A/N: You guys are sooo nice! 'blush''blush' Thanks to the following reviewers: Swimming-Gal, Greyeyedgall4, xesha & slytherinsess. My dear skyleia, am glad I can offer something different...I just hope I don't disappoint you in the succeeding chapters.Ei, Dracoshott28, I do pass out after missing one meal coz I'm one heck of an eater! Let's just imagine Hermione is as enthusiastic in eating as she is in her studies! haha!
Another thing, I know Hogwarts students are not allowed magic outside of school while they're not of age. Since this is AU, let's just pretend the law was more lax.
Nuff said already!
III. The Malfoys
Hissing and buzzing sound had jolted Hermione awake. At the sight of an unfamiliar canopy above her, she sat up and saw several worried faces fixated at her.
"You scared us, Mum," Elliott leaned closer to Hermione, brushing off some stubborn wisps of hair from her face.
Mum? Hermione looked at the handsome young boy in front of her, a troubled expression etched on his face.
"You all right, Granger?" Draco was leaning on a dresser drawer across the bed, arms crossed. For a fleeting moment, she saw anxiousness in his steely gray eyes. Yet, as quickly as she saw it, it disappeared. I must have been more ill than I thought. Hermione thought sourly.
"I..I..," she stuttered. Then suddenly she remembered. "You! You foul- mouthed, ferret- face..."
"She's ok," Chelsea announced to the group with a chuckle.
Hermione tried to control the horde of invectives for Draco bubbling in her throat and looked around the room. It seemed gargantuan, but couldn't quite assume much as the large canopy above her and the curtains surrounding the queen- sized bed covers much of her perspective. The bed was in deep green hues accentuated by black and gold velvet stripes. Seated on the bed on her left was a young boy with chocolate brown hair gawking at her, obviously awed. On her right was a beautiful blonde girl (14?15?) with gray eyes. Though the girl was holding her hand, she was scowling at a young man seated at the foot of the bed. This young man's eyes were hooked on Hermione, wearing a dreamy expression coupled by a goofy smile. He ran his fingers thru his messy red hair in a gesture so familiar.
She cleared her throat. "Well? Can anyone tell me what happened? Where are we? And who are you?"
The three youngsters in front of her exchanged looks and avoided her eyes, as if it would save them from her questioning.
"Here," Draco tossed the newspaper he was holding to her lap. "Read."
Though perplexed, Hermione scanned the paper. Her eyes widened at the sight of the moving picture.
"Is this..." Hermione started.
"Yes, that's us," Draco said curtly. "An older version of us…with a very pregnant you."
She gaped at Draco, as if he's grown tentacles in his face. Seconds after, she returned her gaze at the paper. She read the attached story. It's really us. Married. She felt nauseous.
"But how did it happen?'
It was Chelsea who answered. "We haven't the slightest idea. All we knew is that we heard a roaring sound, your screams and then the fireplace regurgitated you."
"But how did we get into this…this time plane?" Hermione asked. "The last thing I remember, we were doing detention with Prof. Trelawney."
Elliott gaped at her, eyes wide open. "Were...were you polishing crystal balls?"
Chelsea seemed excited. "…on the first night of school? During your seventh year?"
"How did you know that?" Draco asked.
Chelsea laughed. "Mum always raves about that story. It's supposed to be the night that changed everything between her and Dad."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Draco was getting impatient with this girl's sentiments.
"It's supposed to be the night when you and her-," she motioned to Hermione. "- fell in love."
A snort escaped from Hermione's lips. "You've got to be kidding! There's no way I'll fall in love with the wretched Head Boy!" She threw the newspaper. "This can't be true!'
"Oh please, Mrs. Malfoy. I can hear you yelling in the hallway," said Rhyss as she entered the room. Hermione allowed her appearance to register more vividly; a girl with red, wavy hair that fell to her waist. She was cradling an excited toddler in her hips, squirming. Behind her came another redhead and a chubby young boy who reminded her vaguely of someone from school. They were carrying trays of food.
"Here, Mrs. Malfoy. You might want to eat" offered Madoc, the chubby boy.
"Mama!" The baby was squirming and wriggling from the know- it- all redhead and reaching for her.
"Here," Rhyss handed Zoë to Hermione. "Take her. She obviously misses you."
"But I...I..." Zoë was plonked at her lap, facing her. On instinct, Hermione's arm shot around the toddler, steadying her. Zoë giggled and played with her curls.
"She's beautiful," Hermione breathed.
"She should be," Marcus said patronizingly, goofy smile still plastered in his face. "She's yours."
"Excuse me?" Hermione squeaked, reddened.
"Granger got herself knocked up?" Draco asked, evidently amused.
"By you actually," Leanne pointed out.
"WHAT!" Draco and Hermione, in unison.
Rhyss rolled her eyes. "Duh! Haven't you figured this one out yet? From what I can gather, you got yourselves transported from your time plane to now, bridging the eighteen year difference. And these…" She gesticulated to Chelsea, Elliott and Zoë. "…are your kids."
Hermione felt a major headache coming. "How did that happen? How did we travel thru time?"
"Shit!" Draco scoffed. "The crystal ball! Red light…vacuum…" He was babbling.
"Draco Lucien Malfoy, if I ever hear you again yell out profanities in front of these kids, I'll zip your mouth shut myself!" Hermione looked furious.
"Now that's more like Mum," Elliott grinned.
Hermione was looking daggers at Draco. But, Elliott's last remark shook her from the sudden influx of murderous plots for ferret- face.
"You keep calling me 'Mum'. Does this really mean you're…er…mine?"
"Yes," Chelsea inched closer to Hermione. "I'm Chelsea. I'm the eldest. I'll be on my fifth year come September, in Gryffindor." She chatted on excitedly. "Elliott's twelve, he's in Slytherin. There are the twins, Prudence and Philippe. They're nine. Then Zoë, she's two. Oh, and you're five months pregnant. We were told it would be a boy.
"And your father..?"
"Him," Elliott stuck a thumb to where Draco was standing.
"Me? I fathered six kids with Granger?
"Shut it, Malfoy," Hermione was massaging her temples. "And them?" She motioned to the other kids.
The young man sitted at the foot of the bed stood up and gave a salute. "Marcus Hubert Weasley Potter, at your service. "And that's my sister, Leanne". The red head who brought the trays.
Weasley. Potter. Redheads. Omigod.
"You're Harry and Ginny's kids?" Marcus and Leanne nodded.
"This is Madoc Longbottom, eldest son of Neville and Pansy" Leanne gestured to the chubby boy. He does take after Neville. Hermione noted.
"Pansy? Pansy Parkinson? And Neville Longbottom?" Draco asked, disbelieving. The kids ignored him completely.
The know- it- all redhead sat in the bed and smiled at Hermione. "I'm Rhyss, only daughter of Auror Ron Weasley and Head of Department of Mysteries Luna Lovegood," she said in a singsong voice.
Hermione found herself unable to breathe. Ron. Luna. Before she could stop herself-
"But, I'm Ron's girlfriend!"
"Aha! So it was you that Weasel King was snogging in the train!" Draco's maniacal laughter echoed around the bedroom. Annoyed, Rhyss threw him a Silencing Charm.
"Much better." Rhyss turned to Hermione. "I know. Dad told me that you guys were an item, before that Malfoy," smirking at the silenced Draco. "…came to the picture. He was heartbroken and he turned to my mum after you broke up with him. They eventually fell in love after you guys graduated from Hogwarts."
"Let me get this straight" Hermione shifted Zoë so that the toddler was now leaning on her chest. "For some reason, Malfoy and I got time warped eighteen years forward where I'm married to that insufferable conceited man., mother of his kids and living in a mansion that also houses the children of my friends from Hogwarts?"
"That pretty much is it," Chelsea noted.
"Though, we don't really live here," Rhyss took a bite from one of the meat pies in the tray. "My family lives a few blocks from here. The Potters have a manor just down the street while the Longbottoms reside next door."
Hermione can't help asking. "So…where are the adults? Where are they?"
"There's a homecoming of some sort in Hogwarts right now. You and Dad left yesterday, along with the Weasleys, Potters and Longbottoms." Elliott explained.
Leanne cleared her throat. "I think this is one of those family moments so we'll leave now." She motioned for Marcus, Madoc and Rhyss.
"Bye, Mrs. Malfoy," Madoc said with a shy wave.
"Errr…while I'm still trying to get used to it, can you guys try calling me 'Hermione'?" Hermione said with a blush.
"Uh..ok. Bye, Hermione!" Marcus said with a wink. Chelsea shot him a revolting look.
As the three youngsters exited, a crash from the dresser told them that Draco was finally released from the Silencing Charm.
"Did I just see that Potter kid flirt with you?" he asked brusquely.
Hermione raised an eyebrow. "So?"
"W-well…" Draco's face was flushing to different shades of red. "You- you're going out with that Weasel King!" He was blushing more, waving his arms like crazy. "You can't flirt with anyone else!" At Hermione's raised eyebrow, he had screamed, "It's a bloke thing, Granger! I'm not jealous!"
"No one said anything about you being jealous," Elliott said, his face contorted in an effort to not laugh. Dad sure was stupid when he was younger, he thought.
"Mum, can we sleep here with you?" Chelsea asked. Elliott looked at her expectantly.
Hermione stared at the two youngsters in front of her and sighed. This is going to be a long night.