Chapter 9

It was not the first time that he came home to an empty house, so Draco thought nothing of it. But after a week of complete silence from her, he began to worry. His in-laws assured him that she was not with them. Inquiries to the Potter and the various Weasley households also drew blanks. Giauzar would return after a successful delivery without bringing any reply. And the Department of International Magical Cooperation could only tell him that she had requested a month-long leave of absence for unspecified reasons.

Draco began to panic.

He frequented all her usual haunts. He harassed Ginny. He pleaded with the Grangers that he was sorry for anything he had done to upset her. He wheedled his Mother. They all denied any knowledge of Hermione's whereabouts and showed alarm for her safety - it wasn't like her to disappear without a word to anyone - assuring him they would inform him if she contacted them. Now desperate, he asked Pansy, on the off-chance. Pansy's tongue-lashing left him so dejected that Dean, who walked him to the door, gave him an encouraging pat and whispered that Hermione was also good friends with Luna.

"Luna's right. Your transformation reminds me of the story of the man who brought a piece of rock to the Chinese emperor, insisting that it contained the most beautiful piece of yellow jade. No one believed him, and he was executed for being a liar. However, it was discovered later on that he was right. The exposed jade is now on display in the National Museum in Taipei, uncarved, which is a pity because the man could've created a masterpiece like the Moses with the horns and imperfect knee - hey! I never made that connection before! I must write it down..."

Draco stared after his retreating back, dazed and dumbfounded. He was brought out of his stupor by Luna's dreamy voice,

"When Alicia gets mad at him, Neville says he's able to make her smile again by breeding a new species of her favourite flower."

"Oh yes," said the busily scribbling Linus. "My great-grandfather Fink-Nottle often got cheered up by finding a new species of newt to study." He shuddered, "Of course, I can't stand those creepy-crawlies. I grew up with downy woodpeckers and blue jays, so I prefer studying birds; no reptiles for me."

"Linus doesn't mean that you should try to breed a new species of bird to impress Hermione, of course, unless it's to improve upon her Canary Hex, but that's just silly because she already does it so well. But I guess you could always try to find something unusual that she does like, as a peace offering."

"She already has a first edition of Hogwarts:, A History, and two months ago, I found a copy of the original Magical Hieroglyphs and Logograms, complete with the author's own marginal notes for his revised edition, though he never got around to it because he died of dragon pox. But what's the use of buying her gifts when I don't even know where she is?"

"True, but if she comes home unexpectedly and says she's not mad at you anymore, you'll at least have the gift ready."

"I suppose. I'm just worried that she got into some sort of trouble and is unable to find any way of telling me."

"You do care about her, more than you realized."

"Yeah. I don't want to even consider a life without her."

"Linus says Muggles have the saying, 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder', though of what, I don't know."

"I told you, it depends on the person! For me, it's the candy-corn that the Great Pumpkin gives to all the good children on Hallowe'en."

"I remember Hermione loves treacle tarts. Maybe that's what you should buy, Draco. Or Chocolate Frogs. She has her own card now - I've got three of them. Maybe you should ask her Frog card and see if she'll tell you where she is. Anthony used to say that the cards would make great spying tools because the wizards on them could go anywhere, like the portraits at Hogwarts. I think I prefer the Galleon that Hermione gave the DA. I don't remember where I've put mine. I don't suppose she still has hers?"

"I don't know. It - it's getting late, I'd better go. I'll owl if I find her."

Draco forced himself to continue his pursuits because a week spent brooding at home only furthered his anxieties regarding his missing wife's well-being. However, he found himself less and less interested in them. Even Quidditch became a time-consuming, pointless activity.

It was at this low point that he received a surprise visit from Mr. Weasley. The kindly man began talking about his views on friendship, respect, love, generosity, and compromise, and how these ingredients were all necessary foundations for marriage. He talked about the responsibilities a husband had for his wife. He talked about how important it was to make sure that one's wife knew that she was a cherished part of one's life.

He left Draco thoughtful and chastened.

Hermione, meanwhile, had been using her time to prepare herself for the impending arrival. Narcissa had arranged that she stay with her sister Andromeda as she felt that little Teddy would be a positive influence. And the cheerful and rambunctious child had proved to be the right medicine. She was kept well-informed of Draco's actions by her parents and Narcissa, and she received frequent visits from Ginny, Luna, Susan, and even Pansy. She made arrangements with her department so that she could work on purely administrative tasks remotely, only going into work when it was absolutely necessary, and when those rare occasions did occur, she made sure her condition was carefully hidden.

In spite of her busy schedule, she still missed Draco, but she constantly reminded herself that she was doing this for the benefit of all three of them. She did her best not to dwell on her periodic spells of sadness, taking comfort and receiving encouragement from Healer Susan's reports that her son was thriving. She kept the sex of her baby a secret from the others, hoping to first share it with Draco.

She received a visit from Mr. Weasley a month after his talk with Draco. He astounded her with the news that Draco had applied for a position with the Ministry. Draco'sHis knowledge of the Dark Arts and his adeptness at Potions made him an ideal employee in the Department of Mysteries. The early reports from his superiors confirmed that he was a hard-working, focussed, and intelligent young man who would go far. Hermione sat wide-eyed with disbelief until Mr. Weasley explained the reason for this sudden change. He returned her tearful embrace and told her that she should confer with her parents and mother-in-law about her plans to allow Draco back into her life.

It was decided that their original abode would contain too many painful memories for both of them, and so Hermione spent some time finding a suitable replacement. When the new nest was ready, she sent word to Narcissa.