Disclaimer: Yes. Yes. I know I don't own anything. Makes me too sad.
No money. Just happiness.
Anyway, it is still not complete. I will be writing two more chapters. I think that would suffice.
Enjoy xx
She had to reach the Ministry to co-ordinate with Harry. She had pestered him with so many questions for the last two weeks but her nerves could not be calmed whatever she may do.
He had promised her to take her to Azkaban.
He was getting released today. Hermione had kept track of his sentence. She kept track of him. She made sure he was well looked after. His family wasn't there anymore. Lucius was serving his life sentence and last she heard, Narcissa had succumbed to a grave illness. The Malfoy heir did not have anyone in this world anymore save for some estranged cousins.
Well, that was not entirely true.
Her body responded and she knew she was done for. He kept his pace slow but passionate. Year later she would wonder about the said emotions in his motion. It drove her to the stars and back. She forgot all about the war, the battle, Voldemort, and the fact that her childhood enemy was ordered to rape her.
Was it rape if she responded? Was it rape if he asked her permission and only went ahead when she said yes? They didn't have a choice but they could always make one. But they didn't. What would he have done if she had said no?
She basked in the after-effect of her high, not minding at all that he was filling her up with his seed. The warmth spread across her body and she felt him drop his body weight on her. For a minute it felt great. As if they had found a loophole in this cursed war; a loophole to escape into a world where pain only lead to pleasure, not loss; pain that made you whole. Unintentionally, she wrapped her arms around him and he seemed to melt into her embrace. His breathe tickled her neck and ears, his hands moving on their own accord settled by her sides gripping her possessively.
And suddenly he was up.
The loss of warmth was far more excruciating as not only it brought cold but also awareness of whatever just transpired. It was like cold water on a snowy day.
Before she could register what she had allowed, he was out the door. And probably out of her life as well.
Next she saw him was on the day of his trial. Two months after the war ended. His blond hair lost all its sheen and was matt. His face although still had that aristocrat mien exuding indifference to his perilous circumstances. She had been there to give her testimony for what happened at the Manor. She left out her ordeal at the hands of a certain blond. And this was the reason that Ron and Harry had given her the cold shoulder. They couldn't understand why she had made them promise not to tell about her trial to anyone. What could she tell them? She didn't understand herself. The only people aware of what had happened other than them, were either locked away or dead.
"Draco Lucius Malfoy, are you a death eater?" boomed the minister's voice.
"I was"
"Was? You say that as if doesn't affect you now", he said with a questioning look on his face. "No matter, do you plead guilty for your crimes?"
He looked around the Wizengamot and found her inquisitive eyes boring into his stormy ones. With an odd mixture of resolve and resignation he said yes. He was sentenced a year in Azkaban.
Well, he was getting out today.
She knocked on Harry's office.
"Come in"
"Harry! Are you ready? I don't want to be late please. Godric knows my nerves are doing the weird dance again. Oh how would he respond to my presence, I don't even know!" She plopped herself on the chair cutting her rant before she started again. "Do you think I should not go? Everybody already hates me and to think I want to meet him and open my home to him"
"Hermione, stop overthinking. Nobody hates you. They might not support you in your present decision but they understand your reasons and would be there with you always. You know we all love you dearly. As far as the blond git is concerned, I think you should just give it try. You have all the reasons."
She looked at him with anxious eyes and before she lost all her resolve she got up, tried to calm her frayed nerves and plastering a smile on her face.
Harry took her hand holding it warmly and led her to the floo network all the while giving her an encouraging smile.
Even though there were no dementors left, the prison still had that cold and desolate feel to it. The chill could be felt down to the bones and instinctively Hermione wrapped her arms around her. They were just on time.
Harry went in to enquire about his release and within five minutes walked out with the blond in tow. She would be seeing him after almost a year. Her heart was beating as wildly as the stormy waves around the prison.
And then she saw him.
"Are you okay?" asked Harry clutching her arms as she stumbled a few steps back. "I'm fine, really"
"Malfoy, we've got spare clothes if you want to change right now." said Harry. With no response from him Hermione moved forward to look at him. The shock of his appearance was replaced by growing concern about his mental health.
"Hi Draco," she almost squeaked. Clearing her throat, she spoke again "are you ready to go home?"
This caught his attention. "What home?" if it wasn't for his hoarse voice the question would've sounded incredibly disdainful. But his present situation, the look on his face and his appearance all screamed despair, brokenness and devastation.
She looked with tears in her eyes and replied, "Well, I thought you could live with me for a while. Until Harry works around to release your house from the Ministry's hold. After the death of your mother, the Ministry had been holding it. If it is okay with you"
Without any reply, Draco moved forward, cueing Harry and Hermione to follow him outside.
It had been a month since his imprisonment. Nothing seemed to be going right. They had won the war damnit! Then why couldn't she shake this melancholy and sadness?!
She was tired of being happy one minute and crying the next.
She couldn't forget his face when he pleaded guilty. The eyes still held that unrecognisable emotion; she couldn't name it. She knew that emotion but was afraid to name it. She had to make sure he was alright in there. She wouldn't let his name drag him further down the hole than it already has. If only people around her could understand her; if only they could understand that she doesn't know why she needs to do this.
She made sure to get him a pair of clean clothes every month and some food; she enquired about his health from the guards. So what if she can't meet him or doesn't have the courage to meet him, she will just make sure he is okay for her to be okay.
She was not even surprised when her life decided to take a sudden turn. This has been happening since her teens; suddenly she discovers she is a witch, suddenly she discovers a new magical world, suddenly she makes such good friends, suddenly she is preparing to fight a dark wizard and suddenly she discovers that she is pregnant.
But nothing was ever sudden now, was it? It was fate. Everything happened as a result of something.
Surprisingly it wasn't her who discovered her condition, the brightest witch of her age. It was Ginny. She noticed that Hermione hasn't been keeping well for months now. She kept a watch on her because Harry never lost his habit of talking in his sleep.
And soon her surrogate family knew about her condition. And they understood. Everything seemed clear.
Ron, however, had taken a different path. He wanted her to abort. But how could he expect her to make this decision?! Haven't they killed and lost so many people already? She couldn't kill this tiny little hope in her life. Even if a certain blond ex-death eater fathered it. She hoped he would come around. She needed him. She needed them all with her.
She also knew that her child would need a father as well. She had to tell him. She can't keep his child from him. Surely he had changed his views about muggle-borns. He wouldn't mind having a half-blood kid. He shouldn't. Even if he did, God forbid, this child would come into this world and know all the love there is to know. She would make sure of it.
She moved in with Harry and Ginny for her third trimester. They took care of her. And for the health of her baby, she kept all the tension and stress about the parentage, unsupportive people and the rumours and gossip at bay. She will deal with it when she is ready. Right now her priority is her baby and the man who is about to be released in a few months. She needs him whole for the role that he doesn't even know yet he has to play. Her baby needs him whole.
The hole in her chest that the war left was filled with twin baby boys. She decided to follow the tradition of a family she wasn't even a part of, of naming them after constellations. It felt right. Her boys – Scorpius and Cepheus – they even melted the iron wall of Ron who had stopped talking to her after her decision of keeping the babies.
They were loved. They were loved by all. Because they were the cutest little baby boys with blond hair just like their father and hazel eyes like her. Nobody could doubt about their parentage and all the newspapers were filled with the stories of the alleged romance between the brightest witch of her age and an ex-death eater. Dirt was strewn about her character, his character, their roles in the war and the filthiest things being written about her by none other than Rita Skeeter. 'The gall of that woman!' exclaimed Hermione after one particularly nasty article.
She had to protect her boys from that vile woman and she would. She had to do a lot of things. She had to learn to take care of two boys. She had already learned to ignore stares and gossip at work. She had taken care of Rita Skeeter and her cronies following her with innovative methods and products by 'Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes'. Her favorite by far was 'Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder' and 'Weasleys' Wet Weather' which drenched them every time they tried to come near her or her boys.
Next on the list of things was their father. He was getting out soon. In a month. She still had time. She will cross that bridge when she comes to it.
Right now, she just wants to enjoy every second of every day with her sweet little boys. Her reason to be alive. Her reason to be happy.
Harry loved them like his own child. And so did Molly. She had been quite upset when Ron and she did not get together and even more unhappy with her pregnancy because that obliterated her chance to be a Weasley completely. But Molly loved them as their own grandsons. They had already gotten their Weasley sweaters. Needless to say, it was their favorite clothing. Ron came around soon enough.
Well, she was about to throw another bomb decision on them and she needed them to forgive her everything she had done before.
As they apparated before the street leading to her flat, she stole few glances at Malfoy, her heart clenching every time. She led them walking ahead with Harry almost carrying Draco's scrawny figure. It was heart breaking to see his charming demeanour being covered with dirt and despair of the last one year. It dulled him but there were still instances where the smirk king peeked, like looking around her apartment and noticing muggle appliances.
The apartment screamed Hermione Granger for it was strewn with books and parchments and quills and various muggle contraptions. It was a relief for her when he didn't scowl at those.
"Hermione, I should get going now. But you tell me when you need anything. You know Ginny and I will be there anytime. Alright? I'll see you tonight"
"Thanks, Harry! Thank you for being there. Really. I'll see you tonight then" With a smile and a hug he left.
Turning to him, "Do you want to eat or get clean first? I've set clean clothes in the bathroom but if you want to eat first then –"
"Why are you doing this?" And she knew her motives were disconcerting him.
"I told you, your Manor is –"
"But why you? I was horrible to you. I loathed you. Why would you help me?"
"Past tense. You don't anymore? Hate me, I mean."
"You didn't answer my question"
"And you didn't answer mine"
"Really Granger, you are not going to get off on technicalities. Answer me"
"Fine, I want to help you because you deserve a chance. Everybody moved on in life and you deserve a chance at a decent life as well."
"What kind of barmy logic is that? Were you the one to send food and clothes too?" his voice raising a notch.
"Well, I… I just thought that you should – "
"What exactly did you think Granger? You know what, I am tired. I'll just go take a bath. Thanks for whatever it is you are doing for me." He left the room without waiting for a reply and missed the look of relief on her face for dropping the subject. What he didn't miss was a baby's milk bottle thrown precariously under the couch. It raised many questions which he fully intended to raise and also about her motives. But after getting some food inside and scrubbing himself with some pretty good force.
"What?! Who do you want to? What?"
"Ron calm down please. I've just put the boys to sleep. Lower your voice"
"But-"
"But nothing, Ron. My kids deserve to know their father. Their father deserves to know his kids. They deserve his love as well"
"But he is a death eater, Moine. And who is to say he won't try to kill them? He is a snotty pureblood git who would kill his half-blood kids"
"Ron! This is not your decision" piped in Ginny. "If she wants to give Malfoy a chance then she should. She had his babies. And even if a git, I don't disagree on that, he might have changed his pureblood ideals", she said pleadingly.
"Gin is right, mate. And Gin and I will be there with Mione when she tells him." Looking at incredulous expression on her face, "Seriously, I won't let you do this alone. He won't be near them without supervision"
"You are saying I am incapable of protecting my kids? Because I remember saving your arse plenty"
"That's not what I am saying and you know that. He might not have a wand but he is plenty skilled in wandless magic. I am just not taking any risk" he explained himself.
"Alright. I understand. Just Ron… Please"
"Mione, I will kill him if says one thing out of line."
She hugged him. "Maybe not kill him. Just a few hexes" she said, relief flooding her. Life may not be that bad after all.
Her friends had her back. She can do this. She can open up her life to Draco. She can tell him about their children. Yes. She can.
Yes, Hi!
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