A/N: Surprise! Here's Chapter 10 as well! Enjoy!

Draco sat up, startled awake by a shriek coming from Lyra's room. He jumped out of bed and grabbed his wand as he made his way to his daughter's room. The light outside his window suggested his alarm would have gone off shortly, which was lucky since he knew he'd never be able to sleep after waking up like this. His heart pounded in his chest as he neared her door, thinking the worst...

However, instead of being in distress, Lyra excitedly bounced on her bed. "Look Daddy!" She pointed to her window. "An owl!"

Sure enough, a large, gray owl perched on the frame.

"Bloody hell," he mumbled, relieved that her shriek was from excitement and not terror, and went over to open the window.

"Wow," Lyra said softly as the owl glided in her room. He dropped a wrapped package onto her bed then landed on one of her bed posts. "Do you think that's Miss Hermione's owl?"

"Most likely," Draco said. He examined the package to find it was addressed to both of them. "Looks like she sent us something."

"Can I open it?" she asked.

Draco untied the letter attached to the owl's leg. "Hm, this seems to be addressed to you," he said, handing his daughter the note.

Eyes alight with wonder, Lyra unscrolled the letter and read it out loud, with only a little help from her dad.

Dear Lyra,

Good morning! I hope Shakespeare didn't wake you, but he finally returned from London a few days ago. I wanted you to meet him properly, so I sent him to your way before I left for work this morning.

I am sending him along with a book that I mentioned to your dad on Halloween. It's called The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. I think you will both enjoy it. Once you are done reading it together, we can watch the movie at my place.

Have a great day!

Love,
Hermione.

P.S. Shakespeare loves to be pet softly and will especially love it if you give him a treat. Ask your dad to help you give him one then you can send him home.

"What kind of treats do owls eat?"

"Depends on the owl." Draco ran his fingers along the bird's feathers, marveling at its size and beautiful coloring. "The magical pet shops carry special treats you can buy, but they'll also eat anything you offer. I had an owl who liked toast with strawberry jam on it."

"Do you think Shakespeare would like that?" Lyra asked, mimicking her father's hand movements.

"Wouldn't hurt to try. I was going to make some bacon this morning, which is usually another owl favorite."

"Can I write Miss Hermione back so when she gets home from work today, she'll have a letter waiting for her?"

Draco kissed the top of Lyra's head. "I think she'd like that very much, Princess."

For the next few weeks, Lyra corresponded with Granger through her owl, writing short letters or drawing her pictures—usually of animals, especially puppies and kittens. They made sure to send Shakespeare at night so he wouldn't cause any suspicion about an owl flying around town during the day.

Once Draco finished reading The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to Lyra, Granger kept her promise to hold a movie night at her place, even though Draco argued that it was their turn to host dinner. Since Draco lost that battle, he banned her from doing the dishes since she had cooked. She conceded to the dishes so long as he didn't mind her keeping him company while he did them.

He didn't mind at all, and told her so as he rolled up his sleeves and began washing.

"It still baffles me that you do the dishes the Muggle way rather than charm them to clean themselves," Granger said after a minute of observing him.

"Habit now, I suppose," Draco responded.

Granger leaned a hip on the counter and watched him pensively. "I've been wondering about something."

Draco raised a brow in her direction as he picked up a plate to rinse it off. "And that would be?"

"How did you learn to do all…" she waved vaguely with her wine glass in his direction, "this?"

"This?" he repeated. "You mean washing dishes?"

"Yes, dishes. Driving, cooking, cleaning. Basically all the Muggle things."

"What makes you think I didn't already know how?"

"Really?" she deadpanned. "I bet you a hundred galleons that you never even stepped foot inside the Muggle Studies classroom while at Hogwarts."

Draco couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head. "I suppose you have a point."

Granger smiled at him. "Of course I do." She took a sip from her wine glass. "But really, how did you learn everything?"

Draco turned off the sink and wiped his hands on a tea towel before he slung it onto his shoulder. He leaned against the counter, mirroring her stance. "I got lessons," he said with a casual shrug. "From the Ministry."

Granger frowned. "The Ministry gave you lessons on how to be a Muggle? I didn't know they did such a thing…."

He smirked. "Well, I don't think it's something they normally do, but I owled Minister Shacklebolt about my plans to move to the States and asked for help on how to blend in. He got in contact with some wizards and witches to assist me. For instance, someone taught me how to drive an automobile, and another taught me how to use a cellphone, basic computer functions, kitchen appliances, and all that sort of Muggle stuff. Then someone else helped me obtain a driver's license—after passing the written and practical exam, of course— as well as getting a visa, passports, and identification for myself and Lyra, birth records… everything. I even had someone help me purchase this house."

"That's amazing." Granger gave him a genuine smile. "I'm glad you got the help you needed. I just wish— Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed, her eyes snagging on his left forearm.

She quickly set down her wine glass and tugged his hand toward her, palm up, so she could see his arm better. "Draco…. this is… this is beautiful," she said.

Draco glanced down at his arm as well, no longer ashamed of what he saw.

The Dark Mark gone— covered by a dark green dragon, circling around his arm. White flowers were entwined with the dragon, and along its back, white colored scales formed a constellation, connected by a shimmery, white trail. Granger traced the lines, sending a chill up Draco's spine.

"It's the constellation Lyra. And the flowers are—"

"Daffodils, or rather, narcissus, for your mother?" Granger asked, looking up at him.

Draco dipped his chin in a nod. "I couldn't look at it anymore," he said quietly. Granger fingers continued to explain the tattoo. Draco's heart thumped in his chest. He wasn't sure if it was because of her touch or because he was talking about something he'd never told anyone before. "It was a reminder of something dark…something evil. Something I thought I wanted. But I was wrong."

He turned his head to look at Lyra, who was currently playing with her toys in the living room. "I didn't want her growing up and having to see that mark on her father. Or rather, I didn't want to explain to her what it meant and what I was. It sounds cowardly, I know—"

Granger stepped closer as she shook her head. "Not cowardly at all. You put the past behind you. And if this—" she gestured his arm "—was what you needed to do to help with that, then you did the right thing."

Draco took Granger's left hand in his and pulled it towards him. He lifted the sleeve of her jumper a few inches, where the scarring from his aunt's knife could still be seen. He rubbed a thumb along the jagged lines and could have sworn he felt her pulse jump. "Why haven't you covered this up?"

The Gryffindor bit her lip. "Because… while you want to forget, I want to remember." She glanced at him again and he could see the fierceness in her eyes. "Remember that I can overcome anything. That I'm resilient and that I'm a survivor." She let out a soft chuckle and stole the tea towel from his shoulder before moving around him. "Besides…" She grabbed a plate from the dish rack. "I'm terrified of needles. I could never get a tattoo."

Draco reached into a drawer to replace the towel he'd lost and picked up another plate. "Well, if you change your mind, I know a guy. His name is Tom and he has a chocolate lab named Willow that acts like a emotional support animal for those that need it while getting tatted."

Granger laughed. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind, thanks."

"Come to think of it, that's probably why Lyra is so enamored with dogs. She would sit in her pram, playing with toys and happily watch Willow while Tom worked on me."

Granger looked over at Lyra. "When do you plan on getting that girl her own dog? You can't hold out forever, you know."

Draco sighed as he dried the last dish, handing it to her. "I know. Besides, even if I was planning on getting her one, I can't discuss anything of that nature with her nearby. That child has the ears of a house elf, I tell you."

As if she sensed they were talking about her, Lyra appeared in the kitchen. "Can we watch the movie now? I want to see Toto in real life!"

"Hm, I don't know. I was thinking about doing some more chores around the house first…"

"Please, please, please can we watch it, Miss Hermione?" Lyra clasped in front of her.

She scooped Lyra up and spun her around. Draco watched as his daughter wrapped her legs and arms around the witch while the two laughed with glee.

"Yes, we can watch the movie now," Granger declared.

Placated, Lyra bounded back into the living room, calling over her shoulder "Don't forget the popcorn!"

Later, as Draco tucked Lyra into bed, she looked up at him with big eyes, and he knew he was in trouble. "Daddy, do you like Miss Hermione?"

"Of course. She is our friend, after all."

She shook her head. "Not like a friend. I mean, do you like-like her?"

"Like-like her?" He was both amused and confused at the same time. "I'm not sure I understand the question, Princess."

Lyra huffed. "You know, like a girlfriend? I saw you holding hands in the kitchen."

Draco chuckled and shook his head. Apparently his daughter was more observant than he thought. "We weren't holding hands, love. She was looking at my tattoo."

"Oh! Did she like it? Did you show her my constellation?"

Draco chuckled as he kissed her forehead. "Yes, I did and she liked it very much. Now, no more questions. It's time for sleep."

"Okay." He could hear the resignation in her voice. She snuggled Otis and yawned. "Night, Daddy."

Draco turned off her light. "Goodnight, Princess."

As he closed the door and headed to his lab, Draco couldn't help but ponder Lyra's original question and found he didn't quite know the answer.

He enjoyed spending time with Hermione Granger and found it was easy to talk to her and keep a conversation going. He liked how natural she was with Lyra, even from the very beginning, and knows he can trust her with his daughter. He could be honest with her and not have to hide who he was. But that was because of what they had in common: they came from the same place and had the same secret, not because he had feelings for her.

Did he feel something when she touched his arm and traced his tattoo with her fingers? He'd be lying if he said no, but he wondered if that was due to the fact that he hadn't had a woman in his bed in a long time, putting fatherhood ahead of all else. The sudden proximity was probably the reason why Granger now appeared in his dreams, usually naked and underneath him.

After mulling it over while he worked in his lab, he decided that while he did like Granger, he didn't like-like her.

However, the dream he had that night, and the raging erection he woke with the next morning, made him question otherwise.