Chapter Seven

Okay, even I'm getting confused so here's the deal: Hermione is 28; her birthday is in one week. She was just shy of fourteen when she got pregnant. Elina was born in April.

Draco is a few weeks younger than Hermione. Miles' birthday is also in April.

Miles and Elina are both in their fourth year and fourteen years old.

Hermione gasped and hid behind the corner. She strained her ears to hear the voices as they walked towards her. Was there another parent in the school?

"I told you not to call me that, kid."

It was Draco!

"You may be my brother, but you've been the one raising me for the past, how many years again? Oh yeah. My whole life." Was that Miles?

"And don't you forget it. You make me feel old when you call me 'dad.'"

"You raised me, I think that qualifies," Miles said. He mumbled something else that Hermione couldn't understand, but she heard their footsteps come closer and closer and ran off towards her room.

"Hermione!"

Hermione looked up when she heard the shocked reaction come from the open kitchen. She was wearing nothing but a towel, as she had just taken a long bath, and was not face-to-face with Draco, who was in the middle of making a sandwich.

"Oh!" She ducked behind the couch and looked at him. "H-hi Draco. What are you doing up so late?"

Draco lifted the bread and gave her a smirk. "Hungry?"

Hermione looked around the room, trying to find a path to the kitchen so he couldn't see her.

"Hermione, we're adults. I think it would be okay if I saw you in a towel."

Hermione blushed and stood up from her crouching position. She walked slowly towards Draco, but stopped herself suddenly. "Why don't I just throw on a robe?"

"I thought we were adults."

Hermione rolled her eyes and smiled. "It'll be short," she said as she walked up the stairs.

As soon as Hermione closed the door, she threw her drawers open. She didn't know what to say to Draco after hearing Miles call him "dad." She put on a pair of short boxers from university and a tank top before looking into the mirror and taking a deep breath.

"It's okay Hermione," she told herself. "He's just a fellow teacher who took care of his brother. Don't forget that he shagged half of the Hogwarts population and does not see you as anything more than that."

She took one more breath and went back downstairs, putting her hair in a long ponytail as she hopped down the steps, remembering what she'd heard two weeks before. Things hadn't been bad while living with him. Their dinner from the first day of school still hadn't been planned, but she wanted it to happen.

"Y'know, for so little clothes it takes you quite a while to get dressed," Draco joked as Hermione walked up to him.

She looked over the counter to see what was spread out. "What are we eating?"

"Well, I thought we could start off with some bread," Draco began, "with a bit if turkey, lettuce, mayonnaise, and, my favorite part, potato chips."

Hermione moaned at the sandwich. "That sounds yummy." She leaned over some more, until she was on hr tip toes and reached over him to get tot the cookie jar. "But you forgot the chocolate chip cookie layer."

Draco laughed and took the cookie from her hand and put it on top of the sandwich before closing it. He cut it in half and put each half onto a plate. Hermione grabbed two bottles of water.

"Oh no you don't," Draco said, taking the bottles out of her hands. "Tonight needs something more special." He pulled a bottle of soda out of the refrigerator.

Hermione laughed and took the plates to the table in her living room. "What's the special occasion and where are the cups?"

"Who needs cups?" Draco said, taking a seat on the couch. He took a bite of the sandwich and made a face. "That's interesting."

Hermione giggled as she picked out the lettuce. "Elina came up with it when she was five."

Draco laughed. "The gift of living with children, but it's pretty good. Miles came up with something similar: white bread, cream cheese, chocolate chip cookies and any ice cream toppings in the house."

Hermione tried to hold in her laughter with her mouth filled with crumbs. "He's like your clone."

"I would never have eaten anything like that at his age."

"I meant looks. It's like he's your miniature."

Draco looked up from his sandwich. "That happens with brothers."

"He doesn't have your nose, or family skin tone. Are you sure you didn't just knock a girl up?" Hermione didn't mean to sound insensitive, but it blurted out. She looked down at her sandwich after a few moments of silence. "Sorry, that was rude."

Draco cleared his throat. "That's what my ex-wife thought."

Hermione took the bottle of soda and took a sip. "Why did you break up, if you don't mind me asking."

Draco took the bottle from her and took a long gulp. "She was a high maintenance bitch who liked money and my best mate. Miles and I left for Spain as soon as the papers were signed."

"Why didn't you just send Miles back home?" Hermione asked, leaning in towards Draco.

Draco leaned back and took a bite of the sandwich. "Home wasn't too great of a place for him. I thought it would be better to just keep him with me, and mum wasn't around enough to argue."

Hermione nodded. "Draco, I heard Miles call you 'Dad' before."

Draco coughed up the food in his mouth. "It's a nickname."

Hermione cradled the soda in her hands and took a sip. "Geez I wish this was something stronger." She uncrossed her legs, which were in a yoga-like position, and reached for her wand to conjure up a bottle of vodka. She honestly wasn't a drinker, but she needed something to loosen her up.

"Draco, I want us to be friends," she said. "We're working together and living in a shared area. Our k-kid siblings are obviously friends. Can we be friends too? I know we weren't too close when we were students."

Draco took the bottle of vodka from Hermione's hand and took a long sip. "As long as you keep supplying the goods and wearing that, I'm sure I can fit you in," he said with a wink.

Hermione rolled her eyes and took another bite of her sandwich. "You are such a kid, Malfoy."

"Seeing how I raised one for, how many years again?"

"Fourteen, minus school years."

"Seeing how I raised one for fourteen years, I'd say that I'm not too bad."

Hermione grinned and nodded her head. "At least you haven't been your old self for the past two weeks."

"Oh really?" Draco asked, raising his eyebrow. "How so?"

Hermione looked up and put her finger to her chin. "Let's see, you're not as much of an arse, but you did take three points away from Elina the other day…"

"She and Miles…oh you know the story. You took five from them too, y'know."

"I know, I know. What else? You have been very courteous and respectful to your superiors," she continued. "And haven't picked any fights."

"Like that's all that difficult."

"You also haven't been skirt chasing or sneaking off to do so."

Draco leaned in and looked at Hermione. "Says who?"

Hermione felt her chest tighten. She and Draco had been very friendly, maybe borderline flirtatious, but she saw her classmates and Elina more than him. She reached quickly for the bottle of soda, accidentally taking the vodka, and took a long gulp before Draco could get any closer.

Draco leaned back and smirked. He took the bottle from her hand and took a sip before handing it back. "Hermione, you need to relax a little."

Hermione, feeling the alcohol take affect, looked up at him and grinned. "Relax?" She leaned forward, balancing on her hands a few inches from his legs. "I am Miss Relax! I go to parties and clubs and dates and I am the cool mom!" She began to giggle and looked away for a few seconds. "Draco, I'm fun!" She leaned back in a relaxing slouch and smiled. "If I relax even more I'll turn into Jell-O."

Draco laughed at her. "Yeah, yeah, I get it, you're relaxed. You need to let go a little though." Hermione tried to say something, but Draco cut her off. "I'm taking you out and don't you dare try to stop me."

Draco stood up and took her hand to pull her up. Hermione got to her feet, a little wobbly, and looked up at Draco. "So where are we going?"

He put his face really close to hers and whispered, "It's a surprise."

Hermione jumped up and down, excitedly, and let Draco lead her up to her room. It was a combination of her slight tipsiness and excitement that caused her behavior, but Draco didn't question it and just laughed.

"The first thing we're going to do is get you into some clothes."

Hermione shook her head and led him to her bed. "No. We're going out tomorrow. Tonight we dance!" She waved her wand, which she grabbed on her way upstairs, and music began to play. She moved Draco's arms around and began to move to the rhythm.

Draco laughed and moved with her. "When did you become the party animal?"

Hermione laughed with him and spun around. "Who said I never was?"

They kept talking and joking around as they moved to the fast-paced music. Draco watched Hermione's eyes light up every time she smiled or remembered something happy. She was definitely not the girl he remembered from his years as a student.

"I made the team!" Elina squealed as she ran up to Miles.

Miles grabbed her and spun her around as she laughed with excitement. "Congratulations!"

"So I guess we're going to have to go hear-to-head in a few weeks," Elina said when Miles put her down. The first game of the season was coming up soon and it was between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw.

"I suppose we are, but how about a trip to the lake to relax until then?" Miles suggested.

"Give me a moment to get changed," Elina told him. She ran off to the changing area.

For the first four weeks of school they had spent every available moment together. Elina had never felt that was about anyone. It was like how her mum described her time with Harry and Ron, but it felt different than she explained.

Elina had had boyfriends before, well, Timmy James for a few weeks and Ben Meloni for three months, but that was different. With Miles, it was more. She felt like he was a best friend who she wanted to be with…as more, but she was too afraid to do anything, in fear of ruining what they had.

Miles watched Elina run off. She was so beautiful. He knew that he'd had failed "relationships," but he just wanted to be with Elina. He loved that they were so close and spent so much time together, but it was all he could do to not have more.

Sometimes when they were together he felt upstaged, which was something he had never experienced before with anyone, but with her, he didn't mind. He liked how smart she was and open, fun, outgoing, and everything about her, but he couldn't risk doing anything unless he knew how she felt.

"I see someone here enjoyed the Ravenclaw tryouts," Miles heard from behind him

He turned around and saw Darren, a sixth year from his house.

"Oh, er-"

"I know what you're trying to say, she's great."

Miles felt a lump in his throat. Did Darren like him? Darren was tall, tan, handsome, smart, captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and anything a girl could ask for, plus he was older and the most popular guy in the school. Miles knew that he wouldn't stand a chance if Darren went for Elina.

"Um, yeah," Miles said with a shrug. Maybe Darren wouldn't try anything if he didn't think he had any competition.

Darren chuckled. "Y'know, a lot of guys have had their eyes on her since the Hogwarts Express. She's pretty mature for her age. No one believed me when I told them that she was barely fourteen."

Miles' head shot up at Darren. "You knew he before she came here?"

The older boy chuckled and nodded his head. "Very well. We were pretty close when I stayed with her and Hermione last summer in Italy. I could barely believe she was the girl I used to play with at Ron Weasley and Harry Potters houses. She has really matured over the years. Ah, speaking of the devil." Elina ran up between the boys, as though forming a triangle. "Hello Elina. Nice flying."

Elina giggled and looks down, as though trying to hide a blush. "Thanks." She looked back up into Darren's eyes. "I practiced with the team last summer a little."

Darren chuckled and dug his hands into his pockets. "Well then I'm sure you'll give us a hard time in November. Give us a few minutes, though. Don't want to make us look bad, now do you?"

"Well, since it's Hermione's house, I think I can take it down to 98 percent."

Miles watched Darren and Elina talk ad the words flowed out of their mouths in a smooth rhythm without missing a beat.

"Thanks, I'm sure you may still have the upper hand." He turned to Miles. "So you're the one who's been monopolizing my girl's time, huh?" Darren asked, putting his arm around Elina.

Elina giggled and swung her arm around Darren's shoulder. "Sorry babe, I'm cheating on you with a younger man. I hope it doesn't break your heart."

"Oh, I'm sure I'll win you back, just give me some time." He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I think I'll leave you two to keep sneaking around. You take care of my girl."

"We're going to the lake if you want to meet up later," Elina said before Darren left. "Bring some of your hot friends. I still haven't had a chance to get them to like me better."

"You just try," Darren said with a wink before running off.

Miles stood in silence. He didn't know what to say.

"Come on," Elina said, taking Miles' hand. She ran to the lake with him at her heels, still silent.