A/N Here's one that I've been working on. It's an Mpreg story. I've realized that I'm better off doing oneshots rather than chapter pieces. That being said, I will be posting updates to my other two stories soon.

Malfoy was acting strange. Harry first noticed it on the Hogwart's express on the way to school. He was headed to the bathroom when he passed a compartment with a lone occupant. He almost went right past until he caught a glimpse of platinum blonde. He came up short and did a double take.

There sat Malfoy, devoid of all his cohorts and just staring out the window. He looked as if you could set a bomb off beside him and he'd take no notice. He suddenly seemed to come back to himself though and turned to look at Harry. Harry was amazed. There was no smug smirk. No rude hand gestures. Nothing. He just looked at Harry for a second or two and then returned his gaze to the window.

Now, everyone knew that the only thing he and Malfoy shared was a mutual hatred of one another, but the look in Malfoy's eyes when he looked at him…It was enough to make Harry shudder. He looked as if his whole world had come down around him and he didn't know how to pick up the pieces. Harry wouldn't wish that kind of desolation on his worst enemy…which Malfoy happened to be. He told Ron and Hermione about it when he returned to their compartment.

"It was weird." He said as he shook his head. "Malfoy acted like he barely even recognized me." Hermione looked puzzled and a touch concerned.

"I wonder if something happened to him over the summer." She said. Ron shrugged.

"Who cares?" He said as he picked a pumpkin pastie out of the pile of snacks. Hermione scowled at him.

"Honestly Ron! He may be a git the majority of the time, but he's still a human being!" She snapped. Ron scoffed, spewing pastie crumbs all down his front.

"Says who?" He said incredulously. "Malfoy has been nothing but a bastard to us from day one. If something bad has happened to him I call it karma." Hermione glared at him, and Harry quickly spoke up to try and forestall an argument.

"I don't know." He said. "I guess it's just unnerving to see Malfoy like that. He's the last person you would picture looking so lost." Ron shrugged again.

"Well, it's not like there's anything we could do about it anyway. You want the old Malfoy back? Go ask him what's wrong and if you can help." Harry gave half a smile at this. "He'll be calling us Weasles, mudbloods and scar headed freaks in no time." He said with an apologetic look at Hermione. Hermione sighed.

"I suppose your right." She said as she started petting Crookshanks, who was in her lap.

Still, Harry couldn't help but notice that once they got to the school, Malfoy still didn't join up with his friends. He rode in a carriage with a coupled of second years and sat off by him self during the sorting and feast. He continued his pattern of solitude for the next couple of weeks, but other wise went to class and meals as normal.

It was a couple of weeks later that Harry got the inkling that something really was going on with Malfoy. It was during breakfast on a Saturday when he noticed that the boy looked very pale and only pushed his food around on his plate, not really eating. About ten minutes later he jumped up from the table looking a bit green and ran from the room. Harry glanced at Hermione who had also been watching and at her nod quickly got up and followed. He was just in time to see Malfoy dart into the nearest bathroom.

He followed quietly. As he entered the bathroom he could hear the sound of retching coming from one of the stalls. In between retches he could have sworn he heard Malfoy crying. He left before Malfoy emerged from the stall and went back to Hermione and Ron.

"He got sick." He said at Hermione's questioning look. Hermione nodded.

"I don't think it's the first time." She said. "I've seen him dashing for the bathroom a couple of times before." She paused and looked up as Malfoy re-entered the room. "His eyes are all red. Was he crying?" She looked at Harry and he nodded.

"It sounded like it. He was retching pretty hard too." Harry looked back at the boy as well. "I wonder what's making him so sick?" He said. Ron huffed out a breath and put down his spoon.

"Why are you two obsessing over that git. I mean, we're talking about Malfoy here. As long as he's leaving us alone, we should be happy." Hermione just shook her head and look at Ron.

"Something has happened to him Ron. He's changed. He's sick and he's probably scared." She gave him a questioning look. "Are you that compassionless? You can't spare just a bit?" Ron looked back at her and then glanced over at Malfoy.

"It's just hard to find any for someone who has treated me like crap for so long." He looked back at his friends and sighed. "Go ahead, obsess. I'll keep my mouth shut from now on. Who knows, maybe a little of your compassion will eventually rub off." Hermione smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Ron blushed and smiled back.

From what they were able to observe Malfoy's mad dashes for the bathroom lasted for another three or four weeks before they finally started to taper off and then stop. At least they stopped due to him being sick. The frequency of mad dashes due to him simply having to pee however seem to be on the rise. At about this same time they started to notice that Malfoy had grown awfully fond of his school robes. He wore them even on the weekends when most students chose to just wear their regular clothes. This was short lived though and stopped soon after Hermione had seen him reading about concealment charms in the library.

It was the beginning of November when Hermione turned up in the common room with a stack of books that she had signed out. She motioned for Harry and Ron to join her on the rug in front of the fireplace where she spread out her books.

"I think I know what's wrong with Malfoy." She said as she looked for a particular page in one of the books. She found the page and handed the book to Harry. The book was entitled 'Wizard Health: A Compendium of Ailments and Symptoms for the Modern Wizard'. Harry looked at the list of symptoms on the page that Hermione had indicated. It listed nausea, weight gain, frequent urination and a number of other symptoms. Harry looked at the heading of the page and almost burst out laughing. The ailment for this specific page was listed as pregnancy. He started to hand the book back to her.

"I think you got the wrong page Hermione. Malfoy's a guy and there for I'm pretty sure he's not pregnant." He said with a smile. Ron's eyes flew wide as his head jerked up. He snatched the book from Harry. Harry looked from Ron to Hermione, confused.

"That's a book on Wizard health only, Harry. It doesn't cover anything on witches." Harry was flabbergasted. Guys didn't have babies. At least not where he came from. He looked at Ron, bewildered. Ron nodded.

"My cousin, Septimus, had a baby two years ago. Said he was never doing it again." He looked back down at the book in his lap. "It's not common, but it does happen." He frowned. "It's usually the gay blokes though. Malfoy's not gay. At least I don't think so." Harry looked down at the books and remembered that time he had seen Malfoy on the train, the look in his eyes and how subdued the boy had been. He started to feel sick as he realized what must have happened.

"He was raped." He said quietly. Ron and Hermione looked up from their books. Harry looked at them. "I bet you any money he wasn't willing." Hermione slowly lowered her book to the floor.

"I wish we could help him." She said with a slight quaver to her voice. "He must be so scared." She pulled another book over, another medical text, and opened the cover. This one, Harry saw, dealt specifically with problems that could arise during pregnancy.

They all, Ron included, researched and found out all they could on what they believed to be Draco's problem. Ron did question once why they were doing it seeing as how they would never be able to do anything with the knowledge, but he still kept reading. Another week or two passed and the trio started to notice that Malfoy's energy seemed to be flagging. He was becoming even more pale, as impossible as that might have seemed, and was developing large dark smudges under his eyes. He seemed listless in class and unable to pay attention. He always seemed breathless and exhausted. This barrage of symptoms sent Hermione running for her books again.

"I think he's anemic." She said as she walked over to join Harry and Ron in front of the common room fire place, still perusing the book of pregnancy ailments. "The symptoms all fit. He's not getting enough iron." She sat the book down and stared into the fire, thinking. After a minute or two she looked up. "Harry, can I borrow Hedwig?" She asked.

"Sure. What for?" He asked as he looked up from the game of chess that he and Ron were playing. Hermione grabbed a piece of parchment and started to write a letter.

"I'm writing Mum. I'm going to ask her to send me a bottle of prenatal vitamins. While we're waiting for them to come we can try and figure out exactly how we're going to get Malfoy to take them." Ron sniggered.

"Just make sure you tell your mum that the vitamins aren't for you. And that she believes you!" He looked up at her. "The last thing Harry and I need is your dad coming after one of us in a fit of parental rage thinking we got his little girl preggers." Harry started snorting in laughter while Hermione turned scarlet.

"Ron, you're so crude sometimes!" She chucked the nearest cushion at him, but missed by a mile. She shook her head and finished writing her letter. "I'm going to take this to the owlery." She said, managing to whack Ron upside his head on her way past him.

In the three days it took for Hermione's mother to send the vitamins the trio came up with and discarded about a dozen ideas for how to get Malfoy to actually take the stupid things. Finally Harry came to the root of the problem.

"I think that the only way we might possibly get him to take them is if we're completely up front about it. Just tell him that we know what's wrong and we just want to help." Ron looked extremely doubtful. "I think I have to be the one to do it." Harry said. "Just try to bury the hatchet so to speak." Hermione and Ron both looked dubious, but couldn't come up with any other alternative. The pills came the next day but they decided to wait until the day after that, which was Saturday. It was a Hogsmead weekend and Draco hadn't been going to them. The school should be fairly empty. When Saturday rolled around they watched for their chance. It came shortly after lunch, when Malfoy headed outside by himself. Hermione quickly thrust the bottle of vitamins at Harry and he hurried to catch up to the other boy.

He followed at a discreet distance until Malfoy finally seemed to tire and sat down on a large rock by the lake. Harry cautiously approached while making sure that the other boy could still hear him and sat on the rock a few feet away from him. Malfoy turned his head and did his best to glare at Harry.

"What do you want Potter?" He said in a voice that had no energy behind it. Harry simply held the bottle of pills out to him. Hermione had removed the label for discretion's sake and Draco just looked at it for a minute before taking the bottle obviously confused. He opened it and looked inside. "Trying to poison me Potter?" he asked with a raised eyebrow as he tried to hand the bottle back. Harry shook his head.

"No." he said. He looked at Malfoy for a moment and decided it was best to just come right out with it. "They're prenatal vitamins. Hermione thinks you're anemic. That's why you're so tired and worn out lately." Draco looked from the pills to Harry and Harry thought he looked about to panic. He thrust the bottle back at Harry, his hands shaking.

"You're insane Potter." He said in a raspy voice. He got up to leave and Harry stood too. Draco turned on him, his wand raised. Harry took a step back and spread his hands out and to the sides showing that he offered no threat.

"Look, Draco, we've known about the baby for weeks now. I started to think something was up clear back on the train. Obviously we don't know exactly what has happened, but from the look in your eyes and just the way you've been this year…We can guess. And we're sure about the baby, so don't bother denying it." Draco was shaking his head and starting to back away. "We haven't said anything to anyone else, and we're not going to. I know the last thing you probably want is any help from us, but, if Hermione is right about the anemia…It could be dangerous for both you and the baby. Please just take the vitamins." Harry stepped back and placed the bottle on the rock. Then he turned and started to walk back to the castle. He looked back when he was about half way there. Both Draco and the vitamins were gone.

Over the next couple of days they noticed that Draco started to get a bit of color back in his face and he gradually lost the dark circles under his eyes. His energy levels seemed to slowly improve as well.

"Well, I'm glad to see he's actually taking the vitamins." Hermione said one day as they watched Draco hurry out past them from Potions class. "I was afraid he'd just chuck them in the nearest bin. It was a ninety day supply so they should last almost until the baby comes." They slowly walked to the great hall for lunch. Harry looked over at Malfoy as they started to eat their food.

"I wonder if he's thought that far ahead yet?" He mused. He looked at Hermione. "What's he going to do when its time for the baby to come? Will he go to Madame Pomfrey or keep trying to hide it?" Hermione shook her head.

"I don't know." They returned their gaze to Malfoy. "I hope he asks for help. I really do. There are so many things that could go wrong." At that point Malfoy looked up from his plate and saw them looking at him. He frowned at them, wiped his mouth with his napkin, and left the great hall. Ron spoke up.

"Maybe we should send him a note. Tell him if he needs help we'll come." He looked up from his own plate. "Chances are hell would freeze over before he'd actually ask, but at least he'll know that he could." Hermione nodded and Ron handed a piece of parchment over to her. She jotted down a quick note that said if he needed any help he could ask. She stood up.

"Come on. We had better use a school owl. It would look a little odd if Pigwidgeon or Hedwig was seen taking him a note." They trudged up to the owlery and selected a nice ordinary looking owl. Hermione attached the note to it's leg, told it the recipient and let it fly out of the window. They didn't get a reply.

As the Christmas holiday fast approached the boys could see that Hermione was making plans of some sort. She finally told them what she had in mind when they saw Malfoy's name turn up on the list of students staying at school for the holidays.

"I know the chances of Malfoy coming to us for help are pretty slim, but I want to be prepared if he does." She flipped open the notebook she had been using to keep track of research topics for Malfoy's condition. "This is our last Hogsmead weekend before the holidays, so I want to be sure to go to Florish and Blotts this time. I want to see if they have any books on magical midwifery or wizard pregnancies. There's a lot of stuff I still need to learn." She looked up at the boys. "I don't expect you two to learn it all but I would like for you to at least know enough to help out." Ron was looking a little apprehensive.

"When we offered help I thought that that would consist of helping him get to Madame Pomfrey." He looked at her list of subjects and saw things like pain relieving techniques, contraction monitoring and pushing positions. "Are you seriously talking about us delivering his baby?" His eyebrows had risen halfway up his forehead. Hermione nodded and started to speak but Harry beat her to it.

"I think he must have a very good reason for keeping this a secret Ron. If he hasn't gone to Madame Pomfrey by now it must be because he feels he can't." Hermione nodded again.

"Exactly." She said. "I'm going to learn everything I can, magical and muggle, and hopefully it will be enough. If its not and it looks like either his or the baby's life is on the line, then we'll get Madame Pomfrey."

That Saturday the boys left Hermione at Flourish and Blotts and headed to the apothecary with a list of items that she had given them. She said that they were for potions that they might have need of. They were leaving the smelly shop when Harry felt Ron nudge him. He looked up from arranging the items in their bag and saw a gang of Slytherin's plowing through the other students.

"Looks like Goyle's taken over Malfoy's spot." Ron muttered. Goyle was at the head of the group closely flanked by Crabbe and Nott with a few tittering girls, Pansy Parkinson included, trailing behind. They waited for the Slytherin group to pass then hurried to the bookstore to collect Hermione. They found her on a bench just outside the shop stuffing a large pile of books into her apparently bottomless book bag. She looked up at them and smiled.

"They had a lot more books than I thought they would. The clerk gave me an odd look when he read the titles though." Her smile took on a wry twist. "I had to tell him I was thinking of becoming a Medi-witch." She handed her book bag to Ron and reached for the bag of potions ingredients that Harry was handing her. "Did you find everything on the list?" Ron groaned as he heaved her bag up to his shoulder.

"Yes, we did." He said. "Couldn't you have put a feather light charm on this? You've obviously done a bottomless one. It weighs a ton!" She sighed and rolled her eyes at him.

"Honestly Ron, it's not that bad. My school bag weighs more then that on a busy day." Never the less she pointed her wand at the bag and cast the appropriate charm. Ron sighed and straightened up.

"So, what potions are you making from that stuff?" Harry asked, pointing at the apothecary bag. Hermione finished poking through the ingredients and looked up.

"Well, I want to try a light pain relieving potion, but the only one I could find that was safe for pregnancy is new to me, so I'll have to be really careful. That's why I wanted fresh ingredients. I'm also going to make an energizing potion and one that stops post-partum bleeding with in a day or two." Ron wrinkled his nose at the mention of post-partum bleeding. "I'm just not comfortable giving him anything more than that." The boys both nodded in agreement and they walked along quietly for awhile before Ron spoke again.

"I wonder what he's going to do with the baby once it's born." He said. "I mean, a newborn baby is a little hard to keep hidden." He glanced at the other two, saw Hermione frowning and continued. "If he was afraid to go to anyone about the pregnancy, it's going to be ten times worse with the actual baby." Hermione shrugged.

"If he doesn't already have a plan then we'll just have to help him think of one." She said. She got quiet again and the boys could tell she was thinking. They left her to it and started playing rock-paper-scissors as they walked. They were nearly back to the castle gates when she interrupted them. "He'll most likely hate this idea, but, I know my mom has been thinking about becoming a foster parent. I'll talk to her over break and ask if she would consider keeping the baby if Draco doesn't have other plans." Harry started nodding enthusiastically.

"That's a really good idea if she agrees. If he's worried about Deatheaters looking for it, the last place they're going to look is at your house. You're one of my best friends and you're a muggle. Two of the worst things in existence in their books." Ron nodded grudgingly and looked impressed.

"It is a good idea." He said. "My mom would probably take it too, but, the poor thing is bound to end up looking like Malfoy and it would stick out like a sore thumb in our house." They walked through the gates and spotted Malfoy walking by the lake, just before he disappeared behind a clump of trees. Harry looked thoughtful for a moment.

"You two go on ahead. I'll meet you in the common room. I'm going to try to talk to him again." Ron looked a bit worried but Hermione just nodded. She tugged a reluctant Ron toward the castle by his sleeve.

"Be careful Harry." She said before they disappeared inside. Harry gave her an acknowledging wave before taking off at a slow trot after Malfoy. He caught up to him quickly, but he'd obviously taken the blonde by surprise. Malfoy was sitting on a log by the waters edge. Obviously believing that no one had seen him he'd taken the chance to drop the charms he kept on his body. He sat gently massaging his rounded abdomen, his shirt drawn snug over it. Harry cleared his throat to make Malfoy aware of his presence. Malfoy quickly jumped to his feet trying to yank his coat closed over his expanding belly. He looked panic stricken. Harry quickly put his hands out if front of him in a calming gesture.

"It's just me. Malfoy. Take it easy." The blonde looked at him disdainfully, but continued to try and make the edges of his coat meet. Harry smirked. "I think that's a lost cause." He said gesturing at the coat and the belly beneath it. Malfoy's look turned angry.

"Sod off Potter." He said, and started to walk away. Harry followed after him.

"Malfoy, wait!" Harry called. This wasn't going the way he had planned. Malfoy kept walking. "Would you wait a minute!" Harry hollered in exasperation. Draco spun and glared at him.

"What do you want?" He asked in a harsh tone. Harry was just about to reply when the other boy gasped suddenly and winced. He bent over slightly one hand on his knee to support himself while the other hand cupped the left side of his abdomen. "Stop. please, stop." He muttered as he pressed his fingers into his belly slightly. Harry stepped up beside Malfoy.

"Are you alright?" He asked, trying not to panic. Draco nodded curtly. Harry spotted a rock a few steps from where they were. He touched Draco's arm and pointed to it. The blonde straightened up slowly and walked to the rock. He sat down slowly as well. "What was that?" Harry asked. Draco sighed and rubbed the side of his belly a bit more.

"I woke it up apparently. It moves now and it hurts sometimes. It's a side affect of the concealment charms" He said. He turned on Harry. "What do you want Potter? Why do you keep pestering me?" Harry looked down at the ground for a second, then back up to Draco as he thought how to answer.

"We're worried about you, strange as that may seem. Hermione's afraid that your going through this all on your own and that you won't ask for help when you need it." Malfoy looked down at his hands in his lap.

"I don't need any help." He said quietly. Harry scoffed a bit and Draco glared up at him.

"How's your vitamin supply?" He asked. "Not getting to low I hope." The other boy made to stand again and Harry spoke quickly to forestall him. "Look, Draco, It's dangerous to go through this on your own. The baby's due in, what, three and a half months?" Draco nodded slowly. "What are you going to do when you go into labor? Are you going to go to Madame Pomfrey?" The blonde boy slumped a little.

"I can't. No one can know about this. If my father or any of the others finds out about this…they'll kill it. I won't let that happen." He looked at Harry and straightened back up a little. "Granger isn't the only one who knows how to research, Potter. I know what to expect. I don't need any help." He stood and quickly replaced his concealment charms. Harry knew that their conversation was over, but he made one last effort.

"Malfoy…If you change your mind, just call Dobby, alright?" Draco nodded and started back to the castle. It would look suspicious if they were seen returning at the same time, so Harry sat for awhile, thinking. At least they knew for sure now when the baby was due. He got up and walked back to his friends in the castle.

The following week was Christmas. Hermione and Ron both left for the holiday, leaving Harry to keep a solitary vigil on Malfoy. The day after Christmas Harry was leaving the great hall after lunch when he heard voices up ahead of him and around the corner. He crept up to the corner and took a peek around it. It was Malfoy and his father. Harry got worried.

"Your mother wants you home Draco." His father was saying. "You've already made her miss the holiday. She won't be made to wait any longer." He sounded angry.

"I won't come." Draco said defiantly. Harry could hear a note of fear in his voice. "In case you've forgotten, you offered me up for party entertainment the last time I came home! Mother would never want me to go through that again. Your 'friends' are the ones asking, not her." The fear was leaving his voice now and he sounded angry. "I'm not leaving this school and if you try to force me, I'll tell Dumbledore everything." Harry had to give it to Malfoy. It took a hell of a lot of courage to stand up to his father that way.

"You insolent little pratt!" His father hissed. "You should be honored that the Dark Lord would take such an interest in you. He was pleased with what he saw last time. He'll be even more pleased if it eventually works. He wants an heir and if we give it to him it could mean major opportunities for our family." Harry heard Draco gasp.

"So that's it? I'm to play brood mare. And when it's finally successful? What then? I get to suffer through two pregnancies just so you can rise in the ranks?" Harry could hear that Draco was angry as well as a bit horrified.

"Don't be ridiculous." His father snapped. "Once they find the correct combination to achieve a pregnancy the first attempt will be terminated." He heard the elder Malfoy inhale. "You're coming home, now." Harry peeked around the corner again and decided that now would probably be a good time to make him self seen. Lucius had his son's arm in a vice grip and was starting to drag him down the hall. Harry ran back and banged open the door nearest to him and then, whistling nonchalantly walked around the corner. He feigned surprise at seeing the Malfoy's in the hall and stopped short. Harry could see Draco sag with relief. He carefully pulled his arm from his father's grip.

"It was good to see you father. Thank you for bringing my Christmas gifts. Please give Mother my love and tell her that I'm sorry I had to much too do to come home. Happy Christmas and please tell mother the same." Draco said and then quickly hurried down the hall. Harry gave a brief nod to the elder Malfoy who was glaring at him and followed in the same direction as Draco. After he rounded the next corner he stopped and looked back to see Lucius striding down the hall in their direction. He cursed quietly and raced to catch up with Draco. He caught up with the blonde and quickly pulled him into one of the secret passages that lined that particular hall. Malfoy gaped at him.

"What do you think your doing Potter?" He exclaimed. Harry shushed him and pressed his ear to the wall.

"Your father hasn't given up." He whispered. Draco went white. "He was coming this way." Harry put his finger to his lips and mouthed 'I hear him.' Draco nodded shakily and wrapped his arms around his seemingly flat stomach. Harry could hear Lucius out in the hall. He uttered a quiet curse at finding the hall empty and rapped his cane sharply on the stone floor of the hall. Harry waited a few seconds longer and then heard him walking away. He pulled the Marauders map from his pocket and tapped it with his wand. He waited until Malfoy senior's footprints disappeared from the castle before he opened the door. "He's gone." Harry said as Draco stepped back into the hall. "Will he come back?" Draco shook his head but Harry could see he was shaking.

"I have a witness now that I had no intentions of going home. He won't try to force it any more." The boy sagged with weariness. Harry couldn't believe what he had heard in the corridor.

"Are you alright?" He asked the shaking young man. He saw Malfoy struggle to reign in his emotions and finally succeed. He nodded.

"I'm fine. Thank you, Potter." He said awkwardly. Harry nodded and both boys set off for their respective common rooms.

Hermione and Ron returned on January fourth. Harry told them about Malfoy as soon as possible. They stared at him in disbelief. Hermione's eyes turned glossy as she sat contemplating the boy's predicament.

"Oh, that poor boy." She said softly. "He won't ever be able to go home. Not unless he wants to risk the same thing happening again." She wiped away a stray tear that ran down her cheek. "He's going to have to disappear at the end of term." Harry nodded.

"We'll help him figure it out. If he lets us that is." Ron nodded his agreement. They sat and tossed around ideas until it was time for dinner. All three looked for Malfoy as soon as they entered. The boy looked even more pale and withdrawn than usual. As they headed for the Gryffindor table Millicent Bullstrode called from the Slytherin table.

"Hey Potter. Get ready to eat Slytherin dust in the game tomorrow." Harry and Hermione flinched simultaneously as the Slytherin table broke in to laughter. Ron looked at them questioningly. Hermione was berating herself when they sat down.

"How could we have forgotten about Quidditch?" She looked at Harry. "How could he take that chance? He shouldn't be going anywhere near a broom!" Harry put a calming hand on her shoulder.

"He doesn't have a choice Hermione. You know that." Harry glanced at the boy in question. "If he doesn't play, they'll know. The other people in his house are probably watching him. I'll bet they all know what happened. I'm sure they've been told to report back if they notice anything suspicious." Hermione slumped in her seat. Harry patted her back reassuringly. "Practice your levitation and blocking spells and watch him closely during the game tomorrow. If he seems to be having trouble, help him." Ron looked outraged.

"Help the Slytherin team? Are you mental?" He asked in a loud hiss. Harry glanced around quickly but no one seemed to have heard Ron's outburst.

"Just Malfoy, Ron. Not the whole team." Ron quirked an eye brow and Harry elaborated. "If he falls, levitate him. If you see a bludger headed for him, block it. Just keep him safe and try to make sure you aren't noticed. I'll try to end the game as soon as possible."

The next day turned out to be perfect for playing quidditch. The sky was overcast, but it wasn't raining. After dinner that evening Harry marched to the pitch determined to make this the fastest game ever played. He focused on nothing but the snitch. From the moment it was released from it's box Harry tracked it. The trick was to not watch the ball itself. Just to keep his eye in that general area. If he focused directly on the ball he lost it. If he just kept track of it's general vicinity he could catch its darting motions much easier. As soon as the whistle blew Harry took off after the snitch. He chased it around the pitch twice studiously ignoring all else. He heard a few gasps and yells, but stubbornly ignored the little voice that kept telling him to have a look. On the third zigzag across the pitch he gained a bit on the little ball. He put on a quick burst of speed and had the struggling orb in his grasp. When he looked up he saw that it had taken a total of ten minutes. He shrugged. It wasn't a record breaker, but it seemed to be good enough. He saw Malfoy standing to the side of the pitch, slightly apart from the rest of his team, but uninjured as far as Harry could tell. Neither team had had time to score, but with Harry catching the snitch, Gryffindor had won.

"We had to block three bludger attacks!" Ron exclaimed when Harry joined them for the walk back to the castle. "And I'm pretty sure that two of them came from his own team." He added with a scowl. "What a lot of filthy gits!" Harry and Hermione both looked surprised at his vehemence. "What?" He said with an agitated look. "It's one thing to go after Malfoy on a normal day, but those idiots are trying to take out an innocent baby along with him. It's not right." Harry and Hermione looked at each other, relieved that Ron had finally come over to their way of thinking.

Over the next couple of weeks the trio started to notice a distinct change in the way Malfoy's house mates were treating him. Instead of ignoring him as they had been, they started badgering him. Pushing him in the corridors, chucking odd bits of food at him during meals, and even going so far as to try and foul his potions work. They had to admire him though. He always kept his composure. He never fell from the pushes and just flicked away any of the food bits that happened to hit him. He managed to save all of his potions from disaster and in the process earn a new respect from Hermione.

"He really is skilled at Potions." She said one day as they trudged out of class. "I'm pretty sure that Goyle dumped fireweed sap into his potion. It should have caused the whole thing to boil like mad and evaporate. I wonder what he used to counter it." She slid her bag off of her shoulder and dug out her potions text, trusting the boys to keep her heading in the right direction as she read.

It was about a week later that things started to get out of control. Malfoy was walking down the hall when Theodore Knott came running out of no where and gave Draco a shove that sent him sprawling. He yelled as he fell and tried to break his fall with his arms but he didn't get them up in time. He fell full on his stomach and yelled again curling up in a ball as soon as he landed. Harry was about to step in and try to stop the fight that was brewing, when Professor McGonagall's voice stopped every one in their tracks.

"Mr. Knott!" She bellowed. She walked over to Malfoy and taking him gently by the arm, helped him to his feet. Harry could see that it hurt him to straighten up completely. The professor had turned immediately from Malfoy to Knott who glared at her belligerently. She was about to give him a severe tongue lashing when another voice interrupted.

"Is there a problem with my students Professor?" Snape asked in a casual sort of way. Professor McGonagall nodded briskly.

"Mr. Knott just gave Draco Malfoy an unwarranted shove that was strong enough to send him flying. I was just about to deduct points." Professor Snape curled his lip in disdain.

"Thank you, Minerva, but I will deal with my students." Professor McGonagall harrumphed in disgust.

"See that you do Severus. We are not blind to the changes in attitude taking place in your house and I will go to Dumbledore before I allow a student to be harmed out of pure malice; no matter which house they belong to." She turned to Draco who had finally managed to stand up straight. "Are you alright Mr. Malfoy?" Draco nodded mutely. "Do you need to go see Madam Pomfrey?" She asked.

"No professor. I'm fine." He said in a clipped tone. Professor McGonagall nodded.

"Fine then. Everyone, go on. Off to your next class. Quickly!" The hall emptied quickly but Harry saw Hermione glance anxiously over her shoulder watching Malfoy go the opposite direction. She got really worried when he didn't show up for dinner that evening. The trio quickly ran back out into the hall and found a darkened niche where Harry could pull out the marauders map with out being seen.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." He said as he tapped the map with his wand. They searched quickly for Malfoy's dot.

"There." Ron said as he jabbed a finger at the spot. Harry glanced quickly at the location.

"He's in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Come on." He cleared the map and put it away as they hurried down the corridor. When they reached the bathroom they checked to make sure no one was around and quickly disappeared inside. Hermione locked the door behind them. Harry quickly checked under the stalls for feet and pointed at the stall on the opposite end. "Malfoy, is that you?" The door flew open in answer and Harry found himself staring down Draco's wand. He raised his hands in surrender immediately and Draco quickly lowered his wand as he realized who it was.

"What do you want?" He asked in a cracked voice. He came out of the stall and Harry could see that he had removed his concealment charms. He heard Hermione gasp quietly when she saw his stomach. "You didn't come to dinner. We were worried." Harry said.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked in a soft voice. "That was a pretty hard fall you had earlier." Draco looked down and shrugged. When he looked back up he had tears in his eyes. "What?" Hermione asked gently.

"It's not moving." Draco said in a shaky voice. "It's usually really active in the evenings, but I haven't felt a single kick since I fell." He swiped hastily at a tear that had escaped down his cheek. "I don't know if anything's wrong." Hermione nodded and gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. She dug out her wand and gently tapped his belly with it.

"Audire prolase." She said. The room was quickly filled with a rapid whooshing noise. Draco looked at her confused. "It's your baby's heart beat." She said a trace of wonder in her voice. Draco closed his eyes and allowed his hands to come up and cradle his belly. A few more tears snuck out from behind his closed lids. "It's 136 beats a minute. Anywhere from 120 to 160 is considered normal." She said. Draco heaved a relieved sigh. He opened his eyes and looked at Harry.

"I told you she's been researching." Draco just shook his head in disbelief. Hermione cleared her throat and he looked at her.

"Have you felt any cramping or had any bleeding since the fall?" She asked. Draco shook his head. "Well, that's reassuring. Can I do two more spells? They're just quick diagnostics to make sure everything else is okay." Draco nodded and Hermione set to work. She was finished in a matter of minutes. "Everything looks good." She said. "You're both healthy as far as I can tell and the baby has already turned head down. You shouldn't have to worry about a breach birth." Draco sighed again and seemed to relax a bit further. Hermione placed her hand on his arm again and he looked up at her. "Draco, please let us help you. You shouldn't have to go through this on your own. We want to help." Harry and Ron both nodded in agreement when he looked at them.

"I'll think about it. That's all I can promise right now." Hermione nodded but slumped a bit in defeat. Harry spoke up.

"Remember, if you decide you want us to come just call for Dobby. He'll come and find me if you ask him too." Draco nodded and wiped the last traces of tears from his face. He gasped as he stood and then started to laugh smoothing a hand over his stomach. He smiled broadly.

"It's moving." He said. The trio smiled back and watched as he quickly replaced his concealment charms and left. They stood there for a moment or two more before Hermione spoke.

"Well, at least I know more of what we're dealing with now." The boys looked at her questioningly. She sighed. "The first spell I cast did check for the health of both Draco and the baby. The second spell was one to tell me more about Draco. Up until now I wasn't even sure he'd be able to give birth. I haven't a single clue what combination of spells and potions they might have used to achieve this pregnancy. But at least now I know that one of them changed his anatomy. He should be able to deliver naturally. If it's the one I think it is though I do believe that he is probably in constant pain." She said with a troubled look. Harry looked at her as they started to leave the room.

"Why?" he asked. "What would be causing him pain?" She sighed and started to explain.

"I'm pretty sure that they used a potion developed by medi-witches a long time ago that was designed to widen the internal pelvic structure of women whose pelvises were to narrow for child birth. It works slowly through the course of the pregnancy and is usually paired up with a pain reliever of some sort. As far as I can tell, he hasn't had any pain relieving potions." Ron grimaced in sympathy as Hermione's brow furrowed in thought. "That potion I was telling you about before Christmas, though…that one would work." She quickened her pace back to the Great Hall. "Come on. Let's hurry up and eat. I want to brew a batch tonight. We can give it to him tomorrow."

Hermione brewed the potion perfectly, of course and they waited for an opportunity to give it to him. Harry managed to pass him a note during herbology asking the boy to meet him after class in the secret passage where they had hidden from Malfoy senior. Draco responded with a barely perceptible nod. Hermione handed Harry the vial of potion as soon as the end of class bell rang and Harry took off at a slow trot for the castle. He had been in the passageway for only a minute or so when Malfoy showed up. Harry handed him the vial.

"What's this?" Malfoy asked in a surprise as his eyebrows rose a notch or two. Harry smiled.

"It's a pain relieving potion for your hips." Malfoy's eyebrows almost merged with his hairline. "Well, they hurt don't they?" Harry asked. The other boy nodded.

"Yes, they do. But how in bloody hell did you know that?" Harry shrugged, then explained.

"One of the spells Hermione did yesterday. She said she's pretty sure they used a potion on you that was designed to widen the pelvis of women who were too narrow for child birth. She said it's supposed to be paired with a pain reliever but it didn't appear that you had had any. She thought it must be causing you pain and brewed that last night." Draco shook his head and tried to hand the potion back.

"Tell her I said thank you, but I'm not taking anything that might affect the baby in any way." Harry just smiled and pushed the potion back towards Draco.

"Hermione looked that potion up weeks ago. It was the only one she could find that was safe for use during pregnancy. She used me and Ron for guinea pigs. It works pretty good and doesn't taste to bad." Draco still looked hesitant and Harry sighed. "Draco, she would never offer it to you if she wasn't one hundred percent sure that it was safe. She's determined to make sure you get through this alright. At least as much as you'll let her."

"Alright." He finally agreed. "What's the dosage?" Harry pointed to the vial and Draco noticed little lines marked on it.

"One segment a day. That's a ten day phial. Hermione will leave a new one in here every ten days. You can just leave the empty one when you take the new." Draco nodded.

"Tell her I said thank you; both for the potion and for being horribly persistent." Harry chuckled and nodded.

"I will." He said. He paused to listen for any noise in the hall before leaving and saw Draco raise the phial to study the markings before he began to unscrew the cap. His smile broadened as he stepped into the empty corridor. He went directly to the common room and was met almost immediately by Hermione's anxious face.

"He said, and I quote; 'tell her I said thank you, both for the potion and for being horribly persistent.' end quote." Hermione smiled broadly. Over the next couple of days they noticed that Malfoy seemed to be better rested and that he didn't move quite as slowly as he had before.

The Slytherins kept up with their 'annoy Malfoy' campaign but the violence of the last attack was not repeated.

"Snape must have warned them to back off." Ron said as he glowered at their table during breakfast. Malfoy sat alone at one end of the table. Harry nodded.

"Yeah, well, we wouldn't want Dumbledore asking questions now would we. That might interfere with old Voldie's breeding plans." He said as he shuddered in disgust.

"I'm glad." Hermione said. "He's hit the eight month mark now and another fall like that last one would be disastrous." She gathered a fork full of eggs and took a quick look at Malfoy. "We're going to need to start watching him closely for any signs that he might be in labor." She turned to Harry. "Do you think you could have a word with Dobby? Ask him to keep alert?"

"Yeah, that shouldn't be a problem." He said as he mopped up his plate with his last bit of toast. "I'll talk to him before class." He stuffed the toast in his mouth and chewed for a moment before looking at his friends. "Did you know that Dobby was his nurse before he came to school? Dobby says Draco was never bad to him. He was cold and distant when his father was around, but Dobby says Draco never hit him. He really wants to help." The breakfast dishes disappeared from the table and everyone started to migrate toward the big double doors and head in different directions. Harry managed to grab his books and have a quick chat with Dobby without being late for charms class.

After dinner that evening they went up to the Room of Requirement to go over some of the things that Hermione wanted the boys to know. They vowed that they would be scarred for life. One of the texts that she had found at Flourish and Blotts went over male childbirth in great detail and thanks to the wonders of wizard photography, they even got to watch one. "That was ten times worse than any of the horror movies that Dudley watches." Harry said as he and Ron helped Hermione stack all her books on one of the tables. Ron shuddered.

"Did you hear that poor bloke scream?" He asked. He turned to Hermione. "I mean, have they never heard of pain potions?" Hermione shook her head in exasperation.

"Ron, I already told you. The only one safe enough for pregnancy is the one Draco is already taking. It'll only take the edge off of the contractions. He's going to be in a lot of pain. That's why we're moving on to muggle texts tomorrow. I'm going to teach you two how to help him relax with breathing exercises and stuff. It's called Lamaze." Ron looked skeptical.

"So if we help him do this Lamaze stuff it won't hurt?" Hermione scoffed.

"Oh it'll hurt. You may even get to hear him scream. This will hopefully just help him deal with it better." She said as she finished putting the last book on its shelf. Ron glared at her.

"That's not fair Hermione. We don't want to hear him scream. I don't want to know that someone is in that much pain and be unable to do anything about it, even if it is Malfoy." Harry said moodily. Hermione smiled.

"Good. Then I'm sure you'll learn all you can so you can help him cope." She said as they left the room and headed for Gryffindor tower.

"And what will you be doing while we're helping him cope?" Ron asked snidely.

"I'll be at the business end of things playing catch. Want to trade?" She said as they climbed through the portrait hole. Harry and Ron both grimaced.

"No, no. That's alright. We'll handle the coping bit. That'll be good." Harry stammered. Ron nodded briskly in agreement.

For the next couple of weeks Harry and Ron learned all about breathing and relaxation techniques, positions for relieving back pain, birthing balls, the benefits of laboring in water and any other tidbit or tool that Hermione thought might come in useful. Harry even had the opportunity to test the breathing methods for himself when his hand was smashed by a bludger during their match against Hufflepuff. Madame Pomfrey gave him a very odd look when he walked through her door cradling his broken hand and doing Lamaze breathing, but he couldn't have cared less. The stupid stuff actually worked.

It was the day before the Easter holidays when it started. They hadn't had any classes with Malfoy that morning, so, when he showed up at lunch looking pale and moving slower than normal Hermione noticed immediately.

"Oh my." She said softly. "Looks like it could be show time." The boys looked up at her and followed her gaze.

"Are you sure?" Ron asked as he studied Malfoy. Hermione shook her head.

"Of course I'm not. But look at him. He's white as a sheet and he's not eating. He's just pushing the food around his plate." As soon as she said this Malfoy closed his eyes and gripped his fork hard enough to bend it. He stayed that way for a few seconds then slowly started to breathe again as he relaxed his grip on the utensil. "That looked like a contraction to me." She said as Malfoy laid the bent fork on the table and got up from his bench.

"Should I go after him?" Harry asked her. She shook her head and frowned as she watched the Slytherin boy leave the hall.

"He needs to ask for the help. He'll just see it as an intrusion and resent us for it otherwise." Harry relaxed back into his seat and Hermione growled in frustration. "I just wish he wasn't so stubborn!" She hissed. Ron laid a hand on her arm.

"He'll ask Hermione. Only an insane person would choose to go through that alone." She nodded and looked back at Ron.

"Or a desperate one." She said and pushed her food away, her appetite gone. They didn't see Malfoy again until the very last class of the day, Herbology. He looked awful. About halfway through the class Harry looked over to see that the boy's eyes were closed again and he was trying to massage his lower back without being noticed. As Harry watched a trickle of moisture ran down the side of Malfoy's face. Harry poked the trowel he was using into his pile of dirt and walked over to Draco.

"Could you move Malfoy? I need a bigger trowel and you're blocking them." Harry said tersely as he leaned across where Malfoy was working. As he did so, he surreptitiously took the heel of his hand and pressed it firmly into the small of the other boy's back. Malfoy inhaled sharply at the immediate relief he felt. He still had the presence of mind to snap back at Harry though.

"Sod off, Potter." He snarled. Harry grabbed the trowel he was supposed to be reaching for and glaring back at Malfoy stomped back to his own work space. Hermione smiled and nodded her approval.

"Should it be hurting him this much already?" Harry asked her quietly as they went back to work on their seedlings. Hermione shook her head.

"It's the concealment charms. They make it feel worse." She whispered back. She looked at the boys. "When he finally does get around to asking for our help, whoever gets to him first, make him drop those charms. They'll keep the labor from progressing." Harry and Ron both nodded.

When the class ended Hermione agonized over watching Malfoy make his slow and painful way back to the castle unaided. They loitered on the stairs until they saw him coming through the entrance hall then made a bee-line for the room of requirement. Hermione turned to Harry as they entered.

"Go and get your cloak. That way we can get him up here without the concealment charms." Harry smiled at her and pulled the invisibility cloak from his school bag.

"I've been keeping it handy for the last few weeks, just in case." She gave him a big smile and went to check all of her preparations. Harry and Ron were just finished helping Hermione arrange the lighting to her satisfaction when Dobby ran into the room. They all looked at each other knowingly. The elf looked up at Harry wringing his hands.

"Harry Potter, Sir. Master Draco is sending Dobby to find you Sir." Harry nodded to him.

"I'll go to him Dobby. Where is he?" Harry asked as he stuffed the cloak in his pocket and headed for the door.

"He is in the bathroom with the crying ghost, Sir. His stomach is hurting him." Dobby said with a whimper.

"We know it is Dobby. We're going to try to help him though. Wait here and I'll bring him back." Harry raced back down stairs, extremely glad that the rest of the school was in the great hall having their dinner. He slowed as he reached the corridor with Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and checked to make sure the way was clear. Seeing no one, he dashed over to the door and quickly eased his way in. Malfoy was sitting hunched against the far wall of the room with his eyes clenched shut and breathing harshly.

"In through your nose and out through your mouth, Malfoy." He said. "Slow and deep." Draco started violently and his eyes flew open when he heard Harry's voice but he just groaned loudly and closed them again. "I'm serious Malfoy. Try it. It helps." Harry said as he walked over and knelt beside the other boy. Draco shook his head though and his breathing started to ease.

"It's going." He said, a bit breathlessly. Harry nodded in understanding and stood to wet a paper towel at the sink. He handed it to Malfoy who placed it against his flushed face and sighed. "I didn't think it was going to hurt this much this early on." He admitted as he took the cloth away from his face. Harry nodded and knelt back down again.

"You need to drop the concealment charms." He said. "Hermione said they will make the pain worse and keep your labor from progressing." Draco shook his head.

"I can't yet. I can't go out there without them." He closed his eyes and rested his head back against the wall with another sigh. Harry smiled as he pulled the invisibility cloak from his pocket.

"You can if you use this." He said. Draco opened his eyes and then did a double take as he saw what Harry was holding. "The halls are empty right now. We should be fine if we hurry." He looked questioningly at Draco. "How far apart are your contractions?" He asked. Draco started to struggle to his feet. Harry stood and offered him a hand up.

"They're about ten minutes apart. Have been for hours." He said a s he fingered the gossamer fabric of the cloak. "Where did you get this?" He looked at Harry in amazement and Harry chuckled.

"It was my father's. Now drop the concealment charms please, or Hermione will throttle me when she sees us." Draco smiled halfheartedly.

"I'd pay good money to see that." He said and then uttered the counter charm for the concealments. Harry watched as Draco's midsection began to swell to alarming proportions. He sighed deeply and ran his hands restlessly over the prominent bulge of his belly.

"Wow." Harry said. Draco snorted and Harry was finally able to drag his eyes away from the other boy's stomach. He shrugged at Draco then tossed him the cloak. "Let's get out of here, before you start with another contraction."

"Where are we going?" Draco asked as he pulled the cloak over himself and disappeared from view. Harry smiled as he opened the door and checked to make sure the hall was clear.

"You'll see." He stepped out and started to lead the way back to the Room of Requirement. They were about half way there when Harry felt a tug on his sleeve and heard Draco whisper.

"I have to stop a minute." Harry nodded and bent down to act like he was retying his trainers. He heard Draco breathing softly in through his nose and out through his mouth and thought that this one seemed a bit easier than the last one had been. Hermione must have been right about the affect of the charms. About a minute or so later they got moving again and finally reached the safety of the Room of Requirement. Harry led the way into the room and held the door for Draco. When he closed the door he concentrated his thoughts on the ideas of privacy, secrecy, and safety for all of them. He turned just as Draco was pulling off the invisibility cloak. He was looking around in wonder.

"What is this place?" He asked, as he took in the low set bed, the birthing balls in various sizes, and the large whirlpool tub bubbling softly in the center of the room. Hermione smiled.

"The house elves call it the room of requirement." She said. "If you know how to access it, it will provide whatever you are in need of." She took Draco's arm and guided him further into the room. "How are you doing?" She asked calmly. Draco shrugged.

"Better since I dropped the concealment charms. I didn't know they would make the pain worse. It wasn't in anything I read about them." He rubbed his stomach. "I guess I didn't find the same books you did." Hermione shook her head.

"I didn't have to worry about anybody wondering why I wanted the books. You did. It limits what you can ask for." Draco nodded in agreement. Hermione drew in deep breath. "Well, down to business. How far apart are your contractions?" She asked as she drew him over to a rocking chair a few feet from the door.

"About ten minutes I think. My water hasn't broken yet either." He said as he sat back into the chair. Hermione nodded with a smile on her face.

"That's good. You don't want it to break to early or you risk infection. Can I check on the baby's heart rate?" Draco nodded and she gently tapped his belly with her wand as she had done before and spoke the appropriate spell. The soft steady whooshing sound of the baby's heartbeat filled the room. She smiled. "Sounds good." Draco started to breathe deeply again as he leaned back in the chair and rested a hand against his belly. Hermione listened as the baby's heart rate slowed a bit with the contraction. Draco looked worried but Hermione shook her head and motioned for him to wait. The rhythm started to speed up again as the contraction receded and Hermione nodded in approval. "That's the important part.." She said as she ended the spell. "It's normal for the heart rate to slow down a little with the contractions and as long as it recovers and speeds back up afterwords, you're fine." Draco nodded and Harry and Ron were surprised to see him quickly wipe away a few stray tears.

"What's wrong?" asked Ron. Draco shook his head and sighed deeply as he stood back up.

"I'm just realizing how stupid I was to think I could do this alone. When I think about the tiny bit of research I did compared to what you've done..." He said as he gestured toward the room with all of its amenities. He looked at all three of them, his face as open as they'd ever seen it. "Thank you." Hermione blushed slightly and Harry could tell they were all a bit uncomfortable so he decided to speak up.

"Wait until you see what Hermione wants you to wear then we'll see if you're still thankful." Ron sniggered as Hermione turned and smacked Harry on the arm.

A few minutes later, Draco emerged from a curtain covered cubicle waddling as he walked and wearing a black short sleeved gown that reached down to his knees. It had silver snaps holding it closed all down the front. He looked up at Harry and Ron who were both trying to keep straight faces and sighed.

"At least it's black." He said in a resigned voice. He walked over and sat in the rocking chair again. Hermione approached him again.

"I found a spell that I can use to determine how things are progressing for you. It'll be a lot less intrusive than the traditional manor of checking." Malfoy raised a questioning eye brow.

"Which would be?" He asked. Hermione blushed slightly.

"Using my fingers to check how far the cervix has dilated." Malfoy blushed scarlet and pulled the gown further down over his knees while Harry and Ron both winced in sympathy. Malfoy cleared his throat.

"Well, I'm glad you found that particular spell." Hermione smiled at him and settled herself in a chair across from him.

"Just so you know, I will be the one helping you deliver. Harry and Ron haven't the stomachs for it. From what I hear though, most people don't care by that point." Draco nodded looking a bit apprehensive. "We wanted to talk you before you started to get to uncomfortable though." Draco looked at them questioningly. "What are you planning to do after the baby's born? It'll be a little hard to hide." Draco slumped, looking a bit defeated.

"I haven't been able to figure anything out." He said quietly. "I can't take it home. I can't keep it here. I haven't been able to think of anyone who would be able to take it and keep it safe. Everyone I used to consider my friends have turned their backs on me." He swiped at a tear making its way down his cheek. Harry stepped up and put a reassuring hand on Draco's shoulder. Draco looked up at him.

"You have new friends now and we want to help." Draco's face looked startled for a moment before he began to cry with pure relief. They gave him a few moments to collect himself.

"Stupid hormones." He said as Ron handed him a tissue. Hermione spoke up next.

"I talked to my parents about you." She said. He looked sharply up at her and she raised her hand to forestall his objections. "They said they'd be willing to keep the baby for you. You have to admit; my house is the last place they would ever look for a death eater's baby." Draco's head snapped up and he looked angry.

" I'm not a Death Eater! I'd never become one of them!" He said vehemently as he held out his bare forearms for them to see. Hermione looked apologetic. She shook her head quickly to placate him.

"I didn't mean it that way. I'm sorry. I meant the other one...the fa...Oh for Pete's sake. I' refuse to say father. Let's just call him the sperm donor." Draco nodded quietly, thinking. "Do you know which one it was?" Hermione asked him. Draco looked down at his hands as he smoothed them over his belly.

"It's either Dolohov, McNair, or Pettigrew." He said quietly. Harry gasped.

"Pettigrew? Ugh, let hope it's one of the other two." He said with a shiver of disgust. Hermione glared at Harry and bent closer to Draco. He refused to look up and she knelt in front of him lifting his chin with her fingers.

"You know that this isn't your fault, right? That you're not to blame in any of this?" His eyes were shiny again as he looked at her. "They used you and made you a victim of a horrible act. No one should ever have to go through what you did and I think you are so brave for getting through that alone." He heaved a sigh that turned into a sob and started to lean toward her. She rose up on her knees and wrapped her arms around him as he cried out his hurt and his fear and his loneliness. "You don't have to do it alone anymore. We're here and we won't go away. We'll help you figure out how you can be safe. So you don't have to be afraid anymore." Draco suddenly let out a soft gasp and pulled away from Hermione. He sat back with his reddened eyes closed breathing the way Harry had told him to. One of his hands rubbed his belly while the other clutched tightly to Hermione's.

"They're getting closer together." Ron said as he glanced up from his watch. "About eight minutes." Hermione smiled.

"That's good." She said. "You said they've been about the same all day. This means you're making progress." Draco gave a rather grim smile. "Are they getting stronger?" He nodded.

"A bit." Hermione drew out her wand and gave it a complicated little wave followed by a tap to the underside of Draco's belly. A wisp of smoke came from the tip of her wand and slowly formed a number three.

"You're at three centimeters." She said. "You've still got a ways to go." Draco rubbed his belly.

"I have to get to ten, right?" He asked as he looked up at her. Hermione nodded and he sighed. She looked at him thoughtfully.

"Do you want to talk about your plans now or wait until later?" She asked him as he shifted in his seat.

"Now I guess, while I can still think clearly." Hermione nodded and stood, pulling a chair up beside Draco's.

"Well, as I said, my parents are willing to keep the baby for you. They said they will keep it until it's safe for you to take care of it on your own, or permanently if you decide you're not ready to be a parent. It's up to you." Draco looked at her, dumbfounded.

"Why would they do that? They don't know me. All they know of me is what you've told them, and I'm sure most of that was unpleasant." Hermione shrugged.

"The current circumstances are all that matter." Draco looked down at his hands which were resting on top of his belly as he thought about the offer. He looked back up at Hermione.

"They wouldn't have trouble giving it back? It could be years before it's safe for me to take it." Hermione looked at him.

"Well, We'll expect you to visit whenever it's safe for you to do so and we can use pictures too so that the baby will know who you are. As long as my parent's know that you intend to be with your baby as soon as possible, then they'll be prepared to let it go when that time comes." She looked down with a bit of a sad smile. "I'm sure it'll be hard for all of us when that happens . It's impossible to care for a baby for any period of time and not get attached. But we'll all manage." Draco studied her for a moment. And they were all a bit surprised when he actually nodded his agreement.

"I don't want to send my baby away. But, your right. A muggle home, with no connection to me or any one I would normally associate with is the safest place for it. I'll do it." He quickly wiped away another stray tear and heaved a deep sigh. "How will your parent's explain away a new baby?" He asked. "And for that matter, how will you get it to them?" Hermione smiled serenely.

"Do you know what foster parents are?" Draco shook his head. "Foster parents are people who volunteer to temporarily take care of other people's children. There are any number of reasons that a foster parent might be needed, but it's usually temporary. My parents have already told everyone that they were considering fostering, so it shouldn't raise any flags when your baby shows up. As for how to get it to them.." She sighed and rested back in her seat. "I'm going to have to involve Dumbledore." Draco's eyes flew wide and he jumped to his feet as fast as his cumbersome load would allow.

"Are you mental!" He shouted. "You can't tell Dumbledore! If I had wanted him meddling I'd have gone to him straight off. If he meddles someone will find out. They'll get to my baby." He said with a strained voice as his hands came down to cradle his belly. "You can't..." He broke off with a sharp intake of breath. He leaned over and rested his hands on the table top, letting his head hang down as he breathed through another contraction. They all waited for it to pass. When it did he looked up at her again. His eyes pleading. "You can't tell him." Hermione got up and walked to the overstressed boy across from her; taking his arm and guiding him back to his seat.

"I wasn't planning on telling him anything." She said as she pulled her chair up right next to his. "Once the baby is born, I'm going to send my parents a note saying I want to come home for a few days. They're waiting for that and they'll know that the baby has come. They'll send Dumbledore a note asking him to connect them to the flue network and send me home through it. I'll have the baby in a basket masquerading as Crookshanks, my cat. I'll have to put silencing charms on it though. This is actually really good timing. I'm missing the train home for the Easter holidays. We can say that I've changed my mind and that I want to go home after all. The baby will probably sleep through it all." Draco just stared at her, flabbergasted.

"And you set all of this up, without even knowing whether or not I would come to you?" He asked. Hermione just smiled. Ron reached out and patted her shoulder.

"That's our Hermione. She likes to be prepared." Hermione grinned up at him. "So, now that that's settled, fancy a game of chess?" Draco nodded and Ron ran off to get his chess board.

The next couple of hours seemed to creep by as Draco's contractions slowly got closer together and increased in both strength and duration. He played a couple of games of chess with Ron and Harry, losing to Ron but easily beating Harry. Hermione encouraged him to walk around periodically and to spend a little time on one of the birthing balls.

"It helps to open things up." She insisted when he gave her a quarrelsome look. A little while later, after Draco had given up on the ball, she asked Dobby to bring them a bite to eat. She had to veto Draco's request for a large roast beef sandwich, and he looked positively mutinous when she said that he could only have soup.

"It won't be long until the contractions get hard enough that they could make you nauseous. Do you really want a roast beef sandwich with all the trimmings in your stomach at that point?" Draco sat in his chair with his arms crossed petulantly over his belly, but he didn't argue.

After they had eaten, Hermione got her wand out to check his progress again. Draco was certain that he must have made a fair amount of progress in the last few hours. She gently tapped the underside of his belly again and they all watched as the smoke emitted from her wand slowly formed into a number four. Draco looked crestfallen.

"That's it?" He asked in a hushed voice. "It's been three hours since the last time you checked. One centimeter?" He hung his head in resignation. Hermione rubbed his shoulder.

"It takes time." She said. "Labor can go on for days. I'm sure you're aware of that." He nodded his head and looked up at her.

"I was hoping to go quick. I don't know if I can handle a long labor." Hermione just gave his shoulder a quick squeeze as he closed his eyes and started to breathe through another contraction.

"Why don't you lay down for awhile. See if you can get some rest in between contractions." She suggested when the pain had ended. " You'll be glad of it later." She said with a sympathetic smile as he looked back up at her. He nodded wearily and made his way to the bed in the corner of the room. Hermione followed and handed him pillows and blankets trying to help him get comfortable. She helped him stuff one last pillow under his belly and pulled a light blanket up over him before going back to look up more useful tidbits in her books.

Draco managed to rest for an hour or so before he needed to get up to use the loo. He seemed to be getting more uncomfortable and didn't want to lay back down.

"Can I just walk for a bit?" He asked Hermione. "It feels good to be up." She nodded.

"You can do whatever makes you feel the most comfortable. Let us know if we can do anything. We're here to help you, not direct you." He nodded and started a circuit around the room. He got about half way around before he stopped. He let his head hang down as he rubbed his belly and started to breathe through another contraction. Ron, having become the official timekeeper, looked at his watch and noted the time.

"He down to about six minutes." He said. Draco had started to hunch his shoulders as the contraction strengthened. Harry approached him and spoke softly.

"Relax your shoulders, Draco. Don't tense up. Remember to breathe." Draco nodded and inhaled deeply at Harry's reminder, letting his shoulders relax. "Can I do anything?" Harry asked him. Draco shook his head and let out a sigh as the contraction receded.

Draco continued walking and when his next pain hit, he leaned on a nearby table supporting his weight with his arms and letting his head hang. Harry stepped up behind him and pressed his thumbs into the pressure points on the back of Draco's hips. Draco let out a little groan at the release of pressure and started to rock his weight from side to side. His breathing became a little more strained as the pain peaked. Harry pressed in again and then ran the heels of his hands up along the laboring boy's spine, applying more pressure as he did so. Draco breathed a relieved sigh and straightened up as the contraction ebbed away. He spent another hour pacing the room with Harry massaging his back and shoulders during contractions.

"You're doing really well." Hermione said. "Can we check on your progress again?" Draco nodded as he reached for his cup of water. This time the smoke from Hermione's wand formed a number six. Hermione smiled at him. "You're over half way there." Draco smiled tentatively back and resumed his walk.

They all lost track of time as Draco's contractions slowly got stronger and closer together. He was starting to show the strain. The contractions were down to three minutes apart when he started to really have trouble coping. He was trying to breathe and Harry was applying almost constant pressure to his back, but he just wasn't getting any relief.

"Oh, my God." He groaned as he leaned against the wall. "Make it stop." He said in panting breaths. "Please, make it stop." He rested his forehead against the wall as he focused on keeping his legs underneath him. The contraction was peaking when he suddenly lifted his head and looked around frantically. He tried to take a step toward the nearest bin but couldn't make his legs work in the grip of the contraction. He looked pleadingly over his shoulder at Harry. Harry recognized the green tint the other boys face had taken.

"Are you going to be sick?" He asked quickly. Draco nodded and swallowed hard, but Harry could see him fighting the urge to retch. He took the couple of steps needed to reach the bin and had it in front of Draco in record time. Draco grabbed the bin and was sick, retching horribly while still in the grips of the contraction. His knees buckled but Harry caught him and lowered him slowly to the ground. Draco hunched over the bin and vomited again as Harry rubbed his back and looked desperately at Hermione. She walked to the sink and wet one of the cloths that was laying in wait beside it. She brought it over and took Harry's place beside Draco as she draped the cloth over the back of his neck. She banished the mess in the bin with a quick flick of her wand and leaned down to speak softly to Draco who was gasping for breath and groaning with each exhale.

"It's alright Draco. You're going to be okay. Just breathe." She started to breathe with him to help him get back into a rhythm as she gently stroked his back. Draco was finally able to straighten back up a bit as the contraction started to leave him. He looked at Hermione with fear in his eyes.

"I can't do this anymore." She leaned up to give him a hug and to Harry and Ron's shock Draco actually rested his head on her shoulder, looking very much like a scared and lost little boy.

"Shh. You're alright Draco. You're doing fine. I think it's just time to change things up a bit. How does a nice soak in the whirlpool sound? It should help you relax a little bit and take some of the pressure off of your back." She looked at him questioningly and he nodded in agreement. She motioned Harry and Ron over and they helped Draco to his feet. Hermione did a quick check on the baby's heart beat and Draco's progress. The baby's heart rate was fine and Draco was now eight centimeters dilated. Hermione led the way over to the whirlpool tub and double checked the temperature. She began to speak but was stopped short when Draco started to strip out of his gown. She whipped back around just before he dropped it to the ground, bearing his naked form. He started into the tub and Harry and Ron quickly stepped up to help him into the water. Harry tapped Hermione's shoulder to get her to turn around, but she proceeded to stare off in the opposite direction.

Harry looked back at Draco who closed his eyes as he felt another pain start to build and began his breathing again. Harry looked around the tub and spotted some towels rolled up next to it. He grabbed one of the towels and put it into the water to saturate it before draping it over Draco's lap. Draco opened his eyes in surprise and looked up at Harry. Harry nodded in Hermione's direction. "For Hermione's sake." He said with a grin. "I don't think she's ready for full frontal yet." Draco grinned back as he closed his eyes again and continued to breathe. Ron snorted in laughter as Hermione tentatively turned back around.
"Come off it, Hermione. You're going to have to look sooner or later." He said with a wide grin. Hermione blushed and knelt down beside the edge of the tub.

"I prefer later, thank you very much." She said as she took in the half smile on Draco's face. "Better?" She asked. He nodded but the current contraction was just reaching its peak and the smile was losing ground.

Over the next hour Draco ended up all over the tub in various positions trying to ease the ever increasing pain of his contractions. Hermione would only allow him to have ice chips to wet his mouth, hoping to keep him from getting sick again. He finally ended up back in the reclining seat at the end of the tub groaning and panting harshly. Ron and Harry were kneeling on either side of the tub with Draco grasping their hands. They could see his stomach contort into a rock hard peak with each powerful contraction. As the most recent contraction peaked his groan turned into a grunt as he raised bent knees and hunched slightly over his stomach. He quickly resumed his panting only to have the same thing happen again a few seconds later. Harry and Ron looked at Hermione who had also noticed. She too knelt beside the tub and gently touched Draco's cheek, prompting him to open his eyes.

"Draco, are you feeling like you need to push?" He nodded and tried to resume breathing. Hermione quickly fished out her wand and cast the progress tracking charm. The smoke that issued from the wand this time kept morphing from nine to ten and back again. Hermione smiled. "Close enough." She said. She touched Draco's cheek again. She gave him a big smile when he looked up at her. "Your baby's coming Draco. It's time to start pushing, okay?" He nodded slowly and gave her a breathy 'okay' back. "On your next contraction I want you to bear down, okay. Take a deep breath, hold it and push as hard as you can." He nodded as he relaxed for a moment in between contractions. Hermione hurried into the changing cubicle. She'd barely disappeared inside when Draco started groaning again.

"Go ahead and push." She called out. "I'll be there in a minute." Draco grabbed Harry and Ron's hands and using them for leverage, bore down as hard as he could. He held it for a few seconds and then relaxed, panting to catch his breath. He rested for a moment before taking another deep breath and pushing again. Hermione emerged from the changing room in a bathing suit at this point and approached the tub. She quickly cast a cleansing spell over herself and entered the tub laying her wand off to the side. The tub morphed around them creating a seat for Hermione at Draco's feet and sprouting a foot rest on each side of the tub. Draco was starting to relax again as the contraction ebbed away.

"Draco." She waited until he opened his eyes and looked at her. "I need to look now, okay?" He nodded and she removed the towel from his lap. She scooted to the edge of her seat and rested his feet on her knees, encouraging him to let his knees drop apart. They were both blushing but no one made any comment this time. Draco started another contraction and Hermione had no problem locating the entrance to the birth canal. She encouraged him to push and was surprised to see just the barest trace of the baby's head appear as he did so. It retreated and disappeared as soon as he stopped pushing though. He closed his eyes and rested during the brief lull between pains. Hermione was ready when his breathing started to speed up with the next contraction.

"Push Draco! Push hard!" She watched as a small circle of baby fine hair covered by a thin membrane appeared at the opening and slowly got larger. It retreated again when he stopped pushing but Hermione knew it wouldn't be long. She spoke again as he rested between contractions. "I can see the baby's head when your pushing Draco. It's going to be crowning soon. You're going to feel a really strong burning sensation when that starts to happen but that's normal. It's the skin stretching to let the baby through, but, if I tell you to stop pushing you need to listen okay?" He nodded but questioned her.

"Why would I need to stop?" He asked in an exhausted voice. He started contracting again and Hermione waited to answer him.

"Sometimes the head can come too fast and cause the skin and muscles to tear. Obviously we want to try and avoid that." She told him when the contraction had passed. "If I tell you to stop pushing, you need to try and stop. The urge to push is going to be really strong, just try to pant through it." She repositioned his feet onto the foot rests and rubbed his knee in encouragement. He groaned as another contraction started.

"Push Draco." She commanded. She looked up and saw him straining, griping Harry and Ron's hands for dear life. Their fingers were turning purple. She reached out and tapped his chest. "Chin to your chest Draco. Curl up around the baby when you push. You can grip your knees if it helps. Pull them back toward you." He nodded and complied, dropping his chin to his chest. He gasped in a quick breath and pushed again letting go of Harry and Ron's hands to try holding onto his knees. Hermione shifted his grip to the bend of his knees and looked back down to check the baby's progress. This time when Draco stopped pushing the head stayed visible.

"Draco, give me your hand." She said. He opened his eyes and looked at her questioningly. "Just give me your hand." She said again, smiling at him. He gave her his hand and she guided it down to touch the smooth surface of the baby's head just beginning to peek from his body. "That's your baby's head." He smiled tiredly.

"Is it bald?" He asked. Hermione laughed and shook her head.

"No, it actually looks like it has quite a bit of hair. Your water never broke. That smoothness is the amniotic sac. I'll have to break it once the head is out if it doesn't go itself." He nodded and pulled his hand back as his belly started to ball up with another contraction. He pushed again and again the head inched forward starting to stretch the tissues surrounding it. He took another gasping breath and pushed again. Before Hermione even had time to react, the baby's head rushed out with an accompanying yelp of pain from Draco.

"The head is out!" She said as she smiled up at him. She checked to see if the quick delivery of the head had caused any tears and was relieved to find none. Then she grabbed what looked like a crochet hook and used it to poke a hole in the tough membrane surrounding the baby. She pulled the membrane away from the face as the force of the contraction rotated the baby, lining up its shoulders with the path of least resistance. She quickly checked to make sure the cord wasn't around the baby's neck and then looked up to see who was closest to her supplies.

"Ron, once the baby is out I'll need you to hand me the aspirator. The blue thing with the squishy bulb on the end." Ron located the item and nodded to her. She turned her attention back to Draco "You're almost done Draco. Just a few more pushes." He nodded looking exhausted. His brow puckered and he groaned again as another pain started to build. He grasped his knees again and gave another long, hard push. He growled with pain as the shoulders slowly rotated out from under his pubic bone. He stopped pushing and gasped for breath.

"Get it out!" He growled as his hands flew up to reclaim Harry and Ron's. "Just get it out!" Hermione shook her head.

"I can't pull on the baby Draco. You have to do this yourself, now push! Push hard. You're almost there!" He gasped in a big breath and pushed with everything he had left. The baby's shoulders emerged one by one and the rest of the baby followed accompanied by a cloudy substance and quite a bit of blood. Draco slumped back into his seat, gasping in relief. Hermione quickly stripped the remainder of the amniotic sac off of the baby's body, noticing that the baby was a girl. She pulled the baby up so that just her head cleared the water and cradled her, holding her free hand out to Ron who quickly gave her the aspirator. Hermione suctioned out the baby's nose and mouth and gently moved her up onto Draco's chest.

"Say hello to your daughter Draco." He looked down in wonder and slowly brought his arms up to cradle his child to his chest. Hermione grabbed one of the towels and draped it over Draco and the baby, using an edge of it to clean off the baby's face and rub her back. The little girl didn't seem to care for the rubbing and finally let them hear her voice. Draco closed his eyes and leaned down to rest his cheek on her head.

"Hi Sweetheart." He said in a voice barely above a whisper. He looked back up at Hermione, his eyes moist with unshed tears. "Is she okay?" He asked. "She took so long to cry." Hermione nodded, reassuring him.

"She seems to be fine. Babies born in the water tend not to cry right away. It's an easier transition for them." She reached down and rested a finger against the cord that still connected Draco and his child. It was still pulsing with his heart beat. "Technically she doesn't even need to be breathing yet. You're still doing it for her." He nodded and turned his attention back to his child. Hermione reached over to her supplies and grabbed two plastic clips and a pair of surgical scissors. She positioned one of the clips close to the baby's belly and the other a few inches further out. She cut the cord between the two clips.

"She's on her own now." Draco started to wince as another contraction wound its way through his midsection. He let his head fall back onto the edge of the tub as he started his breathing again. Hermione reached out and started to massage Draco's abdomen. He groaned and tried to push her hand away. Ron leaned down next to him.

"The afterbirth still needs to come out. That's why she's doing that. To get it to come out quicker." The water in the tub was starting to get more than a little pink as the minutes passed and Hermione was starting to look worried as she continued to massage his abdomen. Even the boys could tell that the pain that Draco was feeling now was minimal compared to his earlier contractions.

"These contractions are pretty weak. They're not proving very effective." She said. She looked up at Draco and the baby. The baby was still fussing. Hermione reached up and brushed a finger on the baby's cheek. She turned her head and claimed the tip of Hermione's finger with her mouth, sucking vigorously. Hermione nodded in approval. "She's hungry already. I need you to nurse her Draco." He looked at her in shocked surprise.

"What!" He asked. Hermione sighed in exasperation.

"The placenta isn't coming. We need to get it out and the best way to stimulate the contractions again is for you to nurse her." Hermione waded the few steps up to where the baby rested on Draco's chest and helped him to reposition her. She helped him get the baby to latch on and watched in satisfaction as the little girl started to nurse. It worked. By the time the baby had finished and drifted off to sleep, the placenta had been delivered and Hermione was ready to move father and child out of the tub. She climbed out and cast a cleansing and drying spell on herself before donning a robe. She decided to leave Draco and the baby to rest in the tub for a moment while she freshened up the bed and put down an absorbent pad to protect the linens. She also pulled out a pair of warm pajamas and a pair of undershorts with a sanitary pad in them. She walked back to the tub and gently roused Draco.

"It's time to get you out of there and cleaned up." He nodded and Hermione held her arms out for the baby. She gathered her up and watched as Harry and Ron stepped forward to help Draco out of the water.

He levered his stiff and sore body up out of the water and slowly walked to the steps, one hand holding his still rounded stomach and the other clutching the edges of the large towel that Harry had draped over his shoulders as he stood. Harry and Ron each held an elbow as he ascended the three steps out of the tub and escorted him to the bed with Hermione trailing behind them.

When they reached the bed, Hermione cleaned and dried Draco using the same charms she had used on herself. Draco seated himself somewhat gingerly on the edge of the bed and she sat down beside him.

"I'm going to leave Harry and Ron to get you settled while I see to cleaning up this little one. I'm just going to take her right over there." She said as she pointed to the far corner of the room. Draco nodded but his gaze was focused on his baby's face.

"Are you going to take her today?" He asked softly as he glanced up at Hermione.

"Do you want me to?" Hermione asked. "It might be easier for you if I did." Draco shook his head as he looked back down at the baby and reached out to touch the tiny fingers that were peeking from her towel.

"No. I'd like to spend a little time with her before she goes. I don't know when I'll get to see her again." Hermione nodded.

"That's fine. I still have to let my parents know that she's been born. Once they get my note they'll send one to Dumbledore. It should take a day or so to get everything set up." He nodded and released the baby's fingers. Hermione stood. "Well, you go ahead and get dressed and comfortable. I'll bring her back as soon as she's all cleaned up." She started to walk away but turned quickly back.

"Oh, I almost forgot." She exclaimed as she pulled open a drawer in the bedside table. She withdrew a small potion phial. "Take this once you're settled." She said as she placed the corked tube on top of the table. "It helps stop the bleeding. It should take care of it in a day or two." Draco nodded and she hurried off to get the baby cleaned and dressed.

Hermione took the baby to the other side of the room and laid her on the padded top of a chest of drawers. She made sure to cast a warming charm on the chest before unwrapping the baby. She took the towel away and laid the infant on another piece of fabric. She gathered up the corners of the fabric and then hung the bundle, baby and all, on an old fashioned looking set of scales. She smiled when she saw the weight and called out to Draco.

"She's exactly half a stone, Draco. That's a really good weight." Draco smiled in acknowledgment as he buttoned up his pajama shirt. Hermione took the baby off of the scales and laid her back down to measure her length. The baby started to protest as Hermione straightened her legs out of their comfortable frog position. She quickly noted the measurement and then pulled the baby's arms and legs back in snug and shushed her.

Once the baby was quiet again Hermione used the aquamenti spell to fill a small basin with warm water. She put a small amount of baby soap on to a washcloth and proceeded to gently wash the baby. The little tyke did not care for the process and complained very loudly. She was red faced and furious by the time Hermione got her diapered and dressed in a sleep suit and matching little hat. She got out a receiving blanket and swaddled the little girl before picking her up and heading back to the boys.

Draco watched from the bed as she approached and held his arms out for the baby as soon as Hermione was close enough to hand her over. She passed him his child and smiled as he cuddled her close.

"She's beautiful Draco." He glanced up with a smile.

"Thanks." He looked back down at the baby and gently pulled off her hat, smoothing his hand over the cap of dark brown fuzz that she sported. Ron spoke up at the sight of the baby's hair.

"A brunette!" He said with surprise. "I thought for sure she'd be blonde like you and your dad." Draco shrugged. His lips twisted into a wry smile as he stared at the baby.

"At least she's not a ginger. That would have been horrible." He said.

"Yeah." Ron agreed absentmindedly as he too stared at the baby. Hermione started to giggle and Harry and Draco both snorted in laughter. "What?" Ron asked as he looked up, his brain finally re-engaging. He thought for a moment and then finally protested. "Oi!" He said as he glared at Draco. "All I did for you last night and this is the thanks I get!" He said as he crossed his arms huffily. Draco smiled again but sobered.

"I was just joking. You guys have done a lot for me. I'll never be able to thank you enough." Ron softened as he reached out to run a finger down the slope of the baby's pert little nose.

"Yeah, I know." He said as the baby sighed in her sleep. He followed the baby's sigh with one of his own. "I'm knackered." He said as he looked up at everyone else. Hermione nodded and stood.

"You two can head back to Gryffindor Tower if you like. I'll stay with Draco." Ron got up and started to head for the door but Harry hesitated.

"Are you sure?" He asked. She nodded and started to herd him and Ron out f the room.

"I'm sure. I'm going to take a few minutes to go to the owlery and send a note off to my parents, get dressed and visit the loo, not necessarily in that order though. Then I'll come back and get Dobby to bring Draco and I something to eat before we have a rest." She glanced at the clock on the mantle over the fire place. "It's just about six. They'll be serving breakfast in a few. Can you two wait, or do you want to come back and eat here?" Harry and Ron looked at each other and shrugged before Ron spoke up.

"We'll wait. I want to have a kip." Harry nodded in agreement and they left the room for the first time in over nine hours. Hermione closed the door behind them and walked back over to the bed, sitting on the edge. She smiled softly, watching as Draco unwrapped his baby and studied her.

"Will you be alright on your own for a bit?" She asked him. He looked up at her and nodded. She smiled again as she stood. "You should try to get some rest." He nodded as she headed toward the changing room to get out of her bathing suit. When she came back out she saw that he had lain down beside the baby and appeared to be trying to rest. She slipped out the door and headed for the owlery.

She returned about fifteen minutes later. He was sleeping but she could tell it was just a light sleep. She called softly for Dobby and ordered them both a breakfast of toast and eggs with bacon and juice. She roused Draco when their breakfast came and helped him to sit up. A feat that came with a lot of gasping and wincing. He hadn't suffered any tears when the baby came, but that didn't mean that he wasn't sore. The baby was sleeping soundly on the bed next to Draco so they just left her there.

"Have you thought about any names for her yet?" Hermione asked as they started eating. Draco shrugged.

"I thought your parents would want to name her." He said in a hushed voice. Hermione sighed and put down her utensils. Draco looked at her confused.

"You're her father Draco. She's your baby. Nobody else's." He nodded as he tried to swallow the lump that had appeared in his throat. He looked back at the baby sleeping beside him and laying his own utensils aside, picked her up and studied her little face some more.
"Abigail." He said as he caressed her little cheek. "Abigail Narcissa." Hermione smiled and her own eyes got moist as she recalled the meaning of the name.

"Father's joy." She said as a tear snuck down her cheek. "Even after everything you've gone through?" She asked. He nodded and kissed the baby's forehead.

"She's my only joy right now." Hermione looked back down at her plate, not sure how to respond.

"Draco, are you going to be okay?" She asked. He looked up at her, not quite sure what she meant. "When she's gone to my parents; are you going to be alright?" He sighed.

"I guess I'll have to be. I don't have any other choice. Not if I'm ever going to get the chance to actually BE her father." Hermione nodded and they finished their meal in silence.

Dobby came back to collect their dishes and Hermione helped Draco make his way to the loo once more before settling him back in his bed. Abigail began to fuss again as soon as he went to lay down.

"I think she's hungry again." Hermione said as she watched the baby try to mouth the front of his shirt. "Do you want to nurse her again or should I fix her a bottle?" He looked at the crying baby and making his decision began to unbutton his shirt. He winced as the baby latched on, but didn't complain. He looked up once she was nursing well.

"This is better for her, isn't it?" He asked. Hermione nodded and smiled. He looked back down at the baby. "I want to do what I can for her, while I still can." She sat beside him and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"And I admire you for that. You're a good Daddy Draco, despite the circumstances you're in." He blushed at her praise and then chuckled as he looked back up at Hermione.

"I think she just peed. Her nappy's got a hot spot." Hermione smiled and stood up, heading for the changing table where she'd given the baby her bath. She pulled out a clean nappy and went back to Draco. He had the now drowsy baby propped up on his shoulder and was gently patting her back. He smiled at her when she let out a little burp of air. Hermione put a damp cloth and the nappy down beside Draco.

"You're changing her." She said with a grin. He nodded and laid the baby down on the bed in front of him, between his outstretched legs. Hermione showed him how to properly clean her off and position the new nappy as well as how to keep from jabbing her with the pins used to fasten the diaper. "Good job." She praised as she walked the soiled nappy over to the laundry hamper. She came back carrying a Moses basket. "I think it's time we all got some sleep." She said as she reached for Abigail. Draco swaddled her back up and handed her over.

"Can you keep her close?" He asked as he watched her lay the baby in the little bed. Hermione nodded.

"She can stay right here beside you. I just think you'll sleep better if she's in her own bed. You won't worry about rolling on her or anything." She finished settling the baby and then helped him lay back down and get comfortable. "I'll be right over there on the chaise. Call if you need anything." He nodded. "Try to sleep." She said as she rested her hand on his arm.

"I will." He said. She'd started to turn away when he called her name. "Hermione..." She looked back at him. "Thank you. For everything. I owe you our lives. I won't forget that." She blinked back the wetness in her eyes and gave him a wavering smile and nod before heading off to get some much needed rest.

She woke about two hours later when the baby started to cry again. Draco sat up a bit stiffly and lifted her from the basket, shushing her as he did so.

"Shh, sweetie. It's okay." He whispered. "Are you hungry again?" He asked as he began to unbutton his shirt. She quieted quickly as she started to nurse and Hermione smiled. He really was good with her. Hermione had plenty of baby-sitting experience to make her comfortable handling a small infant but, somehow, she just couldn't see the baby-sitting opportunities being very plentiful in Draco's usual circle. She watched drowsily as Draco nursed Abigail and then burped her.

"Does she need another changing?" Draco looked up at the sound of her voice and then felt the baby's nappy. He nodded.

"She's wet again." He said. Hermione got up from the chaise and retrieved another nappy. They got the baby settled and Draco made another visit to the loo, before they settle back down to rest again. Hermione dozed off and on for awhile before finally waking completely to see Draco sitting up in his bed and just staring at the baby as she slept.

"Is she okay?" Hermione asked. Draco looked up and nodded and then let his gaze drift back to the baby. Hermione got up and walked over to him, watching as he swiped at a tear on his cheek. "Are you okay?" She asked as she sat beside him. He closed his eyes and let his head rest on his upraised knees.

"I don't know." He whispered. "I honestly don't know." She rested a hand on his back and started to rub it in slow circles. "I know it's not forever, but it feels like it is." He let out a ragged sigh. "Every time I think about you taking her away, I feel like someone is squeezing my heart and I can't breathe." He turned his head on his knees so that he could see Abigail and rested his hand on her swaddled form. "I don't know how I'm supposed to let her go." Hermione gave his shoulders a squeeze.

"By remembering that her life most likely depends upon it." She reminded him. "You are doing the best thing you possibly can to keep her safe." He closed his eyes again and a few more tears worked loose and ran down his cheek. "I know that doesn't keep it from hurting like hell, but , hopefully it will give you the strength to go through with it anyway." He nodded slowly and opened his eyes again. "I'm not going to back out. I know that I have to do this, for her sake, but it's not going to be easy." Hermione shook her head.

"No, it's not." She watched as the baby started to stir again under Draco's hand. "Maybe we should switch her to a bottle for her next feeding." She suggested. Draco started to protest but she held up her hand. "I know you want to nurse her while you still can, but I think it's just making it harder on you in the long run. She's going to need to be on a bottle when she goes to my parents anyway. We may as well get her used to it now." Draco slumped in defeat but nodded in agreement.

"Can I still be the one to feed her?" He asked a note of pleading to his voice. She nodded and handed him a tissue.

"Of course you can." She glanced at the baby who was starting to get restless in her wrappings. "I'll go fix the bottle." Her mother had sent her a can of the formula that she intended to use for the baby a few weeks ago and Hermione had stashed it in the room as soon as she could. She felt bad for Draco. She knew how badly he wanted to be able to care for Abigail while he could, but she really did feel like the breast feeding was just making it all that much harder on him.

She finished fixing the bottle and walked back over to Draco and Abigail just as he was reaching in to pick her up from the basket. She handed him the bottle and showed him the best way to hold the baby. He put the bottle in her mouth and moved it back and forth a bit to let her feel that it was there. She frowned a bit and then opened her mouth wide moving her head back and forth in uncontrolled little jerks. Hermione smiled.

"She looks like a little bird." Draco frowned as the baby started to fuss.

"Why is she doing that? It's like she can't find it." He tried again and when she started to do the same thing again, Hermione reached over and adjusted the angle at which Draco held the bottle, getting more of the nipple in the baby's mouth and making it press on her tongue more.

"She 's used to you." She said with another smile. "You work a little differently than a bottle. She'll get the hang of it." After a few more moments the baby finally got a good grip on the nipple and started to drain the bottle. "That's a girl." Hermione said as she ran her hand over the baby's head. She looked at Draco holding the bottle. "The bottle has ounce markings on it. You'll want to check every so often to see how much she's had. You should burp her every two ounces or so. They get more air in their belly's when you use bottles." He nodded. "Do you want me to leave you alone for awhile?" She asked. He nodded as tears came back to his eyes. He looked at Hermione.

"It's nothing against you, honest. I just.." Hermione cut him off and surprised him by leaning in to brushing a chaste kiss against his forehead.

"I know. You don't have to explain." She got up and went to the far side of the room where a small potion station was set up. She lit a flame under the cauldron that was there, and dug out a potions text. Shortly after the baby finished eating Hermione called Dobby again to bring them some dinner. Harry and Ron came back just as they were beginning to eat the treacle tart Dobby had supplied for pudding. Ron had a note in his hand. Draco watched with a sinking feeling of dread as he handed it over to Hermione. She broke the seal and opened it. After taking a moment to read it she laid it on the table.

"Mum's already sent a note to Dumbledore. I'm supposed to be in his office with my things in half an hour" She said as she looked at Draco. He nodded slowly and put down his fork, his appetite suddenly gone.

"Excuse me, please." He said softly and got up from the table, walking slowly over to stand next to Abigail's basket. Harry and Ron looked questioningly at Hermione. She shot a quick glance at Draco and then spoke softly to the boys.

"He's having a hard time letting her go." She said. They nodded and went off to sit quietly in the corner. Hermione headed over to check her potion and seeing that it had reached the correct temperature and consistency, removed it from the flame and left it to cool. She went to the changing room and came back out with a small suitcase and a basket identical to the one she usually carried Crookshanks in. She laid the suitcase on the chaise lounge that she had been sleeping on and opened it. She went to the changing table and took all of the nappies out as well as the small pile of baby clothes. She took these over and put them into the suitcase that was already loaded with her own clothing. She left one of the nappies out so that they could change the baby before leaving.

The basket didn't need much to make it ready to go. She took one of the fluffy towels from beside the now empty tub and lined the inside of the basket. There was no reason that the baby shouldn't be comfortable in it. She walked over to the potions station, poured the now cool potion into a cup, and took it over to where Draco still stood staring at Abigail. She handed him the cup and he took it automatically.

"What is it?" He asked as he looked down at the periwinkle colored liquid.

"It's to dry your milk up. So you won't get sore." She said hesitantly. She looked up in time to see him draw in a shaky breath before downing the potion in one gulp and setting the cup down with a clatter. "Do you want us to leave you alone with her for a bit. So you can say goodbye in private?" He nodded silently as he reached down to pick up the baby and cuddle her close. Hermione beckoned to the boys and they followed her out of the room. They started walking slowly down the hall.

"I really need you two to try and keep an eye on him after I leave." She said once they were a little ways away from the door.

"Do you think he might do something reckless, now that the baby won't be in danger anymore?" Ron asked. Hermione shook her head,

"I'm more worried that he's going to get extremely depressed. He's still got a lot of hormones going through his system and even in the best of circumstances that can cause depression." She looked up from her pacing to meet their eyes. "Just, please, promise me you'll keep an eye on him." Harry nodded.

"We'll do the best we can. How long are you going to be gone?" He asked. Hermione shrugged.

"Long enough to make our story believable. Two or three days at least. I'll probably be back when everyone else is." The boys nodded and they all looked up when the door to the room of requirement opened. They hurried back inside and the boys were discomforted to see Draco's reddened and tear streaked face. He had changed back into his Slytherin robes and combed his hair back into his normal orderly style. He heaved a massive shaky sigh, gave the baby one last kiss on her forehead and handed her to Hermione.

"I changed her nappy. She was wet." He said as he brushed a shaking hand over her head. Hermione reached up to give him a one armed hug and he buried his face in her hair.

"Please, don't let her forget me." He pleaded quietly before turning quickly away and striding from the room. Hermione looked down and quickly blinked back tears as he left. The boys were silent. Hermione sighed and carried the baby over to the basket waiting on the chaise lounge. Harry and Ron followed and watched as she re-swaddled the baby and laid her gently in the basket. She bolstered her on both sides with additional rolled up blankets to keep her from shifting as the basket was carried. Ron looked at her little face, peaceful as she slept.

"Did he give her a name?" He asked Hermione. She nodded and smiled sadly as the baby made sucking motions in her sleep.

"Abigail." She told him. "Abigail Narcissa." Harry looked at her questioningly.

"What's it mean?" He asked. She hesitated as she gently placed the lid on the basket.

"Father's joy." She said quietly. Harry looked at the basket, a sad smile on his face.

"It's pretty." He said. Ron crossed to the other side of Hermione and picked up her suitcase as she cast a silencing charm over the basket and lifted it carefully. She stopped and looked at the boys before they left the room. She started to speak but Ron cut her off.

"We'll watch him Hermione. Don't worry." She could tell that they had both been affected by the emotion they had seen in Draco's face before he'd left and she nodded, reassured.

They walked in silence to the stone gargoyles guarding Dumbledore's office. Ron handed her the suitcase and gave her a quick hug.

"See you soon Hermione." He said as he stepped back. She nodded as Harry took Ron's place and hugged her as well.

"Hurry back." He told her.

"I will." She promised. The boys stepped back and watched as she gave the password that had been in Dumbledore's note and then disappeared on the spiraling staircase. They shared a quick apprehensive glance and took off for Gryffindor tower to get the Marauders map and keep an eye on Draco.

Hermione stepped off of the stairs as they reached the top and took the two steps needed to be able to knock on the headmaster's door. The door opened and she heard Professor Dumbledore bid her enter. She fixed a smile on her face and walking through the arched doorway, approached the white haired wizard sitting at the desk. He looked up from his writings and smiled at her.

"Ah, Miss Granger. Punctual as ever." He said as he laid aside his quill.

"Hello Professor. Thank you for arranging this. I didn't think I wanted to go home, but after the train left I suddenly got horribly homesick." He stood and came around to her side of the desk.

"It was no trouble. No trouble at all, Miss Granger." She started to get nervous when his sharp gaze lingered on the cat basket that she had put on the chair beside her. He motioned to the basket and her insides went a bit watery. "I trust that the newest little Malfoy is bundled snugly for the trip?" Hermione stared at the headmaster, her mouth hanging open in shock.

"How..." She had to clear her throat before she could finish. "How did you know?" She asked him. The headmaster smiled and went back to the other side of his desk, pulling out a large ledger. He looked up at Hermione and beckoned her over.

"Take the poor child out of that basket, and come have a look." Hermione took the lid from the basket and lifted Abigail into her arms. She walked to the headmaster's desk and he beamed down at the baby holding out his arms. Hermione hesitated for a second, looking into the headmaster's eyes. She saw nothing there to cause her any misgivings and laid the baby gently in the old man's arms.

"My goodness, but it's been a long time since I held one this tiny and new." He said softly. He looked up at Hermione. "I trust Draco came through the ordeal unscathed?" He asked. Hermione nodded then reconsidered.

"Physically he's fine, but I'm worried about his emotional state." She said. He nodded prompting her to continue. "Do you know what has been going on?" She asked. "How did you know about Abigail?" He beckoned her closer and pointed at the ledger that laid open on his desk. She looked and saw that it was a list of names with dates and places associated with each name. These items were followed by another column that contained two more names. The last name recorded in the book was 'Abigail Narcissa Malfoy' with the previous day's date followed by 'Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry'. The last column contained the names D. Malfoy and A. Dolohov.

"Every time a new witch or wizard is born their names appear in that book, along with date and place of birth and biological parents." The headmaster explained. "It's how we keep track of which children should be starting school and when." Hermione's brow furrowed into a frown as she began to worry.

"Does anyone else have one of these books?" She asked the Professor. He shook his head.

"Not to my knowledge. The Hogwarts founders created this book centuries ago. The ministry has been trying to get their hands on it ever since, but it never leaves this room." Hermione relaxed and looked at the headmaster again.

"So you don't know what's been going on with Draco then?" He shook his head .

"Only what the staff have been telling me. That he's being harassed by his house mates and that he seems to have lost favor among them." He looked down as Abigail started to cry. Hermione went to her bag and pulled out a bottle, casting a warming charm on it before handing it over to the professor. He looked at in surprise before smiling with delight and placing it to the baby's lips. Hermione sat down and started to tell the Headmaster about Draco's troubles.

When she'd finished, the headmaster looked very grave. He looked down at the baby and sighed deeply.

"Apparently that boy's capacity for love far outweighs his father's" Hermione nodded.

"He's heartsick at sending her away. That's why I'm so worried for him." She said. The head master stood with the now sleeping baby and handed Hermione the empty bottle. He took one of the extra blankets from the basket and draped it over the baby before looking at Hermione.

"Come." He said as he ushered her to the fireplace. "Let's go see your parents and see if we can't rectify this situation." She frowned in puzzlement but stepped into the fireplace none the less.

Less than two hours later, she was back. She hurried in to the Gryffindor common room and looked quickly around for Harry and Ron. They were sitting by themselves studying a bit of parchment that she knew to be the Marauders map. She hurried over to them and sat beside Harry who quickly folded the map over and looked up in surprise.

"Hermione! What are you doing here." He asked. His brow furrowed as he looked at her face. "Has something happened?" He asked in a hushed voice. "Is the baby okay?" She nodded and smiled. She pulled the map from Harry's hands and began to look over it herself.

"Where's he at?" She asked. Harry knew without asking that she was referring to Draco and pointed out his dot on the map.

"He's in his dorm." Hermione looked closely and saw that he was alone. She folded the map and gave it back to Harry as she stood, motioning for the boys to follow her. They went out into the hall where Hermione stopped.

"Dobby?" She called out. Harry and Ron looked at each other, perplexed. A mere second passed before Dobby popped into the hall beside them, looking at Hermione expectantly. "Dobby, I need you to go to Draco and tell him to meet us back in the Room of Requirement. Tell him it's very important. Can you do that?" Dobby nodded vigorously sending his bat like ears bobbing.

"Is Dobby to tell him what it's about Miss?" He queried. Hermione shook her head.

"No Dobby, we can't risk anyone overhearing. Just tell him to meet us there, alright?" The elf nodded and vanished with a snap of his fingers.

"Hermione, what's going on." Ron asked a bit breathlessly as they started off at a quick pace for the Room of Requirement.

"Wait until we're where we can't be overheard." She said as she started up the stairs. Ron huffed in annoyance but kept quiet the rest of the way. When they reached the door Hermione was the one to pace back and forth in front of it and it opened to reveal a cozy looking sitting room. They had barely had time to choose seats and get comfortable before Draco raced into the room, out of breath and wincing as he held a hand to his still slightly swollen stomach. He quickly searched out Hermione's face. His face was blanched white with fear and his hand shook as he closed the door behind him.

"What's wrong." He blurted out. "Where's Abby?" Hermione quickly stood and led him over to an unoccupied seat.

"It's fine Draco. She's fine. She's with my parents." He looked at her, relief spreading over his features as her words penetrated his panic.

"Then why are you here? What's happening?" Hermione sat in the chair across from him. She took a deep breath.

"Dumbledore knew about Abigail." She said as she watched him. He went white again. "He's got this book that the founders created and it tells the name, date and place of birth and parentage of every witch or wizard that will end up attending Hogwarts. He knew the minute you named her." Draco dropped his head into his hands.

"Has he told the ministry yet? How long do I have to get her away?" He asked. Hermione shook her head sadly.

"You need to have a little more faith in people Draco." He looked at her quizzically. "Professor Dumbledore went home with me." She said. "He talked to my parents and they have agreed to let you come and live with us under a protection charm." Draco looked flabbergasted as did Ron and Harry. Hermione continued, her smile growing. "Abby will stay with my parent's while you're here at school as we planned, but you'll be able to see her during holidays and summer break. The protection charm will be similar to the one used on Harry Aunt's house. As long as someone of your blood lives there, you'll be protected. They won't be able to find you." Draco stared at her as her words sank in.

"I...I can see her? I can be with her?" He asked as his eyes threatened to overflow. Hermione nodded happily.

"You'll have to deal with living as a muggle while you're with us. Do you think you can manage?" She asked with a teasing smile.

"I'll do anything." Draco choked out as he swiped at the tears now flowing freely down his cheeks. "I'd live in the bloody shrieking shack if it meant I could be with Abby." Hermione hopped up from her seat and sat beside Draco putting an arm around his shoulders.

"Professor Dumbledore said we could go back to my parents this evening. He wanted to give you a chance to get some things together. He's giving us an extra week of holiday." Draco looked at her questioningly. "He said that you need time to get acquainted with your daughter as well as a little time to relax and recuperate. He said he has no doubt that we'll be able to catch up when we come back." Draco shook his head and sighed as he looked down at his hands. "What?" Hermione asked.

"My father and his associates...They all had me convinced that Dumbledore was a meddling old crackpot who caused nothing but trouble." Harry chuckled and they all looked at him.

"Yeah, well, they were dead wrong about everything else so why should that be any different." He eyeballed Draco. "Unless you still believe that tripe about Hermione being a filthy mudblood?" Draco flinched and shook his head. He turned to Hermione.

"I'm sorry for all of that." He told her with an earnest look on his face. "You are the sweetest, smartest, most forgiving person I have ever met and I could think of nothing better than for my daughter to grow up to be exactly like you." Hermione blushed furiously and hugged him.

"You're forgiven." She said with a sigh. "Now let's get you ready to go home." He put a hand on her arm to keep her seated and she looked at him. He looked down for a second before glancing at the boys and then back at Hermione.

"You said the book listed the parents of each of the children..." She nodded and he hesitated. "Who is it?" He asked quietly. Hermione studied his face for a moment.

"Are you sure you're ready?" He nodded silently and she sighed. "Dolohov. The book said D. Malfoy and A. Dolohov." Draco drew in a steadying breath and nodded. "Are you alright?" She asked him. He nodded.

"I'm fine. I just needed to know." She nodded in understanding and rose to her feet.

"Let's get out of here and get you home to Abby." He nodded happily and followed her from the room. Barely an hour later found him holding his baby tightly to his chest as tears of happiness and relief streamed down his face.

Draco and Abby lived as a part of Hermione's family and household for two years. The second year he guarded her parent's just as much as they guarded him while Hermione was out destroying Horcruxes with Harry and Ron. At the end of it all, Voldemort was dead as were many others including his father, Dumbledore and Antonin Dolohov. It was a week after the battle that had nearly destroyed Hogwarts and Draco was waiting impatiently in the sitting room of the Granger household, fussing with the folds of the dress that adorned his restless two year old. She finally looked at him, frowning.

"Daddy! Want down!" She said in her high-pitched little girl voice as she wriggled out of his grasp. Hermione smiled as the child headed for her playroom.

"Let her be Draco. She's a toddler. She doesn't need to look perfect. Your mother is going to love her no matter what." He sighed and nodded.

"I know. I'm just nervous. It's been a long time." He'd written to his mother as soon as it was safe for him to so. She'd replied the very next day anxious to be reunited with her son. Hermione started to say something but was cut off by the sound of the door bell. Draco lurched to his feet and then taking a deep breath, walked to the door and opened it.

Narcissa Malfoy stood on the other side tears already streaming down her face as she looked at her son. Draco reached out and pulled her into a tight embrace, breathing in the almost forgotten scent of his mother. She held him just as tightly and they were both wiping at their eyes when they finally parted. She smiled at him and placed a gentle hand against his cheek.

"I've missed you." She said softly. He smiled at her and took her hand to lead her into the sitting room. All three of the Grangers stood as they entered. Draco introduced her to Hermione's parent's first. She shook their hands clasping Mrs. Grangers hand warmly in her own.

"I can never thank you enough for taking Draco and his daughter in. I detest the fact that I could not protect him myself, and I will be forever grateful for what you have done for him." Mrs. Granger smiled back.

"It was our pleasure. Draco is a wonderful young man and Abigail has us all thoroughly wrapped around her little finger. They've been nothing but a blessing." Draco blushed at her praise, but directed his mother toward Hermione. She surprised them all by embracing the girl. Hermione hesitated for moment, but then returned the hug. Narcissa pulled away and cupped Hermione's face in her hands.

"You are a wonder, young lady. We'll be eternally in your debt." Hermione smiled but shook her head as she took Narcissa's hands.

"Draco and Abby are family now and I couldn't imagine it any other way. I hope that you being in their lives again simply means that our family has grown by one more." Narcissa smiled and blinked back tears as she hugged Hermione again. She pulled back when she felt a tug on the hem of her dress. She looked down and smiled at her grand-daughter. Abby grinned up at her.

"Hi!" she said. Narcissa knelt down so that she was on Abby's level. Her eyes were shining as she took the little girl's sticky hands in her own.

"Hello Abby. I'm very happy to finally meet you." Abby looked at her and tilted her head to the side a bit, puckering her brow in thought.

"Are you my ganma" Narcissa didn't know whether to laugh or weep so she did both. She pulled Abby into her arms for a hug.

"I am your Grandma." She said as she kissed the top of the toddler's head. She pulled back and looked at Abby again. "I'm sorry that I haven't been able to see you before now, but hopefully from now on we'll get to spend a lot of time together." Abby patted her grandmother on the shoulder in a gesture that was obviously meant to comfort.

"Is okay. Daddy say it all Volymore's fault, not you." She scowled. "Volymore mean, but he gone now. Is okay." She smiled again as she finished.
"Yes, it is." Narcissa said as she cupped her granddaughter's face. She stood and picked Abby up giving her another hug as she stared at her son. "It really is." She held her hand out to Draco and pulled him into their hug, their family finally complete.