Authors Note: Sorry for the ridiculously long wait for this chapter, I had major writer's bock which only lifted a few weeks ago. Then I was unwell for quite a long time in which I couldn't write and once the chapter was written, my betas computer broke down so what with one thing and another, this chapter has been delayed. Hopefully, its length should make up for the wait – please let me know what you think, things are getting explosive now. One more thing, this story deals with issues that are pretty nasty at the best of times and for which there isn't always a right or wrong answer. That's why reviews that are constructive really do help me. Thanks for your continuing support in this story and to my poor beta who deserves a meddle for editing this with a sick computer.
Chapter Eight
Draco whistled to himself as he strode in a leisurely manner down the bustling Hanwell's corridor, his step light and a smile playing about his mouth. His hands were thrust into the pockets of his tailored black robes as he negotiated his way to the quieter part of the hospital where the offices of the Healers were to be found. Soon, he reached the department for Surgical Magic, and a few quick short cuts later, he was standing in front of a solid oak door, with the name, 'Hermione Granger, Head of Department' inscribed on it.
Giving the door a sharp rap, he waited and a moment later, the door was opened by Hermione herself. Her eyebrows rose in surprise at her visitor, but good manners prevailing, she asked, "Can I help you?"
"Oh yes," he smiled back, his eyes travelling over her neat figure in its pristine silvery white Healers robes, "May I come in?"
She said nothing as she stepped aside to let him into the spacious office, shutting the door behind him.
Draco, still smiling, strolled across the room to look out of the large window facing the door. "Nice office," he commented casually, turning to face her, "not a bad view you have there."
"Is there a specific reason you're here?" she asked in a controlled voice, not moving away from the door, "I have a busy schedule so…" she trailed off, leaving him in no doubt as to her meaning.
Ignoring the ledgers lying open on her desk and the scrolls of parchment scattered in disarray around the books, he said easily, "I certainly have a good reason for being here; I wouldn't dream of wasting your valuable time otherwise," he grinned and carried on, "I've booked you a much needed holiday."
"Excuse me?" she moved away from the door to perch on the corner of her desk facing him, her eyes narrowed with distrust, "What do you mean booked me a holiday?"
"A holiday Hermione. You know, when someone goes away for a break?" He regarded her thoughtfully, his eyes lingering on the shadows beneath her eyes and the slight lines of strain around her mouth. Yes, this had certainly been a good idea, he thought.
"There's no need for you to do any such thing," she responded in a tight voice. "I'm far too busy to consider a holiday, so if you don't mind, I've work to do." She glanced at the books and papers scattered over her desk as she spoke, but Draco ignored her.
"Actually, you have some of your leave left – I checked. According to the records, you still have ten of the thirty days you are entitled to left to take. I also found out that the last time you went away for a break was over three years ago – and no, before you contradict me," he held up a hand to stall Hermione's protests, "staying a few days with Potter or Weasley doesn't constitute a holiday." He finished, smiling in satisfaction.
"My, my, we have been busy, haven't we?" Hermione retorted. "I won't go into how you managed to find that out, but I repeat: I don't need a holiday right now, thank you very much." She waved an eloquent hand towards the door, but Draco ignored it.
"Ah, but Aurora does," he broke in silkily. "She's been looking peaky these past few weeks, so it's high time you both got away for a while."
The resentful look she shot him said more clearly than words that she, too, had noticed Aurora's lethargy over the past few weeks and was worried about it.
"So? All children get run down sometimes, it's nothing unusual," she defended, glancing pointedly at the clock on the wall facing her.
"Most children get to go on holiday once in a while, for a change of scene and air, if nothing else," he countered. He saw by the hunching of her shoulders that she was only too aware of this. Pressing his advantage, he leaned forward and carried on, "Hermione, for Aurora's sake, if not your own, accept this holiday. She desperately needs a change of air and scenery as do you."
"That's all well and good, but unlike some, I have to budget and…" She bit out, glaring at him.
"No, you don't have to worry on that account," he reasoned calmly. "I've taken care of everything. The holiday's already booked and everything's sorted."
"Booked? Booked what exactly?" standing up straight, she shot him a mistrustful look from beneath lowered brows.
Taking his chance, Draco explained eagerly, "A nice cottage in Pembrokeshire for a few weeks. It's called Wynwood, and it adjoins the owner's house. The cottage occupies an advantageous position, with wonderful sea views to Caldey Island and Saundersfoot, as well as being within walking distance of the beach at Wisemans Bridge. It's actually within the National Trust Colby Estate and just a short drive from Colby Woodland Gardens."
The slightly bemused look on Hermione's face made him smile. Not even she could not be impressed with all that.
"It sounds like heaven," she commented, trying to keep her voice neutral, "but I don't think Aurora and I—"
"All the facilities of Tenby and Saundersfoot are a short drive away," Draco persisted. "Imagine, beautiful walks at your doorstep, or if you prefer, water sports, golf and horse riding. To cap it all, there is a private, enclosed garden, which would be an ideal area for Aurora to play safely. C'mon, don't you think it sounds wonderful?"
"You sound like a telly salesperson," she snapped, glowering, "You know, the ones that have their scripts written for them and for every person they manage to persuade to buy their wares, they get extra commission."
"Ah, but Wynwood does sound nice, doesn't it?" he pressed, ignoring her jibe.
"Well yes, but still—"Then, as though a thought had just struck her, she asked, "And where will you be all this time while Aurora and I are enjoying our holiday?"
"With you, of course," he grinned. "I need a break as well, you know. I'm only human after all. How better to rejuvenate than in the wilds of Wales?"
Her brows threatening to disappear into her hairline, she muttered, "I knew there was a catch in it somewhere, it seemed far too good to be true!"
Tamping down his annoyance, Draco shrugged, "It's a perfect time for us to gel together as a family without outside interference."
"Family?" she spluttered, staring at him. "I certainly wouldn't classify us as a 'family'!"
"Oh? I don't think Aurora would agree with you there," he countered easily, leaning back against the windowsill. "A father, a mother and their child would be termed a family by most people." Then seeing she was about to object, he continued more seriously, "Hermione, things haven't been going well for us lately, we both know that. Merlin, the tension between us is so thick whenever we're together, you could cut it with a knife. I wouldn't mind that, but it's effecting Aurora as well. Surely you've noticed how tense she becomes when you and I are in close proximity? She may only be four going on five, but she can still sense the hostility between us and that isn't good for her. We need to iron out certain matters for her sake, and how better to do that than on a holiday such as this?" Correctly interpreting her expression, he went on, "Don't worry about the sleeping arrangements, the cottage has three bedrooms, one for each of us."
He watched her pensive expression as she thought over his words, her teeth worrying her lower lip.
"I see what you're saying, but I don't think a holiday is necessary to sort things out between us," she argued. "I agree things have been a bit tense lately, but they can easily be rectified by other means."
Draco was earnest. "Other means? Perhaps. But think about it, Hermione, this would be the perfect opportunity to sort things out! For one thing, we'll be in neutral territory, and the grounds are large enough for us to retain our space. For another, we'll be away from work, so we'll be more relaxed when we deal with whatever we want to deal with. Face it; it'll be a nice rejuvenating break. Imagine all that sea and woodland and parkland!" Seeing that she was tempted, he added the clincher; "Look, we'll see what Aurora has to say about the idea and take it from there, shall we?"
"Aurora? What has she to do with this? She's only a child…"
"Who's perfectly capable of voicing an intelligent opinion," he defended. "I wouldn't have thought you were the type to underestimate children, Hermione."
"I'm not, but still…"
Was that panic in her eyes?
"Well then, we'll discuss this with Aurora this evening when I come round." He could tell by her expression that she wanted to argue further, but he did not give her a chance. He pulled out a brochure from his pocket, dropping it on to her desk as he exited the office. "You might want to read up on Wynwood before then. See you later."
They would continue this discussion tonight when Hermione had had a chance to consider his suggestion and he would hopefully have an ally in the shape of his daughter to back him up. Shutting the office door, he strode back down the corridor, robes billowing out behind him as he made his way towards the hospital exit. That had gone better than he had hoped; Hermione hadn't put up her usual amount of resistance. Probably because she had been taken by surprise by his suggestion, he grinned.
The rest of the day passed quickly for Draco, filled as it was with meetings and appointments. Soon, 7 pm rolled round and he was on his way to Hermione's flat, a box tucked under one arm. Apparating into the alley beside her apartment building, he strolled into the lobby and up the stairs and was soon standing outside her white painted front door, his finger on the bell.
A moment passed and then the door was flung open by a small figure clad in pyjamas and slippers, who on seeing him, squealed loudly, flinging herself against him.
"Uncle! Uncle, you came! I was waiting and waiting for you!"
Grinning broadly, Draco stepped into the flat, shutting the front door behind him. He noticed with disquiet the slight redness beneath Aurora's eyes and frowned. Had she been crying? Was that relief on her face?
Putting the box down on a small table by the door, he scooped her up hugging her tightly. "Is that so?" he asked, smiling at a frowning Hermione over Aurora's chestnut curls. Hermione's mouth was compressed into a tight line and she looked as though the cares of the world rested on her shoulders.
He followed Hermione into the sitting room, seating himself on the sofa with Aurora on his lap.
"Yes, I was," Aurora pouted. "Mummy said you were coming tonight, so I waited for you," she glanced at her tight-lipped mother as she spoke, and pressed herself more firmly against him.
Draco couldn't help the gratified feeling that welled up inside him at this news. Finally, he was starting to mean more to his child than just a mere acquaintance.
"Coffee?" Hermione's voice broke into his thoughts.
She was standing under the archway leading into the small kitchen, watching him, a pensive expression on her face.
"Thanks," he smiled. Handing her the box he had been carrying, he added, "I bought this. I know you'll both enjoy it."
Taking it from him, she opened it to reveal a freshly baked, crusty golden-topped apple pie and some chocolate éclairs oozing cream.
"Oh!" Aurora exclaimed, her eyes roving eagerly over the offerings in the box.
"Thank you," Hermione returned Draco's smile, as she went into the kitchen. Eyeing her daughter's enthusiasm for the éclairs, she added coolly, "Although, I must say, Aurora, those éclairs are bad for your teeth."
"Oh, but Mummy," the child pleaded, her eyes going round, "just one won't make my teeth fall out, will it? I will bwush them again before I go to bed, I pwomise!"
"Fair enough," her mother agreed with a coolness that pricked at Draco, and she went into the kitchen to make the coffee.
Draco frowned, something just wasn't right here. He had never heard Hermione speak so oddly to Aurora before. In an effort to lighten the charged atmosphere, he cuddled Aurora, asking her, "So what did you do at nursery today Angel?"
"Nothing," she replied pensively. Then biting her lower lip in the same way Draco had seen her mother do countless times while at Hogwarts together, she blurted, "Me and Annabelle had an argument. She said I had no Daddy and that children who have Mummies but no Daddies are bad and shouldn't be allowed to come to school and—"
"She said what?" Hermione interrupted in a shrill voice, having returned to the living room once the coffeemaker was turned on, "you didn't tell me this Aurora!" Two spots of colour had appeared on Hermione's cheeks as she spoke.
"You didn't let me," came the bitter reply, "you listened to what Annabelle's mummy said and wouldn't listen to me." She sat back, leaning against Draco, eyeing her mother through narrowed accusing eyes, and Draco saw there was hurt in their stormy grey depths. Her small shoulders were hunched in an attitude of defensiveness and he wondered what had gone on between mother and daughter. Both had seemed tense when he had come in, but he had put that down to Hermione's dislike of his visits, rather than a conflict between the two, although now he wasn't so sure.
In a few swift steps, Hermione was kneeling on the floor beside Draco, her hands on Aurora's shoulders. "Tell me now," she said quietly, and Draco saw anguish in her eyes, "What happened, Aurora?"
Aurora shrugged and Draco instinctively knew that she was trying not to show that she had been hurt by her mother's earlier refusal to listen to her.
"Why should I?" she retorted belligerently. "You didn't want to listen before."
"I'm sorry I didn't hear you out earlier," Hermione apologised, and Draco winced inwardly at the stricken look on her pale face. "I was angry with you because I thought that you'd deliberately been horrible to Annabelle because you didn't like her."
Aurora thought about this for a while before protesting, "She started it!"
"What did she do?" Draco asked calmly, tightening his arms around the small girl protectively.
"We were playing in the Wendy house and Annabelle said that I couldn't play with them as I don't have a Daddy. Jenny said that it didn't matter but Annabelle wouldn't let me play. She said that only people who had both their Mummy and Daddy are good enough to play together. I said that wasn't twue! What Annabelle said was wubbish! I could play in the Wendy house with them if I wanted to!" she gabbled not looking at either parent.
Her emotions getting the better of her, she paused and Hermione placed a reassuring arm round her shoulders. Aurora took a deep breath while both Draco and Hermione waited, the forgotten coffeemaker still bubbling in the background.
"Then Alex and Jack came in and they said… they said that Annabelle was wight. They said I was bad because I didn't have a daddy and couldn't play in the Wendy house with them. They said that the Wendy house has a daddy, but I don't have a daddy so I can't play with them. Then… then," her voice lowered, "Annabelle gwabbed my arm and twied to push me out of the house so I…" she trailed off.
"Then what happened?" Hermione asked, unconsciously leaning against Draco, as she looked into Aurora's face.
"I twied to push her away fwom me and she yelled." Her eyes moved from Hermione to Draco and her face grew determined. "Annabelle's such a coward! She shouted that I was hurting her and all I wanted to do was play in the Wendy house."
"That isn't what Annabelle's mother told me," Hermione sighed, her brows furrowing. "She said that you had hit Annabelle and spat at the two boys for no reason, that's why I was angry with you."
"There was a weason, a good one!" Aurora retorted, turning to Draco in order to hide her glistening tears from her mother.
"Hush princess," he comforted, wiping the tears away, "we know that now."
She buried her face into his shoulder and he sighed. Now he knew why Hermione had been so angry when he'd arrived. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he imagined Aurora spitting like a little wild cat at the two boys, but he quickly suppressed it.
The look of utter misery on Hermione's face as she looked at her daughter seeking comfort in his arms touched his heart. He didn't like to see her in pain, and while a part of him rejoiced at this advantageous turn of events, another part of him felt sorry for Hermione – she was clearly suffering. Leaning forward, he put a comforting arm round her. "C'mon Hermione," he murmured in a soothing voice, "Don't worry about this, we'll work something out."
The distressed woman shook her head. "It was only one before, but now there's three of them," she muttered brokenly, her head bowed, "where will it end?"
"What I'd like to know," Draco questioned grimly, "is where my Aunt was when all this was taking place!"
"She wasn't there today when I picked Aurora up. She's on sick leave, I think," she answered dejectedly, unconsciously taking comfort from Draco's arm round her. "The girls who normally help her in the nursery were running it alone. I suppose they couldn't have been watching the Wendy house at that time. Aurora didn't stand a chance; it was her word against three other children's after all." What Hermione didn't say, but implied was that it was the word of a child with a single mother against three children with married parents.
"They're not my fwends anymore!" Aurora broke in, anger lacing her voice, "tomowwow I will go to Annabelle and Alex and Jack and… and…" she made a violent motion with her hand, as though ripping a head off an imaginary neck.
"Oh no you won't," Hermione rebuked sternly, pulling herself out of Draco's grasp. "You were told off today because you attacked Annabelle and spat at Alex and Jack. And even though you were provoked, it's still not right to retaliate. You should have gone to the teachers or told me. I don't want you to get into any more trouble!"
"Hermione," Draco began gently, deciding that it would be wise to interrupt before things spiralled out of control between mother and daughter, "let's have that coffee now, shall we?" He shot a significant look at Aurora, whose lower lip was trembling.
Hermione, taking the hint nodded her head at Draco's suggestion and left the room.
While she was busy in the kitchen, Draco lifted Aurora's unhappy face with a gentle hand. "Princess," he looked into eyes identical to his own, "Mummy loves you very much and she cares for you. She doesn't want you to get into trouble. What you did today – being caught fighting – really upset her; you shouldn't have done it—"
"But—"
Draco stayed her interruption with a finger to her lips. "Shh… I know, sweetheart. I know you were provoked. I know Annabelle, Alex and Jack started it. But there are many ways to get back at them, Aurora," his eyes bore down into hers, "and the way you did it was the least effective way."
Aurora's eyes widened.
"Then what should I—"
Placing a kiss on the tip of her nose he smiled. "Let me handle it for now," he replied, gesturing towards the kitchen, just as a calmer Hermione appeared at the doorway with a coffee tray. "Now, time to have that éclair I bought for you, and let's put this aside for now."
Thus pacified, Aurora sat quietly next to Draco on the sofa, and thanked her mother for her éclair. Hermione sat on the other side of Aurora with her own plate of apple pie, fiddling with her spoon and not eating.
Smiling, Draco watched Aurora work her way through the food before her enthusiastically. He leaned over to wipe a dollop of cream from her chin with his handkerchief and teased, "Where do you put all that food, Aurora?"
"In my tummy, of course!" came the muffled response round a mouthful of flaky pastry and cream, her eyes rolling at Draco's question.
"How many times have I told you not to speak with your mouth full, Aurora?" Hermione asked, wincing, "it's such an awful habit!"
"It's amazing though, that such a small person can consume so much," Draco carried on, while Aurora demolished her éclair and eyed the box on the table in which three more unclaimed éclairs still sat.
"That's enough éclairs for you tonight," Hermione said, noticing the direction of Aurora's gaze. "Come on now, finish your milk and then it's bedtime for you, young lady."
While Aurora was drinking her milk, Hermione responded to Draco's question with a half smile. "I was the same at her age; I ate loads, but was still a bag of bones. My parents used to joke I had hollow legs, but no amount of food seemed to make any difference."
Draco chuckled. "Likewise for me. I remember how my parents would stuff me with food for they claimed I looked malnourished, but no matter how much I ate, I could never put on much weight. In fact, my mother was so worried about my weight that she would send me weekly packages of sweets and cakes at Hogwarts, in case I wasn't eating enough!"
Hermione smiled absently. Getting up, she tugged a contented Aurora to her feet and hustled her out of the room.
Draco followed as they went into the bathroom and watched, as a sleepy Aurora brushed her teeth with her mother's help. He saw with relief that both seemed intent on putting the past few hours behind them. Aurora didn't struggle when Hermione, having washed and dried her face, knelt and proceeded to smother the small girl in kisses. On any other day, she might have struggled against her mother's tight hold and tried to pull away, but tonight she needed the reassurance only Hermione could provide.
Draco stood aside as Hermione, scooping Aurora up, carried her to her room, watching silently as she tucked the duvet around the sleepy child.
"Can you wead me a stowy, Mummy?" Aurora asked in a drowsy voice.
"No darling. You're too tired tonight. Go to sleep now," Hermione's soothing voice shook as she spoke. She kept her back to Draco as she made a great fuss of straightening the already neat bedclothes.
Draco moved to the side of the bed. Bending down, he kissed the half-asleep Aurora, whose eyes were closing. For a while he and Hermione stood together watching her, both their minds busily working out ways of protecting this child, who was the centre of both their existences, from the scorn of a rigid society.
"She's asleep," Hermione whispered after a few minutes. Each bent down to kiss the angelic looking Aurora and crept from the room, leaving the door slightly ajar.
Once back in the sitting room, Hermione began to scoop up the crockery, stacking it neatly on the coffee tray. Draco suspected she needed something to do with her hands and so said nothing as she carried it all into the kitchen, placing it on the draining board.
"I don't know what to do," she blurted out turning to face him, anguish in her eyes. "It was manageable when it was only Annabelle Mullings picking on Aurora… I mean that's just one girl and Aurora could avoid her. But now… now there's Jack Creevy and Alex Zabini, two more of her classmates to avoid. Then it was only a matter of avoiding a pureblood prejudice, but the boys are halfbloods…"
"There are some things that won't change no matter whether you're muggleborn or a pureblood," Draco explained gently. "While contemporary muggles might accept single parenthood, for centuries wizards have placed a great emphasis on the nuclear family as a foundation to our society and the basis of a person's character. I doubt that'll change any time soon."
"Contemporary muggles?" Hermione frowned.
"Living in the States for the past five years opened my eyes to a few things about muggles," he shrugged.
"Well, that's all very well; I mean, I know the nuclear family is ideal for bringing up a child, but the fact remains that in Aurora's case, there's nothing I can do about that. I'm an unmarried single mother. I can't do anything to change that!"
"Yes there is," Draco contradicted in a serious voice, hoping against hope that she would listen carefully to what he had to say. "Hermione, you can change Aurora's situation in a heartbeat." His heart hammering furiously, he took a step towards her, knowing by all that was Slytherin that this was the opportunity he had been waiting for. "Marry me, Hermione. Marry me, and let Aurora have her family."
She blinked, uncomprehending. "What?" She stared at him as though he'd lost his sanity, her worry about Aurora temporarily forgotten.
"We could get married Hermione," he repeated. "It's the perfect solution," he took another step towards her, willing her to understand and agree to his proposal.
"I don't think—"she began, but Draco interrupted,
"Hermione, we both want what's best for Aurora," he argued urgently, "and this ostracism she faces will only increase as she grows older! Do you think you can hide behind your made-up marriage to a muggle? You're Hermione Granger, the famous healer! The minute Aurora leaves my Aunt's nursery; the Daily Prophet will have a field day digging up her lineage!" He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. Taking a breath, he tried another tack; "Think of this from Aurora's point of view. She'll have what every child deserves, loving parents who will always be there for her. No one – not even the Mullings would dare to pick on her if she had the Malfoy name to protect her."
Hermione was silent, and Draco took it as a good sign that she was considering this angle. She suddenly looked up, biting her lower lip, shaking her head. "That may be so, but you and I—"
"Can grow to care for one and other," he intervened, moving another step towards her. "I agree that things between us haven't always been as amicable as they could be, but given time we'll learn to live with each other's differences—"
"No, Draco," she shook her head, bringing her hands up to cup her temples, "There's simply too much history between us! There won't ever be time in all eternity to resolve our differences. Marriage to you is not the solution at all. There must be something else I could do."
"Marriage is the only realistic solution, we both know that," he urged. "Aurora can take her rightful place in the Malfoy family and know the stability of having two parents – surely you can see that?"
"No," she shook her head again, "No, if marriage were the solution, I'd have married ages ago for I didn't have any lack of opportunities."
Draco felt a twinge of something at the thought that Hermione could very well have been married, and his family could very well have belonged to someone else.
"In fact, for Aurora's sake, I avoided marriage. Don't you see? A marriage wherein there's no love, be that between the partners or as may have been the case with me, love between my husband and Aurora, might be detrimental to Aurora's emotional well-being! For me to marry you—"she couldn't continue, but her meaning was clear.
Draco could feel desperation start to take hold of him; he knew he had to make her see reason and fast. Moving the final few steps, he trapped her between himself and the sink. Placing his right arm around her shoulders, he tilted her chin up with his left hand so that she was looking him directly in the face. "Please Hermione," he entreated, "please give me a chance? I know you don't like me now, but let me prove to you that given time things will work out between us, if not for your own sake, then for Aurora's."
"I…I don't know…There's too much that can go wrong and then everyone would get hurt," she argued back, shaking her head, but with less vehemence than before.
It was obvious to Draco that his proximity was having an effect on her and he intended to use this to his advantage. The fact that she did not push him away was reason enough for him not to give up.
"True," he agreed, running a finger down the side of her face, "but if we both make the effort to try to make it work, then surely it'll minimise the risk? Give me a chance to do now what I would have done five years ago in a heartbeat, had you informed me of your pregnancy. I promise I won't make any demands on you – Merlin, we can even have separate bedrooms if you prefer."
That slight reference to her pregnancy five years ago was a mistake. H could see that even though Hermione had started to weaken, that reminder had somehow caused her eyes to flinch at the memory. Not giving her a chance to think of a comeback, he went on quickly, "Hermione, how about this; why don't we have a trial period to see if we're at least compatible? It needn't be a big deal – we can go out together a few times, sometimes with Aurora, sometimes without."
He cursed inwardly. She was not so easily diverted.
"No, it'll never work in a million years," she said with more conviction. "The idea isn't even worth consideration!" She pushed him away and paced agitatedly round the small kitchen, her fingers rubbing her temples furiously, "I'm touched at your suggestion but…"
"But what?" he snapped. His disappointment at the turn of their exchange, coupled with his self-castigation for inadvertently bringing up things best left in the past, laced his voice with impatience. "I have as much right to see Aurora grow up as you do, Hermione! In case it slipped your mind, she shares as many of my genes as yours! I have as much parental rights to her as you!" He turned away from Hermione, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. "Hell, she still refers to me as Uncle," he breathed out, pain in his voice, "Do you have any idea how much that hurts?"
The question was rhetorical, and she did not answer.
The silence stretched. He continued, "Our relationship should and will be made public. I'll be damned if my own flesh and blood sees me as nothing more than one of her many 'Uncles'!" The vehemence at his last words, the sneer he gave, told her more clearly than words how much he hated this form of address.
"I… I understand what you're saying," she attempted to placate, "but might I remind you that for the last five years—"
"I didn't know of Aurora's existence!" He turned back to her, his voice raised. "And whose fault was that? Dumbledore knew exactly where I had gone, and if you'd thought about it for even one minute you'd have worked that out."
"All I wanted to do at that time was get as far away from you as humanly possible," she snarled glaring at him.
Ignoring her remark he went on, "If I'd known of your pregnancy, I'd have come back and married you then and there, you know that!"
"Well, now you know of Aurora's existence," she shrugged wearily, her anger draining from her, "so what's the problem?"
Her calmness grated at him more than her anger did. Taking several deep breaths to suppress the urge to shake her, Draco replied, "Yes, now I know of her existence. Nonetheless, I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I've spent time alone with her. And looking at the way things are, I seriously doubt that if left to you, that'll change." He stayed her protests with a raised hand, "You know full well the impediments you put in place for me to see Aurora. I think it's high time I had a say in how much I get to interact with my daughter! I want to spend more time with her and have her call me Daddy!"
Hermione's face paled. "No," she hissed, "You can't!"
His voice gentled as he said, "Hermione we both know that you don't stand a chance if the law is dragged into this. I want to give my child my name and have her recognised as a Malfoy. And what better way to do this than for us to marry? No one will raise an eyebrow. Aurora will officially be a Malfoy, even though both of us know it's her birthright. Besides," he hesitated, "this way, it'll also be a help to you Hermione."
"A help?" she asked scornfully.
Draco nodded. "You won't be alone in bringing Aurora up; it'll be something that we can do together. You'll have more time to devote to yourself and you won't have to constantly worry about who's looking after our daughter or where the money to fix the leak in the roof will come from."
At her disbelieving gasp he went on, "Yes, I know all about the eight times over the last three years you have had to borrow money from Gringott's to cover the money you insist on paying Molly Weasley for babysitting Aurora; the repairs to the flat when the pipes burst two winters ago; your new crystal wand when your old one stopped functioning… and I know for a fact that a decent crystal wand is in the region of five thousand galleons, and in your profession you would naturally need the best. It nearly crippled you to pay them back, especially with the interest rates they levy, but somehow, you're managing it by buying yourself time, and scrimping on anything and everything – even to the point of going without food yourself during the day." He had, by this time, approached a stunned Hermione who was staring at him as though she had never seen him before, "I also know that you had to borrow from both Potter and Weasley a while back to pay back a part of your Gringott's loan and that you still owe them a substantial sum. I know about the money your muggle parents give you monthly to help subsidise Aurora's nursery fees, which are at least three times higher than those of the muggle nursery she went to before her innate magic began showing. I also know how much of your salary goes to Gringott's monthly to keep their credit goblins at bay. The rest is spent on feeding and clothing Aurora, taxes, utility bills and other such things. Why you refused to accept the financial support I offered you, is beyond me but we won't go into that now."
She stood as though stunned her eyes wide in horror. Falteringly, she asked, "How…How did you know about all that?"
Draco sighed, gesturing Hermione to a seat at the dining table, set into a small alcove leading off the kitchen. Taking the seat opposite her, he continued, "When I found out of Aurora's existence, I got someone to do some research into what you've been doing since Aurora was born. The state of your finances was the easiest data to collect." Steepling his fingers before him, he concluded, "Hermione, if you married me, you'll never again have to worry about money. Wouldn't that be a weight off your shoulders?"
"I suppose," she agreed reluctantly, "but that shouldn't be a reason for getting ma—"
"Tell me, when was the last time you bought yourself something new to wear?" His eyes raked over her faded jeans and slightly frayed t-shirt.
Her scowl confirmed his suspicion that for the last few years, she'd been making do with what she had already owned, and that her not inconsiderable transfiguration skills had been put to regular use on her meagre wardrobe.
"I can't remember," she replied, not looking at him. "Anyway, it's not a big deal," she shrugged. "It's not like Medi-staff need an extensive wardrobe to work," she rolled her eyes making light of Draco's implication, "We wear uniforms, for goodness sake! Besides, I haven't the time to go shopping, which is just as well," she shrugged again.
Draco nodded, acknowledging that while she had sidestepped his point regarding her spending habits, she was aware that he knew about her financial state and was uncomfortable. He decided to change tact, knowing that it was useless to flog a dead thestral.
"I think it's time my mother met Aurora," he stated simply.
"No," Hermione returned, her eyes wide with shock.
"Mother has the right to be introduced to her granddaughter," he leaned back in his chair, his voice cool. "How would your mother feel if somewhere in the world, she has a beautiful granddaughter she would love to distraction, but her very existence was withheld from her?" At her flinch, he nodded. "Exactly."
"Look," he leaned forward, "I don't intend to make a big fuss out of this. I just want my daughter to meet her grandmother. In fact, we can introduce Aurora as your child. Knowing Mother, the alternative might get somewhat messy." His lips curled slightly at this understatement.
"You seem to be very clear about what you want," Hermione retorted acidly, folding her arms defensively before her. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you had been planning this for a while now."
Draco bit back a smile. It would never do to tell her that since that day at Flourish and Blott's where he saw Hermione running down the corridor to pick Aurora up, he had been thinking of nothing else. He had hoped to put the idea of marriage to her in the wilds of Wales, but the opportunity by way of Aurora's nursery bullies had had a greater impact on Hermione's insecurities with regards to Aurora's well-being, than anything he had planned to say or do. Maybe they could still take that holiday once they were married; it would certainly be a much more satisfying experience going to the cottage married… and once Hermione was married to him… well, he could be very persuasive when he wanted to be, he mused.
He gave a dismissive shrug of the shoulders, "Aurora is my daughter, after all, and it pains me to see her hurt, especially when I know I have the means to provide for her every wish."
Sighing, he turned the conversation back to the problem at hand. "Hermione," he leaned forward again, "Look, you feel as I do about the injustice Aurora has to face at school – and she's not even five yet. You'll do anything for Aurora's well-being, and you know it's what I'll do too. I'm sure you'll agree that desperate times call for desperate measures."
He watched as she closed her eyes, her shoulders slump in defeat. "Yes," she exhaled with a nod. "Look Draco, I really need to think about this properly before we go any further. What you're asking is insane. Considering our history and our feelings for each other," she gave him a wry smile, "it's an even bigger step."
The irony was not lost on Draco – he knew exactly what he felt about her and in her beautiful stubbornness, it pained him that she failed to see the truth of the matter.
"I mean," she continued, her finger tracing the woodgrain on the table between them, "putting the financial aspects of this aside, what if a year or so down the line, one of us meets someone and falls in love? Divorce in the wizarding world is no small matter."
Draco willed his face to remain impassive. Over his dead body would she divorce him for another man oh no! He'd make sure that once they were married, she'd be his and his alone! As for him finding someone later on… he suppressed a mirthless laugh. All he wanted had ever wanted was right here in this flat and he knew that as night followed day that this would never change.
"You're leaping twenty steps ahead," he said casually, preparing to depart. It was getting late, and he could see that the evening's emotional rollercoaster was beginning to fray Hermione. "You're worrying about things that may never happen."
"I'm not," she retorted, walking with him, as he made his way towards the front door. "Marriage cannot be undertaken lightly… and we do have to think about this possibility, you know."
"We never did get around to talking about Wynwood," he gave her a wry smile, turning to face her at the door. "But remember, one step at a time, okay?" Bending down, he kissed her cheek and before she could argue any further, he pulled open the front door and let himself out of the flat.
He smiled to himself as he prepared to Disapparate. He had planted the idea of marriage to him firmly in her mind, and knowing Hermione she would think of nothing else all night. Oh yes, she would come up with objections by the bucket load, but this afternoon's events had frightened her badly, and he knew that she would go to any lengths to protect Aurora from such prejudicial attitudes. It had also been a shock to her, to have her financial history laid bare before her. It had reinforced the fact that she could not win against him in court if she was foolish enough to try, and Draco had his suspicions on that count.
Feeling more hopeful than he had felt in a while, he Disapparated.
XoXoXoXo
The hands on the grandfather clock in the hall pointed to 3:15 exactly. Draco tried not to fidget as he waited for his mother to arrive. Then a moment later, there was a loud crack and there she was.
"Draco darling," she exclaimed, coming forward and hugging him, "I hope I wasn't late."
"No not in the least, Mother," he greeted the elegantly robed witch. "How was your morning?" he asked, without any real interest. His mother was, at his instigation, paying a quick visit to England and had spent the morning with all her old society friends, shopping and 'catching up', as she liked to phrase it.
"Oh wonderful! It was so nice catching up with all my old British friends, but that's not what I've been looking forward to all day. Is it time?"
"Yes, I said we'd meet them in Angelo's." Draco resisted the temptation to glance at the clock again. He had been looking forward to this moment all day and knew that it had been the lure of finally meeting his mystery 'young lady' that had bought his mother to England post-haste.
"A good choice," Narcissa approved. "I must say I'm looking forward to meeting this young lady of yours. The child sounds charming as well," she added as an afterthought. Well, beggars couldn't be choosers, and it was enough that Draco had a lady friend as opposed to all those nasty rumours circulating amongst her society friends about his lack of interest in women. So what if his lady friend was a widow with a young daughter? At least she was a witch, and if things turned out well, Narcissa could look forward to more grandchildren, even though Draco would probably adopt the witch's girl as his own. "Shall we go then?" she smiled at her son.
They Disapparated to appear a moment later in the foyer of a bustling restaurant done out in red and white, with a black marble floor.
"This way," Draco smiled, holding out his arm to his mother. They moved towards a doorway into a large room, from which the laughter and chatter of families taking tea echoed.
"Ah, Mr Malfoy," a waiter stopped beside them,"if you would like to follow me. Everything's ready, although the rest of your party haven't arrived yet."
They followed the waiter into the richly carpeted room. A crystal chandelier twinkled down on them, while large windows let in the afternoon sunlight. The walls were decorated in a rich burgundy, contrasting with the lighter red of the carpet. Tables were placed discretely in alcoves to allow their occupants some privacy.
"I've not been here for years," Narcissa smiled. "It hasn't changed in the least since my last visit, which must have been what? Six or seven years ago?"
"Oh no, madam," the waiter responded. "Angelo's prides itself on tradition; everything here's as it always has been since the restaurant opened."
They had reached the table Draco had reserved. Situated in a corner, it was beside a large window, looking out onto a craggy mountain just outside Hogsmeade, and shielded from passers-by by a large leafy palm almost as tall as Draco, standing in solitary splendour in a ceramic urn.
"Would you like to wait for the rest of your party before ordering?" the waiter asked, deferentially pulling out Narcissa's chair for her.
"Yes, they shouldn't be long now," Draco told him. "A young woman by the name of Hermione Granger and her little girl."
Nodding and bowing, the waiter left them and as soon as he was out of earshot, Narcissa asked eagerly, "Hermione Granger? You don't mean the healer, do you?"
Draco nodded.
"My, my, Draco, she's a good catch. I saw a picture of her not so long ago in a journal of Healing and she looks quite presentable. A tad thin, though. How old is she?"
Draco rolled his eyes at his mother's obvious curiosity and approval. She had wanted him to settle down from the age of sixteen and start producing grandchildren – as if it were possible to do so at Hogwarts! As it was, he suspected that if he had presented her with a mountain troll as a prospective daughter-in-law, she would have made an effort to get on with it in her desperation to get him married.
"She's my age," Draco answered absently, craning his neck to see if he could see Hermione or Aurora.
"Oh yes, of course! She was in your year at Hogwarts, was she not? You were always complaining about her beating you in every subject – how could I have forgotten? Well, I'm glad that you finally realised that intelligence in a woman is a virtue not to be scoffed at. And her child…"
"Hermione," Draco interrupted at that moment, spotting Hermione coming towards them, holding a reluctant Aurora firmly by the hand. He got up and moving swiftly down the long room, went to meet them.
Narcissa craned forward in her seat, wanting to get a good look at this woman who seemed to have achieved the impossible by working her way into Draco's heart. Soon, Draco was ushering a young woman dressed simply in pale pink robes, before him. Narcissa's eyes moved to the child beside the woman. Dressed in a cotton sundress of light blue, she presented an adorable picture with her shiny chestnut curls tied back in a blue ribbon the same shade as the dress. She couldn't see the child's face for she was staring at the floor.
"Mother," Draco smiled, reaching their table, "I'd like to introduce Hermione to you."
Narcissa rose to her feet, taking Hermione's small, work roughened hand in her own and smiling at her. "My dear, I have heard so much about you," she lied smoothly. In actual fact, Draco had told her practically nothing about the woman he had wanted her to meet, saying only that he was sure the two would get on when they met.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs…" Hermione began, smiling stiffly, but was cut off by the other woman.
"Oh please, call me Narcissa! All this formality makes me feel positively ancient!" she smiled. "And who is this?" She turned her attention to the child standing beside Hermione, who was looking anywhere but at her.
"This," Draco said proudly, his hands on the girl's shoulders, "is Aurora!"
Kneeling down so she was at the child's eye level, Narcissa gazed into the small hart-shaped face and felt a jolt of surprise run through her. Recovering swiftly, she exclaimed in a bright voice, "Aurora. Now, what a pretty name for such a pretty girl!"
Aurora didn't reply as she gazed back at this strange lady. She didn't want to be here. Granddad had promised her a ride in his new car, but she had to come here and talk to this lady instead. What was worse, her mother had forced her to wear a dress! Aurora hated wearing dresses and skirts, and she wasn't pleased in the least.
"Say hello to Narcissa, darling," Hermione coaxed.
"Hello," Aurora intoned, and didn't elaborate.
Standing up, Narcissa smiled. "Its all right, most children are shy on first meeting strangers; no doubt she'll become more talkative as she gets to know me."
"Come Hermione, Aurora, let's sit down." Draco pulled out both chairs and picking Aurora up, settled her beside her mother. Then going round to his own seat, he sat down facing Aurora and winked. His poor little princess was clearly nervous and he wanted to put her at her ease.
"What would you like to eat Aurora?" Narcissa asked. "How about a nice big ice cream sundae with a flake and chopped nuts?"
Aurora leaned forward to gaze at the picture of the ice cream on the menu.
"Oh Mummy," she gasped, forgetting all about granddad's new car in light of this unexpected treat, "Can I have that please? With a bit of stwawbewwy sauce on the side?"
Draco saw that Narcissa was enchanted with Aurora's manners.
"Of course you can, darling," Hermione replied as she put an arm round Aurora, who grinned up at her, her earlier bad mood having evaporated. "But will you finish it all? It looks very big."
"Oh yeah, no pwoblem!" Aurora gave a cheeky wink and a 'thumbs-up' gesture in response.
Her audience all burst out laughing at this and Narcissa asked, "Who were you trying to copy when you said that?"
"No one," Aurora answered, shooting her a swift narrow eyed look from the security of Hermione's embrace. "I wasn't twying to copy anyone, but Uncle Won sometimes says it, so I say it too."
"Uncle Ron's a grown up," Hermione explained hugging her more tightly and still chuckling, "he can say things like that."
"So can I!" Aurora contradicted, "Uncle Won says its cool to say that. He says it's… it's making a point!" Please that she had remembered this instruction, she sat back.
Hermione and Narcissa were still smiling broadly at Aurora's cheek as the waiter came over to their table, but Draco frowned, jealousy coursing through him. He knew, of course, that Hermione was in frequent contact with Potter and Weasley, and that they had supported her since Aurora's birth, but Aurora's emulation of 'Uncle Won'… he felt as if he had been robbed of all that was precious to him. The thought that Ron Weasley, part of the reason he had never been able to get near Hermione back in Hogwarts, had more influence over his daughter than he, had probably been there when Aurora had all her baby 'firsts', and was still closer to Aurora than he'd been thus far, grated on Draco's nerves. No, the sooner he got Aurora away from the influence of all her 'uncles', the better.
Pasting a smile on his face, he leaned across the table and tilting the little girl's chin up, asked, "Ice cream then, Angel?"
"Yes please, Uncle, the big one with the flake and nuts on it, with a bit of stwawbewwy sauce on the side!"
"Coming right up, miss!" the waiter smiled, "Would you like a wafer as well?"
"A what?" A puzzled expression crossed her small face.
"A wafer, darling," Draco explained, brushing an errant curl from her forehead. "It's a thin biscuit that you can eat the ice cream with."
"It's very nice with ice cream," Narcissa encouraged, looking thoughtfully into the child's grey eyes and then glancing at Draco. She did not miss the tightening of Draco's mouth every time Aurora called him 'Uncle'.
"Ok then," Aurora agreed, not sounding too sure.
Ordering a traditional cream tea for himself, Hermione and his mother, Draco sat back, his inner composure regained. If he wanted this meeting to continue smoothly, he must control his emotions better. His mother knew him only too well.
"I was just saying to Draco before you arrived, Hermione, that I had seen a photo of you in an American Journal of Healing," Narcissa smiled. "For someone as young as yourself, you have achieved an extraordinary amount; you're so talented."
"Oh no," Hermione also sat back in the plush chair, shaking her head modestly. "Not talent. It's merely a case of interest. My interest lies in Healing, so I devote all my spare energies to it."
"You're too modest, Hermione," Draco intervened, looking at the brunette. Turning to his mother, he added proudly, "She's the youngest Healer on the Board of Directors at Hanwell's Hospital."
"And your parents?" Narcissa asked. "One of the articles I've read said they are healers too, I believe."
"No, they aren't," Aurora chipped in helpfully, "Gwanddad and Gwandma are dentists." She clearly expected Narcissa to know what this meant.
Narcissa didn't disappoint and turning her attention to the small girl said, "That is so interesting! Have you been to their surgery then, Aurora?"
Draco watched with an inward smirk, as Narcissa's eyes flicked between his and Aurora's faces. His mother was hard pressed not to smile at Aurora's precociousness.
"Lots of times," Aurora dismissed airily, enjoying the attention of the adults. "They have all these dwills for making holes in people's teeth, and bits for polishing them, and bits for scwubbing them clean," she finished knowledgeably.
Draco felt pride for his daughter well up within him – she was so clever and articulate, if only he could acknowledge her out loud as his! He knew however, that doing so might jeopardise all he had worked so hard for over the past forty-eight hours. He didn't want only Aurora, and the incentive to continue with his plans was the woman sitting beside her. Yes, there would be time to gloat over Aurora later on, for now though, he had to be content with more subtle methods.
"Hmm, that's a lot of bits indeed," Narcissa agreed, with a very mock serious look on her face. "Tell me, Aurora, do you go to nursery school now? After all you're a big girl and big girls go to nursery." She gave the little girl a charming smile as she spoke.
"Yeah, I go to Aunty Andwomeda's nursewy evewy day. Mummy says that when I'm five, I'll go to the big childwens' school." Aurora sat back emulating the grown ups, trying not to fidget with the silverware laid out before her.
For some reason Draco couldn't work out, Hermione frowned, but said nothing, a polite smile on her lips.
Surprised, Narcissa turned to the other two. "Are there magical schools for young children now? I hadn't realised."
"As far as I know, there aren't," Draco frowned in puzzlement.
Rescuing the saltcellar from her daughter's clutches, Hermione explained sweetly, "Oh I wasn't thinking of sending Aurora to a magical school actually. I want Aurora to benefit from attending a muggle primary school. There are some excellent ones near our flat, and I'm going to enrol her into one soon."
Draco nearly dropped his napkin in shock. Narcissa too, looked shocked. Leaning forward in her seat, the older woman asked, "But my dear, I wouldn't have thought…that is, the child is magical, isn't she?"
Was that alarm in her eyes? Draco wanted to laugh out loud.
"Oh yes, she's magical," Hermione replied calmly. Tugging Aurora's napkin, which she was attempting to make into an aeroplane out of her hands, and smoothing it over her knees, "I think a muggle primary education would be good for Aurora. For one thing, it will expand her horizon before she attends Hogwarts. For another, attending primary school will alleviate the need to hire tutors to teach her the basics of reading, writing and Mathematics. The discipline of studying with her peers will stand her in good stead at Hogwarts." She shot Draco a look, daring him to defy her, as she spoke.
"I see," Narcissa nodded, smiling politely as she watched with barely contained amusement the way Hermione yanked Aurora's skirt, which had ridden up to her thighs, down over her knees.
"I don't like dwesses," Aurora protested as her mother replaced her now rumpled napkin over her lap, diverting Draco and Narcissa's attention from Hermione, "they are howwible and won't let you cwoss your legs pwoperly."
"But all little girls wear dresses," Narcissa smiled, "they're so pretty."
"I don't wear dwesses. They're silly and won't let you wun and climb twees and do fun things," Aurora grumbled, "but Mummy said I had to today!" She shot a disgusted look down at her own dress, before glaring up at her mother, while attempting to cross her legs on her chair which Hermione promptly leaned over and uncrossed.
"Real little tomboy," Draco commented proudly, an affectionate smile brushing his lips.
"Annabelle wears dwesses and they look howwible," Aurora informed the adults pouting, "but Annabelle's howwible so…"
Luckily, the waiter arrived at that moment, bearing her ice cream sundae in a long glass. He grinned at her as he handed her a long handled spoon. "There you are miss, wafer and all."
"Thanks," Aurora grinned back, her hate of dresses forgotten as she looked at the large ice cream before her.
The waiter proceeded to lay out a bone china tea set, and dexterously transferring a three-tier cake stand onto the table between Hermione and Narcissa. He murmured, "Enjoy your tea," before gliding silently away.
As Narcissa poured, Hermione and Draco both took scones from the cake stand.
Draco watched as Aurora began attacking her ice cream with determination, her chin soon coated in white. He resisted the urge to wipe it clean and concentrated instead on his own buttered scone, which he had to admit was very good. Glancing over at Hermione, he saw she wasn't eating, but crumbling the scone between her fingers nervously. He knew she didn't want to be here as much as Aurora didn't want to put on that dress, but he hadn't given her much choice regarding meeting his mother. He knew instinctively that the longer he waited for this encounter to happen, the longer she'd have time to protest the marriage; the more she protested, the longer the vicious cycle of waiting would drag on. Well, he'd waited long enough, and he would not back down now, not now that he had what he most wanted in life almost within his grasp.
"Draco?"
His mother's voice penetrated his thoughts and he turned to look at her.
"I was just asking Hermione how long you'd known one and other," she informed him, a gleam in her eyes at his distraction. Draco didn't know that while Narcissa had been chatting with Hermione, she had been surreptitiously watching him gazing contemplatively at the young woman seated diagonally from him.
Turning to his mother, he replied, "Oh we already knew each other at Hogwarts, being in the same year. We lost touch after leaving school, but with my return from America and our working together at Hanwell's…" he trailed off, with a smile directed at Hermione who scowled in return.
"And were you together at Hogwarts?" Narcissa asked casually, helping herself to a slice of cake. Both Draco and Hermione knew the direction of her questioning, not fooled in the least by her nonchalance.
"No," Hermione stated coolly.
"Oh, how wonderful that you met up after Draco's return to Britain, then," Narcissa beamed at them both, easily detecting and deflecting the younger witch's displeasure. There was something here that Draco hadn't told her, but she was a Slytherin, and she had been able to read undercurrents since her youth. Something about the Healer's displeasure and Draco's too many years of singlehood provoked her though, goading her to ask; "So, are we looking forward to any future plans?"
The question hit its target only too well. The icy tone of Hermione's reply, albeit accompanied by a falsely bright smile told Narcissa this more plainly than words.
"Oh it's entirely too soon to think about that yet," the younger woman replied politely, wiping a bit of strawberry sauce from Aurora's chin, "I mean, It's been barely three months since we met again."
Narcissa was amused. She could see why Draco took such an interest in this obvious Gryffindor. Provoking her produced such intriguing responses, and she was able to see the intelligence and passion contained in those caramel eyes. Draco always knew what he wanted, she mused, and he'd always sought the best.
Smiling, she decided to ask another provoking question. "Ah, that may be so, but there's certainly something about a whirlwind romance," she smiled, noting that Hermione's lips had thinned into a grim line. Draco's attention, she noticed, was divided between playing with and teasing Aurora, and keeping and eye on the conversation between herself and Hermione.
"Also," she continued, without missing a beat, "you can't say that you don't know Draco," her smile was accompanied by a twinkle in her eyes, "after all, you knew one and other at Hogwarts, dear. That's more years than most couples have before tying the knot. And since neither one of you are getting any younger, and Aurora, the little darling, would need a father—"
"As I said before, it's far too early to consider such things," came the cool response.
Draco had to bite back a smile at the glare Hermione through at him, if looks alone could kill, he would be well and truly dead as a result of that look.
Narcissa smiled, taking quick note of the nonverbal conversation going on between her son and this volatile young woman.
Deciding she had provoked Hermione enough, she turned her attention to her cake, and went back to observing Draco and Aurora.
Draco knew better than to underestimate his mother; she was undoubtedly putting two and two together, and she was more than obviously pleased with her conclusions. He hid a smile – so far so good.
He watched as Hermione leaned over and wiped Aurora's face clean, and not for the first time, he thought that motherhood certainly suited her. He smiled to himself, imagining Hermione ensconced in Malfoy Manor, bringing up his children – for there would certainly be more, he'd see to that.
Leaning over, Draco wiped the corner of Aurora's mouth where a spot of ice cream Hermione had missed, still lingered. "Are you enjoying that, darling?" he asked her, and received a wide grin in return.
"It's the yummiest ice cweam in the whole wide world!" she replied enthusiastically.
Beside her, Hermione sighed with a genuine smile on her face for once. It seemed that only Aurora had the ability to make this farcical excuse for a family tea bearable. Shaking her head, she whispered to her daughter, "Darling, remember what Dennis told you yesterday?"
"Dennis?" Draco questioned, his acute hearing picking up Hermione's softly spoken words. He leaned forward swiftly almost upsetting the silver sugar bowl, "Who's Dennis?"
"Aurora's speech therapist," Hermione answered coolly.
Draco's agitation at the mention of Dennis had been noticed by Narcissa, but Hermione's answer was wholly unexpected. "Why is Aurora seeing a speech therapist?" Narcissa frowned, perplexed.
"To help improve her speech," Hermione responded absently, wiping Aurora's face with her napkin. "I was hoping she wouldn't need one, but her inability to say the letter 'R' is…"
"Oh that," Narcissa laughed, "It's a common problem in young children, Hermione. I believe it runs in families and clears up by the time they're six. Why Draco had the exact same problem at Aurora's age!" She noticed Draco looked both surprised and inordinately pleased with this revelation. "Lucius worried endlessly over it, but it sorted itself out without intervention from Healers or Draco's tutors," she took a sip of her tea. "No doubt the inability to pronounce 'R' in runs in either your family or in Aurora's father's," she added, innocently.
"The inability to pronounce the letter 'R' has nothing to do with genetics," Hermione bit out with irritation- what did Narcissa know.
Spooning the last of the ice cream into Aurora's mouth before pulling out her wand and muttering a quick cleaning spell to remove the stickiness from her face and fingers, she continued smoothly, "it's something to do with the position of the tongue when saying certain letters. Dennis," she smirked at Draco, "gave Aurora various exercises to do which will help."
"A muggle speech therapist?" Draco sneered, not sure whether it was the fact that it was a muggle speech therapist he dislike or if it was because it was a male muggle speech therapist with the more informal address of 'Dennis' instead of 'Dr. So-and-so' or 'Mr. So-and-so'. Probably the latter.
"Yes. Dennis is very good at what he does, "Hermione smiled sweetly.
'I'll bet he is,' Draco thought darkly. 'Dennis better be old and decrepit, or else.'
"If it were not for the fact that Dennis is a good family friend, it would've be impossible to schedule Aurora to see him. Dennis owes me a favour and we've been friends since primary school," she shrugged with a half smile,.
"But my dear," Narcissa exclaimed missing nothing, "you are a Healer, surely there are charms which will help correct Aurora's speech if it is of such a concern to you?"
"Certainly there are charms," Hermione pursed her lips, "but none foolproof and all quite painful. Besides, for those charms to work, the child needs to be at least seven."
There was a slight pause, and Aurora, with her ice cream finished and uncomfortable in her dress, grew bored and asked, "When can we go, Mummy?"
"Mummy hasn't finished her tea yet," Draco smiled at the child, indicating Hermione's half full cup. "Patience, princess!"
Hermione however, pushed her cup away from her. "It's all right, Aurora," she brushed Aurora's hair back where it had escaped from the ribbon, and pointedly ignored Draco, "I've finished anyway." Smiling at Narcissa, she continued, "It's been lovely meeting you." Yanking Aurora's dress down once more, she added, "But we really should be making a move. We're due at my parent's house, and I haven't even started the weekly Saturday grocery shopping yet."
"Of course," Narcissa smiled, as she dabbed her napkin to her mouth.
The four occupants of the table all stood up and Draco watched as his mother leaned forward to kiss Hermione's cheek. "I hope to see you again and soon," she said, giving her a significant smile, the meaning of which was all too clear. In a lowered voice just for Hermione's ears, she added wickedly, "You and Draco certainly do have a lot in common, and it's such a pleasure to see the way you deal with my son."
Not receiving a response, Narcissa turned to an impatient Aurora, who was hopping from foot to foot. "Well Aurora, it has been a delight meeting you." Once more gazing into the child's eyes, she sighed thoughtfully and asked, "Can I have a kiss goodbye?"
Aurora nodded and stood still as Narcissa engulfed her in a fierce hug, kissing her cheek, her eyes lingering on the small girls face as though trying to memorise it. Finally, she released Aurora but not before Draco saw the look of longing in her eyes. His mother had certainly taken to the child and who wouldn't?
"Your grandmother is certainly a lucky lady, having a little darling like you for a grandchild." She straightened, her eyes bright.
"Oh believe me, Aurora is by no means always an angel," Hermione laughed, unnerved at the emotion in the older woman's face.
"I'll escort you out," Draco drawled, taking Aurora's hand as Narcissa reseated herself at the table, her eyes following them as they made their way down the long room, out into the foyer of the restaurant.
"Thank you for the lovely tea," Hermione emphasised formally, "It was nice meeting your mother."
Not to be outdone by her mother's manner, Aurora adopted a polite carriage similar to her mother's, only to be spoiled by her impish grin and bright laughing grey eyes. "Yeah, thanks for the ice cweam. It was yummy!"
Draco said nothing, charmed by the sweetness of Aurora's manners. He scooped the small girl up, hugging her. "Take care, princess," he kissed his daughter's cheeks. Turning to the woman who stood by, watching their interaction with a slight frown on her countenance, he continued, "I'll come round tomorrow." There was no need to say any more Hermione's glower said it all.
Setting Aurora back on her feet, he touched Hermione's cheek gently with a finger, murmuring, "Thank you." He could tell by her shrug that she knew he was grateful to her for allowing Aurora to meet Narcissa.
Hermione said nothing but quickly grabbing Aurora's hand, she led her from the restaurant without looking back.
Draco sighed when mother and child turned the corner, and went back inside the restaurant. Seating himself once more at their table, he glanced at his mother.
Narcissa felt as though the wind had been knocked out of her. She needed answers to her questions but getting information out of Draco was like getting blood out of a stone. Even as a child, it had been hard to get information out of him and now would be nigh on impossible. It was time to employ every bit of Slytherin cunning she knew to worm the truth of that child's paternity from him.
"Hermione's a lovely girl," she gushed, pouring him another cup of tea, "so sensible and so much prettier than the photos in the Journals suggest."
"You'd say that about anyone in whom I showed any interest," Draco commented dryly, adding sugar to his tea.
"I would not!" came the indignant retort, "I would object most strongly if the girl didn't suit you, Draco! Surely you know that all I want is your happiness. Nothing else matters to me beyond that."
He gave his mother a boyish smile. "Yeah, I know."
"But Hermione… Now, she's a lovely young woman; and that child of hers, she's adorable!" she returned to the attack.
Draco nodded in agreement, a tender smile on his face. His girls – how lovely that sounded – were probably even now flooing home.
"Do you know who Aurora's father was?" Narcissa asked boldly, eyeing her son's reaction. "I didn't want to ask Hermione about it – it would seem like prying, and you know that's so uncouth," she sniffed. "But that little darling definitely has breeding."
"According to Hermione, he was a muggle," Draco famed casualness, "He died in the war."
"I see," Narcissa murmured, nodding her head thoughtfully. Picking her words carefully, she continued her interrogation, "Although, I must say I was… astonished to see how much Aurora… that is to say, the dear girl has such pretty features… remarkably Malfoyish features, if I could call them that – her grey eyes, her skin colour, her fingers… she even smiles like you when you were her age! Why, if it weren't for her mother's hair and face shape, I'd think her muggle father was an uncanny muggle version of you," she pointed out, arching an eyebrow.
At this, Draco merely mirrored his mother's raised eyebrow, a slightly mocking smile playing about his mouth, murmuring, "Perhaps he was," as he took a sip of his tea.
"But you know as well as I do that's very unlikely," she said frustrated, her Slytherin cunning deserting her," Hermione wouldn't be so… so cagey, so formal with you if there was a relationship going on between you from before." Putting her teacup into her saucer with a light clink, she sighed, "Draco what's really going on here? I could swear that that child's—"
"Mother dear," he laid a hand on her arm, his tone a warning, "walls have ears." He knew even before this meeting that his mother would recognise Aurora for who she was on sight. Everything was going according to his plan. "Although, I must say, you do have an active imagination," he smirked, neither confirming nor denying his mother's question of Aurora's paternity. Rising, he signalled for the waiter to bring the bill.
Once Draco had settled the bill and returned to her side, Narcissa gave up all pretence and murmured, "Fine, I'm imagining things but I'll say this. I'll leave things in your hands for now, but if you don't marry that young woman soon, I'll want to know why. Malfoys look after their own, and I want to see what is rightfully mine by blood returned to the family fold. Almost five years Draco, five years without a word or hint," she paused and took a deep breath, "and now…" She broke off too choked with emotion to say more.
"I know," he empathised, "Oh Merlin do I know."
Narcissa blinking rapidly to clear the mist from her eyes smiled brightly, "I think I'll have a word with your Aunt about this, see if she can't lean on the girl a bit."
"You do that," Draco grinned, this was turning out even better than he had hoped, "shall we go?"
Neither spoke as they prepared to depart, but both looked well pleased with the events of the afternoon.
"She's really perfect, isn't she?" Narcissa smiled as they walked out of the restaurant on to the main street of Hogsmeade, her mind on the future.
"That she is," Draco agreed, not sure to which 'she' Narcissa was referring but it didn't matter; both were perfect in his eyes. A satisfied smile on his lips, he offered his mother an arm and escorted her to the Apparation point to return home to Malfoy Manor.