One Fine Day
Chapter 5: Hagrid's Hut
Previously:
"No, you just looked like you were getting really distressed thinking about something. What were you-?" Hermione glared at Harry. "Oh. okay." Harry looked down at his plate and became suddenly interested in his ice cream.
"Well, what were you talking about?" Ron had a questioning look on his face.
"It's nothing Ron." Hermione answered. "You'll find out in time."
"Well, why can't I know now? Harry knows."
"Ron! Harry knows because of a present situation I'm in and I needed help. I went to him, because he was the first to find me. He figured out some stuff, and now, he's helping me." Hermione stood up and excused herself and Marli-Jane to go to bed."
The next day, Hermione woke up and got dressed. She and Marli-Jane walked down the stairs and made it into the Great Hall for breakfast.
"Good morning Hermione! Good morning Marli!" Hermione looked and saw that it was Harry talking.
"Harry! Hi! What are we doing today? Can you take me on your broom today? You promised me yesterday!" Marli-Jane walked over to Harry and gave him a hug.
"Yeah, Marli." Hermione looked over at Harry. "Only if it's okay with your mom?"
Hermione smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, okay. Harry you can take Marli on your broom. But be careful! I don't want her turning into you, finding a second home in the hospital wing.
"Hah. Okay, Hermione." The school ate breakfast then were allowed to go out on the grounds to catch up with people they hadn't talked to the day before, or to just enjoy the sunshine on the warm summer day.
Hermione stepped outside and froze. It felt like deja vu. She and her friends walking on the grounds on a great sunny day, of course most of the time it was just them, and they were enjoying having no classes. Hermione kept walking and found herself straying towards Hagrid's hut.
Instinct. We always went this way. Hermione laughed at herself and then noticed that Hagrid's hut wasn't even there anymore.
"What happened to him?" Hermione said to herself.
"He died in the mountains taking care of his sick brother." Hermione jumped not realizing there was someone else behind her. She turned around and saw a quite slim but built, tall man wearing knee-length cargo-pocket khakis, a red and white striped polo shirt, light birkenstocks, a red baseball cap and perfect sized sunglasses.
"Oh... that's too bad." Hermione looked at him and then realized what was happening. "I'm sorry. I've been rude. Hi, my name's Hermione Granger. And you are?"
The man looked at her, squinted, then smiled.
"Oh, I do believe we've met before. More than once, I believe. The most recent being at the Leaky Cauldron a few months back? Hi, I'm Draco. Draco Malfoy."
WAIT! Hold it! Draco Malfoy is her father? No wonder I never saw him yesterday. I wouldn't have gone near the Slytherin table. This is too strange. How can this guy, this very cute guy, be Draco Malfoy? He's dressed like a muggle! Now, I'm not sure if this is him anyway. I haven't seen his eyes. I could just be mistaken.
Hermione thought too soon. He smiled and removed his sunglasses to reveal the same eyes she'd been searching for for ten years.
Well, not exactly searching but... close enough. Oh, Hermione! Stop analyzing the situation! Just go with it!
"Uh... mm... yeah... uh..." Hermione was lost at words. Finally she settled on something simple. "Hi."
"So, Hermione. How ya been? I heard from Harry you're living in America? Yeah, I went to St. Louis for a little after school. Just a few years. Lived as a muggle, wouldn't you believe?" Hermione just stared at him disbelievingly.
"Y-you? A-a. A muggle? That's hard to believe."
"Yeah, I know. So. Uh, Hermione. How have you been?"
"You already asked me that."
"Oh, but I'd really like an answer."
"I've been uh... good. I just had to get away after school. I couldn't stand seeing anyone. I needed to get away. So... St. Louis, huh? Why'd you go there? And live as a muggle?"
"Well, you remember that masquerade thingy? Right after graduation?"
"How could I forget?"
I'm reminded of it every morning when I see my daughter. Well, apparently... your daughter.
"Well, I danced with someone that night. I think I fell in love with her. Don't tell anyone that I'm telling you this. They'd call me a sissy. But, I just feel I can tell you this."
Hmm... I wonder why?
"Well, the next morning, when we took the train back, I didn't know who she was. When I couldn't find out who it was, I left the country. I just left."
Yup, I know how that goes. But my situation was a little different.
"Had hundreds of people looking for me, but I got a job,"
Wow, Malfoy got a job? Wait, I should probably call him Draco. Put the past aside. Be friends.
"bought a small apartment, and lived there for about eight years. Finally, I got an owl from Harry asking me to come back. He needed help with some project. So, I came back, and I've been living in a new house I bought, just down the way from the Weasleys. They've been nice to me. Ron hasn't, but the rest have."
Hah. Ron will never be nice to him. Well, if my suspicions are true, then Ron's just gonna have to deal with it.
"So, Draco? What've you been doing since you got back to London?"
"Well, I got a job working in an apothecary helping produce the potions. I was a chemistry teacher when I was in the States. I went to school and everything. I got a degree, and became a chemistry teacher. Of course I had to do a little magic to get them to believe that I'd been to a great high school and made good grades."
"But you did."
"Did what?"
"Made good grades. You were almost top in the class. Besides me of course."
"Of course. You were always the little know-it-all that beat me."
"And that's how I liked it. But things have changed. Events change people. As it's shown in you. You're actually quite pleasant to be around."
"Thanks. I've been waiting for someone to tell me that. Most people are just surprised that I actually am working instead of scrounging off my father's money. So, Hermione. I've seen a little girl here. She looks almost identical to you. Does that mean you're married? She looks quite old. How old is she?"
"Ten. No I'm not married. She turned ten in March. She's identical to me, except for her eyes. She..." Hermione looked in the distance and saw Harry and Marli-Jane flying around the quidditch pitch. "She has her father's eyes." Hermione turned her head around and looked back at Draco.
An awkward silence fell upon them as they looked at each other and forgot the rest of the world. Hermione was thinking about how to break it to Draco, when Draco was doing a little math in his head. Finally, Draco spoke.
"Ten, huh? And March? Well, that's quite wierd. That would mean that she was born like nine months after we got out of school. Any chance the father's a student when we were here? Or was it right after you left for New York? Is the father in New York? Who is the father?"
"Are you into asking lots of questions or something?"
"No, not usually, just when I get nervous."
"Okay... well. Your questions. You were right. I got pregnant the night of graduation. After the masquerade ball."
Hermione noticed Draco's now tan complexion pale slightly.
"He's not from America. He's lived in America most of his life I'd say. Actually, he-"
"MOM! I had SO much fun flying!" Hermione was cut off mid-sentence by Marli-Jane running towards her, Harry following behind at a slower pace.
"Well, I'm glad. So, what all did you do when you were up there?"
"He took me and at first we went slow, cause I was scared, then I got better. We did flips and turns and all sorts of things! Then he got me a slow broom and I got to fly by myself. But he wouldn't let me go very high. He said that I'd make a good Seeker, whatever that is!"
Hermione laughed and faced Harry who was now standing next to her.
"So, you let my daughter fly, huh?"
"Yeah. I see you've met Draco again. Now, he's changed hasn't he?"
"Yeah. Actually, Harry. This is the guy I ran into at the Leaky Cauldron just before going to Hogwarts a couple of months back. Isn't that funny? I ran into him, then found out who he actually is months later? Isn't that nice?" Hermione had a plastered smile on her face trying not to let it show that there was something else.
"Mommy?"
"Yeah, sweetie?"
"Have you found my daddy yet?" Hermione froze.
"Uh...um. Well, you see-"
"Marli?" Hermione looked and saw it was Harry. "Would you like to go flying again?"
"Yeah! Can we go now?"
"Well, just hold on. I need to talk to your mom about something."
"Okay. I'll go over and start getting ready." Harry nodded, waved good-bye to Draco and walked Hermione over to a rock so she could sit down. As soon as she sat, she started crying.
"H-H-Harry. I didn't think it would be this hard to tell him!"
"Hermione. It's okay. How long have you known it was him?"
"Since like the beginning of the conversation. We'd been talking the whole time you were up flying. He told me about going to St. Louis, how he got a job and... and..." Hermione started crying again.
"And what, Hermione?"
"He- He told me that he thinks he fell in love with the girl he danced with at the ball. He said that. To me! He told me that he fell in love with me! But he didn't realize it."
"Now, Hermione. Are you positive that it's him? Are you sure that he's the father?"
"Yes. I've had to look at those eyes for the past ten years. I knew it was him at the Leaky Cauldron, and when he told me that we ran into each other at the Leaky Cauldron, it confirmed everything. I know that he's her father. But I never suspected him. I never thought that I would have a child with Draco Malfoy. The one who tormented us in school."
"Hermione. Do you realize what this means?"
"No, what?"
"Well, remember the Prophecy? It said that when the family reunites or something, a new evil will come to be. Now, we can find out more on the prophecy."
"But Harry. It hasn't come to be. We haven't reunited yet! He doesn't know and if that's the consequence, I don't think I want us to reunite."
"Hermione, you're just saying that. You know you want him to know he has a daughter, and you want him to know it was you at the masquerade ball. You know you want this, but you just don't want to cause the creation of another Voldemort." Hermione stared at Harry. She couldn't believe what he was saying. All of it. All of it was true. And she didn't like being told something she was keeping to herself.
Hermione stood up, then sat back down. She looked up, down and around. Finally, after a lot of throwing things back and forth in her head, she settled, sat down, and looked at Harry.
"Okay."
"Okay, what?"
"Okay, I'll do it. I'll introduce Marli-Jane to Draco and vice versa. But before I do it, just to be positive, is there some way we could-?"
"A paternity test?"
"Exactly."
"Sure. I'll talk to Madame Pomfrey about getting it together."
"Oh, thank you Harry!" Hermione reached over, gave Harry a hug. "But, Harry. If you don't hurry, Marli might kill you for having to wait so long." Harry laughed and ran to the quidditch pitch. Hermione stood up and walked around the grounds. She noticed everything was the way it was when they were in school, except Hagrid's hut not being there.
Hermione walked over to the doors to the Great Hall and semi-consciously started making her way to the Hospital Wing. When she got there she just stood there. The last time she was in there (for they hadn't had to go in their Seventh Year) was near the end of Sixth year...
Hermione awoke to see white. And that was it.
"Great. I'm dead."
"You're not dead, sweetie. You're just in the Hospital Wing." Hermione looked over and saw Madame Pomfrey tending to someone in the bed next to her. "Dearie, I'm having trouble treating Harry. Is there any way you could remember what happened?"
Hermione thought for a minute then finally, the events from the night before came back to her.
"Well, I remember waking up late on Saturday afternoon, Harry told us that would be the best, to get enough sleep. Then I hopped on Harry's broom with him, Ron on his own, and we flew for hours. Finally we got to Godric's Hollow. We didn't see anything at first. Then so many death eaters surrounded us, sending spells and hexes at us, but we were sending some back. After the majority of the death eaters were knocked out and tied up, the rest ran to the graveyard. Naturally, Harry got upset. He didn't want them anywhere near his parents. Then He came." Hermione looked off in the distance.
"Who came, dearie?" Hermione just stared at her and she let out a little whimper.
"Well, we fought him and I vaguely remember him trying to make us drink something. It was a purpleish color, with little lumps of something of a pink color. Ron and I resisted, but I think Harry got a little in his mouth. That may be it. But he spit it right out. This made Harry even madder. He took out all of his passion of the past sixteen years and used the killing curse. It hit Voldemort square in the chest. First he stood there, then he started to drop. First, on his knees, then to his hands. Then the strangest things happened. He arched his back and a hole appeared. It was square in his back, where the spell hit him. There was a bright light shining through. Then, h-he."
"He what? What happened?"
"He, exploded. It was like he was a bomb, you know the muggle war device?" Mme Pomfrey nodded and Hermione continued. "He just, exploded. Then he was gone. Harry felt a burning on his scar, and we, Ron and I, brought him back here."
"Hermione, you say his scar burned?"
"Yes."
"Well, you're well enough to walk now. I'd like you to come see this." Hermione stood up and walked over to the bed next to her. She looked where she was pointing. To his forehead.
"It's... gone. He doesn't have the scar anymore. Man, will he feel lonely now." Mme Pomfrey laughed and Hermione just stared at it in amazement.
"So. Miss Granger? It's over? It's really over?"
"It seems that way. Who has found out?"
"Well, When you came back, I got Dumbledore, and besides us and you three, that's it. We didn't want to let the world know before we found out any details."
"Really. Okay. Well, do you know when they will wake up?"
"Well, we have some insight as to what is wrong with them, I will discuss the situation with Professor Dumbledore, and then we'll let you know. Now this potion. You said it was purple with pink lumps. Did it have a thick or thin cosistancy?"
"It was pretty thick. Sorta like sludge."
"Okay, now. Get back in bed and rest. You've been through a lot. Here's some dreamless sleep potion. Drink up. And We'll see you when you wake up again."
"Good night Madame Pomfrey. And thanks."
Hermione looked at the doors then slowly opened them. She looked inside and felt the rush of white overwhelming. She looked and saw an older Madame Pomfrey sitting at her desk in her office and filling out some paperwork. Hermione walked over to her and when she didn't look up, she gave a subtle cough. Madame Pomfrey heard this and looked up.
"Hello. May I help you?"
"Hi, Madame Pomfrey. Do you remember me?"
"Oh! Is it, Hermione? How are you? It's so good to see you. I've seen so many smiling faces since yesterday. It's brightened my days. Of course, I see Harry all the time, as usual." Hermione laughed then decided that she should get to it.
"Madame Pomfrey. Harry told me, just recently, that he would come and talk to you. But I couldn't wait. I'm in this situation. Harry said you could brew a paternity potion or something like that? Could you? I need to know if this guy is the father of my child. It's sort of important."
"Okay... now, you're going to need something of the child, and of the father in question. You know, just like a hair or something. Something that has DNA. I know it's muggle, but sometimes we have to resort to muggle ways to do things. We're working on a newer potion, but it's not really working. So we've resorted to a potion, but using some muggle techniques."
"Oh, it's perfectly fine. Now, when do you need the items? And when will it be done?"
"Well, as soon as you would like. The result of it will be given just moments after we add the hairs."
"Oh! That's great. Now, will you need to know whose hair is whose?"
"No, we add them at the same time."
"Okay, well, I'll get back to you on that!" Hermione smiled and left the Hospital Wing to find her daughter.