Chapter 20

Hermione rocked nervously in her chair. She was about to meet with the Matron of the adoption agency which Jamie belonged to. All she wanted to do is prove that she could be a suitable parent to him, but first she would have to get through the interview process.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Miss Granger," an older lady said as she came into the room and sat across from her and Draco. He had assured her that he would come with her for emotional support, and she was grateful for him doing so. "My name is Jane Hannigan. So what are you here about today?"

"That's alright," Hermione said, taking a deep breath. "Actually, I'm here about one of your children, Jamie Donnelly. I would like to adopt him."

"Jamie?" Jane said with a frown. "The one in the hospital?"

"Yes, him," Hermione said with a nod.

"May I ask why?" Jane said, as she pushed her glasses down her face to study Hermione. Her grey hair was tied up in a lose bun, and she was dressed in casual robes.

"I've gotten to know him quite well during his time in the hospital, and I want to provide him with the family that he deserves," Hermione told her.

"So you are aware of his condition then?" Jane asked her carefully. When Hermione nodded again, Jane couldn't help but deepen her frown. "Miss Granger, I must say, it is most rare for someone to adopt a child who doesn't have a high life expectancy. Jamie is dying, and if you were to adopt him, you wouldn't get to spend much of a life with him. It is highly likely that the rest of his life will be spent in the hospital. Are you sure you want to adopt someone who's going to die, when you can adopt a perfectly healthy child?"

"No. Adopting Jamie is something I wish to do," Hermione said firmly. "I have been working closely with his Healer, Dr. Malfoy, and I am completely aware of his medical conditions. I know that he could die, but I also know that there has been a break through, which increases his chances of living. Even if he were to pass away, I want him to go knowing that he had people who cared about him and loved him. Jamie deserves at least that much."

"Okay," Jane said softly. "I'm glad you seem to care so strongly for the boy, it shows that you'll be able to give him the love he needs. But I still need to ask you a few questions to see if you would be able to provide him the environment that he needs to grow up in."

"Of course," Hermione said with a smile. She hoped that she would be able to answer Jane's questions in a way that would satisfy her.

"What do you do for a living?" Jane asked her kindly.

"I'm a researcher with the Aurors," Hermione said in an attempt to simplify her job description.

"Will that leave enough time for you to raise a child? If Jamie left the hospital, would you be able to find a way to take care of him during the day?" Jane questioned.

"I only work during regular office hours. But if Jamie were to come home with me, then I would ask some close friends to watch him," She answered.

"Is there someone who could serve as a paternal figure?" Jane asked again.

"I'm seeing the gentleman beside me. He would be able to give Jamie what he needed in terms of a father," Hermione said, squeezing Draco's hand.

"And what if the two of you were to get serious enough to marry, would you accept Jamie as his own child?" Jane asked, addressing Draco.

"I would. While I'm his healer, I've also gotten to know him really well. If Hermione and I got married, then I would gladly accept him as my own son," Draco said, earning a smile from Hermione.

"I'll have to take a few days looking over your files," Jane started, "And on top of that, because Jamie is the child who lost his parents to the war, the Minister of Magic needs to approve the adoption."

"Thank you for time," Hermione said, as she stood up to leave. "I'll keep in contact with you about the adoption."

Draco took her hand and the two of then left the room.

When the apparated back to Hermione's flat, Draco turned to her.

"Hermione, there is something I need to tell you," Draco said, sounding ominous.

Hermione turned to him, feeling scared about what he would say, "What is it, Draco?"

"If the agency says that you need to have a father for Jamie, then I can't sign the papers, no matter how much I want to," Draco said, as he sat down on her sofa.

"Why not?" she asked, as she sat beside him.

"If I did, then I would not be able to be his healer. The hospital has a strict rule where Healers may not treat their own family members, because their emotions are compromised," Draco explained. "So as much as I want to, I need to be his Healer. No one else knows his case as well as I do, and if his treatment were transferred into someone else's care, they would most likely start from the beginning again, while only taking what I found into consideration."

"I understand, Draco," She said with a smile. "He needs you as his healer, so don't worry about it."

"With that said, I care about you a lot, Hermione," Draco said seriously. "I know we agreed to take everything slow, but I want you to know that I'm in this for the long haul. I want to one day marry you, and share my family with you. And if you want that too, then I want to adopt Jamie."

Her heart fluttered, "It scares me slightly," she admitted. "But I'm in this for the long haul too. I want to be with you for the rest of my life."

Draco leaned in, and placed a gentle kiss upon her lips. She cupped her right hand on his face, and drew him in deeper.

Unfortunately, they were interrupted by a peck on the window.

"Oh, there's an owl at my window," Hermione said, pulling away from Draco as she felt flustered.

She walked over, and let the owl in, who flew directly onto of her countertop and placed a letter onto it.

Hermione picked it up, and saw a Ministry seal on it, the letter addressed to her. She tore the envelope and pulled out the letter.

Hermione Granger,

You are cordially invited to the annual anniversary of the end of the war, hosted on May 2. You are welcome to bring a plus one. Please RSVP by this Friday if you are attending. The gala will be hosted at the new celebratory gala in the Ministry. The dress style is formal.

She read over the invitation, and handed it to Draco when he asked to see what it was.

"Would you go with me?" she asked him, as she sat back down beside him.

"I don't know," he said carefully. "It's a party for the war, for the side who won. And as much I would love to accompany you, I don't know if I deserve to go with you. After all, I was a Death Eater, and is it really right of me to go to something like that?"

She took his hand in hers, "If anything, it's more right because you were a Death Eater," she said softly. "Draco, you show that a person who had those views once upon a time is capable of changing them; you're dating a muggleborn after all. You need to stop blaming yourself for things you did as a teenager. You did it to save your mother. I want you there with me to show the community that we can be united, and that the winning the war benefitted more than the obvious population."

"Okay," he said, as he pressed his lips onto her hand. "I want to be there with you, and if you think it's alright for me to go, then I will."

"I also want you to be there because Ron will be," she admitted slowly. "I don't mean because I want to show him that I'm over him, because I am. But I'm kind of afraid that he would try something if you're not there, or imply that you got sick of me and dumped me. Where Ron Weasley goes, the publicity follows, and I don't really want any attention at the moment, not with everything going on."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and drew her body into his, "If he tries anything, then I'll hex his ass. He may be an attention seeking person, but you don't have to stand by it while he does so."

"I'm glad I have you in my life, Draco," she said tenderly. "It's weird, because we used to be two people who never got along, but I can't imagine my life without you anymore."

"Neither can I," he admitted. "You've become a person who I've come to depend on. Hermione, you've been more of a mother to Scorpius than his own ever was. You get along with my friends, and you continue to amaze me with how kind and generous you are. I love you."

She turned to face him as he said those three words. She had heard them so many times before, from her friends, her parents, from Ron; yet they never had the pure amount of devotion that Draco's words held.

"I love you too," she said without hesitation. The words felt right to say, and she knew she definitely felt that way for him.

Draco pulled her into a kiss, and she felt complete.

"Harry," Draco said, as he climbed out of the Potter's fireplace.

"Draco?" Harry asked, as he stood up from the armchair he was sitting in. He looked surprised to see him, which made sense, seeing that he just did drop by without any warning.

"Sorry to bother you, I just wanted to talk to you about something," Draco said softly. It was late, and he figured Ginny was probably asleep, and he didn't want to disturb her, seeing that she was pregnant.

"What is it? Is Hermione alright?" Harry asked, concerned.

"Yes," he said as Harry gestured for him to sit down. "It's not exactly her I want to talk about. It's her parents."

"What about them?" Harry frowned.

"I know how they chose not to listen to her but to stay in Australia. I was hoping you would give me their address, so I could talk to them," Draco explained.

"Why?" Harry questioned. "Has Hermione indicated that she wants you to do it?"

"No, but I can tell she misses them. We talked about it a bit the other day, and I wanted to help her find them. I thought if I explained what happened, given which side I was on, they would be slightly more understanding," Draco said as he took a deep breath. "I told her that I love her."

"Oh?" Harry raised his eyebrows.

"I do," Draco nodded. "And I want to do something for her. I want her to be able to have her parents in her life, and if I could convince her parents to come back, then I want to do that for her. She and Scorpius mean everything to me, and I would do anything for them."

"So why did you come to me?" Harry asked. "As much as I like you, aren't you closer with Zabini and Nott?"

"I actually wanted to ask you what their address was. I wanted to go see them, and I was hoping you would come with me, just because they know you," Draco said softly. "I know they didn't believe you two when you tried, I just want to show them the other side of it."

"On one condition," Harry said slowly. "If this doesn't work, and they refuse to come back, then we drop it, and don't tell Hermione. The last thing she needs is to know that their minds haven't changed over the last several years."

"Of course," Draco agreed. "I don't want to hurt her."

"If someone told me years ago that you were better for her than Ron was, I would have laughed," Harry shook his head. "But now, I'm glad she has you. Ron's lifestyle is not one that could have ever accommodated Hermione, yet you managed to fit together seamlessly."

"Thank you," Draco smiled. "I'll leave you be now. See you tomorrow?"

"See you then," Harry stood up, as he walked Draco over to his fireplace.

"Goodnight, Harry."

Draco stood outside the Granger's home in Australia, feeling slightly nervous. He wanted this to go well, and he didn't want for them to stay out of her life because of they were hurt.

Harry stepped forward and knocked on the door. They waited for less than a few minutes, before the door opened.

"Mr. Granger, I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Harry Potter," Harry took the lead. "I'm a friend of Hermione's."

"I know who you are," a middle aged man said gruffly. He didn't really resemble Hermione much, but from the pictures on her mantle, he knew she looked more like her mother. "What are you doing here?"

"I was hoping we could talk," Harry said politely. "Could we please come in."

Mr Granger frowned, but he opened his door to let them in. He took them to the sitting room and sat down at the armchair. Harry and Draco awkwardly sat down on the sofa.

"Robert, who's here?" a feminine voice called as she came into view. Draco could see Hermione in her mother, as they both had the same brunette wavy hair, and brown eyes.

"Jean, you remember Harry, Hermione's friend," Robert Granger said, as his wife sat down in a chair beside her husband. "Sorry, I didn't quite catch your name," Robert said, addressing him.

"Draco Malfoy, Mr. Granger. Pleasure to meet you," He said politely.

"Where have I heard that name before?" Jean wondered.

"I went to school with your daughter," Draco said, not sure why they knew of him. If Hermione had told her parents about him, it couldn't have been anything nice.

"You were the one who called her names," Jean said with a displeased look. "Why are you here?"

"For Hermione," Draco explained. "She needs you in her life."

"Did she send you?" Robert asked. "What, is she too good to even come down and talk to us herself now?"

Draco opened her mouth in shock, "No, sir, she doesn't know we're here."

"Then why are you here?" Jean inquired. "We're perfectly happy with our lives."

"But Hermione isn't. I'm seeing your daughter, and I can tell that she needs you. She would never flat out say it, but she misses you, and it kills her that she no longer has you in her life," Draco said.

"Then she shouldn't have tried to act more mature than she was. Hermione's flaw is that she always thinks she's more responsible than she is. She doesn't comprehend that just because we don't have magic that we couldn't take care of ourselves," Robert said stubbornly.

"October 17, 1997," Draco said softly. "I don't know what you know about me, but I am a pureblood, one of the purest there are. That means my family has no drops of muggle blood at all. My father was high up in Voldemort's ranks, the wizard Hermione was trying to save you from. But he failed Voldemort, and because of that, he wanted to punish my father. He made me a Death Eater, and the horrors I've seen cannot even compare to what Hermione described to you. I saw people be tortured until they begged for death. I saw them die screaming for mercy. Why? Because they were muggles. I saw people so badly and brutally damaged for that reason, with more of their inner organs on the outside than in their own bodies."

"October 17, 1997 was the date Voldemort decided that the two of you needed to be brought as hostages. Why? Because he wanted Hermione to come to him, knowing that Harry Potter would follow. He wouldn't have let you go though, he would have simply killed you in front of her, then killed her for being a muggleborn. A crew of Death Eaters went to your house, but nobody was there. They tore apart the place, trying to find some clue of you. They tortured the people in your neighbourhood, as well as your business associates. But no one knew a single thing, so he killed the Death Eaters who he sent after you," Draco paused. "If Hermione hadn't sent you away, you would have been dead. She was not exaggerating. She might have just been taking precautions, but it was bloody brilliant of her"

"Harry Potter is the only reason the wizarding world hasn't fallen to chaos. And if it did, rest assured your world would have as well. If Voldemort took over, he would have killed every last muggle. But he survived, because he had Hermione by his side, helping him every step of the way," Draco said.

"And believe me when I say I would have died without her," Harry joined him. He had been sitting, listening to everything Draco had said up until this point.

"But you're only children," Jean whispered. "There's no way you could have endured that much at such a young age."

"Our childhoods ended the minute Voldemort came back, all of ours," Draco stated. "I had to grow up because he was staying in our home. Harry grew up because he needed to save the world, and Hermione grew up because she needed to save Harry. We didn't get normal childhoods."

"But why didn't Hermione tell us that there was an actual hit out for us?" Robert inquired.

"She didn't know. I haven't told her. She knows about my past and that I was forced to join up because otherwise my mother would have been killed. But she doesn't know what I've had to endure or see. We've all faced our own horrors, and the last thing I want is for her to know that you were meant to die."

"My poor baby," Jean cried into her hands. "I didn't know! I didn't know."

"I never should have let her go to that school," Robert said firmly. "That would have protected her."

"Are you serious?" Draco asked in anger. "Did you not listen to what I just said? Hermione would never have found herself as well as she just did without going to Hogwarts. Did you know she runs her own branch at the Ministry of Magic? That she catches criminals by being smarter than them and doing all the research so people like Harry can get them? Did you know that she is the smartest person of her age, and probably in the entire Ministry of Magic? Did you know that she is stronger than anyone I've ever known? Hermione Granger would never have been happy in your world because she never would have been able to find her place. She's brilliant, yet you have no bloody idea just how much. But she would never ask for you to come back, because she thinks you hate her for trying to save you."

"We have to go see her, Robert," Jean murmured. "We've been so wrong, assuming she was telling tales just because we wouldn't have known better."

"Yes," Robert said. "It's time for us to go back to England."