A/N: So, this chapter doesn't really have anything bad happening, it's just the starting of something to come... And I have no idea how my writing is since I wrote this within twenty-four hours... But I hope it's suitable, it's a bit of a shorty. I still love you all, you are the best! OH MY GOD! I CAN'T FORGET. My cousin bumped into Tom Felton yesterday! I freaked, of course!

Chapter 22

March 10th, 1997

It was a rather often occurrence to find Hermione sat at a desk writing furiously with her quill, but this time it had nothing to do with her work. No, this little piece was going to the Ministry. Once again, Rita Skeeter managed to slip an article about her into the Daily Prophet, and once again it was front page material. While she had been told not to get her knickers in a twist, Hermione was absolutely enraged. She couldn't believe the gall that woman had. That she could so publicly humiliate Hermione in such a way, as to say 'Hermione Granger is unfit to be at Hogwarts' and that 'she is setting a bad example for the younger children'. As if the harpy cared!

At first, she had nearly cried. Her hormones were so bent out of shape it was a wonder she hadn't burst into tears in the Great Hall. She couldn't help being pregnant, she wondered just what the woman would say if she had the whole story? What then? Would she be unfit to attend Hogwarts when that nosy Skeeter and the rest of the Wizarding world knew of her rape? Or would she be pitied and have people empathize for her?

But, this letter wasn't telling the Ministry what she'd been through that summer. No. Hermione was spilling the beans, so to speak, on just how Skeeter was getting all her information. Everyone wanted to know how the journalist got her material, well, now they would. And Hermione didn't feel one ounce of guilt for what she was about to do.

The woman deserved it. She did.

"What are you doing?"

Hermione jumped a foot off her chair, head snapping to glare halfheartedly at her boyfriend. She had thought it would have been odd to use such a label on Draco Malfoy, but it rolled off her tongue nicely and made her stomach flutter. Then again, that could have just been the baby rolling around...

"What in Merlin's name-" she raised a hand to her heart. "Do you have no consideration for pregnant women, Draco? You nearly gave me a heart attack you buffoon!"

"So, I'm a buffoon today?" he asked. "Well, that's nicer than dick and asshole," he muttered with a shrug of his shoulders, leaning against the windowsill and crossing his arms over his chest as he looked at her.

She sighed and returned to her letter. Adding another paragraph before she folded the parchment up and slipped it into a envelope. She sealed it will some wax and then set it aside. "I'll owl it later," she spoke aloud, but it was more to herself. Turning in the chair she held her hands out to Draco, watching as he pushed off the windows frame and came to help her up. She slipped her hands into his and he easily pulled her to her feet.

"So who's it to?" he asked, leading her over to the couch and aiding her against the plush cushions.

"The Ministry," she said, holding her head high with her chin firmly sticking out. "It's about time I shut Rita Skeeter up, once and for all. If all she can write about is my personal life, rather than what's really important, then she needs to be dealt with."

"You know, you're kind of scaring me, Hermione. You're acting a bit Slytherin," Draco said, and she didn't miss the amused lift in his tone that said he was only joking with her. She looked at him to find that evil smirk on his face and he picked her hand up and brought it to his lips, giving her palm a kiss. "How's the little one, today?" he then asked, effortlessly changing the subject and running his otherwise empty hand over her lower abdomen.

"She's fine," Hermione explained, smiling a little now. "She still needs a name, though. We can't keep calling her 'little one' or 'Bean', as Theo likes to say. Which I can't understand, since she is much large than a bean now. I mean, there's not much longer until she's born..."

Draco made a thoughtful sound, still running his fingers along her stomach, gently inching under her shirt to touch her flesh. A sigh left her lips.

"I don't much like Mary and Georgiana, I have to admit," Draco told her, his nose wrinkling at his obvious distaste for the names. "Mary is overly used and Georgiana reminds me of George Weasley."

"What names do you like? Other than Caroline?" Hermione asked him, tilting her head to look at him, waiting for his face to turn pensive, but still he just seemed aloof. Even though she was sure he was thinking hard on it.

"Stella, Ellery and Aurora," he then stated matter of factly, with a nod of his head to confirm it. "They're easy, likable, and can in no way be made fun of."

Hermione allowed the names to sink in, finding that they were, in fact, good names. They weren't traditional like she was planning, but since she was hell bent on having her daughters middle name Charlotte, she thought it would be nice for Draco to decide what the first name should be. "And which one of those is your favorite?" she asked him quietly, placing her hand over his and stilling his movement.

He paused. "Ellery."

Hermione smiled and nodded. "Ellery Charlotte Malfoy."

She'd never seen him smile so big in all her life. It wasn't a smirk, but a smile that could light up even the darkest and dankest of rooms. Then, she was in his lap, her stomach large between them, his hands holding her as close as possible, and his mouth devouring hers, oh so tenderly.

/-/-/-/

March 17th, 1997

A week had passed since her and Draco finally picked out a name. No more 'little one'. No more 'Bean.' When Theo had asking about the bean, she'd proudly told him that her daughters name was Ellery. To which Blaise so eloquently put Draco's words to shame. Of course, Blaise would be the one to find a way to make fun of the name.

"Doesn't that rhyme with celery? Ellery Celery."

Draco had nearly jumped over the table and strangled him. Thankfully Harry had sat with them that morning and had pulled Blaise out of the way before hand.

Hermione had noticed Harry was starting to have bags under his eyes. And she remembered him saying Dumbledore was keeping him busy, but with what exactly? Surely the headmaster could see that whatever it was, it wasn't doing Harry any good...

But today, Harry was back over at the Gryffindor table and apparently he had made nice with Ronald, if their current conversation was anything to go by. Harry was smiling, but looked exhausted.

Hermione looked up at the flapping of wings and the screech of the owls with the post. She had also demanded that the Daily Prophet stop sending her a copy in that letter she sent a couple days prior, so she wasn't expecting anything and was more than surprised when a strange Lesser Sooty-Owl landed before her with a small envelope held in it's beak, and its large black eyes staring at her. The look was haunting and sent shivers down her spine, as if it could see right through her. Slowly she reached for the letter and the bird left without taking any payment.

"Who's that from?" Draco asked from her left and she glanced at him briefly with a shrug of her shoulders.

Turning the letter in her hand, she found no return address and no marking to place the seal. It was ordinary, the wax probably pressed with the end of a letter opener. She contemplated it for a moment longer, plopping a grape into her mouth and chewing it before she popped the seal open and slid the feather light parchment out.

She nearly feinted when she flipped it open and read what it said:

'My Dearest Mudblood,

I've heard the good news. Tell me, is it a boy or girl?

Yours Truly'

It wasn't signed, but Hermione didn't need a name to know who sent this to her. She was shaking when someone placed their hand on her shoulder, making her yelp and look to find it was only Professor Snape.

"Professor..." she said, almost pleadingly. Her voice was hoarse and her throat was thick with tears. She knew he would find out, that damned Rita Skeeter! But, he had actually sent her a letter. A letter! He was taunting her, laughing at her...

"Stand up, Ms. Granger," Snape said softly, but remained to look as snarky as ever, his voice low enough for only the group she sat with. "You too, Mr. Malfoy," he said and Hermione finally looked at him.

Draco was as stiff as a board as he got to his feet and then helped her to hers. She didn't look back to her friends, as she followed Snape, still holding onto Draco hand with the letter tightly grasped in the other. She didn't have any doubt about where they were going.

While it took a while for her to get up the stairs, they made it to Dumbledore's office quicker than she had thought it would take. But, the thought hadn't lasted long when her mind continuously went back to the letter. He knew... And he would come after her... There was no conviction, no questioning, merely fact. Dolohov would try to get to her and there was no stopping him.

She slipped into one of the plush chairs, oblivious to the Order members around her, and that Professor Snape was currently trying to pry the letter from her fingers. "Ms. Granger, if you would let go..."

She didn't listen, it took many tries and even Remus stepped forward, but her fingers wouldn't budge. She looked straight forward, straight into the eyes of Albus Dumbledore, who for the first time since she knew him, looked utterly helpless.

"She's in shock..."

"She has to be."

"Dear Merlin, the poor thing looks peaked..."

"Hermione?" finally a voice broke through her wards and instead of the worried blue eyes of the headmaster, she was looking into pools of concerned silvery gray. "Hermione can I see the letter?" she felt a tug and slowly she let go.

She was still staring into his eyes when he handed the letter to Snape. Moments ticked by and she listened to the rustle of it being passed from person to person. It took a lot for her to just stare into Draco's eyes and not to break down, but then she heard someone gasp and whatever resolve she had broke. Like a mirror that had been glued back together badly, the pieces fell one by one until she was bent over and crying. "Why? Why is this happening to me?" the question was to no one in particular and she didn't expect an answer.

No one did.

Arms surrounded her, Draco's arms. He held her like he always did, letting her cry all over him until she was finished, whispering things into her ear. Not promising anything, but encouraging her nonetheless to get herself together.

When she finally composed herself, Draco sat next to her in the other chair, but took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She wiped away the tear tracks with her free hand, swallowing and trying hard to control her sniffling.

"There are some things you two should be aware of," it was Professor Snape that spoke. "The Dark Lord-" someone from the Order had actually snorted and Snape paused glaring across the room, before he carried on. "The Dark Lord has taken Gregory Goyle under his wing to fulfill the job that Mr. Malfoy was unable to, since being released from the Imperius," Hermione felt Draco's hand go slack for a moment before he squeezed her fingers a little too tightly. She didn't complain. "Mr. Goyle has succeed in finding a way to bring Death Eater's into Hogwarts."

Hermione gasped, sitting up further. "What?" she asked, unable to hide the quiver in her voice.

Snape looked at her sadly. A very rare expression on the Potion Masters face. "That's not the extent of it, Ms. Granger. I haven't even gotten to the worst part..." he paused and looked at Dumbledore, whom Hermione noticed nod out of her peripheral vision. "My work as a spy was tarnished when I brought you here, Ms. Granger. So finding this out was only by chance, a slip on Mr. Goyle's part... The assemblage was only to be seven... The Carrows, Bellatrix Lestrange, Greyback, Gibbon, Rowle, and Yaxley. But now-"

"Dolohov joined," stated Hermione, having to clear her voice afterward. She felt Draco's hand squeeze hers, once again. She reveled in his touch, keeping herself calm by the smooth feeling of his fingers.

"Yes," Snape said.

"What are we going to do, Albus?" McGonagall asked, looking to the headmaster and Hermione's gaze followed, along with everyone else's.

It was a while before the older wizard spoke and it was with a somber tone that he said, "All we can do is strengthen the wards, up security with Order members, no Auror's in my school, we can't know if they are truly on our side anymore. Mr. Malfoy, you are to stay with Ms. Granger at all times, do you hear me?"

She looked over at Draco and found him nodding, his face as ever, an emotionless mask, hiding his worry and anger.

"Now we wait."

TBC