DRACO

The next morning was a Sunday, I left the apartment and headed to meet Elayna. Hermione was still asleep. I had left her a note and a potion to help relieve her hangover.

I was nervous about what Elayna would tell me. It was obviously something important and something my mother didn't want me to know. I know it will be hard for my cousin to tell me something behind her back but I also knew her well enough to know she would tell me if she felt it was something I needed to know.

I ordered a pint while I was waiting. It was a small muggle place that served as a pub and restaurant but the food was actually pretty good. I needed a drink to steady my nerves while I waited.

When I saw her walk in an automatic smile came on my face. It was really great to have her here. I hadn't realised how much I missed her till I saw her yesterday. When she reached the table I stood and hugged her. No matter what I loved this woman.

"Would you like a drink?" The waiter asked as she sat. She ordered a pint too and he left.

"You want to get it out of the way or just let it get awkward?" I ask with a small nervous smile. I was already feeling awkward I needed to know.

"Can I at least get my drink first?" She laughed but there was a nervous edge to it.

When her drink came she drank half of it and ordered another round. "Trust me you'll need it." She said when she saw my questioning look.

Ok this had me nervous, my heart rate picking up. I just stared at her waiting for her to begin.

"Ok." She took a deep breath. "Some of this I know for certain, other things… I've put together since I got here."

"Ok." I say taking a large drink.

"There is a curse on the Malfoy line, well your father called it a gift." Her gaze went to her drink as she traced her finger along the rim. I leave her a second before the suspense gets too much.

"Elayna!" I almost bark at her.

"Sorry Draco, this is just hard to say. It will certainly be hard to hear." She takes another quick drink before she continues. "Centuries ago one of your ancestors decided they would make sure that every Malfoy family would have a male heir. I think the story is he had four daughters before finally getting his son. So he decided to 'gift' his future descendants."

Draco thought he knew where this was going. Elayna said it would be tough to hear.

"What was this 'gift' Elayna?"

"Every Malfoy first born would be male." She said it fast like it might be easier to hear or maybe just for her to say. "Not one first born has been a girl since."

"The baby isn't mine." It came out of my mouth as a whisper but it sounded like a shout in my ears. It came out before I realised what I was saying. I put my head in my hands. A wave of emotions was washing through me. Anger at Padma, sadness at losing something so precious and worst of all a small amount of relief.

"We don't know that Draco." She grabbed my hands from the other side of the table squeezing them tight. "We all know curses can weaken over time. Maybe this is just the first sign."

I didn't say anything I was still trying to take it all in. still trying to wrap my head around it. Then a thought hit me.

"Wait." I felt my face crease in confusion. "My mother would know about this. Why didn't she say anything to me?"

Her face changed then from sympathy to worry. "This is where I've done a little guess work."

My heart was pounding already from the news that the baby is more than likely not mine, what else could there be? What else could be thrown at me today?

"When I arrived your mother was there with someone else." She quickly took another drink. "It was Padma. Your mother asked me not to say anything to you about her being there."

"You think my mother and Padma planed this?" My voice was tinged with scepticism but deep down I was pretty sure this is what happened. I just don't want to believe it.

"I'm pretty sure." Just then she caught the waiter on his way past and asked for two large Jack Daniels.

My head felt like it was floating, too fuzzy to make sense of anything that was going on. "Why would she do this to me?" I'm thinking out loud I'm pretty sure I know the answer.

"I think you know Draco." Elayna said reading my mind. "She wants you to leave your muggle born and marry into a pureblood family."

"So she tricks me into thinking I'm having child with her." I can't believe this my hands clench in my hair. I'm so angry right now I could punch something. "I never thought she would go this far."

"Me neither. When she wrote to me saying you had reconciled I thought she would do anything to keep you in her life. Then this happened."

"I guess I know where her priorities lie." I notice my whiskey and throw it back in one. I savour the burn as it travels down my throat.

"Let's keep some hope Draco the baby may still be yours. I know there is a charm that can be done." She holding my hand again, it's a small comfort.

"I don't know if I want the baby to be mine Elayna." This actually hurts slightly to say. "Life would be so much easier if it wasn't."

I know as I say it though that although it's caused me so much heartache it would still crush me if the baby wasn't mine. It's a strange feeling. I wish it was Hermione having the baby I would have no doubts about being the father no matter what. There was a time when I would have loved to have heard that the baby wasn't mine. Now here I am faced with a prospect that that is true and I'm not sure that I want it.

If the baby isn't mine my life with Hermione would be so much easier we could move on with our life and in a few years start a family of our own get married, grow old together do everything we should do.

If the baby isn't mine I lose something, that in a strange way I've started to bond with. Everyone says a father doesn't bond with the baby till they're born but right now I don't think that is true. I feel a bond with this baby especially after seeing the scan.

I feel like an idiot for not checking something like this earlier that would have kept my feelings in check. But everything had just been thrown at me, at us in such a way it had never crossed my mind.

I feel a tear run down my face. No matter what I know my relationship with my mother is irrevocably ruined. I can never look at her the same again.

Suddenly Elayna is beside me and wrapping her arms around me. I tuck my head in her shoulder and let myself cry. What was I going to do now? I couldn't confront Padma, if I approached it the wrong way and the baby was mine I had no reluctance in believing she would keep me from her. Plus I didn't want to tell Hermione until I was certain, because I know she would get her hopes up and I didn't want to dash them I don't think she could handle that right now.

I had one person I could turn to right now and that was Elayna. We had to work out a plan. And quickly. I dried my eyes, I never cried I felt like a child.

"You need to help me find out Elayna." I say to her a new resolve forming.

"Of course. Let's plan." I loved that she thought like I did.

I smile and we plan over lunch.