Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my imagination and whatever else is in this story that doesn't make sense. I was inspired by another romance novel and J.K. Rowlings wonderful world. Enjoy!

Chapter 10

"Wrapped so Pretty"

A week later, Draco sat in his accustomed seat near the front of the room. An older wizard, with cinnamon red hair had been going over some of the upcoming games. Most of the players were either asleep or rubbed the soreness of old bruises.

With Draco, his ankle ached from an injury he had received in last nights game. Draco could now feel his body getting older, changing and his repeating injuries were there to confirm it.

After his last femur crack, Petur had gone in to replace him and Draco had been sacked for stirring yet another brawl with a seeker from Ballycastle.

His injuries as well as his hot temper were getting more serious the closer they drew to the playoffs for the Quidditch World Cup. There was the shoulder dislocating of six months ago, thigh laceration after that, and now this. The matron for the infirmary quarters diagnosed his fourth high ankle sprain in the past two years. He was only twenty-four, but felt like a hammered forty year old. Plus, his ribs hurt, but that could have been from his heart aching after the disastrous Buttercup incident.

Two nights ago, Ginny, Harry and Mrs. Weasley had stopped by Hermione's new place. It was Molly that spotted the books on pregnancy.

A Witches Magical Guide to Motherhood, Editions One, Two, and Three. Mrs. Weasley wasn't at all thrill of her becoming a mother so early in her career and so unwed. Still, the three of them seemed genuinely happy for her over all.

It was a rather unwelcome visit, because Hermione had not expected anyone to come by and she most certainly hadn't wanted anyone to spot those books on her kitchen table. But, what is done is done and it wasn't as if she could hide the condition forever and she didn't plan to try or deny it. Her entire world had turned into beautifully long days at work filled with happiness when planning for their future. She was at last, a mother to be.

But this morning, instead of concentrating on her newly planned market list she found herself thinking of him…..Draco. According to the newspapers lying across from her on the breakfast table beside her books on motherhood. He would be spending the next three weeks traveling around the country for the usual endorsements to help promote tryout enrollments for next season's Quidditch line up. Hermione glanced over at the paper laying across from her breakfast toast. Malfoy refilled one of his team drinking goblets, that had been sitting on the field bench, as multiple camera flashes were exploding all around in the article's photo. As he raised the water to his lips, he seemed to gaze back at her with pale piercing eyes as if they could see her watching him. Yes, strangely enough she'd taken it oddly upon herself set up a daily subscription to a particular Quidditch print that delivered to the hospital floors of St. Mongo's. It wasn't very much money and the salesmen made a pretty decent offer for anyone wanting door deliveries. She kept telling herself she accepted his deal because the paper was growing fairly popular and offered a few good pieces on nutritional tips for a better living and she wanted to keep up with those to aid her throughout the pregnancy.

The knowledge that he had forgotten about her should have been comforting, but she couldn't keep focus lately. She envisioned the décor for the nursery she was planning and thought of him….She decided to paint it a neutral buttercream yellow and thought of him….she planned to have her baby grow up surrounded by everything beautiful, gardens, flowers. So she picked up a book for beginning gardeners and again she thought of Draco.

The team had rented out the place, and all the players who stayed in town after the game that evening were there. Esa was officially at work, but she'd been sipping from every other leftover drink her entire shift and by now she was royally pissed and loaded.

Those lying sacks of shits promised her number twelve. He was to be signed, sealed and delivered if she came up with Draco's birthday present. But it was now heading into the month of September, and they had not delivered on their end of the bargain. She stood behind the bar counter watching Zabini —her promised number twelve. And the fact he was kissing his fiance of the past two years didn't sweeten her mood one bit.

Thunder roared outside the pub walls and a fresh batch of customers wanting to avoid the downpour entered increasing the noise level another notch.

"Tupper," Esa shouted, marching up to him. "I would like a word with you and Pulanski, right now!"

"Later, can't you see he's kicking my ass." Tupper tossed another dart and it landed near a lower twenty.

"You two made a promisè, but I still don't ave number twelve 'anghin anywhere in my closèt. You two may 'ave forgotten about 'im but I 'ave not."

"I told you Esa, we're working on it." Tupper aimed for the center mark and missed. "Bloody Hell!"

"Ye! Well I'm not buying that one anymore. Every time I try to talk to 'im, e treats me like I'm invisible."

Tupper stepped aside so that Pulanski could take his shot. "The thing is Esa… Zabini isn't being very cooperative about the whole being with you deal."

"Are ye sayin, e doesn't want to sleep with me?"

"No, it not entirely that simple." said Pulanski. He focused on the mark, and yes made it! Easy as pie.

Tupper groaned because he'd just lost another hundred galleons with that shot. Esa stood there with her arms folded. Pulanski shook his head. "The thing is, this big bash we're having is for him. Well, Zabini hasn't been in the last two games you see…." Pulanski took off his glasses and cleared them with the corner of his quidditch shirt. "Esa, they're finally getting hitched!"

"Who's hitched, what are you talking about?"

"Zabini and his girl, they're finally gonna tie the knot this month."

"And…."

"Aaaaaannnd Maria is expecting…."

"Expecting what…?"

"Their kid…she's having his baby."

That really stung. She'd been pining over Zabini for nearly three years now. But they didn't have to know how badly the news hurt her. "So, what does that 'ave to do with me? I did my part, we made a deal. If I found you zhat 'ooker for Draco's birthday present, I would get number twelve. I did my part dammit!"

"Not exactly." and he grabbed her by the arms so hard that Esa could barely swallow down the lump of fear that just emerge in her throat. "Oooo yeah you did your part alright you filthy little scag!" Pulanski's voice darken as he pulled her inches from his face. He had reached his boiling point with this lush. Not only was she emotionally incompetent, but she seemed to get her kicks out of dragging in others to achieve pity games of glory. "But you didn't really come up with a hooker did you?" The sound of that drawling english tone, filled with aggression; she'd never witness this in Pulanski and it sent a shiver down her spine.

She turned and looked head on into Draco's pale gray eyes standing just behind him.

She bit back her tongue. "I don't know what he's talking about. He just grabbed me and started —"

"—O …I think… you most certainly do know." Draco grabbed her arm, curling his fingers around it tightly and drugged her out the back door and into the dark alley behind the pub, straight out into the pouring rain.

"You're crazy," she shouted and tried to pull away as he marched her through a deep puddle and further up the flooding alley way. It was truly storming now and the rain came down like white sheets. "STOP! LET GO! It's freezing out here, -lunatic!" E'sa screamed for help but another thunder filled the sky and no one heard her shouting.

All day the shoreline had been warning them of the approaching storm and as the gang of guys hit the town. Draco sent a few house elves to book and ready his room as the rainstorm was approaching. He no longer gave a damn of who his mystery witch was. He knew he could have pressed his friends for more answers, but they were no more aware of the woman's true identity than he was. He'd given up on finding her that was until he overheard Esa's conversation with the guys and now the gig was up.

No matter how he tried he couldn't put the matter of Buttercup out of his mind. He found himself worrying about her at the strangest times. Where was she? How many rooms had she wandered into since he last seen her? Was she okay, had he really hurt her? For all he knew she could have moved on to some new lucky client to replace him and the idea of that made him sick to his stomach.

"Who is she?" Draco shouted shoving the drenched witch against a grimy stone wall.

Esa was wearing her usual skimpy uniform and it didn't provide much warmth against the September rain, her teeth were chattering. "She's just some ooker I found out about!"

Part of his brain screamed a warning. Draco let it go! What if he was poking his nose in too far? Women like that can take you down dark roads. But he was accustomed to dark roads, was he not?

"You're fucking with me Esabelle! I don't like it when people fuck with me. I heard you in there!" his voice grew deeper. He let her arm go, but moved closer trapping her between the stone wall and smelly trash heap of rotting potato boxes. He never took to bullying females around but this one was holding something and he was going to get it out of her come hell or high waters.

Esa knew two very important things. One, never use your wand to stir your drinks and two, never piss off a Malfoy. Her eyes darted side-to-side looking for a way to escape. "She's just somebody I meet." Esa shouted through the downpour. To her horror Draco shoved her back into the corner beside the trash heap when she tried to brush past him. Esa hit the wall so unbelievably hard that at that moment she saw the true power of his athletic strength.

"I-want-her-name!" he demanded and withdrew his wand,aiming it at her.

"Draco mate calm down!" Pulanski ran out into the storm now, putting himself between them urging his friend to come back inside and they'll explain everything. Pulanski saw when Draco pulled out his wand and when he saw Esa go sailing into the bins, his eyes widen in shock and at that moment things were about to get out of hand. Draco slide his wand up to her throatline.

"I can't -Look. I can't tell you what I don't know. it's none of my business!" she pleaded for the other wizard to help; to do something.

"Damn you man!" Pulanski shouted at Draco his hand snapping down on Draco's raised wand. "She's just some girl. What's this all about anyway mate...it's not that big of a deal. Lower your wand Draco!"

"Bloody hell it's not…now give me her name." Draco ordered Esa a second time.

She started to shiver, her arms frozen to her side as she was too afraid to move even an inch. She, he and Pulanski were all soaked now, but Draco didn't care and didn't lower his aim. Esa's teeth were chatter so hard, she was shivering badly. "Bloody fuckin hell Draco...co...com...on... it's cold out 'ere."

"Funny, I don't feel it." he said with streams of rain water trickling through his blonde hair and down his brow.

"Er name is Jean something…look this is bullshit!"

"I don't believe you. Jean what?"

For a split second the witch wanted to tell him. She didn't know Granger well enough to put herself in the fireline between her and a Malfoy. "I forgèt…ok, alright!"

Her hair fell down around her cheeks as a gutter from the building broke above them releasing a steady stream of water. Draco couldn't tell if those were tears filling up her eyes or the rain coming from the spout above.

"Let it go mate." urged his friend again.

Now, his brow furrowed, and at that moment something unleashed the one trait his father had given him, and he launched an assault on her work and her livelihood. He knew he was scaring her, and that was what he wanted. If it took this, slipping back into his old skin to find her again then that was what he had to do. "Working here, serving these guy's like some common house elf, means a lot to you doesn't it." he sneered and there was another clap of thunder above.

"What? I'm not a bloody 'ouse elf…take that back!" she shouted at him. Then she regarded him warily because he still had not lowered his wand at her neck. "…It's okay…I guess." she answered apologetically.

"I think it's more than okay, I know it's the most important thing in your sad, pathetic little life. And I know you'd be real upset, if not one Falcon had anything more to do with you...if not of them could stand the sight of you. I could fix it personally so that you'd never get a gig in another London pub ever! -Give me what I want, or I'll sell this place off brick by brick and chase you down like the bitch you are until you do and that's a bloody promise." There was impatience in his voice.

She knew he meant it. But she made one last attempt at refuse him of what he was after. "She's nice Draco, real nice. She's ...she's just aving a 'ard time is all and this thing with you vas just a big mistake alright. She's happy now and... and I'm not gonna let you urt her."

"Name." he growled. A flash of lightning filled the air so large you'd think he called it by magic and it struck the rooftop of the building wall behind them, bricks shattered with the loud explosive sound as the bolt struck.

"Zat's all I know….so vhy can't you just leave her alone….it's Jean, just Jean."

"What's her fucking name Esa!" Draco shouted and it took every fiber in him not to blast her right then and there with the cruciatus curse until she broke.

"Esa, come on if you know her name just say it." begged Pulanski.

"You're a shit Draco Malfoy, you know that. A real piece of shit! That's why Pansy left you….you're a bully, a git a real git!" she wanted to rub her arms for warmth but knew better than to make any sudden moves. And she was trying to weigh out the importance of her job against protecting Hermione and the baby. E'sa felt she was going to break down crying any moment. A second bolt of lightning traced the sky and she turned her face from him, and he blocked her second thought of wanting to find an exit again and with his wandless hand he summoned enough magic to push Pulanski several feet from them.

This time Pulanski stayed back. She couldn't leave and he clearly wasn't going to let her leave. He didn't utter another word, he just stood there silently and waited. Her voice was low, "She's a Healer, at the hosipital. She works there….. on the children's floor. I don't know which one. She's really smart…but she really didn't mean to hurt anyone and just didn't know a bloke good enough."

The more the witch kept talking about his missing Buttercup, the more the skin on the back of his neck began to tighten.

"…she didn't mean any harm." Esa said trying desperately to make him come to reason. She was shaking, but not from the cold any longer. "You don't get it, I promised….it..it is 'er whole life…it means everthing to 'er."

A chill shot through him that had nothing to do with the rain or with her pleas. He swallowed hard and began to lower the tip of his wand from her neck down to the center of her chest, where her heart would rest.

"It's not as if she would pop up on your door with the kid or something. She...she's 'as a great job and...and ..she's smart -really smart Draco! So vhy don't you just forget about 'er!"

Now he was having a hard time just pulling air into his own chest the more the witch spoke. "What the hell are you getting at?" he asked.

"It's not like it's really yours, you were just …-some guy...a donor." she said.

Draco felt as if his heart was going to seize up. What kid? He could barely manage his own life, so he would have never involved himself with a witch that has a fatherless kid.

With a heavy breath the waitress stepped back, away from the boxes behind her and stumbled there on something in the water. "She said everyone always made 'er feel like a freak or something growing up…She was trying to do what would be best for the kid…you're a pureblood and well she wanted to be sure the baby was born of magic."

No. Draco backed up until his back was against the wall behind him. His eyes slammed shut as he listened to everything she was confessing. But all the pieces were not falling together. He swayed slightly in his spot and his stomach twisted terribly. He opened his eyes to look at her through the rain steadily falling. His breathing kept coming in spasms and he wasn't sure what an anxiety attack felt like, but at that moment he was sure it had to feel a lot like what was rising inside of him. A thread of fear hijacked his brain, flooding it like the rain flooded the alleyway. All he needed was the truth and her name.

"Who is she, Esa?" Pulanski moved closer asking her again.

Esa balled up her fist by her sides in protest, looking up at the sky and wishing she had called out sick from work today. "She just wanted the baby alright!…she just wanted to be a mum."

"Who is she E'sa…..who-?" Pulanski demanded again.

The witch looked back down at Draco, she didn't understand why he was having such a fit over this. All he had to do was walk away. That's all.

"...—Her... her name is Hermione. Her name is Hermione Granger." she finally said.