Chapter 14

"You realise what you're asking of us, Malfoy?" Harry spoke up finally, heaving a huge sigh as he looked at the determined couple sitting opposite him. "You really think Ethan will be fine settling in with me and Ginny instantly? And that we're ready for a child?"

"Aren't we?" Ginny piped up immediately, causing Harry to groan and rake his fingers through his hair.

"No, look, you know what I meant-

"-Hermione, of course we'll help," Ginny interrupted flatly, reaching over to squeeze Hermione's hand in assurance. "I think it's an excellent idea. Come on, let's go upstairs and see where we could possibly put him."

"W-What?" Harry spluttered as they stood up, starting to rise but sitting back down again with a swift plonk when Ginny glared at him. "Ginny-

"-Be right back," Ginny interrupted firmly before taking Hermione's hand and pulling her out of the door, Malfoy's eyes meeting Hermione's as she did so before he was forced to look around and back at Harry.

The two men regarded each other silently, Harry's narrowed eyes causing Malfoy to cough and shift uncomfortably in his chair, opening his mouth to speak but closing it again when Harry raised an eyebrow at him. Malfoy stared down at his knotted hands before coughing again and raising his head to speak to Harry.

"Look, Potter. Help us out here."

"It's interesting," Harry said carefully, his eyes still narrowed as they stared upon Malfoy. "To hear you refer to you and Hermione as 'us'."

"Potter, just take him in."

"Who says I wouldn't?"

"You look like you're about to Avada yourself."

"Well, I'm not."

"Whatever," Malfoy couldn't help but smirk at him before he yawned. "Looks like your wife made up your mind for you anyway."

"Malfoy, this isn't funny. This is a child."

"I know that, I'm not daft. Surely you can just look after him for a month or so, Potter. Then we'll remove him if it doesn't work out. But I want Ethan to be with a couple Hermione can trust."

Harry sighed. "You act like it's so simple."

"Maybe because it is?"

"Well, it isn't."

"Yes it is."

"No… it isn't."

"Potter, shut your mouth, I'm getting a headache."

"This is my house! I can talk as much as I want!"

"Ooh, scary stuff."

Harry stood up to which Malfoy immediately mimicked his actions, both men squaring up to one another, their jaws set tight.

"What exactly are you trying to do here, Malfoy?" Harry clenched his teeth, his fist tightly wrapped around his wand. "Why do you want me to take care of this child for you and then insist on being a fucking twat-

"-I should've known the great Potter was all talk and no action," Malfoy sneered- the resemblance on his face so true to the one he had owned in his teenager years. "You can't even fucking do this for your own best friend-

"-It's not that I don't want to help, Malfoy! But you're asking us to adopt a child."

"Harry."

Both men turned to spot Ginny at the door, her eyes bright as she gazed over at her husband, an incomprehensible expression on her face as she did so. Hermione was standing just behind her, a frown on her face. She moved past Ginny and taking Harry's hands in her own.

"I understand it's too much, Harry. You don't have to do this. It's a lot to ask for. Come on, Draco."

"No, wait Hermione, I didn't…mean…" Harry broke off from his sentence in bewilderment when she only raised an eyebrow, whilst Malfoy cracked a grin and gave Hermione a swift wink.

"Right, let's go." He said smugly at Hermione, causing Harry to stare at them open-mouthed.

"Wait! Hang on! I-

"-You can pick him up as soon as I send you a letter saying you're able to, Potter. We'll contact authorities but they're so desperate for a place for him they'll accept the proposition." Malfoy informed him smoothly, hiding another grin as Ginny started to giggle. She kissed Harry's cheek whilst he carried on blinking confusedly before Malfoy murmured something to Hermione and both apparated from the apartment. Harry looked over at Ginny, who gave him a grin.

"What just happened?"

"You gave away that you want to help Hermione and adopt Ethan."

"I…did?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

"This will be your bedroom," Ginny told the little boy as she pushed open the door, revealing a cheerful sunny yellow room, a comfortable small bed under the window and nothing else but a decent sized wardrobe and a chest of drawers.

"We haven't had time to improve on it," Ginny apologized, but Ethan only peered around at the bedroom, a small smile rising on his lips.

"I like it," He decided, his thumb falling from its original place in-between his lips, his fluffy giraffe toy swinging gently from his other hand. Hermione glanced towards Ginny, practically beaming. She could not have hoped for anything better. Harry and Ginny were quite natural when it came to children- despite Harry's panicked looks towards Ginny, he was already quite fond of Ethan. Malfoy's hand squeezed Hermione's waist, signaling that they should leave.

"Ethan," Hermione bent down to hug the little boy and kiss his cheek, stroking his soft, feathery hair gently. "You need to promise you'll behave yourself."

"I promise, Miss Hermine." He wrapped his arms around her neck and squeezed her tightly as he buried his head into her neck. "Will you visit?"

"Of course. You'll be alright, won't you?"

He nodded before yawning, cueing Ginny to announce that it was probably time for Ethan to go to bed. Harry ushered Hermione and Malfoy out into the hallway, closing the door behind him as Ginny tucked Ethan into bed.

"Gone better than I thought," Harry finally said, a smile stretching out onto his face. Hermione only hugged him tightly in reply and he held her tightly, ignoring how Malfoy's eyes rolled upwards at the gesture. Harry loosened his grip and kissed her cheek. "You should go home. He'll be fine. I promise."

Hermione nodded before turning to Malfoy, who took her hand and gently tugged her backwards and into his chest, enveloping her in his warmth before they both apparated out.

A week had passed, and Hermione was satisfied with how Ethan had adjusted. Ginny had constantly grinned at Hermione and whispered to her of how Harry brought home books for Ethan, merely passing them off as things he happened to 'come across'. They had a focus in their life now, as strange as sudden as it was, and both were extremely happy. Hermione felt herself taken aback at how fine she was with it, finally understanding that Malfoy knew her well enough to know that if Ethan was happy: she was happy.

She now sat in her living room, content to be having an afternoon off as she read her book, 'A Close Study Of The Wizarding Legends'. She heard the door open quietly and those familiar footsteps drifting closer to her.

"Hermione."

She turned her head in mute reply, her attention still heavily focused in her book. A warm hand rested on her shoulder, making her lift her head properly to meet Draco's eyes and take in his exhausted expression.

"You okay?" She asked with concern as she put down her book, nuzzling her nose into his hand and kissing it gently. He sighed, both with tiredness and admiration for her kind gesture, before he moved to sit next to her on the sofa.

"My father wants to meet you."

Hermione's eyes widened as her mouth dropped open, failing to say anything. Malfoy shifted uncomfortably as he watched her carefully, trying to assess her thoughts but finding himself unable to say anything himself.

Finally, she attempted to speak.

"I suppose," She started slowly, thinking carefully of what to say. "That meeting your father is a necessity."

Malfoy let out a sigh of relief again as he took her hand, squeezing it gently. "Are you sure?" He asked, biting his lip slightly. She only smiled at him in assurance, nodding her head firmly and inhaling to take a deep breath.

"I'm sure."

He smiled at her apologetically. "Thanks. Anyway, on a brighter note, I was wondering if you'd want to look at this cottage I found for sale."

Her eyes brightened instantly at his words, a smile rising on her lips. "You found a cottage for sale?" She repeated happily.

"That's what I said. Shall we?" He offered her his arm, suppressing a chuckle when she weaved her hand into the crook of his elbow eagerly before they both stood to leave.

"It's beautiful! But it's not a cottage, Draco."

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he peered around the place. "It isn't?"

"It's a bungalow," Hermione explained, but her smile only widened as she added: "But I love it."

"Really?" His cheeks tinged a soft pink colour in appreciation as he watched her walk around the large kitchen. "I... like it too." He admitted quietly.

"A very fine property," The estate agent chipped in right on cue, her voice clipped with excitement at the happy couple, knowing she would clinch a deal. "Extensive grounds, beautiful large rooms and the family who own this place have extended it in some areas."

"And a pool I believe?" Malfoy asked, his eyes trained on Hermione as he watched her movements and appreciated how in awe she was. He had to admit, it was a beautiful property. It was classic, elegant and certainly large enough for the two of them. Hermione turned her head at Malfoy's last question, her eyes widening. A pool? She adored swimming.

"Yes, in the lodge out in the garden. Would you like to see it?"

"I think so," Malfoy answered knowingly as he weaved his arm around Hermione's waist before they all proceeded to walk outside, Hermione's small gasps of delight at the views spurring him on to never stop smiling. Upon seeing the rest of the property, he knew they wouldn't need to even think of it. Turning to Hermione, he raised an eyebrow at her, causing her to hit his arm.

"Of course I'm going to say yes. It's beyond amazing."

He only smirked, turning to nod at the estate agent. As she gathered the necessary papers, he bent to whisper into her ear: "I've already planned all the places I can defile you in, Granger. There are many."

With a small gasp and red-stained cheeks to show her embarrassment, he only received another punch to his arm as her reply.

The next day, their conversation wasn't heavily focused on sexual implications as they always were. Both Hermione and Malfoy were not feeling confident of meeting Lucius Malfoy for dinner. Malfoy was dreading to find out just what his father had to say to Hermione, or to himself. Especially after the discovery that his father had had sex with his ex-fiancée, Malfoy had thought Lucius would want to remain clear of the couple.

Hermione, on the other hand, was not just curious to hear what he had to say, but weary that he even wanted to be in the same room as her due to their past history not being very pleasant. However, both were prepared- Hermione had made an effort tonight, determined not to give Lucius another reason to disapprove of her.

Yet even Malfoy's kiss on her cheek and encouraging murmur, claiming that she looked beautiful, did not help her. She sighed as she lifted a pair of earrings, pondering on which pair to put on.

"Wear those ones," Malfoy's voice stirred her out of her thoughts, forcing her back to the World as he nibbled gently at her lobe. "They match your eyes."

"Are you nervous?" Hermione mumbled but obliged him, slipping in the earrings as he moved away from her to slip on his dress robes.

"Yes." He admitted quietly, pocketing his wand before looking over at her. "But that's nothing new. Shall we go?"

She resisted the urge to groan, looking desperately at him once more before heaving a huge sigh and taking his offered hand.

"So… how long have you two been intimate with one another?"

Malfoy choked on his soup, eventually calming down when Hermione discreetly rubbed his back. His eyes were watering and he took a long sip of his wine before carefully deciding to speak.

"Er...A few months now, father."

"It's very soon to be thinking of moving in together."

"Well, when you know, you know." Malfoy replied coolly, feeling Hermione's fingers brush against his knuckles and immediately lacing their hands together, hidden underneath the table.

"Indeed," Lucius said politely, a too-big smile on his face. "So. Miss Granger, you work with my son?"

"No, we only report to each other." Hermione answered briefly. This was by far the most awkward of conversations she had ever had- if you could even call it a conversation. The room was filled with an uncomfortable silence again, and she felt Malfoy squeeze her hand tighter before letting go, allowing his fingertips to lightly dance up her bare thigh as he continued to eat.

"Ah," Lucius reached for a slice of baguette, his eyes upon her. "And you're a Healer?"

"Yes."

"Ah."

She tried not to sigh, instead choosing to think of something to say herself, but failing. Malfoy, however, took his cue.

"Tell me," Malfoy put down his spoon to smile charmingly at his father. "How is Pansy these days?"

Lucius did not flinch; he was too well trained in manners and decorum for that. Instead, he merely continued to munch discreetly on his baguette and swallow it, wiping his mouth with a napkin before choosing to answer: "Fine, I suppose. I take it you have not talked to her?"

"Why would I want to speak to that whore?"

Hermione bit her lip, quickly sipping some water, aware of how the two men did not take their eyes off each other. There was another pause before Lucius answered.

"Whatever you are desirous to say, son, I suggest... that you say it."

"There's nothing." Malfoy's fingers now rested on Hermione's knee as he glared at his father. "I'm not the one that got my son's ex-fiancée pregnant and ignored his wife."

"Your mother has had everything provided for her. She chose her own path."

"Because of you!" Malfoy shot back, shaking off Hermione's hand and standing up, anger surging through him when Lucius only remained in his seat, staring up at him calmly. "She did it because you didn't- and still- don't treat her like your wife! Instead, you slept with Pansy, got her pregnant and now you have the nerve to call us here and pretend to be the doting father!"

"Pansy has got rid of the baby," Lucius told him unswervingly. "I have done everything for your mother, and it is none of your business. And I am not doting, merely enquiring of your lives. Now sit down, Draco, and don't cause a scene."

Fuming, Malfoy flung himself back down in his chair, crossing his arms as he glared across at his father. Hermione placed her hand on his leg and he felt himself calming down before placing his hand over hers in a silent effort to assure her he would try to maintain control of himself from now. However, when he glimpsed Lucius's small smirk as he sipped his wine, he felt something needle him.

"We're leaving," He announced, standing up and taking Hermione with him. "Goodbye father."

Lucius only looked down at his bowl, bored. "Don't you want to know why I invited you here?"

"You just said," Malfoy sneered, but was secretly intrigued. "You said you called us here to 'enquire about our lives'."

"I called you here," Lucius now stood to face them both, strongly arrogant. "Because I would like you both to marry each other."

Malfoy stared at his father, utterly taken aback. Hermione, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes as she bluntly asked: "Why on earth would you want that?"

It made no sense to her. Surely Lucius did not want his only son to 'tarnish' his reputation by marrying a muggleborn. This was beyond crazy. Lucius opened his mouth to speak, but not before Malfoy swiftly interrupted, finally comprehending. "To benefit himself." He said in a disgusted tone as he looked over at his father.

Lucius did not deny it, merely shrugging before seating himself back down. "Of course. As you might be aware, with your mother's recent scandal, the Malfoy name has ever more decreased. It is harder to maintain my businesses or my influence, even abroad. If you two married, it would be greatly beneficial to not just myself, but Draco too-

"-We're leaving," Malfoy cut in harshly, taking Hermione's hand again. "I won't listen to this-

"-Consider the benefits, Draco-

"-I'm not considering any fucking benefits. Stay out of this relationship: In fact, stay out of my life. Come on Hermione," At Hermione's nod, both of them stalked out of the room, leaving behind a very irritated man.

"The fucking nerve!"

"Calm down, Draco," Hermione soothed him, laying a hand on his arm. "He must of been pretty desperate."

"What the actual fuck though, Hermione! Seriously!" Draco thundered down the hallway, ripping off his blazer and tossing it on the sofa before throwing himself down upon it and raking his hand through his hair. "He wants me to marry you to benefit him! He's still the same old fucking selfish little-

"-Draco," Hermione sighed, only swooping to kiss his lips to silence him mid-sentence. "Will you please calm down-

Suddenly, their heads turned as they heard the familiar call of Draco's owl as it hurtled its way towards the couple, landing gracefully before them with a scroll clipped into its foot. Hermione released the scroll, frowning when she saw both of their names. She opened it, immediately recognizing the handwriting, and chose to read out loud.

"Hermione and Malfoy,

I need you both to come to the Ministry immediately. It's urgent. I'll explain when you get here- just come to my office and we can discuss what I need to say.

Do not talk to anyone else on your way here, do not reply to this letter and do not question this letter. Just move. Now.

Harry."

Draco looked up at Hermione, immediately starting to frown. What did Potter want so late in the day?

"This better be good, Potter," Malfoy said as he entered Harry's office with Hermione, swinging the door shut behind him with a lazy flick of his wand as he marched over to Harry's desk, sitting abruptly into a chair in front of it as Hermione mimicked his actions. Harry looked up exhaustedly at the pair, rubbing his temples.

"Harry?" Hermione called gently, registering how something was wrong. She reached over to take his hand, causing Malfoy to wince a little bit. He still wasn't used to how close they were. Even through Hogwarts, he had questioned how intimate they really were; But he trusted Hermione. "What's wrong?"

"Hermione is in danger." Harry told them abruptly, finally looking up to meet their gazes.

"Danger?" Malfoy asked sharply after a long pause, feeling his whole body slowly turn numb. "What do you mean she's in danger?"

"I received this, about two hours ago," Harry handed them a letter, squeezing Hermione's hand as Malfoy snatched the letter, his eyes darting manically as he read it. Hermione tried to look, but Malfoy had scrunched the letter in his fist, standing up to thrust it to the floor, trying to rein in his anger. "It's unsigned, but clearly expresses that harm will come to Hermione. Unusually, there is no alternative offer of what we could do to prevent this. But we have to take it seriously. After everything that's happened, it's not unlikely we shouldn't be worried. And… this isn't the first letter I have received."

"What the hell do you mean, Potter?" Malfoy swung around, his eyes ablaze with alarm. "How many more?"

"Malfoy…Look-

"How many more, Potter?"

Harry sighed, his eyes darting to swiftly meet Hermione's before looking back at Malfoy again. "Seven."

"When did these start?" Hermione asked, her voice still surprisingly quiet and calm. Harry bit his lip.

"Since Narcissa's arrest."

"How do you know it's serious?"

"Malfoy, these letters were detailed, graphic, everything that pointed towards a serious-

"-Then why the fuck did you not say anything Potter?"

"Because Hermione wasn't a priority case compared to everything else! You know I would've done everything I could to make it so, but that's just how this department runs. I had to keep quiet. I still watched over her... I had her..." Harry hesitated now as he looked over at Hermione. "Followed."

"What?" Hermione's mouth dropped open, fury raging through her. "You had an Auror follow me?"

"Just for precautious," Harry was now begging for them to listen to him, both of them angrily glaring at him now. "I only decided to tell you now because… well… along with the letter-

"What?" Malfoy spat, moving forwards threateningly. "What else is there? Tell me Potter!"

Harry bit his lip, before reaching into his drawer and pulling out some photographs. Malfoy and Hermione took them, looking over the glossy, moving pictures, both too stunned to speak. All of the photographs were of Hermione- Hermione at work, Hermione with Malfoy, Hermione alone. Everywhere: Anywhere. Malfoy's eyes snapped up to meet Harry's as he started to feel sick, forcing himself to sit back down before covering his eyes.

"I thought this was fucking over."

"Seems not," Harry murmured, taking the photos and storing them away again. "Hermione, we need to move you into a safe home."

"She's not going without me," Malfoy snapped, causing Hermione, despite all of her anxiety, to pause at his words and feel secretly comforted. She turned to Harry, raising an eyebrow at Malfoy's request. Slowly, Harry nodded.

"Very well. Malfoy, with your… abilities, I believe you'd be capable to stay with her. But I want to assign one of my own Auror's too."

"Fine," Malfoy barked, gritting his teeth as he turned away again.

"Where will I go?" Hermione asked, feeling overwhelmed. Malfoy, noticing her worried tone among all the chaos, turned to wind an arm around her waist and pull him to her comfortingly, almost in a protective manner. She gave him a small smile, trying to stop herself from shaking.

"Grimmauld Place." Harry said quietly, standing up whilst removing his wand. "We need to leave immediately."

A/N: I am an awful author. I really am. This chapter has been hovering for ages- I just had no time to finish it. I hope you aren't all angry at the contents of it either.

I had planned for Hermione to be in danger again as it is vital for the ending of this story that I am considering; nothing is finalized except that it is a strong possibility.

Few notes:

- I made a simple mistake that I completely forgot to change- Lucius is not in Azkaban, but I have rectified the mistake. I really do apologise for any confusion caused.

-Ethan, at his age, is of course very young to be reading. I do know this- but I do not imagine him as reading everything thoroughly. As a wizard, he is capable to reading better than muggles, but I think he only accesses important information. I know he's only a little 'un! So don't worry for that either!

- I absoloutely adore all of my reviewers. You keep me going and really do make me smile with your lovely reviews: so thank you. Shout out:

flower123, BellasBeingBad, CheshireCat23, Ulquishinee, Heather-Bether (Thank you for all your reviews!), HotWolfGirl, 27, Orange-Coyote, EmoPrincess21, nature love 95, Keke Koorime, All Hallows eve baby, Sarah Liz B, love-them-all10, Epixie

Sarah Liz- Of course I shall read your chapter- and did so. I thought it was (and I am not lying) an excellent piece of work. Your words flowed beautifully and you capture the minds of the characters so effortlessly. You really ought to think of writing a story for yourself: I think you'd be brilliant. I know you tried to interpret the author's style of writing, but that takes great writers themselves to do that, which you proved you were. The fact that yours was chosen proves it once again! Well done!

YOU ARE ALL ANGELS. Thank you so much!

Reviews are always appreciated. I expect a lot of shouting at *winces* but it cannot be helped. It has to be this way; it's how I planned it and need it to be. It's not at all because I cannot think of anything else, as some people probably would think. It's necessary to the plot and this story is coming to a close. Do drop by anything you would like me to do/include for a future story if you have an idea as I think I will write another.

I would also not mind having a beta. I have never had one before, but Heather-Bether pointed out that it would make my life easier, so I think I could try it... Leave me a message if you're interested.

Now review (pretty please)!