Mrs.Malfoy

Author notes: Well, well, well. Aren’t we the little detectives with all the answers? To burst your bubbles, only one of you even came close to my intentions. And I will say as that the idea of his hair being turned blonde did breach my mind, it was only for a brief moment. Rabastan’s hair was not changed with the charm. He was born blonde. Thus, why Severus didn’t have any emotions. He realized by looking that he was Lucius’ and had had his hidden hope squashed. Therefore, his blank emotionless self he is so used to showing stepped in and took over. Don’t worry. You will get there soon enough. Now that a few of you are thoroughly confused, I will proceed. LMAO!

Ginny was going crazy. She had a wedding to plan, a fiancé to spend time with, an office to run, a person to imitate, and a baby to help to help take care of. To say the poor girl was exhausted would be a gross understatement. However, she managed quite well over the last two weeks. She had been to visit Hermione at Malfoy Manor soon after Hermione and Rabastan were cleared to leave. Lucius had to leave on business for Fudge again, and was not clear on his estimated return. Therefore, Hermione felt it would be safe to have Ginny and possibly Mrs. Weasley come to help with baby.

Ginny walked over to the bassinette almost as soon as she entered the sitting room. She plucked the baby from his blankets and began to stroke his head. “I can’t believe it, Hermione. He’s so perfect.”

“Malfoy,” the new mother grunted.

Molly had just finished the baby’s laundry and entered the room. “Hermione Jane Granger Malfoy! Do not speak so ill of your own child. I will not have it. I don’t care if his father was You-Know-Who. He is a part of you and that makes him perfect,” the Weasley matriarch said as she took the infant from Ginny and cradled him into her bosom. “Oh, how I miss this!”

Ginny sighed and rolled her eyes.

Hermione sighed as well and watched as the elder witch carried and moved Rabastan about like a pro. She was amazed at how much Molly could do with one hand. Hermione sat there and observed. She knew she didn’t have long with him. Two years and he would be gone. Two years would be gone before she blinked. As she sat and watched her best friend softly caress Rabastan’s porcelain fingers and toes, the overwhelming urge to cry struck her.

“Oh, dear. Now, now, Hermione. It’s just what the muggles call Postpartum Depression. You’ve heard of that. It will take some time, but it will all manage to work itself out,” Mrs. Weasley consoled as she handed the baby back to Ginny after changing him, giving him a bottle, and putting him to sleep all in the span of ten minutes. She walked to Hermione who was sitting on the loveseat wrapped in a soft fleece blanket with her knees to her chin, and enveloped her into a hug. “There, there, you’ll see. I had it bad with Ron; didn’t know where our next meal was coming from, we were worried if Bill would get his Hogwarts letter that year or the next, and the twins were in their…what do muggles call it?…terrible two’s. You could guess the mess we had on our hands. But as you see, it all worked out. It will for you, too. I think that as soon as Emilia Klewcon has been elected as Minister of Magic, you can finally breathe a bit easier.”

Ginny and Hermione exchanged glances and dropped them as soon as Molly had looked up. “Oh, for Merlin’s sake! You don’t honestly think that having seven children hasn’t done a thing for my powers of observation? I’m not blind, dears. I saw the red hair in Ginny’s wardrobe when I was putting her new clothes away for her. I also saw that same hair in the upstairs bathroom a moment ago when I fetched the rash ointment for Rabastan.”

She looked to both young women and studied their expressions knowingly. “I knew she wasn’t ever in Ginny’s room, and I doubt she would have used your private loo, Hermione, when there is a perfectly acceptable one down here for guests. So what was it? Polyjuice? I surely hope not with you having been pregnant!”

“No, Mrs. Weasley. Just a rather extensive glamour charm, is all. I know the precautions of pregnancy and polyjuice. It could have changed the baby as well, and while in development, the foetus would have been deformed. I was careful to research all my options while Lucius was away on business.”

Molly nodded and went back to the baby who had awoken. She placed him up in her arm against her collarbone and rocked him gently. “Well, good. Now, how is it that ‘Emilia’ is going to get this ruddy law overturned?”

Ginny and Hermione couldn’t help but guffaw at Molly’s use of the swear word. But, in all honestly, how could they blame her? That’s when Hermione began telling Molly of her original plans and how they have changed more of less over the last year.

‘A year,’ Hermione realized in her mind. She would have to end this torment soon. Yes, the time just goes by too fast and is too precious to waste. She took Rabastan from Molly and held him close.

*****

Another week had passed when Hermione received word from Lucius that he would be detained in Ireland for another month. The news excited her. It gave her time to finish what she started, but at the same time, she worried about what he might have been doing there. She didn’t think too long on that as she needed to get back to work.

She looked over the final memories inside Ginny’s pensieve and went to put Rabastan down for a nap. When she returned to the study, Severus was there.

“Great Merlin, you scared me!” she yelped as she entered the room and turned to see him standing near a bookshelf.

“Forgive me, Hermione. I came to see my godson. How is he?”

Hermione smiled softly. “Perfect.”

He looked at her quizzically. “Perfect?”

She laughed then. “Something Molly said. Anyways, yes, he is fine. I just laid him down. Would you like to see him?”

Severus nodded and followed her to the nursery. He approached the crib cautiously as to not wake him. Great lot, that did him. The child wailed almost as soon as Severus caught sight of him. The usually composed man in black stepped away quickly as Hermione picked the baby up.

She looked over to Severus who was quite self conscious of his presence. “Would you like to hold him?”

He immediately shook his head.

“Come on, Severus,” Hermione said as she walked towards him. “He is harmless. He just hates not getting his nap out.” She almost thrust the child into his arms. He took a moment to peer at the infant whose large grey eyes stared back at him in wonderment. Severus’ hand moved to touch the baby’s cheek. It was so soft. His arms were round and plump. His fingers were long and strong as they gripped Severus’ own finger. Severus moved the blanket out of the way too take in the entire child. He was long, yet round. Even though he was early, the mediwitches did a fine job at securing his health with various potions and spells. His appetite seemed to be healthy as a result and he had gained a good deal of weight rather fast. Severus was comforted by this.

For you see, by placing Severus as the child’s Godfather, should anything happen to Lucius, he would step up in that role. He already visited the child everyday since Rabastan’s birth. Severus understood that one of his role as godfather was to be a part of the child’s daily life. He also knew that if it was up to Hermione, or Emilia, as it seems, then something will definitely happen to Lucius. Keeping this in his head, Severus began to look at the child through different eyes. Eyes of a father.

They had finally managed to put Rabastan back to sleep…well; actually Severus had done it with Hermione looking on with a content smile on her face for the first time in days. They retired to the breakfast nook in the kitchen for tea.

“He is doing well, Hermione. You’ve done a great job,” he said as he took a sip. It was the first time in all of his visits that he actually praised her.

She blushed lightly. “Thank you, Severus. It wasn’t all me, though. Molly and Ginny helped a lot. I don’t honestly know what I would have done without them.”

He looked down at the cup in front of him and then eyed Hermione through his lashes. “Genevra helps you more than that.”

She looked up to him a bit startled. “I thought we were past that.”

“We are,” he replied flatly.

The awkward silence was broken by an owl pecking at the window above the sink. Severus got up. He noticed it immediately as a Daily Prophet owl. “Your newspaper,” he mentioned as he took the rolled up print and began perusing the front page. His face transformed to a look of complete and total amazement, disbelief, and possibly…hope?

“Severus? What is it?” Hermione got up and went to stand beside him reading the paper.

Freedom. The only word that she could possibly come up with as she read the headline.

AN: Hmm…now I could take this one of two ways. I could do the more expected one and have this story ending within the next three chapters. Or I could take it the other way, give you guys a bit of angst and fright and then end it…. Hmm.. Yeah I like those kinds of stories, too. In that case, I AM RELEASING THE EVIL PLOT BUNNY, ITS OFFSPRING, AND TWISTER THE RABBIT!!! Hold on to your seats, boys and girls! This is going to be a bumpy ride! MMUAAHH!!!