As he packed to go home for the Easter holidays, Draco was careful not to take anything that would indicate he knew he wouldn't be returning. The few things he didn't want to leave behind, if only for a short while, he packed in his bag, but most stuff he left in his room. He also made sure not to tidy his room too much, as again he didn't want it to look as though he'd been pre-empting his departure. Eventually he was satisfied he had everything he needed, and that his room looked as though he would be returning to it in a few short weeks.
"No chance of that," he muttered to himself as he threw his bag over his shoulder and departed the Head Dorms for the final time.
As it was the Easter holidays, there were fewer students to go home. At Christmas it was a rarity for students to stay on at Hogwarts, but at Easter it was usually pretty evenly split, with a decent portion of the school opting to remain up at Hogwarts to enjoy a couple of weeks free time. There was also a split among Draco's friends, and the only ones travelling back home for the holidays were Theo and Pansy.
With just the three of them, the trip home was quieter than usual, but it was still fun as they found plenty of ways to pass the time. Back in London, Draco said a cheery goodbye to his friends and looked around the platform for his mother. However, it Lucius he spotted waiting for him.
"Where's mother?" he asked with a frown after greeting his father. While Lucius regularly saw him off to Hogwarts in September and was often there when he returned at the end of the year, during the rest of the year it was always Narcissa who picked him up.
"At home," Lucius replied, fixing his stern gaze on Draco as a message not to ask more questions.
With an uneasy feeling starting to pool in his stomach, Draco refrained from asking more questions as his father whisked them home to the manor. Dropping his bag to the floor, knowing that one of the elves would take it up to his room, Draco turned to his father to question him about his mother when he heard Narcissa's voice calling his name. Spinning around he found his mother coming out of the living room, looking perfectly fine.
"Mother," Draco said, embracing Narcissa. "Are you okay? You weren't at the station."
"I am perfectly well, Draco," Narcissa assured him. "My absence was done for a reason."
"A reason that will be explained to you over dinner," Lucius interjected, knowing full well that his son would have further questions.
Biting down the questions, Draco looked around for any sign of Hermione, but was shocked when his girlfriend didn't appear. To be honest he'd been expecting her to have been anxiously awaiting his arrival. He'd certainly been looking forward to their reunion, and he'd hoped Hermione would feel the same.
"She's upstairs, resting," Narcissa said with a chuckle, knowing full well who Draco was looking for.
"Is she okay?" Draco checked.
"Hermione and the baby are both fine," Narcissa assured her son. "It's just tiring being pregnant."
Despite his mother's assurances, Draco felt he needed to see Hermione for himself, so he headed on up to his wing of the manor. Bypassing the room his mother had made up for Hermione, he headed to his own room. Entering his bedroom, his greeting died on his lips as he spotted Hermione lying asleep on his bed. Quietly he made his way over to the bed and leaning over Hermione he brushed a stray curl away from her forehead and dropped a kiss onto her cheek. Turning around, he intended to leave his girlfriend to her nap, but he'd clearly disturbed Hermione as she stirred, and her eyes fluttered open.
"Draco," she muttered sleepily.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," he apologised.
"It's okay, I hadn't meant to drift off, I was just resting," Hermione replied.
"How are you?" Draco asked, perching on the end of the bed and resting his hand on Hermione's growing middle. "And the little one?"
"Pleased to see you," Hermione replied, her hand joining Draco's on her stomach. "How's school been without me?"
"Boring," Draco chuckled. "I've spent most of my time showing Ravenclaw Patil how to be Head Girl."
"So Dumbledore replaced me," Hermione said softly. "At least Padma was a good choice."
"Yeah, she wasn't so bad," Draco replied. "And once she got the hang of things, she was more than eager to do more than her fair share of work."
"Meaning you've been dumping everything on her," Hermione laughed. "And how is everything else? How did our departure go down, and how are things now we've gone missing?"
"Once you and Potter had gone people's opinions began to change," Draco replied. "Suddenly all these people who had shunned you, thought it was terrible that you'd been driven out. And as for Weasley, he was acting as though you and Potter had betrayed him by leaving without telling him."
"Git," Hermione hissed. "And how about recently?"
"Most of what I know, is because of Severus," Draco explained. "Dumbledore has never made any sort of announcement about you and Potter vanishing. As far as everyone is concerned, you're still wherever you went when you first left Hogwarts. However, Severus told me they have doubts over the letter your father had Black write. But they are puzzled by the lack of action from your father. They can't understand why he hasn't done anything if he has Potter or has killed him. They've also told Weasley, and he's spent the last few weeks wandering around like a lost soul."
"Trust him to make this about him," Hermione snorted as she sat up.
"And how have you been filling your time?" Draco asked his girlfriend as he gave her a hand getting out of bed. "Have you paid a visit to our guest in the dungeons?"
"No, I was waiting for you," Hermione replied as she tidied herself up for dinner. "I thought we could visit him together."
"Rub it in that the baby isn't his?" Draco suggested with an evil cackle.
"He should know that by now," Hermione said with a shrug. "Severus gave your father an antidote to the potion I gave him. His memories should now be of what really happened, which is him falling asleep. But I guess we'll find out when we go and see him."
"I don't suppose there's a rush to do that," Draco remarked. "Unless I'm being sent back to Hogwarts."
"Don't worry, you're home to stay," Hermione assured him. "No doubt you'll be informed of the plan over dinner."
"Does it have anything to do with the fact mother didn't pick me up from the station?"
"It might do," Hermione replied with a secretive smile as she headed into the bathroom.
Once Hermione had returned from the bathroom, they headed down to dinner. Draco wasn't at all surprised to find Hermione's parents were joining them for dinner. Jean was a regular visitor at the manor, and since his return, Voldemort himself had often dined with the family.
"How are you today, Hermione?" Voldemort asked his daughter, his eyes resting on her growing stomach.
"We're fine," Hermione answered with a smile.
"Good," Voldemort replied with a flicker of a smile, before he turned to Draco. "It's good to see you home, Draco. I have to admit, you and Hermione have handled these last few months perfectly. I am very happy with both of you."
"Thank you, My Lord," Draco replied, breathing a sigh of relief as it appeared both he and Hermione had earned Voldemort's forgiveness.
Over dinner it became clear that despite his initial misgivings, Voldemort was embracing the thought of becoming a grandfather. In fact most of the meal was spent with people looking forward to the new arrival. Narcissa and Jean were obviously excited at the prospect, and although Lucius joked he was far too young to become a grandfather, it was clear he was looking forward to the prospect.
"I suppose we should discuss the plan for you to stay at home," Voldemort said to Draco as they neared the end of their dessert.
"I would like that," Draco said.
"We are going to inform Dumbledore that your mother is unwell, and you refuse to go back to school until you know she is going to recover," Lucius explained. "I will visit Hogwarts to deliver the news and recover your belongings."
"And that's why you weren't there today," Draco said, looking towards his mother. "The act has already begun."
"I've missed a few engagements recently, so when word spreads I am unwell, it will be believable," Narcissa replied.
"But won't that confine you to the manor?" Draco checked with a frown.
"It'll be no hardship," Narcissa assured her son. "Besides, it will only be for a short time."
"Yes, Once I've dealt with Dumbledore, the whole truth will come out," Voldemort said.
"And when will that be?" Hermione asked.
"I was thinking of handling things after the Easter break," Voldemort replied. "But Severus informs me that the old man is driving himself mad trying to work out what's happened with Potter. As much as he wants to believe we have him, he is unsure because we have made no moves. The longer that goes on, the more doubts he has over what truly happened."
"He's beginning to wonder if Sirius's letter is genuine," Hermione said with a chuckle.
"He is, and I have to say, I am no real rush to end that torment for him," Voldemort chuckled. "So I think I might change my plans and wait until the end of the year as we'd originally planned. I was thinking I could deliver a rather spectacular end of the year to the students of Hogwarts."
"Could I be there?" Hermione asked.
"I suppose that depends on the baby," Voldemort answered. "You should have given birth by then. However, I did have a role for you in mind. I guess we've got time to sort out the details. But for now, let's leave Dumbledore to stew a bit longer."
Draco had been home for a few days when Hermione suggested they pay Harry a visit. She'd already gotten permission from Voldemort and Lucius that she could visit him whenever she wanted, and she'd had their assurances that he was in no position to hurt her. His magic had been dampened by a spell embedded into the bricks of the dungeon, and while he'd been given enough food to keep him alive, he hadn't been given enough for him to keep his strength up. And of course, given all that had happened, his spirit and heart had been broken. But just in case, Hermione and Draco both made sure they had their wands at the ready.
Harry was residing in a small, stone room in the depths of the dungeon. His room was basic with a small bed, and facilities to wash and go to the bathroom in the far corner of the room. Sconces on the wall provided the light, but when they weren't lit the room was in complete darkness. As it was day the sconces were automatically lit, meaning Hermione and Draco had no problems spotting Harry, who was lying listlessly on his small bed.
"Go away," he muttered, not even turning his head to see who his visitors were. After weeks of trying and fighting, he knew he was trapped and he had given up, well aware that death would be coming for him sooner or later.
"Is that anyway to treat an old friend?" Hermione asked with a pout.
"You are not an old friend," Harry spat, sitting up and glaring at Hermione. "You are a traitorous bitch. You've lied to me from the moment we met."
"I did," Hermione admitted as Draco summoned a chair so she could sit down. "If it makes you feel any better, I never intended to befriend you. All I wanted when I went to Hogwarts was to receive my education in peace. Truth be told, I never expected to end up in Gryffindor, and I never expected you to offer me the hand of friendship. But when you did, the opportunity was too good to miss."
"So it's my fault you betrayed me?" Harry scoffed.
"No, it's no-one's fault," Hermione replied. "We are who we are, Harry. We were born enemies, simply because of who my father is. It's never mattered how much I liked you, my love for my father was always going to win out. For me, family is everything."
"I wouldn't know about that, I have no family thanks to your father," Harry spat.
"I'm not interested in getting into a debate with you, Harry," Hermione said dismissively. "I don't care what my father has done in the past. He is my father, and I am loyal to him. I simply wanted you to know that this has never been personal."
"Of course it's personal, you stupid cow," Harry snapped, causing Draco to growl and warn him to watch his language. "We were friends, that was personal. You made me think we were having a baby together, that was personal."
"That was never about you, Potter," Draco snorted.
"Of course it was about me," Harry argued. "I was manipulated and lied to. I'm guessing you planted false memories in me somehow, as now I can remember going to sleep and nothing else, where before I could remember us spending the night together."
"It was a potion, and you've been given the antidote," Hermione explained. "But Draco is right, Harry, this plan was never about you."
"So it was never about me when you made me believe I was going to become a father? It was never about me when you promised me the family I've always wanted?" Harry scoffed.
"No, that was punishment for Draco and I," Hermione answered. "When my father first returned he'd intended to finish off the job and end the war, but I begged him to hold off. I knew just killing you and Dumbledore wouldn't end things, at least not straight away. I knew there would be months, even years of disruption, and I wanted to finish my education. I begged father to hold off with his plans, and he agreed to give me to the end of my seventh year. But then Draco and I messed up, and all his waiting was in vain. His plans were ruined because of us."
"So he chose to punish us," Draco continued. "He made us use our baby to manipulate you and get his hands on you. He punished us by forcing us to undertake an elaborate charade and spent time away from each other, when all we wanted was to be together. He wanted us to earn his forgiveness."
"That is pretty extreme," Harry remarked with a disbelieving shake of his head. "Why go to such lengths? You were in the perfect position, Hermione. I trusted you. You could have delivered me into any trap without half as much fuss."
"As Draco said, this ruse was about punishing us and having us prove ourselves," Hermione answered with a shrug. "You're right, I could have simply led you into a trap months ago and we could have spent these last months together, preparing for the birth of our child. But my father wasn't having it. He wanted to have his own fun."
"Although on the plus side, by the time he faces Dumbledore, the old man will be in such a mess he won't know what to believe," Draco chuckled.
"Dumbledore will know I've been taken," Harry insisted.
"Will he?" Hermione asked with a questioning tilt of her head. "Even when nothing has happened. Surely if my father had you, he would have done something by now. With each day that passes when my father does nothing, Dumbledore's doubts grow. Every day he's doubting you, Harry. Every day he's wondering if you have indeed run away. By the time he finds out the truth, he will have doubted you so much, that it will kill him to learn how he's let you down."
"I've had enough of your games," Harry muttered. "Just kill me now and get it over with."
"I don't think father is planning on killing you just yet," Hermione chuckled. "Not until Dumbledore knows how he has failed you. I would get comfortable if I were you, Harry, you're going to be here for some weeks yet."
Leaving Harry to stew over the fact his time in the dungeons wasn't close to been over, Hermione and Draco headed off to enjoy the rest of their day. In fact for the foreseeable future, they were going to put, Harry, Dumbledore and the war complete out of their heads. For now, all they were focused on was the remainder of Hermione's pregnancy and the forthcoming arrival of their child.