Poison

Chapter Twelve – Homecoming

She gently mixed the hellebore into her cauldron to finish of the Draught of Peace for Molly. She stirred it gently three times and then winced when she heard glass break somewhere behind her. She shook her head, and spooned the mixture into a jar.

She turned to face her son, Kuri, and the five year olds sky blue eyes welled with tears. She crossed over to him and hoisted him off the floor. She placed him on the work bench.

“Are you hurt?” she asked gently. He shook his head, making his chestnut curls bounce.

“Why are you crying?” she questioned.

“Cause I touched the vials and they broke, and Mummy told me not to touch the vials,” he sobbed.

“Would I ever tell you not to do something just to be mean?”

“No, mummy”

“So you aren’t going to touch the vials again, are you?”

Again he shook his head, sniffing. She bent and placed a kiss on his forehead.

“Now come on, we have to get ready for dinner and Aunt Molly’s,” she grabbed the jar of potion that she had brewed and placed it in her hand bag.

“Will Minnie be there?” he asked brightening straight away. She crossed to the door of her little shop and locked the door. Minjonet was the daughter of Bill and Fleur Weasley.

“I think so” Hermione crossing back to him and hoisted him onto her hip. She made her way to their flat above the store. She left Kuri sitting in his room whilst she changed out of her work clothes into a yellow sun dress. She changed him out of his coverall’s and into pants and a jumper.

“Right, let’s go then,” she said holding out her hand. He took it, and they headed out into the street. Not being able to afford a place with a fire place, they had to use the one at the Leaky Cauldron.

The walked up Diagon Alley. As usual, the street was filled with bustle and excitement. Kuri sky-blue eyes darted left and right and he tried to take everything in. She loved to watch the expressions on him face. She couldn’t tear her eyes away, which is why she walked straight into the man. She was knocked backwards and she let go of Kuri’s hand and fell on her bottom with a thud.

“Owwww!” she whined. She took the hand that the man offered and was pulled up against him. She turned her face to thank him, but stopped when she looked into a pair of eyes she thought she’d never see again. Yet, there he was right before her. Dressed in smart tailored black slacks and a deep blue shirt.

“Draco!” she exclaimed. He nodded and smiled. She threw her arms around him.

“Oh dear Lord, I thought you were dead,” she gasped. He pushed her back so he could just look at her. She hadn’t changed much. Her figure was somewhat rounder than it had been when they were in school, but she was still beautiful. The yellow fabric of her dress hung invitingly over her curves. She looked delicious.

“Not dead, Hermione,” he said softly, running his finger down her cheek.

“Mummy!” came the small voice from behind her. He froze and his eyes widened. He pushed her aside gently and took in the child before him. The boy had a mop of brown hair just like his mother, but the eyes that looked up at him were the same ones he looked into every morning at his bathroom mirror. She looked from father to son trying to think of how to explain this. When he looked at her questioningly though all she could do was nod her head.

“I tried to write you,” she said softly, “Draco, this is Kuri.”

He stared down at the boy. This was the last thing he’d been expecting. He was father. He crouched down in front of his son.

“Hello, Kuri,” he said holding out his hand. The child looked at it and then at his mother.

“It’s ok, Kuri. This is your daddy,” she said crouching beside him. He turned his head to look at her. She smiled at him.

“Does everybody know?” he asked.

“Yes, Harry and Ron know that he’s yours. They’ve been great really. Harry even tried to find you for me.”

His next question was forgotten as he felt the tiny hand grasp his still outstretched hand. He stared down at their joined hands and then into the face of his son.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Daddy,” the boy said jiggling his hand up and down, and Draco felt tears well in his eyes.

The years hadn’t changed him much physically. He was perhaps a little more built than the last time she saw him, but to see tears in Draco Malfoy’s eyes, Hermione knew right away that he was a different man.

“We are on our way to the Weasley’s for lunch. Would you like to join us?” she asked. Draco was still staring at Kuri. Kuri was staring right back.

“Draco?” she shook his shoulder slightly. He snapped out of his reverie and turned to look at her.

“What? Uh, no…that might not be the best idea,” he said.

“Don’t be silly, Daddy,” Kuri said patting Draco on the shoulder. Draco just stared at him.

“I can always send a message, and we can all spend the afternoon together?” she suggested.

“No, don’t cancel your plans on account of me,” he said. He really had changed. Gone was the self assured arrogance of his youth. He was polite and caring. Her heart welled with pride.

“Well, come on and walk us to the Leaky Cauldron then,” she suggested. She held out her hand for Kuri and he took it. He slipped his other hand into Draco’s, and the older man stared at it.

It was wonderful how instantaneously he felt a connection with this child. His child.

The trio started off towards the Leaky Cauldron. Draco couldn’t stop looking at either of them. His gaze would flick from this woman whom he’d placed on a pedestal and worked so hard to live up too, to the small unexpected surprise of Kuri. Hermione was watching him cautiously, trying to gauge his emotions.

Too soon they reached the bar. Hermione paused in front of the fire place.

“Are you sure you won’t come with us?” she asked him, smiling invitingly. He almost changed his mind.

“Where are you staying?” she asked.

“Here, room 12,” he motioned towards the small wooden stair behind them.

“Shall we catch up tomorrow then?” she asked him stepping up close to him.

“I’d like that,” he said he stared down at her. He dipped his head and brushed his lips against hers. She smiled.

“I’ll never deserve you, Hermione, but I’m not who I used to be. I can make you proud of me,” he whispered.

“I never cared about that. I care about you and I want you in my life. For him,” she gestured to their son, “and for me.” She lay her head against his shoulder.

“What about your friends?” he asked, breathing in the smell of her hair.

“I’m so sorry that I let them coerce me into hurting you, Draco. I’ve regretted it every day since you left. It won’t happen again.” He grabbed her chin and tilted her head back. His lips brushed hers again in a gesture of silent forgiveness.

“You’d better go,” he whispered.

“Promise you’ll be here when I get back,” she said, afraid to let him out of her sight again.

“I promise. I’m not going anywhere, ever again,” he knelt and kissed his son on the forehead.

“I’ll see you really soon, ok Kuri?” he asked.

“Sure daddy,” he said.

He stood and kissed Hermione again. She smiled and took Kuri’s hand, before she stepped into the flames.

* -* - *- *

Hermione and Kuri stepped in the kitchen at The Burrows.

“Oh, Hermione dear,” Molly said stepping over to them. Hermione chewed the inside of her lip for a moment, before reaching into her bag.

“Molly, here’s the potion you asked for,” she said pressing it into the older witch’s hand, “Can you watch Kuri for me? There’s somewhere I need to be right now,”

“Well, of course, dear. Nothing serious, I hope?”

“No, no, but something that urgently needs to be attended to,” Hermione dipped and kissed her son.

“You be good for Aunty Molly,” she said.

“You be good to Daddy,” her precocious son said back to her. Molly looked at Hermione surprised. Hermione shrugged her shoulders. The older witch smiled knowingly and gestured her to get going.

“Thanks, Molly,” she said and stepped back into the fireplace.

Draco hadn’t only taken five steps into his room when he heard a knock on the door. He opened and like a flash she was in his arms.

“Draco,” she said kissing him anywhere her lips fell. He captured her around the waist, kicking the door shut with his foot. She wrapped her legs around him and their lips met again. She pushed her tongue into his mouth to engage his own and he groaned, pushing her back against the door. His hand ran up the back her legs under her dress and he cupped her soft bottom.

“Oh god, I missed you,” she said between kisses, breathing heavily.

He spun around and stumbled over to the bed, falling a top her. She drew his face to hers with both hands and kissed him again. His hands slid up her leg and he caressed her sex through her panties. She arched her back shivering. She ran her hands down his body to tug his shirt out of his pants. When she had succeeded she ran her hand across his stomach. He moaned into her mouth. She pushed against him and he fell back. She climbed onto of him and brought her mouth back to his, sliding her fingers down his front to open the shirt. When the first button was undone, she lowered her head and kissed the exposed skin. She continued like this, opening a button and kissing his newly uncovered chest.

When the shirt was totally unbuttoned she eased it over his shoulders and he lifted himself, to shrug out of it. He kissed her again, but she pushed him back on the bed. She pulled her dress up over her thigh so that he could see her panties. Tantalizingly slow, she pulled the dress over her body and head and dropped it on the floor next to his shirt. She unhooked her bra and dropped it as well. He reached up and took her breasts into his hands. She clasped her hands to his wrists encouragingly. He rolled over until he was atop her again and took one of those dusky peaks into his mouth. She mewed. He kissed his way back up to her lips. He lifted his head a little to look into her eyes. They were dark with desire and passion.

With a grunt, he made quick work of his trousers and boxers and yanked her panties off. Then he was atop her. Naked, with her legs on either side of his hips, where he had dreamed of being every night for the past six years. He gazed into her eyes.

“What are you waiting for?” she said huskily.

“If I do this now, I won’t ever be able to let you go,” he said. She smiled seductively, and reached her hand down between their bodies. She grasped his manhood and guided it to her opening.

“I know,” she said, pulling his head down to her lips. He pushed into her and she moaned. He had to stop for a moment, the feeling of being inside her again was overwhelming. She stroked his back while she kissed him.

He began to thrust in and out. She cried out in pleasure and her legs closed around his waist. He pressed his lips to her neck and trailed kissed up her jaw line until their lips met again. She opened her mouth and kissed him back urgently. She hooked her arms around his shoulders and held onto him tightly, pressing his chest into hers. He slid one hand under her shoulder and ran the other down her body to grasp her bottom, using the grip to help push himself deeper into her.

In almost no time she was crying out his name, shuddering and bucking underneath him. Seeing the look on her face and hearing his name on her lips ended his own self control, and he grunted her name as he came violently. He lunged into her sporadically before collapsing upon her. Her could feel her body going through those tiny shocks. He rested his head on the pillow next to her head. She wrapped her arms around him more tightly and held him to her, pressing her lips against the skin of his neck.

He tried roll off, fearing he might be to heavy for her but she wouldn’t let him go.

“Hey,” he said gently prying himself loose from her clutches.

“I’m sorry,” she said blinking back tear and sitting up, “It’s just that the last time we were together you went away, and I’m worried that you might run again. I mean it’s not just me, there’s Kuri to consider, and…” he pressed a finger to her mouth.

“Gods, Granger, do you always think this much?” he said

She stared at him for a moment, and then she laughed. He joined her and they fell back into the bed together. He stopped laughing first and waited until her giggles had subsided, a bemused look on his face.

“I promise you that I am not going anywhere,” he said. She grabbed his face and brought him closer so she could kiss him softly.

“Where were you?” she asked him. He rolled out of bed and pulled on his boxer shorts. She rolled over onto her stomach to watch him as he walked over to the window.

“Around. I originally went to France, my mother has family there, but I didn’t stay long. I traveled down to Africa and spent a couple of years there studying with a Shaman. Then I went across to South America, studying the secrets of the Inca’s, where I’ve been up until last week.”

“Why didn’t you write me?” she asked.

“I wanted to, every day. In fact I must’ve started at least a thousand letters. But every time I thought if you wrote back, I’d rush back to you, and I’d never find out who I really am. I needed time away from this country and its prejudices. Even you had them. Not that I ever gave you any reason not to, but that’s why I couldn’t come back. I had to be ready,”

“And you are ready now? I know Kuri came as a bit of a shock, but are you ready for the responsibility of being a father?” she said cocking her head.

“Kuri is the most wonderful surprise I could’ve received. I was half afraid that you would tell me to go to hell. I had been totally prepared for utter rejection. You took me by surprise by being so happy,” he said, sitting next to her on the bed. He ran his hand down her back.

“I’ve had every day for the past five years to analyzise my emotions. I’ve replayed our last conversation in my head a thousand times, trying to figure out if you gave me any clues to what you were going to do. Then I found out I was going to have Kuri, and it made me so happy that something so wonderful and pure was going to come out of what we had. I knew that I was wrong that night when I told you that I didn’t love you.” He leant forward and pressed his lips to the base of her neck. She shivered and looked over her shoulder at him. He smirked.

“I bet Harry and Ron must’ve hit the roof when you told them?” She returned his smile.

“Oh their were furious, especially when I made it clear that I would be having this baby, and that if you ever came back into our lives, you would be welcomed, open armed”

“I’d have paid a fortune to see that,” he chuckled.

“Of course, they were expecting him to be the spawn of Satan,” she giggled, “for a long time they wouldn’t go near him. But by the age of three, when he became the most precocious child ever they were smitten”

“How much does he know about me?” Draco asked.

“I told him that we were friends in school,” she said and he rolled his eyes. She grinned, “Ok so I stretched the truth a little. When he asked where you were, I told him I didn’t know, but that if you ever came back he was to let you tell him on his own. He’s terrible inquisitive. I think he gets that from me,”

He stared at her. None of his late night imaginings had been exaggeration. She was just as he remembered her. She was looking back at him, just waiting for him to process whatever it was he was thinking. So they sat in silence for a while.

“I’ve dreamed about lying here with you for five years, and now that I’m here I’m afraid to say anything just in case I wake up.”

“It’s not a dream, but if you aren’t ready for an instant family, I’ll understand,” she said.

He shook his head, “It’s not that. I’m more than ready, it’s just that I’ve missed so many things. His first step, his first word…” he said.

“There will be plenty of other firsts, Draco. Besides which, I would like more children one day,” she said grinning at the look of shock on his face. She shook her head and rolled off the bed. He watched as she started to collect her clothes.

“Come on, let’s go to the Weasley’s and pick up our son,’ she said picking up his pants and throwing them at him.