My Sacrifice to Make

Isn't She Lovely

Granger-Weasley Home ~ Draco

With Hermione's hand tightly wrapped around his, Draco lets her pull him along and out of the dining room. It takes only mere seconds for them to reach the staircase, but it's enough for doubt to start its course through his veins. Was it the right thing to do at this moment? Was it too soon? Should they wait to tell her the truth?

Draco doesn't realize they've climbed the stairs until he steps onto the second floor's landing. Then, as the reality of what officially meeting Rose as his daughter means barrels into him, the wizard is brought to a complete standstill. His hold on Hermione's hand tightens tenfold, and the witch is jolted back when she attempts to walk down the hall.

What little coloring there is, drains from Draco's face as Hermione turns to look at him. Her brows scrunch when she sees his expression, his face an open window displaying the most profound apprehension. However, the feeling of her thumb running across the back of his knuckles helps to bring him back into a more grounded state of being.

"Draco?" Her voice is no more than a concerned whisper, but to him, it sounds as if she's yelling. "What's wrong?"

The wizard opens his mouth to respond, but nothing comes out, feeling too vulnerable to admit the reason for his hesitation. All he's able to give her is a small puff of air he forcefully releases.

"Do you..." Hermione's face falls slightly when she trails off. His eyes are glued to the muscles tensing in her neck as she swallows before continuing to speak, now in an even quieter whisper. "Do you not want to see her?"

His silver eyes immediately flash up to meet her crestfallen gaze. Draco squeezes her fingers in his grasp as he rushes to assure the witch before him.

"No. I mean, of course, I want to see her, Hermione." A small sigh of relief escapes from her, and Hermione's tense shoulders relax at his statement.

"It's just- What if-" Draco stumbles over his words as his emotions and vulnerabilities seep into every centimeter of his being. Another gentle caress of his witch's thumb across the back of his knuckles sends a ripple of calm through him.

With a deep, shaky breath, the blond is finally able to speak his concerns. "What if she doesn't like me?"

"Draco..." Hermione sighs, taking a step closer to him. But, before she can ease his worries, Draco begins speaking again, more of his fears pouring out of him.

"What if she doesn't want me?" His voice breaks at the thought of his daughter not wanting him as her father. Not when she's lived her whole life having someone else as one already...

The hand that isn't tightly in Draco's hold comes up to rest against his cheek. He instinctively leans into her touch, craving the feeling of comfort she's always been able to provide him.

"How could she not want you, Draco?" A small smile graces her face as she questions him, his stomach filling with the fluttering of tiny fairy wings. "She's already quite fascinated with 'Mr. Mow-foy,' you know." Her voice takes on a teasing tone when she uses Rose's nickname for him.

"She is?" If this was any other day, Draco might have been embarrassed by how weak and unsure of himself he sounds. But not today. He's too consumed with his fears of not being a good enough father for her to care about any of that.

Hermione's smile widens as her hand slides up from his cheek to tangle her fingers in his platinum locks above his ear. "Yes. She keeps asking me if you're like the..." The witch trails off in a slight chuckle, shaking her head. "Well, you'll see what I mean. Why don't I go in first, though? I can explain things to her and let her decide when she's ready to meet you as her father." Even though she's making a statement, her voice goes up at the end as if she's asking a question.