Lost And Found

OLD FRIENDS

"Hermione!"

" ’Mione!"

The door to the bedroom burst open and a very familiar messy black haired man with glasses and feisty redhead woman rushed into the room.

"Harry! Ginny!"

Hermione ran towards them and threw her arms at both of them, “Oh God! I am so relieved to see you guys. I was so frightened! I was so helpless. I was so.......”

“Hey.... Hush now... We are here. No need to be worried anymore.”

The two friends lead her to the bed and sat at her either side holding her in their arms as she cried silently.

Her husband could do nothing but stare at them helplessly from outside of the room.

He decided to leave them alone.

Although he hated to admit it, he trusted the Potters with this situation. He knew too well that they would be much more efficient to soothe his wife at that moment than him.

So he went to the nursery to see the children.

The scene that greeted him there put a smile on his face despite the current situation.

Jean Narcissa Malfoy was holding court with her elder brother Hugo and the Potter children – James, Lilly and Albus.

She was a spitting image of her mother, except her eyes, which were typical pale blue Malfoy eyes.

But her mannerism resembled her mother in an uncanny way.

The same bossy know-it-all.

Currently the five years old was correcting something which little Albus Potter mispronounced while reading aloud from Beedle The Bard and the boy in question was looking at her with large green eyes with a look which told clearly that he was less fascinated with the lecture than he was with the lecturer herself.

"The poor boy is already lost. Potter won’t like it!" exclaimed Draco Malfoy to himself.

Lilly spotted him first.

"Hey look, uncle Draco is here!"

All other children jumped in excitement.

Draco Malfoy was a loving father to his children and an indulgent uncle to the children of his wife’s friends, although he was just civil with their parents.

A Slytherin could suffer only that much Gryffindors in his life and his wife herself was equal to hundreds of them!

Upon that thought, his mind quickly drifted to the three Gryffindors upstairs.

What are they doing right now? Have they been able to soothe her a bit? Or is she as frightened and lost as she was in the morning? Will she believe them when they tell her the truth behind him, Draco Malfoy? Or will she still hate him as the ‘filthy Death Eater’ as she announced just hours ago?

His musings were interrupted by the insistent tugging at his trousers. Little Jean was looking at him with as much concern as a five years old can manage.

“Daddy? You okay?"

His son and Potter children were looking expectantly at him too.

He managed a smile that didn’t reach his eyes and picked his daughter up in his arms.

“Everything is alright Princess. No need to worry.”

He could tell that he wasn’t able to fool his clever daughter with his false comforting words.