A/N: I'M SO SORRY for the incredible amount of time you guys waited!


Chapter 11: Fight

"What are you doing in my office?"

Claudine looked up from her paper work to see Draco looking questioningly at her.

"Excusez-moi? (Excuse me?)" Claudine raised an eyebrow at him. "Aux dernières nouvelles, mon nom est encore sur cette porte. (Last time I checked my name was still on that door.)"

"Aux dernières nouvelles, mon nom est encore sur cette porte. (A minor detail. Why, have you forgotten what day it is?)" Draco scanned her office, undoubtedly visualizing where he would be moving his things.

"Mon anniversaire (My birthday)," Claudine answered.

"Oui, mais avant tout, c'est le jour où j'obtiens votre travail, votre titre et ce bureau (Yes, but more importantly, today is the day I get your job, your title and this office)," Draco said with a sweep of his arm.

"Ça me fait tellement plaisir que vous vous rappeliez mon anniversaire, Draco. Vous êtes si gentil (It's so heartwarming that you remembered my birthday, Draco. So thoughtful, you are)," Claudine said in mock sweetness. "J'espère que vous n'avez pas oublié mon cadeau? (But surely you haven't forgotten my gift?)"

"Bien sur que non. (Of course not.)" Draco approached her desk and pulled out his wand. He transfigured her glass desk nameplate into a box. "Here, I'm sure you'll find use for it when you remove your things from my office."

Claudine sighed but smiled condescendingly. "Désolée, Draco, je n'ai pas besoin de ça pour le moment. (I am sorry, Draco, but I have no use for this just yet.)"

Draco narrowed his eyes on her. "Kindly elaborate, Claudine."

"You're not getting my office, you're not getting my job and you're not making Managing Partner," Claudine said calmly.

Draco laughed humorlessly. "Et votre engagement? (And what of your commitment?)"

"Je ne suis pas encore décidée (I am undecided)," Claudine said, looking Draco straight in the eye.

"Bullshit. You and I both know there's no real competition. You think that suck up pet can lead this firm? I deserve to be Managing Partner," Draco said, his voice firm ad resolute.

"Qu'est-ce qui vous fait croire que vous méritez de diriger mon cabinet? (What makes you think you deserve to run my firm?)" Claudine challenged him.

"Je vous ramène des clients qui valent des millions de dollars. Je fais de ce cabinet le plus grand et le meilleur de France. Je vous ramène des chèques énormes après chaque dossier. (I gave you client's that are worth millions of galleons. I turned this company into the largest and best firm in France. I give you big, fat checks after every case.)" Draco looked her straight in the eye. "Yes, I deserve this."

"Olivia m'apporte aussi de gros chèques, Draco. De plus, elle n'est pas aussi chi***, (Olivia also gives me big, fat checks, Draco. Plus she's not a pain in the ass,)" she countered.

Draco raised an eyebrow at her, giving her a look that said 'Are you stupid?' and went to sit on the couch in her office. Claudine sighed again.

She had made a commitment to both Draco and Olivia, Senior Partners of her firm, that at her 55th birthday she would retire and name one of them as the new Managing Partner. And while Draco was right that there is absolutely no competition as to who will be her successor, he was not ready.

'Draco Malfoy worked alone,' that was the motto he lived by while at her firm. He never asked nor accepted any help from anyone, not that he needed any. He was merely forced to take a personal associate as was protocol for a Senior Partner. However, that is not the only reason she doesn't want to make him partner. Draco does whatever he deems necessary to serve fairness but most of all, to win. He does not mind consequences so long as he can get out of them. His ego blinds him and his pride will be his downfall. She could not and would not let a man who was driven by selfishness set fire to what she built with hardwork and sacrifice.

"Ça ne sert à rien de retarder l'inévitable, Claudine. (It's no use prolonging the inevitable, Claudine.)" Draco's voice pulled her out of her thoughts. She saw him looking at her expectantly and the smugness on his face couldn't be more pronounced. Claudine pulled out a file from a drawer in her desk and placed it on her table. This file, this case, would prove to her if indeed he was ready to handle her firm. It was a simple case but Draco would surely make it more complicated than it had to be. The person this case was filed against was perfect. She cannot be intimidated, bribed nor threatened by whatever Draco would say or do. This would truly test him as a lawyer and as a person.

"Prouvez-le, (Prove it,)" Claudine said and motioned for Draco to approachher desk. She handed him the file but he did not take it. "Prouvez-moi que vous pouvez diriger ce cabinet. (Prove to me you deserve to run this firm.)"

Draco narrowed her eyes at her and took the file. He examined its contents and after a while his eyes widened. After scanning all of its contents, Draco looked at her with anger and defiance swimming in his eyes but he didn't say anything. He stared at her long and hard, trying to see if she was indeed serious about her test. She matched his stare and said, "Vous avez votre dossier, qu'attendez-vous ? La porte est là. (You have your case, what are you waiting for? There's my door, get out.)"

He gave her a small, mocking bow of the head. "Joyeux anniversaire, Madame, (Happy Birthday, Madam)," he said before leaving her office.

Happy birthday indeed, Claudine thought as she put the box Draco had transfigured under her table.


Draco was mad. No, he was more than mad he was murderous. Not only was he denied of the position that was rightfully deserved by him but his capability as a lawyer and a leader was doubted and question. It was like everything he had achieved under her firm was nothing! This case she gave him to 'prove himself' was a big mistake. Claudine merely didn't want to let go of the high chair yet.

Draco dropped the file on the coffee table and seated himself behind his desk. He sipped from his cup of coffee and his eyes unconsciously wandered toward the damn file. He though it ironic that just a week ago he had crossed paths with the very same people whose names were now written on those papers. The same people he would be undoubtedly meeting in the future. And other nuisances.

Eric, his personal associate, entered his office. "Je ne comprends pas. Tu m'as dit que ton nouveau bureau était celui de Claudine. Qu'est-ce que tu fais là? (I'm confused. You told me your new office was Claudine's. What are you doing here?)"

Draco shot him a venomous glare.

"Peu importe. Qu'est-ce que nous avons aujourd'hui? (Never mind. What are we going to start our week with?)" Eric said, as he picked up the file on the coffee table and seated himself on the couch. He studied the file.

"Tu vas préparer un accord pour ce dossier, et je veux que ce soit fait pour cet après-midi, (You're going to prepare a settlement for that case and I want it done by this afternoon)," Draco said, drinking more coffee. "And tell Dominique that if a red-headed troll asks for me, tell her to tell him I'm busy."

Eric raised an eyebrow but nodded his head. He went to exit Draco's office but just outside the door her poked his head back inside. "The client, Ronald Weasley, isn't that the Quidditch player?"

Draco waved his hand and the glass door closed, narrowly missing Eric's face.


Hermione glanced at the clock for the tenth time since she entered her office. She saw that it had only been there for two hours but it felt more like ten years. She wanted to go home but she didn't want to cut her office hours, just in case someone needed her. But it was a losing battle. She felt tired and weary and wanted nothing more that to go home, cuddle up with Sophie on the couch and sing along with her daughter to the songs from the shows she loved to watch on the telly. She wanted the peace and normalcy that last week's events had ruined. Her mind needed time to cope with the changes happening in her life.

She watched as the second hand made another turn and saw the barely there move of the minute hand. She sighed in frustration and decided to just call it a day. She was tired and she needed to rest. She was already finished collecting her things when a knock sounded on her door. She groaned and placed back her bag.

"Come in." Hermione had a polite smile on her face but it quickly disappeared as soon as she saw platinum blond hair.

"Hello, Granger." Malfoy smirked at her.

She was surprised but quickly recovered from it. She shouldn't have been surprised at all actually. With all the curve balls life has been throwing at her, she could expect Albus Dumbledore coming in for a full body exam.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Malfoy?" Hermione said in a business voice.

"Unfortunately, for you, it was what I can do to you." He handed her a black folder. She opened it and read its contents while Malfoy had taken to exploring her office.

Settlement...Custody case...Ronald Weasley versus Hermione Granger...

Hermione's eyes widened. Another bloody curve ball. Again.

"What's this?" Hermione threw the folder down on her desk and placed her hand on her hips.

"Why, Grange, has that creature on your head you call hair finally eaten your know-it-all brain? Or have you left it back at London as well?" Malfoy smirked annoyingly at her and she wanted so much to smack it right off of his face. He didn't give her a chance to voice her irritation because he continued.

"Your dear, darling Weasel has filed for custody over your daughter. And that right there is a settlement agreement that you should sign to get this whole thing over with." He pointed at the black folder lying open on her desk.

Hermione glared at it and then at him. "You're his lawyer."

"Alas, it looks like your brain is still there after all. Yes, Granger, unfortunately, I am. Why else would you be in my presence?" Malfoy went back to the front of her desk, across from her.

If only looks could kill, Malfoy would be lying dead right now. Sadly it cannot and Hermione had to be content with glaring daggers at him. She pointed to file. "I'm not signing that and I'll have my lawyer contact you for further conversations about this case."

"While that is the correct way to go about this, ignoring this gracious offer isn't smart. Sign it, Granger, an easy way out before things get…unpleasant for you," Malfoy said in a casual tone but Hermione didn't miss the thinly veiled threat.

"No," Hermione said in a hard tone. "I will have my lawyer contact you for further details. Now leave."

Malfoy raised an eyebrow and leaned toward her. "You don't want me as an opponent, Granger. I always win."

"Really? Because I don't recall you ever winning, Malfoy. I guess second best is as much as a win for you," Hermione taunted.

Anger flashed through his silver orbs but it was gone in an instant. His trademark smirk turned sardonic. "This is a whole new game, Granger. And I must say, the prizes are much more gratifying. Especially if it's your daughter."

Hermione saw red. She had pulled out her wand and had the perfect hex on the tip of her tongue when a knock interrupted her. Madison opened her door.

"Hey, Doc, you're three o'clock re-scheduled for tomorrow and your three-thirty moved to five. So…" Madison looked up from the clipboard she was holding. She looked at Hermione then at Malfoy. Malfoy straightened himself and it was only then that Hermione realized that they had been unconsciously leaning toward each other. She fought a blush as she thought of the distance that separated their faces. Or lack thereof. When Madisons eyes met his, she saw Malfoy smirk at her assistant and Madison visibly swooned.

She straightened herself. "What is it, Madison?"

Dumbstruck, Madison turned to Hermione. "What?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. Malfoy was still smirking clearly enjoying himself. "What did you come here to tell me?"

"Oh, yeah, I just wanted to ask if you wanted to go have some coffee, since your next appointment isn't for another hour." Madison eyes can't seem to stray from Malfoy for more than a few seconds. Honestly! Madison was a grown woman now and she was acting like a first-year school girl around her crush.

"No, I can't maybe some other time," Hermione answered, trying to snap her assistant out of her Malfoy-induced trance.

"Oh, uhm, ok." Madison slowly backtracked out of Hermione's office, eyes still glued to Malfoy.

Once Madison was out of the room, Malfoy looked at her. "If you're bent on not signing it, fine, that was for your benefit anyway." He turned and went out of the room. Hermione collapsed in her chair.

Malfoy's infuriating head popped back in her office. "Oh, and for your daughter, and my time's sake, tell your lawyer I'm the one you're fighting. You might need to find another one."

Hermione stared at the door. If she thought she was tired before, she was completely spent then. Everything was overwhelming her. Every single bloody thing. Thoughts were zooming through her head, making her dizzy, but there was one thing she was absolutely certain of. No one threatened Hermione Granger, especially her daughter. Ronald Bilius Weasley was going to pay.

Hermione glared at the black folder on her desk. It wasn't a settlement agreement nor was it 'an easy way out', as Malfoy had put it. It was a bloody death wish. Ron's bloody death wish. And Hermione, the kind person that she was, would make sure Ron got what he wished for.


Hermione went to talk to her boss about her case and asked for a leave of absence. He told her to take as much time as she needed and even offered to call in some of his lawyer friends to help her. She accepted his offer but the favor turned out fruitless.

It had taken Hermione and Emily two whole days to find a lawyer that would help them. All of them had readily accepted her case but when she told them who it was against, they all made some pathetic excuse to drop her. It annoyed her that even when Malfoy wasn't physically present he still managed to make things hard for her.

Finally, Emily and Hermione found Amelia Therien. A great lawyer, who also happened to be a mother, took their case. Amelia had told Hermione all the things that she should expect in the following weeks, but Hermione, the bookworm that she was, had already read everything she could about Custody Cases and the procedures. Amelia and Malfoy talked to a judge and it was decided that two Ministry social-services officials, one from Britain and one from France, would perform random visits, interviews, the works.

Amelia assured them that they had a strong case and that there was nothing to worry about. And Hermione believed her.


Hermione was standing near the corner of the room and staring out the window of the tall building they were in. It over looked the city of France and it had an unhindered view of the majestic Eiffel tower. The day was beautiful and the view was simply breath-taking. However, Hermione didn't see any of it. Her thoughts were anywhere but there on the picturesque sight. It was with her daughter.

Hermione and Amelia were waiting in a conference room of the Belhemeur and Associates law firm. Malfoy had asked the judge for a deposition and the judge agreed.

A deposition is part of permitted pre-trial discovery (investigation), set up by an attorney for one of the parties to a lawsuit demanding the sworn testimony of the opposing party (defendant or plaintiff), a witness to an event, or an expert intended to be called at trial by the opposition. It may also be used in court.

"Souvenez-vous, Hermione, Malfoy va poser des questions provocantes et dégradantes. Ne mordez pas à l'hameçon. Il voudra vous déstabiliser émotionnellement et utiliser ça comme comme raison pour vous reprendre Sophie (Remember, Hermione, Malfoy will ask provoking and degrading questions. Do not take the bait. He will want you to get emotionally unstable and use is as a reason to take Sophie away from you)," Amelia warned her.

"Je sais. Tout ira bien. (I know. I'll be fine.)" Five years of being on the recieving end of his taunts and ridicule have given her some immunity toward him.

Movement caught Hermione's eye and she saw the Devil's spawn, with Ron being the Devil himself. The walls were made of glass so she was able to see him. He was talking to a woman in an office cubicle. He looked sharp and professional in his blue suit. In the far corner of her mind, her subconscious registered that he looked devastatingly handsome in it.

Malfoy nodded and when he turned his head, their eyes met immediately. He smirked at her and Hermione kept her face blank and her chin up. Not once during his walk toward them did he break eye contact. Not even when he entered the room. His smirk was devilsh and predatory, full of purpose and determination.

"Granger." He nodded at her.

"Malfoy."She returned his nod.

"Therien, nous nous rencontrons de nouveau (Therien, we meet here again)," Malfoy adressed Amelia.

"Malheureusement (Unfortunately),"Amelia acknowledged.

"Pas besoin de faire la tête, Amélia. Ce n'était pas votre faute, si votre client était une crapule, un menteur trop avide. Conclure un accord était une sage décision.. (No need to be sullen, Amelia. It was not your fault your client was a greedy, lying scumbag. It was a wise decision to settle.)" Malfoy sat himself on the chair beside the one across from Amelia.

"Vous l'avez menacé (You threatened him)," Amelia spat.

"On se sent menacé uniquement si on a une raison de l'être, (One feels threatened only if there is reason to be)," Malfoy coolly said.

Amelia glared at him before straightening herself. "J'apprécie beaucoup ce petit voyage dans nos souvenirs, nous ne sommes pas là pour ça. Enregistrons la déposition, Malfoy, que nous puissions partir vite. (As much as I enjoy the trip down memory lane that is not the reason we're here. Let's get your deposition over with Malfoy, so we can leave.)"

"As you wish." Malfoy looked at Hermione who had yet to move from her spot and gestured for her to sit. Seeing as Amelia had already taken the seat at the one end of the table and the only one available was to her left. Across from Malfoy.

Hermione internally groaned. She didn't want to be anywhere near Malfoy but she also didn't want to appear scared or intimidated by him so she held his gaze as she took the seat. However, their staring contest didn't end there. They continued to challenge the other. Hermione was, to be truthfully honest, getting unnerved by the intensity of Malfoy's stare. He wasn't just trying to intimidate her anymore. His eyes were studying her. The pools of molten silver diving deep into her, trying to figure her out.

But Hermione refused to let her uneasiness show and met his gaze head on. She was not going to back down from Malfoy, from anyone. This fight was for her daughter and nothing would make her back down.

A woman with black hair entered the office and placed a self writing quil and a notepad under it, she casted a spell that, Hermione recognized, would notify them if she was lying. It was either that spell or Veritaserum, Hermione chose the former. The woman also placed a microphone attached to a recorder in front of her. Hermione's eyes widened at the muggle device. She looked to Malfoy for confirmation of the device but his face gave nothing away. Surely, they wouldn't use a tape recorder, would they? Malfoy wouldn't be caught dead using a muggle device. Hermione glanced at Amelia. She merely shrugged.

As soon as the woman was done setting up, she went to Hermione and placed her under oath. She quietly made her way to the other end of the table at Malfoy's side and sat down. She must be the court reporter, Hermione thought, she was supposed to record everything that would be said there. Malfoy folded his hands over the folder he had with him.

"Case number 302. Custody Battle over Sophie Granger. Ronald Weasley versus Hermione Granger. Deposition of Hermione Granger," Malfoy statedand the quill quickly wrote down everything he said.

"Let's get started." Malfoy asked Hermionethe basic questions, such as her age, adress and occupation. He asked her about everything, except about Sophie.

"Arrêtez de tourner autour du pot, Malfoy. Commencez (Stop nitpicking, Malfoy. Get on with it)," Amelia cut in, irritation clear in her tone.

"Je peux tourner autour du pot aussi longtemps que je veux, Therien. C'est ma déposition. (I can nitpick all I want, Therien. This is my deposition.)" Malfoy smirked at Amelia but Hermione saw the spark of annoyance in his eyes.

After a few more senseless questions, Malfoy finally asked about Sophie.

"How old is Sophie now?" Malfoy asked.

"She turned five last week," Hermione answered.

"How old were you when you had her?"

"I was twenty."

"A pretty young age to be a mother."

"That's not a question," Amelia cut in once more.

Malfoy ignored her and continued. "Who is her father?"

"Ron Weasley."

"Did he know about Sophie?"

Hermione's throat tightened but she pushed through. "Yes, I told him."

"What was his reaction when you told him?"

"That is irrelevant," Amelia said with a hard voice. "You don't have to answer that, Hermione."

"Yes, she does. I can ask anything I see is my deposition. Therien, it will do you good to remember that," Malfoy warned her, his grey eyes glaring at Amelia.

Malfoy returned to Hermione. "Did he accept the child as his own?"

Hermione felt a small amount of relief when Malfoy changed his question,she didn't want to have to detail to him Ron's painful rejection. But his new one wasn't much better either."No."

"Why?"

"Why don't you ask him Malfoy, he's your client."Hermione's uneasiness had been building inside of her and the sensitive topic wasn't helping.

"If you haven't noticed, Miss Granger, Mister Weaseley is not here, and this is your deposition not his," Malfoy replied professionally, as if he was merely doing his job and that he wasn't intentionally provoking her.

Hermione took deep breaths to calm herself and through gritted teeth answered him. "He said he was scared. That he was not ready for a child."

"Were you scared, Miss Granger?"

Hermione resisted the urge to hurl the microphone at him. "Yes."

"Is that why you moved here to France?"

"No."

"Then why did you move here?"

"To protect Sophie."

"From what, Miss Granger?"

Deep breaths, Hermione. This is for Sophie. "From the criticism."

"You were afraid of Sophie being criticized. What about you, weren't afraid of the criticism?"

"Excuse me?" Hermione didn't know how to answer. Of course she was but that wasn't the main reason she moved. If she answered Yes, then that Malfoy could twist her words against her and say she only moved to France for selfish reasons. Then of she answered no, she would be lying under oath.

"It's a simple yes or no question, Miss Granger," Malfyo persisted.

Hermione resisted looking to Amelia for advice, she would appear guilty.

"Yes,"she answered uncertainly.

"So could that be one of the reasons why you moved to France?"

She knew it! Malfoy was using her words against her!

"Yes, but that was not the main reason."

"Is that why you didn't tell the Weasley Family?"

"No, that was not-"

"Then why didn't you tell them?"

Hermione gritted her teeth harder this time. "I didn't want them to stop me from leaving. If they knew, they would have done everything to stop me."

"But don't you think they had the right to know?"

"They do-"

"But you chose to leave them in the dark. Tell me, Miss Granger, did you think Sophie deserved to know her family?"

"Of course she does. I tell her everything about them." Hermione felt her heart trying to beat its way out of her chest. She felt trapped by being forced to answer these questions.

"You're stepping over the line, Malfoy. This is harrassment," Amelia interjected but Malfoy rallied on.

"Did you ever think that they would have been a good influence in Sophie's life?" Malfoy continued.

"Yes-"

"Then why didn't you introduce her to them?"

"She had finally settled, I didn't want to confuse her. I also wasn't sure how they would react to them."

"So you were afraid how they would react to Sophie?"

"Yes."

"Were you afraid that they would react badly to your keeping Sophie from them?"

"Yes."

"So you were afraid of them, that's why you didn't tell Sophie about them."

"No-that's not right-"

"But you admitted that you were afraid you tell them?"

"I was-"

"Why did you seclude Sophie from her family, Miss Granger? From everything she had a right to know?"

"That's enough, Malfoy. This deposition is over. Stop the quill." Amelia stood up and grabbed Hermione's arm and pulled her to her feet but Malfoy didn't let up.

"You were afraid, Granger. You went to France to hide yourself, not your daughter." He stood up as well.

While he had been talking, Amelia had been dragging Hermione toward the door. Malfoy's eyes held Hermione captive, she simply couldn't look away. His grey orbs were filled with so much accusation and and conviction that she found herself questioning her intenions. Did she really hide from them for herself? Did she do all the things she had done for herself? Did she just use Sophie as justification for her actions?

Her daughter's smiling face entered her mind. And she knew.

No.

She did not use her daughter. She did everything she believed was for her child. Malfoy was messing with her. He was twisting her words and using them against her. Anger boiled in Hermione's blood. They were just a few steps shy of the door when Malfoy spoke again.

"You didn't do anything for her, you did everything for you," Malfoy sneered.

Hermione pulled her arm away from Amelia, she stepped up to Malfoy and slapped him. Malfoy's head snapped to the side, an angry red coloring his pale cheek. "You don't know anything about me to judge me for the choices I made. I did everything I thought that was best for my child. Everything for her."

Hermione stormed out of the room. She roughly wiped at the tears that escaped her eyes.

In her haste to leave she didn't even notice that she had passed Theodore Nott, who had been privy to the whole thing.


Draco downed his third glass of Firewhiskey and stared out onto the cloudy aftrenoon sky. The drink burned his throat but calmed his racing heart. He had forgone lunch and went staright to the roof of their building, glass and Firewhiskey at hand. His empty stomach hastened the effects of the liquore and he felt himself getting lightheaded.

The deposition he had set up for Granger was supposed to be an easy victory. No muss, no fuss. He was just supposed to make Granger look like all her decisions were based for selfish reasons. And if she yelled at him or something equally destructive to her image, then he could say she was emotionally unstable as well.

Unfortunately, he underestimated one thing.

A mother's love.

Her last words still lingered in his brain.

Everything for her.

An image of his mother entered his head. He shook his head and tried to clear it but a memory still surfaced and played before his eyes.

It was their first night here in France. They had just finished everything they needed to do in London and now they were finally free. He saw his mother in the garden of their new home, her home. She was casting spells on the bushes and roses bloomed. Her mother always did love flowers. She grew them herself back at the Manor.

Draco felt a pang of guilt. He had been the reason they had to leave. He had been the reason her mother left everything behind. She had already redeemed herself in the people's eyes. She had saved the Hero. She had risked her life to save the Champion and her son. She had done everything for him. Even abandon her old life for him.

Draco heard his mother gasp and saw her craddling her hand. He approached her and saw that she had pricked her hand at on of the thorns of the roses. He pulled out his handkerchief and wrapped it around her finger. His mother smiled gratefully at him and resumed her task.

"Why do you still grow them, Mother? They've hurt you, why risk getting hurt again?" Draco couldn't help but ask. He wasn't talking about the roses anymore.

Without looking at him, her mother answered. "Because, Draco, I love them. Because when you love someone, you know getting hurt is worth it. Because you don't give up that person that you love." His mother looked at him, her crystal blue eyes full of emotion and love. She gave him one of her beautiful smiles. The one that reminded you that there was still good and beauty in the world. Draco couldn't help himself. He hugged her mum.

"I'm sorry, Mother. I'm sorry for everything. You're wrong, Mother, I'm not worth getting hurt for, I'm not worth your love. I'm not worth anything." Draco sobbed in his mother's arms. Letting all of his anguish, pain and anger out. He cried until he had no more tears left while his mother held him. Stroking his back and making soft shushing noises. When Draco felt himself calm down, his mother grasped his arms and pulled away from him. She looked deep into his grey eyes.

"Don't you ever say that, Draco Lucius Malfoy, do not ever say that. You are worth every bit of love in the world. You are worth everything to me. You are my son, my whole life. Don't you ever say you're not worth anything. Never. I would give my life for you, my everything for you. Everything for you." She pulled him into a hug. "I love you, my son."

Everything for you.

Everything for her.

"You know I could hex you right now and you wouldn't feel a thing."

Draco turned around and saw Theo walking toward him. He conjured another glass and filled both with the bronze liquid. Draco offered it to his friend, Theo gladly accepted.

"Firewhiskey in the afternoon? Your appetite will be ruined, Draco," Theo mock-chastised after taking his first drink.

"You sound like my mother." Draco thought of the many times Narcissa had chastised him about eating desert before dinner when he was younger. Then added as an afterthought, "They're so confusing."

"Mothers?" Theo asked and Draco nodded his head.

"Draco Malfoy? Confused?," Theo snorted. "Voldi-no-nose must be hugging muggles right now."

"Them. And love too." Draco took another drink of Firewhiskey.

Theo stared at Draco thoughtfully for a moment.

"Aren't we all?"


A/N: You guys deserve an explanation and the most simple explanation I can give is that life caught up and was very demanding of me. I am so sorry. :'(

Forgive me? :)

Please Review!