Chapter 3 - Aquila Rose Malfoy

It was Scorpius who answered instead of Hermione. His voice was small and even a bit sad. "She had your eyes, father."

The prominent sneer dropped out of Malfoy's face, making him look vulnerable while he looked at his son: "She?"

"Aquila Rose Malfoy" Hermione whispered their daughter's name. She knew that she would never see her little girl again and it felt like a knife to her heart. She would have turned five soon. They never had much, but Hermione would have done anything to make it the best birthday a little girl could wish for. Severus would have gotten the gifts, Scorpius would have helped her charm the room and she would have baked Aquila's favourite lemon cake. Would have, could have, nothing like this would happen now.

Hermione clutched at something around her neck tightly, while she remembered her daughter's eyes, so much like her father's, just as Scorpius had pointed out. She had his pointed nose too, but made it look cute in her small face.

"I named her after the stars, like you asked me to. Keeping up the tradition, in honour of you mother." the first time since ending her story she looked straight into Draco's eyes. She could read him so well she mused. He was calculating what he had been told, but his eyes shined. Now he looked a lot more like her Draco than before. Still, he was different. He was confident, showing it in the way he sat upright. Moreover he didn't look crushed by his life, merely sad and tired. His clothing was tidy and expensive like always. His long hair was held back in a queue and everything about him screamed immaculate. She still liked him better dishelmed and sweaty, but she shouldn't think about it.

Hermione recalled to her mind that he had buried Astoria not so long ago. For her it had happened 15 years ago, but not for this Malfoy family here. As much as the two men resembled each other on the surface, they had faced different hardships through their lives, forming two different humans. They could never become the same being again. After loosing him, this was still better than never seeing him again, she decided.

This time it was Harry that cleared his throat to gain Hermione's attention. When she looked at him he had to ask:

"Summed up this means you can't remember anything that happened the last 18 years?"

She didn't answer. There was no reason to. How would she be able to remember something that never happened for her. They both knew, but it was something different to acknowledge out loud.

"That's it! How am I supposed to explain this to the children Hermione? Care to tell me?" Ron exploded right into her face. Hermione's eyes grew wide before she sat up straight and her whole demeanour changed.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley, for once in your life get your shit together and don't put your own problems first. You want me to simply forget I had a small daughter until a few hours ago, was fighting a hopeless war and move on? Just as if nothing happened? Put yourself in my place! Try to understand how I feel. My husband and daughter are gone. He" she pointed at Draco "looks like the love of my life but doesn't remember he loves me. My new husband is my best friend, that I care deeply about but don't love. My other best friend is suddenly alive again, after dying in front of me nearly twenty years ago, while the person who was my best friend for all that time died instead. And on top of it all you do is shout at me and tell me we have kids?"

Scorpius took a few steps back away from her side. While her tirade she had jumped up and now loomed over Ron.

Everyone watched the witch with wide eyes. They knew her as a calm woman, that rather kept silent and mulled everything over twice. Now she resembled her old self from school a lot more than anyone wanted to admit. And even then it had been rare to see her explode like this.

"Wow, what a wildcat your are Granger. I guess you still have your temper." Draco purred and leant back comfortable in his chair. He savoured the feeling of somebody else being the target of her ire. At school it always had been him. Of course he knew that his teasing comment could make her change her target, but he counted on her so called love for him.

He didn't reciprocate her feelings, but even if he would never admit it, it was benefiting his ego immense that a intelligent woman desired him. He wasn't a young man anymore. His sex life was inexistent since Astoria fell ill. He had loved her and wasn't one to stray. He watched Hermione from top to bottom when he saw the ring on her finger. The ring that had been on Astoria's hand when she had been cremated after her death. If she hadn't played with it, then he most likely wouldn't have noticed it at all. The uncomfortable feeling that Granger might truly had left behind a small girl to help his son settled into his gut and made him ill. He didn't want the feeling, it had been her decision after all, but the sense of guilt was still there.

A bit of Ron bashing and I'm nearly sorry for it. So I know my Hermione is a bit occ, but losing a child and fighting a war for years does that to you. What do you think?