Gah! I know I am so late in posting this. I have had a crazy week - started my new job, my last week of a summer class and I have two papers to have written by tomorrow! I am so overwhelmed, but all is good. I thought I would go ahead and crank this chapter out for you. Updates will be a bit more sporadic in the next week or so, I have finals and all.

Anyways, big thanks to all of my awesome reviewers! wintersong1954, RainDeLay, booksmusiclove, Robyn Hawkes, paili-chan (anon), mysteriouslife, Pug1998, AbsurdInsomnia, voldemortsn0se, and blue you. You guys rock!

Legal note - I own nothing. Literally. I'm a college student hahaha

Anyways, here you go! Enjoy reading and REVIEWING!

Hermione woke up with sunshine on her face. It felt warm and inviting, and as Hermione opened her eyes, she realized she was at home and in her own bed for the first morning since she was cleared of all charges. She lied there, soaking in the feeling of the soft sheets and pillowy mattress on her aching body. Doran had come home for a week after her trial, excused by the Headmistress. McGonagall had stopped Hermione on the way out from the trial to apologize, but to explain that she did what she felt was just. Hermione understood, and honestly, she probably would have done the same thing were the roles reversed. After all, no one was there when everything happened. Her nightmares were haunted by the event, however. Yes, it was in self-defense, but it brought back all the feelings from the war. Despite however justified Hermione was, she still felt a slight twinge of guilt. Less so this time, because it was her son that she was protecting as well. Hermione told Doran that they would talk about everything the next day, and they spent the evening on the couch just reading. Neither of them were emotionally ready to talk about things, but today Hermione had to buck up and handle it.

She reluctantly climbed out of bed, wishing that she could just lie there all day. She needed to see her son, she wanted to see him. But she was dreading the conversation she was about to have with him. There was no way around telling him about his father, she had to explain what happened and why. As she walked into the kitchen, she realized that Doran was still sleeping. She went ahead and made breakfast for the two of them before she woke him up. As the teapot started whistling, Doran walked in looking very sleepy. He gave his mum a hug and then sat down at the kitchen table. Neither of them said a word as Hermione poured tea for them both, fixed each a plate of breakfast, and sat down to eat. Halfway through his breakfast, Doran decided to break the silence.

"So…what happened, Mum?"

"It's a long story, and perhaps would be better after breakfast."

"Well then I'm done. I want to know what happened. I almost lost you, and I can't wait any longer to find out why." Hermione sighed, sat her fork down, and motioned him into the living room where they would be more comfortable. Cradling her cup of tea, she braced herself and began telling her story.

"It began a very long time ago, before you were born. You know how the last war ended and how I was scrutinized for being the only survivor of the Voldemort defeat, correct?" Doran nodded impatiently. "Ok, well after a couple months of that, I couldn't handle the mistrust of the wizarding community I had risked my life for. I had lost my two best friends, seen them die. My other friends abandoned me for various reasons. Ginny – Professor Thomas – and I had an argument about her leaving Harry and not being there for him. Lavender and I never got along well to begin with, and the small friendship we had was destroyed by the gossip. She was always addicted to gossip. Beyond that, my friends were dead. Neville Longbottom – dead. Justin Finch-Fetchley – dead. So many others. I was traumatized, and I felt like I couldn't stay in wizarding England anymore, so I moved to muggle England.

"That wasn't enough, so I moved again to Scotland, then Wales, and finally, Ireland. Ireland gave me a peace that I couldn't find elsewhere. I was able to find solitude, the ocean calmed me, and the people there didn't care about the gossip in England. I was left alone to handle my issues, to move on and start a new life. I was renting a room above an old pub along the coast when I ran into Draco Malfoy. He was just as broken as I was then, having witnessed the horrors that Voldemort imposed on people in Draco's own home. He witnessed his father kill himself, his mother sink into insanity, and everything he ever believed in or cared for crumble from underneath his feet. He ran from England too, and he also ended up in Ireland. It must have been fate, it was much too coincidental that the two of us were there. At first, we didn't trust each other. But then one day, he was sitting on the beach and I just went and sat next to him. We didn't say a word, but instead we sat there for hours. You don't need to know all of the details, son, but he and I started a relationship. It was based on us both being broken, there was very little emotions involved in it. This went on for several months, until I realized one day that I was pregnant. I had been on contraceptive potions, but I had forgotten it one day and boom – pregnant.

"When I found out I was pregnant with you, I was scared. I didn't think Draco would be there for you or I, I didn't want to impose on him, and I was scared he would end up like his father. So I left without a single word to him." Doran looked like he wanted to say something, but Hermione held up her hand. "If you want to know the whole story, you need to not interrupt me. Questions later. Two weeks after I left Ireland, the Reproduction law was passed in England. I know you know all about that. I had you, so I had already fulfilled the requirements. Draco still needed another, even though he didn't know about you. There was a matching service for people who just wanted to fulfill the law, and through that, he met Madeline from France. They followed wizarding custom and married, even though there was no love there. She had tweaked the system to make sure she was matched with him – she had an obsession with his name and money. Malfoys are very powerful. They had Julius and then the twins. Then, Draco made it clear he didn't want to continue the relationship with her. There was no divorce, so they were stuck. Madeline was a human being, and she wanted love from her husband. She found out about me and you, and started to blame me for the fact that Draco never loved her. Madeline locked herself away after the twins were born, and over time, she went insane. The insanity, the obsession, and the blame led her to kidnap me after work one day. It was a Friday, so no one noticed I was missing. She took me to this castle, trapped me in the cellar, and ordered me to kill myself. I had convinced her that she wouldn't get away with murder, so she jumped to suicide. I will never understand the crazy mind she had. She explained all of this to me, and I found a way to trick her, kill her, and escape. I'm not proud of what I did, but she was threatening to kill you, too. Then I apparated to Hogwarts, collapsed, woke up in the hospital wing, and was arrested. You know the rest."

Neither of them said anything for several long minutes.

"So, Mum, does Mr. Malfoy know I am his son, now? How could you keep that from me? You let me meet him without telling me who he was? What if something had happened to you?" Doran was near tears at this point and a bit hysterical. Hermione's face softened, she knew these questions were coming, but to see the anguish on his face was heartbreaking.

"Oh sweetie, there are no easy answers for that. Yes, Draco knows. He and I talked after you became friends with his son Julius, and he wasn't very happy with me. I don't blame him, if I could go back and do things differently, I would have. But I can't, you can't, and there is no point is wishing for something different. I needed the right time to tell you, I wanted to wait until you were older or it was a better time. I was scared that you would hate me for what I did." His eyes flashed for a moment, and Hermione knew he was thinking along those lines right now. "Draco wanted you to get to know him, to know who he was before knowing. If you had found out and then had heard about his past, you might not have liked him very much. He was on the wrong side of the war, and he can't let go of that. I also wanted you to meet him first so you would know who he was when I told you who your father was. If something had happened to me, you would go to his custody, and I don't know what would happen beyond that. I don't like thinking about such things." Doran looked angry and lost, confused and hurt…but most of all, he looked scared. Scared at the thought of losing his mother, scared if his father would like him or not, scared of a hundred different things he couldn't put into words.

"What happens now, Mum?"

"I don't know, sweetheart. Draco will be over later today to talk to you. Julius is home as well because of what happened. I don't want what happened to get in between your friendship with him, son." Doran looked guilty. "What happened between you and Julius?"

"He called you a murderer, and I said you weren't. He was upset about his mum, and we started fighting. Really bad. I broke his nose, I think."

"Doran Apollo Granger! Fist fighting? Really?"

"You weren't there, Mum! He was saying really awful things about you and we were both really upset. It just happened! Although, we haven't spoken since."

"You need to apologize."

"But his mum was going to kill you!"

"It was still his mother, Doran. Imagine the roles were reversed; you would be just as lost and confused as he is. You need to be more respectful of him." Doran looked glum. He got up, grabbed an old teddy he had since a baby, and went into his room. Hermione heard soft sobs coming from there, and she wanted to go comfort him, but knew he needed time alone.

She cleaned up breakfast, and then decided to owl Draco about recent turn of events. Sitting down with parchment, quill, and ink, Hermione contemplated what information she should relay to him.

Draco,

I have spoken to Doran about you, our past, and what happened with Madeline. Again, thank you so much for testifying at my trial. I know it isn't easy for you or your children what had happened, and I truly wish that it had never had to occur.

Doran wishes to speak with you later. He told me about his fight with Julius, and I told him he needed to apologize. He is crying in his room as I write this, and it breaks my heart.

I know you wanted to come over sometime today to speak with him, and we will be here all day. You may bring Julius if you wish, and if you think it would be a smart idea. I can make all of us dinner at seven, so how about coming over around four to have time with Doran. I know he needs it.

Be prepared for accusations, questions, and emotions. He truly looked like a Slytherin the way he hid his anguish from me, but I know him enough to know it's there.

Sincerely,

Hermione Granger

Hermione sent the letter off, not really expecting a reply. It was almost mid-morning, and Draco would be here shortly anyways. Hermione started to clean the house, hoping the Doran would come out of his room soon. It was times like this where he truly shined Slytherin, and the fact that she saw that much emotion to begin with told her it was only the tip of the iceberg. She knew, though, that he would come out soon. The sobs had stopped shortly after she sent the letter, and she had a feeling he was drying his face and thinking.

Sure enough, Doran came out of his room thirty minutes later looking like he had never cried. He picked up his school book and started on some homework without a word to his mum. He was angry at her, but he didn't know how to act because he was so relieved she was still here. So, he did homework. Hermione watched him work on Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense against the Dark Arts for hours. She let him be. At four o'clock on the dot, Hermione heard a knock at her door. Answering it, it was revealed that Draco had decided to bring Julius along. She welcomed them in.

"Doran was just working on some homework, if you want to go say hi, Julius." Julius glared at her, and she could feel the hate rolling off of him. She didn't know what to say; luckily, Draco stepped in.

"Go say hi to Julius. I need to speak with Hermione for a moment." Julius walked off, surprisingly, he wasn't stomping. Draco taught him well. "He is still upset with you, but he wasn't close to Madeline. I've explained what happened, and he understands. He is still upset, though."

"I understand. I would be too, at that age. I wish it never had happened, honestly. It brought the war back for me." The word MUDBLOOD! had been cleaned from her door, but if you looked closely enough, you could still make it out in the right light. "This has all been too much on me, honestly. I'm getting too old for this."

"I don't know what to feel right now, Hermione. I really don't. I just want to focus on my children; make sure they are okay. What happened with Madeline, I don't blame you for. He had honestly lost her mind and she really was a terrible mother to my kids. The Julius and the twins never saw her, and when they did, she was just awful to them. I just keep wondering how much of this is my fault, though. If I had tried to care more for her…"

"You couldn't have known what was going to happen, and even if you had cared for her more, the seed was already there for her to go crazy."

"You're right. I spoke to Julius about the fight, told him he needed to apologize to Doran for calling you those things and that he needed to make sure they stayed friends. If they can't get along, it will be a long, lonely road for them. I remember my seventh year, when I had no friends. It was awful. Once Slytherins turn against each other, everything else goes to hell."

"You are part of a lonely house, and sometimes I wish Doran was in Gryffindor. He is just too quiet and cunning for that, though. Maybe he would have been good in Ravenclaw, but it wouldn't be a challenge to him."

"Yes, intellect is one thing. Learning how to use it is another." Hermione giggled a little.

"Well, maybe it's about time for you to go talk with your son. I'll take Julius out for a walk and talk to him a little too, let him get a bit of his questions or anger out." Draco nodded, and they went and collected the children. Draco took Doran into his bedroom and shut the door. A silencing spell went up. He didn't want her eavesdropping, not that she would anyways. Hermione took Julius out of the flat and down to the local park. These were going to be tough conversations, but they needed to happen.

There you go! Up next will be the discussions between Hermione and Julius, Draco and Doran, and then all four.

The Dramione relationship will still take awhile to get to, though! Sorry!

Anyways, What did you think of it? I want to have a little fun, so give me a line you would like to see in the next chapter (and who said it) and the best one will get put in there. Just a line! Funny, sad, whatever you want it to be. And let me know what you think of the story - what you want to see, what ideas you have, what you liked seeing, what you didn't like, et cetera.

Anyways, next chapter will be up when I get a chance, but soon!

Thanks for Reading and REVIEWING!

MummyGoose