Chapter 12

"I need to see Harry," Hermione huffed, as her adrenaline seeped out of her while she walked long strides towards the atrium, preparing to enter muggle London.

Draco caught at Hermione's elbow before she could sweep around and disapparated, leaving him behind. He pulled her to face him, shaking her slightly. "Can we please talk about what just happened, please?"

"What's there to say?" she shrugged, avoiding his gaze so as not to start crying. "Ronald slept with someone else, and thought marrying me would make it okay. I'm mad, but firstly I want to confront Harry because if he had any idea about Ronald and that tramp then I want to know about it."

Draco sighed and let her go, taking her hand instead and entering the lift. Before they knew it they were standing outside a block of town houses Draco had never seen before which clearly had to be muggle London. He looked closely around himself, noticing the private park behind him and the irregular town houses before him. He raised his eyebrows at his favourite witch questioningly, and she just grinned, before walking him forwards a little. Before he could understand what was happening, the ground began to shake and the houses before him split apart, revealing number 12 Grimmauld place.

His mouth hung open as he looked at the appearing building. "This is where Potter lives?"

Hermione nodded happily, but turned back to the house uncomfortably. This house had a lot of memories for her. It was where she fell asleep next to Ron for the first time. It marked the true beginning of her adventures last year. She took a shaky step forward, and rang the serpent doorknocker. "Myself and Ginny are the secret keepers for the Fidelius Charm, and we alone can show someone the existence of it. You won't believe how it looks inside; Harry has transformed it."

She reached for Draco's fingers and waited a few moments until the door slowly creaked open.

"Hermione! I am so glad it's you. I'd feared some reporter had gotten hold of the secret and come to harass me but come in," he grinned, opening the door wider while he refixed the positioning of his glasses upon his nose. "Malfoy, fancy welcoming you into my house of all places."

"Nice house you have Potter," Draco muttered in reply, stepping over the threshold. He entered into the hallway that seemed to never end. The walls and flooring had been recently renovated Draco surmised. It was what he would call modern yet cosy. The walls were a white washed brick, and the floors covered in a dark wood. Down the centre of the hall was a rug that brought warmth, and the walls had clusters of still and moving photos alike with faces of what must be Harry's loved ones smiling back at him. His eyes found Snape's cold eyes first, but they were the eyes of his youth as he stood posing with a woman who had Potter's eyes. The trio walked down the hall before entering through a nicely polished door into a long narrow kitchen, leaving the Malfoy heir no time to question it.

Hermione pulled Harry into a hug so tight that the blood rushed to his head. "I have a lot to tell you," she mumbled. She let go, and her hands dropped as she walked over to the stove and began heating a kettle, comfortable in her surroundings. She took a deep breath and faced the two men, who were sitting down at the long table that had been varnished. "I will not be marrying Ron. Not now, not ever."

Harry lowered his hands from beneath his chin slowly, eyebrows furrowing in thought.

"I found out something about him, and I wanted to know if you knew… It's not the reason I had decided not to marry him but it certainly has helped make the decision easier," she said slowly. "Ron was cheating on me, and had been doing so for months. He justified his proposal in the sense that it would earn his forgiveness if we got married…"

Harry sat quietly processing what Hermione had just told him, as the kettle began to whistle. She began to pour the team as the grandfather clock chimed, signalling 11 o'clock. "Our Ron, Ronald Weasley the guy who loves the world's worst quidditch team did this to you?"

Hermione and Draco nodded. Hermione passed out their drinks taking a seat beside Draco at the table. They pressed their knees together secretly. It was their secret to keep.

"I didn't know, Hermione," Harry pleaded, truth leaking out of him as he leaned over and gave her hand a squeeze. He leaned back and looked over at the clock again, before slowly rolling up the sleeves of his shirt. "Teddy is coming over for a play date in a couple minutes. I don't want to rush you out, and you're welcome to stay, but I do have to look after him."

He stood, and stepped over to the fireplace as a fire green in colour began to glow, and Andromeda Tonks stepped out, a toddler fidgeting on her hip. Harry scooped up the green haired child, and leaned over to give the woman a kiss on the cheek.

"Are you sure you don't mind having him this week, Harry?" she asked nervously, bouncing front foot to foot. "I know how busy you must be…"

"It's no problem," he smiled, cooing at the little man. "Plus, Hermione and Draco would be keen for a play today I think."

The pair looked over at the young adults at the table. Draco looked up quickly at his name, but cast down his eyes immediately as he noticed his only remaining aunt looking at him. "Draco?" Andromeda gasped, disbelief crossing her face.

He looked up slowly, before standing and politely crossing the room to her, extending his hand out. "Aunty Andy," he said stiffly, shaking her hand. He had not been permitted to talk to her since the Christmas he was ten.

She reached out fondly and cupped his face. "Look at you. You look so much like your mother."

He avoided her gaze, settling instead his attention on Teddy. "So this is my little cousin?"

Teddy looked up at the platinum haired man, and smiled as he met another person for the first time. His hair quickly changed colour, becoming the exact same shade as Draco's.

"Yes, this is Teddy, my only Grandchild."A tear slipped down the middle-aged woman's face. "My only grandchild and only nephew in the same room…"

Hermione chose this moment to slowly walk over to the group, reaching over she grinned at the baby as she planted a soft kiss on his brow. "He has gotten so big."

She then gave Mrs Tonks a peck on the cheek. "Harry, I would love to stay, but Draco and I have to get going," the young witch said, placing a hand on Draco's arm. "I have some inches left to my herbology essay I need to do."

The men shook hands, and Hermione waved goodbye as they went back to the hallway, disappearing down the corridor and out onto the street. She interlocked her fingers with Draco's, and turned on the spot, disappearing into oblivion and to a world that knew she was engaged to Ronald Weasley, but was holding hands with Draco. Little did she know that life was about to change forever.

A/N: sorry it's so short, and a bit of a filler chapter. I've been so swamped because my parents recently moved states and left me behind with my brothers to take care of the house. I've been unwell too, but I am going on a 2 week holiday and hopefully I'll be able to take some time to write. So here's a small taste until I upload this weekend!