Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Chapter 05
Victoria Olivia Malfoy, also known as 'Vicky', also known as 'Belladonna' to Sevvus, woke up blearily in her beloved Godpapa's Headmaster office, on his most comfortable sofa.
As her eyes gained focus, she could see the worried face of her mother peering intensely at her.
"Mummy?" she whispered, her lips parched and felt stuffed with thick cotton wool. A familiar face joined the first in her vision. "Daddy?"
As if suddenly realising that she was back in the comforting security of her family, Vicky Malfoy burst into tears.
"Mummy! Daddy! I want you…*sob* Mummy, I was so scared! I had a nightmare! It was so dark and I was so scared and I was alone and I cried. And then Sevvus opened a door to your classroom and Daddy was there and you were there and Uncle Harry and Uncle Ron were there too. *sob* I'm sorry for touching Sevvus' thingies. I'll never touch them again. But you already forgave me and… and… Daddy was there… and Daddy," she sniffed quietening down, turning her reddening eyes to her father who had crouched down to her eye level, "Daddy promised to get me a set of Hogwarts uniform for 'Wear the Hogwarts Uniform Day'… and Mummy… Mummy!" the girl's eyes were staring incredulously at the very pregnant tummy belonging to her mother. "Mummy! Xander's come back from his holiday!"
For a few seconds, Hermione was speechless at her daughter's distraught soliloquy. It was more than obvious that this nightmare experienced by Vicky was very real to her; quite possibly she had been transported into another realm or another time. Just as her mind wrapped around that very idea, she felt a niggling thread of thought loosen and everything that happened in her seventh year came rushing back to her. "You!" her eyes narrowed onto her beloved husband, who was looking highly amused at the turn of events. "You sneaky, little ferret—"
"Now, now, my darling. Not in front of the Princess," he grinned, with a glint of what looked like triumph in his eye. "Let's get her back home first before we talk."
Hermione was fuming, but she knew Draco was right. They had a great deal to talk about later.
***
Much later that evening, sitting in front of the crackling fireplace, with a cup of warm chocolate in her hands prepared by her husband, Hermione waited for Draco to complete the children's bedroom rituals.
As far as she knew, Vicky was probably gone and returned in less than a minute in their time, but she had spent about an hour in their past. It was fortunate that Vicky was so young – she would merely chalk up her very real and dangerous adventure as a dream and not dwell on it anymore after today. It could have been worse, much worse – Vicky could have been sent into a hostile situation. She could have been sent into the worse of the Great War. Another thought grew out of that reflection – some of the magical artefacts in the Headmaster's cupboard did not have any built in reversible magic and Vicky could have been lost forever. Hermione shuddered at that thought.
"Are you all right?" the familiar drawl drifted over her, as her husband folded his tall frame beside her on the sofa. Draco shifted their position such that he had Hermione's feet resting on his laps as he proceeded to give her a well-deserved foot rub.
"I'm fine," she replied, rolling her eyes at his question, but gave him a tiny smile of appreciation for his thoughtfulness. Teaching was backbreaking work to a woman seven months into the family way. "But Vicky gave me quite a scare today – she could have been really hurt. Or lost."
Draco nodded and waited, as he concentrated on kneading her soles, toes and calves. He knew it was a matter of time before she would bring it up.
"Why did you do it?"
It came out as a whisper, and Draco paused in his ministrations and looked into his wife's open eyes.
"It was the most logical way to proceed."
***
'Why?' was the question that nagged at him for the rest of the month until he was able to go back to Malfoy Manor. Why did he kiss her? Why did he oblivated her? Why?
At first, it was a pure Slytherin instinct – the foreknowledge would come in handy in deciding what to do about the inevitable war. After all, a visitor from the future was undoubtedly more accurate than any prediction a Seer would make. And the key to making sure that the future would come to pass meant that few people must wield that knowledge, otherwise people might either be more reckless in their actions or they would start to second-guess themselves. Worse would be those who would not even struggle against the establishment, trusting the future to come to pass.
If anything, Draco knew that regardless of whether he ended up with the Gryffindor, that knowledge about the future was a treasure galleons cannot buy, and true to his Slytherin nature, a powerful knowledge in which he would use to increase his family's ambitions.
Then, there was the future described by Vicky that appealed to him. He had known for a long time that despite Hermione's unfortunate birth into a muggle family, she was easily the best witch that Hogwarts had to offer. She was not a conventional beauty, but she had an innate beauty in her loving kindness to the people around her. For a long time, Draco had coveted her attention, but knew that in the great divide caused by Voldemort's war, pursuing her was just impossible.
But she had loved him enough to marry him! And loved him enough to have the most beautiful and intelligent children with him.
The future gave him great hope and he knew that he had a chance with her when she had responded to his kiss. But when he broke the kiss and she had said that what they possibly could have was impossible, he knew he had to erase her foreknowledge in order to start afresh, to start proper. Hermione's Gryffindor nature would never accept him, never accept that they would be fated to be together and he knew she would do all in her power to prove what was wrong to be right. And then where would Victoria Malfoy be? He owed it to that beautiful little girl with Hermione's sweet features and his colouring to bring her child-like exuberance into this world.
Besides, he was a Malfoy, and despite knowing how it would end, was Aut inveniam viam aut faciam, not one of the Malfoy Creed as well? Draco enjoyed a challenge and he knew with a gut feeling that the time would come to pass when Hermione would even forgive him obliviating her memory.
Therefore, armed with the sure knowledge and evidence of Voldemort's defeat, he had gone home that Easter to meet and discuss with his father their plan of action. Needless to say, Lucius was less than happy when confronted with Draco's information about the final defeat of the Dark Lord. Likewise, he was outright furious when told about the parentage of his future daughter-in-law. It was only the promise of surviving the war to enjoy prosperity and simple pleasures with his grandchildren that allowed Lucius to overlook the problem of Hermione's parentage. Even Lucius had to concur that Hermione's immense magical prowess and talents would be wasted on a less worthy family than the Malfoys.
A Slytherin family through and through, the Malfoys were not beholden to anyone except their own, and knowing that they were practically backing a sure loss in Voldemort caused the Head of the clan to change his horse in mid-stream. Power and Authority was what the family craved, and if, to attain Power and Authority meant backing Dumbledore's side, they would do their best to turn to it. A visit to Dumbledore was all it took to severe their allegiance to the Dark Lord Voldemort, and since Draco's graduation, the Malfoys worked alongside Severus Snape to both spy and sabotage the Dark Army.
It was during those dark years that Hermione was assigned by the Order of the Phoenix to work closely with Draco, processing his coded messages to the Order, as well as looking out for him during his more dangerous missions with Harry, Ron and Neville. Hermione's admiration for her childhood enemy grew with each brave exploit the young man underwent, eroding what hurts she had suffered by the Dragon's taunts in her dealings with him. Although Harry, Ron and Neville did not become Draco's best mates during the war, they did learn to respect the other party's strengths, and worked alongside each other.
Late one night, after Hermione debriefed Harry and his team on a particularly harrowing mission in an obscure muggle pub, Draco remained behind with her when the other members of the team left for hearth and home. That night, Draco held Hermione's hand and confessed his love for her. The particulars of the mission had caused him to worry that they might not survived the war after all, and that in obliviating Hermione, perhaps he might have cause something to go wrong in his calculations.
Hermione had waited so long for Draco's confession. She could not explain why being in his presence felt so right and her own confession of love mirrored her childhood foe's. Not knowing when the war would ever be over, or if they would survive, they decided to marry in secret to seal their love for each other for all eternity.
***
Hermione rolled her eyes. Xander was kicking again, and this usually kept her up late despite having to teach the next day. Fortunately, Severus was an understanding Headmaster despite his surly demeanour, and had moved all her classes to the afternoon. Hermione's insomnia would stop once the baby was born.
Glancing at the clock on the mantel, her eyebrow peaked at seeing that it was already two in the morning. Draco had explained his reasons long into the night, nursing the snifter of brandy and refilling her cup of hot chocolate twice. Yes, another toilet break was in order.
When she got out of the bathroom, Draco led her to the bedroom. She saw that he had cleared up their living area satisfactorily and knew that Draco had an early class the next morning. 'A Hufflepuff-Ravenclaw class – better that than a Slytherin-Gryffindor combination early in the morning,' she smirked to herself.
Laying on the bed, Hermione turned to her side; that was all she could do to get comfortable until baby was out, and she felt her husband's warmth heat her back as he spooned into her.
"A great Slytherin once said that it was easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission," he whispered into her ears. "I don't think either one is easy at all. Love, if you must know, I am sorry to have to obliviate you all those years ago. But if I had to do it all again, I would. I don't think I could ever live without you by me. You don't know how often I relived that kiss we shared before I obliviated you; it gave me hope to believe and it was more than I ever hoped for."
"Dray," his wife replied, "I not only forgive you, but I understand. I love you, Dray," she said, straining her head over her shoulder to look into her husband's eyes in the dimlight. "And I wouldn't have changed anything about that day… well," she smirked, settling her head comfortably back on the pillow, "Perhaps you should be punished for that weight comment you made after you obliviated me."
Draco grinned into his wife's shoulder, bestowing it with a light kiss, "Ooo… a punishment, Mummy? And what do you have in mind?" he quipped.
"Well, Daddy," she teased back, feeling her eyelids succumbing to Morpheus, "You could get Vicky her Hogwarts Gryffindor uniform in her size tomorrow."
"You mean Slytherin."
"I mean Gyffindor. And that's your punishment, my darling," she smirked.
The End.
********************************
Aut inveniam viam aut faciam. -- I will either find a way or I will make one.
From dictionary dot com: extempore
\Ex*tem"po*re\, adv. [L. ex out + tempus, temporis, time. See Temporal.] Without previous study or meditation; without preparation; on the spur of the moment; suddenly; extemporaneously; as, to write or speak extempore. --Shak. -- a. Done or performed extempore. ``Extempore dissertation.'' --Addison. ``Extempore poetry.'' --Dryden. -- n. Speaking or writing done extempore. [Obs.] --Bp. Fell.
This fic was written extempore due to a particularly vicious plot bunny. Extempore is also how Draco dealt with Victoria's information. Extempore is also how Vicky ended up in the Potions classroom.
Fluff!!! I have too much angst in real life so you have to settle for a fluffy, very long married D/Hr ending. *smirk*
'Sevvus' is coined by Susanna/pigwidgeon37 in her awesome epic triology, 'The Sybil Oracle'. It's the name toddler Draco called Severus. Although TSO is rendered AU by OotP, it is one of my all time favourite HP fanfic for its original plot, its very high level writing and its very mature look at what Severus Snape's life is like from his time in Hogwarts. TSO is a must read for pro-Slytherin fans, as well HP fans who enjoy considering the various backstory and interactions between Slytherins, Gryffindors and the other houses. If you like the coinage of 'Sevvus', you'll enjoy the story 'Sevvus' originated from. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll be breathless as you traverse the path TSO brings Severus Snape in his journey to love and redemption. TSO is on fanfic dot net. The storyid is 876122.