Chapter Six

The first few weeks back at Granger's flat were a hazy blur of exhaustion for them both. Cassie seemed to sleep more during the day, which meant she was up more throughout the night. As such, he and Granger were up more in the night. With the two of them only getting snatches of interrupted sleep here and there, the days felt endless. Granger was breastfeeding, so a lot of the work caring for Cassie both naturally and exclusively fell to her. Consequently, he positioned himself to do as much of the non-feeding tasks as possible.

Draco quickly mastered diapers and he was extremely proud of his newfound skills at bathing a slippery, floppy newborn. They both had been in a panic the first few times they had given her a bath together, for fear they would accidentally drop her. Now, Draco was both more confident and skilled enough that he only rarely felt the need to call in Granger for backup. Plus, he really started to enjoy that bath time had become 'their' thing — something for just him and Cassie to experience together. It made him feel slightly less jealous of all of the closeness Hermione enjoyed with her during feeding times.

Draco also had to deal with the fact that he frequently saw Granger topless. He tried — he honestly was trying so hard — to be nonchalant about it. Of course, technically he'd seen it all before. He could probably still draw her tits from memory, not that he ever would. But the context of their relationship had been very different in those days and it wasn't helpful now for him to dwell on the past. For Granger's part, she made every effort to be discreet; using a baby blanket to preserve the illusion of privacy. But they were both so tired and sometimes when Granger was repositioning Cassie, Draco got an eyeful. He wasn't looking on purpose, but his eyes had long been drawn to Hermione as a matter of habit. Draco was, mercifully, too tired to think particularly lustful thoughts, which he had come to regard as a blessing the more times he caught a peek.

But the sight of Granger nursing his child? Most beautiful thing he could imagine.

xXx

The days and nights were long, but somehow the weeks seemed to fly by and before he knew it, Draco only had two weeks of paternity leave left. Draco had an idea, but he needed to see if Hermione was on side with it first.

"Granger, um, do you think I could invite my friend Theo over? So he can meet Cassie?" Hermione was across the room from him, looking at her bookshelf, while Cassie was napping. "I thought we could take her to the park, so you could have a few hours of actual rest, by yourself. If you wanted." Draco wasn't ready to be outside of their flat with Cassie unless he had someone with him. Not yet. He couldn't tell if his lingering anxiety was because he was insecure as a new father, or if it was because his father had threatened Hermione and Cassiopeia on New Year's Eve. Either way, Draco wasn't ready to attempt a solo trip with Cassie, out beyond their protective wards. He'd feel better if he had backup.

"Theo Nott? He's not a blood purist, correct?" Her tone was deliberately casual, but Draco knew the inquiry itself was not.

"No. And not a late convert to that, either, for what it's worth. He always hated his father and thought the pure-blood stuff was rubbish. It's why he bailed on England during the war, rather than let his father force him to take the Dark Mark — the lucky bastard." Draco had turned away and said that last bit under his breath, but Granger still heard him. Draco could see her out of the corner of his eye and she immediately reacted to his words.

Granger cocked her head to the side and made a face that was sympathetic towards him while simultaneously conveying disappointment with his words. "Draco," she said softly, "You are not responsible for that happening to you." She stepped up to his back and surprised him with a hug; her arms wrapping around his chest from behind, startling him into immobility. It was not lost on him that from this position he couldn't hold her in return — not the way he wanted to, not the way he would if he could — so he consoled himself by putting his hands over hers, and squeezing them once. He swallowed roughly and tried to blink back tears. "Thanks, Granger. Glad to know you're still on my team."

She abruptly let go and moved across the room; busying herself once again with her books, her back to him, before continuing to speak.

"Ah well, it's really more our team now, what with Cassie and all that." She said from across the room, sniffling quietly, her voice sounding suspiciously thick. "As for Theo, if you think she is safe around him, then I have no objections. Do you want him to come here?"

"If that's okay?"

"I don't see why not. But I don't know Theo, at all. I'm not sure what to expect."

"Theo is probably my best friend in the world. Sorry, scratch that, Theo is my best friend in the world. Short of you, I can't think of anyone else I would go to for help if I was in a pinch. But he's —" Draco paused, pondering his next words. How to describe Theo Nott to the uninitiated…

"Theo is mischievous. Not someone who is particularly concerned about following rules. He's very smart. Bit of a prankster. Not a perfect analogue, but he'd be something like the Slytherin House's equivalent of the Weasley twins, I think. He has a good heart, more or less. You might actually get along with him."

"Okay. Give me a heads up before he's coming so I can put on my dressy sweatpants and we're good." Hermione raised an eyebrow at Draco while making a self-deprecating gesture about her appearance. She was a new mum, with very little sleep, who hadn't left the house in a while. She had dark circles under her eyes, she had her hair tied up in a very messy bun and she was wearing sweatpants and an old Gryffindor quidditch jersey, which she wasn't wearing just because it hurt his feelings — or so he had been told .

Draco still thought she was the most alluring witch he'd ever seen. Maybe more so than before, in fact. Because now that stunning witch had also given him his daughter.

xXx

Theo arrived the next day, bearing a large gift basket filled with assorted baby items — both Muggle and magical, Draco noted, impressed. Hermione also seemed pleasantly surprised, as she accepted the basket graciously, and moved to put it in Cassie's room, which Draco shared. Well, Cassie took turns sleeping in either of her parents' rooms. In a way, Draco supposed, this was really Cassie's flat now. "I'll just go put this away and get the baby for you," Hermione said as she left the two of them in the living room.

As soon as she had shut the door behind her, Theo turned to Draco. "I pretty much nailed that, don't you agree?" He was smirking and he looked more self-satisfied than usual.

"Yeah, I think so. That was a nice gesture." Theo Nott bringing a gift of Muggle origin was a very clever idea, as far as calming any lingering doubts Hermione might have about Theo's personal beliefs regarding Muggles and Muggle-borns. Draco was actually touched by Theo's thoughtfulness.

"Oh, you better believe it! Do you have any idea how strange Muggle baby stores are? I told the shopgirl to pack up several of the more expensive items and then I added the magical ones later," said Theo.

Hermione came back into the room holding Cassie, walking over to present her to Theo. "Here she is," Granger said proudly.

"Well look at this beautiful girl! Well, two beautiful girls, I suppose. Granger — already looking fit, I see." Theo let out an appreciative whistle, as Draco cringed from behind Hermione's back, shaking his head at Theo emphatically.

Hermione grimaced and stilled for a moment, before smoothing her features to neutrality. "Thank you," she said, politely, but her voice was brittle as she turned and passed Cassie to her father.

Draco hustled Theo out of the apartment fairly quickly after that, collecting the pram and expediting their departure. Hopefully, Granger would at least be able to get an uninterrupted nap. For the next two hours, Draco and Theo took turns pushing Cassie all around the park near the flat. Theo took it upon himself to fill Draco in on what had been happening in the broader world — since her birth, Draco's world had been reduced to Cassie, Granger and the flat they all shared. There had been visitors, of course — Draco had especially enjoyed it when Andromeda and Teddy had come for a visit — but for the most part, it was just the three of them together. The rest of the world had almost completely fallen away.

"Have you heard from your parents?" Theo asked.

"No. And I don't expect to. I could see how Mother would maybe relent eventually, if she were left to her own devices, but unless she leaves Father he'll never allow it." Draco looked off into the distance, clenched his jaw, and then sighed. "Best if they live their lives and leave me to live mine. I don't want them anywhere near Cassie, anyway."

Theo nodded, without commenting. "Granger letting you stay with her forever?"

Draco snorted. "We aren't discussing it, but I think it's working right now. It's so much better, for us all to be in one place."

"But yours is just over there." Theo pointed in the direction of Draco's largely vacated flat. "And it's bigger."

"I know," Draco sighed. "But I don't think Granger would be comfortable and I'm afraid if I ask, we'll be living in separate flats again. It's fine. It is cosy — but I don't mind." And he didn't. Not now. He might feel differently about when Cassie was walking around, but that was a long time away.

"If you say so." Theo looked unconvinced. Of course, Theo lived alone in an enormous manor house, so he probably didn't see the appeal of living in a small flat with three people and more books than your average library.

While Draco understood Theo's position, he didn't share it. Draco loved spending time in that tiny, crowded flat. After all, the three people in their flat were the two best people he knew, and himself. Mostly, Draco felt lucky just to be included.

xXx

When Draco came back with Cassie, Hermione was still asleep. He said his goodbyes with Theo, who departed via the floo connection. He put Cassie down for her nap in her crib in his room, noticing that Theo's gift basket was still wrapped up and tied with a large bow. Granger must be waiting for him. He decided he'd start cooking dinner, allowing Granger to sleep just a bit longer.

Hermione woke up just as he was finishing up, sleep tousled curls framing her yawning face. "Is Theo gone?"

"Yes, he said to say goodbye. How did you sleep?"

"Oh, it was wonderful." Hermione stretched her arms out above her head. "Thank you so much for that! It was different with her out for a bit. I felt like I could really sleep, because I wasn't constantly on alert, listening in case she cried."

"I'm glad it worked out." He smiled at Hermione, pleased his plan had been a success. "I'm almost done with dinner if you'd like to go open Theo's gift basket — assuming you can do it without waking Cassie. I thought we could have an early dinner and then plan out how the night shift is going to go, before getting her up from her nap." They usually came up with a plan of attack for how they were going to split up nighttime duties with Cassie — with one of them taking the early part of the evening and the other taking the very early morning, with a negotiated handover sometime in between. That way, hopefully, both of them could cobble together enough sleep to be able to function the next day.

"Sure. You don't want to open the gift basket with me?"

"It's fine, I'll get the food ready and you can show me after."

Hermione smiled. "Okay. I'm very curious to see what he came up with." Draco nodded and got back to fixing their plates.

It was a few minutes before he heard Cassie cry and Granger call out to him. "Draco" she hissed. "Please come in here." Her voice was high and strained.

Draco rushed to Cassie's room. "What — fuck, I'm coming — what's wrong?" He called out to Hermione frantically, before he even entered the room.

Granger cringed when she saw him, holding up a hand, with their daughter held in her other arm. "Sorry, Cassie and I are physically fine. Could you hold her for a minute? I accidentally woke her up — probably from the gasp I let out, for the love of Merlin. " Hermione looked agitated.

Draco took his daughter, held her close, and kissed her on the forehead, before putting her into the crook of his arm and pulling his attention back to Granger, his eyebrows creasing in concern as he tried to calm his still racing heartbeat. "What is it?"

Hermione picked up a yellow cardboard box, containing a Muggle device of some kind. "Theo's gift basket? It most prominently featured this. It's a breast pump, Draco. A bloody breast pump! I don't know Theo. At all. And even if I wanted one of these, I wouldn't want my best friend to buy this for me, never mind someone who is effectively a stranger. This is so disturbing!"

Draco's mind whirled. What the fuck did Theo do now? "Hermione, I'm sorry, but I don't know what a 'breast pump' is."

Although, if it had 'breast' in the name he was pretty sure he was going to have to kick Theo's ass, whatever the explanation

"Well, good question, Draco. It's essentially a set of suction cups that I put on my nipples , attached to a motor that mimics a baby sucking on them, to collect breast milk so she can be bottle-fed later. Why did your friend, who I met for the first time today, give this to me, Malfoy?" her eyes were flashing, but mercifully, the sparks did not reappear. Granger's electrostatic reign of terror had ended with Cassie's birth. They presumed the sparks had been caused by Cassie's incipient magic mixing with Hermione's own.

"Oh I'll kill him!" Draco exploded. What in the actual fuck?

"Not unless I get to him first," Hermione said tartly, her eyes narrowing in anger.

Oh no. Granger looked seriously pissed

"Granger, it's possible he didn't know what it was," Draco said, his hands out in front of her, in a gesture of surrender.

xXx

"Oh, I knew exactly what it was," Theo said, bright and unconcerned. "Why is this an issue?"

Draco regarded Theo with quiet fury. "You gave Hermione Granger a breast pump, the very first time you officially met her. The first time I brought one of my friends to her flat, to meet our newborn daughter. One of my friends whose father was also a Death Eater, so it was already kind of a stretch. Are you fucking kidding me with, Theo?" Honestly, Draco was flummoxed. Theo didn't seem like he was trying to be awful here. He was just being Theo, a constant and perpetual source of some sort of fuckery, at all bloody times.

"It was the most expensive, and therefore best, thing in that store, Draco. Well, except for the furniture, which I knew you already had. How many times did you tell me all about your adventure in putting together a crib? Too many, if you want my honest opinion. What's wrong with it? Does she already have one?"

Draco sighed and rubbed his forehead in frustration. He shouldn't be surprised by this — really, he shouldn't. Theo was a bloody agent of chaos, without even trying. With gritted teeth, he explained that such an intimate item ought not to have been purchased by a comparative stranger, along with a detailed list of how Theo had made the habitually and notoriously reserved mother of Draco's child, deeply uncomfortable. Theo considered Draco's words, listening intently, before nodding.

"This was an error, and for that I do apologize. To you and to Granger." Theo's face wasn't the slightest bit embarrassed about what he'd done. This concession appeared to be solely motivated by his intellectual assessment of the matter. He recognized that he had made a strategic misstep, is all. "I will have to get you three a different gift."

Theo was a bit subdued for a moment, before he brightened back up to his normal level of insufferable. "What about a baby hippogriff? In honour of one of your greatest triumphs. Granger was there for that, right?" His eyes twinkled.

Draco did not feel bad about the stinging hex he let loose on Theo. Not. One. Bit.

xXx

Draco knew that it was going to be hard to go back to work at the Apothecary. He was worried about how Hermione and Cassie would fare with him gone — not that Granger was anything less than a devoted mother, but newborns were exhausting and he wanted to be on hand to support them both. He had anticipated that this transition back to his day job would be rough. But Draco was surprised to discover that the person it was the hardest on was him . He didn't want to make potions. He wanted to watch Cassie do whatever it is she was doing, even if it was just sleeping without really moving. His little girl was the most fascinating person who ever bloody existed and he missed her, now that he was forced to be away from her during the day.

Yesterday, Cassiopeia discovered that she had a top of her head to touch, and she was repeatedly moving her hand and touching her own hair, seeming like she was deeply contemplating the mysteries of the universe while she did so. Clearly, the only conclusion for Draco to draw was that she was already a genius, just like her mother. It seemed criminally unfair that he had to leave just when she had figured out how to do something. She'd probably come up with new things to do every day and sometimes he would only get to hear about it. After all, Cassie might not do it again once he got home. Draco spent a lot of his day going through the motions at work, desperately missing his girls.

Draco had decided that Granger didn't really need to know that he counted her as his, not as long as he kept it to himself. She still had not broached the discussion of their relationship as anything other than co-parents turned situational flatmates. Keeping his word, Draco would not raise the matter. He would say nothing unless, but hopefully until, Hermione brought it up first.

Eventually, Draco adjusted to not being home full-time with Granger and Mini-Granger. He compensated for how much he missed them by being extra attentive on evenings and weekends. One of the nice parts of having a job brewing potions is that he didn't have to take work home with him, so when he was home he could devote all his energy to what was actually important to him. On weekends, he would sometimes bring Cassie out, mostly with Theo to keep them company. Theo had profoundly apologized to Granger and then presented Cassiopeia with a locket that belonged to his own mother, for Hermione to keep until Cassie was old enough to wear it. Granger had been very touched by the gesture and she was slowly warming up to Draco's oldest friend. Draco's weekend outings with Cassiopeia and Theo gave Granger a much-needed break from focusing exclusively on the baby. He knew Hermione well enough to know she would not pull back enough to take care of herself unless he physically removed the baby from sight.

By the time Cassie was getting closer to three months old, Hermione was doing better. Their daughter was sleeping in more consistent stretches and thus, Granger was getting more consistent sleep. This weekend, Granger elected to come with Draco and Cassie on their outing to Diagon Alley. Draco sent Theo an owl in the morning, letting him know that his services were not required and he was free to engage in his usual pursuits. Theo's response was mixed — as he declared himself torn between being relieved to have free time and miffed he would not be permitted to see his honorary niece as expected. Theo had gotten quite attached to Cassiopeia during their weekend visits, something which had endeared him greatly to Granger. Indeed, Theo's genuine adoration of their moppet, as he most often referred to her, had been instrumental in Hermione moving past Theo's unfortunate first overture towards friendship. Still, Theo's letter made it clear he was piqued at being replaced by Granger.

"Should I stay home?" Hermione asked, an amused smirk on her face, as she read Theo's correspondence from over Draco's shoulder. She wasn't seriously asking, which was a relief. If Theo had unintentionally ruined Draco's opportunity to go out simultaneously with Granger and Cassie, Draco would hex him again.

"No. Theo can see her another time. I'd like to take both of you out on the town if you're up for it?"

She was. The three of them set out for Diagon Alley, wandering aimlessly in the summer sunshine and entering the shops that interested either Draco or Hermione, with no fixed plans except that the three of them were together and not in Granger's flat.

They spent about an hour just wandering. Hermione got a stack of books from Flourish and Blotts — Merlin knows where they'd find the room to put them — before Draco had suggested they get ice cream and Granger assented. Cassie was too young for such food, but in his mind's eye, Draco could see them taking her here every weekend as she got older. As much as he loved Cassie exactly as she was, he was pretty excited when he thought of a future where she was walking, talking, and sharing all of her thoughts about the world. Like Teddy had been, at the Burrow. It was a ways off, but Draco couldn't shake the notion that it would also be here before he knew it. Merlin, he hoped she liked ice cream when she tried it.

They were just leaving Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour when Draco saw his parents across the square. His blood ran cold and his eyes narrowed, instinctively making himself stand taller. Hermione saw them at the same time and froze, in the act of shifting Cassie back into her pram. Draco moved quickly, putting himself between his parents and his family.

"Granger, stay behind me," Draco said coolly. Hermione sheltered Cassie in her arms even more and moved so she was standing directly behind Draco, hiding herself and Cassie from the view of Draco's parents. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy were standing on the other side of the street, watching Draco as if they were rooted to the spot. His father's stare was hard and the man's jaw was clenched — pretty similar to how he looked when Draco had last seen the man, in fact. The older wizard stood as still now, as though he had been once again bespelled into motionlessness. His mother was similarly frozen, but her impersonation of a statue looked much more anguished.

"Granger, apparate Cassie home now. I will bring the pram home myself."

"Draco, are you sure you'll be okay?" Draco didn't need to see her to know she was biting her lip behind him.

"Yes."

Probably.

"Are you going to talk to them?"

"I'm not planning on it. Please get home and get back under our wards." Draco couldn't think about anything else, except that Granger and Cassie needed to be home where they would be safe.

Hermione reached out from behind him, taking his hand in hers before squeezing it once, and then dropping it. Draco heard the crack of apparition behind him, and he let go of the breath he had been holding.

At the sound of the crack, whatever held his father motionless ceased and Lucius scoffed dramatically, before stalking off down the street. His mother stood for a long moment, still looking at Draco, before visibly struggling to tear her gaze away from him and follow after her husband. Eventually, she summoned whatever it was she needed to turn her back on her only son. Draco stood on the patio for several moments more, trying to calm his racing heartbeat. Then he picked up Cassie's bag, put it in her pram, and started back towards Granger's flat. He was needed at home.

xXx

Summer turned to fall and before Draco knew it, winter was upon them. And suddenly, it was Christmas. Between the job and the baby, his days were so full that the months were just flying by.

It was Cassie's first Christmas and the three of them were getting ready to take her to the Burrow to celebrate with the extended Weasley clan, as well as Andromeda and Teddy. Harry and Ginny Potter had welcomed their own child, a boy they had named James, in October and the entirety of the Weasley clan adored both babies openly and fervently. Honestly, Molly and Arthur seemed to love Cassie just as much as they loved James, something that secretly delighted Draco when he had realized it. It was almost like their girl had grandparents, which was something he didn't think was possible — not with Hermione's parents in Australia unaware of everything and his own parents being the fucking worst. Everyone of Hermione's extended adopted family was thrilled at the prospect of spending the babies' first Christmas all together.

Honestly, the lot of them were so open with their affection that sometimes it was a relief to be able to stand next to Andromeda and feel awkward about it with someone else who wasn't raised in a family of huggers .

But if he was being honest with himself, Draco was pretty excited too. The Burrow was no longer a place he feared going. Once a month, Hermione, Draco, and Cassie joined the Weasleys for Sunday dinner. Ron and Draco had essentially agreed that they were never, ever going to be friends; but in a similar fashion they had come to a non-verbal agreement to a cease-fire that seemed to be holding. Everyone else ran the gamut from coolly polite, like Fleur and Percy — all the way to actually friendly, like George, Ginny, and Harry. The rest of the family fell somewhere in between, with the exception of Andromeda and Molly, both of whom seemed to genuinely like Draco. The two of them were so maternal in how they dealt with him that Draco had a hard time accepting that they meant it for him. But he was getting less flustered when it happened, which was progress.

"Dress warmly — in case we go outside in the snow while we're there." Hermione called out from her room, where she was getting ready herself. Draco went into his/Cassie's room and riffled through his belongings for a bit, getting his scarf.

"Is it okay if I wear this?" When he came out, Granger had Cassie lying on a blanket, getting her bundled up for cold weather as well. He held out the green knitted scarf that Hermione had made for him for Christmas during their final year at Hogwarts. It was a beautiful forest green — similar to Slytherin green, but a bit richer and warmer in tone. It was soft and inviting to the touch. When she had shyly presented to him, Granger had informed him that the yarn was a blend of silk, merino wool, and cashmere. She was nervous when she gave it to him, which was probably why she sounded a bit like she was reciting a textbook when describing it to him. At the time, Draco had scarcely been listening to her explanation, as he had been overwhelmed by being presented with something that she had made for him with her own two hands.

Hermione's movements stilled for a moment, when she looked up and saw what he was asking about. She quickly recovered, dropping eye contact as she went back into motion; dressing a squirming, kicking but clearly happy Cassiopeia. "Of course. It's a nice scarf and it is cold out. I hadn't realized you'd kept it." She paused for another moment, biting her lip in thought before looking up at him, confused. "Actually how do you have it? I thought you left the Manor with only your wand."

Draco cleared his throat. "Oh, um, the first week after I left the Manor? I had Theo go over to visit my parents — under the pretext of talking to them about how their terrible son had grievously wronged them — so he could steal this back for me. While he was there, he got one of the house elves to get it and he smuggled it out when he left."

"Smart plan. What else did Theo manage to get in his heist?" She had almost gotten the bootie on Cassie before the tiny girl had kicked her way out of it. Granger started trying again, her nose adorably scrunching up with her obvious determination.

"Just this. That's all I asked for." Draco tried to sound casual, but his heart was racing.

Hermione was motionless again.

"It's just a really nice scarf," he continued, awkwardly.

Granger swallowed and continued putting ridiculous booties on Cassie, who was kicking her legs excitedly, increasing the degree of difficulty on the challenge. "Well, I was making it for a very fancy wizard, so I went out of my way to get some really nice yarn."

"I can tell. And the quality of the craftsmanship is top-notch." And it smelled like you when you gave it to me, and the stasis spell I put on it — the one I have redone every three weeks since — means it still smells like you, Draco thought, but did not say aloud. The scarf was simply too precious to him for it to have remained at Malfoy Manor.

"Well, I'm glad you still like it. Can you grab Cassie's bag?" Hermione's eyes were bright, but it seemed like she was unwilling to open this up further. Which was fair. People were expecting them and he wanted them to enjoy Cassie's first Christmas. This probably wasn't the best moment for them to open up the past.

xXx

Draco's reception at the Burrow was different this time. People said hello to him, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, but actually to him specifically. Not just to Granger, with him only getting hit with some overflow. He was greeted happily by Potter and his wife, warmly by Andromeda and Molly and Arthur Weasley, ecstatically by Teddy, and civilly by the rest of the Weasleys who were not named Ron.

Ron and Draco did exchange stiff nods, but only because it was Christmas.

Molly excitedly called them into the kitchen and gave Draco three wrapped bundles. "Here you go my dears, Happy Christmas! We'll be taking pictures of everyone in these to commemorate the babies' first holiday. You can use Ginny's old room to get changed." The kindly older witch then shooed them out of the kitchen, as she continued with her extensive preparations.

Draco carried the wrapped bundles as Hermione carried Cassiopeia, leading him to a room located on one of the upper floors in the maze of the house that was the Burrow. Draco swore he would never understand this layout. Once in the room, he unwrapped his own package to find a green knitted Weasley jumper with a large silver "D" on it. Hermione's contained a soft turquoise sweater with a dark grey "H" and Cassie had a tiny jumper that was a soft mauve, with a dark green "C".

Draco was wondering if he looked as shocked as he felt, when Hermione burst out laughing when she saw the look on his face. "I guess you're finally one of us now. You've got the uniform and everything!" She smirked at him, before leaning over and checking out his garment more thoroughly. She snorted. "It looks like Molly actually did a better job on your sweater than some of the rest of them. Oh, don't mention that to Ron, he'll be crushed."

She motioned for Draco to try his on, as she quickly put on her own. Draco pulled on the jumper, which he had to admit, fit pretty well. Molly knew what she was doing, that much was certain.

Hermione put her hands over her mouth, her eyes lit up with delight. "What do you think? Because I love it."

Draco looked down at the jumper, feeling unsure of himself. "Are you sure I should be wearing this? This feels wrong."

"Yes. You've been adopted by the Weasleys now. That's what this means. Only family gets jumpers for Christmas."

Draco, still uncertain, made a face. "Does this mean I have to be nice to Ron?"

Hermione laughed. "No, but it does mean you need to look out for him if the occasion arises and he needs your assistance. But that obligation is now reciprocal, which I think will hurt him more than it hurts you. If that helps."

It did help. Draco supposed he could theoretically help Ron out if he must, but only if he could simultaneously begrudge the need to do so. And Hermione and Cassie both looked adorable in their sweaters, which helped as well.

"We have to pose for the large group photo, which I think is happening shortly. And afterward, I want to take one of just the three of us – so Cassie can have a picture of both her parents with her on her first Christmas." Hermione grinned at him, her smile wide and cheerful.

Draco nodded, blushing, feeling really pleased by the idea. "Anything for you, Granger."

With Draco carrying Cassie, his little family went downstairs, now clad in the official uniform for a Burrow Christmas. Ginny clapped in delight when she saw Draco in his sweater.

"Oi, Ferret! Looking good!" She smirked at Draco, but her expression was fond.

"Ginevra. Happy Christmas." Draco said evenly, but grinning at the red-haired witch, who was holding her own baby. "How is little James this evening?"

"A touch fussy, but it will be fine. Listen, I need to borrow Hermione and Cassie. We're taking a picture of all the girls first, then one of the boys, then everyone." As she spoke, Ginny started passing James into Draco's arms, whilst simultaneously taking Cassiopeia into her own. Before he knew it, Draco was left standing in the family room of the Burrow, wearing a sweater hand-knitted by Molly Weasley, holding Potter's infant son. He felt like his brain – what had Hermione called it – short-circuited - when he realized how improbable this felt. Especially when compared to his Christmas last year, which he spent dining with his parents and Astoria at a table large enough to hold all of the attendees here, and many more, despite it only being the four of them. Draco was struck again by the overwhelming feeling of love that permeated this admittedly ramshackle home, but the thing that threw him the most? He was beginning to feel like that love also included him.

Draco held up baby James, so that he was looking into the baby boy's eyes. "Hello James. What do you say we go find your dad? We apparently are up next for pictures." James burped, which Draco took as a yes, before going off to find his former enemy so they could take Christmas photos with each other and their babies. The whole thing was so surreal, but the most fucked up part was how happy it all made him.

xXx

New Year's Eve was spent with the three of them at home. Neither Hermione nor Draco acknowledged the day whatsoever. Even though it was a Tuesday, they treated it as though it was a lazy weekend day. They made no special meals, they went to bed at the usual time and they did not reference the previous year's events at all. Granger did take the time to put up the photo of the three of them at the Burrow on Christmas up on the wall after they had dinner, which made Draco smile every time he saw it. The wall had a lot of photos of Cassie, a lot of photos with Hermione and Cassie, and a lot of photos of Draco and Cassie. This was the only photo of all three of them, which meant it was his favourite.

Soon afterwards, the holidays were over and it was back to work for Draco. He and Granger continued living together — they actually never discussed their living arrangement, once again continuing the pattern of behaviour of avoiding subjects that were too raw, he thought regretfully. He was afraid to rock this particular boat, so he continued to sleep in "Cassie's room." But really, now Cassie had two rooms, with full cribs wedged beside each of her parent's beds and she slept in both interchangeably.

Months passed in this state of living together, but without calling it living together. Their routine of dinners together every evening became more interesting as Cassiopeia began trying different solid foods. She loved bananas, hated peas and if they let her, she would eat sweet potatoes until she turned orange.

It was wonderful.