"Explain to me why I, who's not your husband or even a secret lover, am helping you unpack and arrange your house?" Ron asked as he unloaded a box of kitchenware. Hermione, who was magically hanging a painting on the wall (she now had a thing about handling frames), laughed and turned to him when she was done.

"Because Draco's at work and since I don't go back until next week I want to finish it up."

"And?"

"And because Frizzle's helped enough and I wanted to give him a break no matter how much he keeps insisting."

"And?"

"And because you're my best friend and you love me."

"And? Come on, keep going."

Hermione groaned and walked over to him. "And because you were the only one who had a day off today."

Ron grinned. "Ah, there it is."

Hermione elbowed him in the side and he juggled the dish in his hand so he didn't drop it. It was the last day in February and she and Draco had chosen the first house they had seen. Her husband, the little devil or snake as he was, knew very well that she wouldn't have liked any of the other houses. One had nine bedrooms and the other twelve. Seven had already boggled her mind, so why in Merlin's name would she opt for more? And so the next day they had closed on it. By the end of the following week they had gone furniture shopping and had spent the time between then and now when Draco was home to get the house in order. Usually it was Hermione arranging everything, then him nitpicking and reorganizing at night. He did, however, managed to set up bookshelves in the basement for her library. Eventually they came to a compromise and now the house was pretty much set with the exception of little odds and ends that Ron was helping her with now.

"When are you guys having the house warming?"

"End of the month maybe?" Hermione shrugged. "We haven't talked about it just yet. So much has been going on between getting the house, setting it up, and all those St. Mungo's visits."

Ron frowned a little. "Anything promising yet?"

"Tons of counter-curses, a possible surgery within the next two weeks, and this horrible daily tonic that I have to drink."

"You would there'd be a counter-curse now that you know who cursed you."

Hermione scoffed. "If only. But curses meant for irreparable damage don't have any. The only thing we can do is deal with what's been done. –Oh! I've also been encouraged to throw out every contraceptive potion that I own. I gave them to Ginny though. No point in wasting them."

"No contraceptives huh? Well, as much as I can't believe I'm saying it, but I hope you and Malfoy are having sex like deprived Azkaban inmates."

Hermione doubled over in hysterics. She had to put down the dining room table set she had been hovering before she broke them. "What?"

"I'm serious. Think about it. What if one of the methods works? Do you really want a potion stopping you from getting knocked up?"

"Very poetic, Ron." Hermione shook her head at him. "But yes, I agree. So…I guess it's just a matter of hoping for the best. In the meantime, I think I've figured out something to occupy my time other than work."

"Yeah?"

"Yes," she smiled broadly. "I want to open up an orphanage."

Ron blinked. He was surprised at her desire, but proud of her nonetheless. He leaned his forward on the kitchen island –despite Hermione's disapproving look –and grinned.

"That's a really good idea, Hermione."

"You really think so?" She said with hope in her voice. Ron nodded. "Good. I do admit it's a bit of an emotionally driven idea, but I've come to appreciate children just a bit more considering the circumstances."

"As well you should. Children are a gift. Even…when they surprise you."

Hermione paused. She observed her best friend's tone of voice, his tense shoulders, the way he kept averting his eyes… She suddenly gasped and placed her hands on the other side of the island.

"How far along is she?"

"Fourteen weeks,"

Her jaw dropped. "Fourteen? Ronald Weasley, I could throttle you!"

"I'm sorry! I really am!" Ron apologized. "Lavender and I found out around New Year's, and then there was your accident and then…the news. I didn't want to be insensitive."

Hermione could've hexed him, but she had better self-control than that. Surprisingly. Instead she sighed and shook her head at him.

"I appreciate it, I really do. However, I'm perfectly capable of being happy for someone else despite my misfortune. Merlin, I'm not the only who doesn't know, am I?"

"No, no one knows." He reassured her. "We weren't sure if we could trust everyone to keep their big mouths shut –particularly Ginny. We were planning on telling everyone next week anyway. She swears she's already starting to show a little, and I quote, pudge."

Hermione couldn't help her chuckle at the prospect of a baby being called a "pudge."

"Well, thank you for letting me be the first to know." She smiled. Then she asked cautiously, "You are happy about this, aren't you? You and Lavender haven't been together long and obviously this wasn't at all planned."

Ron anxiously rubbed his left arm. "Nope, definitely not planned. But I don't think it would be right of me to be upset when the opportunity should be celebrated."

"Naturally, I agree. Now come here," Hermione said happily as she walked around the island counter to give him a proper hug and congratulations. "I'm really happy for you, Ron."

I'm really happy for you, Ron.

She should've won an award for that because in truth? She felt really bloody awful.

Draco stopped by to see his mother after work. She had been particularly happy lately, and once he had stepped foot in her personal parlor room he understood why.

"Merlin, Mother," he exclaimed as he skimmed through parchment after parchment of notes Narcissa had written down for her future new home. So that she could prepare, Draco had sent her a schematic of the house as well as detailed photographs of the interior so that she could get what she needed accordingly. By the looks of this list, she was clearly enjoying herself in that regard.

"I have a six-bedroom home to decorate." Narcissa replied with a smile. "I have to make sure all the essentials are there before August."

Draco let a brow rise neatly into the air as he gestured to the parchment papers in his hands. "This is an example of the essentials?"

Narcissa tutted. "Oh no, of course not. Those are merely things that I want." She then gestured to her work desk. "Those are the essentials."

The blond young man shook his head and gave in as he handed the parchment pieces back to her. "If you say so."

"I do." She answered brightly. "Oh, and Hermione told me of her idea of opening up an orphanage. It's wonderful, really. Not only is it tremendously altruistic, but can you just imagine the positive light that it will shine on us?"

"And you think my marrying a muggleborn didn't do the trick?" Draco answered somewhat cheekily, however he understood his mother's point. "At least with Uncle Tiberius locked away the media has stopped accusing me of foul play."

"True. Although the fact that that horrid sentiment was out in the air at all is disconcerting. I won't give anyone the opportunity to slander us."

"I see…" Draco took a moment to sit down across from his mother and observe her. There was a sneaky glint in her eye and he knew what that meant. "Let me guess. You have a way to make that happen, yes?"

"Perhaps," Narcissa said coyly. "Hermione will need a location big enough for her orphanage, won't she?"

"She will."

"Well, why not have it here?"

Draco sat up straighter than he already had been (polished posture and all that). He really needed to clarify what he thought his mother was implying. "Here? By 'here,' you actually mean here? As in the Manor?"

"Why not?" Narcissa countered. "The Manor will be empty once I've moved out of it, and what are we to do? Let it rot? Sell it? Merlin forbid. Hermione can use it to fill its rooms with as many children as she wishes and we have the added benefit of having a glowing review in the Daily Prophet and other media outlets."

Draco couldn't help but grin smugly at his mother's phrasing and leaned back in his seat. "Controlling the media is the added benefit, is it?"

Narcissa eyed her son warily. "Yes. And?"

"Nothing," he waved dismissively. "It's just nice to know that you thought of Hermione and her needs first despite how you previously outlined your agenda."

Narcissa pursed her lips and reached for tea that she didn't have only to retract her hands to her lap. Draco laughed and stood.

"It's alright, Mother." He said as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "It's not the end of the world to care for your daughter-in-law and show it."

His mother resisted an unladylike eye roll and called for a house elf to bring her some tea. "Just tell Hermione that the first step to her orphanage is completed will you?"

"Will do."

Every day when Draco returned from work it felt more and more like home. There was always new things put up, assembled, and arranged, and today, somehow without actually walking through the entire house, it finally felt like it was all finished. He grinned like a kid who had just had his fill at the candy store and left the study. He and Hermione had decided that that would be where close friends and family would come through instead of risking permanent soot stains in the living room downstairs. Once he had taken off his cloak and left it in his bedroom he called for his wife. Luckily they had had a presence of mind to cast a spell to amplify voices when trying to find one another.

"Living room!" Hermione called back. Draco found her just where she said she'd be and wasn't surprised in the slightest at the sight of her –on the couch, feet tucked under her, and a book in her hands.

"Well, look at you settled in all nicely."

She looked up from her book and beamed. "Now that the house is completely finished why shouldn't I be settled?"

"Very true." He replied as he sat down next to her. "I just came from seeing my mother. By the looks of it she's bought out every piece of furniture known to man."

Hermione giggled behind her book and stuck her thumb in it to mark her place. "She does realize that she has five months to prepare, right?"

"Oh, but we mustn't forget that she's decorating a six-bedroom home." Draco quoted his mother. He laughed at his mother's lavishness and continued to grin as he took Hermione's free hand. "She's going to make sure everything is absolutely perfect before she gets to move in come August."

"Has she decided what she'll do with the Manor?"

"Ideally she could hand over the deed to anyone she sees fit. And that's exactly what she's done –once you sign all of the proper paperwork, of course."

Hermione dropped her book. "Sorry?"

Draco quite loved surprising this woman. She had an air of innocence about her when being gifted things she couldn't have fathomed receiving.

"She's giving you the Manor." He elaborated. "She wants you to use it for your orphanage."

The brunette's mouth fell open. Her husband was now laughing at her expense and used the curve of his finger to close her mouth. That didn't stop her jaw from slipping again though.

"That… I can't believe… Really?"

Draco nodded. "Yes. The Manor will have to be thoroughly spell-checked, of course. Rooms warded so that they can't be opened. A couple portraits to either be destroyed or permanently silenced. Maybe even removed. But in the end, it could house an infinite amount of children there."

"It could do even more than that!" Hermione said excitedly. "It could help families in need. Maybe a part of the Manor could be a school –you know, teaching the essentials until the children are old enough for Hogwarts. Oh, Draco, think of possibilities!"

Draco's lips were far too wide for his face at this point. "I take it you're pleased?"

"Pleased?" Hermione repeated, her happiness absolutely overwhelming and contagious. She had risen from the couch and was standing in front of him as she pointed to her face. "Does this face look pleased to you? 'Pleased' is far too soft of a word to describe how ecstatic I am!"

Draco felt the couch rock back as Hermione practically jumped on this lap (thankfully without hurting his precious bits) and began kissing him everywhere.

"Thank you!" She kissed his lips. "Thank you!" His forehead. "Thank you!" Both cheeks.

Draco was in a fit of laughter in between every kiss she gave him. "You know, you should actually be thanking my mother. I'm just the messenger."

Hermione pulled back and grinned mischievously. "I highly doubt that you want me to thank your mother in the same way I plan on thanking you."

His face lit up. "Well, if that's the case, thank away!"

Perhaps it was a bad idea to apparate while laughing, but they did anyway –right up to their bedroom so that Hermione could "thank" him properly.

Hermione's first week back at work had annoying, to say the least. It was bad enough that people kept coming up to her and saying, "Sorry for what happened," or "At least it wasn't worse." It wasn't even the glances her coworkers kept shooting at her. No, the icing on the cake had been someone who actually had the audacity to tell her that Draco should be in Azkaban for what he did to her. She had been moments away from hexing the person when Travers, to her complete surprise had defended her husband. He had been on his way up to see her as he'd been over the moon to have the one and only person who knew Ancient Runes back in the office. Draco did tell her that his partner had been less vile lately, but she couldn't have imagined that it was to such an extent.

That had rounded out her stress-inducing week to a decent one. What had turned it into a happier one was watching Narcissa sign away the deed to Malfoy Manor and Hermione signing her acceptance to it. To celebrate, Hermione was with her friends while Draco was trying to convince his mother that she didn't need twenty house elves in her new home.

"Ole Lucius must be cursing up a storm in Azkaban." Ron laughed. They were all sitting in the lounge upstairs and munching on a lovely array of finger foods that Frizzle had brought them. "Not only is his precious home going to be overrun with kids and needy families, but it's going to be solely owned by a muggleborn. Merlin, I wish I could see his face."

"I'm actually quite surprised Narcissa was able to give it to you." Ginny mused. "Being the 'Malfoy' Manor and all, I figured only Lucius would be able to have a final say on what happens with it."

"Well unlike his predecessors, Lucius thought ahead with his wife in mind. The war might have had something to do with that now that I think about. The Manor is in her name too. Apparently he had a contract made so that in the event of his imprisonment everything in both of their names would become hers. That said, Narcissa was well within her rights to give it to me."

"What about things just in Lucius' name?" Harry asked.

"They go to Draco when he turns twenty-five."

"Merlin, that's just a few years off, isn't it?"

"Two years,"

Ron gave a low whistle. "Not that I care, but that's a bit sad for the old man, don't you think? If Lucius somehow gets parole in the future he's going to be wandless in a sealed room, so to speak. Hermione's got the Manor and the rest of his stuff is split between his wife and kid. He'll basically own nothing."

Ron's astute moments always left Hermione swelling with pride –not to mention in deep thought. He was absolutely right. And, to take it one step further, the day that Narcissa passed on everything would go to Draco. Even further than that, Draco had told her recently that he'd had a will drawn up. Hermione had been mortified at the thought, but so he explained, being who they were and targeted, it was best and that she should get one too. She hadn't yet nor was she in a rush to do so although he had a good point. Regardless, he told her that in the event of his death that she would get everything. What if both events, Merlin forbid, happened tomorrow? Next week? A few years from now? Everything that had once stood (and in most people's view still did) as a pinnacle symbol for pureblood society would be in the hands of a muggleborn.

Hermione could laugh at the irony.

And she did.

Author's note: I can't remember who, but I think I remember someone saying that Hermione should do something with orphans. This orphanage idea had always been in the works in terms of writing it, so here it is! And then there's Ron. Well, congrats to him :)

-WP

Replies to Guests

jackie: Thank you so much! This chapter was such fun for me to write. It was the little things –especially Victoire. Draco and Hermione will definitely make it through :)

Karlie: Me too! Me too! I just want to hug him.

Guest: Thanks! Hope that you liked this chapter too!

Dindore: I just loved how innocent Draco was trying to be during the whole exchange with Molly. And him and Victoire...bittersweet is definitely a good way to describe it. Haha, your hints. Just have to wait and see!