Over the next couple of weeks Hermione did come back to life a little. She opened a book for one, something they were all glad to see. She fought with Draco daily as he made a point to hang out with the Weasley's if just to torment her. He still thought she was beautiful when she was angry.
The young witch was taking care of herself at least, though they all knew it was for the baby and no other reason. She had broken down to Molly who'd had a sneaking suspicion and sat the girl down one night over tea to talk about it after she'd first returned from the muggle world to attend Ron's wedding. Hermione had started crying and confirmed that she was indeed pregnant. Now she was showing quite a bit though all the weight was in her bludger shaped belly.
Draco walked outside of the burrow to find Hermione, having been elected by Harry and Ron to speak to her before being hugged and shoved out of the kitchen by the matriarch of the family.
He had an odd relationship with all of them, cordial with most of the Weasley's, practically adopted by Molly Weasley as she fussed over him, hugged him more in a visit than he'd been hugged in years previous and fed him like a king everytime he stepped foot in her kitchen, Ginny he found to be a very talented brilliant and fairly Slytherin minded individual and he found himself thinking fondly of her as he might have a sister. Ron and he still did not get along well but as long as they stuck to talking Quidditch they were fine, though he and Theo had become close and met for a good game of chess once a week while their wives went shopping or did women pre-baby things with Hermione. Harry had shockingly become his confident and closest friend, next to Blaise who had also been semi-adopted by the Weasley matriarch who was happily helping him with his adopted son.
"Mi?" He called spotting her sitting by the lake, her hand over her bludger sized bump as she hummed to the baby.
"What?" She snapped at him making him chuckle. She could be a little moody these days, especially with him.
Draco sighed and sat down, "For once, I'm not here to fight with you."
"Then why are you here Drake?" She demanded before sighing and rubbing her tummy gently again.
"To offer to marry you."
"What?" Hermione yelped in surprise.
"You told me you'd happy with me, that you loved me, maybe not like him but I would be good to you. I'd take care of you, both of you." He told her nodding to the bump
"We'd be miserable." He shook his head, "We'd kill each other."
Draco chuckled, "Maybe." His eyes softened. "We could be happy to though."
Hermione sighed and tears stung her eyes, "I miss him so much."
"I know."
"I'm not the same."
"I know that to."
"I hate being here, everything reminds me, its all…"
"I know."
"What do I do?"
"Leave."
Hermione licked her lips and shook her head, "I promised Harry I wouldn't disappear again."
"So don't disappear." He shrugged, "Listen, the way I see it, you can stay here and marry me and yes you will hurt for a long time but I think we could also be happy together or you can leave, try to move on, find another life and it will still hurt for a long time but you would be happy again. I promise you that. If you will just try to live again Mi, you would be happy again and you know that is what he would want. For you to be happy."
"I'm scared."
"I know." He nodded, "But you're a Gryffindor, hell you are the bloody Gryffindor. You can do this."
"Marry you?"
Draco nodded, "If that's what you think you want, the way you'd think you'd be happy then yes, marry me, I love you, maybe not like he did but we love each other and we could be happy, have a good life."
"But?"
"I think we've done everything we can to help you heal and will keep trying, I think that a part of me loved you a very long time but that you were right to choose him and while we could be happy its not what you need. I was never what you needed. I've tried to be and I know part of you hates me again and that's good because it just proves there is fight in you left. I would be so happy with you Mi and I would love you enough for the both of us but it might be better for you not to have us hovering, them coddling and me pushing. Go and find yourself Hermione. Find who you are, without Harry Potter or Kiril. Maybe it will lead you to love where you never expected it."
"Drake." Hermione sighed.
"Look, we've all talked a lot about this and we really feel its best. If you don't or it doesn't work out its ok, we can just get married and I'll help you raise the baby and I'd treat it like my own but we, all of us think you should at least try."
"Where would I go?"
"There's still a lot of pure bloods looking to marry a muggle born Mi, pick a country."
She chuckled and shook her head, "Right."
"To start with, Molly, Weasley not Zabini, wrote to Charlie. He's expecting you tomorrow and you can decide where to go from there."
"Charlie?"
Draco nodded and stood, stooping to kiss the top of her head, "Think about it Mi, for you and the baby, a fresh start."
"Right." Hermione nodded, her eyes glazed and her thoughts far away.
He sighed and went inside to tell everyone how it had gone, not that he really knew himself. The once open book witch was a mystery to them all. She was right, she wasn't the same witch, not the same witch at all.
