from her mother who had been very hostile towards her since the fight. But on the other hand, going back to school meant she would be getting her abortion and she had completely and utterly fallen in love with her unborn baby.

Malfoy gave her two days to get settled before approaching her in an empty corridor between Charms and Potions.

"Have you gone to see Pomfrey yet?" he asked, watching as she tried to stuff her charms book into her bag.

"No I haven't"

"Well when are you going to?"

"I don't know"

"Go tonight"

Hermione looked up at him with raised eyebrows.

"Why are you trying to rush it?"

"I-I just think you should get it out of the way, that's all"

"Fine. I'll go tonight. Are you coming?"

"Doubt it. Pomfrey probably wouldn't let me in anyway"

And that ended their conversation. Hermione got through the rest of the day by trying not to think about it but when dinner was finished and she was walking up to the hospital wing she could feel dread filling her from the inside out and when she entered the wing and strode up to Madam Pomfrey she felt as if she was going to be sick.

Tears slipping down her cheeks, she told Pomfrey her story. The matron took it quite well and even comforted Hermione for a few minutes before helping her onto a bed and giving her a numbing potion before conjuring up a strange machine that Hermione had never seen before.

"Ultra sound" Pomfrey explained, pulling up Hermione's shirt and rubbing cold oil on her stomach before placing the stick of the machine onto the skin. Seconds later an image appeared on the small screen. Hermione thought it looked very much like a fingerprint until Pomfrey pointed to a spot in the centre of the screen.

"That's its head," she said. "And that's its feet." She fiddled around with the image for a few more minutes before turning it into a still shot and handing Hermione another potion.

"That'll knock you out. Are you feeling numb yet?"

Hermione nodded and gulped the potion down. She instantly felt drowsy and she let her head loll back against the pillow. The last thing she saw before she blanked out was Malfoy, standing arms crossed, in the doorway.

Hermione woke feeling oddly empty and slightly headachy. She guessed that it must have been side effects of the potion. Slowly and very forcefully, she opened her eyes and looked around the dark hospital wing. She received a massive shock when she found Malfoy sitting beside her.

"Oh, its you" she said when her heart returned to its normal rate. Malfoy didn't say anything and she turned her head to peer at him. His eyes were red and swollen, as if he'd been crying.

"I'm so sorry, Granger" he whispered, burying his face in his hands. "I'm so sorry"

"For what?" she asked, utterly perplexed. He mumbled something into his hands.

"What?"

"I couldn't do it."

"Do what?"
"I couldn't let her do it. I couldn't let her kill our baby."

"You mean…" she glanced down at her stomach and Malfoy nodded numbly. Hermione groaned and closed her eyes. "God Malfoy. Do you know what kind of hell I've been through?"

"Yes"

"All the guilty, sleepless nights. The cutting. Having to psyche myself up for this. Telling myself that my child wouldn't live?"

"Yes. Because I went through it as well."

"You… huh?"

"I didn't cut myself but I couldn't sleep and it was so bloody hard to tell you to go through this. I fell in love with the baby to"

Hermione opened one eye and peered at him. He was watching her with an apologetic look on his face.

"And now we have to figure out what to do with-"

Hermione flung herself at him.

"Thank you" she whispered, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. Malfoy was frozen with shock for a moment before smiling over her shoulder and returning the hug. They sat, for a long time into the night, chatting happily about the baby's future.

Finally, at about ten, Pomfrey ushered Malfoy out of the wing, claiming that Hermione needed rest. He left without a fuss but paused at the door.

"You'll have to tell your parents." He said gravely before disappearing. Hermione felt her heart sink. She'd completely forgotten about her parents.

LAY IT DOWN

I'VE ALWAYS BEEN WITH YOU

HERE AND NOW

GIVE ALL THAT'S WITHIN YOU

BE MY SAVIOR

AND I'LL BE YOUR DOWNFALL

Dun Dun Dun! Whadda ya think? Thought I was gonna let it die, didn't you? Well it's almost time to start choosing names… here are a few that I thought would be nice for a Princess or prince.

FEMALE:

Skye

Kirsten

Bianca

Annabella

Ebony

MALE:

Adrian

Adam

Sean

Please vote for one. If you have another name you'd like I'm all ears. Till then!