Name: The girl next door
Whom I happen to hate…
Rating: M
Summary: Draco Malfoy and his family have to be part of the Death Eater rehabilitation program. To do that, they must give up all their money; give up magic for a year, and move into a muggle neighborhood, guess who his next-door neighbor is? A funny story!
Author: Chaos
Warning: Does not follow all of the books plot.
A/N: "Honor the brave who fought,
Honor the dead who fell,
Honor the world they saved"
DMGH
Chapter 18: Future Surprises
By the next day everyone at Hogwarts knew that Hermione Granger was expecting Draco Malfoy's child. Luna, Neville, and Harry came to congratulate her. Ron did not. Pansy and her best friend Maddie smiled at Draco and congratulated him.
"Your happy for me?" Draco asked unbelievably at Pansy. She sighed and smiled.
"Well there isn't anything I can do about it now is there?" she asked. Draco shook his head.
"No I suppose not," he said smiling.
"Truce." she said. "I hope the muggle born makes you happy," she teased with a smile before walking off.
Hermione and Draco no longer had to worry about people seeing them together, so they walked together to classes and ate in the same table. Sometimes in Gryffindor sometimes in Slytherin.
Where ever they went whispers followed. Though both had braced themselves for it. Of course with the good whispers also came the bad ones. The rumors and the dirty looks, mostly from girls who now envied Hermione.
She knew it was wrong but she liked being envied. Liked being the one all the other girls wanted to be. Lavender Brown had stopped speaking to her since she found out about Hermione and had even discretely tried to comment how she didn't believe the baby was Draco's, but Hermione paid no attention to her. She knew who the father of her baby was.
It was after the Christmas Holidays, in Potions Class, where one of the most memorable moment in Hermione's pregnancy occurred. She and Draco were sitting in the middle of class. Draco had one of his hands on top of Hermione's belly, as if protecting it from harm. A habit he had taken to having.
Suddenly he and Hermione stared at each other. Hermione smiled, and Draco couldn't believe it.
"Was that?" he asked. Hermione nodded.
"The baby just kicked, for the first time," she said. Draco jumped up and yelled with glee. He had felt his son's first kick.
"Mr. Malfoy," Snape argued. "What are you doing?" he asked. Draco and Hermione smiled at him.
"The baby just kicked," they both said in unison. Snape's eyes went wide and he walked over to them.
"Really? How was it?" he asked. He looked at Hermione almost scared to ask her to feel it, but Hermione had sense what he wanted and took his hand and place it next to Draco's. Then Snape felt it too. He smiled brightly.
Both Slytherins and Gryffindors alike stared dumbly at Snape. Never had anyone seen him this way. They stared at each other than back at Snape all muttering their concerns. Or in the Gryffindors' case hopes that Snape had gone mental.
Whatever it was, this pregnancy had brought a lot of strange behavior to Hogwarts.
DMGH
"You said it kicked?" Madam Pomfrey asked. She took her hand felt Hermione's stomach. She waited a while before she finally felt something.
"Well your only four months and a half along. It's a bit early for it to be kicking," she continued. Hermione and Draco glanced at her worriedly.
"Does that mean something's wrong?" Hermione asked fearing for the life of her baby boy. Madam Pomfrey smiled.
"Heaven's no!" she said. The young couple relaxed. "It just means you've got a smart one, here," she said patting Hermione's stomach lightly.
"Well of course its smart," Draco said smartly. "Just look at what he has for parents."
"Too true, Draco," Professor Dumbledore said as he walked into the Hospital Wing.
"Oh," Hermione said turning to him. "Hello, sir," she said. Dumbledore gave a curt nod.
"Poppy, here told me you were scheduled to meet her today for your checkup." he explained. "Decided to check up on how you're both doing. But I see your doing just fine now, even got yourselves a smart one," he said.
"However," he continued, "I believe there is something else you both wish to tell me," he said, his blue eyes glimmering behind his half moon spectacles. Hermione smiled.
"Yes sir," Draco answered.
"We've decided to get married," Hermione answered. Dumbledore nodded and smiled.
"I promised her I'd get a ring once I was out of Hogwarts and could get a job," Draco said, remembering his situation. Dumbledore nodded again.
"I will not argue that you are too young to marry," he said. The two looked surprised. "I heard your speech Miss Granger, in the banquet," he explained. They nodded understandingly.
"I have no doubt in my mind that you two are ready for that commitment," he said. Once more they nodded.
"We were hoping you'd do the honors of marrying us," Draco said hopefully. Dumbledore blushed slightly.
"I would love to," he answered. "But I have something more important yet to discuss with you," he said. Draco sat in Hermione's bed and they both looked up at Dumbledore.
"What do both of you expect to be doing in the next few years?" he asked. They looked at each other for a moment.
"Well, we actually hadn't thought much about it," Hermione said. Professor Dumbledore nodded.
"I have a preposition for you," he said. The two looked at him curiously. "I can help Draco here build a case to get his magic back sooner," he said. Draco looked up hopefully. "If," he continued.
"You both agree to come back and live in the castle next year," he said. They both looked dumbfounded.
"I'm sorry sir, but I don't understand," Hermione said. Dumbledore smiled.
"I mean come teach. I want you to teach Transfiguration, Draco, and you to teach History of Magic, Hermione," he said. Both looked astonished.
"But what about Professor McGonnagal and Binns?" Draco asked.
"Professor McGonnagal thinks its time to retire, says she's getting to old for this and professor Binns, well it's time he just became another ghost in the castle," he said.
"What about our child?" Draco asked. Dumbledore smiled.
"Nathan James will be able to live happily here, with his own room in a small apartment like common room I'll set up for you." Dumbledore explained. "Well it's best I be on my way. Lots to do, and you both have to get ready for your afternoon classes. When you have your answer come talk to me," he said then left humming a tune to himself.
"He said Nathan James," Draco said. "We didn't tell that to anyone."
Hermione smiled.
"I get the feeling Dumbledore knows everything that goes on in this castle,"
"What do you think?" Draco asked. Hermione smiled.
"I think it's a great idea, but what do you think?" she asked. Draco thought about it for a moment before looking up.
"I think we should do it," he said defiantly. Hermione smiled and hugged him tightly.
"I think Dumbledore already knows the answer." she said. Draco nodded in agreement. So far everything seemed to go better than they had expected. Sure Hermione wished she had Ron as her friend at the moment, but she wasn't going to let herself go down because of him.
When she had mentioned this to Draco he smiled and hugged her tightly. He kissed her and told her how she was doing the right thing. He was sure Ron would come around at some point, even if it was many years from now, but he'd come around.
"He always does," she agreed silently.