Chapter 4

"Where's Lilah?" Hermione asked when Draco arrived on time.

He looked around, patted his pockets, then sat down. "Darn, I knew I forgot something," he muttered. He laughed at the horrified expression on her face. "Relax. Every so often, when I'm desperate, my mother watches her. Luckily, she'll be in bed soon so my mother's window of opportunity for turning my child into a society witch is pretty small."

Hermione chuckled as she breathed a sigh of relief. "What if she wants to be one though?" she wondered. "What if galas and fancy dresses is the life she wants?"

Picking up a menu, he began to peruse the options. "I don't know," he replied. "I'd rather not raise a kid who thinks it's okay to look down on anyone because of blood status or wealth. I want Lilah to be the complete opposite of me when I was a child. There's more to life than my parents' world, and I want her to experience that. Honestly, I think that's where you come in."

Her brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Draco shrugged. "We were polar opposites as children," he explained. "Sure, we were both smart and stubborn, but our upbringings were completely different. My life was parties and fancy food and parents who gave me whatever I wanted so I'd stay out of the way. You, however, had loving parents who taught you good morals and probably even hugged you. That's the kind of parent I want to be, but I don't always know how."

"They were very touchy-feely," she confirmed. "Besides, I've seen you with her. You love your daughter, Draco. And so long as you remember not to take any more diapering shortcuts, I think she's going to be fine. All you really need me for is to watch her while you're at work."

He shook his head, but said nothing when Pansy arrived at their table. She smirked, pen poised over her pad, as she looked at him. "He looks nothing like Weasley," Pansy decided. "Did you polyjuice him, Hermione? Finally got tired at looking at that mug of his? Because I was too. Draco Malfoy is a slight improvement. Though I would have gone with Zabini or Oliver Wood."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "No, he really is Malfoy," she said. "And he's paying, so you might want to be nice. I hear he tips well."

Finally regaining his composure, Draco asked, "What's Pansy doing here?"

"Working," Pansy replied. "I find money is great for keeping the electricity going. Also, I don't know if you've seen Hermione eat, but she really goes through it. Our grocery bills are astronomical. Anyhow, what can you get you?"

They placed their orders and waited for Pansy to walk away. "She seems...different," he commented.

Hermione shrugged. "She grew up," was her only response.

Draco nodded. "There's been a lot of that happening around here," he commented. "She seemed happy though. She's happy, right?"

"Really happy," Hermione assured him. "Happy but wary of your intentions. Um, but that's not important right now. You said in your note that you wanted to discuss the terms of employment."

Confused though he was, Draco nodded. "Right, so I'm usually at work by nine, home sometime after six," he told her. "I would need you at the house by eight. Lilah's always up hours before that, but I usually start getting ready around that time so it might be nice to have someone keep an eye on her. She's also getting to that stage where she cries every time I leave her, but I'm sure you'll be a worthy distraction. Now, you don't have to cook dinner or clean the house. Normally I pick up something on the way home anyway."

Hermione frowned. "You get takeaway every night?" she asked. Draco confirmed with a nod of his head. "Look, I'm not the best cook, but if you wanted me to, I could make dinner. I promise it won't detract from my time with Lilah, if that's what you're worried about."

"That's not what I'm worried about," he assured her with a gentle laugh. "I just can't cook. It's something I should work on though. She's probably going to want to eat when she gets older. I mean, I feed her now, but you know something beyond baby food."

"Just leave dinner to me," she told him. "So, there was something Pansy said to me earlier, and I sort of can't get it out of my mind. You don't expect me to move in at any point, right?"

Draco shrugged. "I hadn't thought about it," he replied. "I assumed you would live your place, wherever that is, and Lilah and I would stay at our home. Yes, there are some nights when I might have to go away for business and I'll need someone to stay with Lilah, but those are rare."

"Seems reasonable," Hermione agreed. "And you know I would watch her even if you weren't working."

With a smile, he nodded. "I really appreciate that," he replied. "I don't usually spend a lot of time away from home though. At least, not anymore. I just like being home with Lilah whenever I can."

"That's not a bad thing," Hermione said.

Draco shrugged as their salads arrived. "I know that," he said. "Maybe it's just guilt."

Hermione looked up, brows furrowed in confusion. "Guilt about what?"

Realizing his error, he focused on the food in front of him. It was too soon to tell her, and so he didn't. "Just, you know, not wanting to be my father," he replied. "He was never around, and I don't want my daughter to grow up that way. So, I tend to feel a bit guilty whenever I have to leave her. Merlin, you should have heard her cry when I left tonight."

"You could have brought her with you," Hermione suggested. "She's so well behaved, I'm sure no one would have noticed."

"Yeah, but then you would have been too distracted to listen to me," he joked.

Hermione smirked. "Then you probably shouldn't have offered to feed me," she retorted. "I find food just as distracting as babies."

"Good to know," he murmured. "So, anyhow, back to the job. We're meeting in mu...London, so I guess I'm wondering if there's an easier way to reach you."

She nodded and pushed her plate away. "All the usual ways," she replied. "We're connected. I'm easily accessible."

"Good, good," he mumbled. "And your place? Do you think it would be safe for Lilah? I don't anticipate needing to bring her to you, but just in case."

"Our flat is safe. The Weasley kids are over all the time," she assured him. "No one has ever been hurt on my watch. Well, they have, but it was never my flat's fault."

Draco chuckled. "Damn Weasleys." But he immediately stopped and adopted a more serious tone as he apologized.

With a wave of her hand, Hermione dismissed it. "I promise I took no offense. Some of them, not all, but some of them can be a bit irksome from time to time," she replied.

"What about watching them though?" he wondered. "If you take this job, then you won't have time for them."

Hermione frowned having assumed she had already accepted the job. "Draco, don't worry about them," she advised. "I promised you I'd take care of Lilah, and that's what I intend to do."