A.N. Here goes our 25th chapter, delivered on time, or almost. Hope you will like it.

The Aftermath

Chapter 25

"I can't believe he is three months already." Hermione said bouncing the baby boy on her hip. "Time flew by. Can you imagine I'm already four months pregnant?"

Draco placed Delaney on his back and she threw her hands around his neck to hold herself. "It's hard to imagine there will be yet another baby in only five months." He locked Delaney's legs around his waist securely. "When is Potter coming back?"

"Harry."

"Huh."

"He has a name. It's Harry. Could you please start using it?" She rolled her eyes, wiping the baby's mouth with her finger.

"At least I'm talking to him. Please don't ask me to pretend I like the jerk." He got slapped on the shoulder quite forcefully. "Ow."

"Watch your language in front of the kids." They turned in another hallway and kept on walking; their pace steady. "And, the Potters will be coming back tonight right after dinner."

"Good."

They went down the stairs and as they reached the Great Hall doors she waited patiently for him to open them for her. "Why are you so eager for their return? It's not as if we had any trouble while they were gone."

He held the door for her. "I know, I just want you for myself for a while."

She smiled and they resumed their walking at the Head's table. Hermione placed the baby in its seat while Draco set Delaney on the bench between them. McGonagall made a little speech and lost Hermione's interest quite rapidly. Her eyes scanned the room and she rapidly set them on a blond young girl. Of course she would be staring right back at her, daggers in her greenish eyes. Hermione sighed. This was getting out of hand.

Draco eyed Hermione as soon as he heard her sigh. He followed her gaze and his eyes fell upon the dreaded blond girl. Now, that was getting old. Of course the girl's gaze was right back on them. He really needed McGonagall to do something about her. He caught Hermione's chin with his free hand and turned her head in his direction. "Don't mind her."

She closed her eyes, resting her chin in his palm. "It's getting hard not to." He leaned and kissed her lips briefly.

"I'll figure something out, don't strain yourself. Besides, the most important thing today is your visit at St Mungo's. As soon as the Potters are back we can head out." He released her chin and she smiled softly at him.

Slowly her smile turned into a smirk. "Now I know why you wanted Harry to come back. Don't worry so much honey."

She gave some pumpkin juice to Delaney and turned to the baby to feed him. Draco watched her for a short moment and then he began eating. Hermione needed to occupy herself with something to keep from thinking, but there was really no way to stop her from thinking. Ashlyn Zabini was beginning to be in her thoughts every single day; the young girl was obsessed with her lover. And obsessed might not have been enough to qualify the girl's problem. Hermione turned her gaze to the Slytherin table once more. She did not doubt Draco, not for a moment, she knew he was just as much annoyed with the girl as she was; but the girl scared her. It seemed she refused to understand that her crazy longing for the potions professor was out of order, and absolutely uncalled for. He was taken for Merlin's sake and not only taken but he was a father.

She watched as the girl's gaze moved from Draco to her, and then to Delaney; fury evident on her face. Hermione shivered, she feared the girl because she felt deep down that she was capable of anything. She knew it was stupid to fear a mere student, but she couldn't help the feeling she had deep down her gut. She didn't make anything of the girl before the incident with Delaney. Of course she had been angry that the girl had the idea of yanking the little girl away from her parents. Ashlyn Zabini had asked Delaney to come with her because Draco wanted to see her, which was false. She had led the toddler to the Forbidden Forest. After, she had told her how her parents didn't want her anymore and then she had abandoned the child there. Delaney had reappeared in her mother's classroom crying her little eyes out.

Both Hermione and Draco had been horrified and furious. McGonagall had met the girl and given her detention for a month, forbidding her from ever speaking to Delaney again. Hermione wasn't happy; she wished that the Headmistress had expulsed the girl.

"Hermione."

That was why Hermione now knew that the girl would do anything; and that thought only kept sending shivers down her spine.

"Hermione."

She was startled when Draco touched her shoulder delicately. "You'll make him sick if you keep on feeding him like that. He's had enough."

"Oh." She said realising what he meant. The baby boy had spit some of his food back.

Draco eyed her suspiciously. "Are you done?"

Hermione nodded; wiping the baby's face with a cloth. "Delaney, are you done sweetie?"

"Yes mommy."

Draco stood, "good, let's go back home. You'll stay with the kids while I run a patrol in the halls."

Hermione stood as well, shaking her head lightly. "We could go together."

He lifted Delaney from the bench taking her in his arms; "I would prefer if you would rest with the children until Potter is back."

She took the baby in her arms while Draco shifted Delaney on his back swiftly. "I'm not tired Draco, I'm fine really. You are aware that pregnancy is not a mortal disease, aren't you?"

He laughed a fake laugh. "Very funny."

Hermione smiled, "but you're right. I'll stay in the common room with the kids until Harry and Ginny come back and I'll get you when we can go to St Mungo's."

They walked to the door and he opened the door for her once again. "That's exactly what I wanted."

"I know."

They went back to their common room and Draco left them to go patrol. Hermione gave her bath to Delaney while the baby snored softly in his crib. She dressed Delaney in her pyjamas and went back to the common room to sit by the fire. She levitated the crib and brought it back with them by the fireplace. She was sitting with Delaney on her knees reading the Tales of Beadle the Bard, when someone knocked at the door. "Who is it?" She asked the portrait.

The Lady in White disappeared briefly and came back a minute later. "Mr. Harry Potter and Mrs. Ginny Potter."

"They may come in." She sat Delaney on the sofa and went to the door to greet her friends.

Harry and Ginny walked in, Ginny eyes wandering over the room rapidly. "Hey Hermione." She said before passing her without a look and ending right besides the crib. "My beautiful baby boy, mommy missed you so much." She said as she took the baby from the bed, cradling him in her arms.

"Err." Hermione said, smiling knowingly at Harry. "I was going to ask you how your first day away from your baby went, but I can only guess you had to keep her hostage to prevent her from running back to James."

Harry rolled his eyes; "actually, Ron almost petrified her at one point."

"Oh." She swallowed. "How is Ron? I think I have been harsh to him when we last met."

Harry hugged her. "I'm glad I have you back 'Mione. Let's not talk about Ron okay?"

"That bad?"

"Err; well Ginny championed you quite vehemently." He said with a small smile.

Hermione eyed Ginny for a little while, she was cooing her baby; kissing his dark hair lovingly. "Thanks Gin."

"Sure 'Mione." She answered absentmindedly; her attention focused on her son.

Harry wrapped his arm around Hermione's shoulder, bringing her closer to the fireplace where her daughter was with Ginny and James. Hermione smiled. "Everything's been fine today Ginny. Your little James has been a very good boy."

Ginny eyes were focused on her son still. "Of course you were."

Harry laughed, "She's a nightmare."

"Hush, Harry Potter, or you'll exchange rooms with James tonight." Ginny eyed him briefly, scowling at him.

Hermione laughed and detached herself from Harry to pick up Delaney from the sofa. She kissed her cheek lovingly. "You'll be good with your aunt Ginny and your uncle Harry? Daddy and mommy won't be gone too long."

"Yes mommy." Hermione kissed her forehead before handing her over to Harry.

"Will you be in here or in your place?" She asked Harry, while replacing her hair absentmindedly.

He adjusted Delaney on his hip. "Come and pick her up in our common room when you come back. We'll settle home with James."

"Alright, let's go, wouldn't want to be late." She said leading the way out. Harry was bringing Delaney along while Ginny held her son protectively against her. Hermione had a knowing smile. "When will I baby-sit my little godson again?"

Ginny glared at her, mumbling. "Mommy is never leaving you alone again." Hermione held back a laugh, as she understood the whispered words.

They all stepped out of the portrait door and Hermione parted with the couple with one last goodbye.

She patrolled the hallways looking for Draco.

"Sectumsempra," a venomous voice yelled behind her back. Before she had a chance to turn she was hit by the spell. Her mind became frozen and she couldn't make anything out except for the heartbreaking shrieks. She wanted to clear her head from the fuzzy haze, to help the person whom was in such pain, but she found she couldn't. Her mind was nothing but a whirlwind of screams. And then, there was pain.

"No!" She heard. "Hermione." The tone of his voice was so anguished, so pained that she wanted to comfort him.

"Expelliarmus! Merlin, help me, if you move you die." He snapped. Hermione's head was becoming less and less fuzzy and that is when she realised that the screams belonged to her. She was the one in pain, hell; she was the one in agony. She raised her hands to her face, shrieking in pain. Her hands were red, her eyes rounded when she realised it was blood; her blood. Draco looked at her grief evident on his face. "Hermione, shush it'll be alright."

"The baby," she croaked her voice hoarse from all the screaming.

"It'll be okay." He picked her up in his arms and she bit on her lips to keep from crying out. He held her close to him and she couldn't help but feel safer. "Potter, bring that....her to McGonagall tell her she used Sectumsempra against Hermione many times, I have to rush to St-Mungo's I'm going in our common room through the floo. She lost so much....blood the baby." He babbled rapidly as Harry came in view from a corner of the hallway.

"Hermione, are you okay?" He ran over to the couple.

Draco began walking away as fast as he could without jostling her too much. "No time Potter, thanks."

He walked into their room minutes later, stepped into the fireplace and they were transported to the magical hospital instantly. "Help me," he yelled to the people surrounding him. "She's been attacked, she's pregnant."

"This way sir, follow me." A Medi-Witch told him hurrying past him rapidly. She pulled a hospital bed from somewhere, "here place her on the bed."

Draco laid gently a semi-conscious Hermione on her bed. "You'll be alright. They'll take care of both of you."

"The baby," Hermione mumbled.

While they were having this exchange, the Medi-Witch was busying herself trying to cure Hermione's injuries. "Which spell was used on her, the injuries won't cure."

"Sectumsempra, more than one time too." Draco answered, his eyes focused on Hermione's face.

The Medi-Witch muttered under her breath. "This spell prevents magical curing of the wounds." She gave a potion to Hermione, to make her sleep. Slowly her eyes closed and she fell unconscious. "I'll have to cure those wounds without the help of magic. She's better unconscious." She told Draco with a small smile.

"Germy, I'll need blood." She scanned with her wand for her type of blood and told the nurse which type to bring. "You might want to go wait in the other room, it won't be pleasant." She told Draco gently.

"I'm not going anywhere."

She eyed him for a short moment moving back over Hermione's form, stopping the blood from every cut she had on her body. "As you wish."

Draco watched as the woman busied herself taking care of Hermione. She was covered in deep, large cut; he had counted at least seven over her body. He felt murderous; he wanted nothing more than to strangle the girl who had jeopardised Hermione and also their baby's life. They were transfusing blood to Hermione now, she had lost so much of it; she was white as a sheet. "Will the baby be okay?" He couldn't help but ask.

"Mr. Malfoy, I have to concentrate on the mother if I'm to save any of them." The Medi-Witch told him with a soothing voice. She was so busy taking care of Hermione, that she didn't even take a look at him.

Draco did not reply. If anything happened to their baby he didn't know what he would do. Hell, if Hermione did not recover what would he do? He mentally slapped himself, trying to keep the torturing images out of his head. She was going to be okay. He backed up in a corner, in the little room they were now in. When he found a chair he sat, resting his head in his hands. "We had an appointment tonight, for the baby." He mumbled.

"I don't think they'll be expecting you." A nurse told him, her small hand resting on his shoulder.

He raised his eyes startled, "Abbott?"

She smiled, "She'll be alright Malfoy, maybe a couple of scars, but she'll be alright, she's almost stable."

"Use dittany," he said in a small voice. "It'll prevent the scaring. At least if you use it fast enough."

She raised an eyebrow, "good idea. How did you know?"

He shrugged. "Harry once cast this spell on me back in school. It was Severus' idea. It worked."

"Ambrosia, use Dittany on the cuts once they are cleaned and closed." She told the Medi-Witch rapidly.

The other woman nodded, watching only for a brief moment the conversation between her assistant and the young man.

Hannah sat on the seat next to Draco. "So, since when do you call Harry by his first name?"

He rolled his eyes and indicated Hermione.

"You guys are married?" She asked, in total disbelief.

He shook his head, "Engaged. We have a little girl, Delaney, and she's pregnant with our second child."

"Wow. Malfoy and Granger never could have guessed." She said as she brushed her hair with her hand.

"Yeah I know Abbott, quite a shocker huh?"

"Actually, it's Macmillan now." Draco scoffed.

"I could have guessed that, Ernie's been drooling over you since our first year." He sneered. He did not realised he could sneer in this state of mind. He brushed his hair with his hand. "Thanks Hannah, it made me feel a little better to chat with you."

She smiled, dimples forming on her small face. "My pleasure Malfoy, you know you seem nice enough now."

He rolled his eyes, "thanks for the compliment."

She smiled unashamedly, "you're most welcome."

Draco's head snapped as he heard a sigh. The woman bended over Hermione's body was smiling, "She's stable now; the dittany worked charms. I can wake her up now." She told Draco.

He nodded. "Ennervate." The woman said her wand pointing Hermione.

Draco stood, moving rapidly to Hermione's side. She opened her eyes, groaning; more in discomfort than in pain. "You're safe now, you'll be alright." He told her bending over to kiss her forehead.

She looked around, they were alone in the room now, except for the Medi-Witch. "My baby, how is my baby?" She asked her gave focused on the woman.

The woman gave her a small smile, "your babies will be just fine."

Hermione strangled herself, and Draco turned around abruptly. "Babies?" he asked startled. "As in, more than one?"

The woman nodded her smiled widening. "Twins." Draco turned and watched Hermione with big eyes. "Two healthy boys, congratulations."

Hermione was shocked, "twins? Boys? Draco...we're....you...you'll be a dad for the second and third time...at the same time."

Draco kissed her lips passionately, "its perfect love."

She smiled, "twins."

He returned her smile with one of his own, "twins."

A.N. Before you yell at me because of Hannah, I am aware that she is suppose to marry Neville according to JKR, but it wouldn't fit my storyline seeing as Neville works at the school with our beloved couple and he would have told them he was married.... so I had no other choice but to go against this particular plotline of hers. And, I kind of think Luna and Neville should end up together.... I always thought they would be perfect for each other. Anyways that's my opinion. Hope you liked it, until next time. L.