AN- So sorry for the wait... again Chapter 6

"I hate my parents," Draco said to Hermione one day, out of the blue.

She was brewing in the back room of her shop and Draco was sitting with her, which, lately, happened more often than not.

"Oh," she said, having no idea what the appropriate response was.

"They really fucked me up, you know? I still get embarrassed when I think about the things I actually believed when I was younger. They set me up for a life of misery."

"I'm sorry, Draco," she replied, looking at him sadly. "Your father used to terrify me when we were younger."

"My mother was no better," he responded honestly. "They had a version of what they wanted me to be in their heads, and anytime I didn't meet that standard I was punished."

Hermione contemplated his words quietly, taking a moment to read between the lines. She had always had a suspicion that "punishment" to Draco would actually be considered severe abuse in anyone else's mind, and that his father at the very least had been quite abusive to his son.

At school he was the quintessential bully/coward combo, he would deal things out but always have a way to cover his back in fear of getting caught. She always thought he was trying too hard to gain his father's approval, like when his parents visited for his quidditch match in second year.

Hermione had seen that Draco was trying so hard to win in order to make his father happy. After the match (which Draco lost to Harry) she had seen his father reprimanding him beside the bleachers when he thought they were alone.

Draco looked fearful and Lucius looked livid.

And that was only the tip of the iceberg concerning the trauma Lucius Malfoy had caused his son, she was sure of it.

"You know he tried to kill Ginny Weasley in second year – well, her first year?"

"What?" He breathed, shocked and caught off guard.

"Yes. He gave her an artefact that had belonged to Voldemort, a diary, knowing that it would do severe damage to whoever came into contact with it, I'm sure. The diary was one of Voldemort's horcruxes, and throughout the year it slowly possessed Ginny."

"I knew that she had opened the Chamber of Secrets; after the year was over there were rumours like crazy and we knew she'd disappeared down there. I didn't understand it at the time, or even afterward honestly. How and why would Ginny Weasley be opening the chamber? But it was immediately hushed up and no one seemed to talk about it again."

"Under the influence of Voldemort, for starters. He had finally gained enough life force to produce a shadow of himself at the time he used the diary, and Harry fought him off. Ginny almost died; I cannot imagine the repercussions of having a monster like that in your head."

Hermione trailed off for a moment and Draco looked at her in confusion, she seemed to go somewhere else after uttering her last words before her eyes suddenly snapped back into focus.

Something had happened to Granger.

"Wow. There's nothing I wouldn't put past Lucius but I honestly had no idea he would stoop quite so low. Not to mention that his own child was in school at the same time and could have easily been caught in the crossfire."

"I'm sorry, Draco. Ginny doesn't really talk about it much. I don't think she's ever been quite the same though."

"He's where he deserves to be."

"You're right about that. What about your mother though? She couldn't have known what he was doing, right?"

Draco couldn't stop the hollow laugh from rolling out of him before his face dropped into a familiar scowl.

"She's ice cold, Granger. I don't even want to tell her about the baby. She won't accept him."

"But Ava is pure blooded," Hermione pointed out needlessly. "I didn't think your mother would have a problem with that…"

"Even if Ava would acknowledge the baby, we aren't married, Granger. I can almost guarantee that no Malfoy will accept this baby as my heir. Born out of wedlock? No way."

Hermione was at a total loss.

"The only positive side is that Lucius was stripped of his titles before he got put away and everything is in my name. My parents are unable to disown me now, which I'm sure will infuriate them."

Hermione put everything down and focused solely on Draco for a moment before she approached him and pulled him into a tight hug.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"I just don't know what I'm going to do," he responded, wrapping his arms around her. "I'll be a single father with no support from my family. None of my old friends who keep in touch are even in the country. And," he paused, taking a shaky breath, "I'm terrified that I'll be as awful of a father as my own was."

"Everything will be fine, Draco," Hermione assured him as she pulled back from the hug. She didn't move far away though, and stood in front of him so she could see his face clearly. "I will always be here to help you, and you already said Pansy, Blaise, and Theo are coming when he's born. Maybe they'll stick around."

"I can't ask them to come back here permanently. Not for me. They all left for a reason, Granger."

"I know," she said quietly. Because she did understand. "It's really not fair."

Draco scoffed quietly. "It's what we deserve. What I deserve."

"No."

Hermione said it so fiercely that she blinked for a moment, and Draco just stared at her in surprise.

"I didn't fight a war for more hate and prejudice to be the outcome. We were all children who were put into impossible positions. You weren't even found guilty! None of you. I think we need to meet in public soon, go for dinner or something."

"No one would allow me access, Granger. Did I tell you what happened to Theo before he left? Why he left?"

Hermione shook her head, curious.

Draco let out a breath and ran his hand down his face, a tell that Hermione had learned meant he was stressed.

"We had been playing a game of pickup Quidditch in the fields behind his manor, trying to actually have a decent time for once. It was me, Theo, Blaise, and Greg, and an errant bludger caught Theo at an odd angle and smashed his arm to smithereens. Both bones in his forearm were broken and one had split through the skin. We rushed him to St. Mungo's of course."

He shook his head, trying to keep his voice level. "They kept us in the waiting room for three-quarters of an hour while Healers kept running around and whispering, Theo bleeding all over the floor and all. Then some legal advocate told us that for the safety of the staff, we'd have to leave. That nobody would treat Theo because of the risk. Having Death Eaters in St. Mungo's was too dangerous for everyone on the premises. Think we just kind of stared at the bloke for a minute, but he threatened to call for the Aurors, so we left."

"No," Hermione whispered, shocked.

"Took us another hour to get our application for an international Portkey approved, and then a line. And Theo's still bleeding and was definitely in shock, but people kept letting folks cut in front of them in line to get away from us. Or punish us, I'm not sure. We took him to L'iglese Saint-Étienne-du-Mont, which houses a wizard hospital, and they treated him, but…it had been hours. He doesn't say much, but I know it still aches and his fingers are always trembling now, and sometimes his entire arm is stiff. Something in the nerves isn't quite right, and the Healers can't fix it. In any event, I had to return to the business, but the others just arranged for their things to be shipped. Never came back."

"That's horrifying," Hermione said, anger pulsing in her veins.

"That's reality. There's plenty more where that came from, but I won't bore you. No one will allow me into their restaurant, I can tell you that right now and I'd really rather avoid the embarrassment."

"Okay," Hermione whispered, feeling saddened by the prejudice of the Wizarding World. If it wasn't one thing, it was another. She would figure something out, it might take time but she would make things right.

"You need to stir," Draco reminded her, gesturing to the potion simmering behind her.

—-

"It isn't right!" Hermione exclaimed at her weekend dinner with Ginny and Harry following her conversation with Draco. "How can healers act that way?!"

"Sounds like we might need to go out for dinner soon," Ginny said in contemplation.

"He won't. I already suggested it. Said he'd rather avoid the embarrassment."

Harry sighed obnoxiously loud. "Fiiiine," he said, as though he were answering a question.

Hermione looked at him in confusion.

"If you're serious about that prat then I'll make an effort. We can go out for fish and chips one night or something."

"You'd do that?!" Hermione asked, her eyes gleaming.

"From your stories he sounds like he's really changed, and I know what it's like to feel as though the whole world is against you."

Hermione jumped up and pulled Harry into a tight hug as Ginny started carting different pans of food to the table.

"Have you shagged yet?" She asked, entirely apropos of nothing.

"No!" Hermione responded, sounding scandalised. "I did kiss him, though, after we went hunting for boomslang sheds."

Ginny looked up slowly, her cheeks red and her eyes blazing.

"You snogged him two weeks ago and I'm just hearing about it now?! In passing?! Tell me everything!"

Hermione's cheeks pinkened as she nodded slowly before launching into a wandering explanation about what happened.

"He comes to my Apothecary at least four times a week, and we don't necessarily spend all our time in my brewing room making potions," Hermione added after explaining their first kiss.

Ginny squealed in excitement for her friend. It was about time she found someone worth her while.

Harry efficiently started tending to James, starting a loud conversation with him to try and drown out Hermione's words about how great of a kisser Draco Malfoy was.

—-

Draco appeared in the designated incoming apparition zone in Diagon Alley and hurried down the cobblestone street, a piece of parchment clutched tightly in his fist.

He was so distracted he hardly noticed that people, while still giving him a wide berth, weren't muttering threats or slurs in his direction.

Draco entered the Cure-A-Torium in a hurry, ready to yell for Hermione, but she was currently tied up helping customers. They made eye contact when she turned as the bell above the door chimed, and she immediately looked worried.

"Draco! Are you okay?" she asked, her eyes quickly roving his form for evidence of the stress on his face. The woman Hermione was helping turned in surprise when she heard his name fall so easily from Hermione's lips.

He nodded, unable to find his voice when faced with her concern. It still caught him off guard.

"Do you want to wait in the back until I'm finished here?" she asked in a more even tone, to which he nodded again.

He didn't waste any time making his way to the back of the shop, eager to leave the scrutinising gaze of the customers.

Only a few minutes had passed before Hermione was rushing through the doorway into the brewing room, looking worried.

"What's happened?" she urged, easily stepping into his space and wrapping her arms around him.

"I got a missive from Potter."

It took a moment before Hermione stepped back and looked up into his face, but now she looked amused and not even a shred of worry was creasing her brow.

"He wants to hang out with me, Granger!"

"Yes, I'm aware. What did he ask you to do?"

"He wants to meet at The Golden Snitch, that pub just down the road from here."

Draco set the letter on the work table and immediately wiped his hands on his trousers. "I don't want to go to a pub though," he admitted quietly.

"I'm sure he just sees it as a neutral meeting ground," Hermione started, but Draco shook his head.

"I can't go to a pub, Hermione. The temptation there is too great, and I really don't want Potter, of all people, to know that I have a problem."

"Draco," Hermione whispered, stepping back into him. He looked down into her face and was staggered to see the admiration in her gaze. "Did you downplay your alcohol issues when you told me about it before?" she asked gently, and Draco swallowed harshly, his throat clicking.

"I'm an alcoholic, Hermione," He finally admitted aloud. "I - I depended on alcohol for years to numb me, since before the war even ended. Even when I first met you again I was still drinking, but that was the first time I was ever really embarrassed about it. Then when Ava told me about the pregnancy I stopped for good, but it's only been a few months, really, and it would be easy enough to backslide."

Her arms were tight around his middle, beneath his cloak, and she was gently rubbing her hands up and down his back as he finally admitted one of his darkest post-war secrets.

He basked in the feeling.

"Thank you for sharing this with me, Draco," she said into his chest, where her face was resting. "I think you are so strong and I know you can stay away from it, and if you're ever struggling I'll always be here to help. To distract you. Anything you need."

How had he gotten so Merlin-damned lucky? He had no idea that walking into her apothecary all those months ago would be such a gift for him.

"Thank you," he said quietly, his own arms holding her tightly around the shoulders.

Hermione's face tilted up to him and in moments he was pressing his lips to hers, savouring in the feeling. They were pillowy soft and warm as they met his in a gentle kiss.

She broke it much too soon.

"Just write him back and suggest a different meeting place," she said, going back to their previous conversation. "If you want to go, that is."

Her eyes became slightly guarded for the split second it took to assure her that he did, in fact, want to meet with Potter. And then she looked so delighted that he'd hang out with Potter every day of the week, as long as she continued looking so happy.

"I think I'll just invite him to my place. Do you think that's weird? Would he be comfortable coming there? What does he like to eat? I could butter him up a bit with some food."

Hermione laughed aloud, her eyes sparkling at him.

"Harry isn't picky about food whatsoever, but his favourite treat is treacle tart, and I'm sure he'd be fine coming to your house for a visit. Maybe make sure Ava is out of the way though… I haven't told them about her yet."

"Okay," Draco said, nodding as he flicked his fingers and conjured a blank piece of parchment and quill from mid air. Hermione's eyes widened at his casual display of wandless, wordless magic.

"Potter;

If it isn't too much of an imposition I would actually prefer it if you were able to come to my home for a visit? Does this evening around five work for you?

P.S - bring your broom."

"Tonight?" Hermione asked in surprise.

"Sure, why not?" Draco asked, confused.

"I'm just surprised at your eagerness, is all."

Draco chuckled as he rolled the short missive up and tied it with a conjured piece of twine.

"It's Wednesday, I don't have much going on and a certain witch seems to only come around on weekends, so I'm free."

Hermione rolled her eyes at him.

"I might have to break that little self-imposed rule and come over tonight so I can hear all about your man-date with my best friend."

Draco laughed. "Come over tonight then, I certainly wouldn't mind."

He couldn't help but rake his eyes over her form, and her cheeks reddened.

"Maybe I will."

—-

Draco felt his wards shift at almost five o'clock on the dot. He'd given Potter his address, and since he was an Auror, he actually knew the location. Apparently he'd had business in the area a few months back.

"Potter," Draco said, opening his front door before the other man could even knock.

"Good evening," Harry responded, stepping through and removing his cloak and boots. "Sorry I'm still in uniform, I was running behind at the office and didn't want to be late. Plus if I went home and left again right away James would throw a fit."

Draco smirked.

"Well, this is my house," he said awkwardly. He hadn't spent any time alone with Harry Potter - ever.

"It's lovely. I want a better space in the future for my family, and I might have to take some inspiration from you."

"Thank you," Draco said quietly as he led Potter through his house and into his kitchen.

"I didn't know what you liked, so I just made fish and chips."

"You? Made them?"

Draco grinned suddenly, Potter's reaction was almost the same as Hermione's had been.

"I don't know why everyone is always so surprised," he grumbled good naturedly.

"Uhm, because you were raised in a bloody mansion, for starters," Harry responded, easily taking a stool at the island counter.

Draco couldn't help but laugh.

"That's fair, I suppose."

"We never really knew you, growing up, you know? But I shouldn't give you too much credit yet as I haven't even tried your food."

Draco grinned and slid a glass of water across the bar before quickly plating two portions and passing one to Potter as well.

"Well, I shouldn't keep your rave reviews waiting then."

Harry grinned at him, but still looked fairly apprehensive.

"I wanted to meet in public for a reason, you know?" he said after a few moments. He broke his battered fish apart and let it cool as he spoke. "Hermione's kept me fairly up to date on your guys' relationship and she's told me some… awful things."

"I told her about Theo, yes," Draco responded after he swallowed a chip. He knew that Hermione shared almost everything with her best friend, but he'd also seen Ginny Weasley rounding the corner at St. Mungo's that day, for whatever reason. He'd assumed Potter would know.

"And about you too, Malfoy. She gets pretty fired up when she talks about how people treat you."

Draco shrugged. He was at a loss for words.

"So I propose that after we eat this, admittedly, delicious meal, that we at least go out for a drink at the Golden Snitch."

Draco's nerves flared to life again and he could almost immediately feel the clamminess of his hands at the very thought of being in a pub.

"And miss out on the delicious dessert I've made?" he responded, turning away and grabbing a large plate with a perfect looking treacle tart centred on it. "Plus, Hermione is coming over at some point tonight, so I don't really want to go out."

He wasn't even sure if Harry heard him, the way he was staring at the tart Draco set down on the counter.

"That little sneak told you, didn't she? I simply cannot resist treacle tart. The first time I had any was at Hogwarts, literally the first night we were there, and I was immediately in love with it."

"You didn't try treacle tart until you were eleven?" Draco asked him, stupefied.

Potter made eye contact again suddenly, and Draco could see a flash of pain cross his face before he covered it by taking a large bite of fish.

"I had a pretty… sheltered childhood." He admitted quietly after he swallowed.

"Well, luckily for you I've perfected this recipe and I'm sure it'll blow the Hogwarts tart out of the water," Draco responded, deciding to bypass the strange moment and Potter chuckled.

"Look Malfoy," Harry started again after a few quiet minutes of eating. "I'm sure you were surprised to get my letter, but after listening to Hermione talk about you so often I figured it was best to reach out. I know we didn't get along as children - we didn't really know each other - but I thought now that we're adults we could actually work on having a friendship. By the sounds of it, Hermione is pretty serious about you, and I'd never want her to feel like she had to choose between us."

"Thanks Potter," Draco said quietly, fiddling with his fork. "I'd like that."

And he would. He'd always been jealous of Potter, that much he could admit to himself; things always seemed to come pretty easily to the other man.

"But before we get all lovey dovey, Malfoy; what are your intentions here? Like I said, she seems fairly serious about you already and I don't want her to get jerked around."

Draco wanted to be offended, but sadly he understood exactly where Potter was coming from.

As far as Potter knew he was still a bigoted wanker, like he was when they were children.

"Hermione, she's… amazing," Draco continued, deciding rather abruptly that he'd like to give a real friendship with Potter a go. "She's just… she's so kind. Whenever I'm with her I forget about all the shitty things I did in the past because I'm so focused on the present. I know when we were kids that I was awful, I know that, and honestly I'm not sure I even deserve her, but I've always been selfish."

"Hermione doesn't do anything she doesn't want to do, Malfoy," Potter replied. "She's forgiven you for the past, as have I. We spoke about it at length years ago before we even testified for you at your trial; we could both see that you were a child thrown into things way beyond your control, as much as we were."

Draco nodded slowly, eating another chip. "I stopped buying into it in our fourth year, you know? I believed in the Pureblood propaganda wholeheartedly, but it was slowly chipping away in our first few years. I was confused, mostly. I didn't understand how muggles and muggleborns were these supposed monsters, akin to filthy creatures, when the muggleborns at the castle were nothing of the sort. It wasn't just Hermione, however her power in magic was a big part of it, but all of them. They weren't less. They were people.

In our fourth year, when Viktor Krum of all people asked her to the ball, I knew everything I had been taught was false. He's a pureblood, you know? He had probably been raised by people just as I was, and he was a fucking quidditch star, but he was interested in her.

Then I saw that Veela girl from Beauxbatons with Roger Davies - another muggleborn. It was like a slap in the face for me that all these different people from long lines were so easily and happily spending time with people we had all been taught were lesser. Or so I assumed, maybe it was just my family that taught me those things growing up, I'm not sure. That's when I really started to pay attention to the people around me and not just focusing on who was 'better' based on blood and money. I think it popped the bubble of propaganda, honestly."

Potter watched him closely during this little impromptu speech, looking intrigued.

"But you were still awful to us, to her, after the ball."

"It took a few months, I'm not going to lie, but in fifth year I mostly tried to keep my head down. I went home during the summer hols and Voldemort had just come back, and I had to sit there all summer and listen to even more shite about muggleborns. But then, completely by accident, I learned that the Dark Lord was a half-blood."

Harry huffed a snort, "he was."

"I was shocked and so confused. Everyone on his side knew it, and I didn't understand how they would allow this half-blood monster to spout pureblood ideologies like he was a pureblood himself. And if he was a half blood, how was he so bloody powerful? None of it made sense. So I went back to school, kept my head down, and worked."

"You were quiet in our fifth year, now that I think about it. I suppose I never really noticed at the time."

"I was still a little toe rag," Draco cut in. "It was easy to fall into those habits and stay there, and the expectations on me by my parents were suffocating."

"Then the ministry," Potter said, pain flashing across his features again.

"Yes, and my father was, thankfully, thrown in jail. I didn't feel that way at the time of course, I was devastated really, but then another expectation was upon me and I was forced into doing the Dark Lord's bidding. My mother was so proud and it was the first time I could really remember pleasing them, and the threats on us as a family were severe. I don't think I'll ever forgive myself for what I did, though."

Draco hadn't meant to reveal so much, but now that he had he felt a bit lighter.

"You should forgive yourself," Potter said after a few moments of silence. "I said it at your trial and I'll say it again - I was on the astronomy tower with you that night. I know exactly what happened."

Draco lost his breath momentarily. He had forgotten about that.

"It was so obvious that you were frightened and didn't want to be there. I saw that then and hearing you speak about it now just drives that fact home. I don't think you knew this as the information was kept pretty suppressed, but Dumbledore was dying anyway. He had gotten cursed during the summer of our fifth year and had no longer than a year to live."

His breath left him again. Dumbledore had been dying?!