Hermione's Little Secret

Hermione checked on her Gryffindors before heading off to her quarters to see about RJ. She knocked on his door and called his name, but he was either already sleeping or just ignoring her. She'd try again in the morning, but she really wasn't in the mood to deal with his attitude right now anyway. She dropped into her favorite chair near the fireplace and started rubbing her temples. She had to get her headache potion before meeting Draco in two hours.

"Hey, Mione!" Harry's head appeared in the floo. She sighed again and closed her eyes. Time to face some more music.

"Hi, Harry."

"So? Where'd the Squirt go? Ravenclaw?"

"No. Slytherin. And Draco recognized her. Evidently, she must look like someone from his family. I have to meet him during rounds tonight."

"Should we be looking for fireworks above the castle, then?" Harry joked. Hermione flashed him a weak sarcastic smile. He turned serious. "You knew this might happen, 'Mione. Just be straight forward with him. He can't hold you accountable alone. What were you supposed to do 12 years ago? Tell him he was going to be a father, when you weren't even certain you liked each other."

"I know. We had lunch today. I meant to tell him. Then he kissed me."

"Reeeeally?" Harry grinned.

"For all of three seconds before my son and his daughter interrupted by fighting so loud we heard them in the dungeon. You should have heard those two going at it."

"Misdirection won't work, Madame. How are you going to handle this?"

"I don't know, Harry. The only father Rianna's ever known is Ron. It doesn't seem fair to take that away from her, but Draco has a right to know her too. I wish Ron was here." She leaned back and stared at the ceiling, breathing deeply to keep herself calm.

"You can do this, Hermione. You're the smartest person I know, and I know you're going to figure something out."

"Thanks, Harry. Oh, RJ isn't coming over this weekend. He's been grounded for his actions with Miss Malfoy."

"You're mean."

"He's also spending evenings after dinner with Argus. I won't have my eight year old son even thinking about calling a girl a 'bitch.'"

"Oh, man, don't tell Molly. She'll wash his mouth out with soap."

"I'm not going to tell her. He will when he sees his grandmother again."

"You're not mean. You're evil. Why weren't you sorted into Slytherin?"

"Because I'm Muggleborn, remember? Now, go away. I need to rest before my meeting with Professor Malfoy. I have a feeling I'm going to need all of my strength."

"Alright. Take care, Hermione." He started to turn away from the grate, then grinned at her. "Oh, and Mione, try and stay away from the third floor corridor with Malfoy alright?"

Hermione growled at her friend, but he was already gone. She got up and headed through her bedroom to her bathroom. She hadn't seen RJ's bedroom door close slowly.



Draco saw his Slytherins to bed, trying his damnedest not to stare at Adrianna Weasley too much. Now that he was up close, he could see a lot of her mother in her features, but she had the Malfoy chin and cheekbones. He held in his temper, wanting only to strangle the woman he'd thought about on and off since graduating from school. He'd always wondered what would have happened if he'd not let her run off that night, if he'd followed her and made her listen to him. But he'd left her alone to fall into the arms of WEasley and have his child. 'No, have my child and let Weasley claim her as his own!' He fumed internally while giving his warning speech to the students. 'She took away my chance to be with my own flesh and blood!'

"Professor Malfoy, sir?" The girl who haunted his mind raised her hand as her classmates all started to ascend the stairs to their dorms.

"Miss Weasley?"

"I wanted to know if I might floo my mother and tell her good night?"

"No, Miss Weasley, you may not. No one else may call home and talk to their mummies." He sneered at her, falling into the professor routine easily. Her eyes hardened and her back straightened. Good, she wasn't going to try and use tears to change his mind like most other women would. "I will be doing rounds tonight with her, though, and will pass along your well wishes, if you would like?"

"Thank you, sir. Good night, sir." She smiled tightly at him and turned to follow the other first year girls up to their dorm. Older students were still milling about the common room and he gave them all slit-eyed stares.

"I expect this room to be cleared out in five minutes. You all have early morning classes and I refuse to allow Slytherin to lose points the first day or any day for tardiness. Am I understood?" He hissed. A few students started to their dorms immediately while the others shared glances and made arrangements to finish their discussions either in their dorm, or in the morning at breakfast.

When he turned to leave three minutes later, he smiled, having watched the last student trot upstairs to bed for the night.

Using the hidden entrance to his office, he hurried through, then into his suite, where Lilah sat curled up in the chair nearest the fire. He looked at his daughter and wondered how she would feel about knowing she had an older sister only a few hundred feet away from her. He sat in the chair opposite her, the one Hermione had used during their lunch together.

"Hi, baby."

"Daddy." She didn't look up from her book. Draco sighed.

"Lilah. Get over it."

"I will." She whispered. "I heard you and Mom arguing some nights. I'm sorry for being a bother."

"You aren't or weren't a bother! None of our problems were your fault. Your mother couldn't deal with what I was and what you are going to be. I'm sorry if anything I or she said hurt you."

"I know, Daddy. I miss home though."

"Do you want to stay with your grandmum at the Manor?"

"Hel--heck, no! She'll make me sit proper and won't let me go out and play!" Lilah frowned at her father. "And wear dresses." She made the word sound like an invective, snarled, with her lips curled in disgust. He laughed and shook his head. In America she was called a tomboy, more boyish than most boys he knew. Wearing dresses was torture to the girl.

"It's here or Grandmum."

She raised her gray blue eyes to her father, tears sparkling in the firelight. "I miss Mom."

"I'm sorry, baby, but I told you. Your Mum is busy with other things right now that don't include either of us. You can do it. You're a Malfoy."

"I know I can do it. I just want to go home."

"Lilah, I think you need to go to bed. This evening has been very trying for me before I even walked in here." Draco watched his daughter get up, marking her page, then coming around the furniture to give him a quick kiss and hug. "Night, love."

"Good night, Daddy."

Draco watched her go into her room, closing her door with a great deal less force than she had earlier in the day. He threw his robes off and approached the cabinet in the corner. He considered pouring himself a large dose of Firewhiskey, but eight in the morning classes would feel even earlier than they were. He poured a brandy and dropped into his favorite chair. "I can't believe she did that." He said to himself quietly, mindful of his daughter in the next room. He couldn't believe that Hermione Granger had had enough Slytherin in her to hide the conception of their child from him, then marry another man altogether rather than tell him. 'No, Draco, calm down or you're going to be spending time in prison when you confront her.' The death grip on his glass lessened and he closed his eyes against the impending headache. He charmed the wall clock to sound at 11:40 and he put the glass down, deciding to drift off to sleep instead.

The buzzing woke him a couple of hours later, jerking Draco out of a dream with him, Hermione and the third floor corridor. He looked down at his lap and cursed himself. 'She's screwed me out of knowing my own child and I want her still?' He wondered incredulously, then remembered seeing her masturbate in her quarters that morning. Oh, yeah, he still wanted the witchDraco stood and hurried to his bathroom to throw cold water on his face, hoping it would have some affect on his erection. Five minutes later, wearing only his regular clothes and carrying his wand, he rushed out of his quarters and up to the Great Hall. He had some questions for the Transfigurations Mistress. Entering the Hall, he saw the witch sitting at the Gryffindor table, where she and her two friends had sat together for the better part of their seven years here. She seemed not to notice his entrance, running her hand over the spot where Weasley had sat most of the time.

"I didn't know what to say to you all those years ago." Her soft voice echoed in the empty Hall.

"I had a right to know I had a daughter. I'd have married you instead." Draco stayed near the doors, leaning against the solid wood.

"Think about it, Draco. You called me foul names and treated me like dirt for six years! Oh, and imagine introducing me to your mum, 'Mum, here's the mudblood I knocked up. We're getting married, too!' Yeah, that would have gone over like a lead balloon." Hermione wiped her moist cheeks and stood suddenly to face him. "What do you think I did? I told my best friends, who stood by me through thick and thin."

"You let Weasley claim a child that wasn't his. Or didn't you tell him?" He sneered as she advanced on him. Her eyes narrowed and she drew back her arm. He twisted to the side and grabbed her arm, pushing it up behind her back and maneuvering her to face the wall, her chest crushed against the wooden Hall doors. "Sorry, Hermione. I don't get hit anymore." He whispered in her ear, licking the lobe sensually. She shivered and pressed her cheek to the cool surface.



a/n~~ just a short update, and yes, lemons, smut whatever ya call it is ahead LOL! Man, he's upset huh? Lots to come


pleaaaaaaasssssssseeeee review! I like how y'all like it. and thanks to Avanell in the previous chapter's reviews finding my messing up of names at the Sorting! See reviews have purposes besides giving me something to do when I should be cleaning lol

marti!