Shout outs to Katilady and mad-bout-horses-nd-cowboys at the bottom in my A/N

Chapter 6:: Five Years Is A Long Time

Draco looked up as Alyssa came out of her office. She looked terrible, like she hadn't slept or ate anything. Draco felt horrible. She must have had some strange connection to Potter; she was fine before he told her about the war.

He wished he hadn't told her, at least not all the details. But, like an idiot, he just had to continue going when she asked him to tell her more. Every time she asked for more details he divulged everything he knew; telling her everything until she knew just as much as he did. She thanked him for telling her, but he knew it was a mistake. Oddly enough though, he found that getting to hold her while she cried into him was the third best sensation in the world; third only to: holding a sleeping Hermione Granger in his bed after the hot, passionate, rough and wild love-making sessions; and the love making sessions themselves.

I have to do something, or say something at least. Draco approached her quietly. "Alyssa… I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have said so much yesterday. I shouldn't have hel—"

"Don't say any more. I am really grateful for you telling me this Mal-uh… Draco." Alyssa went quiet. Thankfully Draco spoke up; Alyssa couldn't find anything to say and she didn't want to babble like a blubbering buffoon.

"Listen… I know this is really, um… unprofessional… But Alyssa, I would like to take you out to lunch sometime to apologize. We can go anywhere you'd like; my treat, of course." He found it he was quite comfortable being less formal with her, and even found the blush that rose on her cheeks when he said her name endearing.

Alyssa's eyes bore into his, their intensity strong enough to rival his own globally renowned orbs. She could feel the heat in her cheeks and knew it must obviously stand out. Many emotions manifested within her; some scared her, others brought fluttering butterflies to her belly while some just made her think about those two precious girls as the rest of her was just embarrassed. Would they be okay if she started dating again? How long could she keep up the multiple personalities? How long could she keep her stories straight? Even more than that, how long could she keep her daughters separated from him?

Wait a minute! What am I thinking? He just wants one meal and that is the end of it. It's not like he wants me to date him. She looked to him again; she was sure that she had been making all kinds of odd concentration faces because he now looked concerned.

"If you're… uh… too busy, I understand." He was looking at her curiously now as her head snapped up. "You're not obligated by any means so don't feel pressured."

"I'm sorry; I've had a LOT on my mind. I'm actually not feeling well, either. But I would love to go out sometime for lunch; it would make for a good way to actually get out." She blushed slightly thinking she sounded as if she didn't have a life. Well, I don't.

Draco's face lit up at the prospect of not being rejected. "If you're not feeling well today, you need to rest and get your strength up. When would it be convenient for you?"

"How about next week? Say, Teusday?"

"That sounds great. So, I'll owl you to figure up specifics." He smiled, but caught her as she walking past him. With a quick fluid movement, he put his forehead to hers; his entrancing silver eyes closed.

Her whole body lit up with just one move. Any part of flesh contact he made with her was on fire, her skin sensitive to his touch. She could feel the heat rising to her face; but as fast as he was there, he was gone. Her skin felt strangely warm from the ghost of his touch but yet cold with his absence.

"You've got a slight fever." He said it as if it were common knowledge, though Alyssa was sure that it was just her blushing. "You're getting a slight bit paler, too; and your hair isn't as vibrant with red. You need to keep up with your nutritious needs." He was sounding extremely worried over something so light.

"I'm sure it's nothing." Alyssa was slightly stunned; it seems like she was at a loss for words more often these days. "Well, Draco, I will hopefully see you tomorrow." She smiled as she walked out the door he opened for her.

"Most certainly. Rest well and hopefully you'll feel better." They had crossed the perimeter to the apparition point.

"Thank you. Take care as well." After a brief wave, she popped herself back home where Ginny was waiting for her.

"Surely you're going right?" Ginny still had puffy, red eyes.

The two had cried together about Harry, but Hermione was amazed that Ginny had held herself together as well as she did. She was still able to smile at her memories of Harry, so he wasn't completely gone from her life. Hermione shared this belief and the two had spent hours laughing and crying until the stitches in their sides became unbearable as they recounted stories and memories of him. It was the best way to mourn in Hermione's opinion. Harry wouldn't have wanted them to cry, right?

But as the sullen topics came to a close, Hermione continued recounting the events after. She told Ginny about Draco holding her while she wept, about Sky's outburst this morning; she told everything up to the events that played out just before she came home.

"I am going; it would be rude to refuse." Hermione took a big bite of her chocoholic ice-cream.

"Leave it to you to always be polite. Why don't you just tell the man that you're you and you have his daughter? Why hide it? Clearly he's been looking for you, prying poor Sky for information about himself." Ginny's argument made a lot of sense in her own mind. She dug her spoon back into her strawberry cheesecake ice cream; chocolate, while she craved it and loved it, broke her out and she didn't want to have to cry over that later on.

"Clearly he's also only interested in his daughter. He's taking Alyssa out to eat. Surely he's moved on."

"Hermione, you may be Alyssa at work, but you are still Hermione. Draco may completely fall in love with Alyssa. But that would only happen because you are underneath Alyssa's exterior. He may not know it, but his subconscious will pick it up."

"How very psychological of you, Gin." Hermione's facetious tone stung with venom. She simply didn't want to hear the truth.

"Look, I'm not trying to place blame on anyone; but I do think you should fix the situation. It's clear you both need each other." Hermione scowled. She didn't need anyone and this was important to note. Ginny ignored her look and continued, "Besides, obviously a lie will come out. I think it best for him to hear it from you than to figure it out on his own. He might be angry if he figures it out." Ginny shuddered.

Angry Draco was something the world had every reason to fear. In just the past month, the girls had heard tons of stories of him ruining his rivals. He took his competition and ran them so far in the ground they had to leave the country to get any sort of business back. Draco was a powerful man, and anyone who doubted that or underestimated him was shown just how wrong they were.

"At that, what if he discovers she is his daughter? He may get really angry and convince the courts to take her away. And you know the courts would side with him for fear of ruin." Ginny took another large sample from her ice-cream as she thought this out loud.

Hermione dropped her spoon into her bowl. She hadn't thought about the father testifying for custody. She needed Draco to do a paternity test, and fast. She was almost sure there was no denying her daughter's pure Malfoy-like hair and eyes. But maybe it was a genetic fluke? After all, Austin's hair and eyes changed.

Regardless, Hermione didn't want to take chances. She wrote a letter to the residing Genetic Testing Prompter at St Mungo's. Through the whole time Ginny just shook her head.

To whom it may concern:

My name is Hermione J. Granger. I am in need of a paternity test for my twin daughters. However, I do not want the father knowing where I am or meeting my daughters until after the results. Is it possible to call Draco L. Malfoy up for an anonymous genetic request? I understand you'll need to screen my daughters too, but I would prefer to do that separately either before or after he is tested. Please write me back if it is possible.

Hermione J. Granger

Ginny read the note, then shook her head as she handed it back to Hermione. "I'm telling you this is not a good idea, Hermione."

"Look, if he comes out as the father then I will tell him. But if he isn't the father, he will not meet me. How is that?"

"Hermione, do you look at your daughter every day? Sky is the spitting image of that man; an almost exact genetic replica. She has your love of books and your nurturing, sensitive personality; but she is the carbon copy of her father." Ginny had the extreme urge to smack Hermione upside the head as she gave the letter to Ginny's owl, which hooted happily to have a task to perform and took flight.

"Ginny, they are twins. They have the same father yet Austin looks nothing like Draco."

"At any rate I want to get this genetic thing sorted and under the water. When it's over I will go from there what to do about my daughters."

"Well, are you going to date Draco again? What if he wants to date Alyssa?"

"I don't know. I just want what's best for my daughters. Draco is brash; he does what he wants without a second thought to the consequences."

"That may be so, but he is certainly dedicated. Hermione, the man has been pursuing you since you left. Who else could make a better father figure for your girls?"

"Oh, I don't know; someone who won't get angry every five minutes and leave every ten days? He's not a very stable man."

"I think you're exaggerating. He loves you. At that, the man is rich; not saying to be a knutdigger, but your daughters never have to go without. It's a relief that we don't have the luxury to ignore right now. Even with the daycare being a success, we're barely breaking even. It would be a relief to have a guy willing to help me with Morgan. You're luckier than you think you are." Ginny looked at her son's bedroom door. "Even I need to get out dating again. It's hard to find a guy that will stick around when you're a single mom. I don't think I need to tell you about that."

She shifted her worried amber eyes to Hermione. "You don't know how lucky you are to have a guy who wanted to stay with you despite paternity. Most guys would do exactly what Blaise or Harry did." Ginny stood and walked to her room, stopping briefly to pat Hermione's shoulder warmly. "I'm not going to point wands, but they've had a great father all along; even with you keeping him from them." With that she walked into her room, quietly closing the door behind her.

Hermione was unsure of how long she sat there on their couch, deep in blank thoughts, but the irritated wrapping on the window alerted her to the return of her roommate's owl. Apparently it had been raining somewhere between St. Mungo's and her house, and the owl was not at all hesitant to show its disdain to Hermione's task. She took the letter from the bird and gave it an owl treat, letting it sulk in its cage.

Ms. Hermione J. Granger:

Indeed, it is possible to request an anonymous paternity test. However, being that you are requesting this of Mr. Malfoy anonymously, he is not obligated to comply. He has agreed, though, with the condition that this ordeal is kept quiet from the public. He has stated he would only come in if his terms are met. If you are willing to accept please come in sometime on Thursday afternoon. Mr. Malfoy's appointment has been set for 10 AM on Friday. He has also agreed to pay for the testing for all four of you. We appreciate your cooperation and hope to see you Thursday.

Department of Genetic Testing

Hermione huffed slightly. He didn't want it to get out? She scoffed. How much more obvious could he be? He didn't want the public to know about his potential paternity with halfblood kids. It infuriated her beyond belief. Then he went and insinuated she couldn't pay on her own! Did he really view her as such a pauper?

Then she saw that terrorizing Eagle Owl tap her window. She had seen that owl a lot over the past few years, but she never replied to a single letter. This time when she took the letter from the owl, it took flight immediately; he expected it now apparently.

Hermione,

I hope you and the girls are well. I've noticed that you've finally decided to see who fathered them. I wish you would have done this sooner; but as it stands, better late than never.

I've been patient. Hermione, I've waited for five years for you. I was hoping you'd get your space, find yourself, and then you would seek me out. You never did and I'm done waiting. I'm done playing this childish game of tag, Hermione. I've grown up; I'm not the little tosser I was in school. You'd be a fool to not see that.

If I am the father, I am demanding full rights to see my child. If you wish to deny me my rights as father, you will leave me no choice but to take custody. I hadn't wanted it to come down to this, but you've left me no choices. I hate having to do this to you, Hermione. I've wanted nothing more than to stay with you.

Despite everything between us, all the bickering and spats, I really wanted to make it work with you. I was, and still am, willing to raise the girls; even if they are that Prat's children. I don't know what more I can do to make you see that I love you with all my heart. Is five years not enough to prove that?

Well, what's done is done. After this test, I'm not playing. If you don't want me in your life that's fine; I will move on. I can't wait on you forever, everyone deserves to be happy. I may be a sodding bastard, but I am not stupid. Hell, for all I know, you could be sitting on a couch curled up with a lover laughing over this letter; but damn it all, Hermione, I will not allow you to keep my children away from me.

After the test on Friday, I want to meet with you. It is strictly for the results and a plan of action. We need to meet somewhere quiet and more private though. I don't want all this leaking to the press. No. I know what you're thinking and don't. Just stop and keep reading with an open-mind. I'm obviously single, have been for nearly five years. Could you imagine what the press would do if they discovered I had a long lost child? They would go stark raving mad. There would be press following you and your children everywhere, they'd be outside your home. Just trust me. You want this out of the eye of the public; for you and your daughter's privacy. Need I remind you about Skeeter?

That being said, we can meet where ever you would like. Thought I would prefer it be at one of our places, or a room in an inn. No, not for the bed; keep your mind on the task at hand. I still have feelings for you, yes; but right now, my sole concern is getting this children thing sorted out. So, you have no need to worry about anything…mature… happening.

So, send me an owl before Saturday morning with the details.

Draco L. Malfoy

Hermione was filled with so many emotions that she felt numb, though silent tears were falling down her cheeks. It wasn't the time to be sentimental or unsure. Now was the time for Hermione to be decisive for the first time in five years.

She could only think about her daughters. The pain they must have been feeling while missing a father, imagining it made her feel guilty. Draco; she knew his misery was all her fault. Why couldn't the ruddy boy just let go. She had seen him do it to tons of girls at Hogwarts. He had no guilty conscious at fucking them then turning them away. He had done it a lot.

She looked back to his letter: I've grown up.

A/N::

YAAAAAY I made this chapter extra long to apologize for the extreme shortness of the previous.

WOOOOW Draco has a lunch date with Alyssa on Friday. He has to do a Paternity test on Friday as well. He gets to finally see Hermione after all this time. I wonder what is going to happen XD

Is it me or is Draco sounding a bit fed up with the games she is playing? Maybe he is really tired of it, or maybe he just wants an excuse to move on to Alyssa?

Shout Outs::

mad-bout-horses-nd-cowboys

Kudasai desu ka. If you're asking me for an update, you really just need to say onegaishimasu. Kudasai literally means something like "please give me this" where as onegai is like "I ask you this favor" So for an update you can say onegaishimasu … if you're purchasing/ordering something you would say kudasai "ano tokei wo kudasai" (I'll buy that watch, please) or "ano mado wo akete kudasai" (translates to "please open that window" but literally means "give me that open window")

Using onegaishimasu would be like begging or pleading for something while kudasai is for formal requests… does that make sense? ^^;; I'm bad at explaining, but I actually just asked my teacher about this on Monday XD

Katilady

Ahhh… Yeah ^^;;; my depression has lifted a little. It's just my dog is kind of sick. He needs a surgery that's going to cost $1000 at the minimum. He needs to have a certain gland removed to stop some fluid from building up in his neck. The condition doesn't bother him, he still eats, runs, plays, everything. The only bad thing is risk of infection. My mom and dad can't afford the surgery, and my mom says to put him down. But why should I put my buddy down just for something that's not impairing him? His quality of living won't change. He won't be sick anymore. Killing him is so pointless and I don't want to lose another pet. Especially not over this trivial matter.

My boyfriend and I are working to scrap up the money but it's going to take us a few months. I just hope that infection doesn't settle in before we can do that.

Aside from that, I've just been really upset that my life is really, really, really dull. I am 21 years old and just wishing I could go out and get into dance and movies and music… BUT I have no experience there because we can't afford the expensive schooling and we just don't know the right people. So that's out. Unless any of you [any readers reading this] know someone willing to train me for free? LOL doubt that'll happen. Oh well.

=)