A/N: Another update, If there is something that isn't understandable so far please let me know. Thanks, and I'm still not decided on who to put Harry with, so if anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears.
Disclaimer: Don't own it
Warnings: None really
Chapter Two
"Harry! Harry!" Hermione screamed until the dark head poked around the corner. He was in the kitchen, his appearance disheveled more than usual. She was glad that he smiled seeing her just inside the doorway.
"Hello, Mione. I thought you weren't coming until morning." He didn't mind that she was early. He had been about to sit down to have something for dinner. "I am almost done with dinner, come into the kitchen."
"As long as you are cooking." She didn't want to eat anything made by Kreacher. He would likely try to poison her and feign ignorance. The nasty house elf was nowhere in attendance. As soon as she had left the doctor's office, she had gone home to fetch her belongings.
"Should I open something up for Crookshanks?" Harry eyed the ugly cat she was carting under her arm. It looked ready to sprint towards the kitchen. Why was she here early? She didn't have her usual calm expression on. There were worry lines and she was frowning.
"I fed him earlier but I'm famished." She followed him into the kitchen. There was something bubbling on the stove. It smelt delicious, "What is for dinner?"
"Stew. Sorry, I thought I'd be eating alone tonight." Harry frowned when she reached over to retrieve the stack of letters on the table. He had gotten three, one right after the other. "You might not want to read the one from Ron."
"Thanks, I will." She wanted to know what exactly her boyfriend had to say to Harry. She already knew what the ones from Ginny and Molly would say. She pulled out the parchment to see the sloppy print and began to read out loud. "Harry, are you even going to read this? You didn't reply to my letter yesterday, Mate. Mum and Ginny are worried about you and think you should come to the Burrow. It is really for the best. Also, Mione thinks she needs to come there and mother you, you know how she is. Why don't you both just come here? Mum is right, you two shouldn't be alone, it isn't proper. I trust you, but Ginny swears that Mione has a thing for you and will try something. I don't believe that, but to prove them wrong will you please convince Mione that you two should stay the summer with us? Ron."
"If I told you not to shag Malfoy, would you do it?" Harry stirred the stew, looking back at the bowed head. He had known that she wouldn't like what the letter had to say. Ron said he didn't believe it, the bloke did. Why else was the ginger constantly getting jealous over how much time they spent together? If Hermione so much as made a positive comment pertaining to him, Ron would get angry.
"Maybe," she'd rather shag Malfoy than Harry. Better to shag your enemy over someone you thought as a brother. The letter wasn't that awful, just showed Ron's insecurity and reinstated the fact that his sister was a bitch. "Has she said anything else to you?"
"Not really, they say the same thing in every letter. Molly is trying to act like my mother to get me to the Burrow. Promising what she'll cook for me and what they have planned for the summer. She wants me to come to the wedding, I'm not sure I want to. I don't have anything against Bill or Fleur but I know how it'll end." Harry didn't want to deal with the outcome of a wedding. Ginny was already hinting at wanting to get married as soon as he graduates. He didn't want to jump into anything, not with her.
"I've been invited as well. I will probably claim cramps to beg off the event. What are you going to do about Ginny?" Hermione knew by not going she would be pissing off many. Going meant dealing with Ron and Ginny. The miniature Molly had already sent her a threatening letter saying she didn't want her staying alone with HER boyfriend. Like she was going to listen.
"I don't have a clue, Mione. I thought I liked her," what she seemed to be anyway. Harry had already discussed his problems with the only person that would listen. Mione was the only one that would listen and not condemn him for worshipping the ground Ginny stood upon. Luna would have listened but he wasn't sure he felt comfortable enough to discuss his sex life with the blonde. "It bloody frightens me when she starts describing the rings she saw last week when shopping with her Mum. Dammit, Mione! She was telling me which ones would look best with her complexion. I have people trying to kill me and she is worrying over which diamond will compliment her freckles."
Hemione had to laugh seeing the anger, "Sorry, Harry. The look on your face. I understand why you are aggravated. At least you know Ginny is trying to land you permanently. All Ron is worried about is when I'm going to follow in your footsteps and let him introduce me to the finer aspects of shagging a Weasley."
"Trust me, decline the offer. If Ginny is an example of what shagging a Weasley is like, don't torture yourself." Harry reached up to retrieve two bowls. Shagging a ginger wasn't all it was rumored to be. He wasn't missing the sex. He really wasn't missing anything involving his girlfriend. "I have some juice in the fridge if you want to fix the drinks."
"Alright," she poured them both a glass. "I take it you don't think she is the one? Lately, I've been wondering what I have in common with Ron. We don't like the same things. He cares more about Quidditch than his studies. When the war isn't in the discussion, those two are always going on about which team they want to play for. What am I supposed to do while he is off pursuing his career?"
"Sit home, bare his seven offspring and get robust?" Harry placed dinner on the table and took a seat. The last thing he wanted to do was marry someone like Molly Weasley. The woman had her good points but that wasn't for him. He also didn't want one that wanted to go off on her own and do her thing.
"Harry!" Hermione couldn't believe he said it. She wasn't having a litter of children. One or two were more than enough for her. She wasn't having any more than that. Not this witch. "He can find another witch, I'm not biting. Which is why I don't see us continuing our relationship."
He knew what she meant. "I know what you mean. I don't see myself settling down with Ginny. I don't want a wife that wants nothing more than to be a housewife. I'm not sure what I want, I'm just sure that it isn't her. Is that wrong? It makes me feel bad when she starts throwing how long she has loved me in my face."
"Having a crush isn't the same as being in love." Hermione wondered if the girl knew the difference. "We both know she has been crushing on you since before you two officially met. I still stand behind my first opinion. Ginny likes Harry Potter, not Harry."
"It's sad. I never wanted my name to get me my first real relationship. We have nothing in common besides Quidditch. I can't recall a time since being together that we sat down and had a decent conversation that wasn't about her or what she wanted. I care about her but something is missing." He wasn't sure what it was but he felt it. It was something he felt when he held her. He felt like a possession when she clung to him.
"Real love," Hermione knew what it was. There was more love in her and Ron's relationship. At least she could say that they really knew each other. Ginny acted differently in private than she did in front of others. The girl had most of her family fooled as well.
"Yeah." Harry wanted to drop the subject. He was tired of his girlfriend occupying up most of his time and she wasn't even there. "By the way, why are you here early? You said you weren't coming until the morning."
"Oh, I wanted to talk to you about something. I thought about going to the Weasley but decided not to." She knew Ron would tell her not to worry about it. Her worrying meant she'd fret and ignore him. Something he wouldn't tolerate. He would say so what if she was adopted. Instead, she began to tell Harry about what she had discovered in the basement before handing him the file she had stolen. "Now, look at this."
He looked over the file carefully. The inside of the female anatomy was as simple as rocket science to him. He wasn't sure what the diagram meant or what exactly the printout meant. "She had surgery?"
"She had a hysterectomy. It means she would not have been able to have children." Hermione saw the light bulb go off. "It means my mother couldn't have had me. However, I'm sure they believe it is true or they are very good actors. All my birth records claim that I was born from them. I could not find any signs of adoption papers."
"So, what are you thinking?" Harry wasn't sure what to say. There were many ways for the couple to still have a baby. "Maybe they had a surrogate. One of those procedures I've heard about."
"I thought about that. Maybe they had the doctor save some of her eggs and they had a surrogate." Hermione wanted to believe that was the case. It was the only reason she wasn't flipping out over the discovery. A surrogate was most likely how she had been born. "I came here because I want to brew a potion."
"What for?" What would be the point? Harry spooned a mouthful of stew into his mouth. What kind of potion did she have in mind? With Hermione there was no telling.
"I just want to make sure. If by chance I am adopted, I would like to know where I came from. It also doesn't explain why my parents act like they believe that she had me. I already knew about the operation but they lied about when she had it. If they are lying to me I don't care, I just want to make sure. If they aren't my real parents, I'd like to know who is. If I were normal, I would let it slide but I'm a witch, Harry." Hermione wanted to know if she actually came from magical parents or her own.
"I understand." Harry did and he would want the same. If only he could find out that he really wasn't related to the Dursley family. "How long is it going to take to brew? When are you going to start?"
"In the morning. It should only take about a week since I'm only concerned about my immediate family, not my ancestors." Hermione wanted to have it done before they were forced to attend a wedding. Most likely they would have to go or a bunch of Weasleys would be invading the place.
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When would his home return to the quiet manor that it had once been? Draco could remember walking the halls as a child and enjoying the solitude that it brought. These days there was always noise. People were constantly coming and going, intruding upon his home. He would be glad when the war was over. Then he wouldn't fear coming home or wonder what he'd wake up to.
Waking to someone being tortured had dark lines appearing beneath his eyes. The bloody arses knew how to cast curses but didn't know one single silencing charm! The only thing that kept him for speaking out was knowing that the Dark Lord may hear of it. He didn't fear the man's Deatheaters but he feared that man/creature. Not only would he be punished but so would his parents. His father wasn't the best but he loved his parents.
The noise this morning was coming from his aunt. Bella was at the bottom of the staircase with her arms being thrown into the air. Draco was sure she was trying to stomp upon invisible insects that were trying to climb up her legs. The woman had a way for the over-dramatic. His mother didn't look happy at what was being said either.
"Of course, precious Lucius is more than ecstatic, he is a man." Bella shrieked into the passive face. How could Cissy be so foolish? This would not end well. Cissy was too old and there was a war to win. This wasn't the time to appease that peacock.
"I am happy as well, why can't you let it go? I don't have to explain my actions to you, Bella. Perhaps if you would do right by your own husband, he would stop forcing himself on muggles." Narcissa wouldn't apologize. Not even seeing the hurt made her retract that sentence. It was a wife's duty to bless her husband with children. It had taken longer than most but she was happy that they would be adding another to the Malfoy line.
"How dare you! If you were anyone but my sister," she'd make her beg for death. Bella cringed at the idea of letting that man touch her. She was still sane enough to know that her husband was ugly. She would not give that man a child, she'd rather lay with Dumbledore. "I'm not the one confused and thinks she is still young."
"I may not be young but I am not too old." Narcissa liked to think she was in her prime. She could have another child if that was what she wished. The time could be better but she would not get rid of it.
"You should get rid of it." Bella warned, knowing that the birth would be difficult. Having Draco had put a lot of strain on her sibling. This one may kill her.
"How dare you! Would you get rid of your child? Of course not, Bella. You of all people know what that is like, so don't you dare suggest that I kill my child. If you can't be happy for me that is your problem, not ours." Narcissa saw the hurt before it was covered up by ire. This was her baby, her and Lucius.
"Mother?" Draco spoke seeing his aunt turn and storm away. What had that been about? Was his mother pregnant? What were they thinking? She was too old to be having children. Or was he that much of a disappointment his father was wanting her to replace him? Why else would they be trying after all these years?
"Come, they are about to hold a meeting. We aren't required to attend." She waved her son over and placed a hand on his elbow. He had grown to be just as tall as she in the last year. She had wanted to tell him her own way. Not have him overhearing an argument forced upon her by her sister. The news hadn't bothered anyone else. It was more or less unimportant when it came to the upcoming battle.
He allowed her to lead him to the gardens. It was a place they would often come to speak alone. She wanted to talk to him. He already knew what it was about. Should he be angry? Should he support her? He didn't want to be angry with his mother. "Why? Why does father want another son?"
"He doesn't. The pregnancy was unplanned. We haven't used any form of protection for the last ten years. We did for many years after you were born because the healer suggested that we wait a few year since the deliver was so hard on me. It wasn't like we were trying, it just happened finally." Narcissa had been shocked but was happy that she'd have another child. She would never try to replace her first. Draco would always be her most precious and first. She was hoping for a girl this time around, not another son.
"And father?" Draco wanted to know what the man thought about it. Things were tense with the Ministry and the war. If the war didn't end well, his father could end up back in prison. What would happen to him? What would happen to a new baby?
"He is happy but concerned. With the current situation he is worried about the future but we have decided to let the pregnancy continue. It is our child together and your father and I love each other dearly. You will understand one day, when you take a wife of your own." Narcissa patted his hand, trying to reassure him. As much as Lucius longed to appoint a bride for their son, she wanted it to be Draco's choice. She was lucky that her own marriage had turned into something filled with love and respect.
When he got his own wife? As long as his father didn't try to dictate who he married. Draco knew he couldn't chose his own alliance but he wanted to decide who he would have to bed every night. The Malfoys never did something as cheap and tawdry as to fornicate outside of marriage. That was for those without morals and improper upbringings. Before marriage was different but vows were sacred. He would pick his own wife and it wouldn't be one of the Greengrass girls. They were pretty enough but weren't his taste.
Draco silently chastised himself as the image flashed through his mind. He knew who he wanted but it would never happen. Not only would his parents not accept the match but the relationship would never happen period. As hot as he found Granger to be, they despised each other. That didn't prevent him from lusting after the Gryffindor. He secretly enjoyed their banter. It was nice to have a female that could match his wit. All Weasley could counter with were dull insults and name calling. The snarky little witch had a smart arse comeback for every insult and comment. She also never cowered before him.
She was the only girl that was worth attention that didn't worship him. Every single witch in Slytherin fought for his attention. Well, if he didn't include Pansy. His childhood friend had stopped fawning over him years ago. Not since fourth year had she bothered to flirt or get his attention. Some days she wondered if she had a thing for Blaise. Others he just knew she was secretly panting after Potter.
He knew the signs because he was the same way. He outwardly despised the Mudblood and he saw the same thing from Pansy. They would often sit up and debate on which one was worse. In the end they would always agree that the Weasley duo had them beat. Those two made him cringe.
He got why Potter was with the Weaslette, that bint gave it up easy. However, why would the Mudblood lower herself to sleep with someone like the Weasel? The idiot had no brain, was uncouth and had no cock. That was the going rumor the Brown witch had started after they had split. It was probably speculation but he couldn't imagine the moron knowing what to do with what he had. What kind of conversations did they have? The grades alone showed what kind of intelligence gap there was between the two.
Worrying about their relationship would get him nowhere. If by chance he could get his father to accept her, there was the war. They were on opposite sides. He would not betray his family, he couldn't. He was simply attracted to the forbidden. Still, he had a feeling that sex with the know-it-all would never be boring. "What were you and Aunt Bella discussing?"
"Oh, she isn't happy with my condition. She thinks I should abort it while I can. In her mind I am too old to risk another difficult labor." It was sibling concern behind the tirade, not jealousy. Bella just had a problem showing what she really felt.
"What would she know of it? She's never had any children." Draco didn't like his mother being yelled at. Even if it was out of concern. If she wanted the baby then he would support her decision and be there during the birth. Okay, he'd be outside in the hall but he would make sure she knew that he was there for her.
"Well, that isn't entirely true. We don't discuss it, especially in front of Bella." Narcissa held up her hand. The last person that had brought up the incident had been tortured until they ended up dead. Those responsible were drooling into bibs. "With this pregnancy, you must watch what you say in front of her. She did have a child once, he'd be about your age."
"Seriously?" His aunt didn't strike him as the motherly type. What kind of child would she raise? From what he'd been told, she had never been all there, even before her time in prison.
"It is a topic best left buried. During the last war, she was out on a mission for the Dark Lord and their manor was attacked. All those that weren't killed were taken into custody. However, the baby was slain in the raid. It was most likely an accident but the Ministry burned his body and buried the ashes. Unfortunately, Bella ended up torturing the ones responsible and ended up in prison soon after. She never got to say goodbye to her child. It is still a sore subject." Narcissa wanted Draco to realize that even those that swore to fight for the side of Light weren't exactly innocent.
"I see, is that why she won't allow her husband to touch her?" Draco wouldn't let the man touch him either. He often wondered why someone as beautiful as his aunt had been, why would she consent to a marriage to that hideous Lestrange?
"Oh no, he has never touched her. Their marriage was arranged but she has never allowed him to bed her. There is only one man she has ever allowed to bed her." Narcissa thought it wrong that her sister would allow someone that wasn't her husband to take liberties. It wasn't her spouse and not her concern. Bella would do as she pleased, always had.
"You mean," the baby had belonged to the Dark Lord? That was the only man his aunt was smitten with. That man had created a child? It was ghastly to think about. He knew at one point the man had looked normal but still, the very idea. What kind of children would he produce? "Did he know?"
"Of course, that was the reason he ordered the attack on the Longbottoms. They led the raid that night. The Dark Lord's son was only three days old when he was killed."
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