Chapter 28: When the Past Catches Up With You

Draco collapsed onto the couch next to Hermione, releasing a heavy breath. "Well, Evangeline has water in her system and is asleep."

"Shyla is asleep in the guest room. She is really sorry she didn't come get you sooner." Hermione said in a hushed voice. The light was dim in the parlor, but she could clearly see Draco's features.

"I think all of this mess with Talia is taking a huge toll on her. More so than she lets on."

"Of course it does." Hermione agreed, "Her mom has practically said that she no longer wants to be a part of her life. I would be more surprised if it really didn't affect her. But she's just a child, and children want their parents approval still."

Draco sighed heavily, "You're a single parent. How did you handle it for so long?"

Hermione frowned, avoiding Draco's gaze, "I made sure she felt enough love to compensate from the missing side. Yeah, she got grounded from time to time. But we also filled our time together with fun and happiness."

"I have a meeting at Hogwarts tomorrow evening, but when I get back we should talk about whatever it is you want to." Draco finally agreed. Before she could respond, he leaned in and kissed her gently. "Thank you for your help tonight."

Hermione shrugged, "I took care of Harry and Ron a few times in the past." She gave Draco a knowing look, "When was the first time you drank?"

Draco frowned, "I'm not my father."

"That's not what I said." Hermione sighed, "I'm just curious. When did you first get drunk?"

"I was twelve." He finally admitted. "I was at a birthday thing for Goyle. One of the girls stole a bottle from her dad's cabinet. We played spin the bottle. But if you didn't want to kiss who it landed on, you had to drink. It was stupid."

"Sounds stupid." Hermione teased. "And no, you are not your father. I don't think you could have ever become him, even if things had gone so differently."

"Tell me, Granger." Draco challenged, changing the subject, "When did you first drink?"

"I had my first drink at Bill and Fleur's wedding. It was only champagne. First time I got drunk, was my first night away from Shyla. Ginny and I went out." Hermione admitted.

"Seriously?" Draco mocked, "You said you helped drunk Potter and Weasley."

"I did."

"So you just helped your drunk mates while you were perfectly sober?"

"Yup."

"That's the difference between you and I." He smirked, "I would have left them to wake up in some random hallway."

"Harry was going through a lot." She frowned, "I may not have participated, but I was always there incase they needed me."

"You need to do something for you, every once in awhile."

"I do!" Hermione insisted, propping her bare feet on the couch.

"Right."

"Draco!"

"You were Potter's lap dog for 7 years, and what? Had a little bit of free time before having a kid?" Draco scoffed, "Typical Granger, valuing everyone's happiness over her own."

"First off, HARRY was my friend." Hermione tapped her fingers on Draco's thigh as she counted, "Secondly, I have enjoyed being Shyla's mum, and I owe noone an explanation. And thirdly, who are you to harp on me? You did everything for your father!"

"Here we go." Draco groaned, rolling his eyes at the brunette before him.

Hermione continued, ignoring his annoyance, "I think I saw you let loose once at Hogwarts. The Yule Ball. RIght before everything changed."

"You were watching me!" Draco caught, laughing louder than he intended.

"I what? No!" Hermione spat. "I'm a people watcher!"

"Admit it, you watched me." He grinned.

"Fine. You looked happy. I hadn't seen that before." Hermione laughed, defeated.

"I watched you too…" Draco admitted, mostly to himself.

"What? Really?" Hermione found her stomach was flipping, as if one of Fred and George's inventions had ended up inside of her.

"That blue dress and that hair, yeah, I watched you." Draco shrugged it off.

"You remembered my dress was blue!" Hermione cooed.

"Merlin, Granger! Get over yourself!" Draco sneered in a way that somehow came off as endearing. "You were with Krum. Everyone noticed, and nobody understood."

"You know, you keep mentioning that." She smirked, "If I didn't know any better, I would think that you were jealous."

"Of you?" He laughed, "Nah, Krum is a good looking fellow, but tall, dark and handsome aren't really my type."

Hermione couldn't help but laugh. Wiping tears from her eyes, she leaned her forehead into Draco's shoulder. "You're ridiculous."

Hermione awoke to two young, wide-eyed girls staring at her. She found herself wrapped in a blanket on the couch in Draco Malfoy's parlor. Draco was curled up on the other end of the couch, their feet barely touching. She reminded herself that it could have been far more awkward, and that she should be grateful. "Oh. Umm," Hermione stammered to find her words. She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, "How are you feeling, Eva?"

"Ahem." Shyla coughed.

Eva didn't respond.

"We fell asleep talking, that's all." Hermione explained, nudging Draco with her foot.

Draco groaned in defiance, and pulled his own blanket tighter.

"Likely story." Shyla hummed.

This time Hermione practically kicked Draco awake. He scowled as he opened his eyes, "What do you want?"

Hermione pointed to the girls practically looming over them. "We fell asleep."

Draco threw his blanket on Hermione, sitting up right. "Ready for breakfast, Evangeline?"

Eva's face turned pale and she winced, "No." Her voice was meek and child-like.

"Too bad!" Draco mocked, "I had the house elves whip up something special!"

"Dad, I will never drink again, I swear." Eva pleaded.

"If you want to act like an adult, I'm going to treat you like an adult." Draco ran his fingers through his hair, mostly ridding it of the sleep-tousled look. "I never coddled your mother when she was hung over, and I'm not about to start for you. You're going to eat your breakfast, and you're not going to complain about it. Am I understood?"

"But-" Eva interjected.

"Would you rather spend the next 7 years of social parties sitting next to me?" Draco warned.

"No, sir." Eva sulked, her nightgown still hung over her slender body.

"Now, go to the kitchen." Draco ordered, "Shyla, the house elves will cook you up something too. Evangeline is to eat her entire meal by herself."

As Hermione watched the girls' shadows diminish into the hallway, she turned to Draco and laughed lightly, "That could have been far more awkward… I don't even remember falling asleep."

Draco smiled lightly, "You were talking about a paper you read about dragons and how they evolved. And then you weren't."

Hermione felt her face flush, "Why didn't you go up to your room?"

He shrugged, "I enjoy watching you sleep, I suppose."

"That's not creepy at all!" She teased, bumping his knee with her own.

Draco snuck a quick kiss to her lips and smiled sadly, "I have to go back to Hogwarts for the day."

"I know," Hermione whispered. "I will take Shyla to her grandparents for a couple days, and then we need to talk."

"I know." Draco replied just as quietly.

Despite his heart being elsewhere, Hogwarts always felt at home. Draco entered the Headmistress' office, where several other professors were already waiting.

"Malfoy," Medina greeted, shaking Draco's hand casually, "How was your holiday?"

Draco grinned, "Hello Medina, I hear you are the Gilderoy Lockhart of teaching staff!"

Neville Longbottom snorted his tea out his nose at Draco's comment. "Oh, bloody hell."

"The what?" Medina queried. Despite being British himself, Medina had gone to a wizarding school in Russia, Koldovstoretz. He had not been given the pleasure, nor the displeasure, of encountering Lockhart.

"It either means you're good looking, dear." McGonagall interjected as she turned to greet the returning professors. "Or, it means they think you're quite daft."

Medina raised an eyebrow at Draco.

"Merlin, that turned far more awkward than intended." Draco scoffed, "My daughter said the girls find you dashing."

"Thanks, Malfoy." Medina grinned, "I didn't know you felt that way."

"Girls." Draco sputtered, caught off guard.

McGonagall began her speech, checking how the holidays had gone with the professors who had remained at the school.

"Girls, as in students. As in not me." Draco reassured.

Medina ignored Draco, smirking at the reaction he was receiving.

"Mr. Malfoy, is there a problem?" McGonagall asked in almost a knee-jerk way.

"Professor." Draco responded in the same manner. He let his face fall into his open hand, "Continue Headmistress, as we are all adults here, and can settle this matter afterwards."

McGonagall pursed her wrinkled lips, "Thank you for your permission." She waited for any other outburst before continuing. "Now, we have had a change in plans for the remainder of the year. Our friends at Durmstrang had a tragedy, which resulted in much of their castle being destroyed in a fire. Thank the stars, nobody was hurt, but the damages were enough to displace them for the time being. That being said, half of their students will attend Beauxbatons, and the other half have been welcomed to Hogwarts. Living quarters have been established on the fifth floor. Some of their professors will join us, in order to instruct their specific classes. We ask that you adjust your plans and make use of the remaining time of the break to prepare for additional students in each of your classes."

Whispers began to erupt around them, professors who were unsure of how to handle such a drastic change mid year.

"I ask that each of you treat the visiting students as if they were our own. They have agreed to our rules, but they are also our guests, and will need time to adjust." McGonagall finished, "Letters will be sent home to parents, informing them of the changes being made, in order to prepare the students for their return in three days. I trust everyone to proceed professionally from here."

"Well, I can't say I was expecting that!" Draco turned to Neville and gave a shrug, "How 'bout we have a drink? We may not get another chance for a while yet!"

Neville nodded, "I have to share the greenhouses."

Draco laughed. He gestured to Medina and shook his head in defeat, "Join us, Medina?"

Medina allowed his hands to intimidate an over excited girl, "I get to join the oh-so-secretive Malfoy-Longbottom drink time?"

"Never do that again, and yeah, why not." Draco grimaced.

The three men sat in Draco's office, letting the fire crackle in the corner. Each of them with a short glass of bourbon in hand.

"Bloody hell, Malfoy!" Medina mocked, "You are easy to mess with."

Neville chuckled, "I suppose now one wouldn't guess that Malfoy was the one getting others worked up. If you told Hogwarts age Neville that he would become mates with Draco Malfoy, he would have laughed you back to Russia."

"That is interesting news!" Medina laughed, "Apparently Malfoy has gone soft."

"Soft?" Malfoy scoffed, "Seriously?"

"And how is Mrs. Longbottom?" Medina asked, once again ignoring Draco's annoyance. He was not aware of the long and painful history Neville and Ginny had. It was often difficult for new teachers to Hogwarts to become privy to the personal lives of the other faculty members.

"She's actually doing really well." Neville smiled softly, letting his gaze focus on the fire.

Draco raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

"You act surprised, Malfoy." Medina scoffed.

Neville nodded solemnly, "He has a right to. Ginny has dealt with depression for a really long time. But, she started seeing a new healer and it has been really good for her. For us, really. We went away for a few days, just the two of us. It has been a long time since we have had that opportunity."

"Geez, Longbottom, that's rough. But I'm glad things are looking up." Medina said apologetically.

"Yeah, man." Draco added. "It's nice to hear."

Neville eyed Draco suspiciously, "And I heard a rumor that you were spending quite a bit of time with one Hermione Granger. Care to confirm or deny that one?"

"THE Hermione Granger?" Medina laughed, "Wow, Malfoy. I would have never guessed."

Draco hid a smile behind his signature smirk, "There did seem to be a bit of time spent together, sure."

"Malfoy," Neville started, "I have seen the way you look at her. After all, Parents' Day really wasn't that long ago."

"She's Shyla Granger's mum, yeah?" Medina confirmed.

"That she is." Draco stook a sip of his drink, avoiding Neville's stare.

"Malfoy!" Neville finally snapped.

"What?" Draco cursed at the man across from him.

"Do I have to spell it out for you?" Neville cried out.

Draco's forehead creased in confusion, "Spell out what?"

"Did you have a relationship with Hermione Granger just as the war was coming to a close?" Neville sighed.

"Yeah, I guess you can say that." Draco shrugged, "We never really talked about it. With all that was going on, of course."

"Even that day in Flourish and Blotts. The way you looked at her when you thought no one was looking." Neville's voice lowered, as if he was referring to something sad.

Draco hadn't even realized he had looked at her in such a manner. It had been years since he had seen her, and even longer since they had even spoken. It had been that encounter that had made him realize that his feelings were not buried as far down as he had thought. Initially, he felt anger. Anger that she appeared to doing so well and hadn't given him a second thought. Then he saw her again. This time when Shyla was sorted into his house. He was there as a professor, he couldn't help but take note of Hermione's unconditional love for her child. A love that prioritized over her own happiness. It had been during their encounter on Parents' Day when he couldn't ignore it anymore. He wanted nothing more than to see her look at him in the same way that she once had. To make her smile, and make her remember how much he cared for her. Draco smiled sadly, "Spit it out, Longbottom."

Medina sat silent, his gaze bouncing between the men as they each spoke.

"Shyla never looked like a Weasley. I could never accept she was Ron's. But I kept quiet." Neville was trying to choose his words wisely, "She looks an awful lot like a classmate I knew growing up."

Draco nodded slowly, "Pretty sure she isn't Potters."

Neville downed the remainder of his drink and swore at his colleague, "Are you kidding me?" He leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees, empty glass still in hand. "Draco." Once he regained the blonde's attention, "Look at me. You are not daft. But you are obviously blind. Bloody hell, Malfoy. Hermione is practically my sister, but I apparently have to ask the obvious."

Draco stole a quick glance at Medina who seemed to have rapidly caught on to Neville's idea.

"Malfoy, did you have sex with Hermione after you joined the Order?" Neville finally let the words fall from his mouth. It was something he never thought he would have to ask, and it certainly wasn't something he had wanted to ask.

Draco's face turned paler than it had been in years. "Shit."

A/N: heheheheheheheh (that is all)