-!-!-!-
Part 3
" . . . May God have mercy on his soul," the preacher finished talking and the lid to the casket closed. Hermione got a glimpse of her father for what she knew would be the last time. She refused to go to the cemetery so she had scheduled for the lawyer to read the will right after the funeral. Before she knew it, she was seated in the office of Arnold, her parent's lawyer.
"Ms. Granger, so sorry for your loss," he said sympathetically.
She didn't answer. The reading didn't begin immediately because they had to wait for Alexandra who just had to take her time. When she finally arrived, she received the same condolence from Arnold.
"Right. Let's begin now," Arnold said briskly once everyone was seated. "Ahem," he cleared his throat, put on his reading glasses, and then began to read.
"'I, Hector Alan Granger, would like the following to happen after my demise. The house and everything in it should go to my wife, Alexandra Granger, seeing as my daughter already has her own. The funds should be divided in half and given to my wife and daughter. Any other things that have not been mention can be taken by either my wife or daughter.'"
He took his glasses off and stared at the two women. "Is there anything else that wasn't mentioned in the will that either of you might want?" he asked.
"The van," Alexandra answered immediately.
"Do you want it?" he asked Alexandra who nodded. "Are you okay with this, Hermione?" Hermione nodded. "Alright then. The van is all yours, Alexandra."
Alexandra smiled lightly.
"Excuse me, ladies. I must go fetch the property papers now. I'll be back in a few minutes." He left the office.
"Why?" Hermione asked as soon as he left.
"Why what? Alexandra asked nonchalantly.
"Why did you do it? Why did you kill him? I know you were the cause of those heat attacks! I don't know what type of dark magic you used to make it look natural but I know for a fact that it wasn't! he was in perfect health and had no heart disease. You killed him!"
"Oh? Prove it," she said simply.
Since Hermione knew she couldn't answer that, she asked another question. "And why did you act like the mum I never had for almost two months every year and suddenly when I'm around full time, you shunned me away?"
"I never thought of you as my child if that's what you're asking," Alexandra answered unfeelingly. "You were just an obstacle in my way. When I knew I was beyond that obstacle, I just didn't care about it anymore."
"And what exactly was this goal of yours that had me as an obstacle in it?" Hermione asked hotly.
"I'll admit that at first my intentions weren't bad. I came to your father hoping for a simple life. A simply luxurious life. Dentists do make big money, don't they?" she asked rhetorically. "I thought I would have a child with him who would inherit that small fortune of his. But then I found out I was barren. I couldn't stand the thought that all my plans would go to waste. I dealt with you until I needed to and then I stopped. I hoped that I could drive you away; your father would forget about you and make me the centre of his attention. His first heart attack was a good time to start." She finished off.
Hermione was sitting there, seething. How could she have once called that heartless bitch her mother? How could she just say all that stuff so casually? She hadn't even shown the slightest remorse to the fact that her husband of 11 years had died. Or any guilt at the fact that she most probably had killed him. A fake forlorn face may have fooled everyone else but Hermione knew better.
"Giving away my son was a part of your plans too, then? Or did you just like seeing me miserable?"
"I know for a fact you've found him now. I always knew you would someday. Why did you think I told the owner of the orphanage his full name? I knew he would go running to that Malfoy."
"You did it on purpose?" Hermione asked but received no answer. When it was apparent that Alexandra wasn't going to talk anymore, she just apparated home. She couldn't stand the presence of her stepmother anymore.
The next three days, she sat at home, moping around and reliving her memories when suddenly she received an unexpected visitor.
"Malfoy," she greeted him dully when he had shown up at her flat.
"Why haven't you been at work the past three days? I don't remember saying that you could take any days off. I do remember telling you to stay away from Devon though," was how he greeted her in turn.
"Why don't you come in?" she asked instead of answering him.
She led him inside and sat him down on the sofas while sitting as well. Meanwhile, Draco was looking at her curiously. She looked . . . dead. There were slight black circles under her eyes which stood out against pale skin, her bushy hair was all messed up, she was still in her pyjamas and her face or voice had no expression at all. This was not the person he knew.
"What's wrong with you, Granger?" he found himself asking.
"Why do you care?" she asked in return.
"I don't."
"My dad died."
He was silent for a minute. He'd met Mr. Granger and had liked him the old man; he'd been really friendly. "I'm sorry," he finally said.
"Don't be. You don't care, remember?"
"I told you to stay away from my son," he said changing the subject.
"I was only spending some time with my son. Besides, it was kind of forced on me. Anna had to leave and left me in charge of him," she replied in her dull voice.
He made a mental note to have a talk with Anna.
Silence ensued.
"You know," Hermione said abruptly. "I think I've lost all the people I really love. First there were my best friends. Harry and Ginny are so busy with their lives that we're not that close anymore. Ron distanced himself from me after I rejected him so many times. I lost you and Devon because of Alexandra and now my father has passed away."
"Alexandra?" Draco asked, confused.
"She's a witch, and an evil witch at that. She killed Dad but I have no proof of it. She threatened Devon's life to make me lie to you and then when he was born, she gave him away to an orphanage. I didn't even know. I had been looking for him for the past three years and when I found out he was with you, I was happy. I always knew that he would spend life with only one parent and I was happy that it was you," she paused. "And I really don't know why I'm telling you this; you don't believe me."
"It wasn't you?" Draco asked.
"No, none of it was me. You know I would never do anything like that. I love you. I love my child. I would never do anything to hurt either of you. That cow ruined my life! And now that Dad's gone and she's gotten what she'd planned from the start, she finally leaves me alone!" she finished loudly.
You still love me? He wanted to ask. He didn't. Instead, he said, "I should get going. I want to see you at work tomorrow. Your crew is falling behind without you." He got up. "And Devon's missing you quite a lot too," He added quietly and then apparated away.
-!-!-!-
Draco was confused. He didn't know what to believe. Hermione's reason sounded so ludicrous yet it was the only explanation as to why she would do anything so cruel. Deep inside his heart, he knew there was truth in what she was saying but she had hurt him. That thought made him doubt everything.
And that part about still loving him and Devon. He couldn't deny that he still loved her too but there was a wall between them. She was the only one he had ever loved, the only one he had opened up to; the only one he ever cared about but she had hurt him.
Now he had Devon though. He'd also have to think about his son now.
-!-!-!-
The next morning, Hermione did arrive at the manor but she still looked the same way as she had the day before. Her hair may have been fixed up and she was out of her pyjamas but she still looked half dead. If anything, she had gotten paler. Her co-workers were concerned and asked what was wrong but she just brushed them off and worked silently.
Around lunch-time, Devon came downstairs. As soon as he saw her, he shouted "H'mione!" and ran to her. To say the least, everyone was shocked at that. And to add to their shock, he then led her off upstairs with him.
"I missed you," he said as soon as they were upstairs.
"Really?" Hermione asked, smiling for the first time in four days.
He nodded. "And Daddy was talking about you yesterday, too."
"Really?" she asked again, with more interest this time.
He nodded again.
"What did Daddy say, Devon?"
"He asked me if I liked you."
"What did you say?"
"YES!"
Hermione smiled slightly.
"C'mon," she said ushering him to his awaiting lunch. "Why don't you eat and then we'll work on your room again."
They were so busy chatting that neither noticed the figure standing in doorway until he coughed.
"Daddy!" Devon immediately made to get up but Hermione kept him down.
"Finish eating first," she said in mock sternness.
Devon pouted and went back to his food.
"Actually, I came here to talk to you, Granger," Draco said, his face expressionless.
"Oh."
"Care to step outside?"
She nodded and went outside the room, closing the door behind her. "What?" she asked him.
He stared at her for a minute before finally speaking. "I see that Devon has become quite attached to you in just a few days."
"So? I am his mother."
"He doesn't know that though."
"Just shut up, Malfoy," Hermione snapped. "Either get to the point of this conversation or I have other matters to attend to." She made a move to go back to the room but he caught her arm.
"I want you to come to dinner with me tonight."
"Dates are asked for, Malfoy, not ordered."
"Are you coming or not?''
"Whatever."
"Be ready by eight then. I'll pick you up at your flat." He said as he walked away.
"I never agreed!" she called to his retreating back,
"See you, Granger." he called back without turning around.
She went back to the room in a huff.
-!-!-!-
Draco Malfoy considered himself going mad. He had just asked out Granger to dinner. Her excuse for Devon ending up in an orphanage the day he was born was so pathetic yet he still believed it somewhat.
He was so going to regret this. He knew he would. It was pointless to start something that had already ended once.
Devon was the only reason why he was taking this chance. Anna had also spoken to him about how the absence of a mother would affect his life. He had assured Anna that under her guidance nothing would happen to him but she had waved his statement off by saying that no one knew of tomorrow. Who knew if she would be there or not? No one else would be good enough for his little boy so Hermione would have to do.
-!-!-!-
When Draco arrived outside her flat and knocked, he had to wait at least 15 minutes before the door opened. It was a good thing that patience was one of his stronger virtues.
When Hermione came out, it looked as though she had hurriedly dressed. She was wearing a simple black dress, black flats and absolutely nothing else. No jewellery, no make-up. At least she had combed her bushy hair so it flowed over her shoulders and down her back and hid her empty ears.
"Took you long enough," he commented when she opened the door.
She said nothing but looked at him expectantly.
"You . . . erm, look nice," he managed to say.
She snorted softly. "What did you expect? This wasn't exactly my choice you know. It isn't like old times. Anyways, where are we going?"
"No need to be so uptight. I didn't have any expectations at all. And you certainly don't need to remind me of 'old times'." He grabbed her hand and apparated them out of there to an unknown magical surrounding.
He led her into a fancy little restaurant where they got special seats on the terrace overlooking a beautiful garden. A waiter was by their sides immediately to take their orders and left promptly after receiving them.
"So," Hermione started. "Why did you ask me to dinner?"
"Don't get any ideas. I'm doing this for Devon. I think he deserves his proper mother right now. Who knows how long Anna will last. Just this morning she was talking bout leaving to go help out with her own grand daughter."
"You mean you're going to tell Devon?"
"He has the right to know."
She grabbed his hand on top of their table. "Thank you, Draco," she whispered. "You don't know how much it means to me."
He nodded and gently pulled his hand out of her grasp. "During the time you work, you can see him in the day. After that, I'm willing to offer you to move in with us. There are plenty of rooms in the manor."
Hermione thought a minute. "Won't it seem odd if I move in with you suddenly? I mean, no one knows I had Devon."
"Are you saying you'll be ashamed to move in then? Afraid that people will talk? That they'll call our child a bastard?"
"Don't say that!" she said sharply, her voice filled with anger. "I am not ashamed, all right? In fact, I'd like to ask you who you've told as Devon's mother!"
He only stared at her quietly.
"Exactly! Don't you dare blame me of being ashamed when you yourself are!"
Draco mentally praised himself for getting them a seat outside otherwise Hermione's loud voice surely would have turned a few heads. "Calm down and be quiet, Granger," he said quietly. "You're starting to sound like a banshee."
Hermione stared at him incredulously before walking away in a huff. That man had a lot of nerve to tell her to calm and be quite and then insult her. And to think she still had feelings for him!
Draco quickly followed her out of the restaurant. He managed to catch her outside the main gate. "Stop, Granger," he said, holding her arm. She struggled against him so he pulled her towards him. "Stop." She stared at him with her big brown eyes and it was about then that he realized how nice it felt having her in his arms again. On impulse, he leant down and brushed his lips against hers. She still tasted nice . . .
Realizing what he had done, he quickly let her go. "I think it's time to tell Devon the truth." He grabbed her hand and apparated to the manor.
-!-!-!-
Devon was already in bed by the time they got back. Draco gently prodded him awake.
"Devon?"
"Hmm?" came the child's sleepy voice. He looked up at them with drooping eyes.
Draco paused, not knowing how to tell his son that his mother who had been absent the past three years of his life was actually the woman who was redesigning his room, Hermione Granger.
Hermione saw his struggle and spoke up instead. "Devon . . . I'm your mum." See? Nice and direct. Even Draco looked shocked at her straight revelation.
The little boy was immediately wide awake. His eyes big, he had a disbelieving look on his face. "My mum?" he whispered, looking from Draco to Hermione.
Both nodded simultaneously.
He stared silently at them for a few seconds before a happy grin crossed his face. "Mummy!" he jumped up and hugged her tightly. "Mummy."
"Yes baby, its mummy," Hermione managed to croak. She couldn't stop the tears of happiness that fell from her eyes.
Draco could only watch the reunion. He was never one to show emotion but this scene touched him quite a lot. Maybe things would be better from now on.
-!-!-!-
That night, Hermione went home feeling extremely mixed. And it was all Draco's fault. He just had to kiss her, did he? He had to arise the feelings that that been numb for so long. Even the happiness she felt at being completely reunited with her son was overpowered by the sense that Draco gave her. At the moment, she really needed to sleep.
For the next two weeks, the arrangement that Draco had laid out was followed. Hermione worked hard in the morning with her crew (they were finishing the job fast) and then in the evenings she spent her time with Devon.
Her dinners with Draco continued. She had started dressing more formally for their dates, taking time on herself. For the most part, they would just talk. Hermione began to get the feeling that he believed her innocence but didn't say anything, just in case. Sometimes, they danced. Draco had made it a routine to kiss her goodnight after every one of their dates. She never objected. They were starting to get on much better relations with each other.
"Draco," Hermione called to him one day. They were back on first name terms.
He looked up from his papers. "What?" he asked as though irritated.
"Nothing really. I just wanted to fill you in on the progress. Our estimated times to finish this place was over a month but think we'll be done within that time. The whole of the bottom floor is done and only a few rooms are left upstairs. Devon's room is complete and I think all the work should be finished complete in four or five days." she was looking around his study now. "Say, we haven't done this study yet. Do you want me to do it?"
"No, leave this as it is. I'd like to have something of my own designing in this vast place." He moved his hand to gesture around the study but accidentally knocked the stack of papers besides him. He cursed and practically lunged to pick the up around the same time that Hermione did causing them to collide and fall back, with Draco on top of her.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
He didn't answer. Instead, he kissed her.
"Draco," she mumbled against his lips.
If anything, that seemed to fuel his actions. He kissed her more deeply, his hands wandering the length of her body. Before she knew it, she was reciprocating his actions. His mouth moved from hers and went across her jaw, down her neck.
The haze was lifting from her a little. Hermione panicked when she realized what this was leading to. "Draco, no," she said.
He stopped instantly, his hands and mouth leaving her body. "What?"
She got up. "This is wrong. It had to stop," she said, slightly out of breath.
He got up too. "We're dating, we have a child together!" he yelled.
"But we're still not together!" she yelled, tears visible in her eyes. She stormed away.
Shaking his head, he took a deep breath and returned to his work.
-!-!-!-
Over the course of the next three days, Hermione distanced herself from Draco and kept to her work. She still spent time with Devon but she didn't even speak to Draco. Meanwhile, Draco was getting quite fed up with her odd behaviour. He cornered her one day while she was about to go home after putting Devon to sleep.
"Granger," he called.
She didn't acknowledge his presence in any way.
"Stop this childish behaviour," he snapped. "If you've got a problem then say it to my face. Avoiding me isn't going to solve anything."
"My problem?" she turned around slowly. "My problem, Malfoy, is you"
"Me?"
"Yes, you. What is it exactly that you want from me? You say that you're doing it all for Devon yet I still don't get your motives for dating me. Like the other day . . ."
"You didn't seem to have any qualms about it at first," he reminded her.
"It happened so suddenly that I didn't have time to comprehend what was going on but when I did, I stopped it."
He made a disbelieving sound. "So maybe there is a little lust behind my actions as well. You didn't seem to mind before. Why now?"
"Circumstances have changed."
"Yet only weeks ago you told me that you still loved me."
"I was in an emotional state then."
"You're not denying the fact though." She didn't say anything. "Devon is getting upset by your attitude as well. He's wondering if we've had a fight or something." She still didn't say anything, just turned her head away. "What the hell, Granger? We need to discuss this. Stop being so damn difficult!"
"What am I supposed to say, Malfoy? That yes, I do still love you but you only want to use me or at least that's how it seems? We aren't making any progress. We should end this. It really is useless to try and start something that has already ended once."
He marched over to her and grabbed her shoulders tightly. "I never intended on using you. Actually, I thought we were making progress and that's why I thought you wouldn't mind. In fact, I was actually going to finish some unfinished business."
"Like what?"
"We were going to get married but we never did. I'd like you to move in as my wife rather than just Devon's mother."
Of all the things she was expecting him to say, this had never even crossed her mind. Her mouth dropped open and her eyes went wide with this shocking surprise. Happiness filled her heart and tears her eyes. But then her brain came into action as well. Logic was always part of her decisions so why shouldn't this one include it. She turned her head away. "No; it would be pointless. I've seen so many people marry because of their children and then divorce. We'd be making a really big mistake and think about Devon. We'd be leading him on falsely."
"You don't trust me then? When I tell you that I love you and that I will try and make it work? You won't believe me?" he shook her a little. "Come on, Hermione. Have a little faith in me."
"I do," she whispered.
"Then come on," he said, grabbing her hand.
"Where are we going?"
"To get married."
"Now?"
"It's been delayed enough." And with that, he apparated them both away.
-!-!-!-
The manor was in silence. Sure this wasn't the creepy, dark place like the old Malfoy Manor but the silence was still eerie, even in this lively place. Anna had been wandering throughout the whole house for the past five minutes and still she could find no one. Where were Draco and Hermione? The workers had left and Devon was fast asleep upstairs but those two were missing. She knew the two had started dating and Devon called Hermione 'Mum' for some reason (she never asked why) but this was not the time to run off someplace together! This was quite a problem seeing as she needed to leave too.
Suddenly, apparating sounds came from the living room and laughing noises were heard. She went to investigate the noise and found and unusual site: Draco and Hermione had fallen on the floor and laughing together.
"What is happening here?" she asked, looking at the two curiously. They looked happy. A little too happy.
They stumbled into a standing position still holding onto each other. "We got married!" Hermione announced giddily, holding up her left hand where a ring was sparkling.
Anna was at a loss for words. "What?" Draco nodded. "I mean. Congratulation! My, this is sudden." She smiled at the two who smiled back "Well, I'll leave you two now. I really must go; urgent call from my daughter."
"Maybe you should go there permanently now," Hermione offered. "Draco told me you were thinking of leaving and its okay with us. Your granddaughter deserves you right now. You can go if you want."
"Oh, thank you, dears! I was worried at first about the boy but now you're here! I'll be off now. Congratulations and good luck. Keep in touch." She ecstatically hugged the two and was off with a last goodbye.
As soon as she left, Hermione felt her being lifted from the ground and started carrying her around the house. She squealed in surprise and demanded he tell her what he was doing.
"Nothing," he said innocently. They were going upstairs now. "All I'm doing is taking my wife up to our bedroom," he finished with a wink.
She smiled and sighed. This was pure bliss.
-!-!-!-
The house was completed the next day. The crew had been surprised by Hermione's interaction with Devon, but the fact that she married Draco Malfoy totally startled them. Nonetheless, they gave their congratulations.
Devon was happy to have his mum living with him full time and Draco was seen happier than he had been in a long while. Hermione's life was back on track and she couldn't believe how happy she was then.
Fate was finally by their side.
-!-!-!-
I edited this and changed the ending because there was some confusion. Now it is completely complete, lol. So … Review! Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it.