A/N: Hey everyone! Hope you guys liked the last chapter. I have been waiting so long to write it, and well this one as well. Some things will be revealed in this chapter. Also, Lucius is finally here. There's one more canon character I want to add, but sadly, he won't make an appearance soon. Any guesses on who could he be? Read the A/N at the end to find out when the next chapter will be out. On with the chapter!
"Hello son." Lucius Malfoy said as he entered the room.
"Father." Draco gave him a curt nod, and turned his attention back to his daughter, who was sleeping in his best friend's arms.
The Malfoy patriarch walked towards his wife, who was standing next to the bed on which his daughter in law was resting. "Congratulations to you both." He said, smiling at her and his son.
But that smile soon faltered as he saw who was holding his granddaughter. Until now, he hadn't noticed her because Draco was standing in front of her, while quietly talking to her and Harry.
"What is this mudblood doing here?" Lucius spat.
"Father!" Draco shouted at the same time as Narcissa hissed, "Lucius."
But Lucius ignored them, and instead said, "Can someone please tell me what is this mudblood doing here? She has no right to be here."
Draco walked towards his father and glared at him. "Granger is my best friend, and she has as much right to be here as anyone else. Hell, if it weren't for her, I would have had a panic attack before coming here."
Of course, the older Malfoy wasn't paying attention to him. He had just come back from France, and he had not expected to see Hermione here. "I will not tolerate a mudblood carrying my granddaughter."
"You-" Draco was about to say something when Hermione stopped him. "Draco! Stop this right now. Athena is sleeping, and you don't have to fight over such petty issues. Control yourself, Draco. And you, Mr Malfoy, have no right to call me that word. No, it doesn't affect me anymore, but honestly, you should grow up, and stop believing in those things."
Lucius glared at her. "How dare you-" But was cut off by his wife.
Narcissa had had enough. "Lucius." She glared at him. "I will not tolerate anyone, specially you, insulting Hermione, she is family. I did not ask you to come back just to use that derogatory word even after we have had stopped believing in blood purity."
"You can either be a nice person and apologise to her, or you will face my wrath. And need I remind you that it will not be good?" She raised her eyebrows at him.
Before anyone could say anything, Draco grabbed his father's arm and dragged him outside, all the while saying, "Nobody can insult Granger in front of me, and expect me to stay calm and do nothing."
The rest of the people looked at each other, the silence becoming uncomfortable. Hermione was not looking at anyone, and instead focused her attention to Athena, who was sleeping.
Blaise cleared his throat. "Chocolate cake, anyone?" He looked at the others who were simply staring at him. "I promise I make it better than Draco. I remember what he did when he tried to bake one, a very funny and interesting story."
All everyone could do was blink at him.
Lucius Malfoy had shocked everyone with the way he talked about her. They had thought that he had abandoned the idea of blood prejudice.
Talk about being dramatic.
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"What is wrong with you?" Draco snarled as soon as he shut the door behind him. He had taken his father to the first empty room he could find, having no doubt that things he wouldn't like anyone to hear would be mentioned.
"With me? What is wrong with you, Draco? That mudblood? Seriously?" Lucius shook his head at him.
"Don't you dare! Don't you dare call her that, father. She is my best friend, and you out of everyone else should know how much she means to me."
Not giving his father a chance to reply, Draco continued, "I can't believe you have the nerve to call her that word. After everything she did to save us, after everything YOU told me that day, and after everything that had happened..." He shook his head. "Are you even the same person who said those things to me six years ago?"
"Of course, I am." Lucius said. "What? Do you think I am an imposter or something? You are an Auror for Salazar's sake, Draco. You know better than anyone else, okay not maybe that stupid Potter, the way to recognise an imposter."
He sighed. "I just don't understand. Six years ago, you wanted to protect Granger. You were looking out for her, and even told me what those people were planning to do. Care to tell me what happened, father?"
"Nothing happened, Draco. I am still the same person, and I believe the same thing I did all those years ago. What I can't understand is that why are you still in touch with that filthy mudblood-"
"SHUT UP! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TALK ABOUT HER IN THAT WAY, FATHER!" Draco shouted. "DID YOU FORGET THAT IT WAS BECAUSE OF YOU THAT I HAD TO DO THAT TO GRANGER SIX YEARS AGO?"
Lucius narrowed his eyes at him. "As I recall, it only helped you both at that time. What do you think would have happened if you hadn't listen to me?"
"If I hadn't done that, Granger and I would have been together today. I would have never done that, and she probably would have never left. And if she did, then I would have gone with her to Australia, or wherever she wanted." Draco said.
"No, Draco. You two would not have been together today. And I think you know why. We both know that the mudblood would have died if you hadn't listened to me."
The younger Malfoy looked away from him, partially because he knew his father was speaking the truth, and partially because he saw no point in thinking about what-ifs at this moment, probably ever.
"Tell me one thing, son." Lucius said. "Do you regret being with Astoria?"
Draco didn't even take a second to shake his head. "Never. I would never regret being with her. Sure, the circumstances that made us get together were... not the best ones, but I have never thought about being with anyone else since the moment Astoria and I... since the moment it became real."
"And what does Astoria think about this? Does she even know what you did?"
No, she doesn't. She only knows as much as Blaise, Theo and Pansy do. Nobody knows what he had done on 28th April 1999, and nobody ever will, if it were up to him, Draco thought.
Despite whatever he was thinking, Draco nodded. "She does. I told her as soon as I asked her out. Tori has a vague idea about why I had done that. I would appreciate it if you don't tell anyone what we talked about six years ago, father."
Lucius too, nodded. Draco turned towards him, and asked, "You still didn't answer my question, father. If you still think about Granger in that way, then why the hell did you tell me all those things?"
"We all can be selfish at times, Draco, can't we? But at that moment, I was being both selfless and selfish. If I wanted, I would not have warned you, and she would have died. But I did. You see, even though I think she is scum, she did save us from going to Azkaban, so I owed her, and I saved her life in a way. But I was selfish as well. When I got to know that you... I could not believe it. I would have never approved, Draco, you know that, and not to mention, you could have been disinherited. So I did what I had to, I saved her life and... Well, you know about the other thing." Lucius explained it to him.
"I can't believe this. After all these years, I thought you would have changed, but you..." Draco sighed. "Didn't you learn anything from mother? She lied to that Noseless freak in his face, and she even supports that rubbish spew. Why can't you let go of the idea of blood purity, father?"
"You know the answer to that, Draco. I see no point in doing that. Should I remind you that you yourself used to believe in those things until a few years ago?"
Instead of answering his question, Draco walked towards the door, and opened it. Before his father could follow him, he said, "I suggest you do not insult Granger in front of me, father, you will not like it. And I forbid you from using that disgusting word in front of my daughter. She will never believe in these stupid things, and nobody will ever reach her those stuff either, I will make sure of that."
They walked in silence until they reached the room everyone was in. "I suggest you stop thinking about what-ifs Draco, and let go of what happened six years ago." Lucius told him.
Draco snorted. "I do not think about what-ifs anymore, father. What happened six years ago, ended six years ago. I am really happy with Astoria. She is my forever, and you will never understand how much she and Athena mean to me. They are my world, and I love them very much."
Without another word, they entered the room.
(A/N: Sorry not sorry for making Lucius kind of a bad character in this story. But seriously, he will play a huge role in Hermione and Draco's story. So, there is still a hope for redemption.)
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"W-what are you trying to do, Blaise?" Draco asked, as he saw his best friend pacing in front of him.
"He has been doing that ever since I asked him if he would like to be the Godfather of Athena." Astoria said as her husband walked towards her.
"You mean he hasn't agreed yet? What about the Godmother?" He asked as he looked at Hermione, and then back at his wife.
"Ask her for yourself." Astoria smiled at him.
Draco again looked at Hermione, and was about to ask her, when Daphne said, "I would be honoured to be Athena's Godmother, Draco. Thank you so much!"
He was confused. Why was his sister in law saying that? He had wanted Hermione to be the Godmother, and Astoria knew that.
"W-what is she talking about?" Draco whispered to Astoria.
"She is saying that she would be honoured, Draco." When she saw the look on his face, she added, "I should have talked with you about this... But Draco, she is my sister. Don't get me wrong, I like Hermione but I want Daphne to be Athena's Godmother."
He narrowed his eyes at her. How could she suddenly change her mind? Ever since Hermione had come back, they had decided that she would be their child's Godmother, there was no doubt about that. Why didn't she never tell him that she wanted Daphne as the Godmother?
While Draco was thinking about that, Blaise said, "Look mate, don't get me wrong. I would love to be this munchkin's Godfather, but let me tell you, don't expect me to not spoil her. I will buy her whatever she wanted, and would tell your embarassing stories to her. So, do you still want me to be the Godfather?"
Draco chuckled and walked towards him. Patting his arm, he said, "Of course, Blaise. You can even help me to ensure that she will be a Slytherin."
Meanwhile, Hermione went towards Astoria, who shot her an apologetic look. The ex Gryffindor squeezed her hand and said, "Don't say sorry. It was me who asked you to do this, remember?"
Astoria nodded. "Draco doesn't like it though. He really wanted you to be Athena's Godmother. I wish you..."
Hermione smiled. "You know I would have loved to be her Godmother, right? But we have talked about this, Astoria. And if you want, you can tell Draco why you really made Daphne her Godmother, but after some time."
They were interrupted when Blaise shrieked upon seeing Athena awake. "Oh my, Draco! See the way she is looking at us. Damn, I feel bad for the boy who will fall for her. I can imagine you hexing him as soon as he enters your house."
Draco scowled. "She is not allowed to date until she is thirty. Athena is my baby girl." The others shook their heads and laughed.
"Imagine the look on Draco's face when she gets sorted into Hufflepuff." Hermione smirked at him.
"Oh no no, not Hufflepuff. Never Hufflepuff. She will be a proud Slytherin. I will charm the hat if I have to. She will even be the Slytherin seeker." Draco told them.
Narcissa looked at McGonagall and laughed. "We decorated the nursery in Hufflepuff colours, remember Draco?"
Lucius looked at everyone else and shook his head. Why can't they be normal for once?
Oh and Athena Malfoy would be in Slytherin. Every Malfoy was a Slytherin, and Lucius would not like it if that tradition did not continue.
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"You have been avoiding me." Draco said as soon as Hermione opened the door of her flat. "Again."
"I-I have no idea what you are talking about." She muttered.
"Oh really?" Draco raised his eyebrows. "Then pray tell why haven't you answered at least a single letter that I have sent you?"
"I was busy, Draco." Hermione crossed her arms in front of her.
"Wow, Granger. That is such a nice excuse." He shook his head. "It has been two weeks since you started avoiding me, Granger, surely you aren't busy on weekends as well?"
Draco had initially thought of going to Harry to ask him why his best friend was avoiding him. But he knew the Chosen One would be of no help. Knowing him, Harry would not have even realised that Hermione was avoiding Draco. The man was so oblivious, and Draco couldn't understand why the rest of the Wizarding World still worshipped him.
It's not like the he was the only one capable of defeating Voldemort. If it weren't for the prophecy, anybody could have done that, specially Draco.
Okay but maybe not Weasel. That man was useless, and only Draco knew how much he hated his disgusting manners when eating something.
Without giving her a chance to answer, Draco brushed past her and entered the flat. He went to the sitting room and saw the papers lying on top of the table. After quickly gathering them in a pile, he kept it aside and was about to take a seat on the couch when he heard Hermione scoff.
"Any problems?" He asked her.
"Yes. Firstly, you did not ask my permission to enter the flat. And secondly, I am working, Draco. You can't just come and keep my paperwork aside!"
"You were working, Granger, not are." Draco smirked at her. "And why the hell do I need your permission? I knocked on the door, didn't I? I could have just apparated inside, but I didn't. Ain't I such a gentleman?"
Hermione laughed. "Gentleman? I think you meant to say that you were scared. Remember what happened the last time you apparated to my flat?"
He groaned. That was not something he would have liked to remember or to get reminded of every single time.
Draco was just glad that she had not told his mother that story. No doubt she would have teased him for weeks.
Flashback
A little over two weeks back, he had apparated to her flat, to discuss a few new cases with her. He had thought it would be a simple visit, but boy, he was in for a surprise.
The first thing he noticed when he arrived was the weird muggle thing that people used to listen songs on, which was sitting on top of the table. The music was so loud that Hermione had not heard the 'crack' of his apparation.
He went into the kitchen, and saw her mixing the batter for a cake, humming to the tune of the song. After a few seconds, the song ended but Hermione didn't pay attention to it, and continued humming.
Deciding it was time to announce his presence, Draco walked towards her, and stood behind his best friend. "Which flavor cake are you baking today?"
Hermione, who was carrying the bowl filled with the batter, shrieked and immediately turned around.
Well you can guess what happened next.
Unfortunately, as Draco was standing behind her, the batter landed on his face, and the bowl dropped on his feet.
"Freaking hell, Granger!" He cursed. "What's your problem?"
She couldn't do anything except to blink at him. As he eventually wiped the batter away from his face, she burst out laughing. "Y-you... C-crazy... P-person."
Draco just glared at her, which would have had some effect, had he not been covered in the batter.
When she wouldn't stop laughing, Draco hugged her tightly, and rubbed his cheek on top of her head, covering her in the batter. This time, it was his turn to laugh at her.
Finally, after a few seconds, he stopped laughing. Before he could do something, Hermione accioed her camera and charmed it to take their photo. "Now now, Draco, this is a moment to remember. Don't scowl."
He shook his head and used his wand to clean himself, saying, "Don't you dare tell anyone about this. My reputation is on the line here."
A few hours later, as they sat discussing the files, she told him that she was getting bored, and so had decided to bake the cake.
What she didn't tell him, was that Lucius Malfoy had just paid her a visit few minutes before Draco had arrived.
Flashback over
"If we are done discussing that, can we please get on to the real subject. Why have you been avoiding me?" Draco asked her.
Hermione sighed, knowing that she had to tell him the truth. After all, it affected him. And she knew better than to lie to him in this case.
So when she did tell him the truth, Draco was cursing by the end of it. She had to Accio his wand to stop him from going and meeting Lucius, that too when he was really angry.
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"Who wants to hear what happened after Hermione had punched Draco?" Blaise asked and six people raised their hands.
"Not this again, Blaise Zabini." Draco glared at him. "I will kill you if you tell anyone what had happened."
"Ooo, do tell Zabini." Ginny clapped her hands excitedly. "The 'Hermione punching Malfoy' story never gets old. And of course, we all would like to know how Draco behaved after that."
"I can bet that he threatened to hex people or better, tell his father, if anyone got to know that she had punched him." Harry snickered. "Wonder how Lucius and Narcissa reacted after they got to know the story. But wait who told them about it?"
"Blaise and Theo." Pansy answered. "One day, our dear Draco had annoyed them so much, that they immediately wrote a letter to Lucius and Narcissa, telling them how their son's nose got broken because of getting punched by Hermione."
A few days later, the group had decided to meet in the Leaky Cauldron. Narcissa and Lucius were babysitting Athena, allowing Astoria and Draco to join their friends. They had just started eating, when Blaise had asked him that question.
"Okay okay, story time now." Blaise said.
Flashback
"Damn, Granger." Draco angrily muttered as they entered the Slytherin common room. "How dare that bushy hair know it all punch me?"
"I think you completely deserved it, Draco." Blaise said as he sat down next to him. "I would have paid to see you getting punched. How I wish I had been there."
He shook his head. "Don't you dare tell anyone, Zabini. It's bad enough that Nott told you. I will kill you if you told my parents."
"Oh poor Draco." He laughed. "You will never be able to forget about that, Princess. I even wrote the date and time when you got punched."
Draco threw a book at him. "Don't you think my pride will be wounded if someone else got to know? I am the Slytherin Prince, Zabini, don't take me lightly."
"Has anyone ever taken you serious?" Blaise asked him. "You could not even scare an eleven year old, and ran away screaming when he conjured a cockroach and threw it at you. Oh wait, didn't Granger call you a cockroach as well? What exactly did she call you?"
"A foul loathsome evil little cockroach." He muttered and groaned a second later. "Why do I even remember it?"
To tease him further, Blaise conjured a cockroach and placed it on Draco's shoulder when he wasn't looking. A second later, Draco turned his head and saw the cockroach.
His eyes widened and he screamed. "AHHH! SOMEONE SAVE ME!" Without even looking at his best friend, Draco ran away from there.
It was only when Blaise started laughing that he remembered he had a wand and vanished the cockroach, and punched Blaise on his face.
Flashback over
"Oh my!" Harry snickered.
The others shook their heads and laughed. "I wish I would have been there." Ginny said. "I could haved used my famous hex."
"Imagine if the Daily Prophet got to know about this." Hermione said. "It would be the front page article."
Draco groaned and got up from his seat, but not before heading Astoria say, "Draco always told me that he was not scared of anything. Who knew he feared cockroaches?"
He exited the pub, and leaned against the wall, closing his eyes. A few seconds later, he felt someone standing next to him. "Did you talk with Lucius?"
He nodded and opened his eyes, looking at her. "I did that as soon as I left your house that day. I still can't believe he has the nerve to come and threaten you."
"He hates me, Draco. He will do everything to break our friendship, I guess. Threatening me was just the first step."
"You should not have listen to him. Those were empty threats, Granger. He would not harm his own son." He said.
She knew that she should bring that up, but she did. "He did. He did harm you when we were in Hogwarts, and even before that, remember?"
His jaw clenched and he looked away from her. "Then you will also remember why he harmed me."
Hermione nodded and rested her head on his shoulder. "He harmed you because of me."
A/N: That's it for this chapter. It was 3600+ words. Hope you guys liked it. Yes yes, I know it was boring, and the ending was weird, but please forgive me for that. It's like the last normal chapter before the drama begins, and I had no idea what to include in it, except the part between Lucius and Draco. Random question: Your opinion on Ginny Weasley? Answer in the comments below. Vote, comment and please share my story. Reviews are always appreciated. Thank you!
I would also like to thank each and everyone of you for being here for me. It's been a year since I started writing again, and published the first chapter of my first fanfic, Another Chance Dramione. I am really grateful to you all, and I can't thank you enough!!
Next chapter on 11/10/20(Sunday).
Until next time.