[A/N: Somehow, I wrote the previous five chapters in five days. This chapter, however, was not so willing to be written. I found it rather difficult, so it took a while and I'm sorry for that. More updates soon, possibly less frequently but with more words. Christmas is coming and I actually have occasional plans (I'm surprised at myself). On Monday, I'm going to look at a tiny studio apartment for myself for uni next year and I'm constantly thinking about writing an actual novel (which I tend to never actually write). However, back onto fic news: I'm thinking this fic will have 12-ish chapters total. I want to thank everyone for the fantastic response... this is now my most followed and most reviewed fic!]

Chapter 7:

Suspicions and Snooping

After leaving Hermione's house, Draco did something unexpected. Unexpected to anyone who knew him, unexpected, even, to himself. He apparated to the home of Harry Potter.

While Draco and Harry were decent-enough friends, they were by no means best friends, or at the stage where they would share secrets with one another. However, just minutes after hearing the truth from his ex-girlfriend, Draco Malfoy knocked on the door of the Potter home, preparing himself to discuss the topic of his newly-found son.

Alec.

He should have known. As soon as he'd heard the name, he should have guessed, he should have assumed. Why would she name him Alexander - the name he'd suggested for their son - if the boy weren't his? But now he knew... and, although he was still furious with Hermione for hiding the truth for five bloody years, he mostly wanted to leave the past in the past. If he began thinking about the missed birthdays and milestones and Sundays they could have spent together, Draco might just have burst. However, thankfully, the door swung open in response to his earlier knock, and he stood face-to-face with Ginny, an expectant look on her face.

"Well?" She asked, hope in her eyes.

He glowered, "Did you know?"

"Did I know what?"

"That I have a son," Draco spat, rudely brushing past her and moving into the living room.

Ginny said nothing and he could tell that she knew.

"How long?"

"Yesterday."

Hermione had only told her yesterday? His anger lessened slightly. At least not everyone had known before him.

He frowned, "Have you told anyone?"

"Not even Harry. Although James got a mouthful of my feelings when we were on our own. I doubt he'll gossip about it."

Draco's lips twitched, "Is Potter here?"

"In the garden. Go on out, he's playing with James."

"Thanks, Ginny."

Draco walked toward the back door, conveniently placed on the other side of the living room. As he twisted the door handle, Ginny spoke again.

"Did you tell her?"

"Yeah," he sighed, turning back. Strangely enough, Draco was feeling less and less angry. He was hurt, definitely, but he was more regretful of the fact that he hadn't known. It was terrible for Hermione to have hid it, but he couldn't hate her for hating him. "We worked things out pretty well, agreed to be friends and everything. But then I finally let myself realise the truth about Alec, and things went downhill from there..."

"Don't worry, everything will work itself out eventually," Ginny smiled.

Although he had not actually been informed by Ginny, Harry already knew. His continual suspicions of Snape and Malfoy at school had evoked a good sense of perceptiveness in him, and he was not surprised by Draco's mumbled revelation about the paternity of Hermione's child.

"I know," he said simply, playing all the while with his own son. James was putting differently shaped blocks into their appropriately shaped containers.

Draco spluttered, "How?"

"He has your eyes. He smirks like you did when we were eleven. He's bloody annoying when it comes to flying and Quidditch. And he's Hermione's son. Who else could have been the father?"

No closer to full sentences, Draco blurted, "What?!"

"I knew you were together years ago. Not only did I notice the not-so-inconspicuous glances that quite clearly told everyone you were shagging, I also heard you two once. You were walking down the hall together at Grimmauld Place and talking about your future children," Harry smirked. As much as he was friends with Malfoy, it was still nice to best him every once in a while.

His friend was silent for several moments, introspective, before smirking himself, "Looking intently at me, were you, Potter? I didn't know you felt that way about me."

Harry chuckled, "You go ahead believing that."

"What do you think I should do?"

"About 'Mione and Alec? Be a friend, a boyfriend, a husband, something to Hermione. It's your choice, but don't be too tough on her. She was young and she was hurt. Most importantly, continue being a father to Alec," Harry held up a hand when Draco opened his mouth, "Even if you didn't know about him, even if you hadn't met him yet, you've been a father for five years, mate. You might protest, you were clearly being a father when you helped your son fly at the Burrow the other day."

"Yeah."

"You're going to be a great dad, Malfoy," he smiled, patting his friend on the shoulder.

Draco was scared about being a father. Most people had months to prepare themselves to the idea. He'd wanted kids at some point, some point soon, probably, but he hadn't expected to find out five years after the fact. He wasn't prepared for immediate fatherhood. But, as Potter had said, he could be a great dad. He would be a great dad.

It was the day of the playdate, as she decided to call it, and Hermione was panicking.

She wasn't worried about Draco being the father to her son (she had worried about that more than enough when she found out she was pregnant), she wasn't worried about Alec loving the father he never had, she wasn't worried (well she was slighly anxious) about how people would react, Hermione Granger was worried about how this would affect her relationship with Draco.

She'd hated him for so long. Not even hated. She'd hardened her heart against him and, although there were distinct fissures in the brick wall that stood between her rationality and her feelings for the man, had effectively decided to leave the past in the past. After the events of the previous several days, Hermione knew she was still upset over what had happened between them. However, their misunderstanding concerning the events back then had been, for the most part, resolved. Now, she was worried that old feelings would resurface as she saw her son warming up to his father. That the time she spent around him would weaken the wall she'd built even more.

Most of all, Hermione Granger was worried that he would never forgive her.

Draco's plans to take Alec flying, albeit not at the Granger home, as he had promised, were thwarted by the weather. It was surprising, as the winter had been relatively mild, even allowing for the party the week before to be situated outside. However, not only was the ground covered in snow, the air chilly (something Draco did not want to subject his son to the first time they spent time together) and the wind unforgiving, but there was also sleet. Sleet was, in his opinion, worse than snow. It was pelting and horrid. Rain was alright sometimes, and snow could look pretty, but sleet was not a nice thing.

He stood outside Hermione's door for the second time in two days, both excited for what was to come, but utterly terrified.

As Harry had said the day before... he could do this. He could be a dad to Alec.

Yes.

Draco knocked on the door. Several seconds later, as if she had been standing mere feet away anticipating his arrival, Hermione opened it, revealing both herself and the young boy standing half-behind her, peeking around her hip.

"Hi," Alec said, grinning.

Draco couldn't help from grinning himself, "Hello."

Opening the door further, Hermione stepped to the side, "Come in."

She looked frazzled, Draco noticed, but better than she had the day before. She looked healthier, better rested, although more anxious.

"Have you told him?" He whispered as Alec ran into the living room.

"I didn't have to. Last night, as I was putting him to bed, he told me he heard some of what he said. Apparently snooping is an inherited trait... I remember you trying to uncover Dumbledore's Army..." Hermione shook her head with a chuckle, "Anyway, Alec asked if you were his father. I asked him if he would like that, and he said, and I quote, "Yes, please, Mummy. He's who I always wanted my daddy to be." So I told him that it was true, that you were, and he's been excited ever since."

Throughout her speech, she'd been looking at her shoes, at a painting on the wall, at the umbrella in the hall stand, but when Hermione finally lifted her eyes to Draco's face, she was touched to see that there were tears glistening in his eyes and a wide smile twisting his mouth. After a few moments, he cleared his throat and shifted, as if to move into the other room.

Hermione held up a hand to halt him.

"Draco, I know you probably hate me for what I did," Hermione began hesitantly. At her neck, a tiny curl escaped the loose bun she'd pulled it into. "But I think we should be friendly in front of Alec. I'm not going to say anything about our not getting along, despite what he may have already picked up, because I want you two to have a fantastic relationship, as you deserve. I don't have the right to ask this of you, but, even if you hate me, could you pleas-"

"I would never," Draco looked affronted, but eventually his features softened so much that Hermione could almost see the man she fell in love with. Finally, he added, "Don't worry, Granger, I could never hate you."