Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: Not many reviews last chapter, I hope you all are still with me. The next few chapters are up and ready to go, just waiting on you all. Let me know what you think!

Chapter 6

Draco
-Past-

"Of course I knew that. That line has been in our family for ages." He scoffed, looking at the woman before him who glared in what he assumed was supposed to be a menacing glance.

"Right, well it would have been nice to know that, before."

"You never asked." He said, sipping his tea and smirking at her. Before he could react she reached out, smacking him with the paper in her hands and he wondered, briefly, if this was what Potter and the Weasel put up with. "If you had asked, however, about the elves parentage and lineage, I could have provided you with all you needed to know. But then again, that would have deprived you of the chance to steal away to the library and honestly Granger, however would you live..."

She raised an eyebrow and her paper and he moved away quickly, hands up in surrender as he felt the laugh bubble in his chest.

"honestly." she snapped before she sighed. "As I was saying, I found that Ninny was Dobby's grandmother and two of the other elves were his cousins, so..."

"So you think it was because of Dobby's defection?"

"Don't call it that."

"Right, then what should I call it?" He asked, picking at the croissant on his plate absentmindedly. "I know you don't understand it all that much Granger but Dobby was the exception, not the rule."

She rolled her eyes, ignoring him as she continued. "Not just Dobby though. The other three elves had no relations to him that I could see and believe me, I scoured every historical record I could find."

"Did they have defect-" He stopped at her glare., "You know what I mean."

"No. Actually. That's what doesn't make any sense. I thought for sure Kreacher was telling us it was because of something the elves had done but now I'm not so sure..."

"And it's killing you." He guessed, as she looked at him with a wry smile and he saw her eyes dart up to the clock on the wall.

"Oh. Shoot." She said, quickly moving to pack up the papers she had scattered across the small table as she went. "I'm going to be late."

Draco watched in what he could only call amusement as she hurriedly shoved things in to her small messenger bag. "Date?"

She sighed. "No. I mean.. yes. Kind of? I'm having dinner with the Weasley's. It's George and… well Fred's birthday..."

She trailed off and he turned, clenching his jaw as he realized the implications of her words. Fred was gone. Half of the terror twins forever lost. He hadn't even noticed that his fingers were brushing the sleeve of his shirt where the dark mark lay hidden until he felt her fingers on his.

"Choices Draco."

He nodded. "Right. Of course."

"I'm sorry, I do have to go. Do you think... can I owl you tomorrow? Maybe try to meet up so we can discuss this again?"

"Of course" He said quickly, standing up and following her in to the hallway and watching as she disappeared with a small wave and a smile.

He stood there for quite some time, wishing he had been able to say more and biting down the disappointment that he hadn't before he finally made his way to the dining room to have dinner with his mother who smiled at him knowingly and ignored his death glares as he willed her not to speak. It was only as he fell asleep that he realized she wasn't owling him that night, and the disappointment was almost too much to bear.

Hermione
-Present-

She found him in the living room.

Harry was in his recliner, snoring lightly, the television in the corner of the room, so seemingly out of place in Grimmauld place, emitting a warm glow. She could see football on, and she bit back a laugh. Harry had told her, earlier, that he had insisted the television come in and had charmed it so that he could have any channel he wanted, of course he ended up falling asleep in front of it.

Her heart panged as she thought of her father who used to do much the same, before she shook the thought away and found the person she had been looking for. His long frame was draped over the couch, his toes hanging off the edge, and Lyra was draped over his chest, Albus tucked in to his side, all of them sound asleep.

It was then, as she was watching them, that she could see why she might have fallen for the man in the first place. In sleep his features were relaxed and not near as pointy. In fact, she might even venture to call him handsome. She sighed deeply, ignoring the feeling that seemed to bubble in the pit of her stomach and then his eyes fluttered open and met hers. For a brief moment, time was still and Hermione wasn't even sure she remembered how to breathe as she shifted under the intense look he gave her. But then, the moment passed and he moved, laying Lyra down beside Albus and reaching to pull the Weasley afghan off the back of the couch and cover the toddlers with it before he stood up.

"Malfoy-" She started but he shook his head, looking to Harry's still snoring form and then back to the children behind him before he nodded towards the door and walked out of it, without waiting for her.

They found their way in to an office, Malfoy closing the door behind him gently before he finally turned to meet her gaze.

"I shouldn't have-" She started but shook her head, trying to compose the millions of thoughts that seemed to be running rampant through her head. "I'm sorry."

Malfoy raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned on the nearby desk.

"I shouldn't have insulted your mother like that when honestly I don't know her… I'm sorry that I can't see you as anything other than the arrogant prat you were in school and I'm sorry that I'm even here… If I could I would remember everything, but I can't and-"

"It's killing you." Malfoy said, the corner of his lip quirking up.

"I have children- we have children and I don't even know them."

Malfoy nodded, standing up a little straighter. "Leo was born on May twelfth, he was a few days late. His full name is Leo Michael Malfoy, after-"

"My father." She breathed.

"Lyra Harriet- That was your idea by the way. Scarhead still won't let me live that down… she was born July thirty-first and he also never shuts up about that." She laughed lightly at the fact that her daughter shared a birthday with her best friend, noting Malfoy's own smile before he continued. "You love them more than life, I love them more than I ever thought possible, and you wanted 'at least four more' before I talked you out of it. You work at the ministry and the kids stay with me during the day, always have, and usually one of the Potter kids ends up at our house sometime during the week. Leo won't eat anything green and Lyra will eat anything she can see and the last time you saw them before all of this, you were leaving for a short business trip and you cried."

He took a breath, his eyes studying her intently and she finally let out the breath she had been holding as she nodded. "Thank you."

"They miss you…" his voice lowered as he looked down to his feet and she barely caught his next words. "I miss you."

She shut her eyes tightly, willing the urge to reach out and touch him to go away before she finally looked back up to see him smiling at her sadly. He nodded once, shoving his hands inside his pockets before he finally turned and promptly left the room. She was still standing there later when Ginny found her and she was grateful as her friend let her hug her, too tightly, as she tried to stop her hands from shaking.

Draco
-Past-

"Just owl her already." Draco looked up at his mother from across the table, shifting to move his unopened newspaper beside his breakfast plate as he stared at her incredulously.

"Beg your pardon?"

"Oh stop that. I birthed you, don't think I don't know every little nuance you have Draco. You've been sulking and I know it has something to do with Hermione Granger…"

"Mother-"

"Just owl her already." The woman said exasperatedly and she stood up, throwing one last glance at her son before she left the room.

He pushed his rubbery eggs around his plate, no longer hungry, before he finally gave up and grabbed the paper and headed back to his room. He only made it halfway, however, when the front page picture caught his eye and his breath caught in his throat.

He was thankful, as he lumbered the rest of the way to his quarters, that he hadn't finished his breakfast as he threw the paper down on his desk, ignoring Granger's watery smile flashing at him from the damned daily prophet as the Weasel stood behind her, looking like the cat that caught the canary. He wanted to vomit. Instead, he scoffed and turned his back on the bloody thing, pulling on whatever clothes he happened to find before making his way back downstairs, throwing a quick good-bye to his mother as he flooed to Blaise's, not bothering to acknowledge his friend's hello until he had poured half the decanter in his glass and gulped it down greedily, relishing the burn.

"Hello to you too mate." Zabini said as he finally joined him by the liquor. "I take it you received your Daily today?"

Draco sneered at his friend and poured himself another drink and then poured another for the man before him, his silence answer enough.

"I told you not to get involved." Zabini argued and Draco pushed the glass in to his hand, starting in on his second as he fought back the urge to throw the glass against the mantle he had just walked through not moments before.

"Sod off." He finally said, staring down at his white knuckle grip and Blaise snorted in to his glass as the two stood in relative silence until their drinks were gone.

"Well, looks like I know what I'm doing today." Blaise finally said, setting his empty glass down and rolling his eyes.

"Oh, and what's that?" Malfoy asked, the stinging in his chest lessening slightly as he set down his empty glass once more.

"Taking your mind off the mudblood of course." Draco almost argued, directing Zabini to find a different word to describe the witch, but then the picture came back to him, the engagement ring glinting in the flashbulb as Hermione Granger gave herself away to Ronald Weasley and suddenly, he didn't care.

The hair was tickling his nose when he came to and he groused, pushing the brown curls out of his face. For a moment, he stilled, the brunette tresses trailing through his fingers as Granger's face popped in to his head. The moment passed however, quickly followed by the reminder of yesterday's daily prophet and the following events at the shady pub he and Blaise had ended up in.

The witch beside him was definitely not Hermione Granger and as she rolled over, pulling her hair out of his grasp and her head settled on his chest, he realized just how much that disappointed him.

He didn't have time to wonder on that fact however, as the door to his room burst open and he startled, the witch on top of him jumping awake at the sound and he was surprised to find Granger standing in the doorway of his room.

"Oh-" She said lamely as her eyes took in the scene before her and Draco smirked to himself slightly. "Your mother didn't say you had company…"

Draco rolled his eyes and moved to get up, pulling one of the coverings along with him as he picked up his discarded boxers and pulled them up before turning to face Granger. He knew his mother was not stupid, he also knew that she very well knew why he was having a lie in this morning and also that he wasn't alone. His mother must have seen the Daily Prophet as well.

"Yes, well, not everyone makes sex a family business…"

"What are you-"

"Or is that not how the Weasel's do it? I just assumed that they all took turns, shared and whatnot." He sneered as he moved closer and he knew he had hit a nerve when her jaw clenched.

"Drac-"

"Come back some other time Granger. We're busy." He said roughly, moving to push the door closed.

"Draco wait-" she said softly, resigned. "I think I've figured out-"

He wanted to listen. He wanted to hear what she had found but the photo from yesterday kept flashing in his mind. He had been stupid, of course he had, to think that anyone like Hermione Granger would ever willingly want to be with an ex-death eater. With him. He had listened to her spout the nonsense about choices and hoped that she was alluding to something else. He had been wrong. The diamond on her finger proved it.

"I don't care." He spat, towering over her. "Get the hell out."

"What?" She said in disbelief, her own anger beginning to seep in to her voice.

"I said, get the hell out." He snarled. "Before I make you, filthy mudblood."

And before she could retort he slammed the door, not caring that it shook the frames on his wall as he tried to forget the look on her face.

Hermione
-Present-

She threw her hair up in a ponytail as she clambered down the stairs. She was thankful, as it were, that Harry and Ginny had put so much effort in to this place and as such she could now pad down the halls in her socks. Sometime between her last memory of the nearly dilapidated old house and the day she showed back up they had been able to remove the hideous screeching portrait where instead hung a photo of Harry and Ginny on their wedding day. She had stopped to admire it when she first arrived and now merely smiled at the happy couple in the picture as she passed by.

She pushed the door to the kitchen open, stopping short when she met Ginny's exasperated eyes. "Oh Hermione, I'm so sorry, we were trying to get out of your hair before you came down-"

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked, moving more in to the room just as Leo collided with her legs.

"Mummy!"

"Hello Leo." She said softly, reaching down to smooth the silky brown hair out of his face.

"You going to the park with us mummy?"

"Oh-"

"Not this time, Leo. Mummy needs to rest." She jumped as Malfoy appeared behind her, trying to wrestle Lyra in to a jacket as he went before tossing another bundle of fabric to Ginny. "Picked this up for Al."

"Thanks." The woman sighed and she bent down to attend to Albus who adamantly protested the red jacket she was trying to coax him in to.

"Sorry." Malfoy muttered as Leo let go of her legs to turn back to James as the boys tried to perk up little Albus while he pouted. "We go to the park every Wednesday. Gives Gin a little break…"

Hermione nodded as Lyra seemingly noticed her for the first time and reached out, begging for her mother's arms. She breathed before she tentatively reached out and pulled the little girl in to her, smiling as the blonde girl tucked her curls underneath her chin contentedly.

"Hermione, Harry is coming home in a few. He said he has some things he wants to look over with you… We're stopping by Florean's after the park, give you some peace and-Oh James, don't lick your brother."

Hermione and Draco both laughed as Ginny turned a frantic eye towards her two boys and shook her head exasperatedly.

"Is it like this all the time?" Hermione asked, her voice soft.

"Yes." He replied without hesitation, his voice laced with humor.

They watched silently until Ginny had a handle on both of her boys, Leo tagging along next to James as they pushed in to the floo and with one last wave they were gone.

"I'd better go. James is scarhead reincarnated. He thinks he needs to have adventures everywhere he goes…"

Hermione hiccupped back a laugh but let him pull Lyra out of her arms, ignoring the girls protests as he too climbed in to the floo.

"Bye-bye." Lyra waved and Hermione smiled at the girl, waving back as the two disappeared.

She hardly had time to make toast with jam and a cup of tea before Harry appeared, half hidden behind a stack of files.

"What's all this?" Hermione asked around a bite of toasted bread as Ron appeared behind Harry, an annoyed expression on his face.

"Everything I could find on memory charms and records of those who have been affected by them…"

"I thought you said-"

"Well, we don't know that that is what this is Hermione but I figured it was the best place to start."

Hermione nodded as Ron pulled out a chair opposite her and sat down. It was only then that Hermione recognized the coldness between the two men beside her. Her eyes narrowed as she watched them almost dance around each other. "Okay, what's up with you two?"

"What?" Harry said quickly

"Nothing" Ron muttered at the same time.

Hermione tensed, setting down the file she had in her hand none too gently as she rounded on her best friends. "Something is up with you two. You can't keep treating me like a delicate flower. I'm not going to break. I've lost my memory for fuck's sake not my bones."

"Hermione-" Harry sighed.

"We're just trying to follow the healer's…"Ron argued

"To hell with the healer." She yelled, pushing herself out of her chair and staring down at the men. "I know something is going on with you and I want to know what. When you're ready to tell me I'll be in my room."

And before they could answer she grabbed her half empty tea cup and left.

Hours later she realized neither of them was going to find her, and sighing, she gave up and resigned herself to a nap, hoping that maybe they would prove her wrong in the meantime.

A/N: Anyone have any guesses or theories? I'd love to hear them!