The past two weeks since Sophie's birthday, both Hermione and Draco have been so busy that they feel as though they've barely spoken to each other, despite spending the majority of their time with the other.
Desperate to find Arche, or one of his children that died during the war, after David told him in passing that he thought he would have made more progress by now, Draco spends every free morning that he doesn't have to bear witness at a trial in the Muggle library. He searches through hundreds and hundreds of newspapers. Whilst Hermione came with him, she no longer helped him, stating that she needs to start studying Transfiguration and going over the planning Minerva had sent her for the following academic year. Draco can't even think about studying Potions when he's so close to a breakthrough with his squib family, but he does stay quiet for Hermione sake.
On an afternoon, Hermione and Draco had offered their babysitting services to her parents, so they were able to treat more patients. Apparently, dentist appointments when up in July as people wanted better oral hygiene ready for their summer holidays. This past week, they've picked Craig up from Nursery and taken him out for the afternoon to either the park, an interactive children's museum, the beach or a soft play area. Many times, Hermione and Draco have been confused for Craig's parents and been roped into conversations with other parents. Draco had been in his element after reading quite a few of the parenting books they had bought a few weeks ago. Usually, Hermione left him to argue his opinions on many different parenting debates and played with Craig and some of the other children.
Due to this busy schedule over the past week, when Hermione's parents invited them to a barbecue at their house on the upcoming Friday, they initially thought about politely declining so they could spend some time together, alone. Although, after giving it some thought, they accepted the invitation. Hermione hadn't had the chance to spend much time with her family the past eight years, and with her apprenticeship starting in September, she wouldn't have much time for them again so they might as well make the most of the time they have.
That's how Draco finds himself animatedly whispering to David by the picnic table about a breakthrough he had made only that morning in finding one of Arche's children and Hermione finds herself in the kitchen talking to her Mum, Grandma and Gwen, who her parents had invited in a way to keep things civil between them.
"You found one of his children?" David mutters, lifting a beer bottle to his lips.
"Yes, this morning. I had to check it was Peter Malfoy and not Peter Malloy, one of William Malloy's siblings. I didn't want to get my hopes up again." Draco nods excitedly.
"It took you long enough," David smirks.
"I started in January of 1942, and he died on 5th November 1942. It took a while." Draco defends himself.
"So, where was he from?" David asks, trying to hide the eagerness in his voice.
"Exeter in Devon, which, coincidentally, is where the orphans from Hyperion's orphanage relocated to when theirs closed down. There weren't any records of Hyperion moving to Exeter with the orphans though, and I assumed he, being seventeen, would have stayed in London where there would have been better job prospects." Draco explains.
"There's no such thing as coincidences." David states. "You and Hermione should stay in my spare bedroom tonight so we can regroup and plan our next step tomorrow." He tells him.
"I'll need to check with Hermione. She might have something planned tomorrow." Draco stands up.
"Can you grab me a can of coke whilst you're in there?" David calls behind him.
Draco enters the kitchen and motions for Hermione to follow him over to the fridge, which she does.
"We're you telling David about Peter?" She whispers as he takes a can of coke out of the fridge.
"Yes, he doesn't seem to think it's a coincidence that Hyperion's orphanage moved to Exeter." He tells her.
Hermione rolls her eyes. "David doesn't believe in coincidences. He'll say it was fate or something." She tells him.
"Perhaps it was fate," Draco mutters.
"Really, Draco!" She gives him an unimpressed glance. "You're an intellectual."
"Yes, but I'm also a wizard. We can feel the magic running through our veins." He whispers, running his fingers down her wrist. "It's been debated for centuries whether or not squibs have any magic in their blood. Of course, Purebloods hate to admit it but these days it's widely accepted that they must have some since they are able to see dementors and are able to form strong relationships with Kneazles, something Muggles are unable to do. We don't know why the orphanage relocated all the way to Devon when I'm sure there were plenty of other options closer to London, but I bet Hyperion had something to do with it because he felt in his blood that Devon was the place he needed to be." He explains.
"I agree with you that squibs have some form of magic blood, the evidence is all there, but to suggest that they can predict the future with instinctive feelings sounds a lot like something Professor Trelawney would say," Hermione mentions.
"It's not predicting the future; it's following instincts. The magic in our blood heightens our instincts, and the same goes for Squibs, allowing them to make better decisions than Muggles. Hyperion's instincts led him to Exeter where Arche's instincts told him to settle down with his family and children forty-four years prior." Draco tries to convince Hermione
"I'm sorry, but it sounds superstitious. Find me some reliable evidence on the matter, and I'll believe in these heightened instincts, but I'm not going to blindly believe in something." Hermione admits.
Draco shakes his head as he realises he's not going to convince Hermione on the matter. "Anyway, David's invited us to stay in his spare bedroom tonight so we can plan our next step tomorrow morning."
"That's fine. I'll have to go back to the estate to feed Athena first, but you can head straight over after the barbecue." Hermione tells him.
"I'll let David know." He gestures to the can of coke still in his hands.
"I'll come join you both soon; I need to talk to Mum about Wednesday and Craig." She says.
Draco nods in understanding before he leaves.
Hermione walks over to her Mum. "Mum, can I quickly tell you something?" She asks her.
Her Mum looks confused but nods and excuses herself from the conversation between Grandma Betty and Gwen. Hermione leads her outside to the drinks table.
"What the matter?" She asks, pouring herself a glass of white wine.
"Professor McGonagall has asked Draco and I to start attending staff meetings on Wednesday afternoons. They start at quarter past three, so we won't be able to pick Lauren up or look after Craig from three o'clock onwards. I'm sure Grandma and Grandad would be happy to pick look after them for a few hours until you finish work on a Wednesday." Hermione explains.
"It's alright; we'll figure something out." Her Mum smiles. "Thanks for letting me know." She sighs. "What a mess this family has turned into thanks to Louise."
"It'll be easier once Craig starts school full time in September." Hermione points out.
"Yes." Her mum chuckles. "Raising two under five-year-olds in my fifties was not part of my plan."
"Mum, you're not in your fifties, you're fiftieth was two months ago." Hermione laughs.
Her Mum shakes her head as Her Dad comes over.
"David asked if we've got the spicy sausages. Do we have the spicy sausages?" He asks.
Her Mum sighs. "Chris, you were in charge of the meats. I was in charge of drinks, cheese and desserts." She reminds him.
"I can't remember if I got the spicy sausages. Did you see how much meat I threw in the trolley?" He asks rhetorically.
"Enough to feed the five thousand." Her Mum sarcastically replies. "Go check the fridge where all the meat is defrosting." She tells him.
Her Dad pecks her Mum's check before heading into the house.
"I told him to make a list, but did he? No, he just threw whatever he liked the look of into the trolley." She shakes her head fondly. "I better make sure he doesn't disturb my trifle." Her Mum mentions, following after her husband.
Hermione walks over to Draco and David at the picnic table, sitting beside her uncle.
"So, what's the plan for tomorrow," Hermione asks.
"I was just saying that we need to check for birth and marriage certificates of Peter Malfoy in the Exeter City Council, but that entails actually travelling to Exeter and trying to convince them that as descendent of Peter Malfoy, Draco is allowed access to his birth certificate. If you get access, the birth certificate will give us an address of where Arche and Sarah lived at the time of his birth." David explains.
"Hey, David!" Hermione's Dad shouts from the back-door step. "I have spicy sausages."
"Please, Chris, there are children here. Keep it between you and Sarah." Her Grandma scolds him.
"No, I have spicy sausages." He reiterates, waving the pack of spicy sausages in the air.
"Come throw them on the barbecue then, I'm hungry." Her Grandad complains.
Hermione shakes her head, turning back to face David and Draco. "So, are we going to Exeter tomorrow?" She asks.
"It will take us nearly three and a half hours to drive there or just over two hours on the train. Too long for a day trip." David points out.
"Unless we apparate there," Hermione suggests.
"David's not keen on disapparation." Draco points out.
"I'll be fine in the morning. I was severely hungover last time you suggested it. I didn't think it would help. If I don't drink much tonight, I should be fine." David explains.
"It sounds like a plan. We're going to Exeter tomorrow morning." Hermione smiles. "Are we bringing Sophie?" She asks.
"I don't see why not. She's told me she's disappeared before." He says. "We can go for lunch after we've been to the Council."
Hermione nods as she stands up. "I'm going to help Mum in the kitchen." She tells them, kissing Draco quickly on the lips before heading inside. "Can I help, Mum?" She asks as she enters the kitchen.
"Thanks, Hermione. Can you butter the bread bun for me?" She asks. "You're Dad was supposed to help me, but Grandad roped him into helping on the barbecue." She shakes her head with a laugh.
"How have you been, Mum?" Hermione asks, realising she hasn't really asked her since they became the guardian of Lauren and Craig.
"Oh, I'm fine." She smiles.
"Really, Mum?" She raises a questioning eyebrow.
Her Mum sighs deeply. "I'm just tired. I haven't had this little sleep since you were five and got the chicken pox. Craig's starting to open up a bit more to both your Dad and me, and you know how he is with men. He still cries most of the night, so I spend most nights in his bedroom, comforting him. Lauren was okay, to begin with, but she's seen Craig getting all this attention, and she wants some, so she's been acting up at school and home. Your Dad and I are thinking about getting them a child play therapist. Someone they can talk to through play about what they're going through." Her Mum turns to look at her. "Don't tell your Grandma this, but I hope Louise never comes back. She's broken those kids, and it's going to take years to fix them." She sighs.
"How long will you and Dad look after them because they need consistency in their life?" She asks her.
"We haven't actually talked about anything in the long term, but they're family. We're not going to throw them into care." Her Mum admits, going back to making a salad.
"Are those buns ready?" Her Dad peaks his head through the back door. "The burgers and sausages are ready."
"Yeah, I'll bring them out now, Dad," Hermione tells him, piling the buns onto a plate and carrying them outside to place in the middle of the picnic table.
Her Dad and Grandad place plates of cooked meats next to the bread buns, allowing everyone to help themselves once her Mum has placed a bowl of salad and the plate of cheese on the table. Hermione's Grandma helps serve all the children first, who sit on a picnic blanket in the middle of the garden, chatting away to each other about a children's cartoon. Once everyone has a plate full of food and a glass full of drink, they take their seats at either the picnic table or on the bench, which had been pulled closer to the picnic table. Hermione takes her seat between Draco and her Grandma on the picnic table whilst her Dad, Uncle and Grandad sit opposite them and her Mum, Sharon and Gwen squeeze onto the bench.
An hour or so later, when they've all finished eat, and the children are gathered in the living room watching a video together, the doorbell rings. The adults all glance around the kitchen, where everyone had gathered when it had become chilly outside.
"Who could that be, we're all here?" Her Dad jokes, standing up to answer the door.
The conversation continues in the kitchen until the door suddenly bursts open to reveal a heavily pregnant Louise and nervous looking Darren. For a long moment, nobody says anything, just staring at Louise and her baby bump.
"Surprise!" Louise burst out laughing, taking the seat where Hermione's Dad had been sitting.
Her Dad closes the kitchen door behind him as he enters then joins his wife by the sink.
"Gwen, is that you? OMG! Are you and David back together? That's so cute." Louise asks Gwen.
"No, I'm trying to build a relationship with my daughter." She explains.
"Oh, Sophie, she's turned into such a little nerd without you. Just like her father, eh?" She jokes, turning to her brother with a wink.
"I'd rather her be just like David than just like me." She states, sounding annoyed.
"Enough small talk, Louise." David snaps. "What are you doing here? We haven't heard from you in almost seven weeks then you show up pregnant as if nothing has happened." He angrily whispers so the children can't hear him.
"So, Darren and I were talking after that barbecue at yours, and we realised that the reason why we keep breaking up and getting back together is because we're stuck in a routine. We needed to be more spontaneous and what's more spontaneous than catching the next flight to Disneyland Florida and spending a week on the rides and then another two weeks chilling in the sun, which is where we found out we were pregnant. It was such a surprise. Anyway, apparently sunbathing isn't good for the babies, so we flew up to Las Vegas and spent a week in the casinos, and you won't believe this, but we won big. Ten thousand dollars. So, we flew to New York, which is nice but there's nothing to do unless you're boring and into history or musicals. We were only there a few days before we flew Paris, that's in France, and Darren proposed, so we stayed there for two weeks as an Engagement holiday before flying back to London. Now we're here." Louise reels off her story with a smile, showing off her massive engagement ring that no one had noticed with the baby bump to look at. "Anyway, it turns out you can get married in Las Vegas for cheap, so we've come back for the kids. I can't get married with all my babies being there. And I want Hermione to come too. Will you be my maid of honour?" Her Aunt Louise asks her.
Hermione stares agape in shock at her Aunt.
"You're not taking those kids anywhere," Chris states abruptly.
"What?" Louise frowns.
"You're not taking Lauren and Craig anywhere," Chris repeats.
"I'm their mum; I can take them anywhere I want." She bites back.
"You left them for seven weeks. Social Services gave Sarah and I custody over them, and they're not going anywhere." Chris argues.
"You got social services involved." She shouts loud enough that the children in the living room must have heard.
Hermione discreetly takes her wand out of her bag, locking the kitchen door and casting a silencing charm.
"I did. You left them with Mum and Dad. It's getting too much for them to look after two children that age." David admits.
"I'm taking them with me. Where are they?" She stands up.
Louise pulls on the door handle, but it won't budge. "Why won't it open?" She frowns in confusion.
"You're not taking them; they've got school on Monday," Sarah tells her.
"It's fine. They don't have to be in school full time until they're five." She huffs as she lets go of the door handle.
"Lauren is five. She turned five three months ago." Chris reminds her.
Louise glares at Chris. "You're trying to make me sound like a bad mother." She snaps at him.
"You're doing that all by yourself, Louise." He snaps back.
Louise screams as she lunges at him. Chris holds his arms up in defence as David and Darren try to pull Louise off him.
"Gwen, Sharon!" Hermione calls, gesturing them to follow her as she takes Draco's hand and pulls him into the hallway. She locks the door again behind them. "Sharon, I think you better take Mark and Mia home. Us three are going to take Sophie, Lauren and Craig to David's to get them out the way." Hermione tells her godmother who nods, walking into the living room where she quickly ushers her twins to get their shoes on so they can leave.
"We'll have to disapparate," Hermione whispers to Draco and Gwen.
"With Muggles? I don't think so." Gwen scoffs.
"You take Sophie to David's. Draco and I will get Lauren and Craig." She tells her with a swift glare as they enter the living room. "Hey kids, we're going to Sophie's house for a sleepover. We can stay up however late we want and watch as many videos as we want." Hermione tells Sophie, Lauren and Craig.
"Why?" Sophie asks as Lauren and Craig cheer.
"The adults are having boring conversations, so we're going to have some fun," Hermione explains as she helps Craig fasten his shoes whilst Draco helps Lauren.
"Have your Mum call me later," Sharon tells Hermione as she rushes her children out of the front door.
"We have to travel in s special secret way," Draco tells them once Sharon's gone. "It's so secret; you have to wear a blindfold." He tells them in an excited tone.
"Wow." Lauren gasps. "Put mine on now." She asks, closing her eyes and Craig copies.
Draco waves his wand over the top of her head, whispering "Obscuro". Then repeats quickly for Craig.
"We're going to have to carry them," Hermione mentions. "I'll take Craig." She picks her cousin up, balancing him on her hip.
Draco nods, picking Lauren up bride style, making her laugh.
"I'm a princess." She states as they open the front door.
Hermione casts a temporary invisibility ward over the front garden path before they step outside then all individually disapparate to David's house.
"Draco, I don't feel very well," Lauren complains, looking pale.
"It's okay; it'll stop soon." He tells her as they walk down David's side garden path into his back garden.
"Are we nearly there?" She asks, gripping onto Draco's neck tighter.
"I feel sick," Craig mutters, looking pale.
Hermione hugs him tighter. "It's okay. We'll be there soon."
Gwen takes Sophie straight into David's house whilst Hermione, and Draco walk around the garden for five minutes as not to make them suspicious of their sudden arrival at David's house. When they take them inside, they lower them onto the couch in the living room before removing their blindfolds. Sophie had already chosen to watch Aladdin. Once the film has started, and all the children have settled down, the three adults group in the kitchen.
"I can't believe Louise is pregnant." Gwen laughs in disbelief as she sits down at the kitchen table. "How old is she?"
Hermione glares at her as she turns to face Draco, who opens his arms for her to fall into his embrace.
"It's going to be fine." He mutters, rubbing her back. "Do you want me to head back to your parents' house and check what's going on?" He asks.
"Would you?" She asks.
"Of course, Hermione." He kisses her forehead before breaking apart. "I'll keep you informed." He pats his jacket pocket where his phone resides.
"Thank you."
Draco disapparates from the side of David's house to the alleyway behind the Granger's house and walks straight through the back door, surprised to see a man and a woman wearing black trousers, a shirt, tie and a blue jumper with 'police' written across the left. Draco knows Hermione's told him what a police is before but he can't remember right now. He glances around the rest of the kitchen, noticing that Betty and Tom are no longer in the room and that Louise is sat opposite these police people with her hand shackled together. David, Chris and Sarah are stood near the counters whilst Darren stands near the sink with a bag of frozen peas on his eye. They're all staring at him.
"This is Draco, our son-in-law, he was here at the barbecue as well," Chris tells the police people and the woman makes notes in her notebook.
"When did you leave the house?" The man asks him.
Draco glances at Chris who nods at him to answer the question.
"We left around twenty minutes ago." He answers.
"Who else was with you?" The man asks his follow up question.
"My wife, Hermione, David's ex-girlfriend, Gwen, and the three children, Sophie, Lauren and Craig." He tells him.
"You took the children?" The woman asks.
Draco stares at her. "Yes, I just said that."
"Where are they now?" She asks, ignoring his last statement.
"We took them to David's house. It's the closest to here." He states, glancing at David who smiles.
The man and woman police people glance at each other before the woman nods and stands up, taking a phone out of her pocket as she walks out the back door.
"Now that we've located the children, we'll send social services over to check on them and bring them back here. Meanwhile, we'll be taking Louise into police custody for further question. I will need yours and your wife's information in case we need to ask you any more questions. What is your address?" The man asks, opening his notebook.
Draco frowns at the man, realising he must be the muggle version of an Auror but he's still not about to tell him their address since he doesn't actually know where about in the United Kingdom he lives, just that he lives at Seven Gamma Street in the Pentagon Estate.
"They live with me at the moment," David announces, making both Draco and the man turns to stare. "They've just graduated college and are off to university in September; I offered them my spare bedroom, so they didn't have to waste their money on renting a place for three months." He explains.
The man seems to find this believable as he nods and makes a note in his notebook.
"You're mobile phone number?" The man asks.
Draco takes his phone out of his pocket and scrolls through his list of contacts until he finds his number and reads it out.
"And you're wife's number?" He asks next.
Draco finds Hermione's number and reads hers out too.
"That will be everything, thank you." He announces with a forced smile as he closes his notebook, placing it in his jacket pocket, that's hanging over the back of the chair.
The woman returns and nods at the man who nods back as he stands up, pulling on his jacket.
"I would recommend getting your jammed door fixed." The man points out as the woman leads a crying Louise out of the back door with Darren following, frozen peas still pressed against his eye.
"What's happening?" Draco asks once the back door closes.
"Louise is being arrested for common assault and multiple cases of short-term abandonment and ill-treatment of her children." Sarah sighs, taking a seat at her kitchen table and lowering her head into her hands. Chris stands behind is wife, comforting her by rubbing small circles across her back.
"Could you unlock the door, Draco?" Chris asks him.
"Ah, yes. Hermione didn't want Louise getting to the children. She thought it would be best if they didn't know their mother was here." Draco takes his wand out and removes the locking charm and the silencing charm that he knows Hermione would have used.
"Thank you for taking them away somewhere safe." Chris nods at him.
"I was just telling Hermione earlier on that I hope Louise never comes back. She broken those children and left us to pick up the piece and put them back together." She shakes her head angrily.
Draco nods awkwardly before excusing himself to call Hermione. She answers on the first ring.
"Draco, what's happening?" She asks.
"The police were here when I arrived. They asked me when I left, who with and then where we took the children. They're sending the social services to pick the children up and bring them back to your parent's house." He explains.
"Okay, I'll come with them and meet you there," Hermione tells him, and he nods.
"They've arrested Louise for assault, and abandonment and ill-treatment of her children." He adds.
"They arrested her." Hermione gasps, shocked.
"Yes, the police people took our details in case they need to ask us any further questions. If they ask, we lie in David's spare bedroom until we go to university in September." She tells her.
"Okay, oh, wait, that's the doorbell. Tell David I'll have to leave Sophie with Gwen at his house." She tells him.
"I will, see you soon." He says, hanging up and heading back into the kitchen.
"The social services have just arrived at your house, David. Hermione said that she's coming with them and she'll have to leave Sophie with Gwen." He explains.
"Right, I better go then." David sighs, pulling on his jacket and taking his car key out of his pocket. "I'll see you and Hermione back at mine later." He nods as he leaves.
"Where did Betty and Tom go?" Draco asks after a few uncomfortably awkward minutes once David had left.
"Tom didn't want Betty to see Louise like she was, attacking David and Darren, so he took her home just before the police arrived. Actually, I told him that I'd phone him when it's over." Chris admits.
"Wait until we have the kids back," Sarah tells him, placing her hand on his on her shoulder and he nods, sitting down beside him.
Draco glances around the kitchen, noticing the pile of dirty cutlery and dishes besides the sink.
"I'll make a start with these dishes." He announces, rolling his sleeves up.
"You don't need to, Draco?" Sarah tells him.
"It'll give me something to do whilst we wait." He admits, filling the washing up bowl with washing up liquid and hot water from his wand.
Ten minutes later, the doorbell rings just as he's on his last plate. Chris and Sarah stand up to answer the door together. Draco places the plate on the drying rack before following them.
"Why did Lesley pick us up from Uncle David's?" Lauren asks, staring at the lady who brought them back.
"Never mind that, let's go watch a film together. Would you like popcorn?" Sarah asks, plastering a fake smile on her face.
Craig's confused face lights up at the mention of popcorn, and he pulls on his Aunt's hand excitedly. Lauren needs a little more convincing but eventually settles on the couch with her brother.
"Mum, I'll make the popcorn," Hermione tells her, heading into the kitchen with Draco. She takes the bag of popcorn out of the cupboard and placing it in the microwave.
Chris and Sarah sit at the kitchen table with the social services lady, Lesley, who tells them what's going to happen now Louise has been found and arrested.
"The police officer I spoke to on the phone told me it is likely Louise will be charged with the common assault of her boyfriend, Darren Peterson, and multiple cases of short-term abandonment and ill-treatment of two children under the age of five years old, Lauren and Craig Adair. Her sentence could be anywhere from forty to sixty weeks imprisonment." Lesley pauses, and Chris and Sarah nod, taking the information in. "Now, I know it's a little early, but arrangements are going to have to be made, sooner rather than later. The police officer told me that Louise is twelve weeks pregnant with twins."
"Twins!" Hermione gasps, interrupting the social services lady.
"Yes, twins." Lesley nods before turning back to Chris and Sarah. "It is likely that due to Louise's repeated child abandonment and ill-treatment offences, she will be asked to relinquish her parental rights and the twins will be put up for adoption."
"No, we'll take them." Sarah interrupts her before looking at her husband. "We can't let them go into care. They're our family."
Chris nods with wide-eyes but ultimately agrees. "If Louise relinquishes her parental rights, we'll adopt the twins, and we'll adopt Lauren and Craig. As my wife said, they're our family." Chris states.
Lesley stares between Sarah and Chris, along with Hermione and Draco in shock.
"This is not a decision to be taken lightly. If you choose to adopt even just Lauren and Craig, there are steps that need to be taken. You will need to be interviewed, assessed and reviewed, which takes around six months. If you pass, you will then need to apply to adopt them both, which takes a further ten weeks and for those ten weeks, the children must be permanently living with you." Lesley explains.
"Nothing is too much for those children or the twins. If Louise is twelve weeks pregnant, then six months will take us to the birth of the twins. We'll take custody of them, and then we can start the ten weeks application to adopt Lauren, Craig and the twins. We are their family, and we are more than suitable to look after and provide for them. We're dentists who own our own practice for goodness sake." Sarah explains.
"I'm well aware of your annual income," Lesley tells them. "It's why you were chosen to take custody of Lauren and Craig instead of David." She nods, glancing at them both. "If you'd like to start the process of adoption, we can fill out the necessary paperwork on Wednesday at the review. I'll go over the information in more details then. I know you're both emotional right now in light of what has happened today so just that you're aware, if you wish to stop the process of adoption, you can do so up until the last review in your adoption case." Lesley states, standing up just as the microwave beeps, announcing the popcorn is cooked. "Thank you for your time." She nods. "I'll see myself out." She adds as she leaves.
"Thank you, Chris. Thank you so much." She hugs her husband. "I know this is a lot and it's going to be hard, raising four children under the age of six but-" Sarah cries into his shoulder.
"We'll manage. Although, we may need a bigger house." He half-jokes.
Hermione takes Draco's hand, pulling him out of the kitchen with the bowl of popcorn and into the living room where Laurena and Craig are watching a video.
"Here's your popcorn." She places the bowl between them, and they dig in.
"By this time next year, you're going to have four siblings," Draco tells Hermione, making her laugh.
She sighs as she wraps her arms around his waist. "What a mess my family is."
"It is all going to work out for the best." He assures her.
"Come on; I think we should head over to David's." Hermione states.
"Are you not going home for Athena?" He asks.
"Yes, I'll meet you at David's. I'm going to check on my parents first." Hermione says.
Draco understands that she wants to do this alone so presses a quick kiss to her lips before leaving.
Hermione knocks on the kitchen door before entering.
"We're leaving for David's, but we'll see you on Sunday." She tells them.
"Thank you for everything this afternoon, taking Lauren and Craig away to David's." Her Mum hugs her tightly.
"It's no problem, Mum. They're my family too, and I want what's best for them." She tells her.
Her Mum nods as they break out of their hug. "We'll see you on Sunday." She smiles as Hermione leaves out the back door and disapparates from the alleyway to the estate.
When Hermione turns onto Gamma Street, she's surprised to find Andromeda sat on her doorstep with Teddy cradled in her arms, wrapped in a pale-yellow blanket.
"Andromeda, I hope you haven't been here long," Hermione says as she helps the woman stand up.
"Where's Draco?" She asks, glancing down the street.
"He's at my uncle's house. We're staying there tonight. I can call him to come over if you-" Hermione starts to suggest as she unlocks the front door.
"No, I want to speak with you." Andromeda interrupts as she enters the house with Teddy still clutched in her arms.
"Do you want to place Teddy on the couch?" Hermione suggests, moving the cushions out of the way.
"Thank you, dear." Andromeda places the sleeping child onto the couch, ensuring his blanket is still covering him. "The kitchen, dear." She nods towards the adjoining room.
Hermione leads Andromeda into the kitchen, gesturing for her to take a seat at the kitchen table.
"Do you want a cup of tea?" She asks, walking over to the kettle.
"No, I won't be staying long." She admits, wringing her hands together anxiously.
"Are you alright, Andromeda?" Hermione asks, frowning as she sits across the table from her.
"No," She sighs sadly. "Draco's only just come into my life, and I don't want to lose him. I know his relationship with his mother has been rocky as of recently, but I could tell that he's trying to rebuild it at the dinner we had at the Manor." Andromeda explains.
"Yes, it's not easy for Draco, after everything Narcissa has done and said to both myself and Draco but they're both trying. Narcissa's even been trying with me, inviting me out for afternoon tea last week. I must admit, it was an awkward hour or so but if she's trying then I should too. You don't have to worry though, Draco's really looking forward to our dinner next week. He's desperate to keep hold of any family he can." She assures him.
"I need to tell you something, Hermione. I know I can't ask you not to tell Draco, I just didn't want to be the one to tell him myself. I'm a coward." She glances down at her hands in her lap.
"What is it, Andromeda?" She questions worriedly.
"At that dinner, Narcissa was acting strangely and downright suspicious. She went into the kitchens." Andromeda starts.
Hermione furrows her eyebrows, remembering what Draco had said about his mother never setting foot down there in her life.
"She said she needed to check on the house elves. Naturally, I followed her. She told Draco's house elf to tell the two of you that dinner was ready. When she left, Narcissa asked her house elf which plate was your then poured a vial of liquid over your dinner." She reveals, finally looking back up at her.
Hermione pales as a shiver passes over her body. "Why didn't you tell me?" She whispers.
"I switched your plate with mine after causing that commotion with the vase," Andromeda adds quickly.
"You risked your life for me. You have Teddy to think about." Hermione reminds her.
"She wouldn't try to kill you in front of Draco and in the Manor. It would obviously be her doing." Andromeda points out.
"Are you alright? Do you know what was in the vial?" Hermione asks, worried Draco's Aunt might be seriously ill because of her.
"I went to St Mungo's the next day for multiple tests and received the results last week. I've been trying to convince myself all week to tell Draco and yourself; you need to know in case she tries it again." She explains. "It was an infertility potion. A strong one at that. It was made to last up to ten years. That's what the healer told me." She finishes. "I've told you now; you can choose to do whatever you want with the information. I'm sorry it took me so long to tell you." She adds.
Hermione doesn't know what to say as she lets the information sink in. Her mother-in-law tried to poison her with an infertility potion to stop her son from fathering half-blooded children. Narcissa knew that when she and Draco were childless after two years, tests would be done and traces of the potion would be found in her. She would have been sentenced to six months ins Azkaban.
"I'm so sorry, Hermione," Andromeda adds, standing up. "I should go." She announces.
"Thank you for telling me, Andromeda. I'll need to get myself tested to make sure she hasn't repeatedly been poisoning my food to endure its effect." Hermione says, remembering their afternoon tea the previous week. It had been at a tea shop, so she hopes she'll be safe.
Andromeda hugs her niece-in-law before they exit the kitchen to find Teddy still fast asleep snoring on the couch.
"If you wait a moment, I'll walk you to the gate," Hermione mentions, quickly refilling Athena's food and water tray.
The owl herself was sulking on top of the curtain rail after being ignored when Hermione had initially walked in.
"I'm sorry, Athena. Draco and I will buy you a special treat tomorrow as an apology." She promises the owl before leading Andromeda, with Teddy, out the front door.
Conversation is sparse and slightly awkward in light of new information, but Hermione reassures Andromeda that both her and Draco are looking forward to dinner with herself and Teddy the following week before they disapparate their separate ways.
Draco sighs deeply as he sinks into the couch, next to David, with a bottle of beer.
"I know," David sighs too. "What a day?" He mutters, flicking between the channels on the television.
"It's a very noble decision Sarah and Chris have made to adopt Louise's four children." Draco states. "However, I can't help thinking that by the time the twins are adults, they will both be nearing their seventies. I'm told not many Muggles live long after this." He adds.
David frowns at him. "The life expectancy in the UK is just over seventy-seven years. The twins will be twenty-six by then."
"That seems rather selfish. You're fifty-five and both your parents are alive." Draco points out.
David seems to think about that for a few minutes. "They were both young when I was born. You can't expect Sarah and Chris to live to their hundreds."
"It's not impossible for Muggles to live that long." He points out.
"Well, Sarah and Chris are dentists. I read that there's a correlation between the amount of money a person makes and how long they live, so you never know." He states. "I'll be long gone by then. I don't make much as a teacher and with the stress of the job. I'll be surprised if I make it to seventy-seven." He jokes, self-deprecatingly, as he finds a programme about antiques and focusses his attention onto the television.
Draco watches as the woman on the television makes the audience guess which painting, out of three, is the most expensive. He guesses correctly himself whilst David guess the cheapest was the most expensive.
"Malfoy's have an eye for the more expensive items." He smiles.
Just as the programme is coming to an end, the front door opens, and Hermione calls that she's here. She pushes the living room door open but doesn't enter, giving Draco a worried look.
He sits up straight. "What's the matter?" He asks in confusion.
"I need to speak with you in private." She announces, sending David an apologetic glance, who shrugs, going back to his television.
Draco stands up, following Hermione upstairs to David's spare bedroom that had become there's whenever they spent the night. When she sat on the edge of the bed, he joined her.
"What's happening?" He asks her, a pang of worry hitting his stomach.
"Andromeda was on our doorstep when I got home." She states.
"What for, is she alright" He frowns.
"She saw your mother pour a vial of something onto my plate when we were at the Manor for that dinner last month." She starts to explain.
Draco's frown deepens. "Why is she only telling us now?" He looks Hermione up and down, checking she's alright.
"Your Aunt switched my plate with hers after that vase broke. She went for tests the next day and got the results back last week." She adds
"What was it? Is she going to be alright?" He asks worriedly.
"It was an infertility potion," Hermione admits, tears forming at the corner of her eyes.
A dark look crosses Draco's face. "My mother tried to make you infertile. Did the results say how strong the potion was?" He asks, voice scarily soft.
"It was made to last ten years." Hermione answer.
"Ten years." He repeats, abruptly standing up. "I'll kill her." He says seriously, walking towards the door.
Hermione grabs his hand, pulling him back. "You'll do no such thing. She's your mother." She warns him.
"She's trying to control our relationship. After two years, we both would have been tested, and you would have been sent to Azkaban for using an infertility potion. I would have been forced to marry someone else." He snapped angrily.
Hermione takes his face in her hands, turning him to look at her. "I know, but it didn't work out as she planned and we're fine. If you go around accusing her of poisoning me, we're going to lose access to Hyperion's bedroom. We need to read the rest of all the diaries in there. They might help us in finding Hyperion if the Arche Malfoy lead in Exeter doesn't work out." She explains. "You do want to find Hyperion, don't you? She reminds him.
"Of course I do." He sighs, falling back down onto the bed.
"Then we pretend we don't know anything, then when we find Hyperion, we can cut all ties with your mother, if that's what you want, but I won't let you kill her." She says, sitting beside him.
"What a day?" He mutters, repeating David's earlier statement.
"I know." Hermione sighs, lying down. "I can't wait for today to be over." She adds.
"I'm going to ask David what time he wants to leave in the morning," Draco announces as he climbs off the bed, leaving Hermione to undress.
He returns to the spare bedroom to find Hermione already in bed; the covers pulled up to her chin. Draco quickly undresses and joins her under the covers, opening his arms for her to cuddles, which she does, laying her head on his chest.
"David wants to leave at half past eight tomorrow morning so we can get to the council for opening hours." He says.
Hermione nods her head with a yawn.
"Goodnight, my dear." He mutters, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
Hermione chuckles. "I feel like we're no longer joking with this."
"Goodnight," Draco repeats, smiling into her hair.
"Goodnight, darling." She finishes the joke.
"Hermione! Draco! Dad says you need to get up." Sophie calls as she knocks on the door, waking them both up.
Draco groans, running his hand across his face, wondering what time he had been suddenly awoken.
"It's eight o'clock," Sophie answers his unspoken question. "Dad says we're leaving in half an hour." She warningly tells them before running back downstairs.
"We should get up if we want breakfast before we leave," Hermione says as she rolls over to climb out of bed, but Draco keeps a hold of her hand.
"And if we don't want breakfast?" He questions, raising an eyebrow.
Hermione pulls her hand free and gets out of bed, pulling her dress on as she speaks, "We won't be eating lunch until around twelve, so we're eating breakfast."
With a sigh, Draco rolls out of bed, pulling on last night's clothes, which thankfully are smart enough to wear when conducting business in the Muggle world.
When they make it to the kitchen, they find two plates of eggs on toast and two cups of teas set out for their breakfast. Also, on the table was a map of the United Kingdom with a red arrow pointing to a red dot on the outskirts of Exeter city. Once they've eaten, washed up, charmed their teeth clean, it was almost time to leave so they pulled their shoes on whilst they waited for Sophie to finish brushing her own teeth.
At half past eight, the four of them left the house, walking down the garden path where Hermione takes Sophie's hand, and Draco takes David's before disapparating to where David had placed the red dot on the outskirts of Exeter city.
The red dot happened to be a park and ride bus station on Honiton Road, fifteen minutes away from Exeter City Council and the next bus was in ten minutes. In hindsight, the should have checked whether the bus actually stopped near the Council. They ended up having to get off at Exeter Cathedral and dragging an eager history teacher away with the promise of going inside after they've been to the Council.
Whilst the walk took them a further ten minutes, making them five minutes late for the opening of the Council, there was a relatively short queue inside, of mostly pensioner wanting to complain about their pension apparently.
When it was their turn, the four of them stepped up to the counter, and David took the lead.
"Hello, Miss, we'd like to speak to someone from the birth, marriage and death registration office." David smiled politely as he spoke to a young woman behind the counter.
The woman smiles in return, picking up the phone beside her computer. "Let me call to see if they're in yet." She says sweetly as she presses four numbers on the phone, then waits for an answer.
"Hi, Shelly, I got a man here wanting to speak to one of yous." The woman says down the phone. "Yes, he is." The woman looks David up and down. "I don't know, let me ask." She takes the phone away from her ear, pressing it against her chest. "What's this about?"
"We'd like a copy of a birth, marriage and death certificate of a deceased ancestor." David answers.
"Alright," She places the phone back to her ear. "Yeah, they want the BMD certificates of a dead relative." She repeats to her co-worker, Shelly. "Yeah... okay... alright, I'll send them up to you." She says before hanging up the phone.
"You need the third floor. The lift and stairs are over in the corner." She gestures over. "Have a nice day." She smiles as they leave.
On the third floor, there's a sign pointing right for the birth, marriage and death registration office, which they follow until they get to a door with the same name on the door. David knocks on the door then pushes his way in without waiting for an answer.
"Hello, how can I help you?" A woman asks motioning for them to sit at one of the two chairs in front of her desk.
David takes one of them, letting Sophie sit on his lap, whilst Hermione takes the second, letting Draco pull over a third chair from the small waiting area next to the office door.
"Hi, we'd like the birth, marriage and death certificate for Peter Malfoy, born 1923 and died 5th November 1942," David states clearly.
"And you're a descendent?" She asks him as she types presuming those details into her computer.
"I am," Draco announces.
The woman glance over the top of her monitor at him. "Why aren't I talking to you then?" She asks him, pausing in her typing.
"I'm not from here; I don't know how your Council's work." He simply states.
The woman nods in understanding as she continues to type. "We're in the same boat there. Where are you originally from then? I came here from Montana back in summer of ninety-five to go to Exeter University. Let me tell you, that was a strange summer with all those storms, I knew English weather was gloomy, but I wasn't expecting the whole summer to be black and wet." She laughs. "Anyway, I dropped out of university after two years and needed a job asap to stay here and my friend, Daisy, on front desk said they were looking for an assistant for BMD registrations, so I applied and got the job. Now, two years later, I'm head of this office. You'll get used to the English culture." She briefly glances over her monitor to flash Draco a smile. "And here we go." She says, standing up and walking over to the printer stand precariously atop a filing cabinet.
Three pieces of paper come out, one after another. The woman taps them against the filing cabinet to straighten them out before handing them over to Draco.
"There you go. Is there anything else I can get you?" She asks.
"Give us a moment to look at the certificates," David tells her, taking the certificates out of Draco's hand and flicking through them. "He was born in Tiverton on the fourteenth of February 1923. It says Arche's occupation was Captain in the British Army, and Sarah was unemployed, at the time of Peter's birth." He paraphrases from the certificate.
"Where's Tiverton?" Draco asks.
"Not far, just thirty minutes up the road." The woman tells them.
"Peter was married for two months," David announces. "He got married in Tiverton, so the Malfoy's still resided there in 1942." He explains.
"Excuse me, can we have the death certificate of Sarah Malfoy, maiden name Current?" Hermione asks the woman, who begins type at the computer. "It should list her place of death. If it's Tiverton, then we know the Malfoy's stayed there after the deaths of Arche and the three eldest children." She points out.
"There's no Sarah Malfoy or Sarah Current listed here." The woman says. "One second." She continues to type.
"There has to be a Sarah Malfoy." David frowns.
"Ah, here we go. According to the 1991 census, there was an eighty-eight-year-old woman living at the same postcode as when Peter was born." She says. "Only the age, sex, relationship to the eldest person and postcode are available on the computer." She adds as an explanation.
"She's still alive," David says in shock. "She'll be ninety-six now."
"Can we have a copy of the census?" Draco asks.
"I'm sorry, but that's a massive breach of their privacy." She smiles sadly.
"That's fine." David turns to look at Draco and Hermione. "We have their address from Peter's certificates. We can just go around and knock on their door and hope Sarah remembers ever meeting your Uncle." He explains.
"Do you know how old he would have been, I can check the census for you." The woman smiles excitedly at the prospects of helping them further.
"In 1991, he would have been forty-four." Draco nervously tells her.
The woman types something into her computer. "Okay, there were six people residing at the Malfoy's Rackenford Road residence. There was a forty-four-year-old son of the eighty-eight-year-old female living at the same residence with his wife and three children." She reads off the screen.
"No, he wasn't her son." Draco sighs both in relief and disappointment.
"Sorry, I wish I could help you more." The woman admits.
"No worries, we've still got their address. That's our next step." David smiles at the woman as he and Sophie stand up. "Thank you for your help." He adds.
"Yes, thank you." Draco nods at the woman as he stands up with Hermione and leaves the office, walking towards the lift.
"Draco and I are going to take the stairs. We'll meet you down there." Hermione announces as David presses the button for the lift to go down.
"Oh, okay." David watches after them as Hermione pulls Draco through the door to the staircase.
"What's wrong?" She asks as they begin to walk down the stairwell. "I thought you'd be happy. You must have done the maths and realised none of Sarah's children would be anywhere near forty-four in 1991. The youngest would have been fifty-three. We have a possible place of residence for Hyperion. The forty-four-year-old son." She frowns in confusion at his lack of excitement.
"I am happy." He forces a smile but lets it drop with a sigh after Hermione stares at him. "I didn't want to get my hopes up so I told myself Peter Malfoy wouldn't lead us to Hyperion. I thought we'd get a birth address for Peter Malfoy somewhere and find the Malfoy's have been long forgotten from the house." He admits. "I keep thinking that we're going to find Hyperion, but he's not going to want anything to do with me or the wizarding world. I just don't want to get my hopes up." He repeats.
Hermione stops at the next landing, pulling Draco into a hug. "Hyperion's going to love you because you're his family as much as he is yours, but that won't happen if you don't allow yourself to find him."
Draco hugs her tighter as he sighs against her neck. "You're right, as always." He chuckles.
"Come on," Hermione releases him from her hug. "It's nearly ten o'clock, let's take David to the Cathedral then get some lunch." She leads the way down the rest of the stairs.
They meet David and Sophie in the foyer of the Council, where they set off for the Cathedral. David spends over an hour and a half walking around the Cathedral with Sophie and a guide, asking questions and reading all the plaques on the wall. Hermione and Draco decide to sit outside on Cathedral Green, enjoying the late morning sun. When David and Sophie joined them on the green around half past eleven, the four of them decided to find a local café for some lunch.
"So, Draco, are we going to Tiverton this afternoon?" David asks as they walked to a pub called 'The Hog's Head' that a local woman had recommended.
Draco exchanges a glance with Hermione who smiles encouragingly, but he shakes his head. "Not today, David. It's something I'd like to do on my own. I hope you don't take offence."
"Of course not, Draco." David smiles, clapping him on the back.
For lunch, the four of them enjoy a pub meal with a few drinks, that David pays for as a congratulation to getting a good lead on Hyperion. Afterwards, they enjoy a leisurely walk around Exeter, looking in a few shops, where Hermione bought a ball with a bell inside for Athena, before finding a secluded park to disapparate back to David's house. Hermione and Draco didn't stay for very long once inside, just long enough to thank David for coming with them to Exeter. Then they disapparated back to the estate and the comfort of the home.