Thirty-Five
February 2nd 2018:
“Alright Garret, You know what to do. Go running back to daddy.” Draco released Garret’s binds from his wrists. “And just remember, if you choose to run. I love a good hunt. I mean you would know, father always loved to go hunting during the summer vacation. You remember those days, right? Oh wait, that’s right, He only took me.”
“Malfoy.” Harry warned.
“Sorry Potter, just trying to have some brotherly bonding time.”
“Garret,” Ron handed him a wand.
“This isn’t mine.”
“This wand has been spelled. This is the only wand you’re getting.” Ron told him.
“Let’s get on with this.” Malfoy spat out. He wants to get his father back behind bars as soon as he can. And he wants his daughter home and safe.
“See you on the other side.” Garret said before the crack of apparition took him away. One by one the Aurors started to follow.
Draco landed gracefully and immediately went into action.
“We should split up. You take the British Aurors and I’ll take my team and Garret.” Harry nodded before taking his team one way. Draco led his the other.
“Monsieur!” One of his Aurors called out and he followed the sound of his voice.
His eyes landed on a dead Mcnair.
“Oh Bloody Hell.”
“What’s that on him?”
“It’s a Howler.” Draco replied.
Draco took a step closer to it and used his wand to open it.
“Hello My son. I hope your chase has been fun. It has been entertaining for me to watch you fall into every trap I sent. Do you really think I would still be here? Do you think I would make it easy for you to find me? You’ll never be able to find me. Nicholas, you know what to do.”
As the Howler ripped itself to shreds, Draco turned just in time to see Garret apparate out of the room, leaving behind the wand they gave him.
“Fuck!” Draco yelled. He turned to his team. “Sécurisez le terrain” Draco ran out of the room to find Potter.
“Malofy!” He whipped around at the sound of his name being called. It was Harry. He was holding someone in his arms. Someone with long blonde hair. A girl. Lyra. Draco ran towards them.
“Is she-?”
“There’s signs of the Cruciatus curse and she has a few signs of physical abuse but we’ll know more after we get her to St Mungo's”
“Garret got away. Lucius left a Howler attached to Mcnair’s dead body. He’s not here and Garret went wherever he is.”
“We’ll deal with that later. Let’s get Lyra to the hospital.” The three of them used the Emergency Portkey all Aurors have to get them to the Hospital. They got there and Harry went into action, getting her to a stretcher and sending her on her way with the doctors.
“I’ll send Hermione a Patronus.” Ron said and walked away.
“Potter,”
“She’s going to be okay.”
“I know.” Draco paused and looked up at his childhood nemesis. “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me.”
“I do.” Draco took a deep breath. “Thank you for being there for Hermione and for Lyra. Thank you for protecting them.” Harry nodded.
“It hasn’t been easy. She definitely has her mother’s sense of adventure. But It’s your turn now. Good Luck.”
“I’m ready for the challenge.”
“Draco!” It was Hermione’s voice. Draco turned just in time to catch Hermione as she threw herself into his arms.
“Hello to you Granger.”
“You did it. You brought her home.”
“Technically it was Potter.”
“Have you seen her yet? Did the doctor say anything?”
“Not yet.” Hermione nodded.
“Let’s go sit down in the waiting room so they can find us easily.”
The three of them found Ron sitting with Katie, Ginny, Pansy, Blaise, Theo, Millicent, Perseus, Abby, Damion and all of the Weasley family.
“How did you all get here so fast?” Draco asked.
“After I told Hermione, I sent a Patronus to Ginny and from there they all showed up.” Ron answered.
“Have you seen her yet?” Perseus stood up and asked Hermione.
“Not yet.” He nodded sadly and sat back down.
“It should be any minute now. She wasn’t in bad condition when we brought her in. They’re probably just doing a routine check.”
About thirty minutes later, a healer walked into the waiting room. The healer appeared to be shocked to see so many people in the waiting room.
“You’re all here for Lyra, I assume.” The group all answered yes. “I’ll need Minister Granger.” Granger stood and grabbed Draco’s hand.
“This is Lyra’s father. He can come too.” The healer nodded and led them down the long hallway.
“How is she?” Hermione asked.
“She’s awake and stable. There appears to be small effects of the cruciatus curse. Just small twitches and spasms. Do you know how to treat these spasms?”
“Yes.” Hermione and Draco both answered.
“You can take her home tomorrow. I’d like to keep her here overnight for observation.”
“Thank you.” Hermione turned to Draco and saw him staring at the door to Lyra’s room. Before speaking to him, Hermione turned back to the healer. “Head Auror Potter is in the waiting room, Would you mind going to speak to him? He’ll want to set up a few Aurors to watch her room.”
“Of course.” The healer walked away.
“Do you want to go in alone?” Hermione asked Draco.
“No. You should.” His eyes never left the door. “You should tell her and ease her into it. Hermione grabbed his hand and squeezed it lovingly.
“Okay.” Hermione walked into Lyra’s room and saw her daughter sitting up in bed reading a book. “Merlin, you really are my kid, aren’t you?” Lyra smirked and looked up.
“Hi mom.”
“How are you feeling?”
“I feel fine. I'm a little tired.”
“Are you up for a chat?” Lyra nodded and Hermione sat down next to Lyra’s bed. “We can go into all the details later but for now the basics. Your father is Draco Malfoy. About two months after our relationship ended I found out I was pregnant. He was to be married and move to France. I made the decision to keep our baby, knowing he wasn’t going to be around. I always planned to tell you. I won’t lie and say it would have been anytime soon. You looked so much like him as a baby. I charmed your hair brown. In all honesty, it was half to protect myself and half to protect you. I was scared that people would see your blonde hair and connect the dots. That shade of blonde is not particularly common in our world. I have been selfish with you and I am sorry.” Lyra reached out to grab her mother’s hand.
“I can never understand or know everything that you have been through. But what I do understand is that everything you do, you do for a reason. I’m not mad or upset. I love you mom and I trust you.” Hermione wiped her tears away.
“How did I get so lucky to get a kid like you?”
“I’m the lucky one.” Hermione smiled at her daughter. She truly was one of the purest souls on the planet. “Can I meet him?”
“I’ll go get him. He’s a little nervous.”
“I am too.” Hermione stood up. When she walked into the hallway, she was greeted with the sight of Draco Malfoy pacing the hallway.
“I don't think I have ever seen you pace before.”
“I pace all the time. Usually in private. It calms me.” Hermione reached out and took his hand, pulling him to stand in front of her.
“She’s nervous too.”
“Is she angry? Or upset?”
“Not at all.” Draco looked at the door. “Go inside.”
“You’re not coming in with me?”
“The two of you need some time alone. Just go inside. I’ll be right here.” Draco nodded.
Draco walked into the room and his eyes watered as he saw a carbon copy of Hermione sitting on the bed. The only difference being the white-blonde curls.
“Hello.” Lyra broke the silence.
“Hi.” Draco took a deep breath. “Uh, well. I’m Draco.”
“I’m Lyra.”
“Is it okay if I sit?” Draco asked his daughter. His daughter. He’d have to get used to saying that.
“Please.” Lyra nodded. “I think that we should start with, I don’t blame you for what your father did. You’re not him.”
“I needed to hear that.” Lyra smiled.
“He really hates you.” Draco laughed.
“That’s an understatement.”
“I hope you’re not too mad at my mom for keeping me from you. I think she was just trying to protect me.”
“I think so too. And I could never be mad at Hermione for long. We have already worked it all out. We’re both at fault for what happened. No one can take too much of the blame.” Lyra could not stop smiling.
“I’m very excited to get to know you. I’ve heard stories about you from Abby and Percy.”
“All good, I hope.”
“They both adore you. Perseus has always wanted to introduce me to you.”
“What an encounter that would have been.” They both laughed.
“Is he here?”
“Him and the whole clan of Weasleys are in the waiting room. As well as the whole Nott and Zabini family.”
“I am very well loved.”
“Yes you are.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“Mom said you were getting married and that’s why she didn’t tell you about me.”
“That’s correct. It’s also a statement not a question.”
“Where’s your wife?”
“Astoria and I are separated. In arranged Pureblood marriages, the couple has ten years to conceive a child. Astoria is unable to have children so after the ten year mark, we divorced. She’s just a very good friend now.”
“Oh.” Lyra thought for a moment. “That would have been about five years ago. Right?”
“Yes.”
“You never wanted to see my mom? After your divorce?”
“When I broke up with your mother, I did it in a very horrible way. I needed her to hate me. Once Astoria and I separated, I had figured Hermione would have moved on and wouldn’t want to see me.”
“That’s reasonable.” Lyra hesitated. “Did you really have no idea about me? I mean I’m Hermione Granger’s bastard child. There were newspaper articles about it and everything.”
“The second I left Britain, I never looked back. I was in France and I didn’t want to see anything about how well she was doing as Minister. I didn’t want to be reminded that I was never good enough for her. So no, I never saw any newspaper articles, I never knew anything.”
“And when you talked to Percy about me? He never mentioned my mother?”
“No. He only ever told me your first name. I bet Pansy had something to do with it.”
“That makes sense.”
“Can I ask you something now?”
“Of course.”
“What do you know about me? And my past?”
“I know about your role in the war. I know about your family’s role. I know about your Aunt. I know you used to bully my mom, Uncle Harry, and Uncle Ron.” Draco was feeling defeated and was feeling regret. He shouldn’t have asked. “But I also know how you would protect Theo from his dad. I know how you comforted Blaise after each one of his mother’s husbands passed away. I know you protected Pansy from death eaters during the war. I know that every year you send Percy the newest broom for his birthday. I know you send Abby clothes from Paris and Damion books. I know that in order to form an opinion of someone, I need to know them for myself and not take what other people say to heart.”
“You really are your mother’s daughter.”
“So I've been told.” A knock on the door drew their attention away. “Hi mom.”
“How’s it going in here?”
“Really good.” Lyra answered.
“Ginny offered to go get you some food that’s not from the hospital. Are you hungry?”
“Yes!” Lyra shouted and her mom laughed.
“I’ll tell Gin.”
“I can go get your friends. Give you some time with them.” Draco said standing up from his chair.
“Thank you.” Lyra paused as she watched her parents. “Wait,” She called out. Draco and Hermione turned to look at their daughter. “Is it okay if I, uh, if I call you dad?” Draco couldn’t help the surprised grin that crossed his face.
“It’s more than okay.” Lyra smiled.
“It was very nice to meet you, Dad.”
“It was very nice to meet you, Lyra.”
Draco and Hermione walked out of their daughter’s hospital room. They walked a few steps down the hallway before Draco stopped.
“Draco? What’s wrong?”
“She’s perfect.” He mumbled out. His eyes watered with tears that have been threatening to fall since the moment he saw her in Harry’s arms. “She is everything I love about you and nothing I hate about myself.” Hermione wiped the tears from Draco’s face. “Hermione, I love you. I have never stopped loving you. And I love our daughter and I never want to be separated from her again.”
“What are you saying Draco?”
“I want you Hermione. I want you in every way. I want you as my best friend, I want you as my wife, I want to be yours forever. I don’t have a ring, All I have is my love for you. Hermione Granger, Will you marry me?”
Before Hermione could answer, the hallway went black.
She went to scream for help but right before she could, a hand wrapped itself around her and covered her mouth. Her eyes began to flutter shut. And all she heard before losing all consciousness was;
“Goodnight, Minister Mudblood”