**TRIGGER WARNING: In this chapter, Hermione sees a healer about the pregnancy. The healer asks if the pregnancy is unwanted and mentions that options are available (implying abortion). It is not discussed in detail, but I wanted to drop a warning, especially after this week's events in the US.**

Hermione — 27th July 2007

I sat atop the table in the healer's office, wearing nothing but the gown they'd given me when I came in. It hadn't been easy to find a healer to see me on short notice in a foreign city, but after a call with the magical hospital in Barcelona, I'd been referred to a small private practise.

The more I thought about the question Harry had asked, the more I felt like I needed to know for sure — was this baby Draco's? As far as timing with the potions went, I felt fairly certain that it couldn't be Blaise's, but I had to verify for my own sanity.

"Good morning, Ms Granger," Healer Espinoza said, entering the room in her pale pink robes. "My assistant told me that you're here to see if you are with child?"

I swallowed hard. "I'm here to verify the charm, yes, but I'd also like to know approximately how far along I am."

The healer nodded. "We can sort all that out, have no worry. You just lay back and open your gown so I can access your abdomen."

Doing as she asked, I took a deep breath and stared up at the ceiling. I heard her washing her hands the Muggle way, and it was somehow comforting to me. I knew magic was just as effective, but the old rituals still felt right in some situations.

"Now I'm going to place my hands on you for just a moment and then we'll take the scan," she said, continuing to keep me in the loop. "Try not to move too much."

Her hands opened the gown and settled on my skin. She closed her eyes and gently probed at my abdomen with her fingers and then smoothed her palms over it.

"Yes, I feel a second magical force inside of you. It's faint, but it's there."

"Good," I breathed, a little surprised at how right it felt to say that.

I'd never really dreamt of being a mother before a wife, but it still made me happier than anything else had in the longest time.

Her hands left my stomach and a wand slid out of her sleeve and into her hand. Silently, she made a few precise movements over my abdomen, conjuring an image that looked somewhat like a Muggle ultrasound. With magic, however, she was able to quickly locate the minuscule little circle that was the start of my baby.

"Ah, yes, here he or she is," the healer said, smiling. "Heartbeat already, though we can't really hear it yet. See that little flickering?"

I stared at the image and tried to see what she saw, but it was impossible. I shook my head.

"Well, I can assure you, there is an embryo there with a normal, steady heartbeat."

Swallowing, I asked, "About how far along am I?"

"Five weeks," she said, making my heart plummet to the ground.

Immediately, the worst-case scenarios started running through my head. Having to tell Draco, to face Blaise, to somehow explain the tangled web of a family to a child somewhere down the line. I still loved Draco, and I hoped he would feel the same. I was willing to accept Scorpius into my life, after all.

Before I completely lost myself in the what-ifs, I took a deep breath, knowing I had to get through this appointment. If I had to have a paternity test performed in London so I knew for certain before the baby's birth, then I would. Regardless of the baby's father, I knew I was his or her mother, and my feelings wouldn't change.

But I hadn't missed a potion until after the last time I'd slept with Blaise.

"Are you sure? I didn't—It shouldn't be—"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Five weeks medically speaking, but conception was likely around three weeks ago. Does that make more sense?"

I exhaled sharply. "Yes."

"Did you want to talk about options?" she asked, trying to read the emotions on my face. "It's early enough in the pregnancy that if it's unwelcome—"

I cut her off before she could continue. "No. No, I'm happy about this, even if I seem a little on edge. It's just a little bit complicated."

She nodded. "Okay. I just wanted to make sure before I went into the antenatal care plan. Will you be staying here in Barcelona?"

"No, I'll be returning to England. I just wanted to be certain before I tell the baby's father. When is my due date?"

"I'd say early April, though there is always some uncertainty until the baby is a bit more measurable. Do you have a healer in mind back there?"

"One of my friends is referring me to hers," I began. "Is there anything I should or shouldn't be doing? I've picked up a few books, but haven't jumped into reading them yet."

For the next five minutes, Healer Espinoza went over all the dos and don'ts with me, recommending that I keep my Apparation to a minimum over the next few weeks and cut down on the international travel altogether. She talked about diet and exercise levels, warned me against alcohol and excess caffeine, and sent me on my way with several pamphlets that reiterated everything she already told me.

By the time I left her office, it was nearly ten and I knew I had to hurry over to the Ministry to wrap up everything I'd been working on and say goodbye to the colleagues who had welcomed me so warmly when I'd arrived in Barcelona. I hadn't yet eaten, so I stopped at a small cafe and picked up my one allowed cup of coffee and a churro, knowing that I'd have to work on eating a little bit healthier.

Just as I sat down at a table, my mobile rang from within the depths of my handbag. Cursing, I shifted the contents around, trying to find it. With a silent, wandless Accio , it flew into my palm and I flipped it open.

"Hi, Ron. What's up?"

"Not much. I just wanted to check in with you and see when you'd be back," he said, though I could tell he had something on his mind by the tone of his voice. "I know it's today or tomorrow, but—"

I cut him off. "I'll be home later this afternoon."

"Good," he began. "Do you have any plans?"

"Not at the moment, no. Though I suppose I'll need to see Draco before I see you lot on Sunday."

Ron coughed. "Yes, I think you should."

I frowned at the phone. Ron had never been Draco's biggest fan. "Is there a specific reason why you think I should?"

"Well, uh, if you're pregnant and it's his, he'd want to know. I mean, if I were him, I'd want to know." I heard Luna murmuring something in the background, though I couldn't quite make out what it was. "And I ran into him last night. He seemed... Well, out of sorts."

"Out of sorts?" I asked.

"He was at the Leaky, and I came through on my way home, and he was a little..."

"Pissed?"

"No, not yet anyways. He was just sipping Firewhisky, not downing it."

Sighing, I said, "Just spit it out, Ron. What happened?"

"Nothing happened. I sat down and had a pint. Figured I should try to talk to him if he's going to be with you," he replied somewhat sheepishly. "And, let's face it, the bloke doesn't have many friends right now, Hermione. If he's anything like you, he probably doesn't want to put Pansy in the middle of something."

Deep down, I knew Ron was right. Draco simply didn't have the kind of support system that most other people did. For almost two years, he'd been in isolation with Lucius, Narcissa, and Astoria. And I'd come between him and Blaise long before that.

"That was... nice of you. Mature."

Ron scoffed. "Always the tone of surprise. I'd like to think I've changed a lot over the years."

"You have," I replied quickly. "I know you have. I just wasn't sure if it would extend to Draco or not."

"Well, I'm certainly not moving to a first-name basis with the bloke, but I can be an adult when I need to."

I chuckled. "It's the strangest thing sometimes."

"Besides, if I can grow to like Pansy, I'm sure I can find some sort of common ground with Malfoy. It seems like Harry's okay with him."

"So what did the two of you talk about?"

He let out a breath. "I just wanted to let him know that I'm willing to be friends for your sake. That's all."

"That's all?"

"Mostly," Ron replied. "He seemed down so I just tried to reassure him that you'd be back this weekend and everything would be okay."

"As long as he's fine with a second surprise child."

I heard the nerves in my voice and I knew Ron probably could too.

"If he loves you as much as he seems to think he does, then he'll be fine with it. Maybe not right away, but once he thinks it through, he will be." He laughed. "Hell, he'll probably be dropping to his knees to propose to you."

"I hope you're right about the first part."

"But not the second?"

I chewed my cheek. "I'm not sure about the second. Not yet, anyway."

"Well, we can talk about that when you get home. It sounds like you need a little more time to adjust."

"Barcelona was supposed to be my time," I said, almost laughing. "But it seems life always has other plans."

"It does. Sometimes it's much easier to just go with flow and see where it takes you."

I hoped I could follow that advice.

As we packed up the room we'd been working in, one of the Spanish Unspeakables, Martina, looked at me sadly.

"Are you sure you want to go back to England, Hermione? We'd love to keep you here."

I nodded, settling a hand over my abdomen yet again. The nerves were still there, making my stomach flutter every single time I thought of Draco's reaction, but I wasn't afraid anymore. Taking the past few days to myself had helped me come to terms with this strange and wonderful new reality. With my mind focused on the future, I was less anxious and I finally understood why Draco hadn't wanted to continue watching memories and living in the past.

While we certainly weren't starting over with a clean slate, I was willing to let the past go if he was. I knew most people wouldn't understand this choice, but I didn't care — I loved Draco, and I wanted a future with him. I wanted the chance to build the life I'd daydreamed about while we were together.

"I need to go home and give someone some news."

Her eyes darted down to my hand and her lips parted in surprised comprehension. A second later, she opened her arms, inviting me in for a parting and congratulatory hug.

"It was wonderful to work with you. We'll miss you here," she said, squeezing me tight. "Thank you for all the expertise you shared with us."

I laughed. "It was hardly expertise."

"You were the only person here who had ever handled a Horcrux before," she pointed out. "If not for you, one of us might have gotten too close."

"Well, I wish we'd been able to figure out its origin."

"We did determine it was made well over a hundred years ago," she replied with a shrug. "I feel completely comfortable letting you destroy it."

I shook my head. "Not me. It will have to be someone else. I've called the Ministry in London and spoken to Harry. He's retrieving the Sword of Gryffindor from Hogwarts as we speak."

"Whoever," she answered, waving me off. "We don't want any possessions here."

"No, you definitely don't."

Looking around my workspace, I determined that there was nothing left for me to do or pack up. I sighed.

"Are you scared?" she asked, gesturing to my abdomen.

"A bit," I confessed. "It will be a surprise for the baby's father. We weren't—It wasn't planned."

Marina nodded in understanding. "I'm sure he will warm up to the idea."

"He has a son already and he is a wonderful father."

"Then he will be the same to your little one," she replied confidently. "How could he not be?"

A multitude of reasons ran through my mind but I just smiled at her, grateful for the attempted reassurance.

"Thank you, Martina. I truly appreciate it. You've been a wonderful tour guide."

She laughed. "When I come to London, I'm sure you will do the same for me. Though I suppose I will have to wait until your baby arrives."

"Early April," I told her. "The baby should be here in early April."

"It's not so far away. You just need to have faith that everything will fall into place before then."

I'd had similar thoughts the day I'd found I was pregnant, and I tried to focus on staying positive, on having faith that everything would work out the way it was supposed to.

As soon as I arrived home, I headed up the stairs and into my bedroom to unpack.

One by one, I sent items to the laundry basket or zooming back to their place in the house — books and parchment, ink and quills, dresses and shoes. Magic sped the entire process up, but it still felt like it was dragging on. By the time I'd reached the bottom of my bag, I knew there was only one more item I had to take out.

The journal.

I hadn't opened it since penning my response to Draco, and I was certain he'd written me multiple notes since then. He'd never been a patient person, and he'd always wanted my full attention when we were together. Slowly, I opened it to the current page, expecting to see line after line of little messages the way I had before. However, there was only one entry — and it was relatively long.

Rereading the letter a few times, I felt my heart speeding up, growing hopeful that everything might actually work out between us.

Hermione,

You don't have to reply. I know that you asked me to trust you, and I do. Please don't feel like you have to read this right now. You can completely disregard it if you'd like, but I just have to get it all out.

I know that some of this will be repetitive, but here it goes.

First and foremost, I love you. I have always loved you, even if I was never quite mature enough to handle a feeling this strong and properly show you how much you meant to me. I did a million and a half things wrong in our relationship, and I know that words aren't adequate reparations for everything that I put you through, but I don't know how else I can reassure you right now.

You deserved so much more than I gave you.

From the first night we were together to the last, I should've been honest with you. I should've followed my instincts and done what was right for me. I shouldn't have let familial responsibility or Blaise's words or fear of the unknown sway me. At the very least, that first morning after, I should've had a proper conversation with you before I left. Things could've been so much different.

There's a chance I'll never really understand why I didn't seek help from a solicitor earlier, but I know this much — it was wrong to carry on the way that I did. As soon as we started spending time together, I should've ended things with Astoria. I should've been a man and told my father that I'd fallen in love with you. I should've walked away, regardless of the consequences, because one thing is clear to me — I wanted to be with you.

But there's no sense in travelling down that path... What's done is done, and we can't change the past.

Like I told you before, I'm ready to focus on the future. I don't want to lose you again, even though I know it's probably hard for you to trust me. I can't blame you for that. It's been such a short time since we've really started to get to know each other again, and it seems like we're moving forward so quickly. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change a thing, but I can understand why you're hesitant. Hell, sometimes I'm even nervous about what's to come for us.

Here's what I really wanted to say:

I can promise that I will always endeavour to put you first from this point forward.

I promise to love you, no matter how difficult the road in front of us appears to be.

I promise to be there for you every single night and wake up next to you every single morning — unless one of us is away for work. That really can't be helped.

I promise to integrate into your family — the one you've built for yourself — with little to no complaints. (Yes, I'll even tolerate Weasley.)

Whatever you want, you need only ask and I'll find a way to give it to you.

As for what I want, I'll be happy in just about any situation, as long as you're there by my side.

I know that I'm a package deal with Scorpius now and that might be hard for you, but I promise to make it as easy as humanly possible. We can ease into it if that's what you need — see each other on nights where I don't have him, start with short visits... Whatever is best for you is fine with me.

I'm not going to talk about the other members of my family in this letter since I think it's better discussed face to face, but know this — I am actively working through the tangled web in my mind with Healer Clearwater. She and I started the conversation today, and she gave me a lot to think about. But when it comes to my parents, I will never let them influence me again. I am my own person, and I know what I want out of life. It's not power or money or any of the other things my father has chased over the years. I want to be happy. I want to have a family and friends who love me and respect me for who I am, not who they can turn me into or how I can better their standing.

That family doesn't have to be the one I've spent my life serving, for lack of a better term. I can choose my own and move forward.

I might not have it all figured out yet, but I do know one thing — I want you. Only you. Always you.

Just know that I'm here waiting when you're ready to come back.

I love you.

Draco

I blinked away the tears in my eyes.

My resolve strengthened. I'd already known I wanted to be with him, but this — the growth, the way he expressed himself so openly and honestly — it was in direct contrast with the way he'd been before. He was talking to Penelope about his family, and I was certain she'd be able to help him see the patterns he'd fallen into since early childhood, especially since he'd been the one to initiate the conversation.

Instead of simply discussing things with me like he had in the past, Draco had taken steps to work on his issues on his own. I knew it would take time for him to sort through everything, but I didn't want to wait anymore. It might have been impulsive, but a wave of certainty had been building inside of me for days, and it finally crashed, dragging me under the water.

And, this time, I decided to swim and stay the course. Instead of fearing that we'd make the same mistakes and hurt each other over and over again, I decided to trust that we'd learned our lesson — albeit the hard way — and would be better this time around.

A burst of warmth filled my insides as I accepted the bond, accepted that I knew the way forward. A feeling akin to magic, to the first time I'd ever cast a spell, vibrated within me and I knew I had to see him. Remembering that he had Scorpius tonight, I hesitated for only a second, considering if this was the best course of action or if I should simply wait until tomorrow morning.

But I felt like I couldn't. I was home, back in England, and I needed to see him. I needed to tell him everything and assure him that I accepted him as a package deal, that I would endeavour to integrate into his life with Scorpius as well.

I could still catch him at the Ministry if I hurried.

Without thinking, I raced back down the stairs and stepped into my Floo, heading towards the DMLE.

Draco — 27th July 2007

Silence. Another day of silence from Hermione.

My brain whirred, coming up with worst-case scenarios as I waited to hear from her. I knew it was ridiculous; she'd told me that we'd talk when she was back in England, but something inside my chest felt strained, like it was reaching for her.

Longing for her, the way I used to.

I ran my fingers through my hair for the hundredth time in an hour and tried to focus on the map of Europe in front of me. It had been bewitched by Mel, a shiny bright dot gracing the parchment in every location a group of Death Eaters had been captured over the years. There were clusters in Russia, in France. There were stray dots in Italy and Hungary and Spain. I was supposed to be looking for a pattern, but there just wasn't one.

Or my mind wasn't working the way it was supposed to.

Determined to get my head on right and focus, I rose from my chair and grabbed my mug, hoping that a cup of coffee would help me focus rather than making me even more anxious.

Before I even took a step towards the door, someone knocked, startling me. I crossed the office with a few short strides and flung it open.

And then my heart stopped.

Hermione was there, a nervous smile on her face, and I must have looked worse off than I'd thought because her face fell immediately.

"Are you okay?" she asked quickly.

I swallowed hard and allowed the relief I felt to wash over me. As guarded as I normally was with my emotions, I knew I had to let her see behind the mask now. I hadn't in the past, and that had been part of the reason why she'd hidden her true feelings, too.

"I am now," I replied, stepping aside so she could enter my office.

As soon as she crossed the threshold, I closed the door behind her and she threw her arms around my neck, nearly knocking me off balance. I hugged her close, one hand tangling in her hair and the other, still clutching the mug, rested at the small of her back. Inhaling deeply, I smelled the perfume I loved mixed with the scent of her skin and every single muscle in my body relaxed, the tension leaving my body like water through an unstoppered drain.

"I've missed you so much," I breathed, knowing how ridiculous it sounded since I'd seen her on Tuesday. "You've no idea."

"I'm sorry," she murmured against my neck, placing a gentle kiss against my skin. "I know it was wrong to leave like that. I shouldn't have."

I didn't contradict her; we couldn't fall back into the routine of keeping secrets and running when things got difficult.

"I'm just glad you came back."

Her fingers trailed up into the hair on the back of my head, tugging it back lightly and rising up on her tiptoes to kiss me.

With a groan, I sank into the kiss, letting her guide the way and pull me under. My magic felt like it was rising to the surface of my skin, excited to be closer to hers again. I took a few steps back, bringing her with me, and blindly set the mug down on my desk. My now-free hands moved to her hips, pulling her flush against mine.

Before things escalated too much, Hermione pulled away, leaving me wanting more, though I was sure I'd never feel like I'd had my fill of her.

Her teeth sank into her lower lip nervously. "We do need to talk about a few things."

I nodded. "We do. You just took me by surprise."

"Are you nearly through for the day? I was hoping to talk to you before you have to pick Scorpius up."

I glanced down at my watch and looked over at my desk, frowning. "I think I've done all I can do for today. There's nothing pressing right now; I'm just researching something Mel has a gut feeling about."

Hermione didn't ask any questions or pry about the work that used to be hers. Instead, she smiled and extended her hand to me, making my heart skip a beat.

"Do you have time to come with me before you head over to Astoria's?"

"A couple of hours. She just needs me to be there by six." I waved my hand, summoning everything I needed to take home with me for the weekend and tucking it into my pocket. "I'm all yours, darling."

"Good."

As soon as we stepped through her Floo, I noticed the little signs of her anxiety manifesting. She'd started chewing her cheek as we made our way through the Ministry, hands linked for all to see. We'd drawn some curious stares, but no one had stopped us.

In her own space, she'd progressed to smoothing her palms over the legs of her trousers and then fidgeting with her blouse, her hand finally coming to rest on her abdomen. I moved closer to her, settling my hands on her shoulders.

"What happened in the past five minutes?"

She gave me a nervous smile. "I just — like I said, there are a couple of things we need to talk about and I'm a little anxious."

"Well, let's sit down," I said, gesturing to the sofa with a quick turn of my head. "We can talk it all through, I'm sure."

Settling into her usual spot, she tucked her legs beneath her and twisted her hands together. I sat beside her and met her eyes.

"I guess this all goes back to June," Hermione began, taking a deep breath to steady herself. "I—When you found out about the past, I was a wreck. I could barely get from one moment to the next, and my mind... It was a tangled mess."

At the mention of that time, the tension in the room swelled, filling the small space between us, but I didn't interject. Most of the anger I'd felt had dissipated over the past six weeks.

"And I could barely remember to eat, never mind do anything else..."

When she trailed off, I tried to think of the logical finish to that sentence. I tried to put the jagged pieces together, but I couldn't.

"Understandably," I said, hoping it would prompt her to continue.

She laughed, but it was a nervous laugh, not the one I knew and loved.

"Well, you see, I was due to take my potion on the nineteenth. You... Everything happened on the eighteenth."

"Potion?" I asked a split second before it clicked into place. "Your Contraceptive, I'm assuming?"

Hermione nodded and my heart sped up, pounding in my chest. I thought of all the times I'd seen her and Blaise together, how physical they'd been, and jealousy flared in my chest. I could feel my face reddening, my jaw working, and I knew she'd be able to see my emotions written there clearly.

"And I never even thought about it," she added quickly, the words coming out in a rush. "Not until you mentioned that Pansy had said I'd be a great mum, and I'd been feeling so dizzy and off-balance."

After how she'd come to me today — how sweet her kiss had been — was she really going to tell me that she was pregnant with Blaise's child? Casually on the couch, like it was no big deal? Like it didn't matter?

And then I realised something.

This baby — if I was piecing things together correctly and she was pregnant — it could be mine, too.

And, just as quickly, another realisation slept over me. Even if the baby was Blaise's, would it change how I felt about Hermione?

No. Not in the least.

She'd been with Blaise — had thought she loved him — and who was I to judge? I hadn't even loved Astoria when I'd gotten her pregnant.

But would this change how she felt about me? About our relationship? Would she feel like she had to be with Blaise if the baby was his?

I didn't know.

While I was lost in my own thoughts, Hermione kept talking and I only caught odd words and phrases, such as also missed July's and Pansy and Healer Espinoza.

"Draco?" she said, reaching out to touch my arm. "Are you with me?"

I nodded, doing my best to focus on her again.

"I know the timing's not ideal, and you might feel like I did this on purpose, but I swear, I didn't—I didn't try to trap you like Astoria did. This was an honest mistake."

I felt like I was several steps behind.

"You're pregnant?" I asked, just to verify.

"I am."

Her eyes filled with tears, and I found myself wondering if she was happy or distraught.

"And you're telling me because it's... The baby... It's mine?"

"Did you hear a word I said?"

"I'm sorry," I breathed, reaching out and taking her hand. "After I asked about the Contraceptive, my mind sort of went off on its own path."

A tear rolled down her cheek. "Yes. It's yours. I saw a healer before I came home from Spain. The timing — it can't be Blaise's."

Hermione is pregnant. With my baby.

When I didn't immediately say anything, she started rambling again. "I really didn't realise I'd missed my potions. I didn't mean for this to happen, I swear, but once the shock wore off, I realised I was happy. If you're not quite there with me, you can take some time and think it through—"

"Are you insane?" I interrupted.

She froze and I saw more tears forming in her eyes. I tugged her into my lap and hugged her close, burying my face in the crook of her neck. Gently, I pressed my lips against her skin and trailed kisses up to her ear.

"I don't need any time to think about it. It's not as if you made this baby on your own," I whispered, punctuating it with a nip to her earlobe. "If I remember correctly, I was also an active participant who could've cast a charm."

Hermione's breath caught and she pulled back, looking into my eyes, searching for something. I couldn't help but wonder if she had expected me to react the same way I had when Astoria told me she was pregnant. I found myself wishing she hadn't seen that particular memory; I'd been so cold and heartless to Astoria.

No wonder Hermione had been afraid to tell me about the pregnancy.

"I've always wanted to be with you. To have a family with you," I continued, trying to reassure her. "Hell, I even thought about it at a completely inappropriate age where I never would've been ready for it."

"We've barely had time to sort out our issues—"

I silenced her with a kiss and she poured all of her feelings into it— her happiness, her anxiety, her surprise all swirled together. I snaked one of my hands between our bodies, landing on her abdomen. There were obviously no outward signs or changes at this early stage, but I wanted to hold the life growing within Hermione, to see if I could sense a part of me deep within her.

Her hand covered mine, fingers lacing together, and I smiled against her lips.

It was clear that she'd been expecting a more volatile reaction to her news, but there truly was no reason for me to be upset. Even if this changed the timeline a bit, I would've wanted to add to our family eventually.

Slowly, she backed away, breaking the kiss but keeping our hands clasped. Her eyes were dreamy and dark with desire, but I knew now wasn't the time for a quick romp before I had to leave. With my free hand, I pushed an errant curl back from her face and said, "Are you truly happy about this?"

Hermione nodded. "I've wanted to be a mum for years. At least I'll have one child the same age as Harry and Ron's."

"I'm sure she'll be best friends with Lily."

"And how do you know the baby is a 'she'?"

I shrugged. "I suppose I don't. But that's all I ever imagined or saw in my dreams. Little girls with curly blonde hair."

"Well, that's…" She paused. "That's really sweet, Draco. I don't know if I hope you're right or not."

Slowly, I leaned closer and kissed her, trying to take in her emotions. There was definitely relief and happiness, but she also seemed a tad on edge. I wasn't sure what she was holding back, but I knew there was something.

"What's on your mind?" I asked, running the pad of my thumb over her bottom lip. "I can tell there's something bothering you."

She sighed. "I need you to promise me something."

I looked deep into her eyes and felt like I could see the future — everything I'd ever wanted — right there in front of me.

"Anything," I said. "Anything at all."

"I don't want a proposal. Not anytime soon."

That surprised me. I took a few seconds, waiting for her to elaborate. When she didn't, I asked, "You don't want to get married?"

She shook her head. "Not right now. I don't—We have so much we still need to sort out. I don't want to get married because we're having a baby. I want to get married when we're ready."

I wanted to tell her that I was, without a doubt, ready now. The side of me that had been brought up in pureblood society started listing off all the ways having a child out of wedlock was improper, but then I thought of our situation as a whole. Nothing about our relationship had been traditional — why should this be any different?

"When we're ready," I repeated carefully. "What does that mean?"

"I just... I want to make sure that we can really make it all work before we take that step." Her voice wobbled. "We don't know what will happen down the line, and I don't want you regret it."

"I could never—"

"Don't," she said, placing her finger over my lips. "We don't know how this baby will change things between us, and if you wanted to leave—"

"I wouldn't," I replied firmly. "I don't want to lose you. Not again."

She swallowed hard. "I still... I want to keep seeing Penelope together. We have a lot to work through."

I held her tighter. "Hermione, I know I haven't set a good precedent in the past, but I swear to you, there's nothing that could make me give up on this. On us."

This whole conversation was fraught with anxiety, so I didn't blame her for feeling unsure, especially since our history contradicted everything I'd said.

"Will you tell me when you think it's the right time?" I asked, trying to break the tension.

Hermione smiled. "I hardly think that you'll need me to tell you, Draco."

Kissing her again, I held her close and let the whole surreal scenario sink in.

Hermione and I were together again.

She was pregnant. With my baby.

We were going to be forever linked, not only by the bond we shared, but through our child as well. And, hopefully, there would be more children down the line.

There was a future — a real future — stretching out ahead of us. It wasn't just a dream or an idle thought, a fantasy or a silly story that Lovegood had penned for children. There were hundreds of thousands of memories to be made in the future, and I couldn't wait to start.

More than ever, I was ready to move forward and leave the past behind us.

"What are your plans for this evening?" I asked, knowing I had responsibilities to Scorpius but not wanting to leave her side.

Hermione pulled back and met my eyes. "Honestly? I didn't have any."

I nodded. "Well, if you want, you're more than welcome to spend the night at my place. I'll have Scorp, but he won't be up much later than eight."

"I... Well, I don't want to intrude. If you wanted to have time with him, I could always wait and come over after he's in bed."

"You wouldn't be intruding," I answered. "He's my son. If you're going to be in my life, you're going to be around him from time to time."

"Is Astoria okay with it? With me staying with you when you have him?"

"I don't know," I answered honestly. "We haven't talked about it explicitly, but she knows that you and I are together. She hasn't told me not to have you around."

I could sense she was still feeling nervous.

"I can ask her if you'd be more comfortable."

"No, I mean, it might be good for you to have a conversation about it, but I... I just don't know how to navigate this."

Smiling, I said, "We don't have to have all the answers tonight, Hermione."

She nodded again. "Okay. Yes, I'll come by tonight. I'll give you some time to get settled, though."

"I still have about an hour before I have to pick him up."

Much to my chagrin, she untangled herself and stood. "An hour?"

"Roughly."

"Well, if you've got an hour, I think we should go for a walk."

I was still in my work clothes, but I didn't contradict her. It would be good to spend a little time outdoors. Following her lead, I stood and removed my jacket, draping it over the back of a chair. When I started rolling my sleeves to my elbow, I noticed Hermione's eyes were locked on my forearms.

This had always been a pain point for me, and I felt the heat rising to my cheeks. My opposite hand settled over the faded Mark.

"Oh, Draco, no," she said, grimacing as she moved closer and placed a palm on my cheek. "I'm sorry. I just... I love when you roll your sleeves like that. I wasn't looking at the Mark."

I dropped my hand and raised an eyebrow, noticing that her cheeks were tinged pink. Of course I had been embarrassed for no reason at all; she'd seen my bare arms thousands of times at this point. Until now, I hadn't even batted an eye about it.

"Is that so?" I asked, putting on a mask of arrogant confidence. "What's on your mind, then?"

She smirked up at me. "You'll learn all my tells again sooner or later, but I wasn't kidding about the walk. I need to stay active."

Laughing, I shook my head. "Lead the way, then."

Hermione led me down the same path we'd taken to the coffee shop after our appointment with Penelope, her fingers laced through mine. More than once, I saw her glancing over at me, looking at me like she couldn't believe I was really there. I understood the feeling because I was experiencing it too.

Every painful part of my life had led me here, right back to the woman I'd always known was the one for me. I didn't know where we would end up this time, but it didn't matter as long as she was there with me at our final destination.

"Draco?" Her voice pulled me from my thoughts and I squeezed her hand in acknowledgment. "I'm supposed to go to Grimmauld Place on Sunday. Harry and Pansy are having a little get-together for Harry's birthday."

"I might have heard something about it."

She groaned. "Did they ask you to come?"

"Hannah mentioned it when I saw her at the Leaky."

Brightening immediately, Hermione said, "Would you want to come with me? You could bring Scorpius if Astoria is okay with it."

"I suppose I could join you. Weasley saw me at the Leaky and tried to befriend me." I faked a shudder. "It was awful."

She laughed and squeezed my hand. "He mentioned that, but he wouldn't really tell me what the two of you talked about."

I felt gratitude — or something like it — that Ron Weasley hadn't disclosed his advice to Hermione.

Shrugging my shoulders, I said, "It wasn't really anything. He just helped me realise that moping wasn't really the best course of action."

She almost managed to suppress her smile, but I saw the corner of her lips twitch up.

"So who else should I expect to see there? Do I need to prepare myself?"

And just like that, all the tension was gone. Hermione started happily chattering about her friends and their children, and I wondered if it had been this way before. With the way we'd kept our relationship separate from the rest of our lives, I doubted it and decided to consider this progress.

When we reached the little town, Hermione ducked into the coffee shop and came out with iced concoctions that looked more like a liquid dessert than a coffee. She sipped hers through a straw and I vaguely remembered reading about caffeine being off the menu during pregnancy.

"Don't give me that look," she said, nearly reading my mind. "It's decaf. And sugar-free."

"How is that sugar-free? It's got chocolate in it."

A wistful look settled over her features. "Muggles have their own kinds of magic. My parents — they encouraged sugar-free whenever possible because of the effects of sugar on teeth. It's much harder to care for teeth without magic." She handed me the second cup. "You enjoyed this before. I don't know if you will now."

I accepted the cup and tried it. "It's good. I rather like this Muggle magic." After a moment, I decided to take a risk and ask more about her parents. "When was the last time you saw them?"

Hermione's teeth sank into her lower lip and a sheen of tears immediately covered her eyes. "Years ago. Before you and I ever started up. I just haven't gotten back there."

"Do you want to?"

She didn't answer right away and I didn't try to rush her. As fucked up as my feelings towards my parents were, hers were likely a thousand times more difficult to reconcile. I couldn't even begin to imagine running into my mother on the street and being a stranger to her.

"I think I would like to go back. Just to see that they're okay."

I nodded in understanding.

"It's just... I have to wait a bit. They recommended cutting down international travel while I'm pregnant."

Pregnant.

While we'd talked about the baby, the word still prompted the feeling of freefall — terrifying, but also somewhat exhilarating.

"I'd go with you. If you wanted me to."

She met my eyes. "I know you would."

"And did you keep researching memory charms?"

Hermione shook her head. "It's been almost ten years, Draco. They have established lives in Australia. Wouldn't it be kinder to leave them how they are?"

"Are you okay with that?"

"I've made peace with it. I'd like to talk to them, keep up a correspondence the way I used to." She sighed. "Like you said before, it's time to focus on the future."

"I didn't mean—"

"I know," she interrupted, pressing a finger to my lips. "I truly don't want to uproot them now. If this experience has taught me anything, it's how—" she paused "—damaging something like that can be to a relationship. You lost less than two years. How would they feel about a decade?"

While I was a bit embarrassed about my reaction, I understood her point.

"Okay," I replied. "When you're ready to go, we can go."

"After the baby comes," she answered. "I wrote them from Barcelona and made my apologies. I've been out of touch and I explained why."

Taking her hand again, I led her back towards the path, thinking about all she'd sacrificed — both before and even now. She was willing to carry the pain to protect those she loved.

I swore I'd do the same for her from here on out.

Anticipated Schedule:

Chapter 73: on or around July 10

Chapter 74: on or around July 24

Chapter 75: on or around July 31