Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and characters belong to JK Rowling. I own nothing.

Draco Pov:

"And there he is in the flesh ladies and gents, the famous Draco Malfoy!" Blaise calls loudly from across the room. Oh bloody hell, he's already partially sloshed. Well he and the others have been here at the pub for a while, and I only just got here after finishing up the paperwork for my last case. I've had too many long days in the past week and I desperately need this night out with the guys.

"Settle down! You're going to get us kicked out and I haven't even had a damn drink yet" I say grabbing a seat next to him and ordering a firewhiskey. It's Friday night and I'm here with Blaise, Potter, Nott, and Goyle at the Green Dragon and am letting lose. I haven't been able to do this in so long what with having to take care of Scorp and all. Don't get me wrong I love my son more than anything else, but it's nice to be able to have a drink with friends and not have to worry about what we say in front of little ears.

"Don't get your knickers in a twist mate, the party just started! Hey!" he shouts rudely to the maid behind the bar who glares at him, "Another round of shots for us! Put it on his tab" he says jabbing his thumb at me. She huffs, then turns around to get our order. "Bloody bint's been giving me the evil eyes ever since we got here. Don't know what her problem is" he grumbles in what he thinks is a whisper, but I'm sure half the pub heard him.

"Maybe it has to do with the fact that you immediately came in ranting about how women were 'infuriating twats' and 'fucking cockteases' or how you've been criticizing her service nonstop" Theo says throwing a smirk at him while Potter and Goyle chuckle. Have I missed something? Blaise loves women. Well loves seducing them that is.

He scowls at them and takes another drink. Maybe someone should be monitoring him. The drunker he gets, the louder and more obnoxious things spew from his mouth. "Well it's true! They're all crazy, the whole lot of 'em."

"What's the matter Blaise? Your charms don't work on one, so you decide to give them all up?" Potter taunts. "I certainly hope you won't be turning to blokes now." Nott and Goyle laugh loudly and Blaise flips Potter the bird.

Seeing my confused look, Potter finally fills me in. "We investigated a case today and had to call in a curse breaker so they sent us Bill Weasley. Afterwards, he invited us to his place for lunch and his wife's little sister Gabrielle was there. Blaise immediately tried to put the moves on her, but she ignored all of his advances. He then tried to step it up and suggested something crude to her, and she slapped him." Nott and Goyle laugh even more than before and this time I join in. I don't think I've ever heard of a girl rejecting Blaise and he won't be living this down anytime soon.

He glares at all of us. "I was not being crude! I was being completely serious when I asked her if she wanted to go for a ride on my big black motorcycle! She's the one who took it the wrong way!" This sends us into more hysterical fits of laughter. By knowing Blaise all my life, I can tell from the words he chose he knew exactly what he was asking and meant the more sexual nature of the comment. Although he has taken up with flying motorcycles ever since Potter bought one in remembrance of his godfather. Never one to be shown up, he had to have one too.

"Whatever. At least I'm not whipped like the lot of you. Bet you all had to ask your women if you could come out tonight, huh?" he sneers at us. Potter and Goyle quiet after that and Nott scoffs.

"Actually no, not really" I say taking a sip of my drink. I'd mentioned it to Hermione just in casual conversation this week and she was the one who suggested I go. I asked her if she was certain, and she agreed saying I deserved a break and to stay out as late as I wanted. Scorp is currently over at her place and will probably stay the night. He loves his Mione. He's not the only one…

"Call me crazy, but it sounds like the two of you are getting pretty serious" Nott says looking over at me. The others all shoot me curious looks and I think I should tell them.

"Well, yeah we are. I really care about her. She's not like any of the other women I've ever met and I can see a future with her. She already treats Scorp like her own, and she's absolutely brilliant" I say. I know that had to sound really sappy, but I honestly don't care.

"Malfoy, are you…are you in love with her?" Potter asks and the whole table leans in closer so as not to miss my answer.

I think about his question. Was I in love with Hermione? I couldn't picture myself with anyone else, and had come to expect her presence around my home as well as me and my son. I loved her laugh, I loved her smile, and I just loved being around her. I realize then what my answer is. A slow smile spreads across my face and I nod. "Yes… I am."

As I predicted, Blaise got us kicked out of the bar a good hour and a half later for shouting obscenities at the barmaid when she cut him off. He was completely plastered and both Potter and I had to get him home and in bed. Being the good friend that I am, I left a glass of water and a hangover cure potion on his bedside table. Clearly he wasn't taking Gabrielle's rejection well.

Glancing down at my pocket watch, I see that it's only nine thirty. Scorp will have been asleep for a while now, but I don't feel like going home. I decide to pay them a visit and just talk with Hermione. I don't plan on telling her that I love her just yet. I want the moment and mood to be just right and somehow I don't think she'd appreciate it if I said it after a night drinking with the boys.

I floo over to her apartment and see her sitting at her table with a glass of tea and a book. She looks up when I come in and gives me a smile. "Back so soon? I figured you'd be out a lot longer. And I didn't think you'd be coming by."

I come over and lean down for a kiss, then sit down beside her. "Blaise cut our night short by offending the barmaid. He was trying to nurse his wounded ego with nearly a barrel of firewhiskey." I tell her the story Potter told me and we share a laugh again.

"Fleur had told me her little sister was coming in. She's very prim and proper so I'm sure what he said mortified her" she comments.

"So how was your and Scorp's night?" I ask.

"Wonderful. We had macaroni and cheese for dinner, and then watched a movie on the telly before he fell asleep." She'd explained all about the telly the first time Scorp and I came to her apartment. He was absolutely fascinated by the muggle contraption, and I'll admit I was very intrigued.

We share a glass of tea and a few more stories about our day before I notice that it's nearly midnight. Time seems to absolutely fly when I'm with her. "Well, I suppose I should let you get your rest. You have a big day tomorrow" I say giving her a smile. "Are you nervous?"

She nods. "Yes, I've been thinking about it all week. And the fact that you still won't tell me who took on my project has my nerves shot" she says giving me a pointed look.

I grin. "I want it to be a surprise. You have nothing to worry about, I promise. You're going to do great at your proposal tomorrow." Checking the time again, I say "Well I should probably go."

"No, wait" she says putting her hand on my arm to hault my movements. "It's really pointless for you to floo back home since Scorpious is here for the night and you'd be all alone. Why don't you just stay over?"

We haven't taken our relationship to the next level yet, although I seriously want to. At work this week I pulled her into a storage closet after another win at my trial, and we heavily made out. So caught up in the moment, I began to massage her breasts through her blouse and she in turn pushed her body up against mine and let her hands wander down dangerously close to my crotch area. The moment was cut short when a janitor happened to open that particular closet for supplies. It was pretty embarrassing. I haven't slept with anyone since I started pursuing Hermione, and I've been incredibly randy because of it. But I want our first time together to be special, and with two prominent careers and a kid, not a lot of opportunities present themselves. I know I won't be getting any action tonight, but I will be getting to sleep next to her and at this moment I'll take whatever I can get.

"Sure. That sounds great." That night, I sleep more peacefully than I have in years. I hold Hermione in my arms, and she has Scorpious pulled up close to her chest. We looked like the perfect family and I feel like my life is truly complete.

We're awoken that next morning by Scorp jumping in between us and showering us in hugs and kisses. He didn't expect to find me here with them, but seems overjoyed. We eat breakfast and play with him all morning until it's time to get ready for Hermione's meeting. We leave her to get ready, and then Scorp and I floo home to change after I tell her we'll come back to escort her in about an hour.

Getting ready myself only takes about ten minutes. I won't technically be at the meeting, but I'll be in the vicinity. Scorpious is a different story. He's extremely hyperactive and I'm starting to regret letting him have those four cookies after lunch. While bathing him, he couldn't sit still and ended up sloshing water all over the bathroom floor and walls. Then he decided that he didn't want to wear the clothes I picked out for him which led to a chase all over our home. It took me threatening to not let him see Hermione again before he finally calmed down. Anything to do with her seems to have that affect on him.

He was so happy when I told him Hermione and I were seeing each other, though I don't think he quite understood what that meant. But when he realized he got to see her more, it thrilled him. Now it's been three months and life with her has become permanent routine. We couldn't go back to the way things were if we tried.

We floo back over to pick her up right on time, but as I call out for her I don't see or hear her anywhere. She didn't know where we were going, so she couldn't have gone on ahead. I walk through the kitchen and see her standing in the yard through the window. She's got her wand out and is inspecting all around. Had she seen something?

I go outside and call out to her. "Hermione?" She whips around to face me, but puts her wand in the pocket of her skirt. "Is something wrong?" I ask.

"I…thought I felt a shift in my wards…strange…" She has a confused look on her face and that worries me a little. She must have sensed this and says, "Don't worry it had to have been a squirrel or something. I'm sure it's nothing." I'm nod but am not entirely convinced. For her to have felt a shift in the wards, surely that meant it was a human presence, right? It would know the difference between us and animals. Maybe it was a reporter. Those buggars have been following us around anytime we go out, and they've probably been trying to track her down and see where she lives.

"Come on, we're going to be late if we don't get a move on" she says taking my hand and leading me back into the flat. I scoop Scorpious up, step into the fireplace with her and call out, "Malfoy Manor!" The dizzying sensation sets in as we spin around and around in the green flames before we finally land in one of the sitting rooms.

Brushing off the soot from her blouse and skirt, she turns to me very confused and says, "Draco, what are we doing at the Manor? I thought we were meeting with the group who wants to take on my proposal?"

"We are" I say and grin at her still confounded look. I don't say anything else and simply take her hand and lead her to one of the more elegant sitting rooms where mother, Andromeda, Kingsley, and Teddy are waiting. When we arrive, Scorpious immediately runs over and mother engulfs him in a hug. Looking down at Hermione, she seems shocked as she finally puts the pieces together. Turning to the other occupants of the room, I say "May I present to you Ms. Hermione Granger, the planner behind this brilliant project you've decided to take on."

Mother and Andromeda greet her warmly, but try to maintain the business prospect of the meeting. Dory is called to bring in afternoon tea and while the four of them converse, I take Scorp and Teddy outside to throw a quaffle back and forth. Hermione had relaxed once she got over her initial shock that it was my mother and aunt who were going to fund and carry out her project, and I'm sure she's doing an amazing job of explaining it in more thorough detail.

Back at the beginning of our relationship, we were sitting on her couch just talking and I asked her how she was liking her job so far. She told me that she was losing interest in it quickly and wanted to do something else. At first I thought that it was because of the men treating her like a piece of meat, but she said she felt like she had another calling in the education field.

"You mean like a professor? Do you want to teach at Hogwarts?" I asked.

"Well, no not exactly" she answered. "I've had this idea for a while now and I think it could really help the wizarding world."

This sounded interesting. "Go on" I encouraged.

"Well you see, kids like Harry and I had absolutely no clue that we were magical. We didn't enter the wizarding world until we were eleven, and that put us at a disadvantage from the children like yourself who have been in it their whole life" she began.

I gave her my infamous smirk. "You didn't seem to be at a disadvantage. In fact, you rose to the challenge and became the smartest witch to ever walk the halls of Hogwarts."

She blushed at my words. I loved how easy it was to make her do that, but she knew what I said was true. "Yes, well I've always been rather studious and felt the need to prove my worth over and over again. But to others, it presents a challenge. Not to mention that when they display magical abilities in the muggle world by accident, they're often labeled as strange or freaks and feel like an outcast. I think if the ministry were to approach them sooner and inform them of what they are, it would help tremendously with their transition from the muggle world into the magical one."

I considered her words. She had a point, and I hadn't ever thought about how hard it must be for those who haven't grown up around magic. Ever since the war and all the lives that had been lost, the number of muggleborn witches and wizards had increased greatly. By the time Scorpious entered Hogwarts, they were probably going to make up around half of the school. "Okay, I see your point, but even if they are approached and told what they are from an earlier age, how exactly does that help them? It's not like their muggle parents can teach them anything about our world and most magical children are homeschooled until they're ready to go off to Hogwarts or any other wizarding school."

"That's the other part to my idea" she told me. "For centuries children have stayed home and learned all about their magic and abilities from their parents, mostly their mothers. If both parents are magical, then the child usually doesn't know anything about what it's like for a child who comes from an entirely muggle background and it creates a barrier in friendships between them. So what if they met each other when younger, and went to Hogwarts having already established a relationship of some sort?"

I didn't quite follow what she was saying, but she continued. "What if there was a place for young wizards and witches to go? A school for the children. It would be like Hogwarts, except you wouldn't have to send them off and not see them until breaks. You take them to school in the morning and they learn about magic and maybe even a few basic spells or how to control their outbursts, and then you pick them up at the end of the day. You still get to see them and continue to teach them in your own way, and they have the weekends off to stay home with you. While there, pureblooded children meet half blooded and muggleborn children, and it becomes easier to accept the differences because none of that matters to a child. They would be able to make more friends than just knowing the kids of their parent's friends, and it would be easier and further them along in their social skills. Not to mention the fact that since their mothers have a place to send them, they could be encouraged to work outside of the home and bring in more income to their families. It's like killing two birds with one stone" she finishes, although she later had to explain that muggle saying to me as I was thinking something entirely different than what she meant by it. There was a fire in her eyes throughout her whole speech and I could tell this idea really meant something to her. And after hearing her explanation, I had to admit it was ingenious.

She watched me in anticipation to see what I thought. Slowly, I nodded and gave her a smile. "Hermione, that is absolutely brilliant. And it's such a simple approach to try and completely eradicate prejudices from our world all together. How did you come up with it?"

"It's the way things are done in the muggle world actually. I was very surprised when I found out how different it's done here" she said. "But I don't know how others would take it, and it's just something I think about to pass time. It probably won't happen anyway" she sighed.

This was too big to just pass up. As a parent and someone who grew up with the teaching that anyone less than a pure wasn't good enough to be in our world, I didn't want my child to grow up thinking that way. I wanted Scorpious to judge based on quality and character of a person, not their blood. I spent the next few weeks convincing her of how great her idea was and was glad when she finally took my advice and presented it to Kingsley. I'd already decided I was going to find a way to make it happen for her and for my son, and remembered how mother and Andromeda were still looking for a project to fund. When I went to my meeting with Kingsley and he told me how she presented it, I told him to immediately tell the board of education and I knew just the people who would fund the project. Kingsley caught on quick to who I had in mind, and set up the meeting with them for today. Mother had been taking care of some business in France with her clothing line after Christmas, and was finally able to set up the meeting with Hermione today after being back for a couple of days. I'd already spoken to her and Andromeda about her idea and they immediately decided to take it, but allowed it to be presented the formal way which is why Hermione is in a meeting with them now.

A little while later the boys are playing with some toys in my old room, and I'm in the study looking over some of the deeds to our properties in other countries. It's been a while since I took a vacation, and I'm thinking of taking one with Scorp and Hermione soon. I look up as the door open to see Hermione looking at me with a beautiful smile gracing her features. She runs into my arms and we snog for a good fifteen minutes as she thanks me over and over again for setting this up and making one of her dreams come true. I take it the meeting went well then. I know this school idea of hers will go off without a hitch because of mother's background and social standing in society. She's both a Black and a Malfoy, from two of the oldest and most well known rich pureblooded families in wizarding history, and if mother supports something then all other pureblooded families will follow like sheep. I tell her she deserves it and so much more as I bask in the feeling of her in my arms. I've never in my life been this happy.

The next few weeks Hermione, mother, Andromeda, and Kingsley work diligently to procure an area for the school to be built, set up press conferences to let the world know of what is to take place and encourage them to send their kids there, and begin contacting constructers, architects, and designers to make blueprint plans and begin construction. Potter throws in his support to encourage half bloods to accept the idea as well, and states at one press conference that he will be sending James and all his future children to this school and me saying Scorpious will definitely be attending. Everything is going smoothly, but there's still one problem. I talk about it with Potter a few days later.

"Come in, I'm just looking over the notes on some cases that have been reported" he tells me after I knock on his door.

"Anything serious?" I ask.

He takes off his glasses and rubs his face. "One of the chasers for the Chudley Cannons disappeared without a trace a few days ago. I thought maybe he was just out on a vacation or something at first. He's a pretty big partier, but the coach and his teammates say he's never missed a practice and is always prepared for games. So for him to just randomly not show up creates a lot of suspicion. Also recently, there have been a few women that disappeared and no one knows where they could be. It's like they vanished into thin air. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I have this gut feeling that somehow all these cases are related."

I think about what he says. "You mean you think it's one or multiple kidnappers working together taking all these people? None of them have anything in common except for the fact that they've all mysteriously disappeared. How can you be sure that they all tie into each other?"

He sighs. "I can't. But I also can't shake this feeling and my instincts have been right before. However, to solve these cases I can't just rely on feelings I get. I have to consider it from all angles." I nod and we contemplate about them for a few minutes. "Did you need something?" he asks after a period of silence.

"I don't know what else to do about Hermione" I confess. He waves his hand motioning for me to elaborate. "Everything between us is going great and I love her, even though I haven't said it yet, but I'm not entirely sure she trusts me still. I've tried showing her how much I care for her by giving her gifts, using my influence to get her project started, allowing her to pretty much take over the mothering role in my son's life, and even saying in conversations that she can tell me anything and everything. But she still hasn't said anything about past relationships and who hurt her. What am I doing wrong?"

He thinks about what I've said, then speaks. "You're not doing anything wrong mate, believe me. I don't think the problem is that she doesn't trust you; I think the problem is that she's scared of how this will affect your relationship. After she told Ginny and I about it, I haven't heard her mention it ever again. She needs to tell you, and I'll try and talk to her to get her to open up more."

I nod and we converse for a few more minutes before I decide to let him get back to work. My cases are finished for the day, even though it's only one, so I decide to floo home and see Scorpious. It hasn't been just the two of us in a while, so I take full advantage of this opportunity.

He comes down from his nap about thirty minutes after I come home, and we play outside with his pygmy puff Tobias. It's an easy creature to look after since it doesn't require much, but has gotten into this habit of nestling itself in the pockets of your trousers or shirts. Anytime people come over now, they have to empty their pockets before they leave to make sure the green ball of fluff hasn't settled in there. Scorp freaked out once after Blaise came for a visit and we couldn't find it. A few minutes later Blaise felt it stirring around in his front pants pocket, and we learned of its new favorite hiding spots. Scorp has so much energy and is really quite fast for a three year old. He definitely keeps me in shape. A little while later we head inside for a snack.

"Daddy?" he asks around a mouthful of oranges.

"Yes buddy?" I say giving him my full attention.

He swallows and then looks me in the eye. "Can Mione be my mommy now?"

I pause as I consider what he's asking. I wanted him to have a mother and had already agreed with Potter, Blaise, and my own mother that Hermione was perfect for that role. I mean she practically is one without the official title.

"You and Mione kiss and hold hands like James' mommy does to Uncle Harry" he continues. "And she reads me stories, and plays with me, and tucks me in like his mommy does. And she even tells me she loves me! She does everything she's supposed to, so can she be my mommy?"

She does do all those things for him, and so much more. I know it's only been a short period of time, but maybe it's time to make our family official. My side of the family already loves her and thinks of her as one of us. I'd taken Scorp to meet her parents after they moved back last week, and we all got along great. I've already told my friends and mother and Andromeda that I was in love with her, so it was only right that we make this family that we've formed complete.

"You know buddy, maybe she can be. We'll have to wait a little while, but that sounds like a good idea" I say kissing the top of his head. He smiles and we continue eating our snack.

I realize I want this with Hermione just as much as he does. But in order for this to work, we have to know everything about each other. I'm starting to get a little impatient, and decide that I'm just going to have to sit her down and outright ask about what happened to her. Whatever it was, it definitely affected her confidence in herself even though she's still a strong woman. I'll do my best to build her back up, but I need to know exactly what kind of damage was inflicted. I have to know- no scratch that, I need to know, otherwise this won't work out. And I need this to work out because I'm completely head over heels in love with her.

AN: I haven't read the Harry Potter books in a while, but I don't ever recall there being mentions of what magical kids do before they go off to Hogwarts. I remember how I used to think it was unfair how muggle born kids didn't know anything about the magical world until they were practically preteens, and by then it would have been really hard to fit in at school because they don't know anything about their abilities. So that's how I got the idea for Hermione to want to start a school for young witches and wizards. I hope that part made sense. Ok, I promise that Ron will be making a further appearance and Hermione will tell Draco. I had to set up this chapter so that when they do find out it makes more sense, and I can proceed with portraying Ron in the way I want him to go. I know this chapter probably seemed like it had a lot of useless facts in it, but I put everything here for a reason, so pay attention to even the smallest details. It'll make more sense at the climax of the story. As always I appreciate your feedback!