Hermione's head felt like it was in a vise.

Any movement caused her whole head to throb in pain and she didn't even want to think about opening her eyes yet. She had migraines before, but nothing quite like this.

She tried to figure out where she was as the moments before her blackout were fuzzy.

She knew she was in a bed as the mattress was soft under her and her head was cradled on top of a pillow.

There was movement next to her. "Hermione?" a worried voice said quietly.

She turned her head slowly towards the sound. "Draco?" she rasped out.

A sigh of relief and a press of lips against her forehead let her know she was correct on who was there.

"Thank Salazar," he said as another kiss was pressed against her temple. "Are you alright?"

Hermione nodded her head then instantly regretted it as her head throbbed harder and pain shot down her spine.

"Can I get a vial of pain medicine?" she asked through gritted teeth. "And turn off the lights, please?"

She heard him mutter a quick nox then an accio for the vial of potion.

"Here," he said as a cool, glass vial was pressed against her lips. "This is the strongest stuff I have. You can take another if needed."

Hermione drank the liquid slowly and the cool potion spread throughout her body.

"Do you need another?" Draco asked.

She shook her head tentatively and was glad when the movement didn't cause any additional pain. "I think I'll be alright now."

She opened her eyes slowly and Draco's face swarmed into her line of vision.

He smiled at her as he cupped her cheek softly. "Hi," he said quietly.

She placed her hand over his. "Hi."

He leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers as he let out a shaky breath. "You scared me half to death," he whispered. He lifted his head as his eye searched hers. "What happened?"

Tears blurred her vision as she buried her face in her hands. Draco shifted on the bed so that he could hold her properly.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry," Hermione cried between sobbing breaths.

"What are you sorry for, love?" Draco asked.

"Lyra… she's…. she's my daughter. You and I…" She grasped both of his hands in hers. "She's ours, Draco. We made her."

His brows knit in confusion. "I don't understand… We've never—"

Hermione cupped his face and leaned forward to brush her lips against his. "We did. You just don't remember. I didn't either until you read that message out loud. It was a special phrase—a passcode of sorts—that Daphne used to unlock my memories she hid away. She must have written it down for me in case something happened to her…" Her voice trailed off as she thought of her friend then looked up at Draco who was watching her with curiosity. "We locked your memories away as well."

Draco's eyes widened. "If that's the case, why didn't the passcode work on me? How do I get my memories back?"

"You have a different one that I need to say. Only I know it. Bringing forth the locked memories will hurt afterward, but—"

"I don't care," he said desperately, squeezing her hands. "Do it. Please."

Hermione nodded as she brought her forehead to rest against his once more. Her fingers threaded through the hair at the back of his head as she whispered, "Rappelez-vous ce qui est caché."

Draco's whole body clenched as his memories came rushing back to him. Hermione cried softly as she held him, knowing the physical, as well as emotional, pain he was going to feel upon waking up.

She wasn't sure how long they sat there, an hour maybe, but when Draco started to groan and shift in her arms, she quickly summoned the vial of pain potion.

"Here," she said as she pressed it against his lips. "Drink this."

He drank the potion and Hermione waited until he opened his eyes a few minutes later before speaking.

"Feeling better?" she asked as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Much," he said as he sat up slowly and rubbed circles on his temples with his fingers. He stopped suddenly to turn and stare at her. "You and me…sixth year…."

Hermione nodded.

"You're Lyra's mother…"

Hermione sniffled as she nodded again. "I am."

He pulled her close as he crashed his lips to hers. "I can't believe it," he said as he kissed her again, the force of it causing her to lay down on the bed with him hovering over here. He pulled back and his eyes flicked between the two of hers and she noted they were glossy with unshed tears.

"I love you," he said as he kissed her again, softly this time. "I didn't want to say it before in case it scared you off. But, I love you… I loved you then and I love you now."

Hermione smiled as a tear ran down her cheek. "I love you, too."

He kissed her one more time before he rolled off of her and pulled her close, his fingers playing with her hair while she rested her hand over his heart.

"Tell me about her birth," he asked quietly.

Hermione closed her eyes as the memories came forth with ease. "I was still on the run with Harry and Ron. I hid my pregnancy from them with baggy clothes and charms around my stomach. When my water broke, I apparated to a nearby hospital where Daphne met me."

"How were you able to get a hold of her?" Draco asked. "And how did she find you so quickly?"

"We had a two-way journal that we communicated with—the ones that were in the suitcase—and she had a charm bracelet that contained mini portkeys set to certain people instead of places. As soon as I wrote I was in labor, she activated it and came to help. We snuck into a hospital and when we found an empty room, we warded it so that no one else would come near it."

Draco kissed the top of her head. "I'm just glad you weren't alone."

Hermione shook her head as emotions coursed through her. "Daphne delivered Lyra. I promised her she'd be her godmother…"

Draco's arms tightened around her. "She will be. We'll make it official."

Hermione nodded as she continued. "I made her promise to take Lyra, so I could help Harry with his task from Dumbledore. She had her elf, Trixie, come to the hospital and told her to get her room ready for Lyra and that no one was allowed to know of the baby. Then she had Trixie get her fathers time-turner. This way, I was able to spend a few days with Lyra without the boys wondering where I was. When it was time for me to return, we used the time-turner to go back the few days prior to me leaving them. Then…." her voice hitched in her throat. "Then I had her erase my memories. Of you, my pregnancy, and of Lyra." She sniffled as she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to quell sadness that was blooming her chest. "She was supposed to find me after the war ended, to lift the charm, but…" Tears spilled as she thought of her friend who was no longer with them.

"She found me first," Draco concluded.

Hermione nodded. "Yeah. It was during the time Harry asked Ron and I to take a walk with him outside, to tell us what happened when he faced Voldemort in the woods." She looked up at Draco. "Did you know your mother lied to him? Told him that Harry was dead when he wasn't?"

Draco's eyes widened slightly. "I didn't, no. My mother never mentioned it."

"Well, she did. She's part of the reason why Harry was able to defeat Voldemort."

Draco chuckled softly. "I'll have to thank her the next time we see her."

Hermione nodded as she snuggled more into Draco. "Tell me about Lyra growing up?"

Draco tightened his arms that were around her. "I can do better than that. I can show you."

He led her to his potions room. When the door was closed and locked behind them, he went over to a nearby wall and tapped it three times. An alcove appeared and inside was a small pensive as well as hundreds of bottles that lined the shelves above it.

"What are these?" Hermione asked as she walked closer.

"Memories," Draco said as he plucked a vial from the top shelf. "Memories of Lyra. Anything that was of importance I bottled up and saved. In case…." his voice trailed off as his eyes found hers. "In case I ever found her mother."

Hermione's voice caught in her throat as she watched Draco pour the vial into the pensive then stepped back.

"This was right after I got her," he said.

Hermione walked tentatively towards the pensive then looked over at Draco before she plunged her face into the basin.

When she landed, she looked around and saw that Draco was sitting in the Headmasters office. Or rather, Headmistress, seeing as how it was Professor McGonigal who was bustling about the room. Hermione walked over to Draco and watched as he simply stared at the tiny bundle in his arms.

Tentatively, he lifted a finger to gently rub against the baby's soft cheek, her nose, then the top of her hands. Slowly, he leaned forward and kissed Lyra's head softly. He hadn't said anything, but she could feel the love that he had for his daughter—a daughter he had just met less than an hour ago.

The room swirled again and she found herself back in Draco's potions room. She turned around to find Draco watching her with so much intensity in his eyes that her heart clenched in her chest.

"I just wanted you to know—to show you—that I loved her from the very beginning."

He took a step forward and gestured to the vials. "They're all for you. You can come in here any time you want to watch them. Some are labeled, some aren't. If there's anything you want to see that's not in there, I can get it for you."

Tears spilled from Hermione once again as Draco gathered her close.

"I missed out on everything," she whispered.

His hand rubbed soothing circles on her back. "It's not your fault."

"Isn't it though?" she asked as she looked up at him. "If I hadn't had Daphne erase my memories, I could have unlocked yours right after the war. We… we could have been together all this time."

She buried her face in his chest as he held her tight. "If you hadn't though, it could have put a lot of people in danger. You, me, the Greengrass's…even Lyra." His voice was thick with emotion. "He would have found out…he would have used me to get to you, to get what he wanted."

He lifted her chin with one of his fingers. "You did what you thought was right—what would keep our daughter safe." He kissed her softly. "It was the right choice," he said and Hermione cried even harder at his confirmation, whether from relief or something else, she wasn't sure.

He held her as she sobbed and when she finally calmed she looked up at him again.

"What do we do now?" she asked softly.

"I think for now, we head to bed. I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted."

Hermione nodded tiredly in agreement, followed by a yawn. "As am I."

Draco took her hand in his and tugged her towards the hall. When she passed by Lyra's room, she quietly opened the door and just stared at her daughter.

"I never thought I'd have a child of my own," she said softly as her hand rested on her abdomen. "I'm so glad I do and that's her."

Draco's arms wound around her middle, his fingers interlocking with hers, and his chin rested on her shoulder. They watched the sleeping child for a moment longer before finally turning around, shutting the door quietly behind them.

When Hermione realized Draco was leading her to his room, she halted his steps.

"I should go home, or at least to the guest room. I don't want Lyra to wake up and see that we slept in the same bed together. I know we've done it many times before, but I'm so exhausted that I don't think I'll be able to wake up in time before she does."

Draco smiled softly at her as he pulled her towards him and walked backwards into the room.

"You are home. As for Lyra, she'll just have to get used to the fact that her parents sleep in the same bed together."

Hermione smiled as he tugged her onto the bed. Her eyes fluttered shut as she said, "I like the sound of that," and promptly fell asleep.

A/N: Anyone need tissues? This was a chapter that had me crying while writing it. I hope you all loved it as much as I do. And I promise, for those waiting for Lyra, we'll see her again very soon.
xoxoHufflepuffMommy