The Poisoned Apple

by SeveranSnape

An atrocious act by Draco Malfoy in the dungeons of Malfoy Manor forced Hermione Granger to leave behind everything she ever cared for. Six years later, Draco after losing all that he cared for, comes face to face with the consequences. The once innocent Apple now poisoned is his last resort. Will he leave behind old Draco and earn Hermione's trust for a new beginning? ABANDONED.

62. Chapter 62

A/N: Thanks Mariel, Grovek26, arya and Zeehana for your kind reviews in last chapter.

Thanks everyone for the follows and favourites.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

**This chapter is the continuation of its last counterpart 'Grape of Wrath part 3/2'. It deals with some common notions, superstitions, wrong ideas and most importantly insensible people that still prevail and will continue to prevail till the end of world. Every memory that will be written will contain some, if not a lot, about our surroundings and show how it shapes or shaped into persons that we are today. The hints are as always subtle for I want you not just read but to think too.

**Since I am aware of the contents of the writing and extreme sensitive nature of the issue of rape, I would like to ask my readers a question, valuing their opinions, that 'what would they do if they were in Hermione's place?' I know the ending is set but I am curious to know how my writing has impacted their thinking. So, please let me know your feelings – be it PM or review and I promise I'll read them with extreme care. : ))

Acknowledgements:

** Thanks to dear Amberjanus for help with invaluable advices on the chapter.

**I found Benedick's Bittermints after quite a long research on internet on British chocolate products and chose it for the reasons described by Hermione.

**Hermione's family history is courtesy to Wikipedia where I read articles on BEF, British soldiers in WW2, Créquy family and Hermione Lee.

Well I guess that's all and now please enjoy and don't forget to leave a review.

**I have made a page in Pinterest, wholly dedicated to TPA, where almost all the characters as I see them (both HP and OC) as well as major and minor things are available as images. It doesn't require accounts and the link in my profile for those who'd like to visit it.

Hermione's locket has been put in that page too.

**My fiction 'The Poisoned Apple' has been nominated for The Hogwarts award in the category Hermione Romance. It is posted on the site and I would like you to cast your vote on the site under 'vote' tab.

The website is hogwartsawards DOT weebly DOT com **replace DOT with a . The link can also be found in my profile.

For swear words this chapter is rated: M.

Disclaimer: The copyright to Harry Potter characters belong to J. K. Rowling. Any other characters are purely work of fiction and any resemblance is co-incidental.

Chapter 62: Grape of Wrath (Part 3/2).

Being the descendent of The Noble and Ancient House of Blacks through his mother, Draco was provided with some inherent traits that he prided himself on: Ego, cunningness, recklessness and a certain disregard for the rules and laws. Those qualities were even more improvised when the blood of Malfoys - with their reputation of unparallel skills in achieving their means through direct, indirect or subtle methods – had mixed with the blood of Blacks in his veins for eternity. Draco, who had been confident even until the previous morning before the Lupus attack that he would somehow win over Hermione's heart with his hard work and dedication - something he was never accustomed of doing - was now appalled at his own stupidity.

How could he even think that?

That he can make Hermione see his changes, the changes that he had thought was more than enough for a Malfoy to have what he wanted?

That she shouldn't feel anything but repugnance at his presence?

That she should feel nothing but resentment at her own fate that has bound her with him?

After all, what had he given her, except for a life full of humiliation, misery and nightmares?

His aunt Audré was right in saying that he was being hypocrite when hurting Hermione for his own selfish means; that he doesn't understand the pain until the rock that he had thrown at others was pelted back at him.

He understood why Audré, instead of telling Hermione to accept her fate as Mrs. Draco Malfoy, had instructed Mr. Draco Malfoy to observe Monsieur Alexis Delacour and learn from the man how he has charmed Hermione's heart.

Because there was literally, no other way.

There were no shortcuts – no easy way to reach Hermione.

Because what he had been doing until now wasn't right - a notion that Draco never cared for if he was sure he would get his means in the end.

He can't charm Hermione to look at him just because he was her damned husband, even if he clad himself in the most admirable shade of blue from head to foot.

He can't make her talk to him politely because he had surrendered before her.

He can't make her concentrate to improve their frail relationship just because Adrian was suffering from social awkwardness in his school.

Most importantly, he can't make her leave Alexis forever to get along with him just because it would be considered adultery if it continued.

Hermione would never accept him, Draco, in the state he was now.

There was only one way: Draco has to slay this monster that resided inside him – that makes him lose control of what was left of his very little consciousness and embark on the journey to get the woman he truly admired.

Because Hermione can't be made to see his change.

No.

She will see his changes only when he truly changed.

Draco, his spirit renewed from his aunt's scathing speech on the graveness of his crime, grasped the phial full of Apolline's memories tightly, leapt to his feet and proceeded to retrieve his uncle's Pensieve from his study.

It didn't take him more than ten minutes to fetch the shallow basin with runes etched around its edges to his own suite and when Draco lowered the Pensieve on his reading table, his heart was beating like a drum with a strong sense of purpose and determination.

He held the phial before his eyes and swirled the silvery liquids of the phial once before unstoppering and emptying the contents into the Pensieve where they made a graceful whirlpool.

Draco took a deep breath and closed him eyes.

He had a nagging feeling at the back of his mind that what he was about to witness would change his life forever.

He kept his eyes closed as he lowered his head, plunged it into the silvery surface and felt his feet leave the bedroom floor. Draco was falling through the space and time and then suddenly his feet touched solid ground.

The last encounter with Hermione's memories were still fresh on his mind and Draco kept his eyes closed stubbornly, too scared to open them.

"Maman, look! Jean received her first ever Beauxbaton letter!" Gabrielle's voice squeaked excitedly.

Thankfully it wasn't someone's insistent pounding on the door to open it because Hermione was on the verge of having a miscarriage and feeling safe at last, Draco opened his eyes.

He narrowed his eyes immediately as the sunlight flooded kitchen of the Delacour residence hit his sensitive retinas and blinking rapidly several times, he looked around the place.

The first person who came into his view was Hermione Jean Granger.

She was sitting on a chair beside Gabrielle with her back on him, her glorious brown curls flowing down her back and shoulder, examining a letter with immense interest.

The next thing that came into Draco's view was Hermione's baby bump, for it was quite visible now and came between Hermione's chair and dining table. She kept it modestly covered with a long black scarf that hung from around her neck.

Forgetting time, place and real purpose of his visit, Draco sat down on the chair just beside her, observing the expectant mother with deep sense of admiration and fascination.

Hermione was wearing a soft cotton brown and purple dress with a small bow on front, the brown shade of which matched her brown curls and mesmerizing eyes. Her eyes, Draco noticed looked sunken, which he suspected might be due to poor sleep and his face though pretty as ever, had a strained look on it as she scrutinized the letter.

"Aunt." she called Apolline after several moments of silent reading of the letter's contents, "I don't understand one thing. 'Dear Miss Granger, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted as a pupil for academic year 1998-1999 in Beauxbaton Academy of Magic.'" She started reading the letter aloud, "'Below is the list of subjects to choose from.'" She continued reading her eyes trailing down the paper, "Then there is a list of subjects under the headings of Natural Magic and Advanced Magic. What do they mean by Natural Magic and Advanced Magic?" she asked and looked up from the letter.

Draco, who was been lost in his observation of Hermione until that moment, came to his senses as Apolline placed a glass of milk before Hermione and wiped her wet hands on her apron.

"Well, in Beauxbatons we give O. W. L. s after six years of education, not five like you do at Hogwarts." she set down before Hermione a plate of full English breakfast with fried eggs, sausages and bacons, "Seventh year is basically for specialization where students choose subjects according to the careers they want to pursue in their future lives." Apolline drew out a chair next to Draco and across Hermione, "'Natural Magic' is more akin to ancient magic with subjects that deal with Nature - like Herbology, Astrology, Care of Magical Creatures, History of Magic, Divination, Basic Wandlore and similar things while 'Advanced Magic' is for those students who want to flourish their careers in Ministry or other placed with subjects like – Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Ancient Runes and Arithmancy." She pushed the breakfast plate towards an apprehensive looking Hermione, who Draco noted gulped audibly at the stockpiled food, "Now clear that up, Jean. I specially made English breakfast for you today, keeping in mind that you are not accustomed to French breakfast."

Hermione cleared her throat and smiled feebly, "Aunt, I can't eat all that." she protested eyeing the plate with unadultered fear, "I mean, I can but not all of it. I am not Ron who I am sure would have asked more of it had you given it to him." She grimaced at the fried double eggs, "Besides, you know that I can't stand the smell of eggs."

"You need protein and calcium, Jean, you are at your fifth month and the baby is rapidly growing now." Apolline snapped at Hermione in a matter-of-factly tone, "Eggs are the best source of proteins so skipping them in breakfast isn't an option anymore. Even I couldn't stand the smell of eggs when I was about to have Alexis but I took them nonetheless." She pushed the plate more towards Hermione, "Now, leave that letter and eat. We can discuss about your subjects later." She said with a tone of finality and pulled a cup of café a láit towards her.

Unlike his first time in the memories where Draco had snapped, berated and begged Hermione to take food for the wellbeing of the baby inside her, he watched her plainly this time as Hermione folded the parchment and took up her fork.

"It tastes nice." She took her first spoonful of eggs and said approvingly, "The white sauce has masked the typical taste and smell of eggs." Hermione commented and shoved another spoonful with evident hunger, "What is it, aunt?"

"Crème fraîche." Apolline replied with a bright smile, "You liked it, didn't you? I know most pregnant woman like to eat something tangy and Crème fraîche is a naturally thickened fresh cream with a tangy flavor and a rich texture; it doesn't curdle or separate when heated. So, I choose it to give you a different flavour of eggs."

Hermione's eyes filled with tears of gratitude as she left her fork and placed her hand over Apolline's, "Aunt…" she voice was heavy with emotion, "…I can never… thank you enough for the love and care you have given me in last two monthes." she said in a constricted voice, "I don't know if anyone other than my own mother would've done this for me."

Apolline waved her hand and gave Hermione a look of mock stern, "I am warning you, Jean, if you ever say those sentences again…" she paused and arched an eyebrow, "…I am going to give you uncooked eggs with horrible smell for breakfast. Formality is something that we, Veelas, can't stand at all." She said dismissively.

Hermione let out a laugh, took up her fork and she continued with her breakfast.

As he watched her, Draco, for the first time in his life, felt from his heart that how extremely difficult it was to eat when one didn't feel like doing so. As a child, he had always thrown maximum tantrum when his food wasn't according to his liking and kept his mother Narcissa on the edge of her seat whenever he took his breakfast, lunch or supper.

The woman before him, with her growing bump, was now doing something that he himself doubted could've done had he been pregnant.

"Aunt, I need to talk to you about something." Hermione said carefully once Gabrielle finished her breakfast and left the kitchen with a low mutter of 'I am at papa's study', "You know that I still found a suitable job after I left that wretched library and though I have a small savings, I don't want to break them now. I will be needing that money when I have my baby." She placed a gentle hand on her bump, "But I need money to buy uniform, spellbooks, potion ingredients and other staff for Beauxbatons. How much do you think it would cost me?" she forked the sausage and took a bite from it.

Apolline looked thoughtful as she considered the question, "Well that depends, Jean." she said slowly after a while, "If you buy second hand books the cost will be lowered to half. Besides, I can take out Fleur's old uniform for you if you want to buy second hand uniforms. That will save your money too." she sighed sadly, "To tell you the truth, Gustave and I were planning to buy you everything as an early Christmas present but knowing you, the stubborn and proud Jean Granger who will not take anyone's favour, we backed off at the last moment." She took Hermione's hand on her own, "We didn't want to hurt your self esteem but know this, Jean, that we don't pity you. No." she shook her head firmly, "We love you and will support you in all your decisions. If you are contented with buying second hand books for Beauxbatons, I will be more than happy to accompany you to Les Halles. I am with you all the way and Veelas don't break their commitments till the last breath." she said solemnly.

Draco didn't know which information struck him harder: that Hermione would be buying second hand books and wearing Fleur's old uniforms for her school year or that she wouldn't take anyone's favour even when she was in desperate need of money. Need of money was something he had never experienced until very recently when he was given the challenge to buy a house for Adrian with his salary and he had always taken insane pleasure in ridiculing those who weren't wealthy enough, notable among them was Hermione's ex-fiancé Ronald Weasley and his flee-bitten brothers.

"Do you think I can accommodate my bump in Fleur's old uniforms." Hermione asked Apolline rubbing her swollen stomach gently, "According to Gamp's law of elemental transfiguration, Magic can't be used to obtain five principal things: food, clothing, money, shelter and medicine." She stated the law to Draco's general astonishment, "And therefore, I can't shorten or lengthen them with magic. We are like Muggles when it comes to basic needs." She shrugged.

"Don't worry, dear, I will alter her uniforms for you so that you can be comfortable in them." Apolline assure Hermione gently and stood up, "I will go and take them out. You finish your breakfast and come to your room." she said and with a small pat on Hermione's shoulder she left the kitchen.

Draco wasn't even prepared to leave the memory so early but Apolline's departure meant the memory would shift soon. He gave a last desperate glance at Hermione who was slowly drinking her milk when his surroundings blended into a blur of colours.

He found himself standing on an unfamiliar alleyway and from the surroundings he could only discern that it was Ruelle Les Halles: French Wizarding marketplace equivalent to British Diagon Alley.

'I don't understand.' He frowned slightly as he looked around and found Apolline standing just behind him, 'Why did she give me that memory?'

"Aunt, is there a shop where we can buy and sell antiques?" Hermione's questions brought Draco out of his musings, "I…"she paused and gave her surrounding a careful look, "I have something to do there." She finished her sentence, clutching her purse tightly.

Hermione, Draco noticed, was wearing a light purple dress underneath her baggy old Hogwarts robes which she had winded over her baby bump to cover it. The emblem of Gryffindor lion was still shining on the left side of her bosom and she polished it once before his eyes with evident love and longing. She was also under the Glamour Charm that made her beautiful brown eyes appear horrid green and Draco simply couldn't be more outraged at her disguised features.

'She just ruined her looks.' He thought dejectedly while passer-bys gave Hermione look of plain interest, 'Why I never noticed it before that she really looked good in Gryffindor scarlet?' he berated himself over his foolishness.

"There is one shop over there that sells antiques." Apolline seemed taken aback at Hermione's enquiry, "Why? What do you want to buy?" she asked her.

"Nothing." Hermione grabbed Apolline's hand and started at the direction she had previously pointed, "Please, aunt, don't ask questions and…and just take me there." she said in an almost hushed voice.

Her urgency and secrecy about something she wasn't willing to share even with Apolline made Draco wonder two things: what was Hermione's business in an antique shop and if it was such a well kept secret, then why was Apolline sharing it with him through her memory?

He followed them silently to one of the alleys that he knew led to potions ingredients shops for he had visited them to purchase special ingredients for Suicide Salt and soon he stood with them before a shop that can't be anything but a second hand jewelry shop.

Draco eyed the sign-board plastered above the door.

Black cursive writing was boldly proclaimed:

Naphtalines

Below was a shop with wide and long display windows on either side of the door with words etched across them: Antiquités on the right and Dentellés on the left pane.

"Antiques and laces." Draco muttered translating the words in English and looked at his companions who were proceeding for the door knob.

Draco followed suit and entered a dimly lit shop with strong smell of absinth in the air.

"Anyone here?" Apolline's voice echoed through the shop that appeared otherwise empty, "Anyone here?" she repeated her query again.

"Oui! (Yes!)" a singsong voice answered and moments later an old man with a large hump barged into the shop through the back door, "Oui!" he repeated and came to stand behind the shopkeeper's bar eyeing his new customers curiously.

"Anglais? (English?)" he arched a white and bushy eyebrow at Apolline, who to Draco's astonishment nodded proudly, "Tell me…" the old shopkeeper cleared his throat and addressed Apolline in heavily accented English, "What can je…pardon…what can I do for vous…sorry…you?" he corrected his sentence twice before finishing his question.

"It's alright, Monsieur, you can carry on in French." Hermione said kindly, "We understand French very well." She said, unfastening the drawstrings of a beaded small bag and thrusting her hand into it, "I have here something for sale." She fumbled inside and extricated what looked like a silver locket with several blue stones set on it, "Here." She dropped it delicately on old man's cupped palm.

The man placed a pinch-nez on his crooked nose and held the locket before his eyes.

"Le saphir…" (sapphire…) he commented and narrowed his beady eyes, "…on white gold…" he looked up from his scrutiny of the jewelry, "Where did you find it?" he asked her sharply."

"Do I look like a thief to you?" Hermione asked defensively, "It is mine. My mom gave it to me on my tenth birthday." She reached out and snatched the locket from old man's hand, "I don't think I will sell it to you now." she said and turned to leave the shop with Apolline who looked both surprised and sad.

"Non!" the man exclaimed and tried to stop Hermione from leaving, "I didn't mean to offend vous…you." He cried out and both the ladies stopped on their tracks, "…Je vais…I will give you good money if you sell it to me." he offered in evident desperation.

Hermione was about to open her mouth when Apolline placed a hand on her arm, stopping her, "How much?" she asked in a pure businessman voice, "But before you name any price, Monsieur, let me tell you one thing. My husband is Gustave Delacour and he runs a century old apothecary business here in Reulle Les Halles. I will report you to Ministry if you try to cheat my English niece." She said, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"je…I won't." the old man croaked, "Please let me see it again." He held out his hand.

Hermione, Draco noticed, seemed reluctant this time to let go of the locket and she clutched the object tightly once, before dropping it on the old man's palm.

"I am nearly ninety and I am in this antique business for seventy five years, Madame Delacour. No one knows about antiques better than Old Clopin." the old man said proudly, tapping on his chest, "But I never cheated my customers." He was wheezing slightly, trying hard to speak in clear English, "I asked Mademoiselle Anglais about it because this is an Edwardian sapphire locket…very rare. The necklace is made of 14k pure white gold." He ran his fingers on the shiny chain, "And the round locket pendant has this round faceted vibrant blue sapphire center stone and some others at the periphery. I know stones and these sapphires, here, are graded as 'very good' clarity. I can give you one thousand galleons for this." he proclaimed.

"One thousand?" Hermione's mouth fell open, "Just…"she was stopped midsentence when Apolline snatched the chain and locket from Clopin's hand and tugged Hermione, "Let's go." She said dismissively.

"But Madame that's an old locket." Clopin's let out desperately, "How much more I can give for something that's second hand?"

"This is an antique shop, old Clopin. It is your business to buy and sell second hand things. So, you are not doing us a favour by buying it." Apolline snapped angrily, looking around the place, "And my niece's locket is a very rare antique; you said that yourself." She returned it to its owner, "So, if you are really interested, you'll give her three thousand galleons and not a Knut less than that."

"Two thousand, okay?" clopin's eyes, Draco noted, were greedy as he eyed Hermione's hand which fisted around the locket, "That's the highest I have ever given for something like that."

"Four thousand." Apolline declared, "And that is the least you can ever pay for something rare like this."

Clopin shook his head and let out a sigh, "Okay, fine, two thousand five hundred." He offered, holding his hands in air, "That's all I can give Madame and I assure you that no one here is going to pay you that sum for an old locket no matter how rare it is. We are here to do business not charity." He said pointedly looking at Hermione's almost shabby clothes.

Every nerve of Draco's body was on fire. He felt like lunging forward, drawing the hunchbacked man from behind his bar and slamming him hard on the floor.

"How dare you!" he exclaimed loudly, losing control of his temper, "How dare you insult Hermione just because she is wearing her old Hogwarts robes? They are way better than the filthy rag you are wearing, you stupid, old, hunchbacked prat!" he punched the man, thinking his blow will knock him out but his fist simply passed through thin air.

"AAAAAHHHHHH!" Draco let out a hopeless cry stamping his feet on the floor.

"That's fine, aunt." Hermione's face was set as she approached the man behind the bar, "I hope you'll not pay me in Leprechaun gold." She warned the old shop owner.

"Of course not!" Clopin cried, sounding highly offended, "I told you, Mademoiselle Anglais, that Clopin has never cheated his customers."

"Yeah, like you tried to pay me one thousand galleons just a few minutes ago." Hermione countered boldly handing over the locket with chain to Clopin.

Clopin gave Hermione a oily and toothy smile that reminded Draco of the owner of Borgin and Burks at Knockturn Alley, "It is business, Mademoiselle and we always try to get maximum profit." He took out a wooden box and opened the lid, "Here is your money." He counted several thousand galleons and put them on a satchel before handing it over to Hermione, who was looking instead at her locket with a solemn sadness.

As he watched her, Draco felt a sense of loss, as if something he had loved and cared was lost forever and he would never get it back. He wanted so much to be present physically beside Hermione as she sold something that from her gloomy looks suggested was very dear to her. But the barrier between time and space kept them apart until the memory shifted and he found himself again on another shop.

This one, Draco noticed, was bigger and crammed with books as people of different ages and walks of life browsed through them and chose their suitable ones.

"Oh, aunt! I love this smell!" Hermione's excited voice reached his ears over the low buzz of crowd and Draco turned to find her standing with Apolline, her eyes closed as she sniffed the pages of an old and yellowish book, "I love the smell of old books and fresh parchments." She said passionately and closed it, taking out the letter from Beauxbatons, "I am taking Advanced Magic curriculum and the books I need are…" her words were lost as she started checking the list of books while looked around the book shop.

Being the mighty Malfoy he was, Draco had never set foot on second hand shops to purchase books. Flourish and Blotts was the only place he would visit once a year and before he did, his father, Lucius Malfoy would send an owl to the owner asking him to keep the shop free from common customers until his son, Draco Malfoy, finished his purchase of books.

That being the general rule for Malfoys, Draco had never known how it felt to shop in narrow, book crammed shops where the air scented heavily of old moth as the other buyers bustled past him.

He watched in fascination, how Hermione, even with her protruding bump, skillfully walked around the crowded shop, picking up books and dropping them on a basket held by Apolline, who, like Draco, was also watching her with interest.

His heart ached to reach out and take the basket from Apolline's hand and bring a chair for Hermione so that she can take sit and take some rest while he browsed the books for her.

"I think we are almost done." Hermione declared at last, her face shining like the glowing sun outside the shop, "Some of my old Hogwarts book will suffice for Arithmancy and Ancient Runes. I just need some parchments, quills and ink bottles." She stated.

"That's over to Lucky Hercules, the first hand book shop." Apolline informed Hermione and she gaped at her.

"Lucky Hercules?" she repeated after Apolline, "That's a book shop?" she gave her a skeptic frown.

Apolline waved an indignant hand, "I know that the name is ear catchy but that's the real purpose of naming it; so that people feel curious, visit the shop and buy something."

Hermione nodded half-amused, half-exasperated, "Yeah right. Now let's go and pay." She started for the bar when she collided with a man.

"Hey moron! What the hell do you keep…" Draco started furiously but stopped midsentence as a mortified looking Alexis straightened up.

"Pardon moi, Madame…" the man stopped in midsentence, "Jean! Maman!" he exclaimed, his wide eyes darted between the two women as he recognized them, "What are you doing here? I am sorry, did I hurt you?" he looked at Hermione's bump anxiously.

Hermione, rubbing her shoulder now, shook her head, "No, Alexis." She replied and smiled feebly, "I am fine. We are here to buy my books for Beauxbatons."

"What are you doing here?" Apolline looked beside herself in astonishment, "Shouldn't you be at your office?" she asked and checked her watch.

"I was." Alexis replied, taking the basket from his mother's hand that full of Hermione's school books, "I came out for lunch and met one of my old classmates from Beauxbatons in a café. We talked for some time and he asked me where he could buy rare and old books. I said there is no place better than 'The poor man's books' and brought him here." He pointed at the slanted writing on the shop window that was evidently the name of the second hand book shop, "I was just taking him for a tour around the shop when I collided with Jean." he turned his gaze at Hermione, "I am really very sorry, Jean, I didn't notice you in this crowd." He said in all sincerity.

Hermione smiled and it wrenched Draco's guts painfully, "I am fine, Alexis. I know you wouldn't do that on purpose." she assured him.

Draco didn't know why he was fisting his hands and why his heart swelled and tried to burst out of his chest in resentment.

"Hey, Alexis…" a loud call brought him into his senses and he found another man with sandy hair and face pointed like a rat, joining the little group of Hermione, Apolline and Alexis, "Where are you, buddy?" he asked him jovially, "And who are these charming ladies?" he tiled his chin at Alexis's female companions.

"Noël, meet my mother, Madame Apolline Delacour." Alexis introduced his mother to the rat faced man who gave her a wide grin, "And this is Mademoiselle Jean Granger and she is …" he couldn't finish because Noël has let out a gasp, eyeing Hermione's bump.

"You got married?" he exclaimed loudly and the shop suddenly became very quiet, with everyone looking around for the source of such outburst, "And you going to be a father too! Alexis! My naughty boy! Why didn't you tell me about it? You brought me here to introduce me to her, didn't you?" he chided his horrified looking friend, "Your wife is so young and she's already pregnant! I must say you are quite a potent man." Noël gave Alexis a mischievous grin eyeing Hermione's baby bump.

"SHUT UP YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" Draco bellowed and whipped out his wand, ready to curse the insensible man into oblivion, "HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT? ADRAIN IS MY SON. HE IS DRACO MALFOY'S SON!"

Hermione was ashen faced and staring at Noël petrified while Apolline simply glared at him.

"I am extremely disappointed, Monsieur Noël, to say that I didn't know that my son was associating with such ill-humoured man like you." The half-Veela said scathingly, "Jean is my niece not daughter-in-law and she is visiting France to continue her studies after her parents' and husband's death at the war against The Dark Lord." She wrapped an arm around Hermione's shoulder, snatched the book basket from Alexis and stirred her out of the group without another backward glance.

As he followed them, Draco was sure that had it not been a memory he would have gone back and cursed that damned Noël so severely that he would never dare to speak again, let alone in public.

Hermione was so lost in her own thoughts that she paid the cashier more than the original sum which the man returned her with a frown, "Ce est de l'argent supplémentaire que vous me avez payé." (That is the extra money that you paid me.) he handed her an excess of ten galleons.

"Cool down, Jean." Apolline placed a comforting hand on Hermione's shoulder and took the book packages from the shop keeper's assistant, "Let's go to Lucky Hercules. I am sure you'll like it."

"I am not sure, aunt." Hermione let out a sigh, "I am in no mood to run into another friend of yours or uncle Gustave or Alexis." She rubbed her forehead wearily, "Can we go home?"

"Why not!" Apolline guided Hermione out of the shop, "Let's take the metro." She offered a rueful Hermione as she started thrusting the book packages into her beaded bag to Draco's immense astonishment.

"Undetectable Extension Charm." Hermione replied to Apolline's stunned look, "I did to keep our belongings safe when we started our hunt for Voldemort's soul pieces or better called Horcruxes. He had seven of them and one of them was my friend Harry." she said with a tinge of disappointment mixed with pride.

"No doubt why people feared him like that." Apolline commented as Hermione tucked the bag inside her robe, "I have heard about those Horcruxes from Fleur. Imagine if a man could do that his own soul what can he do to others?" she asked as they proceeded for the magical entry of Ruelle Les Halles that Draco knew was hidden inside a Muggle ATM booth in Les Halles metro station.

Draco followed them silently and patiently, wondering why the memories were so detailed and long this time; not that he had any complaints about it but there seemed to be another reason behind Apolline's giving him such memories that appeared seemingly unrelated.

Hermione and Apolline were passing by a shop that Draco hadn't paid much attention when she suddenly stopped and Draco, trying to prevent himself from colliding into her, failed and walked straight through Hermione and landed on the street on all fours.

"Benedick's Bittermints!" Draco, getting to this feet once again, heard Hermione exclaimed softly.

"What's that?" Apolline asked her, looking at the shop's display that sported some black and green coloured boxes with elegant writing across them – Benedick's Bittermints.

"That's dad's favourite after dinner mints." Hermione replied breathlessly, pushing open the door of the sweet shop named 'Bretty Mundt's Candies and Chocolates' and disappearing inside.

"Strange." Apolline commented as she followed suit and with her, Draco too entered the sweet shop.

"Can I have one of those?" he heard Hermione asked the salesman, pointing at the display case.

As the man obeyed and handed her a round tube shaped box Draco peeped over her shoulder to get a better view of whatever has caused an uplift of Hermione's previous morose mood.

The label on the black and green box said:

Benedick's mint collection's

Bittermints.

Underneath it was another writing:

Chocolate contains 95% cocoa solids

"Bendick's is a very famous after-dinner mints that were first made in Kensington in 1931." Hermione examined the box with pride as she showed it to Apolline, "The chocolates, awarded a Royal Warrant by Her Majesty The Queen in 1962, have been manufactured in Winchester since the 1950s. My parent's, Thomas and Adeline Granger, are dentists and they don't like eating sweets very much except for these Benedick's Bittermints and the Toothflossing Springmints that I bought for them from Honeydukes sweet shop. You see, they were very serious about dental hygiene." Hermione's smile broadened as she talked about her parents who Draco knew resided in Australia under false memory, "Basically they are peppermint patties and have a pleasantly minty aroma about them. I am no cook or food expert, aunt, but I know one thing about chocolates – the higher the cocoa content the bitter the taste. These have almost 95% cocoa meaning they are bitter but its taste is counteracted by the intense mint flavour of the patties that they coat." she said brightly, "How much is…" she turned the box to check the price and let out a gasp.

"Twenty five galleons?" Hermione blinked several times at the small label underneath the box and looked up at the shop assistant who was frowning deeply at her, "That outrageous! It only costs one galleon in Muggle shops that is five British pounds and Benedicks is a Muggle sweet."

"Sorry, Madame but that isn't a Muggle sweet." The salesman looked extremely affronted at the idea, "We don't sell Muggle products. Monsieur Benedick is Madame Bretty Mundt's second husband and she created these Chocolate coated peppermint patties specially after him. You must have made a mistake."

"I can't make a mistake." Hermione protested furiously, "I have been eating these ever since I was five and I am a British woman. I know my country and its products better than French do." She said haughtily and slammed the box on the counter, "Bloody cheats." She said and Draco was half amused and half astonished at Hermione's choice of swear word for she had never used anything more than 'foul loathsome evil little cockroach' on him while they were at school, "I thought I'd buy a box but now, I am not spending my precious money behind these frauds and swindlers who cheats their customers for their lack of knowledge by overcharging them for purchases." She declared and left the shop without a backward glance.

With every passing moment, Draco was becoming confused and unsure of his real purpose inside Apolline's memories. Previously they had been a mean to know Hermione when she was pregnant with Adrian; but now these memories were vital for his new mission: killing the monster who resided inside and no matter how hard Draco tried he couldn't relate the memories of Muggle chocolate box with it.

The scene shifted again and this time, Draco found himself in Delacour kitchen with Gustave frowning at a piece of parchment that appeared like a letter.

Draco immediately looked around for Hermione, for his sole purpose was to watch her undisturbed in these memories, but the woman wasn't present there. Instead, a grave looking Apolline was scrutinizing Gustave's expression with care.

"She is coming on Saturday." Gustave declared with apparent distaste crumpling the letter rather than folding it and Apolline grimaced, "We can just hope that everything will be fine during her weeklong stay with us. Apolline, dear, please tell Jean to steer clear away from our esteemed guest until the week is over. If necessary, explain the gravity of the situation to her as softly as you possibly can. I don't, under any conditions, want her to think that she is a burden on us for she isn't." Gustave said to his wife who nodded and stood up.

Draco was feeling curious to know the real identity of the 'esteemed guest' that has caused so much dark excitement in Delacour household. He followed Apolline as she went upstairs for Hermione's chamber of suites.

The one person Draco was craving to see was sitting on her bed, her knees supporting a thick tome as she scratched her head absent-mindedly with a quill. Hermione was already in her nightclothes, her baby bump protruding out which made her look even more adorable and beautiful to Draco's keen eyes.

"Aunt!" she whispered softly and moved away a little to give Apolline some place to settle on her bed, "You don't have to come every night and check if I have taken the milk." She said reproachfully, showing Apolline an empty glass on her night stand, "True that I don't feel like eating but I know my baby needs it." she smiled rubbing the bump gently.

"I, sometimes, envy your little rabbit." Apolline placed a soft hand over Hermione's hand and smiled, "I can tell that this baby is going to be the luckiest baby in entire universe with a mother like you, Jean." she said pleasantly.

With living example of Adrian before his eyes, Draco couldn't agree more. Ever since the start of his visits on the memories, he was craving to touch his son that was growing inside Hermione and now with Apolline's hand on the baby bump, he finally got the golden opportunity. Realizing that the memory contains sight, smell, touch and all other sort of sensory modalities, he sat down on the bed behind Apolline and placed a hand on Hermione's bump.

The first feeling he had was totally physical – that Hermione's bump was quite firm. The next feelings were a mixture of emotions that send joy and grief in equal measures through his numb fingers to every part of his taut body.

The knowledge, the assurance and the extreme contentment that a little life was actually inside this mound brought tears of happiness in Draco's eyes. It was the second time he had cried out of happiness, the first time being when Scorpius was born. His hand with its fingers splayed on Hermione's bump tried to feel the life that would become Draco's heart beat in six years time.

"Adrian… my Adrian is there…" his voice croaked in strangled emotion, "…son, can you feel your father's hands?" he asked forgetting the reality that he wasn't present when they memory took place, "…can you feel that I am here? Can you feel that I love you more than anything in the world…that I will give and do anything to spend more time together…Adrian, you are father's only hope for living…for fighting…just like you were to your Mama, Hermione…you are the reason I live, son, you are the reason I live…" Draco broke off and hung his head.

It was one of those very rare moments that Draco wished he could turn back time and be present with Hermione when she was carrying Adrian. The girl has turned into a beautiful woman before his very eyes and Draco kicked himself mentally for hurting her so badly. It was feeling beyond remorse, shame or any other feeling on that matter. It was extreme grief and resentment of losing himself the opportunity to be with the most extraordinary woman that was Hermione Granger.

"You have every right to hate me, Hermione." Draco whispered to her, "You have every right to hate me and even I have every right to hate myself for what I did to you. How can I even think that I can ask forgive…" he gulped, swallowing the rest of the words that were burning his throats like a bad dose of poison.

"Jean, I am here to tell you something." Apolline's voice was solemn but there was a tinge of urgency in it, "But before I proceed, promise me that you will not think of leaving our home once I am done. Can you promise me that?" she asked Hermione and Draco looked up, wondering what might she tell that could compel Hermione to take such decision.

"Okay." Hermione, Draco noticed, was cautious as she agreed, "I will not leave your home." she declared.

Apolline took a deep breath and gently rubbed Hermione's bump under Draco's hand, "We are going to have a guest this Saturday. She is Gustave's aunt and…" she paused evidently choosing right words, "Her name is Margot. She is almost seventy five but still very fit for her age."

Draco's brain was now running on full speed trying to discern reasons as to why Gustave and his entire family seemed depressed rather than delighted for the upcoming visit.

"Aunt Margot or Aunt 'Maggot', as Gustave likes to address her, is not a very pleasant person." Apolline continued, "She picks on very little things from why the bread crumbs on kitchen counter aren't cleaned to why the tea is lukewarm instead of being hot or why the plants aren't growing properly to a lot of other things. She is so disapproving of everything that surrounds her that even her own children don't like her and they keep sending her for visits to her relatives so that they can breathe some air." She said and Draco was reminded of his aunt Bellatrix and her suffocating presence in Malfoy Manor, "So, this Aunt Maggot will be arriving here, our home, on Saturday to stay for a week. Thanks Nostradamus, it is a week this time because last time she stayed for a whole month and Gabrielle was so irritated that she spent her summer at her friend's home posing that she had lots of homeworks to do just to be away from this old Crone." She said and Hermione snorted in amusement which gained her an arched eyebrow from a frowning Apolline.

"Don't take me wrong, aunt, but your aunt 'Maggot' reminds me of Harry's aunt Marge." She said and Draco realized that Hermione was talking about Potter's aunt. "She was also a horrible woman and once she said that Harry's mum was a…" she paused just when Draco becoming interested to know more, "Never mind; so, when this woman, Marge insulted his parents, Harry accidentally lost control of his magic and blew her up like a balloon. She was rescued several hours later, successfully punctured, and had her memory modified by the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad of the Ministry of Magic." Hermione and Apolline were laughing in chorus when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Hermione piped and to Draco's dislike, Alexis walked into her bedroom, holding a thin package wrapped in brown paper.

"I hope I am not disturbing you, maman and Jean." Alexis's voice was gentle and his steps measured as he approached the pregnant woman sitting on her bed, "I…" he cleared his throat audibly, "…found this on 'Lucky Hercules' when I went there to purchase some parchments and quills…" he held it out to Hermione who took it with a smile that wrenched Draco's guts painfully, "…and I bought it for you…thinking that you might like it." he finished as Hermione unwrapped the package.

"Tinybubbles…" Hermione took out an elegant looking light blue diary and read the Heading on the cover, "Baby Journal?" she looked up at Alexis in immense surprise, "For me?"

"I bought one for Fleur too." Alexis was suddenly very defensive, "Mamam says pregnancy memories are very precious and one should write them down while there is time." He said reasonably as Draco scowled at him, "Have a good night, Jean." he said before leaving abruptly.

"Alexis very ashamed of his friend's conduct that day on bookshop." Apolline commented once her son was out of the bedroom, "He is also very reserve with women so he can't apologize to you directly. That's why he bought this journal for you, as a sign of sincere apology."

"But that's not Alexis's fault." Hermione's words were enraging Draco, "His friend behaved the way those awful women at the library were behaving with me and believe me, aunt, I am quite accustomed to it now."

"But I am not." Apolline countered, "How dare that moron…" she paused and took a deep breath, "Anyways, Jean, we can talk about it later. The thing is this aunt Margot is also very disapproving of pregnancy out of wedlock and chances are that she might abuse you if she finds out that you are not married. She is also…" Apolline paused, biting her lips and Draco wondered if she was trying to hide something from Hermione, "I implore you, Jean, please keep to your quarters for the time she is here. I don't want you hear the same thing over and over again and I am certainly not going to lie to her that you husband is dead, like I did to Noel, for that will be under valuing your sacrifices for your baby." She shook her head firmly, "So, just keep away until it's over and I'll arrange for her stay as far as possible from here so that she doesn't poke her nose into your sanctuary." She took Hermione's hands on her bump, "Please don't take me wrong, Jean, I am in no way ashamed of you or afraid of her taunts. I just want to you to be happy when you are going to have this very special baby." She caressed the bump gently, "I just can't take it when someone insults you and she is our guest just for a week…" she was cut off when Hermione hugged her suddenly.

"Aunt… please don't explain anymore." Her voice was constricted with emotion, "…I know what you feel for us…me and my little rabbit…after all you have done in last two monthes, you could never pity me or be ashamed of me…so please don't explain…" Hermione released Apolline, "I am glad that I accepted Fleur's offer and came here. Otherwise, where would I've found such a wonderful aunt?" she asked her fondly.

"I am glad that you did, Jean." Apolline was smiling while her eyes shone with tears "I love children and soon we are going to have a little rabbit jumping up and down our home. That brings me to the issue of your uniform." She said as if remembering something suddenly, "I have already altered them for you and I think they'll fit on you perfectly now." she said and clapped twice when an aged-looking elf appeared and bowed before them.

"Aunt, I have something to give you." Hermione said once Apolline asked the elf to bring the altered uniforms for Hermione, "I have this money…" she took out a drawstring pouch from one of the drawers of her nightstand, "…I want you to separate two thousand galleons from it and keep them safely in your room. I'll be leaving for Beauxbatons in two weeks and that's all the money I have. I want to save a large sum out of it for my baby because I am not sure when I'll get a suitable job and cost of living has increased so much these days." She said and Draco fisted his hands, "I didn't tell you something that day, aunt." Hermione's tone was of pain and confession, "I knew you wouldn't let me do it if I told you about it…" she bit her lips and closed her eyes, "That locket… I sold that day… was my mum's… last keepsake…" her words dug deeply into Draco's heart, "…I left behind everything I had from them…when I used…that Memory Charm on them…but I just couldn't…leave behind…that locket…I thought that someday…" silent tears were spilling from Hermione's closed eyes, "…when everything is over…everything is fine…I'll look for them…bring them back…I don't know how…but I just had this tiny faith in me…that if I showed mum this locket…she might remember her…only daughter…and I sold it…because life doesn't run by emotions…you must have money in your pocket and…I have a baby to look after too…" Hermione succumbed to tears finally.

"Oh, dear, dear…" Apolline encircled comforting arms around Hermione and embraced her, "Such a brave girl…such commendable courage…" she cooed into her ears, "You are right, dear, I wouldn't have let you sell it had I known that it was your maman's last remembrance. I would've persuaded you borrow money from me." she said as Hermione sobbed on her bosom, "Don't worry, I'll go and buy it back tomorrow."

"No, you won't." Hermione said sternly, looking up at the half-Veela, "Please, aunt…please try to understand…I can't take your favour more than I have already taken. You and your family have already done so much for me…for us…I don't have to pay for house rent, food cost, medical bills when I stay with you…I can't…even my parents and my mum, whose locket I've sold wouldn't allow me to take someone's favour without returning some." she said and Apolline gave her a resigned look, "Please, aunt, just love me…support me…help me with your presence…that's all I want…I don't need your or anyone's money…for all the money in the world can never add up to what you have given me in last two monthes."

Draco watched, mesmerized, enchanted and sad, how these two women sobbed in each other's arms until the high-pitched voice of a tiny elf announced that she had brought Hermione's uniforms. As the scene shifted immediately with it, he felt an extreme sense of loss engulf him; it was as if he had given up Astoria's wedding ring that he still kept in his iron-safe with so much love and care as the last keepsake of his beloved dead wife.

Draco wasn't interested when the next memory started, a hollow pain gnawing his insides, so he paused the moment and came out of the pensive to collect his thoughts.

Draco's bedroom was plunged in darkness but no darkness was greater than the one he harboured within. He had been looking for some possible clues to defeat this monster that has caused both Hermione and Adrian to go through the worst possible days of their lives but the memories seemed empty on that regard. Draco paced around his bedroom several times, thinking hard and trying to understand what they could possibly mean and why Audré said that 'the answer lies within'.

Draco felt agitated that Hermione had willingly parted herself from something that treasured for a baby that was almost thrust into her life. He realized that it was no ordinary sacrifice for Hermione, the expecting mother, had let go of her own mother's last relic – an emotion, Draco suspected only a mother can understand.

"Why does she always have to be so strong?" he asked himself helplessly, angry that he had indirectly caused Hermione to be so, "Why can't she just take the money from Delacours and save her mother's locket? At least she could've borrowed some and returned it to them once she found a suitable job."

But the answer he looked for was non-existent and Draco paced impatiently before deciding to dive into the memories for the answers again.

He landed on Apolline's parlour which apart from the whole family of Gustave Delacour was one member extra, a witch that reminded Draco of old Hags he had seen in Knockturn Alley during his visit there with his father.

"Totally disagreeable…I told them straight off to leave my home, Gustave…" she was jabbering in rapid French as Draco translated them inside his head, "…how dare they…a Mudblood in my household!" the hag-witch clutched her heart in evident horror and that was when it dawned on Draco.

The real reason behind Gustave and Apolline to conceal Hermione's presence wasn't her pregnancy; it was her blood status that this hag wouldn't approve of.

"I just can't take it when I see those Mudbloods walking around my neighbourhood as if they own the place." Gustave's aunt Margot snapped as Apolline handed her a cup of tea with a very strained smile, "I told my son and his wife that they are not to allow these abominations in our esteemed households." She sipped her tea through pursed lips and Draco felt like taking the teacup from her hand and spilling the hot beverage on her face for using that horrible word repeatedly, "No Mudblood in my home." she declared proudly.

"What the fucking household do you think you have, old bitch?" Draco was enraged beyond anything for use of word he himself had repeatedly used on Hermione and Muggleborns like her, "I bet it's a shitty pigsty compared to mine - the House of Malfoys, fit for hags and smelly pigs like the kinds of you to sleep and live." He spat, "Pureblood?" he asked indignantly, "No one in this whole world has purer blood than us – the Malfoys that has been running through our veins for ten centuries." He said proudly, "You lot are nothing but false Purebloods with dirty gutter-water running through your veins."

"Aunt, I would request you not to use that word in my household." Gustave's voice might be patient but was a filled with a low warning note, "This is my home and therefore only my rules are applicable here."

"That's the reason you house isn't aspiring enough, Gustave." Margot snapped, giving Apolline a disapproving glance and looked back at her nephew, "Marrying half-Veelas? I have never heard of such a thing in my entire life."

"Well you have seen one." Alexis was solemn but his dark eyes were burning in slow fire at the open insult of his mother, "I guess that's a lesson of a lifetime."

Draco was on the verge of taking out his wand and using a Severing Charm to remove the cutting tongue of Margot when the memory shifted and he found himself standing in the gardens where Margot seemed to inspecting the plants.

"I thought Veelas knew how to take care of plants." The hag commented with look of extreme dismay, "I have never seen such dead plants in my entire life."

"Keep talking and your life will be over by my hands." He heard Apolline mutter under her breath as she showed shrubs that were otherwise perfect when a silver otter landed before her.

Draco blinked several times at the tiny animal before the meaning reached his angered brains.

It was Hermione's Patronus and she was in need of help.

He watched in horror as the otter opened its mouth and uttered a single word: rabbit.

"Whose Patronus is that?" Margot was giving the silvery creature a suspicious look, "Nasty little things." She remarked darkly.

"It's Gabrielle's." Apolline lied smoothly, "I think she lost her pet rabbit or something and sent me her Patronus." She said hurriedly and turned to leave the garden, "Aunt, why don't you check on the orchard while I go and see what's wrong with her?" she offered with a bight simper, "I'll be back in a minute."

As Margot nodded with a permanent scowl plastered on her face, Draco followed Apolline who almost ran into the house in pursuit of Hermione's suite.

Hermione was lying on her bed, breathing heavily while a book was propped against her bump when Draco and Apolline found her.

"Aunt…aunt…" Hermione squeaked loudly, "My rabbit is moving." She said excitedly and placed Apolline's hand on her bump, "Aunt, did you feel that?" she asked, her eyes shining with tears.

It didn't take Draco another second to place his hands on Apolline's hand to feel his son, Adrian inside Hermione.

It was peculiar sensation: like large worm was wriggling under a thick layer of felt or cushions and for Draco, it was most wonderful experience of his entire being.

"Adrian, my son! He is moving!" he cried and tried to concentrate hard on the feeling under his palms, "He is moving and he is alive. He'll be born healthy. He'll be strong and he'll be my son, my Adrian." Draco was smiling and crying at the same time when a cold voice punctured the highly emotional ambience.

"I knew it, Apolline, I knew that you are lying to me!"

His elation evaporated, Draco whipped around to find a furious looking Margot, her hands on her hips, staring at the pair on bed.

"Who is she?" she demanded next as Apolline stood up slowly and helped Hermione sit, "I asked who is she?"

"She is my niece." Apolline's voice now rivaled Margot's in fury, "Do you have any problem with that?"

"Problem? Me?" Margot was reminding Draco of Bellatrix with her maniacal expression, "Not at all. It's your problem I think that you didn't endevour to introduce her to me and hid her instead. Thought I wouldn't find out? Eh?" she arched an eyebrow, "I noticed it when plates full of eggs, glasses full of milk and rich breakfasts were taken upstairs for 'Alexis' or 'Gabrielle'. They were not ordinary person's meal; they were for pregnant women. My suspicions were confirmed when that nasty otter landed on the garden and you said that Gabrielle sent it. Who in the name of Nostradamus would believe that a thirteen year old girl could produce a Corporeal Patronus?" she barked.

"Aunt, I ask you to leave this quarter immediately." Apolline's voice was shaking from anger as she pointed a stubborn finger at the door.

"You have no authority to send me anywhere, half breed!" Margot's shrill voice was almost cracking the window panes, "I am not Gustave and therefore not charmed by your filthy Veela heritage. This is my nephew's house and I have full rights to know what is happening behind his back." She demanded.

"Nothing is happening behind my back, aunt." Gustave's voice was calm like the forecast of a coming storm, "Jean, this young lady, is Apolline's niece and she is staying at our place to complete her education here at France."

"Nonsense! Why would she stay here with you at this state?" Margot pointed at Hermione's bump, "She should be with her husband or at her in-laws with that big belly of hers. Or have they thrown her out of their homes?"

"No one threw her out of their homes." Apolline was beside herself in anger, "My home is Jean's home."

"No, it's not!" Margot snapped, "Her husband's home is her real home. Tell me girl, did your husband leave you?" she scowled severely at Hermione.

Draco was only the verge of lunging on Margot and tear out her throat when Hermione replied.

"I have no husband, Madame."

Her proclamation hung on air for a very long moment then Margot's shrill cry pierced it.

"NO HUSBAND! WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY 'NO HUSBAND'? IS THAT A BASTARD YOU ARE CARRYING IN INSIDE, GROWING IT IN DELACOUR HOUSEHOLD?"

At that statement, Draco completely lost control and swiped his hand in midair, aiming Margot's damned throat.

But it simply passed through the air and his tightly clenched fist came out empty.

"My baby is not a bastard." Hermione's voice was an octave high when she proclaimed it with unparallel pride, "I have no husband and my baby is not a bastard."

Margot let of a derisive laughter, "No husband and still the baby isn't bastard?" she asked in maniacal amusement, "Are you a common Muggle or a witch?"

"I am a Muggleborn witch."

Hermione's second proclamation was even more proud and it caused such havoc that Draco thought it was the end of the world.

"A MUDBLOOD IN DELACOUR RESIDENCE! GIVING BIRTH TO A BASTARD! OH MY NOSTRADAMUS, WHY DIDN'T I DIE BEFORE SEEING THIS ABOMINATION? WHY DIDN'T I BECOME BLIND? WHY DIDN'T I…."

If Draco thought that Bellatrix was mad, his notions changed immediately for before Margot, Bellatrix looked very tame. The old hag cried, screamed and rocked the whole house with her shrill voice.

"HOW DARE YOU, GUSTAVE, HOW DARE YOU? KEEP A MUDBLOOD UNDER MY VERY NOSE TO RAISE A BASTARD! HOW COULD YOU? DON'T YOU EVEN HAVE AN OUNCE OF SHAME? AN IOTA OF REGRET FOR POLLUTING THE HOUSE OF MY FOREFATHER'S LIKE THIS? YOU SHOULD BE BANISHED FROM THE FAMILY! YOUR INHERITANCE SHOULD BE TAKEN FROM YOU FOR AND GIVEN TO MY SON. YOU ARE NOT WORTHY OF THIS HOUSE, YOU ARE NOT WORTHY OF THIS…" she stopped and gulped for air before starting again, "EVER SINCE THESE MUBLOODS ARE BEING ALLOWED IN OUR WIZARDING SOCIETY, IT'S LOSING ITS GOLDEN TRADITIONS. THEY ARE TAINTING OUR SOCIETY WITH FILTHY MUGGLE LIFE STYLES. THEY DON'T HAVE RESPECT FOR OUR ELDERS, THEY DON'T HAVE RESPECT FOR OUR RULES; THEY ARE BANGING INTO OUR BOYS AND BREEDING LIKE FLIES. I AM SURE THIS MUDBLOOD CAME HERE WITH HER EYES ON YOUR SON ALEXIS AND SHE'LL SOON…" Margot's shrieks were cut abruptly when Gustave whipped out his wand and flicked it at her direction to silence her.

"I have had enough of your nonsense, Margot, you are leaving my home this instant." The otherwise amiable man's voice was like a low rumble, "I don't care if you are my aunt or whatever for you will never be allowed to visit my home again as long as I am alive." He said to the gagged woman who was clutching painfully at her silenced throat, "It will not take elves more than ten minutes to pack your trunk and then I will personally throw you out of my house." He said and clapped his hands twice when a pain-filled scream pierced the air.

For a split second, Draco thought it was Margot again, but then he realized it was actually Hermione.

He found her lying on the floor beside Apolline's feet, her hands clutched around her bump protectively, as she shook uncontrollably.

"Nostradamus, it's the Cruciatus!" Apolline cried out, "I knew it would strike her if she would be provoked to have an emotional turmoil. This blasted hag set her immune systems up! Gustave, leave her and come here. Help me take care of Jean. Gabrielle! Gabrielle!" she called her daughter loudly and whipped her wand frantically, "Accio my box!"

It would be an understatement to say that Draco was horrified.

He was petrified and paralyzed.

As Apolline's box zoomed in alongside her quarter Veela daughter, Gustave grabbed Hermione's jerking legs while Apolline placed a spoon between her teeth.

"I hope she doesn't bite her tongue!" she said anxiously throwing open her box and taking out several phials of liquids, "Lily of the valley, Mistletoe, Mugwort, Peony, Scullcap and Valerian." She read out the names and Draco remembered them being used in Anti-epileptic Potion, "I have never treated anyone with Gestational Cruciatus before. I hope this helps the poor child." She started mixing liquids in a small glass goblet, "Gabrielle, I'll hold her mouth open and you pour it in, okay?" she asked her tearful daughter who watched Hermione shake and jerk uncontrollably.

Draco was having an intense desire to kill himself for bringing down this to Hermione, remembering what his own contribution to the curse had been. His own aunt had cursed Hermione minutes after her assault and if the woman was alive and healthy now, it was only because of Apolline's dedication and care that the mother and child had survived.

He watched, stoic like a statue as Apolline held Hermione's mouth open while Gabrielle poured the herbal mix into her mouth. They whole group held their breaths and watched in anxious anticipation for Hermione's body to react to the medicine which relaxed after a while.

"Thanks Nostradamus!" Apolline was panting heavily while Gustave smoother Hermione's disarrayed clothes, "She is saved."

"What about her baby?" Gabrielle's voice was shaking and she placed her ears on Hermione's bump, as if trying to listen what was happening inside, "Can you check it, maman?" she enquired.

For the first time ever in his life, Draco was silently praying that both Hermione and her baby remained safe.

"Not, now Gabrielle, Jean needs to sleep undisturbed now." Apolline smoothed Hermione's hair and kissed on her sweaty forehead, "She has high temperature and I think we should call a good Healer to give her a proper check up." She said and looked up at her husband, "Gustave, please dispose us of this awful curse of a hag…" She jerked her head at Margot's direction, "…and Floo Obstetric-Healer Lili Sauvageau."

As Gustave Delacour stood up to obey his wife's commands, the scene shifted not giving Draco more than a couple of seconds to steal glances at Hermione.

He was standing beside Hermione's lying form that has been placed on bed as Apolline with her entire family watched a motherly looking elderly woman trace her wand over Hermione's body several times.

Hermione, Draco noticed, was awake and the absence of shrill voice suggested that Gustave had been true to his words and sent Margot to the hell she rightfully belonged.

"I am so sorry, Hermione, I am so sorry. Please forgive me." Draco dropped to his knees and begged before the woman who was staring at the ceiling vacantly, "I brought this on you. It's me and I should suffer instead of you. You are innocent! Adrian is innocent!" He cried helplessly.

"Thanks to Apolline, both the mother and the baby are alright." Draco heard the elderly Healer declare once she finished her examination, "The danger is over for the time being but I can't guarantee that it will not come back. Gestational Cruciatus has very unpredictable course." She said somberly and placed a gentle hand on Hermione's hands that were folded over her bump, "Lucky girl, your son is doing fine. He is just fine." She informed her with an assuring smile.

"Son?" Hermione's quiet voice echoed around the bedroom, "It's a boy?" her eyes moved from the ceiling to rest on Healer Sauvageau.

The Healer nodded enthusiastically with a kind smile, "It's a healthy baby boy."

"But…" Hermione didn't even smile for once at the declaration, "…but I wanted a cute little girl!" she cried softly.

It was as if someone has pushed Draco off the seventh Heaven to the Earth and he stared at Hermione in disbelief.

"She wanted a girl? She wanted a girl!" Draco repeated the same sentence several times to make himself believe that he heard it right, "What will she do with a girl?"

"I always wanted a girl first. They are so adorable and cute." Hermione was rubbing her bump, "But if it's a boy…" she paused and gulped, "…he's still my child. Gender doesn't matter for me but still I would've preferred a girl."

"Don't be disappointed, Jean, for boy or girl every child is a special gift to their mothers." Apolline smiled encouragingly, "Let's pray that you have a healthy baby at the end of your term." She said and the small group nodded in agreement.

Draco's head was still spinning from the new information about Hermione's personal choice of the gender of her baby. Being the Malfoys, he had always imagined of having sons as his possible offspring – a must, according to his father who'd have had a heart attack at the idea of having a daughter instead of a son. True that Draco now resented not having his own sister and therefore his affections have fallen on Lillian, but he couldn't imagine not having a single son to uplift the family name. The rules of Malfoy household regarding their future generations was clear – there must be at least one son, if not two, and that son will be the heir of the Malfoys.

Draco tried to imagine a girl Adrian instead of a boy and almost gagged.

But somewhere inside his head, a very tiny portion of his brain told him it wouldn't be such a bad idea.

"But there must be a son…there must be at least one…or the Malfoys will die in the dominant line…" he shook his head, "…like the Blacks and many other pureblood lines did…we can't have our line being extinct! Besides, what would a daughter do with the Malfoys vast fortune? She'd be married off and her husband's, not his father's home will be her real home. Even mother never received anything from the House of Blacks. It all passed down to his criminal of a cousin Sirius while mother lived mostly on father's money!"

It was for the first time that Draco, no matter how much he adored Hermione, couldn't agree with her. A son was an essential requirement and though he was ashamed that it had brought upon the practice of Royal Jelly to beget one, Draco certainly wouldn't like to have a naturally conceived daughter over a similarly conceived one.

"She should take plenty of rest if she wants to recover before her journey to Beauxbatons." The Healer's words brought Draco out of his unpleasant musings, "I'll take leave now but make sure she doesn't have any emotional stress or trauma for the rest of her pregnancy." She warned both Hermione and Apolline before leaving.

"I am so sorry that you had to go through this, Jean" Gustave's demeanor was sad as he came and sat beside Hermione on her bed with his wife standing behind him, "I knew that Margot would create such offensive scenes and that's exactly why I told Apolline not you let you out of the quarter during her stay. Please forgive me…" he took Hermione's limp right hand on his and squeezed it, "…please forgive me, girl, you are like Fleur to me and…I caused you this pain and humiliation…" He broke off.

"It's nothing, uncle." Hermione croaked as she tried to sit up, "I am used to this things now. I had Malfoy as my classmate for six years."

Draco's remorse knew no bounds when the exact meaning of Hermione's words hit him. Even without the crime of assaulting her, there was no way a human ever could forgive and forget what he had done to Hermione in the blasted name of pureblood supremacy. In a sense, Margot was an old-hag version of himself that he loathed now.

"Don't you ever think that we, Delacours think like her. Most of our family is very receptive towards Muggleborn witches and wizards." Gustave let go of Hermione's hand and helped her to sit, "But in every family there is a nutter and Margot is nothing but a nuisance in the name of Delacours. She is my father's only sister, who were five brothers and they naturally spoiled her with extra love that she didn't deserve."

"I know, uncle, that you don't think like her." Hermione propped her body against the pillow and grimaced slightly, "True that I am not from a mighty pureblood family but my Muggle families aren't beggars either." She said with a tinge of pride in her voice, "My paternal grandpa was a well-respected Muggle Healer. His name is Dr. Richard Granger and he was a GP or General Practitioner in London. My Grandma, Hermione Leeds, was an educated woman and a professor in English Literature in a famous girl's college. They built that career in early twentieth century when most Muggle women were either house wives or old maids. My father, their youngest child, Thomas Granger, is a dentist by profession and he met mum when they were at Bristol Dental School, one of the top five dental institutions in Great Britain." She paused and Draco listened, his mouth half-open in wonderment, "And my maternal Grandpa, Joseph Hastings, was a War World Two veteran who took part in BEF or British Expeditionary Forces alongside French soldiers." Hermione paused to take some breathe and Apolline handed her a goblet of water.

"I don't know if you've heard about the Muggle History of World War Two…" she started after a while, "…but when Germans were invading Europe with their forces, British and French governments sat down together and decided to defend them. They formed an allied force called the British Expeditionary Force. My grandpa Joseph was one them and he was sent with the rest of his forces to French-Belgian border in May, 1940. I grew up listening to the stories of war – of its cruelty and destruction. I never told anybody about it – not even Harry or Ron, that I am descendant of a British war veteran." She paused again and Draco waited for more to follow.

"My grandma, Jean Créquy, was a direct descendant of François de Crequy." Hermione said and both Gustave and Apolline gasped.

"François de Créquy?" Gustave blinked in amazement and Draco wondered why they were behaving so, "You mean the François de Créquy of the noble and aristocratic Créquy family? The Marshall of Muggle France?"

Hermione nodded slowly, "Yes, the very same. Mum told me that my ancestor, François de Créquy had two sons – Joseph and Nicholas and my grandma Jean Créquy was a descendant of the younger one – Nicholas." She smiled, "I am astonished that you know about him."

"Who doesn't?" Apolline asked, amazed, "Even among wizards, François de Créquy is a very popular man for his brilliance in military field. I heard that he was merely a boy when took part in some great Muggle war and won it for the Royal Crown of France. True that we are magical community, Jean, but we are French first. We live in the same country and we don't differentiate in the matters of state."

"I never thought I'd see the day when a descendent of Créquys would live in my home with us!" Gustave was looking at Hermione, who smiled shyly, "So you have French blood in your veins?"

"I do." Hermione's ears were red now, "But bragging about family glory isn't something that I am very fond of. That is something for the likes of Malfoy." She said with evident distaste, "Grandpa Joseph met Grandma Jean during the war when he visited France. I don't know the exact details for mum wouldn't tell me everything; all I know is that when German soldiers invaded France, grandma's family, who were already in the French Army, perished terribly during the bombing. Mum said that only grandma survived and she left for England with Grandpa. They got married and had my mum after which my grandpa died of complications of injury that he suffered during the war. My grandma had no one in France to return to; so she stayed at her husband's country and brought up my mum. Then dad met mum at dental school and they got married. I am their only daughter named after both my British and French grandmas – Hermione and Jean."

Until Hermione explained how she had a French middle name, Draco had never considered how she ended up with one. He knew that Jean was a very common French name used by both male and females and had thought her parents had named her wrongfully from 'Jane' to 'Jean'.

"My mum taught me to be an independent woman. I am not the kind who's bang into boys and 'breed like flies'." Hermione's voice was soft but she had a note of evident revulsion in it, "And grandma Hermione is the person behind my love for books. She was a professor in English literature and gave me numerous books to read." The grand-daughter Hermione was smiling now, "I have always been brought up with this confidence that my family stands out in the crowd for their achievements and the only time it faced challenge was the day then that bastard…" she paused and Draco realized that she was referring to him, "…called me Mudblood because I didn't have a single drop of magical blood in my veins." She said through gritted teeth, "I had never felt so humiliated in my entire life! But then I thought, I was not chosen for Hogwarts because of my so-called blood, I was chosen because I had talent and I don't have to buy my way in there. If he is superior to me in terms of blood then I am superior to him in terms of talent and that is saying something." She proclaimed proudly.

Draco didn't know how to feel about the statement. True that he was extremely proud of heritage and bloodline and would strive to uplift his family status even higher but his new realization that Hermione, though not a pureblood, wasn't someone to be underestimated, somehow dimmed the glory. She was equal to her in many ways and even better, something that had haunted him for his entire school life and now Draco wondered from where that bitterness had stemmed.

Was it because he didn't like to be defeated by a Muggleborn or a Muggleborn witch or both?

Would he behave the same if it were Pansy Parkinson or Astoria Greengrass?

Was it the sex or the blood that mattered most to him? Or was it both?

"You see, Jean, for some families who call themselves 'traditional purebloods', your association with the most aristocratic Muggle family doesn't matter." Gustave said matter-of-factly, "For them you are a product of two non-magical people and they live by this concept that entry of Muggleborns in Wizarding society is tainting the valued traditions and customs that has been there for thousands of centuries. They detest Muggleborn because they are bringing the 'change' that is very much needed. With their marriage between pureblood cousins, the Wizarding world is slowly turning into an incestuous place and Muggleborns are bringing fresh blood to us. We wouldn't have survived hadn't there been Muggleborns. It all would have ended long ago. But these maniacs – like Lord Voldemort and their followers, they don't understand it. What a fool they are to think that they can kill all the Muggle and Muggleborn to cleanse their societies while it's Muggleborns who was cleaning our incestuous blood."

"I noticed that long ago when I became friends with the Weasleys." Hermione said, "It seemed in purebloods, everyone is everyone first cousin, second cousin, third cousin and so on. Ron's mother Mrs. Molly Weasley was Harry's godfather Sirius Black's second cousin and I think even that bastard, Draco Malfoy, is distantly related to Harry through the ancient family of Peverells."

The knowledge that he was related to his archenemy through blood knocked all air out of Draco.

He was?

Was he?

Through the Malfoys?

Or through the Blacks?

And who are these Peverells?

Draco tried to remember if he had ever heard of anything about it from his parents but failed.

"I think we have had enough discussions on pureblood-Muggleborn issue." Apolline said with a tone of finality, "Jean has had as terrible day and now she needs a good meal and sleep."

Draco tsk'ed in irritation. Whenever he was getting deep into the heart of any matter, the memories kept shifting and he was getting confused about it now.

What was the weapon his aunt has said the memories contained?

Where was it?

Why couldn't she just tell him?

The scene shifted again and Draco found himself standing beside Hermione who was reading a letter.

"I got the job, aunt." Hermione, sitting on one of the dining chairs, announced happily and waved her letter to Apolline who smiled from her place beside the kitchen counter.

"I knew you would." She said in genuine happiness, "Besides, it's better that you got in a Muggle household rather than a Wizarding one; it will save you the trouble of being questioned 'who is son's father' or 'where is your husband'?"

"I don't understand, aunt, why do these people behave like it's a big crime to get pregnant out of wedlock?" Hermione asked, frowning in deep irritation, "It's quite common among Muggles. Single parenthood isn't regarded a crime or sin and most single parents receive a lot of help from the Muggle government to bring up their children."

"Our society, your society – the magical community, no matter how hard they try to show otherwise, hasn't fully changed from their traditional views, Jean." Apolline replied and walked over to Hermione before laying down breakfast for her, "While I don't support such pregnancies for I think a child ought to have both his or her parents to be brought up well, I don't prejudice or tease someone for her decision to raise her child singlehandedly. It's good to have a husband but it's not a crime if you don't have one. The laws were made for us, Jean, we are not made law." She stated calmly.

"It's not that I didn't want to get married before I have my babies." Hermione said sadly, "I have always dreamt of a simple wedding, just like Bill and Fleur's. I never liked the idea of extravagant and expensive wedding ceremony – not that my parents couldn't afford one. I just didn't think that money is proportional to happiness. But now, my views have changed considerably. Money is necessary, aunt, to buy things that give others happiness; to buy justice that could free a criminal; to keep peoples' mouth shut as you become a tyrant. The world revolves around money." Hermione looked up at the ceiling with a lost look on her face, "I need money to keep my baby warm in bitter cold of winters; I need money to bring him up with all that he would need so that he never thinks that he is lesser than his friends because he doesn't have a 'father'. I want to give him a home, a small one, for I don't like extensive Villas, Châteaus or definitely not Manors. It will be like the one that I left behind in England, like a summer cottage, with a garden in the front, and a swing where he will play with his friends while I read. There will be a piano and I'll teach him how to play it like my mum did." Hermione was smiling now and Draco was reminded of the heart rendering music she had played in aunt Audré's piano, "It's the dream that keeps me want to go on aunt. Like everyone, I want to have my own home." she whispered with a dreamy look on her face.

Draco didn't know when he has stopped breathing for he has finally reached something that was of immense value for him.

Hermione's dream home!

For he already knew what she wanted but didn't actually know how to give them to her. He had thought that like all women, she too wanted him to buy her a Manor, though anything less than that wasn't deemed fit for Adrian – his Malfoy heir. But this memory where Hermione was telling Apolline about her home was an incredible treasure for it finally revealed her inner desires to have something that wasn't grand but good.

Besides, it was her dream.

He waited hungrily for her to continue on the topic for every single word was a clue to reach his goal to get her and Adrian.

"And what would you call such a place?" Draco heard Apolline asked a dreamy Hermione.

"My Patronus is an Otter, aunt, you already know that." Hermione replied with a serene smile, "I'd call it 'Otter's pond' after my Patronus. After all, a Patronus is a protection against evil and what's better than one's own home where he is protected from all the evil and troubles of the world?"

Draco, though silent, was rendered speechless at Hermione's explanation. It made him realize how this amazing woman thought and felt and how shallow his own thoughts were. How Hermione has envisioned her home as her sanctuary and he has displayed his one as a sign of Old Money and Malfoy grandeur. He understood why his mother was reluctant to return to the place she once called her home for it now contained nothing except bitter memories and stains of cruel past.

"I am making peppermint patties today." He heard Apolline declare seemingly out of blue, "I know you wouldn't eat it if I buy those bittermints from that chocolate shop and I couldn't find them in other shops in Les Halles, so I decided to make them here at home." she said as Hermione started her breakfast.

"You don't have to do that, aunt." she implored, swallowing her fried eggs, "It's true that I haven't had them for a very long time and they are my most favourite of all chocolates, but I don't want to cause you any trouble for me."

"Like I care for you." Apolline said pompously, "I am making them for myself and you are not going to get a single patty once I am done. I'll eat them all." She said in mock pride.

The last sound that brought an end to memories was Hermione's hearty laugh which resonated across every corner of Draco's heart chambers.

Draco came out of the Pensieve equally elated and sad.

He had found informations on Hermione's dream home, her favourite brand of chocolate and the locket she sold to have money for Adrian. These were his gains. But he hadn't found any informations regarding how to defeat his monster and without slaying it, Hermione will never accept him no matter how hard he tried.

Draco slumped on his bed, his feet dangling from the edge and contemplated on the memories.

Starting from the one he had landed first, they were about Hermione agreeing to wear Fleur's old uniform, buy old books; then there was the memory of her selling the locket; next was the memory of bookshop and chocolate shop followed my Margot's outburst, talks on pureblood supremacy and Hermione's desire to have a daughter instead of a son; lastly it was memory of her dream home.

But his aunt Audré said the memories contained the answers to his problems.

Draco frowned deeply.

How were these memories related to his inner demon?

And why did Apolline give these memories to him?

He had expected awful things, not that these weren't awful enough with Margot the maggoty hag's presence in them, but they weren't close enough to the horror he had faced in the second batch of memories.

It was then that Draco suddenly remembered something and sat bolt upright.

'It is not very far from here. In fact, it is quite close to Delacour residence.' Sorceress Marianne's voice was excited and thoughtful, 'Like all Wizarding households it is very well hidden and has all kinds of anti-Muggle protection. The current owner Monsieur Durant is selling it because they are shifting back to their ancestral home in Hungary. But the only drawback is…'

"It's not larger than a cottage!" Draco stated triumphantly, fisting his hands.

Than Hermione's voice the night she was given first Healing session reverberated through his head.

'You know, Mum, I went to our old home when the war ended. And I found that the new owners have renovated it beyond any kind of recognition. All my childhood memories have been wiped away. The swing that dad had made for me with his own hands had been removed. Your favourite lawn daisies had been uprooted and in its stead they have planted some strange purple flowers. I stood across the street and watched it for a very long time before leaving. I couldn't take it that I will never call that place my home; that I will never return to that place for summer holidays; that my Mum will never play the piano and my Dad will never sing a song with it. I have destroyed everything with my own hands. I am alone and lonely without them.'

And finally, like a bolt of lightning, the words that Hermione had spoken inside Apolline's memories hit Draco hard.

'I want to give him a home, a small one, for I don't like extensive Villas, Châteaus or definitely not Manors. It will be like the one that I left behind in England, like a summer cottage, with a garden in the front, and a swing where he will play with his friends while I read. There will be a piano and I'll teach him how to play it like my mum did. It's the dream that keeps me want to go on aunt. Like everyone, I want to have my own home.'

Draco was staring at the opposite light thundered by his discovery.

'The current owner Monsieur Durant is selling it because they are shifting back to their ancestral home in Hungary…'

'The swing that dad had made for me with his own hands had been removed. Your favourite lawn daisies had been uprooted and in its stead they have planted some strange purple flowers…'

'…that I will never return to that place for summer holidays; that my Mum will never play the piano and my Dad will never sing a song with it...'

'I want to give him a home, a small one, for I don't like extensive Villas, Châteaus or definitely not Manors…'

' It will be like the one that I left behind in England, like a summer cottage, with a garden in the front and a swing where he will play with his friends while I read…'

'There will be a piano and I'll teach him how to play it like my mum did…'

'I'd call it 'Otter's pond' after my Patronus.'

Draco didn't know why he whipped out his wand and uttered the incantation that brought forth his Patronus.

"Expecto Patronum."

A silvery mist burst from the end of his wand and before Draco's eyes it materialized into:

An Otter.

Draco's heart skipped two consecutive beats as he watched the adorable animal played around his bedroom before shifting its shape to a magnificent Osprey that took graceful flight.

It changed its shape several times from Osprey to Otter to Osprey again finally disappearing into the darkness.

Draco gaped at the spot where the Patronus had dissolved for a very long time before six long and slow strikes on the Château's Grandfather Clock annotated that it was six o' clock in the morning.

The first thought that popped in his head after the sound of last strike ended was:

'Get that Monsieur Durant…get Hermione her 'Otter's pond'.'