For the record, every time I sit down to write a chapter of this damn story, my muse throws another plot twist at me. Every time. I think this is payback for how long I went without writing. Forgive me fanfic gods, forgive me! Ah!

Chapter Six

Hermione gave Minerva's hand a reassuring squeeze as they entered Severus Snape's quarters, following her brother Robert's summons. She was just over eight weeks along today, and would have an appointment with Poppy later this afternoon to check on the progress of the pregnancy, but Robert had asked them to come by this morning on account of what he called significant progress. Hermione had gotten to know the elder of the McGonagall siblings a good deal these last two months, and if she was correct in her guess, his wording meant that before the night was out, Severus would be awake. She couldn't be more excited.

"So, how'd you manage it?" she asked without preamble when they entered.

Robert raised an eyebrow, although Hermione noticed his glance over to Severus, where he seemed to be hooked up to a muggle IV drip. "How do you know I managed anything at all?"

"I've become fairly adept at reading between the lines when it comes to you McGonagalls," she said with a grin. "How long till he wakes?"

Minerva gasped. "You figured out a cure?"

"Of course I figured out a cure!" Robert scoffed. "Granted, it would have taken me a bloody year if your wife hadn't eliminated several dozen possible ingredient combinations. How did you manage to do that so quickly, by the way, Hermione?"

"Arithmancy," the younger witch said smugly.

"Arith…" Robert shook his head in disbelief. "You truly are a wonder, witch. It will be an honest to Merlin shame if you don't get a Potions Mastery at some point. In any case, the cure is working its way through his system now, and has been since last night. He should be waking up any minute if my calculations are correct, and I thought you'd both want to be here for that."

"You thought right," Minerva admitted, "although I haven't a clue what I'll say to him. Last I saw Severus conscious I called him a coward, hexed him good and bloody proper, and tossed him out a window."

"I doubt he'll hold it against you, Minerva," Hermione tried to assure her wife. "He had a role to play in the war and played it well. Severus can't really fault you for responding to his stellar acting."

"Regardless, I regret it," she admitted.

"Don't be such a damn Gryffindor," came a gravelly voice from the other side of the room. "Oh, why can't I move?"

"You've been in a coma for over a year, Severus," Robert answered, quickly moving over to his surrogate son. "Don't try to move. I'll transfigure the bed so you can sit up."

"No you won't," Minerva said, pulling out her own wand. "You're pants at Transfiguration. I'll do that, thank you very much."

With a few flicks of her wand, Severus' bed morphed slightly so that he could sit in a reclined position, propped on comfortable pillows, and yet not compromising the IV that was still running the cure through his bloodstream. All three of them watched as the younger Potions Master blinked a few times to adjust to the light, before turning to face those in his company. "Alright then, Robert, seeing you isn't a surprise. Minerva, again, I suppose that's not too shocking. Miss Granger though?"

Hermione smirked. "I'm the one who saved your life, Severus Snape. Further, that's Mrs. McGonagall, thank you very much. Or Hermione, if you like."

He let out a snort. "Well, well, Minerva. It's about time you settled down."

Robert raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that Hermione isn't my wife?"

Severus scoffed, and weakly raised his hand to point between the two women. "They are suited. You and the former Miss Granger? While perhaps you could be amicable in a professional setting, as lovers you'd murder each other in short order."

"I never knew you were the matchmaking sort, Severus," Minerva teased.

"Hardly," he said, dropping his arm, and wheezing at the effort. Hermione knew it would be weeks of physical therapy for him before walking was a consideration. His body would need time to bounce back from the atrophy of his muscles, even with the aid of potions. "I am merely someone who observes people. It was my job. I presume the Weasley chit has sunk her claws into Potter by now. Mister Weasley is no doubt playing the field, wisely not settling down young, unlike many do in a time of war. If he stays smart, he'll not settle for anyone until he finds some young lady who cares for him based on his merits, rather than his fame. The Weasley twins will have to learn to grow apart before they can…"

"Fred died," Hermione interjected sharply. "In the final battle. I rather think that's about as far apart as he and George can get."

Severus bowed his head. "I apologise. I didn't realise. Who else was lost, if I may ask?"

Minerva answered. "In that battle, that you'd know and consider relevant, we lost Remus and Tonks. There were others too, I'll get you a list, but those are the ones I know you'd care to know about. Two months ago there was a skirmish on Beltane. Both Lucius and Draco Malfoy were lost that day."

"Draco," Severus whispered. "Bloody hell. I'd hoped he'd make it. I really hoped he'd make it through."

Hermione looked at Minerva, and saw understanding in the other witch's eye. They wouldn't bring it up now, because neither were prepared to deal with Robert's hatred of the Malfoys, but there was an unspoken agreement that Severus deserved to know that something of Draco did survive that night, in the form of the child that Hermione was carrying.

"Severus, I'm sorry," Hermione said softly.

He grunted. "I don't recall giving you permission to address me informally."

She shrugged. "You didn't give me permission to save your sorry arse either, however you don't seem to be objecting to that. I figured after a year of making certain you were safe from the Order turning you into a disposable liability, I'd earned the right."

Severus glanced at Robert. "I realise I'm heavily dosed on potions right now, so I'm going to just double check my memory here. The swot was a Gryffindor, right? Not Slytherin?"

Minerva groaned. "Not this again!"

Hermione laughed. "Oh Robert, rest assured, at least one of your nieces or nephews is likely to land in Slytherin. I may have been a Gryffindor, but even I can't deny my own Slytherin traits. My brother was even more so a Slytherin, although given we were muggleborn, he'd probably have gone to Hufflepuff, or perhaps Ravenclaw. He didn't have my impulsiveness in the slightest."

Severus looked at her curiously. "You have a brother?"

"Had. He died when we were eight," she explained.

"A twin?"

"Yes," she said sourly. "You lot really need to make a manual for muggleborns to include information about potential deadly and catastrophic consequences to certain circumstances for those not born into a society where that knowledge is a given."

"Hermione isn't wrong," Severus admitted.

"See, was that so hard?" she asked cheekily, brightening at his use of her name.

"Don't push it, girl," he grumbled. "Don't think I haven't worked out what you and Robert have planned for my future. There's no way I can show my face in the wizarding world after everything I've done. I'd rather die than live like a muggle, and Robert knows this. Adoption was something we discussed years ago, and there are certain adoption potions that will change my physical appearance. You'd only have bothered to wake me from my coma if you'd also come to this conclusion."

"You're wicked smart," Hermione complimented.

"As are you," he admitted. "I'm curious, how did you manage to save me? I thought I was done for when Nagini bit me."

Hermione removed the glamour on her neck and showed him the wound. "I was tortured at Malfoy Manor a week before the battle. One of the things I went through was being bitten by Nagini, and given the antivenin just before I would have died."

Severus actually grinned. "And we have the same blood type. Bloody hell, that's some uncanny luck, right there. I did tell you that you were only allowed to bleed on me if I needed a transfusion."

She grinned right back. "Severus, you needed a transfusion."

Minerva glanced at Robert. "I'm a little bit concerned about the perils of the two of them becoming friends."

Robert just pulled his sister into a one-armed hug. "Oh, come on Minerva. Where's your sense of adventure?"

Hermione smiled as she heard her wife's quiet reply. "I'm married to it."

Minerva and Hermione left Severus and Robert a little while later, needing to get to their appointment with Poppy. "Have you put any thought into a Godparent?" Minerva asked.

"A little," Hermione admitted. "Although I didn't know if you'd want to weigh in or not. I mean, I know the child isn't biologically yours, but it will be yours in every way that matters, so I wondered if you'd want to pick the Godparent."

"If it was left up to me, I'd probably pick Pomona," she admitted. "That said, I'd like to hear your thoughts as well. You've already said you're open to having more children, so this one could have your choice of Godparent and the next could have my choice. I'm fine with that."

"I'm torn between Harry and George, to be honest," Hermione mused. "Harry has been a brother to me since my first day of Hogwarts, and Merlin knows I've followed him through thick and thin. I believe that if something were to happen to us and our child had to be raised by him, he'd protect that child with everything he had. He'd have no problem with the fact that the baby was really Draco's, so that's also a plus. I considered Ron, but with his family history with the Malfoys… Ron may not care if it's Draco's, but he has been known to be easily swayed by his family's opinion. I'd worry about that."

"A reasonable observation," Minerva agreed.

"George, on the other hand," Hermione continued. "Ever since he lost Fred, we've gotten so close. I hate to compare, but what I feel for George is almost more than I feel for Harry, or Ron for that matter. I can't explain it. It's just a twin thing, I guess. Further, George has never given two shites what his family thinks about what he does. He doesn't care that the baby is a Malfoy, and he'd never for one second let his care of the child, if it came to that, be influenced by the opinions of his family members. Not ever. He'd put our child first, same as Harry would."

"I'd agree with that assessment," the older woman nodded. "George has shaped up to be a good man, all said and done. Even if he is a prankster."

"Even a prankster can be responsible," Hermione said. "I know he and Fred didn't sit their NEWTs, but they did successfully start a flourishing business. That takes intelligence, commitment, and in general, an ability to be a functional adult."

"Oh, I know," Minerva agreed. "I do think, however, it would be good for George if he took the time to go to the Ministry and sit for his NEWTs now, perhaps even pursue a Mastery. You are quite correct in saying he's intelligent. Fred was the Potions genius between the two, while George's prowess was in Charms and Transfiguration. I honestly believe that if he set his mind to it, George would be able to achieve a Mastery in either discipline. While perhaps not necessary in his current line of work, it would be something he could work toward slowly, at his own pace now, and have to fall back on if he ever decided he needed alternative employment."

Hermione looked thoughtful. "It's not unreasonable. I'll talk to him. With as smoothly as things are running at the shop, Merlin knows he can afford to take time off to pursue classes for catching up to take his NEWTs, and later, to take classes toward a Mastery. Maybe I'll challenge him to a race to a Mastery, and give him a head start since I can't sit for my NEWTs until the baby is born, much less start a Mastery. George is actually rather competitive."

Minerva snorted. "I hadn't noticed," she said dryly, as if the prank wars that had lasted his entire Hogwarts education hadn't been evidence of the fact.

"Hello ladies," Poppy greeted warmly as the two of them entered the Hospital Wing. "Ready for your eight week checkup?"

"Sure," Hermione said, rolling her eyes as she plopped on the bed the Matron was pointing to. "I still don't know why you feel the need to coddle so much. I'm not using magic. I feel fine."

"Your core is unstable," Poppy chastised, "and you recently handfasted, which is an incredibly destabilising bit of magic. I'm astounded your core didn't implode right then and there. As such, yes, I must coddle, as you say. Ironically the more I research, the more I think the fact that you had just conceived is part of why your core did survive the handfast. The newly forming magical core of your child insulated your own. Granted, that's fragile insulation, and by no means am I suggesting you abuse this insulation, but it could have been the difference between the handfast itself destroying your magic, or not."

"Fascinating," Hermione breathed.

"Horrifying!" Minerva exclaimed, thinking of what would have happened, and how guilty she'd be feeling right now, if she'd handfasted with Hermione and Hermione had not been pregnant, and that had resulted in Hermione losing her magic forever, or worse.

"Don't fuss, darling," Hermione chastised. "I am pregnant, my core did not implode. No use getting worked up over what didn't happen."

Minerva huffed, and then moved in to watch with interest as Poppy ran her wand over Hermione's stomach in varying patterns to, she figured, check on the well-being of the child. She nodded as she went, muttered positive words that assured the couple that all was well, and then, she stopped and frowned.

"What?" Hermione said, looking concerned.

"I suppose I should have seen that coming," Poppy mused.

"What?" Minerva asked, louder than her wife and with a bit more bite in her tone.

Poppy looked up, and then smiled. "Congratulations you two. You're having twins."

For Minerva, the news was like a deer in the headlights, although as she heard her wife gasp and turned to look at Hermione, she could see the emotion swelling in the younger woman's eyes. Of course, they should have considered this as a possibility. Hermione was a fraternal twin. Her chance of mothering twins was exceedingly high. The young witch may have grown up as an only child for the bulk of her life, but it didn't change the reality that she was born as one of two, and now, she'd mother a pair. "Hermione?" Minerva said softly.

Her wife met her eyes. "George," she said. "George and Pomona both."

Minerva looked over at Poppy. "Any idea of gender yet?"

"Too soon for that," the Matron said. "About another four weeks."

"We'll talk to them then," Minerva said, turning back to her wife. "After we know gender. If they're both boys or both girls, it won't matter, but if one is a boy and one is a girl, like you and Nicolas…"

"Then Pomona gets the girl, and George gets the boy," Hermione finished, in agreement with Minerva's thoughts.

"Granted, if something happens to the two of us, we need to come up with a plan as to who raises them, ultimately," Minerva said seriously. "I want them to have separate Godparents, obviously, but I wouldn't want our children separated if something happened to us, and frankly I don't see George and Pomona hooking up."

Hermione laughed. "No. Further, that doesn't account for our other children down the road, who will have Godparents of their own. We really do need to have a serious conversation about who will have custody of our children if something happens to both of us."

"Merlin, I hope there's not another war in my lifetime," Minerva said, resting her head on Hermione's shoulder.

"War isn't the only thing that can make orphans," Poppy interjected. "I was an orphan, did you know that? Potions accident killed my parents."

Minerva shook her head. She'd known Poppy Pomfrey for years and years and never known this. "I knew your parents, Poppy!"

"You knew my adopted parents, Minerva," Poppy smiled. "Good people, for Gryffindors. Loved me even when I sorted to Slytherin. Of course, it was no surprise at all that I did. My biological family were Slytherins as far back as the Founding of Hogwarts. Hermione, I do believe you'd be more familiar with my biological family than Minerva would. You certainly spent enough of the last few years studying it. My father's name was Percius Gaunt. He was the begrudgingly legitimised son of Morfin Gaunt. He died alongside my mother, Bella Rhodes, who was a muggleborn Ravenclaw to the horror of the Gaunts from what I've been told. Of course, the Gaunts were all but dead by then so they felt like they had no choice but to accept the marriage. Unfortunately, my parents both died in a Potions accident when I was only six years old. I barely remember them at all. I was adopted by the Pomfreys, who were my Godparents. As my adoptive parents would later tell me, the choice to formally adopt was partially a choice made as a means to hide me from my grandfather, as they suspected he may have had a hand in my parents' deaths."

Hermione huffed. "That wouldn't surprise me in the slightest. Are you a Parselmouth?"

Poppy smirked. "What Gaunt isn't? Granted, I would be hard pressed to admit that to anyone. I didn't even tell Albus that."

"Why do you know so much about the Gaunts, Hermione?" Minerva asked, curious. She of course had heard about the relatively insane family, over the years, but couldn't imagine why her wife would have researched them.

The Hogwarts Matron let out a heavy sigh. "Because my great-aunt, Merope Gaunt, is the mother of Tom Riddle. Effectively speaking, Voldemort was my cousin. There was a very good reason that Albus Dumbledore kept me close all these years. Hogwarts has become my home over the years, Minerva, and at this point I don't want to go anywhere else, but at the beginning it was nothing more to me than a place to hide from my egomaniac cousin who, should he discover me, would undoubtedly want me dead. Much of Albus' intelligence about the Gaunt family came from me, and then trickled down to Potter, and of course, to Hermione."

"Well then," Hermione said. "Thanks for the help. Sorry your cousin was such a prat."

Poppy laughed. "He rather was, wasn't he? I am sad that I'll be the last of the Gaunts. We were once a noble family. I never married, nor had children. I'm long past trying at this point, and even if I found a means, I'd not slap that name on anyone. Not after what Tom did to tarnish it. Some crimes are just unforgivable, and some names are meant to die. The Gaunt line ends with me. At least I can say that it will end with a Healer, instead of with a destroyer."

"Will you ever tell the world who you really are?" Minerva asked.

"Post mortem, perhaps," Poppy said. "I'd fear that if I admitted the truth before that, it would just sign my death warrant. Bad enough watching Gryffindors hate Slytherins year after year just because they're Slytherins, with no real reason beyond that. Imagine how people will feel about me, when they learn that I call Tom Marvolo Riddle my kin?"

"I'd suggest talking to Harry about it, at least," Hermione suggested. "He's spent so many years intricately connected to Voldemort. If anyone would understand what it's like to be entangled with that legacy, it would be him. Even if it didn't mean going public with the information, perhaps it would ease your mind to have someone to talk to about things."

"If nothing else, you two could talk Parseltongue," Minerva quipped.

Hermione lit up. "Actually, if you're feeling like indulging your intellectual side, talk Harry into taking you down to the Chamber of Secrets. I have a strong hunch there's an office or library down there, and given it belonged to Salazar Slytherin, I'd bet hard earned galleons that there are books written in parseltongue. The two of you could translate."

"That may be a project worth pursuing," Poppy admitted. "Alright you two, your twins seem healthy thus far, and Hermione, you're doing well. I got word from Robert that Severus is awake so I'm on my way down there to see this wonder for my own eyes. I'm quite looking forward to giving my second favourite patient a good thrashing."

"Who's your first favourite patient?" Hermione wanted to know.

"Harry, of course," Poppy said with a smirk. "I keep threatening to get a plaque with his name on it and place it above his usual bed. He's in here that bloody often. It was the same with Remus…"

They all got quiet as the trio of women all suddenly remembered the loss. Even a year on, sometimes they just forgot for a moment, and then they would remember and the ache would come crashing back down. "I need to make time to see Andromeda and Teddy soon," Hermione said.

"You need to make time to see Narcissa soon," Minerva gently reminded her, "even if you meet her at a neutral location.

Hermione sighed. "I guess today is as good a day as any. I'll send her an Owl and see if she's free later this evening to meet in Hogsmeade. She ought to know about the twins, anyway."

Hugs were exchanged between the three women, and after Hermione borrowed Poppy's Owl to send Narcissa Malfoy a message about meeting, Minerva and her wife were back out the door. "Twins," she breathed, as soon as they were clear.

"Yeah," Hermione said. "I really should have seen that coming. Are you okay?"

Minerva laughed. "Do I have a choice? Robert will be thrilled. His odds of getting a Slytherin niece or nephew just went up fifty percent."

Hermione sighed. "This is happening to both of us, Min. I know I'm the one experiencing the pregnancy, but it's our lives, together, that's being hit with a wrecking ball. We do have options if you're not prepared to… be a mother, just yet."

Minerva knew her wife well enough to know that Hermione tended to be self-sacrificing, and her jest had triggered the younger woman's fears about Minerva's readiness for the challenges ahead. Of course she was surprised, and bloody terrified, and had questions left and right about if she was going to be a good parent, but that was perfectly normal! All new parents went through that. "Hermione, we're in this together. I don't want other options. I want you, and I want our children. I want these children you carry now, and I want the children you may one day carry that we make together. I want today, tomorrow, and the rest of our lives together. I want the good days that are easy, and I want the days I'm half ready to jump off the Astronomy Tower. Life isn't meant to be pure joy, because without challenges how could we recognize grace and love when it's given to us? Without pain, how would we know when we're looking love in the eye?"

The older witch wasn't sure if she'd just said something right, or if it was the pregnancy hormones, but Hermione spent the better part of the next ten minutes snogging Minerva against the corridor wall. Wisely, none of the several students who passed by in that interval opted to make a single sound, but she was quite certain that the occasion was going to be circulating through the Hogwarts gossip mill within a few hours. Merlin save her.

Hermione took a deep breath as she walked into The Golden Wand, a classy wizarding restaurant in London. She'd thought to meet Narcissa in Hogsmeade at first, but after consideration she realised that she was not prepared for anyone to speculate as to why she might be meeting the sole survivor of the Malfoy family, especially considering that news of her pregnancy was now commonly known around Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. At least here, there was some discretion, especially if Narcissa had anything to do with it. "I'm here to meet Mrs. Malfoy," she said, going up to the greeter at the front desk.

The man nodded. "Lady Malfoy has reserved a private room," he stated. "This way."

"Lady Malfoy, right," she mumbled under her breath, mentally correcting herself. She didn't want to get this conversation off on the wrong foot by addressing the other witch improperly. It sort of blew her mind to think that one day her children would be Lords, or Ladies in their own right, heirs to a noble family.

She stepped into the room, and was about to introduce herself, but the man who'd escorted her back did so on her behalf. "May I present Mrs. Hermione McGonagall?" he said, before stepping back and closing the door behind him.

"Mrs. McGonagall," Narcissa said, standing and offering her hand. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me."

"Lady Malfoy," she greeted in return, taking the offered hand. "Please, feel free to call me Hermione. In a roundabout way, we're to be family. Formality seems a bit silly to me, however if you'd prefer…"

"No, no," the other witch said, smiling a little. "I agree. None of that Lady Malfoy nonsense from you, then. I'm deeply grateful that you are open to my involvement in my grandchild's life."

Hermione took a sip of water. "Well to begin, I should start with some news regarding the pregnancy. I had an appointment with Poppy this afternoon, and it appears you will not be getting one grandchild, but rather two. I'm expecting twins."

Narcissa's hand flew to her heart in shock. "Twins? Oh my… there haven't been twins in the Malfoys, or even the Blacks in as long as I can recall. Is that something that comes from your side, or was that just good fortune?"

"I was a twin," Hermione admitted. "My brother died in an accident when we were eight, however."

The older witch looked regretful. "I'm very sorry to hear that. I imagine Hogwarts would have been better for having both of you in attendance, if he was half as bright as you are."

"Nicolas was very intelligent, however he lacked my tendency to run headlong into danger," Hermione mused. "I doubt we'd have both sorted to Gryffindor. Were we not Muggleborn, I'd have pegged him for a Slytherin through and through, to be perfectly honest, but barring that, I like to imagine Hufflepuff. We were both in the accident which cost him his life, as was our nanny. Both he and the nanny were killed, but I walked away with only a minor injury. I suspect that he used his magic to save me. Nicolas believed in magic long before I was willing to. Even with accidental magic occurring when we were young, I searched for logical explanations and he… he just called it magic and believed."

"When did you finally believe, Hermione?" Narcissa asked, raising an eyebrow.

She laughed. "When Minerva showed up on my doorstep with a wand and Transfigured my book into a teacup. I was rather vexed with her, actually. I wasn't done reading my book! That said, I could hardly deny, or logic my way out of what I'd seen at that point. More than that, I'd spent three years looking for an explanation for why I had lived, and my brother had died. I had my answer. It hurt, but it gave meaning to his otherwise pointless death. In any case, twins clearly run in my family, and the end result is a positive for the Malfoy line."

"Will Minerva allow both of them to be claimed as Malfoys?" Narcissa asked. "Or is that too selfish of me? I realise she's got her own line to consider."

"I'm not certain we'll give both of them the Malfoy surname," Hermione mused, "however I'd not deny either of them as Malfoys. They're a pair, and I'd not want jealousy between them. My concerns about jealousy almost makes me inclined to make them both Malfoys in full and be done with it, but that's still in discussion. Realistically, I'm young and more or less healthy, and obviously prone to having twins. There's time for Minerva and I to have more children to carry on the McGonagall line."

"Have you considered names?" Narcissa inquired. "I know that the McGonagalls do not have much in the way of traditions for naming children, but both the Malfoys and Blacks do. I'd not presume to tell you what to name your children, however I'd request that you'd consider that one day your children will head the Malfoy estates, and depending on what Andromeda and Harry ultimately do regarding heirs, potentially the Black family as well. I'd hate to see Abraxas, Lucius, and Draco Malfoy followed by, oh, I don't know… Harry Malfoy. It's not to say that Harry isn't a perfectly nice name, but it's neither a star nor of Roman origin, and…"

Hermione smiled in understanding as Narcissa let out a frustrated huff. She decided to spare the older witch any more desperate explanation. "I'd already actually considered that. I'll not promise both, but at least one, the eldest, will have a Malfoy appropriate name. I'd thought that if it's a son, I'd like the middle name to be Draco, after his father. I'm still not certain for a first name, and really didn't plan to give it further thought until I was certain on gender for the children. I may not adore your family's naming traditions, but this is something I'm willing to give on. I feel, Narcissa, that if our relationship is going to work, we need to understand that there will be give and take, from the start. Do you agree?"

The older witch sat back. "In principle, yes. What do you need from me? You'd not have brought it up if you hadn't been considering it."

"I've been doing my research on how regencys work in the wizarding world," Hermione admitted. "As it presently stands, you hold all the Malfoy assets under your power until such a time that you name heirs. You are, however, not required to do so until those heirs come of age. While I want to trust that you will wisely manage the Malfoy assets for the next seventeen years and change, and will in fact name Draco's children as heirs when the time comes, I have no way of knowing for certain that something won't change in the course of that time. I'd be a fool to just go on blind faith that everything will work out for the best. On one hand, Minerva can provide for us and that's well and good, so it's not really about need, but at the end of the day, these children are Malfoys. I did know Draco well enough to know that he'd have wanted his children provided for by his estate, and not by someone else. As such, I would like to set things up to ensure that I, as their mother, have some measure of control over at least some of the Malfoy assets so that I can see to their care as they grow up, and potentially be making investment choices on their behalf to situate them in the long haul."

"Medius Interex," Narcissa said smoothly, nodding in approval. "For a Gryffindor, you'd have made a hell of a Slytherin."

"I get that a lot," Hermione admitted. "What I propose is that you maintain all of the Non-Current assets across the board. If you choose to liquidate them, that's up to you, and I really don't care. What you do with the cash from there, again, up to you. Investment assets you already have in place we sit down and divide between us fairly. Current assets, I gain fifty-percent holding. I can only estimate where the bulk of the Malfoy wealth is right now, but I'm guessing that a large part of the liquid assets were spent on the war, so I don't kid myself in thinking I'll be getting a whole ton to work with by grabbing fifty percent. That's why I want the same portion of the investment assets as well, because I'm betting you and Lucius were smart enough to hide a good deal of money there. Even so, I'm still only estimating that will leave me with maybe twenty-five percent of the Malfoy estate to work with. It's a chunk, but with the right investing, I think I can give my children a good nest egg if all hell hits the fan between them and you between their birth and their majority. Ultimately, this is nothing but a safeguard. All assets would merge back together and out of my hands as soon as they reach their majority. I'd write that into the contract."

"Closer to thirty-five percent, actually," Narcissa admitted. "Lucius saw the Dark Lord's return coming and spent a good deal of our liquid funds, putting it into overseas investment. Yes, you were quite correct in thinking that there wasn't much left after the war in current assets, however it's been a year and I have not been idle. Lesson one, Hermione; never underestimate a Malfoy."

"Pretty sure I already learned that one, Narcissa," Hermione said, grinning a little. "As a quick shag that was supposed to mean absolutely nothing got me knocked up with twins. Underestimate a Malfoy, indeed."

"Dare I ask why neither of you thought to use contraceptives?" the older woman groaned. "While I certainly don't regret the fact that I am gaining grandchildren out of this mess, were Draco still alive, and had you not handfasted with Minerva…"

"It would have been a political nightmare," Hermione agreed, wincing. "Yeah, I know. I can't speak for Draco, of course. I'd bet he just assumed I'd have it covered. As for me, I was trying to embrace tradition. I know it's an archaic tradition that basically nobody adheres to, but Beltane is the night of fertility in the wizarding world and traditionally, contraceptives are taboo. I wanted to honour that. Further, as I typically gear toward female partners, I figured if I hooked up with a man at all it would be once and short and that the odds were slim it would result in a pregnancy, considering that most men take care of contraceptives on their end as well. I gambled the odds in favour of tradition, and ultimately lost. Simple as that."

Narcissa let out a sigh. "Well, I can respect adherence to tradition. The ironic part is that if I know my son, he probably had a similar thought. That last year he developed something of a rebellious streak that I do think would have led him to a point where he'd not have cared if the conception of a bastard child had forced him to wed someone his father would have considered improper…"

"A mudblood?"

"Let's just proactively agree to remove that word from both of our vocabularies effective immediately," the older woman said seriously. "The war is done. We are, through a series of very unusual events, family. Hermione, I shan't hear of you referring to yourself as such nor will I be tolerating anyone in my social circle using that word any longer. The Purebloods are about to turn a new leaf, whether they like it or not. Draco may not have realised it at the time, but when he made the heir of the Malfoy line the child of the muggleborn, he ensured that the Pureblood agenda discontinue any ideology which suggests that muggleborns are lesser. The Malfoys have never been lesser and never will be. I will make certain of that."

Hermione was flabbergasted. "And… the rest of the purebloods are just going to fall in line, because you say so?"

The older woman rolled her eyes. "Of course because I say so. I'm Narcissa Malfoy."

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