"You seem to look happy."
Hermione looked up from her book and found her husband smiling fondly at her. Merely twelve hours ago, Hermione had fitted that one missing piece in her life puzzle; her friendship with Harry.
She had a reason to be happy about.
"I'm glad you noticed," Hermione commented coolly. "Otherwise you keep spending a lot of time alone in the library, moping-"
"Hermione, you don't understand." Draco cut her off gently as he came to sit on his side of the bed. "It's just-"
"It's just what?" Hermione asked him firmly, keeping the book on the nightstand. "You know I am always ready to help." She further said with a smile.
Draco laughed and shook his head before pulling the blanket up his waist. The moment he was about to switch off the night lamp, Hermione took his hand and looked at him with wide eyes.
"Are you having an affair?" She asked quietly, testing the waters.
Draco looked back at his wife in disbelief and shook his head. "Hermione, do you really think that I'll do that to you?" He asked her. "I love youfor Merlin's sake!"
"I know. I'm just-" Hermione sighed and closed her eyes. "It's just that you've been distant lately and I'm worried. Even Scorp has been asking me why haven't you tucked him and read him a story lately," she looked at him fearfully. "Tell me Draco, what's wrong."
Draco smiled at his wife and took her hand. Squeezing it firmly, he placed his free hand on the small bump if her belly and caressed his gently.
"It's just a bad phase with work," he said. "I just can't handle it you know, I need break." He laughed. "Hermione, you know you'd be the first one to know if something's wrong. And no, there's no other woman, other than this one with who I share my life with."
The brunette couldn't control that lone tear falling off her eye as Draco cupped her cheek and kissed her softly. Hermione responded immediately when time passed by and their kisses went on being more passionate and lustful. Pushing him wife gently on the mattress, without breaking their kiss, Draco coaxed her legs open with his knees and allowed her to feel his need for her.
Hermione moaned as their hips collided and her hands went under Draco's t-shirt to caress his back.
His hands travelled from her cheek, to neck, to breast, before it ended up against her swollen belly. Draco broke off and rested his forehead against hers as their breathes echoed the silent room.
"I'm here Hermione," Draco whispered. "I'm still here, loving you like I always did. It was just a small phase and it's over."
Hermione smiled at him as he fondly caressed her belly and then leaned in to place kisses to his baby who was slowly moving around in that small place for the past four months.
"If you're a girl, we will name you Cassiopeia," Draco said to the belly. "And if you're a boy, you'll be our little Hayden; your mummy loves that name."
"Are you still adamant about the baby being a girl?" Hermione asked her husband who looked at her and went to nuzzle their noses together.
"Yes," Draco answered and brushed some stray curls off Hermione's face. "It's going to be Cassie."
Hermione laughed before Draco dipped down to kiss her again. As he did, his hands started to pull her nightgown up her body, when her hand came to stop him from doing so.
Looking into his questioning eyes, Hermione answered him.
"I think Scorpius would want to snuggle in the morning," she said with a small smile. "He really has missed you."
Draco frowned playfully. "We can dress up later after finishing our business," he whined. "Let's have some fun for now. I've missed you!"
"I've missed you too!" Hermione said looking into Draco's mercuric eyes before he leaned down to kiss her again. As he started to undress her, the couple heard a sound at the door.
Scrambling off Hermione, Draco turned around to find Scorpius sleepily rubbing his eye while clutching his soft dragon by the arm.
"Speak of the devil!" Draco muttered as his son climbed up the bed and snuggled into his mother's arms. Hermione glared at him as she whispered something into Scorpius' ear and placed a kiss on his head.
"I had a bad dream." Scorpius whimpered and looked at his father. "Mister Dragon became real and chewed off daddy's head!"
Draco laughed and gently took his son from Hermione and pulled him into his arms. The little boy instantly started to weep into his father's chest.
"I'm here Scorp," Draco softly spoke into Scorpius' hair. "No dragon will chew my head off. Daddy is the strongest dragon amongst all."
Scorpius sniffled and looked uncertainly at his father with his watery brown orbs. "And am I your little cub?" He asked softly.
Draco looked at his wife and then at his son and smiled. "Yes you are," he answered before the little boy buried his face again into his chest and dozed off within moments. Looking back at his wife, he tugged at her toes with his and entwined their legs together.
Hermione smiled and draped an arm over Scorpius' small for and scooted closer to the two Malfoy men. Dropping a kiss on her son's head, she closed her eyes in content.
"Harry and I are friends again," She said suddenly and smiled at her surprised husband. "I went over to Grimmauld's Place earlier today and we talked. I've forgiven him."
Draco gave his wife a genuine smile. "That's good news," He said. "But I can't decide if it's a nice thing to have Potter over here all the time-"
"Shut up!" Hermione scolded, hitting his arm. "Anyways, weren't you the one who asked me to make up with him?"
"Well I couldn't see you sad, and we all know how much you love your friend," Draco said with a smile before closing his eyes, knowing Hermione was still curiously looking at him after his spoken words.
Only he knew how much Hermione loved Potter.
It was a week later when Harry found himself standing at the door where Hermione once used to live. It had almost been two months and Harry didn't get to courage to face the wrath of John Granger, who in every manner had called him his surrogate son. After he broke up with Hermione and fled the country, Ron informed him that John had taken an oath of beating Harry to death for breaking his little girl's heart.
Harry promised to himself that he wouldn't try to defend himself but take John's beatings and even scoldings. He would do whatever it took to maintain his relationship with the man who was as important to him as his own father. Harry even had a soft corner for Hermione's mother Jean who had passed away in the car accidents weeks after he left England.
He had lost another mother and he never knew about it.
Until Hermione told him during their awkward first meeting after seven years.
His finger tingled nervously as he rang the doorbell and waited someone to answer. His heartbeat slowly started to gain speed when footsteps were heard on the other side of the door. And soon he had his words forgotten when his emerald eyes met the chocolate orbs of John Granger.
"Harry?" John asked uncertainly, yet surprisingly. Harry found the old man holding the doorframe with a firm grip.
"Good Morning John," Harry said with a small smile. "I know I should've informed before-"
"It's alright," John cut him off with a shake of his head. "Come in."
Harry looked questioningly at the man as he made way for him to enter and looked away from him. For a moment his mind pondered when he decided to enter the house anyway. A flood of memories ran into Harry's mind as the door behind him closed. He used to visit Hermione during those months when they were together which would result in cuddling, snogging and sometimes a heated session of love making in her childhood bedroom. However now, he was here to spend some time with Hermione's father, one of his two father figures, who seemed to be upset of him.
Well of course it was expected; Harry left without informing John.
Harry's eyes then fell on the pictures which were placed neatly on the shelf below the staircase. His lips curled into a smile when he found a picture of Hermione as an infant, who was smiling happily in her mother's arms. There was then a perfect family photo of the Grangers, which Harry remembered seeing at Hermione's flat. Then came a picture of Draco Hermione and Scorpius', where the boy was a little baby; it was probably from the day he was born. The couple looked happy as they smiled into the camera; Hermione was shedding tears of joy.
Harry felt a streak of jealousy running in his spine.
It could've been him instead of Draco.
However he was happy that Hermione had found happiness with his greatest arch enemy.
"You are missing out one picture." John's voice brought Harry's mind back to reality. The old man smiled at him and pointed at the last photo frame kept at the corner of the shelf.
It was a picture of Jean, who was posing with Harry and Hermione. The older woman was standing in the middle and had her arms around the younger couple. She was placing a kiss on Harry's cheek who blushed, while Hermione was looking at the two with a loving smile.
"Hermione didn't let me move it," John said as Harry picked up the frame and brushed his thumb over Jean's face. "She wanted this one to be here because it was Jean's favourite."
Harry nodded and placed the frame back onto the shelf. "I'm sorry," He murmured. "About Jean."
John nodded and started into the ground. "She was driving back from work when her car hit a truck. It-it was so brutal Harry, she couldn't make it. I was so broken. Hermione was-"
Harry could no more take his words, but instead he gave John a brief hug. He didn't expect Mister Granger to respond, and so he awkwardly he broke away.
"I'm sorry," Harry muttered. "I just-"
"Come and give this old man a hug son," John said placing his hands on Harry's shoulders. "It's been so long since I've seen you."
Harry gave out a small laugh as John gave him a fatherly hug. Patting a few times on the man's back he withdrew and smiled at him.
"If you want to beat me to death you surely can," Harry said seriously. "I left Hermione because I was selfish and-"
"Hold your horses Harry, I know the story." John cut him off with a smile and led him to the living room. "I had forgiven you for it long ago."
Harry gave John a confused look as he sat on the couch. The older Granger merely smiled and sat down on the couch next to him.
"It's true that I was ready to kill you," The old man confessed. "But then Jean's death happened. You know she loved you a lot and so did Hermione. Instead of asking Hermione to stay away from you, I asked her to owl you, tell you about her mum's death. I'm sure you would've returned if you knew; Jean was a mother to you." Harry nodded. "I really wanted you to see Hermione cry in her sleep and wanted you to comfort her, she would only let you in. But you know how stubborn my daughter is," the two men laughed. "Luckily, that Malfoy boy caught her before she fell."
"How did you react when you found out that Draco was courting your daughter?" Harry asked curiously. "I'm sure you know that he used to bully Hermione-"
"Actually, he came over one day and apologized whole heartedly." John answered. "He even revealed that he liked Hermione as a woman you know, and he even pointed out that you left her," Harry looked away uncomfortably. "That kind of did it."
Harry gave out a laugh. "I'm sure you had come to hate me loads by then," he remarked.
"I was upset with you," John admitted. "Because I never thought that you will be the one to leave Hermione for your career," Harry's lips tugged into a frown. "But then, I couldn't be cross with you for longer, you are like my son after all." The two men exchanged a smile. "Ron kept me updated with your life and I wanted to say that I'm truly proud of you my son."
Some weight was lifted off Harry's heart as John patted his shoulder. "Hermione just pretended to hate you," John continued. "She still cares even if you get a tiny cut of fell off your broom."
"About Hermione, we kind of sorted things out last week," Harry said with a smile. "She came over, we talked and, she even made me talk to her baby." He laughed. "It felt crazy but it oddly felt-"
"Intimate?" John suggested to which the younger man nodded. "Yes, she made me feel Scorpius move around her belly and it just took me back to when Jean was pregnant with our little girl. I truly felt so old then, knowing that my baby girl was grown up."
"I wish to feel the same way if I ever have a daughter," Harry said. "That's only if I find someone worthy for my heart."
John gave harry a huge smile and nodded understandingly. "She's still out there somewhere Harry, waiting to be found." He said knowingly with a twinkle in his brown eyes.
It was when Harry remembered Ron saying the same words seven years ago.
If she was somewhere to be found, he would have to search.
Even if Harry did find her, he knew that she would never replace a certain brunette from his heart.
It was because to him, she was already worth a billion stars in the galaxy.
However he was sure, her heart was never his to belong.
A/N: Nah, nothing much of an update. But hey! I did it!
Thanks for everyone's response. I'm happy that you guys are having your own version of the story but sadly I'll have to stick to mine.
I'll try my best to update once more before my next semester starts next week and I'm packed up with a four day collaborative workshop in my college.
Anyways, drop in your responses and thank you once again!
