March had come and gone in the blink of an eye. There had been Hermione and Draco's housewarming out in the backyard and it had been crowded beyond measure. It was unfortunate that Narcissa couldn't attend physically, but she had had the time of her life planning it from afar. A healthy dose of magic allowed a muggle-like hologram of her to still see and enjoy the festivities which she had terribly grateful for.

The week after that Ron and Lavender told everyone that they were expecting a little bundle of joy towards the end of August. That night Hermione cried and no one outside of Draco could sympathize with how she felt, and no one outside of Narcissa knew why both of them had called out of work the next day.

The rest of the month saw to Hermione getting an enormous head start on her orphanage. Having friends inside the Ministry was a huge asset. Being a Malfoy doubled it. However, despite Draco's and Narcissa's nudging, Hermione was not going to use her name or status to get what she wanted simply because she could. She was regretting it slightly as April reared its head and slowly slipped by as she sat in her partially-filled library with millions of paperwork and law books on how to properly get her project going.

"You're going to sleep down here again, aren't you?" Draco mused as he walked down the stairs and spotted his wife where she had been for several nights. Hermione looked up, sighed, and stretched.

"Not my fault you put extremely comfortable couches down here." Hermione replied with a grin. Draco chuckled and sat down at the table with her.

"Are you going to cave yet?" He gestured to the parchment. Hermione groaned and lowered her head to rest on the table.

"No,"

"Sure?"

"No,"

Draco laughed and rubbed her back. "I can help with some of the paperwork, you know. You don't have to do it all by yourself."

Hermione raised her head and smiled. "I know. In fact, while you're down here there is something that I'd love for you to fill out with me."

"Of course. What is it?"

"Well," she began as she shifted mountains of work. "This is a momentous endeavor. The board that I have to present and give all of this information to wants to make sure that whoever is running it is fully capable-"

"Which you are,"

Hermione beamed. "Thank you. But, a little birdie told me that scales would tip greatly into my favor if I didn't own the orphanage on my own. That said, if you could sign on as co-owner I'd love you ten times more than I already do."

Draco stared wide-eyed at the pieces of parchment she was sliding over to him as well as a muggle pen. "You want me to co-own the orphanage with you?"

She nodded and smiled broadly. "Why so surprised?"

"I guess in my head I've always considered this your project. Tacking my name onto it never once came across my mind."

"I married you." She said simply. "Your name is tacked on by default."

Draco cracked a small smile. She did have a point. He took the pen from her and his eyes latched onto where he had to sign his name. The pen was hovering over the line, but he couldn't bring himself to let ink flow from it.

"My being co-owner won't hurt you, will it?"

Hermione frowned. "How so?"

"Somehow I'm thinking putting the precious lives of children directly under Malfoy care might scare away a person or two."

To his surprise, Hermione laughed. She ran her fingers through his pristine hair, completely ruining it, but in a good way. "The way you care about me is wonderful. Have I told you that lately?"

Draco closed his eyes, absolutely falling at ease under her tender touches.

"Sometimes I think you forget that 'Malfoy' is my last name too." She told him softly. "And if people want Hermione 'Granger' they're not going to find her. The personality is still the same, sure, but Malfoy things are there too. Including you. So," she said as she pulled her hand away and gestured her husband's hand to the parchment. "You'll be co-owner. And to ease any further worries, I still have to add a beneficiary in case something should happen to either of us."

"Who did you have in mind?"

"Harry. If that's not a safety net for any stiffnecked board members then I don't know what is."

Draco nodded, finally signing his name. "Definitely,"

Draco woke up to an incessant tapping on his and Hermione's bedroom window. He had been very determined to ignore it, but with one cracked eye he realized that it was Blaise's. It was the only reason that he got up to answer it. In the end he was glad. And also slightly anxiety-stricken. He was deeply considering whether or not to heed his best friend's advice at the bottom of the letter, but he didn't want to do that. Blaise was his friend. He wanted to be there for him and so he'd go. Even if it hurt.

"Hermione," he whispered as he gently shook her awake. "Hermione,"

"Hm?"

"Blaise owled me. Liliana, she's… She's having their baby now."

That last bit woke her up. Hermione rolled over in bed, eyes fully alert and filled with an array of emotions that was probably in his just the same.

"You don't have to go."

That simple sentence lifted a weight off of Hermione. She could've easily taken the opportunity and ran with it, but instead she swallowed and shook her head. "No. We're their friends and…we should be there."

Draco nodded. "Okay."

They both got dressed, neither lazily nor excitedly, but dressed anyway. When they got to St. Mungo's they were directed to an area where they could sit and wait and were told that Blaise would be alerted to their arrival. The couple dumbly nodded and waited, Hermione on one of the chairs while Draco stood and leaned against the wall.

"How long has she been in labor for?" Hermione asked after what felt like a millenia. Draco shrugged.

"I don't know."

"...She could be in labor for hours." She continued. "Or days,"

Draco quirked his brow. "Did you just say days?"

Hermione chuckled. "Having a baby isn't nearly as easy as making one."

Those words hit her hard -Draco too, as far as she could tell. Luckily they were public and so bawling their eyes out was less likely.

"Be honest with me." Draco said as he turned to her. "Do you think the treatments are working?"

"Well, it's been about two months." Hermione sighed. "Healer Hasbrook and Dr. Lonnegan are putting in a joint effort now and they're saying positive things…"

"But?"

"The most I can say is that my hormones are all shot to hell and I hardly have a regular menstrual cycle anymore."

"Do you want the treatments to stop?"

"No. I mean, at least not yet. We can them up until I can get the orphanage to a certain point since that has most of my attention right now anyway. And if there's no definitive changes by then, we can look into adoption. Deal?"

Draco smiled. "Deal."

Hermione smiled back, satisfied that a portion of their lives seemed settled. Or as settled as it could be for the moment. They both drifted into silence then. Draco sat down eventually and they even fell asleep. When they woke up it was daylight and they met Blaise's ecstatic face.

Draco yawned. "Merlin… Is that the face Liliana wakes up to every morning?"

"Draco," Hermione admonished with a grin before turning to Blaise. "Well?"

"Little Giana Carolina Zabini is in the world."

Draco was the first one to his feet and giving him a hug. "Congrats, Blaise. I hope she's nothing like you."

Blaise laughed. "You know what? I hope that too."

"Can we see her and Liliana?" Hermione asked. Blaise gave her an appreciative smile. He knew how hard that was to say, much less something to do.

"Of course. Follow me."

Hermione slipped her hand in Draco's and they both followed him down the corridor. Their grip on each other's hands was verging on the point of cutting off circulation, but neither cared. The tension was moderately relieved when they finally got to Liliana's room and she greeted them with the happiest expression. Giana was in her arms and the wave of emotions that hit them both was staggering, but they held up well.

Hermione quite surprised her husband (as well as herself) when she asked to hold her. Liliana was more than glad to do so while Draco stood from a generous distance and watched.

"She's so small." Draco said after a while.

"Smaller than I thought she'd be." Blaise agreed. "And yet still a healthy eight pounds."

"It was the Italian food." The blond said cheekily. "Definitely the food."

Blaise playfully bumped him in the shoulder. "Git,"

"That's Uncle Git to you."

"Fair enough. You know," Blaise paused for a moment. "Liliana wants Hermione to be Giana's godmother. Think she'll say yes?"

Draco didn't answer right away. Instead he just stared at his wife, overcome with utter excitement at the little girl in her arms. He couldn't help the upturn of his lips. "Absolutely,"

"Good. Get cracking on baby proofing the house."

"I'll get right on that."

"I don't think I've ever been so happy to burn something." Draco said as he stared at the fireplace in the parlor room at Malfoy Manor. His mother was standing next to him and agreed with a nod.

"They were hideous on top of that." Narcissa added. "But at least there'll be no more scoldings down the halls. And the rest of the less innocuous portraits?"

"In a private storage facility. I'll be sure to give you a copy of the key so that you can take and hang any you like in your house."

"Wonderful," she smiled before sitting down and urging Draco to do the same. "Now, was that the last of what had to be done?"

"The very last, thank Merlin." Draco breathed.

His words could never properly describe how ecstatic he was that they were finally done with the Manor's restoration. It was the middle of May now and he had spent the past month and a half with his mother and the house elves going through room after room cataloging everything. Once that had been finished it was all about determining what was dangerous (which turned out to be quite a lot), destroying or giving away what they could, sealing rooms, and finally getting rid of old family portraits. It probably could've been done much quicker with more help (Hermione's words), but Draco would be damned to let her go near anything that belonged to anyone named Malfoy. One curse was bad enough. Luckily, he and his mother were finished. It was just in time too since Hermione was scheduled to go in front of the board members of the Ministry's nonprofit sector next week. With the Manor set, she could have someone inspect the place by the end of the week.

"How's little Giana?" Narcissa asked. Draco smiled. Yes, it still hurt, but the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth was quite involuntary.

"Making Blaise, and I quote, uglier by the day when his sleep is interrupted."

Narcissa laughed. "Oh yes, infants are very adept at that." She paused for a moment before asking, "And how's Hermione on that front?"

Draco bit the inside of his jaw. His mother, sensing his hesitation, took the opportunity to ask a house elf for tea and a few pastries. By the time they came, her son indulged in both before finally replying.

"Hermione wants to stop the treatments." Draco said. "They're starting to take their toll on her and she needs a break. She might start them back again, but just later."

Narcissa's eyes widened. "Might? What do you mean, 'might?'"

"Exactly that. I'm not going to force her to do something that she doesn't want to do."

"And what do you want?"

Draco shrugged. "For life to be a little less hard? If not that, it's for Hermione to be happy in everything she does. She managed to un-sink my disaster of a life, so I'll do the same for her. What?" He added as he stared at his mother. She was just sitting there, smiling softly, and perhaps a little teary-eyed.

"Oh nothing," she waved dismissively as she dabbed at the corner of her eye. "You've just… Sometimes I forget just how much you've matured."

Draco grinned. "Well, I can't stay a young, spoiled brat forever. Hermione would leave me."

Narcissa tutted while Draco laughed. They sat and talked about something a little less bleak before Draco got up and headed home. When he entered the fireplace he found Hermione walking into the room, a light jacket in one hand and awkwardly using her other hand to slip on her shoes.

"Excellent timing!" Hermione exclaimed as she jiggled to get her shoes on. "Grab the Floo pot. We're heading out."

Draco furrowed his brow. "To where?"

"Margie's Home for the Disadvantage," she smiled. "I have a Ministry friend who's an absolute angel and told me that I could meet with Margie -the owner. I'll have a better chance with the board members next week if there's already interest in my orphanage. Margie's struggling and doesn't know how long she can keep hers up, so that's where we come in!"

Draco hadn't seen Hermione this excited since he told her his mother was giving her the Manor. He certainly wasn't one to squash her happiness and so he allowed her to take a handful of Floo Powder, pull him into the fireplace, and whisk them away to the failing orphanage that, apparently, already had a Floo connection to their house. On the other end of the Floo was a house not too dissimilar to their own, although bigger. The other difference was the sound of children.

"Mrs. Malfoy? Mr. Malfoy?"

The couple turned to find a woman close (perhaps older) to Narcissa's age heading away from the shouts of kids and towards them. A bit short and stocky and glasses to boot, but she radiated warmth without even having to say much.

"Margie, yes?" Hermione greeted as she gave her her hand. "Thank you so much for meeting us."

"Oh no, thank you for meeting me." Margie said happily, turning to shake Draco's hand after hers. "I'm very much grateful. And you've come at a good time too -all of the children are having dinner so we can talk while they're busy. I do have to check on one of the newer children as we go, if you don't mind."

"No, please, go right ahead." Hermione urged and they all began to walk throughout the home.

"It's not much." Margie said during the tour of various playrooms. "We care for twenty-two children up to the age of fifteen. Six of them are at Hogwarts right now, but will return here for the summer once the term ends in the next few weeks. Ample house elves to keep things in shape and two Healer-trained witches on staff. The children eat like kings and queens here -breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks in between."

"You seem to have everything pretty organized here." Hermione praised. "And you're struggling?"

Margie shrugged. They had just toured the whole bottom floor and were now heading upstairs. "Looks can be deceiving. With everything we offer we need money to make sure it stays properly operational. Sadly, that's not the case anymore."

"Tell us then," Draco began. "Why choose to give up the orphanage? Why not try to get funds to keep it going?"

"Tried it." Margie frowned. "But neither Gringotts nor the Ministry will help. Granted, I expected a 'no' from those greedy little goblins, but the Ministry? I had hoped for better."

"That is disconcerting." Hermione joined her frown.

"Very. But, when Matilda told me what you were doing Mrs. Malfoy, it struck me that turning things over to you might be a good idea. As much as getting the funds to help would excite me, at my age keeping this up will only get harder. I'd like to do something about it before it's too late."

"Understandable. And call me, Hermione, please."

Margie nodded happily. "Of course."

The three of them had made it upstairs and were taking looks into the children's bedrooms and other facilities that were up there. Hermione could imagine just how noisy upstairs must be when the children weren't eating. However, there was a deafening sound echoing down the halls and Margie quickened her steps until she reached one of the rooms further down the hall.

"This one's new." Margie said as she opened the door. The room was a nursery of sorts, although there was only one infant there. He was crying his little heart out, but even then he looked adorable. And by his size, it was evident that he had been born fairly recently.

"Three weeks," Margie confirmed when Hermione asked. "His mother died shortly after birthing him unfortunately. Lived long enough just to give him a first name. Aiden."

Hermione slipped her hand into Draco's and he squeezed it. Babies and the topic of them were swimming practically everywhere as of late. Between Blaise and Liliana having Giana and Ron and Lavender expecting, it was rather unavoidable. Draco looked on as Margie picked Aiden up and summoned a pre-pepped bottle from the corner of the room. The boy was, he had to admit, very sweet-looking. A barely there, but still tanned complexion with brown, curly hair to match Hermione's. Draco was pleasantly surprised to find that the baby's eyes were grey. It was almost like...he could be...theirs.

Draco cleared his throat and looked down to the ground. Hermione noticed and rubbed his arm.

"You okay?"

He turned to her and smiled. "Fine. Perfectly fine,"

Author's note: I think the title of the chapter sums it all up. Some filler, but very much necessary for future chapters :). You'll also notice that lapses in time will happen throughout the rest of the story. I really want this story to span a good portion of Draco and Hermione's lives, hence time jumps :).

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