"She's beautiful," Narcissa whispered, holding her rosy-cheeked granddaughter for the first time. The new grandma silently cried as she held the newborn close to her chest. She cried for Pansy, she cried for this angel who would have to grow without a mother's love, she cried for Draco's broken heart and she cried for herself. How would she fix the hole in their lives? How will she find the one who did this to them? Associating the Malfoy name to Death Eaters was the worst thing Lucius could've done to their family. Now he was dead and he had left them vulnerable to the evil that remained after Voldemort had deceased.

"Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione said softly. "We need to keep your baby girl here for a few more days to make sure she stays healthy."

"I don't think I want to leave her," the older woman said, placing a kiss on the infant's small forehead.

Hermione smiled, "I don't think I would want to leave her either. You can come back first thing morning tomorrow, if you'd like."

Narcissa nodded. Still, neither woman moved, each fixed deeply in their own thoughts.

"What did you name her?"

smiled sadly. "Pansy wanted to name her Alya Scarlett Malfoy," she said, her voice getting caught in her throat.

Hermione looked at the witch as if she had just spoken in pig Latin. Inside, she felt her stomach twist and knot. There was something about that name... something... that she just couldn't put her finger on... A close connection... but it just wasn't coming to her.

All of a sudden, a quick flash... of a photograph. The glimpse was too fast; her mind wasn't able to process it at such a speed.

Alya? Where had she heard that name from?

The screaming of a child snapped her out of her thoughts as she stared at the new born wailing in Narcissa's arms.

"A-alya?" Hermione coughed to clear the roughness of her voice. "That's a lovely name," she added quietly.

Hermione's subtlety at hiding her thoughts didn't go unnoticed.

"Is everything alright, dear? You're pale," noted, putting a caring hand on Hermione's shoulder.

"I-I am fine. L-lovely name," Hermione repeated in a whisper.

Narcissa stared at Hermione for a moment before placing Alya back into the hospital's crib. The crib was enchanted to work as an incubator.

"I better leave now. I've got to arrange the funeral..." Narcissa started, clearing her throat before continuing, "...service. Take care of yourself, Hermione." The elder witch advised as she hesitantly left Alya's room.

Hermione reluctantly walked towards Alya's crib. She wasn't wailing anymore and had quietly drifted back to sleep.

Hermione felt a strange numb throb in her heart that only coaxed her into stepping closer towards the light breathing movements of the petite sleeping body. Her mind wondering how such coincidences were possible; that there would even be one between... between... Malfoy's baby and something... whatever that was.. that her heart yearned.

Carefully and slowly, Hermione reached for Alya's tiny fingers. The moment their skin touched, Hermione pulled away abruptly as if she had been shocked. The place where her finger came into contact with Alya's soft skin, tingled. She was so incredibly confused as she waited for some kind of clue... a memory ... to tell her why she felt this way. She hated being in the dark like that. The young woman ran out of the room.

It had been a long night for everyone, especially Draco Malfoy. He had no one to talk to; his best friend was dead and she had left him with a daughter who relied on him for every one of her needs.

He had yet to meet his gray-eyed creation that his mother couldn't stop talking about... but the chances of him doing so were as slim as him being sorted into Gryffindor. There was no way he would be able to see her without breaking down - she was a constant reminder of Pansy.

Alya Scarlett Malfoy. She was named after a constellation, "Snake". It followed suit with his entire family - each of their names being related to stars. He had to admit, though, there was a charming ring to it. It came off powerful, but buried inside the tough shell, would always be Alya - daddy's little girl. That is, if he ever came to accept her and to be honest, she was the least of his worries.

He still needed to figure out how on earth he was going to find the Death Eater that cursed Pansy. Easier said than done, Malfoy thought bitterly. He was an auror, for crying out loud, so why was he having so much trouble creating a list of wizards in his mind? Because he had no bloody leads. He couldn't think of any death eaters other than himself and Blaise Zabini who had been let out of Azkaban without probation. Think, you stupid git, think. Well, it doesn't have to be a death eater... that was just the Ministry's assumption... Urgh. This was harder than he thought.

After the second wizard war, people had been brought into Azkaban by the dozens. Not just death eaters but innocent wizards who had merely supported Voldemort. Each of them were sentenced to time in Azkaban. Some were there for months, and others, a lifetime.

Draco was lucky that he only had to endure six months of prison before he was deemed "innocent". Even those six months haunted him to this day. He had wondered every passing moment, whether or not he'd be able to see light again. He was seen as no threat to the wizarding population and was let out with too much of a hassle.

"Draco?" a voice caught him off guard as he looked around to see who it belonged to.

"What are you doing still awake?" Draco asked when he saw his mother enter the room.

"Just finished visiting our newest Malfoy. She's doing well and she's got your eyes and hair," Narcissa said smiling. The witch sat down beside Draco and ruffled his hair.

"A sickle for your thoughts," she said softly.

For a moment, neither son or mother said a word. Slowly Draco turned his eyes towards his mother. His eyes revealing more than what words could say.

"Mother," he began. "What if I'm not a good father to Alya? I have to play the role of a mum and a dad, but what if I disappoint her? What if I can't bring the wizard who did this to justice? What if I'm lonely for the rest of my life? Why are there so many 'what if's' to deal with? " he said the last part quieter.

"Draco, life is full of them. Anything can go wrong at any time and there are billions of situations that we can dream of, but when it comes to raising your daughter, you'll always have me beside you. I don't want you to become like... Lucius. He cared for you, you know, he just couldn't express it. Don't ponder on life's unrealistic scenes, just keep moving forward. The thing that did curse Pansy... well, I know that you'll do your best to capture him. Why? Because you're Draco Malfoy; you just don't give up," Narcissa said with a grin.

The two Malfoy's sat in silence as they wondered how they would get through the hurricanes that were being thrown at them.