Granger's Café

Pairing: Draco/Harry.

Disclaimer: Hermione decides that the drama in the wizarding world is growing too much. She decides to open up a café in the muggle world, so as to enjoy simplicity during the day. Little does she know that one of the applicants for a job there, will cause a whole new circle of drama for her. And how exactly will her little café benefit Harry and Draco's lives, and how will it banish the drama from both worlds they live in? You know what they say, about Granger's café; her food is like magic, that's what they say, because it keeps all your problems and troubles at bay.

~000~

Chapter Thirty-Eight:

Third Time's a Charm.

Life for Hermione was going pretty well as the skies became clearer and Spring officially arrived at London. April was blooming beautifully around her, with blossoms peeping out into the sunshine, and dotting the vast city with sprinklings of pale pink. Her baby bump was well-rounded by this point in the year, and it was a little awkward for her to get from 'A' to 'B' without her slightly swollen ankles niggling at her. She refused to take the floo network, as the risks for the unborn twins in her belly were too great. She made regular trips to her own cafe though, not as manager, but as a paying customer. She often met with Astoria and Narcissa, two women she really could not have lived without. They conversations often started with her own pregnancy as well as Astoria's.

Over the last couple of weeks she could not help but notice that Astoria -despite being pregnant -did not seem to be eating as much as she should. And her 'morning sickness' seemed to be almost constant. It worried her. It took her about another few days on her last 'catch-up' before she finally made the journey to Sirius' flat and had a long talk with Astoria. She learned about the cancer slowly destroying Astoria's immune system. It pained her to hear how definite the young woman was about dying, and that hopefully giving her second child the life it deserves would be her redemption for her actions over the last year.

So on this particular visit, there were no secrets being kept from one another. In fact, they were going to discuss about how to tell Harry and Draco that the 'mother of their child' would not be around to even glimpse the baby growing up. Hermione had rationalised that it wouldn't be easy. They were too alike; both stubborn and both emotional. They had finally seemed to reach a sense of stability in their relationship, and as much as it would pain her to watch their boat get rocked, there was no better time to tell them, then when they were calm and rational. She was merely thankful that Narcissa would be there. The older woman had been through so much, she would, no doubt, be the voice of reason.

The small bell twinkled over the door as she pushed it open and stepped inside, the scent of freshly baked cakes and pastries sent the twins inside her stirring. "Hello?" she called out, edging into the store, the clattering of cutlery on polished counters tittering out from the kitchen doorway.

"Hermione?" came Draco's voice. A shadow passed in the doorway leading to the staircase to the upstairs apartments, and then Draco's blonde head popped around the corner. He grinned as soon as he saw her, "hi you three, how are you doing?" he winked as he rounded the corner and hugged her, arching his hips away so as not to crush the unborn twins into her bladder. She hugged him back with a small smile. She scanned the cafe over his shoulder and frowned slightly.

"So where are Astoria and Narcissa?" she asked.

Draco nodded towards the doorway he had just walked from, "they're both upstairs. I just took them a tray of sandwiches and some cakes."

Hermione's shoulder's visibly relaxed as she edged around the counter, "I'll go up to them then. Whose apartment are they in? Yours or Harry's?"

"Mine -it's been more lived in," Draco gave a small grin.

Hermione rolled her dark brown eyes, "you two should just let me put the other one up for sale. A little Summer bonus for you guys wouldn't go amiss."

Draco gasped mockingly, "you mean we weren't going to get a summer bonus? Oh, Hermione! How could you?"

"What's all the noise?" Harry asked as he strode out of the kitchen, drying his hands on a dish-towel whilst Hermione giggled softly. "Hi 'Mione, I didn't hear you come in." He draped the towel over his forearm and embraced his friend, "Bloody Hell Hermione one of these days those two are going to crush us all."

Hermione rolled her eyes and stroked her bump, "Anything to give your little trouble makers a run for their money. How is James by the way?"

Harry gave an awkward shrug, "he's alright. Been going to Sirius and Remus' for tea on weekends. Or to Hogsmeade. Any reason to see Teddy." He ran a hand through his hair, "I still feel like an uptight old fart about this whole thing."

Draco wrapped an arm around his shoulders and squeezed him, "Don't you worry, it'll be worth it in the end." He pressed a tender kiss to Harry's forehead.

Hermione turned and made her way to the staircase, "I'll see you boys' later. Oh, and give Mona a call and see if she can work this weekend. I think she's staying at her Gran's tonight!" A murmur of 'okays' followed her up the stairs.

Using the banister for support she eased herself up the many stairs until she reached the landing, the corridor of doorways to different apartments made her feel a little like Harry must have felt in the last task of the Triwizard Tournament. She huddered at the memory and made her way towards Draco's apartment. She knocked on the door and waited for it to open. Narcissa answered the door with a smile on her face, her dyed snowy white hair curling in at her cheeks in a stylish bob. She smiled softly upon seeing Hermione. "We were wondering when you would get here," she beamed, opening the door wider for Hermione to waddle through.

Hermione hung her light jacket up and ran a hand through her brunette curls, "Ron ran late this morning so I had to drop Hugo off at my mother's."

Narcissa frowned, "why not at Molly's?"

"As much as I lvoe Molly, Ginny is living there. It's her I don't trust."

Narcissa nodded with pursed lips, "say no more."

Hermione followed Narcissa into the living room where Astoria was perched on the sofa sipping a cup of hot chocolate. She hummed and raised her mug to Hermione, "you've got two great little chefs down there, I'll give you that. I have no idea Draco could even cook before now."

Hermione grinned and chuckled, "what did you think he did all day? Clean?"

Astoria rolled her eyes. "How are you feeling? Hard to move places?" she asked softly. Hermione nodded as Narcissa went into the kitchen to make some tea. "I'm dreading that part, though it hasn't been too much of a problem just yet. Just the constant eating, and then the cancer eating away at me. It's like a joke." She smiled bitterly, her eyes downcast, "I honestly don't think I can tell Draco" she breathed softly, her skin breaking out into goosepimples over her wrist.

Hermione reached out and rubbed at the exposed skin, "it'll be alright. I know the initial shock will be hard to bear, and so will the after-math, but I promise you, they will not forget you. They'll remember you every day in their child's eyes."

Astoria smiled, "it's a little girl. It's been officially confirmed yesterday afternoon. Not that I trust doctor's. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if a Grindylow shot out of there." She reached up and squeezed Hermione's hand with a watery sigh, "I know they'll be great parents. It's just -daunting if nothing else."

"You wouldn't be human if you weren't afraid of death." Hermione hugged her lightly, "Maybe you could talk to Harry -he has technically been through this before"

"But he got the choice to come back!" Astoria wept suddenly, her eyes brimming with teas as she clenched her mug, "I know I won't have that choice!"

Hermione felt her heart ache for the woman beside her. So many wrongs had ailed her and now -just when she was repenting for her actions -she was to die. "It was your choice not to get treatment, remember that?" she soothed softly, "you may not have had the choice to get cancer, but you made the choice to not recieve the treatment. You made the choice, for the third time this year you made a choice; the first was to leave Lucius-" Narcissa made a choked sound from the kitchen, which Hermione ignored, "-You made the choice to give Harry and Draco your unborn baby. And now you have made the choice to die."

Astoria sniffed weakly before quickly brushing at her damp eyes, "I know I made the choice, it's just the uncertainity of everything that is niggling at me."

Hermione nodded in understanding. She hugged Astoria tighter. "Have you thought of how you want to tell them?" she asked softly, not wanting to ruin the peace that had descended.

Astoria shrugged her shoulders, "I was hoping that you would help me with that."

Hermione nodded and inclined her head, "Of course I will."

~0~

Harry wiped at his forehead as they cleared away the rest of the dishes, piling them up neatly in the over-head cabinets as Draco wiped down the counters with a damp cloth. Harry turned to the blond man who had just finished wiping the counters down. "Is everything cleaned up in there?" he asked, gesturing towards the dining area.

Draco hummed in thought before nodding, "I should think so. But we have a late start tomorrow anyway, so if there is any mess we can clean it up then."

Harry blinked in susprise, "That's awfully nonchalant for someone who likes to wash the plates as soon as dinner is over," he teased with a light grin on his lips. Draco merely rolled his eyes and crossed the room to envelope his lover in a warm embrace. Harry smiled softly, "come on, let's go upstairs."

With their arms around once another they locked-up, and mounted the back staircase up to the apartments.

When they opened the door to their apartment, the first thing that entered their minds was just how quiet it was. Draco frowned, not liking the hushing sensation in the air. Harry tightened his fingers around the blonde's forearm, before slipping his fingers into his pocket and retrieving the front door keys. The sounds of sliding the key into the lock and hearing the muggle catch's click and unhinge seemed to echo eerily in their ears.

Stepping into their apartment the first thing they noticed was the kitchen table set up for tea with Hermione, Astoria and Narcissa nestled around it. "Hey you two," Narcissa smiled softly as she set her cup of tea down, and crossed the distance to embrace her son. He hugged her back as Harry went over to kiss Hermione's forehead and accept a cup of coffee from Astoria.

"So, why is everyone looking so glum?" Draco asked as he poured himself a cup of tea and went about stirring two sugars into it.

A look passed between the women. Narcissa placed a tender hand on her son's shoulder and guided him over to the table to where Harry had eased himself into a chair. "Sweetheart, there's something that you need to know."

Harry began to feel numb as ever so slowly, Narcissa and Astoria and Hermione began to get his and Draco's heard around the heart-breaking news that Astoria had terminal cancer and would most likely not be able to see their child.

He swallowed thickly, his eyes brimming with tears as Draco looked far too pale and was trembling slightly beside him. The silence reigned over them in a tense cloud. Harry searched for Draco's hand underneath the table. Their fingers touched and a warm sensation penetrated through the numbness that was spreading, like poison, through his veins. He bit down on his lower lip and inwardly winced. He may have been taking it bad, but he had no idea how Draco was taking it. He glanced up at the blonde. He had never seen him looking so distraught.

Astoria was watching Draco too, her eyes red rimmed from crying throughout the afternoon. Hermione was silently biting down on her thumbnail. "Why don't we -leave you three to it?" she eventually mumbled, easing herself to her feet and being escorted out of the kitchen by Narcissa. They ventured into the living room.

Astoria sighed softly and adjusted her arms on the tabletop. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you guys earlier," she breathed gently, "It's just -not really something you bring up randomly in a conversation."

Harry swallowed thickly, "Did they -uh -did they say if it will affect the baby?" It probably sounded unsympathetic, but he didn't know what else to say.

Astoria -thankfully -didn't take it to heart. She could understand his inclination for asking. She nodded her head softly, "That's why I didn't want to have any treatment. That could have harmed your baby -apparently -and I can promise you that if I survive long enough after the baby is born I will get treatment if it will do anything."

Harry bit his lip and nodded. "I guess that is the best option -if you're comfortable with that."

"I am!" she affirmed, sounding a little more confident.

Silence lapsed once again. Draco was still quiet. He wasn't saying or doing anything -even his fingers that had slid into Harry's were limp. Both brunette's were watching the blonde man as he stared down at the tabletop. His cup of tea was cooling rapidly in front of him. He seemed lost in his thoughts as he absorbed all what had been said.

Harry squeezed his lover's hand softly, "Draco?"

The blonde man inhaled sharply, and blinked back to reality. He glanced from Astoria's red eyes to Harry's grief stricken face before feeling his stomach knot. He licked his lips hoping to tell Astoria that they would keep positive and strong and as soon as possible she would receive the best treatment that they could buy. Instead, he felt his lips tremble again. "I'm sorry" he gushed out, his muscles quaking as he stood up from the table, the chair scraping against the floor, his fingers slipping out of Harry's grip, "I -I need some time alone!" he managed to choke out, his eyes shimmering as he fled from the kitchen.

The bedroom door slammed shut.

Astoria raised her eyes from the tabletop to look at Harry. Both felt lost. What could there be left to say? She exhaled softly through her nose, and slid her cold fingers around the Luke Warm cup of tea in front of her.

"I'll talk to him," Harry promised, as he too rose from the table and departed from the kitchen.

Astoria sighed, tears brimming in her eyes as she listened to the bedroom door open and shut again. A silencing ward must have been put into place because what followed was total silence. She didn't feel like being alone right then. But then, she mused to herself, she wasn't truly her alone. She placed a hand over her growing bump before taking her cup and went into the living room to sit with Hermione and Narcissa.

A/N: I am sorry for the long wait but I hope this chapter helps to ease the tension ^_^