A/N: I am so sorry about the late update last time, but I am working on bettering my writing ability and frequency.

To Foxzelain101, I would never leave this story unfinished. I don't like it when author's start an amazing story and then either just give up or end it quickly.

Which is not to say that I think that this is one of those amazing stories, but here's hoping!

Enjoy!

Chapter 27

The couple ate their meal in silence for about 10 minutes before the first person dug up the courage to talk to them. Lavender Brown stood and made her way down to sit on the bench next to Hermione.

"Are you excited about the babies?" She asked, leaning forward with her elbows on the table to look at both Hermione and Snape. Severus looked up and studied her face. He knew how Lavender was and didn't know whether she was genuinely curious or just looking for gossip. Hermione also turned to look at the girl but didn't even take a moment to think about the question or who was asking it.

"I am excited and a little nervous. I mean, wouldn't you be after finding out that you were going to be a mother at such a young age?" She waited until Lavender nodded before turning back to her food and taking another bite.

"I know we haven't gotten along very well in the past, but I would like to help in any way I can." Lavender offered, surprising the couple. Hermione looked at her, not really sure how to respond to this unexpected development. Lavender smiled, obviously knowing that she had surprised them. She shrugged. "Don't look so shocked. I care about others, too. Even the two of you. By the way, have you felt the babies kick yet?"

Hermione shook her head, "No. Madam Pomfrey said that it won't be long now, though. I have felt them move around, but they don't kick or punch yet." Lavender smiled again.

"Okay. Well, just remember what I said. If I'm near by when you need something, just let me know." She said, standing up and going back to her previous seat. Hermione looked over at Severus in confusion. Lavender had never been one to offer help to anyone unless it benefited her in the end as well, so the offer was very surprising. She couldn't think of anything that would benefit her in helping Hermione get to classes or with the babies. Severus looked away first to continue eating, so Hermione shrugged and did the same. They ate in silence until Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Harry began speaking around them, keeping the topic away from the elephant in the room. Soon, Draco and Luna came over to sit with them. More specifically, they came to sit with their partners, but that didn't bother Hermione as she just appreciated the show of solidarity the two displayed by sitting at a table that wasn't their own. The natural flow of conversation had the students around them relaxing a little. They obviously didn't know how to react to this new thing that was happening. A student and teacher who were soul mates was definitely not the norm at Hogwarts. Hermione saw Dean and Seamus talking and looking over at her several times but decided not to say anything about how rude that was of them. She knew that if they wanted to say something, they would eventually.

They finished eating without any more interruptions and stood up to leave, Severus helping Hermione to her feet as he had taken to in the last month. On their way out of the great hall, Severus did something that almost made Hermione start crying; he took her hand as just held it as they walked. To her it seemed he wanted to show everyone that she was his, but she was hoping this meant that he was slowing starting to fall in love with her. If he was then she could admit her own feelings for him. She could hear the chatter in the great hall quiet and then just as quickly crescendo as the other students noticed the gesture. He kept a hold of her hand as they walked slowly down the hall, not really heading anywhere in particular. The silence they walked in was comfortable and neither felt like they had to do or say anything to break it, so they didn't. They walked for a while and when they stopped to look up at where they were, they realized that the picture in front of them was the one to their quarters.

"True Love" They both said, and the door swung open. Walking in, Severus released Hermione's hand and went to sit on the recliner. Hermione also went to sit down, but on the love seat. Severus was the one to finally break the silence.

"So, what was so funny earlier?" he asked making Hermione realize that she hadn't told him why she had been trying not to laugh yet.

"Oh, well, I was trying to watch specific people to see their reactions. Pansy Parkinson seemed to be chocking, the Patil twins both smiled, Crabbe didn't seem to have heard you, so his face was completely blank, and then there was Goyle, who seemed to pass out on to the table. Just a good variety of reactions that made me want to laugh, but I also didn't want anyone to think this was a prank. That's why I tried to hide that I wanted to laugh." She answered with a little giggle at the memory. Severus smirked at her obvious amusement.

"What about Mr. Finnigan and Mr. Thomas' reactions? They looked like their jaws were about to hit the floor." He commented hoping to see her smile some more. He really loved her smile. She laughed outright at that.

"I didn't see that, but I can imagine them doing that. When we sat down, they began talking about us. Or maybe just me, because they kept looking at me and whispering. Also, Colin Creevey looked kind of sad. I wonder why that is." Hermione pondered aloud. "It's been almost 3 months since I ousted him to his multiple partners, so he should be over it by now." She shrugged, not really knowing what else to do about that situation. Severus watched her snuggle into the cushions with a sigh and a yawn. He didn't know how she was handling the added stress of carrying their babies and going to school while still getting good grades. They still worked on Potions together, but he had pretty much taught her all that he could without her being able to brew any of them. She was definitely an over achiever, but maybe that was a good thing. The babies would be hard to handle with just the two of them when they were born, but until then Hermione had to carry the burden alone, so her persistence would help her in the long run. He could be there for her emotionally, as well as he was able to be, and he would, but that was all he could do for now.

For some reason this thought startled him. He had never been one to show anyone his own emotions, so how did he believe he could help Hermione get through this emotionally? He could listen to any complaints and issues and try to fix whatever came up. Unfortunately, he didn't think that would be enough. Hermione and their babies would require more than the minimum of emotion from him. Their babies. His babies. He was going to be a father. He sharply drew in a breath at this realization. It hadn't really sunk in yet that he was going to be a father. What did he know about being a dad? He never really had a proper father, so how would he know what to do and how to respond to situations?

Severus was beginning to feel panicked when he was pulled out of his thoughts by a sniffle and small snore. He shook off his panic and refocused on Hermione and realized that she had fallen asleep in the chair with her head resting on one of the arms. Shaking his head, he stood up and walked over to pick her up into his arms. Carrying her to their room, he placed her in their bed and pulled the blankets up to her chin. She had been getting tired a lot more recently and falling asleep at random times wasn't unusual. Madam Pomfrey had said that this was normal as her body was producing a lot of extra stuff to make the babies. He figured he would let her sleep, so he grabbed his book and headed back in to the living area to continue reading.

Lucius was scheming. Well, pondering more like, but that wasn't the point. It had been 3 months since he'd run into Miss. Granger and the oddly familiar young man, but he still hadn't been able to place where exactly he knew him from or who he was. The clue given to him hadn't really helped, because the man looked too young to have known him while he was at Hogwarts. He hadn't wanted to ask his son, but he had eventually tried messaging him around 2 weeks before. At this point, he didn't really have a choice but to go visit his son at Hogwarts to find out what was going on and who the man was.

He was currently walking up the front steps of Hogwarts to accomplish just that. He really hoped his son wasn't trying to avoid him, but he was going to find that out as well. He walked through the doors of the castle, shaking off some of the snow that had accumulated on his shoulders and stomping his feet to remove it from his boots as well. As he walked towards Dumbledore's office, he looked around at all the portraits and suits of armor that he remembered from his time here. Students passed by frequently talking amongst themselves, not even taking notice of him. It was Sunday, so Lucius had expected this, but it still annoyed him that they weren't even acknowledging his presence. He continued on down the hall, seeing students sitting on some of the benches while others leaned on walls talking to their friends. He eventually came across a sight that made him want to sneer in distaste, but he didn't and was about to pass the two male students who were making out against one of the walls, but something made him stop. The glint of a ring on one of the boys right middle fingers. It displayed the Malfoy insignia and the fingers of said hand were currently tangled in the dark hair of his partner. At first Lucius didn't comprehend what this meant until a loud moan came from one of them. Shaking his head, Lucius slowly walked closer to the couple and stood there hoping his son would notice that they weren't alone anymore.

"DRACO MALFOY! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" He bellowed when, after a moment, they didn't stop what they were doing. His shout caused them to jerk apart and whip their heads around to find out who was yelling Draco's name. When it registered who was standing in front of them, Draco completely jerked out of his partners grip and stepped forward.

"Father! What are you doing here?" He asked in an obvious panic, clearly showing his emotions. Lucius had taught him how to hide emotions during the time they were on the wrong side of the war, but now he allowed the slip with no comment.

"I came to find out why you haven't answered my letter. I asked you a question that I needed answered quickly, but now I would like an explanation as to what you are doing here in the hall making out with another boy." Lucius looked past his son to identify the other person and was surprised to find that it was none other than Harry Potter. A year and a half ago, he would have immediately dragged his son away from the boy, but as Mr. Potter had helped his family stay out of Azkaban for their part in the war, he figured he owed the boy that much as least. He took a moment to think about the situation and quickly assessed how he should react to this new development.

Draco looked around at Harry, clearly not knowing what he should say to his father. Harry smiled and nodded encouragingly at him. This caused one blond brow to rise on the older mans face. Draco turned back to his father before answering, "Well, Father, Harry and I are dating. And you obviously know what we were doing before you interrupted us, so I won't bother explaining that." He said, with a raise of one of his own blond brows.

"How long has this been going on? Why didn't you inform me of this new development?" He asked after taking a calming breath. He was gripping his cane tightly but couldn't help the response. He was upset that his son hadn't told him that he was dating Potter, let alone that he was gay, so this came as a major shock to him. Thinking about it, he really wanted to support his son, but he waited to see if Draco would confess the truth to him or try getting out of the situation with a lie.

Again, Draco glanced back at his… Harry before answering him, "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about this, but I didn't, and still don't, know how you would react to me being gay. I know that I am supposed to hate Harry. I did what I was supposed to while Lord Voldemort was alive, but ever since he died, I have wanted to change and just be myself." Draco paused to take a deep breath as if bracing himself, "I.. realized that I was gay in 3rd year and hid it to keep our family alive. And to answer your other question, Harry and I have been together for a little over a year now. I am very happy with him and I hope you can accept that." He finished and then reached his hand back to take Harry's hand in his. They both waited for Lucius to respond to the new dynamic. Lucius just stood there for a moment, but then shook his head.

"I don't have time for this right now. I came to get your answer to the question I posed in my letter. Where do I know the young man who was with Miss. Granger in Hogsmeade 3 months ago? He said I know him from Hogwarts, but I can't place him, and he told me that you would know." At first, the two boys looked confused. Then they both looked at each other and snickered knowingly. Lucius sighed impatiently knowing they knew who he was talking about.

"I could just tell you, but that wouldn't be any fun. How about I take you to their quarters so you can ask them yourself." Draco said, turning back to his father. He could immediately see that his father didn't want to ask for anyone else's assistance in figuring it out, so he quickly added, "Or you could go home and try to solve it yourself again. Look, I know you hate asking for help, but since you and mum split, you have gotten a lot worse." This comment made Lucius flinch. He hated when anyone mentioned his divorce. No one in his family had ever gotten divorced in the history of the Malfoys. It had been a mutual split as Narcissa had approached him right after all the trials had concluded. Lucius was still upset about the scandal that his family name had been dragged through. He also hated that his son had noticed changes in him since that horrible time. Reluctantly Lucius nodded at the boys to lead the way to their unknown location of the familiar stranger.

They walked up the moving stairs to the 3rd floor and went down the hall to a portrait of a Unicorn and a Forest elf where the boys stopped, and Harry reached up to knock.

"I don't know if they are home yet but if not, we could just wait. They aren't usually far away from home right now, so they won't be long." Draco said, directing his words to his father. True to his word, the door was answered by Hermione who was still wearing the large empire waisted top. She doesn't seem to notice the third figure at first.

"Oh! Hello, Draco, Harry! What are you doing here?" After she asked the question, Hermione saw Lucius standing behind her two friends and looked surprised. "Oh, Hello, Mr. Malfoy. What brings you here?"

"Hermione, may we come in, Please? My father wished to see… your partner and find out how he recognizes him." Draco said, knowing that his father wouldn't answer her question right away without being invited in.

"Of course. Come on in. You will have to wait though as... my partner is in the shower at the moment. He should be out soon." She informed them all as she stepped back and allowed them all to enter her quarters. Closing the door, she walked over to the love seat and sat down. Well, more like she tried to just sit down, but Draco and Harry had decided to try and help her sit down safely. They received a hand wave and a hiss for their efforts as she tried to get them to leave her be. She was perfectly capable of sitting down on her own. Lucius watched on in confusion as he slowly made his way over to one of the chairs. He sat down but didn't get the chance to ask his questions because just as Draco and Harry sat on the sofa across from him, the familiar stranger emerged from one of the rooms. He paused when he saw Lucius, but quickly came back to himself. Walking over to the love seat, he slowly lowered himself down next to Hermione with a small smile in her direction.

"So, what have you been up to? I see we have guests." Severus said, addressing Hermione, who just shrugged and smiled. He turned to face his old friend and tilted his head with a raised eyebrow. Lucius cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry to intrude on your privacy. I only intended on asking my son if he knew where I recognize you from. He refused to outright give me this information and brought me here." Lucius looked over at the two boys who were holding hands on the sofa across from him and had to look away again. He didn't think he would get used to the change in that dynamic any time soon, so he didn't even want to see that kind of behavior for now. He really wished Draco had just told him who this young man was and get it over with. He hated not knowing something and it had been causing a lot of contention with him since he had met him in Hogsmeade. Or met him again, according to the mystery man. "You said that I knew you at Hogwarts, but you are too young to have known me when I was a student. You are also not familiar to me in my job as a member of the school board. Will you just tell me where and when I met you the first time? You said I knew you from Hogwarts, but I haven't been able to place you." Lucius paused, then added, "Please?"

Severus allowed a small smile to grace his face as he heard his oldest friend say please, which was a word he knew rarely passed his lips to anyone. He decided to give him another hint to see if he could make him crack in frustration. Hermione watched as the subtle expressions crossed Severus' face and then waited for him to respond.

"Alright. I will give you another hint, but I won't tell you who I am outright. Not yet anyway, I love this game too much." He watched Lucius grimace, but nod. "Hmm… I am older then I look. We met when you were in your last year of Hogwarts." He sat back and watched Lucius's face as he tried to think of who this person could be.

Who was this guy who looked 17 or 18 years old, but who he had met when he was about the same age? This was a puzzle that was really starting to annoy him. He thought back to his days at Hogwarts, but there had been so long ago that they were a little hazy. It had been 15 years since that time in his life and a lot had happened since then. Thinking back to his 7th year made him remember all the bad choices he had made that he had been so proud of at the time. Working to recruit supporters for Voldemort, getting married to Narcissa, taking over the family business for his father, keeping himself under control as a proper pure-blood male should, it had all been so hard, but he had done it all and buried things that would have made him a disappointment to his father. The recruiting hadn't been that hard, at least not for him. He knew that even the first years would follow his lead as he was the Slytherin Prince at the time. He even remembered meeting Severus for the first time, who he had eventually chosen as Draco's god father. He briefly wondered how his friend was doing, tilting his head to the side, inadvertently meeting the eyes of the familiar stranger. The black eyes that stared back reminded him so much of… Wait! There is no way that this man could be…

"Severus?"

A/N: Hello! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I think I am doing a little better on getting updates up a little faster? I know it's been a few months but still!

Please Review!

The questions I leave you with are:

How will Lucius change this story?

What could the 2 pink orbs mean?

Will Lucius eventually forgive his son for his perceived betrayal?

Will Lucius except the new relationship between Hermione and Severus?