Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: I absolutely love that some of you are questioning things. That's what I'm hoping for in this story. There are so many possibilities and I hope that I've written this in a way that you can make your guesses as well as enjoy the story! Also, this chapter is set up a little different. I had a friend read it before I posted and she thought it might be too disjointed for some readers to enjoy and the chapters had originally been planned to be shorter but I changed my mind. So, please review and let me know if you liked the set up of 1 or 2 better. I may edit this if I get enough of one way or another. Don't be afraid to give me your honest opinions! I don't bite... much.
And lastly, I'm not British. At all. (Native American actually) And thus I used a term in this chapter that may or may not fit well but it fit well into my story. Sorry if it's cheesy, hopefully you'll see what I mean when you get there!
HAPPY READING!

Chapter 3
Hermione
-Present-

"I want to bring in your children." The healer was saying. "See if that can't stir a memory of some kind."

"But I've already seen the children." Hermione said quietly, picking at the threads in her blanket once again as she fought to control the shakiness in her voice.

"Yes, well under different circumstances, I believe it might help break whatever curse-"

"So it's definitely a curse then?" Harry piped up from beside her.

"I didn't say that Mr. Potter but... I do believe that all signs are pointing to that, yes. We weren't able to pick up any inclination of injury in the muggle brain pictures..." Hermione giggled lightly at that, ignoring Harry's pained smile, "and my hope is that it's a simple case of a backfired curse.."

"Wait..." Hermione said quickly. "Lockhart, he had a backfired curse and..."

"Don't worry 'Mione." Harry reassured her. "You're already way ahead of where you'd be if it was the same..."

"Yes, I do believe Mr. Potter is correct Mrs. Mal-"

"Granger." She cut in, shuddering at the thought of her being called Mrs. Malfoy.

"Very well, Ms. Granger, I'll send word to your hu-to Mr. Malfoy to bring the children."

"Actually, Healer Sands, I'll let him know." Harry said quickly, standing up from beside the bed and glancing towards Hermione. "He's at our place with Gin and the kids. I need to go home and check in and I'll relay the message then."

Hermione merely nodded and let him kiss her forehead before he walked out of the door and disappeared from sight.

She sat like that, staring at the door for what seemed like hours before she finally saw him. He was taller, not as lanky, and his cheeks had filled out some but he was standing in her doorway, wearing a grin.

"So's it true?" Ron asked, smiling at her from where he leaned against the doorframe. "The great Hermione Granger can't remember her own name?"

She rolled her eyes. "Even if I couldn't, you just told me... oh nevermind."

He laughed as he walked further in to the room and sat down beside her, making himself comfortable in the chair while she watched in mildly amused irritation.

"Would you just stop already?" She laughed as he wiggled around yet again, narrowing his eyes at her outburst.

"Well some things you haven't forgotten." he laughed. "So what did you forget?"

"Oh, I don't know, Harry defeating Voldemort, Getting a promotion, marrying yours and Harry's nemesis."

Ron's jaw clenched at that and he sat up straighter. "Having his spawn?"

She watched him intently, his blue eyes flashing, "That too. Is this a sore subject?"

His eyes narrowed but he finally, slowly, relented with a stiff nod. "You could say that."

"I'm sorry, I wish that I..."

Ron shook his head and reached out, grabbing hold of her hand softly. "It's not your fault..."

She watched as his fingers gripped hers and suddenly she saw him kneeling in front of her, the ring slipping on her finger easily as the people around them erupted in to applause and he stood up to pull her against him, capturing her lips with his.

She gasped and he let go of her quickly as the door burst open once again and she looked just in time to see Malfoy staring angrily from the door, a baby girl clinging to his neck as he stared at the scene before him.

Hermione coughed as she looked between the two, realization dawning on her face. She wasn't sure what had happened but somehow she had ended up with Draco Malfoy, despite the fact that she had said yes to Ron Weasley.

Shit.

Draco
-Past-

Draco had poured over the papers, twice. He was coming up empty handed just as Granger had guessed he would when he had asked for the rest of her files a day previous. He sighed, tossing the file he was currently holding back on his desk as he stood up and made his way to the bottle on his left, pouring himself a generous glass.

"Already?" He whirled around at the sound of the voice, smirking as he met Blaise's gaze and with a tilt of his hand drained the amber liquid he had just poured from his glass in one swift drink.

"Never too early." Draco sneered, moving back to his desk as his friend followed suit, settling himself down in the chair opposite Draco's desk.

"I believe your father once said the same thing." Blaise's tone was joking but his eyes were guarded, knowing that Lucius was a sore subject for the man before him.

Draco ignored the man, leaning back in his chair. "What do you want Blaise?"

"Is it so wrong of me to want to check in on a friend."

"Ha." Draco laughed sardonically, eyeing the man before him. There were many things Draco would consider himself, friend however, was not one of them.

Blaise laughed, moving back to a standing position, his eyes lingering before he reached out, his finger touching the stack of parchment on Draco's desk. "Is this... is this the house elf case?"

Draco grunted in affirmation, standing up himself and moving back to the decanter, gesturing to Blaise with an empty glass who shook his head. "Granger gave it to me."

"Draco, this is…they've closed this case for a reason."

"A really stupid reason." Draco confirmed, starting in on his second drink.

"No, that's the thing. Draco, Weasley had Potter close these for a reason..."

Draco perked up, his drink forgotten as he crossed closer to his friend. "You think.. you think there's more to it?"

Blaise nodded, meeting Draco's gaze. "I know that Shacklebolt agreed with him and that they're suspicious. Just... if you're going to keep doing this, be careful. Don't get tangled up in something you can't get yourself out of."

"Don't I always?" Draco huffed and Blaise laughed as the two continued on, talking about things that held little or no importance before finally, the other man took his leave, making Draco promise, once again, to look out for himself.

He was sure that Blaise's words were meant to scare him away from the case, to keep him at a distance. They had had the opposite effect however, and later that evening as Draco sat down for dinner with his mother, he couldn't help but think that maybe he should call on Granger and find out what she knew.

Hermione
-Present-

"Weasel." Draco sneered as he moved further in to the room, shifting the little girl around in his arms as his gaze met Hermione's.

"Malfoy." Ron ground out, his teeth clenched as he stood up, letting go of Hermione's hand. "I have to get going 'Mione. I'll... see you around."

Hermione felt the loss of his hand as soon as hers was released but she let him go, staring at the newcomers as Ron left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Where's.. where's the older one?" Hermione asked, eyeing the man before her.

She saw the look that flashed in his eyes but when he looked down to the baby in his arms and back up to her, it was gone.

"Leo is with Ginny... I thought that it would be… easier." He explained and Hermione felt herself release a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding as she nodded.

It was then, as the two adults stared at each other that the baby in his arms seemed to notice her and she made a move for her, her arms stretched wide as she reached for the woman with a cry.

"Lyra..." she said softly and watched as the little girl moved easily from Draco's arms to the bed, climbing up her legs until she was even with her face. "How did I? I mean…how did we come up with that?"

Draco reached up, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand as he moved to sit in the chair beside her bed. "It wasn't easy. We uh.. we fought about it, often actually. We had decided on Cassiopeia at first but when she was born, it was like, we just knew what her name was supposed to be."

"Cassiopeia?" She scoffed and Draco let out a hearty chuckle, the sound stirring something she couldn't quite place deep within her.

"I believe I said the same thing." He said, watching as the little girl snuggled in beside Hermione, her head resting on her chest as she stuck three fingers in her mouth with a toothy grin.

"I just- I don't understand any of this." Hermione sighed. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Nothing?" Draco's voice was low and sad and Hermione shook her head.

"I think... I think I remembered something." She said, noting that he looked up at her quickly, hopefully. "With Ron I mean. He was here and he held my hand and..."

Draco's eyes narrowed, his lips pursed, and he reached out taking the baby from her side and protectively wrapping her in his arms.

"I'm sorry." Hermione said quietly. "I wish I knew..."

She trailed off, because she wasn't sure. Because nothing made sense. And she wasn't sure it ever would.

Draco
-Past-

"Chips?" Hermione asked, holding the paper out to him, with a shrug he snagged one – having already demolished his own- and ignored her smirk. "So you didn't find anything?"

"No. And can you tell me where we're going please?" He asked again as she shook her head.

It had been a week since he had reviewed Granger's files with a fine toothed comb and still come up short, his mother had finally began sleeping through the night once more and when Granger had flooed to tell him she had an idea, he hadn't been too worried about picking up and leaving with her. Until, that is, she refused to tell him where she was leading him, only that she would need his help. He presumed they would have already been wherever it was they were going, had it not been for the last minute dodge in to the chipper because Granger, of course, had been too busy reading to grab lunch earlier in the day.

"You'll see soon enough. I promise." She said vaguely and they continued on in relative silence, broken only by the quiet sound of her chewing.

"You're disgusting." Draco finally said as she licked her greasy fingers. She paused for a moment in her steps before she realized the reason for his outburst and he watched as she spit her tongue out at him and then licked her fingers once more.

Draco cringed but laughed despite himself before he stopped, coughing to cover up the chortle that had left his throat as if by accident.

"You don't have to do that, you know." Hermione said quietly as she crumpled her paper up and tossed it in to a near-by receptacle.

"What?"

Hermione gauged him, her eyes looking at him intensely as they walked. "That. I know, as well as anyone that you were a prat in school, but you're different now. Everyone knows it. You don't have to pretend that you're still that guy."

He tensed, shoving his hands even further in to his pockets. "I'm not pretending…"

Because he wasn't, not really. But he couldn't tell her the real reason everything seemed to come harder to him. Not when he couldn't even admit it to himself.

She studied him again as they walked and he refused to meet her gaze, letting her come to her own conclusions about his answer because it was easiest. It was then, as they were walking, that he saw the crack in the concrete they were almost on top of and he stopped quickly, reaching out to grasp Granger's upper arm, pulling her against him as she stumbled on her feet.

"Mind the gap." He said, nodding his head towards the path as Granger burst with laughter and his brows furrowed.

"Mind...The...gap." she laughed as tears sprang to her eyes and for a moment he worried about her sanity before she swiped at her eyes and pushed away from his body. "Oh Draco..."

He never did find out the reason for her amusement as she carried on with their journey, his mind still focused on the fact that it was the first time he had ever heard her call him Draco.

Hermione
-Present-

"There now, don't you feel better?" the old witch asked kindly as she helped Hermione settle back down in the bed. She had been unceremoniously pushed in to the shower and produced with a clean gown and deposited back in to her room. She should have felt comfortable, but instead she felt even more out of place than she had before.

"When will I have to leave?" Hermione asked the witch who handed her a potion she could only assume was meant to help relax her.

"Oh, musn't worry about that right now dear." The old witch said kindly, patting her soothingly on the shoulder. "Just worry about getting back. To your old self."

Hermione swallowed. How the hell was she supposed to get back to her old self when she couldn't even remember who her old self was. "I just…. I want to see my friends. My parents."

The old witch shifted uncomfortably and Hermione felt her heart squeeze as the door opened and Malfoy walked in.

"Everything alright?" He drawled and Hermione felt the hot tears prick at her lashes as she fought them back with a nod. "I brought some clothes... some things of yours."

The old witch patted Malfoy comfortingly on the shoulder before leaving the room with her cart and for a moment, Hermione considered calling for her to return.

"Thank you." She finally squeaked out instead as Malfoy moved further in to the room.

"Are you... are you alright?"

She bit her lip, nodding, and fought against the tears and despite her efforts a few leaked out, trailing down her cheeks which seemed to just unleash the flood gates. Malfoy was by her side in an instant and before she could protest his thumbs were brushing away the tears gently. It was a side she could say she had never seen of the blonde man before and one that seemed far too natural to be a ploy or an act. Almost as if on instinct she felt herself lean in to his touch ever so slightly as he continued to brush away the tears.

Then, her brain kicked in and she pulled back, his hand falling limply to his side as she sniffed back her tears. "I'm s-sorry. I just... I'm a mess."

"You're not though." He said firmly. "We're going to figure this out 'Mione. I promise."

She started at the sound of her nickname on his lips but pushed it out of her mind. "What if they don't... what if they never figure out what's happened?"

He pursed his lips and she could tell that it was something he had thought about, and the outcome, she was afraid did not look good.

They sat in relative silence for some time before Malfoy shifted, pulling his arms out of his pants pockets with a sigh, checking his watch.
Hermione stiffened at the sight of his arm, not of his watch, but of the dark mark that adorned his arm.
"They said it will fade. Eventually. Last time we... well you said it looked it like was lighter."

She snorted and he glared at her from where he stood, and she realized that she was much more comfortable in his presence when he was acting like this. Like the Malfoy from her school days.

"Do you doubt me?" He snarled. "Do you doubt the ring on your finger or the children who call you mum?"

She looked down to the ring adoring her finger. Of course she had noticed it before. Even taken it off, but her finger felt naked without it, despite the implications so it had remained. A testament to her body's memory of something she had no recollection of. An emerald green reminder of something she had lost. "I don't doubt that I was married to you. Not anymore..."

"But?"

"But the fact remains that I remember being engaged to Ron only to wake up in your bed. Something doesn't add up Malfoy."

"Why? Because you didn't marry the Weasel git?"

"Don't call him that." She seethed. "And it's more than that, it's that I married you."

"Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Because you're a death eater. You're a horrible person who loved to torment me for something I couldn't help. Not to mention that the last thing I really remember about you is that you let your aunt torture me in your mansion." she roared, her voice hoarse and she saw his eyes narrow and his shoulders stiffen.

"'Mi-"

"Don't." she cut him off. "Just... go. Please."

Before he could protest she rolled herself over, facing the opposite wall and ignoring his eyes on her back as she let the tears fall from her eyes and her fingers played with the ring on her finger before she slowly pulled it off and set it on the table beside the bed. It was only then that she heard his footsteps and when she looked back, he had finally gone.

A/N: So there's Ron! Review please?