A/N: Hey! Ok, so a few weeks ago I got a message from a reader asking me to update again. And I apologize for taking so long, but before I hadn't really been sure if I wanted to continue writing this story or any other story. But I remembered that writing fanfiction keeps my creative juices flowing. Plus writing here, has helped me become a much better writer. I will try to update at least once a week. Hopefully. So thank you Lilith Jinx, i probably wouldn't have remembered that fanfiction made me a better writer if you hadn't messaged me asking me to update.

The Holidays

Hermione stared at her hands. How had it come to this? Why now? She looked at the plastic in her hands, the one that decided her fate. She hadn't wanted any of this to happen. She looked back down, her mind unable to comprehend everything. The first thing was to remember when this had happened. She tried to remember. A few months ago, maybe? She remembered parties with her friends, old school mates, work friends, office parties. The Holidays were always such a blur. With the whirl wind of activity she couldn't remember everything as clearly as she wanted to.

But as she thought harder, wracking her brain for some sort of memory it came back to her in pieces.

The drinks were intoxicating and the music loud. It was like every other party, with the loud talking and the dancing. With the whispered romances that would end in the morning and the mistakes of more drinks. Hermione smiled at Ron as she downed another drink, he chugged his own, watching a thin blonde walk by. Things had ended amicably between them over a year ago. Hermione had tried to make things work, she knew that everyone would expect the two of them to get together.

But the romance that they had wasn't enough for either of them. Ron wanted someone who was ready to settle, ready to start a family. And Hermione didn't even know if she wanted the family in the first place. And of course there were other reasons for the end of their relationship. But now they were friends again, and while Ron walked off to go talk up a small blonde girl, Hermione downed another and another drink.

She didn't love Ron, she wasn't sure if she had at one point or another. She wasn't drinking because of him. She was drinking because of the party. She hated parties. She hated the loud music and the close proximity to other people, and of course she hated the drunk men. They always were a bit too touchy for her tastes. She moved through the throbbing crowd, trying to find the door. She wasn't leaving. Not without Harry and Ginny. But she could at least go to get some fresh air.

As she made her way outside, she noticed someone else doing the same thing she was. Draco Malfoy stood, with his back to her, staring up at the stars. They worked together at the Ministry. They both interned with the Magical Defense department, and spent many hours together. For the last two years they had become well acquainted, and on some accounts could even call themselves friends.

The animosity between them had been forgiven and Hermione, after a while, could care less that he was Death Eater. She remembered what he had done during the war, the few times he had stood in the way of the Dark Lord taking over. She understood that there was something deeper than just the face he showed to everyone. She walked over beside him, to see what he was looking at. As she looked up at the stars, she could see why he would be watching them. They were beautiful. It was currently the dead of night, and somehow the stars were all out and they were beautiful.

A pale glow could be seen on the horizon in front of them, but morning was still a ways away. And the stars shone on, their light only made greater by the full moon watching over them. Hermione stared in shock at the beauty of the stars. In the city you don't see them as well as you should. The light pollution of the city hides most of the stars. But here, Hermione could see them all.

"It's almost like being back at Hogwarts, isn't it?" Draco said, he was looking down at Hermione. She looked back up at him, confused as to what he meant.

"At Hogwarts, the stars are just as bright and clear. I've never seen this sky anywhere else, but there." He said in explanation, his gaze returning to the stars. Hermione allowed her gaze to flick over his features quickly while he looked away. She hadn't noticed before, but he had grown quite a bit over the last two years. His features more angular than they had been, his eyes harder. But not colder, like his father's. No, Lucius' eyes felt like cold pools of ice water, while Draco had eyes that reminded you of an airy breeze. Hermione felt refreshed looking at them.

"Hermione, you should really stop staring. You're making me blush." Draco said without looking away from the stars. Hermione blushed and looked back at the stars.

"Sorry, you look like your father. But at the same time you're almost polar opposites." Hermione muttered as she recognized Orion in the sky. Now she could tell he was staring at her.

"Do you think I'm like my father?" It wasn't an accusation. It was a serious question. Hermione could hear the fear in his voice. He was scared that he was, scared that he would turn out cold and cruel, like his father.

"Not even close. You are nice, and kind, and I enjoy being around you. I consider you one of my friends. Trust me, it would be impossible at this point for you to be like your father." Hermione said looking back at him. For a while their eyes held. Her warm chestnuts, his cool silver, all the world silent around them as they watched each other.

What happened next, Hermione assumed was because of the alcohol. But there was more, the shared emotions between them, while magnified because of the alcohol was undeniable. They kissed without any restraint, and without any breathing. As they parted for breath, Draco whispered a question that Hermione couldn't say no to. Later she would say it was the alcohol that made her say yes, but in the moment she wanted to. As they disappeared from the party, Hermione wasn't thinking of her friends, or the next morning.

For the first time in her life, she was thinking of the moment right here and now.

Hermione walked into work, unsure of what to do. Should she talk to Draco? Or just deal with it on her own? She knew that she should confide in someone, who could help her make a decision about this. Hermione put her stuff down and started to get to her work, when she realized it needed to be now or never. She made her way down to the Department of International Communication. She looked all over the office for Ginny. When Hermione finally found her, she was nearly in tears.

"Ginny. I'm pregnant. I don't know what to do... Should I keep the baby? Should I give it up for adoption? Should I terminate the pregnancy?" Hermione asked, now completely crying. They had moved to the girl's restroom to talk, and Ginny was glad they had.

"Seriously? You're pregnant?" Ginny asked staring at her friend in shock.

"Yes."

"Who's the father?"

"Doesn't matter."

"How far along?"

"Three months nearly."

"I think you should keep it, then give it up for adoption. I'm personally against the whole terminating the pregnancy thing. The baby is already forming, as we speak, and it's a human being." Ginny said hugging her best friend close. "I also think you should at least tell the father that he's gonna have a kid. Just tell him that you're pregnant, but you're giving it up." Ginny whispered to Hermione. Hermione nodded, but she wasn't sure.

How was she going to tell Draco that she was pregnant. And how would he take it? It had been three months since that night at the party. She had been so busy that she hadn't really noticed her missing period. At first she thought it was just stress, but when her eating habits changed and her body began to shift ever so slightly, she thought she should at least check.

She said good bye to Ginny, and walked back to her desk, hoping she could get back to work. She blindly worked as she thought of the baby, and Draco. She felt a tap on her shoulder and saw Draco looking at her concerned.

"Hey Draco. What's going on?" She asked trying to come back from her thoughts.

"It's 5:30. Time to go home. I noticed you were still here, even though you finished like an hour ago. You don't look well. Here, I'll take you home." Draco said, holding his hand out to help her up.

"I feel fine, really. Don't worry about me." Hermione said, hoping to shake him off. She needed to talk to him about this, Ginny was at least right about that. But she couldn't do it. Not right now.

"Please, I insist. You've ignored me all day. I tried talking to you like twenty times, but you just stared off into the distance. Please, Hermione." Draco said, and Hermione immediately felt bad.

"I'm so sorry. I've been a bit distracted." Hermione said, her cheeks reddening.

"A bit? A bit would have shaken off quickly. You probably didn't even realize what time it was." Hermione smiled shamefully, staring at the ground.

"Ok. You're right. I've been extremely distracted. Can I talk to you about something?" Hermione asked, knowing what better time than the present. If she didn't say it now, she probably would never do it. She would chicken out.

"Of course."

"But you have to promise not to say anything to anyone else. Promise?"

"Promise."

Hermione nodded, and waited til they had apparated out of the Atrium to her apartment.

"I'm pregnant. I'm not keeping the baby. I'll give it up for adoption when it's born, but I thought you should at least know." Hermione said watching his grey eyes carefully.

"So does that mean its mine?" Draco asked, his expression hard to read.

"Yes. I guess we didn't really take the proper precautions."

"You're giving it up for adoption?"

"Yes. I can't raise a child on my own. And I'm not gonna force you to take responsibility of a life."

"I want to."

"What?"

"I want to take responsibility. I'll raise the kid. I'll take full responsibility."

"Draco, no. We're much too young, and I'll never allow you to raise a kid on your own."

"Then raise them with me. Hermione, we could do this. Please, what better home could we give them but our own?"

"Draco... I don't know. We're barely 20, we can't start a family!"

"Why not? We both get paid quite well, and we could sell one of our apartments and live in the others. My mother still has somethings from when I was a baby that we could reuse now." Draco argued, his eyes pleading and happy. Hermione had no idea he would react like this. Who would have known that Draco would have jumped at the thought of starting a family?

"What about us? We don't even like each other in that way." Hermione said, hoping to close the argument quickly.

"I was actually hoping to ask you out soon. I really enjoyed talking to you at that party. I also enjoyed what happened at my apartment, too. But I enjoy talking to you. I like you. I've liked you for almost a year now and I was hoping to get to know you better." Draco said, calming down a bit.

Hermione looked up at Draco, and again she saw the man she saw that night three months ago. She saw the kindness in his eyes, and knew that she would give in. She knew right then and there, she would always give in to Draco Malfoy. Hermione smiled as she realized she was going to have a child. And start a family with Draco Malfoy.

"Ok, but I'm not going to marry you until I want to, ok? I want us to marry because we love each other, not because we have to. You understand?" Hermione said narrowing her eyes at Draco. He nodded, his eyes ecstatic as he realized what she meant. She opened the door to her apartment and allowed him to follow her inside.

Oh yes, the holidays are always a blur. But Hermione, was slightly glad they were, because if they weren't, she wouldn't be having a child with Draco Malfoy.