Hey Guys! Here's another one-shot. I hope you all enjoy it. For those who read the Love Conquers All series, I'll be posting the next chapter for that soon.
Please Review!
"Please…say something." Hermione pleaded desperately with Harry.
He exhaled and looked at her for a moment, "Hermione I erm…I can't…I can't do this. I'm married with two sons."
Hermione huffed harshly, "You were married with children when we shagged too, Harry! I'm pregnant. I'm not asking you to leave Ginny. I'm just telling you that you are about to be a father again. That's the truth of it and there's nothing we can do to change that."
"Well, I mean, you could…" Harry began but was immediately cut off.
"No, I'm not using that spell. I've wanted a baby for years." She said angrily.
"And it has to be mine?!" He shouted, standing up from the sofa as he began to pace the sitting room floor in Hermione's house.
"Well, it's not ideal but here we are!" She exclaimed.
"Hermione, listen, this baby of yours…it can't be mine."
"Harry, it's not anyone else's, of that, I am sure."
Harry rolled his eyes, "I know that! What I mean is…no one can know that I'm the…the…"
"Father, Harry. Bloody say it! If just in this room, tonight, admit that you are the father of my baby!"
"Fine!" He shouted, "I'm the father, but no one can know!"
"Fine." She said in a broken voice, "Fine, Harry. Just know that any friendship we ever had, you've just thrown away."
He swallowed and turned to use the fireplace to leave, "Hermione…" he said, turning back.
"Don't you dare say another word to me, Harry Potter. Get out of my home." She said, attempting to hold in her tears until he left.
Hermione needed to talk to someone, but she couldn't speak with any of her friends that were also friends with Harry…that left only one person.
When Draco Malfoy arrived at her house with a bottle of Firewhiskey, she nearly laughed.
"You sounded like you could use a dram." He said pointedly.
At that, she did laugh, "I could, but I can't."
"Oh, come now, Granger, unless you've got a secret in your chamber, I think we ought to crack this old boy open and…"
When he saw Hermione's face, Malfoy stopped speaking.
"Shall I get you a glass?" She asked, seeing his face pale a bit.
He nodded silently, collapsing on the sofa.
When she came back, he said, "So, the assumption that you're pregnant wouldn't be out of line then?"
She huffed and shook her head, "That would be right on the line, Malfoy."
He nodded and poured himself a hefty dram before asking, "Do I know him?"
She nodded, "You and the entire bloody wizarding world."
"Potter?!" He asked, in utter shock, "But he's…" Once again, her expression caused him to stop speaking.
Hermione sighed, "I suppose my big brain can be useless at times."
Draco, seeing that she was truly struggling with the situation, set his glass down and reached over. He rested his hand on her thigh and said, "Granger, you will be a brilliant mother. And Potter is already a father, so he knows how to raise children."
"There's the bloody rub, Malfoy." She said bitterly, "Harry wants nothing to do with me or the baby."
Upon hearing this news, Draco stood straight up and began shouting vulgarly, "And why not? It's his bloody fault this has happened! Why can't he help take care of his own child?"
Hermione shook her head, "He's married and doesn't want to ruin that."
Draco shook his head and looked at her, "Do you want to have this baby?" He said, his tone changing so suddenly, she looked up at him as she nodded.
"I do. I've wanted a baby for years. I do wish it were under different circumstances, but I want a baby so..." she said with a shrug.
He nodded, "What if…what if I adjust the circumstances a bit?"
"In what way, Malfoy? Harry is not going to help. I doubt you speaking with him will change that fact."
Draco shook his head, "Fuck Potter." He said, going to sit by her, "I'll step in as the father. Now, before you go into an absurd number of reasons as to why this is a bad idea, let me give you a few as to why it's not." He said, looking at her with determination in his eyes.
"I want to be a father. I've wanted to be one for quite some time now, however, so far, I haven't found anyone who will put up with me or vice versa. You and I get along surprisingly well and could absolutely raise a brilliant child. I don't mind that they wouldn't be my blood so long as they'd be known as my child, and I can officially adopt them. You and I don't have to be in a relationship. We can figure that out as we go. It won't be a messy experience; I'll do whatever you need me to do to help keep it as smooth of a process as possible." He said and she just knew she heard excitement in his voice at the idea of him having a child of his own.
She smiled, thinking that it could possibly work.
"Let's start out with you helping out with the pregnancy. Come to my appointments and see if you still feel this way after a few months, okay?"
He nodded, beaming, "Okay. Let's do this."
They talked for a while, discussing the possible terms of their situation.
"Harry's no father to this child." She added as they talked.
Draco shook his head, "No. A father steps up to raise the child he created."
"No, Malfoy. I think a father is a man that steps up to raise a child, whether he created it or not." She said with a knowing expression.
Draco nodded, "That sounds correct to me."
"To true fathers." She said, holding up her cuppa.
Draco held up his dram and nodded with a smile.
Four years had passed, and Hermione was sitting outside of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour in Diagon when she heard someone shout her name.
She turned and nearly felt out of her chair at the sight of the Potter family coming towards her. Ginny was smiling brightly at her, looking gorgeous as she pushed a stroller that had two-year-old Lily Potter in it.
Harry's eyes were moving from Hermione to Ginny and back with fear evident within their bright green irises.
Two boys followed along, eager for ice cream. James, who was eight and Albus, who was six were practically bouncing on their feet as they neared the parlour.
"Hermione! I cannot believe it's you!" Ginny said excitedly, rushing over to hug the brunette.
"Ginny!" Hermione said, ignoring Harry as they hugged, "How are you?"
"I'm brilliant. We opened up an entire Quidditch section for children and young adults at the shop in Hogsmeade, so we've been really working hard. How is the bookshop here going?"
"It's going well." Hermione said, curious as to when everything would come shattering around them…she knew it would be any moment.
They continued to chat until Draco came out of the parlour, holding a three-year-old girl with curly, dark brown hair and bright green eyes.
"Mummy!" the little girl said, reaching for Hermione.
Hermione smiled, "Hello darling, did you throw away the rubbish?"
Ella Jean Malfoy nodded, hugging her mother closely as Draco stood nearby.
Ginny remained silent, in shock of seeing Hermione with a daughter.
"I had no idea, Hermione." She said before looking at Draco and back at Hermione, "Are you two…"
"Draco and I got engaged two months ago." Hermione said with a smile.
"Daddy! Daddy!" Ella said, reaching for Draco.
"Come here, Elle-Bell." He said taking the little girl into his arms as he noticed Harry clenching his jaw in absolute fury.
That was when Ginny noticed Ella's eyes, "So erm…how long have you two been together?" Ginny asked.
Hermione saw Harry glaring at her, but she wasn't going to lie, "Two years."
Hermione could practically see Ginny's mind working as she did the math in her head of when the fallout between Hermione and Harry occurred. She pieced it all together and suddenly, Hermione saw it click in Ginny's head.
Ginny turned and looked at Harry with an expression of utter betrayal. She turned back to Hermione before grabbing Albus's hand and telling the kids they'd get ice cream later as they walked away from the parlour.
Hermione knew better than to go after the redhead; Harry didn't.
A week had passed when Hermione was at her bookstore, stocking the shelves and Ginny came in to talk.
Ginny asked for Hermione's side of the story and Hermione told her what happened. She explained that it had been a one-time thing and they had both been drunk, and stupid and she regretted it with every fiber of her being…for about 2 months of her life until she found out she was pregnant. She admitted that the only part she regretted anymore was the deception of it all and hurting Ginny. She loved Ella with all of her heart, as did Draco, and she wouldn't trade her life for anything.
When Hermione began to explain that Harry had refused to be any part of the Ella's life upon finding out about the pregnancy, Ginny huffed.
"When I realized, at first that she was his, I wanted to throttle you, but then it occurred to me that you were all alone…you did it all alone. Harry…he just left you and…"
"I wasn't alone, Ginny." Hermione said, shaking her head, "Draco has been there since the moment Harry left. He immediately offered to step in as Ella's father even if he and I never ended up in a relationship."
"But clearly you did." Ginny smirked.
Hermione laughed and nodded, "Yes, we did. He's a wonderful father and fiancé. I really can't wait to be married to him."
"I remember once feeling that way about Harry." Ginny nodded with a melancholy expression.
Hermione nodded, "I hope that you two can work it out."
Ginny laughed hollowly, "Merlin, Hermione. That's not happening. He's been sleeping around for the past year. Mostly with Romilda Vane at the Ministry. I'm over it. I'm filing for a Marriage Bond Separation first thing tomorrow."
Hermione frowned, "I'm so sorry, Ginny."
Ginny nodded, "Well, he's a prick. After what he's done to me and what he did to you…there's no way I can stay married to him."
They spoke for a while longer until Ginny left, agreeing to contact Hermione another time.
That night, after closing the shop, Hermione went home to her family. Her daughter was sound asleep in her bed. Ella was peacefully dreaming while she held her stuffed dragon close to her chest.
Hermione felt Draco's hand on her waist as she watched her daughter sleep. She smiled and silently closed the bedroom door before turning to her fiancé, "Hello handsome." She said, exhaling happily while walking to the sitting room.
Draco smiled, "Hello, love. How was your day?" he asked as Hermione sat on the sofa.
She told all about her day, including Ginny's visit to the shop as he poured her a glass of wine and joined her in the sofa.
"Wow, so the Potter's will be no more." He said, "That's rather sad." He added.
She nodded, "It is." With a thoughtful expression.
"What is it, love?" He asked with a loving and knowing smile.
She looked over at him and said, "I've been thinking about something for a while now."
"Oh? And that would be?" Draco asked.
She looked at him and smiled, meeting his eyes, "You're the best father Ella could ever have."
He smiled but didn't speak, letting her continue.
"I want to have more children with you, and we haven't exactly done everything, as many would say, 'the proper way'. So, let's go ahead and start trying for another baby now, before the wedding." She said in a hopeful tone.
He began to chuckle, and she furrowed her brow, confused.
He pulled out a small, velvet box from his pocket, revealing a white gold necklace inside that had a heart with 'Best Big Sister' engraved on it.
"I was hoping to convince you of the same thing tonight so that we could give her this at some point soon."
"You, Draco Malfoy, are terribly sweet." She said, smiling as she admired the necklace.
He smiled, "And you, soon to be Hermione Malfoy, had better prepare yourself for a long night."
She laughed and kissed him, eager to continue building their family.
