I'm sure I've talked about my crazy kitten before. Last night he put a spatula in my bed. The night before that he clawed my face. I think he's trying to Godfather me. That doesn't sound paranoid, does it?

Chapter 15
Pansy quietly followed Draco through the apartment as Hermione napped. "She's going to kill you," she warned. "Of the plethora of things she hates, surprises are at the top of the list."

"He's her friend," Draco replied as he straightened the pillows on the sofa. "Why would that upset her?"

"Because they haven't spoken in months," she stated, moving each pillow so they became diamond-shaped. "Potter may be more level headed than any of the Weasleys, but he hasn't exactly reached out to her. I thought he would have at least bothered to ask why she stopped showing up to those stupid family dinners, or perhaps asked his fiancee why his best friend was no longer the maid of honor in his wedding."

Draco stopped and straightened up. "Wait, she's not in the wedding anymore?"

Pansy shook her head and took a seat. "She hasn't told you?" she asked. "After she told Ginny Weasley that the two of you were trying for a baby, the little Weaslette released her from her wedding duties. She said she was concerned that Hermione's water could break as she was walking down the aisle. Probably afraid that all eyes would once again be on Hermione."

"Which is exactly what Hermione doesn't want," Draco murmured, sitting down beside her.

Pansy nodded in agreement. "What do you think Potter has to say?" she wondered. Draco shrugged as he got to his feet. Her eyes followed him to the front door where he pulled on his coat. "Wait, where are you going?" she demanded.

"Out," he replied. "Don't worry. Hermione knows."

She sunk back into the cushions as the door closed. It bothered her that Draco was so cryptic, and she was sure that Hermione had no knowledge of his plans. Getting up, she walked to the back of the flat and entered Hermione's room. The lights were off, the curtains drawn, and a blanket was pulled up to the sleeping girl's chin. Pansy climbed onto the bed and laid down beside her. "Wake up," she whispered softly. Hermione stirred, but her eyes remained closed. "Come on, Hermione. I need to talk to you."

"Go way," Hermione mumbled before rolling onto her other side.

"Tell me where Draco was going today and I will," Pansy replied, sitting up.

Hermione groaned and shifted to her back. "To talk to Astoria," she said. "Can I go back to sleep now?"

"What's he doing with her?" Pansy demanded. "And why are you not upset about this?"

Sighing, Hermione sat up and opened her eyes. "Why are you?" she wondered. "I'm not worried that he's secretly dating her. Do you really think we would be in this situation if he really wanted to be with her?"

Pansy frowned. "No, I guess not," she muttered. "It just makes me nervous."

Reaching over to the nightstand, Hermione turned on the lamp. "Did Blaise ever meet that woman he was supposed to marry?" he asked.

"The day they went to file for their marriage license was the first time they met," Pansy responded. "At least Draco knows the Greengrasses. That's something, I guess."

Hermione placed her hand over her friend's. "Are you okay?" she asked. "Is there something you know? Something that I should be worried about?"

Shaking her head, Pansy sighed and rested against the headboard. "Draco loves you. He would never do anything to hurt you," she replied as she got off the bed. "Maybe it's just hormones. We can talk about this some other time. Potter will be here any minute."

Hermione followed her as she left the bedroom. "Wait, what was that about hormones?" she asked.

Sighing, Pansy stopped walking when she reached the living room fireplace. "Blaise doesn't know yet," she mumbled.

Hermione squealed loudly. "You're pregnant?" she asked. Pansy nodded solemnly. "Why don't you seem more excited about this?"

Behind them, the floo roared to life and Harry Potter stepped out. "We'll talk later," Pansy promised as she stepped in.

Harry offered Hermione a small smile, hands shoved deep in his pockets, while he waited for her to speak first. When she didn't, he said, "Do you want to sit down?" Hermione nodded mutely and led him to the sofa. He studied her for a moment, his grin never fading. "You look fantastic."

She blushed. "Thanks," she murmured. "So, um, why are you here? It's been months since I've heard from you."

"Yeah, I know," he replied, his smile finally disappearing. "Um, well, I don't have a good reason. Work's been busy, and there was the wedding to plan. And neither of those seem like good enough reasons not to see you after you and Ron broke up. But, um, the wedding is off now, so that'll free up a lot of my time. I just hope that you still want to be friends."

"What is it with everyone burying the lead today?" she wondered. "Why's the wedding off?"

Harry shrugged. "I've spent the last...however long its been since you broke up with Ron, listening to Ginny complain about how you're throwing your life away to be with Malfoy," he said. "And then Ron tells us you're pregnant. That started the rant up all over again. So, I got to thinking - is this what I have to put up with for the rest of my life? A wife who rails on my friends because she doesn't like their decisions. Ron told me that you looked so happy that day, and we started talking about coming to see you. Do you know what Ginny said? She said I had a choice to make - her or the woman who broke her brother's heart."

Tears welled in her eyes. "And you picked me?" Harry nodded. "But why?"

Harry reached for her hand. "Because you're my best friend. No matter what," he replied. "If someone's really going to make me choose between people, then I'm not sure that's someone I want in my life. I've missed you, Hermione, a lot. Can I have a second chance?"

"What about Draco?" she asked.

He took a moment to consider it. "I think we could be friends," he decided. "The guy's been your friend for ten years. There has to be something good about him. I look forward to figuring out what that is."

Hermione laughed as the front door opened. "Well, better late than never to start, right?" she replied. "That'll be him now."

She rose and moved to the door when she didn't hear it close. "Hey," Draco greeted her as he stood in the doorway. "I didn't want to interrupt, but there's someone who wanted to meet you."