New Beginnings

“GRANGER!! Get your ass back here this instant!” Draco bellowed from the patio. Hermione winced at his tone. ‘He hasn’t called me that in…Damn! I don’t know how long.’ She thought in passing. Brunch had been going so well up until this point. She considered ignoring him and heading towards the stairs with Tylinn when she heard him bellow again.

“I know damn well you can hear me, GRANGER. Now get over here right now. Don’t make me drag you back out here.”

Hermione frowned, as her anger started rise. ‘How dare he speak to me like that!’ She walked back out to the patio, all eyes were on her. Suddenly, she felt like she had just walked into the Spanish Inquisition. She stood up straighter, immediately getting on the defensive. She opened her mouth to speak but was immediately cut off.

“What exactly were you thinking, Granger? Have you lost your FUCKING mind? You took MY child to…YOU TOOK MY CHILD TO A GOD DAMN PRISON!!! You placed MY DAUGHTER in harms way for what?? YOU BETTER TELL ME, RIGHT NOW, YOU STUPID MUDBLOOD OR YOU WILL NEVER SEE MY DAUGHTER AGAIN!”

At that point, Hermione lost it; her temper went to Mach-3 in 1.2 seconds. Blythe and Blaise both swear they felt an icy breeze swirl around the patio as her face hardened and she stared Draco down. They looked at each other and seriously considered diving under the table before the shrapnel began to fly.

“Your child? Your child?…” Hermione began to laugh, an eerie unnerving laugh. “This child grew in my body for eight and a half months. I felt her come out my body. I know FOR A FACT that she’s MY CHILD. You THINK she’s YOUR CHILD because I TOLD YOU SHE WAS YOURS…” Again, she laughed. “You have no proof, do you? I did you a favor, MALFOY! YOUR FAMILY BLOODLINE IS STILL PURE! TYLINN is MY CHILD, NOT YOURS! And I will do what I know is best for her. You have NO SAY in what I do or how I choose to raise MY DAUGHTER. Goodbye Malfoy…”

Before he could speak, Hermione disaapparated.

Draco stared at the empty place where his wife and daughter had been with a blank look on his face. Suddenly, he let out a roar of anger, hurt and frustration as he punched the closed object, which happened to be one of the panes on the French doors. Glass flew everywhere; Draco’s blood streaked the glass. Blaise jumped out of his chair, grabbed a few linen napkins and tried to slow the bleeding.

“Blythe, run inside and grab the towels from the closest washroom, I can’t check the cuts until it stops bleeding.” She looked from her husband to her ‘brother’ and back to her husband. She stood up slowly and moved towards Draco and Blaise. She looked at her husband, then to her brother and back again. The icy stare that she gave both of them made both men extremely nervous. When Blythe fist connected with Draco’s eye, the shock nearly knocked both men over.

“You’re a fucking idiot… You just throw your life away because you couldn’t keep you’re damn mouth shut. She went to see him FOR YOU AND FOR TYLINN. She wanted her to know her blood family, not just the two of you.” Blythe sighed like a heavy weight was crushing her. “Mia’s biggest fear has always been you would turn back into the ‘Draco Malfoy’ of her childhood and you just confirmed that fear. Good job, Bro, you’ve lost your wife and your daughter and you have no one to blame but yourself.
”
Without saying another word, she disapparated. Draco just stared at the spot where Blythe had been. He fucked up and he knew. Blaise just shook his head and began to drag Draco by the hand toward the closest sitting room.

“Bloody hell, Draco! Did you have to punch the glass? Come on, you idiot, let me get this cleaned up.” Blaise walked him into the den and called one of the elves; Tinky entered with a large first aid kit.

“You’re a complete ass, do you realize that?” Before Draco could speak, Blaise continued. “You didn’t even let her speak; you didn't even let her explain. In your quest to always be right, you really fucked up big this time, D.” Draco looked away from Blaise.

“Don’t you think I know that? I panicked, the thought of them, there…alone, the thought of losing them, it all rushed into my head all at once.” He rubbed his face with his blooded hand then looked up at Blaise.

“I fucked up, didn’t I?”

“Ya think? What was your first clue? Could it be the black eye from Blythe?” Blaise sighed. “Draco, if you can’t UN-LEARN those more ‘unpleasant’ Malfoy traits, you’re going to be single and childless in no time flat.”

“What should I do?”

“Fuckin’ beg, mate. Get down your aristocratic knees and kiss her fuzzy wuzzy slippers if you have it. Do whatever you have to do, mate. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to you and in one grandiose move; you may have totally FUBAR’ed your entire life. Do whatever it takes to get her back, Draco, or you will be miserable for the rest of your life.”

“FUBAR?”

“Fucked up beyond all recognition or repair.”

“Shit.” Draco mumbled.

“Go upstairs, get cleaned up and go find your wife. She may or may not see you but you damn well better try and keep trying until she does.”

Draco nodded and thanked his ‘brother’ before heading upstairs to clean up and change. He heard Blaise’s mobile ring as he walked onto the patio as he answered it.

“Hi Luv, where are you?”

“I’m at the loft with Hermione and Tylinn. She’s been crying so hard that she was hyperventilating by the time I got here.” A worried look crossed his face. “I finally got her calmed down enough to stop…well more like slow her crying. Blaise, she was so upset she was vomiting.” Blaise winced. “I’m going to watching Tylinn for a while; Mia’s in the shower right now. I’m gonna feed the baby for her and put her down for a nap. She is no shape to be feeding Tylinn now. She would feel her mother’s pain and it would make the whole situation worse.”

“I agree. Do you know when you’re coming home?”

“Two hours, maybe, why?”

“I have a feeling that our dear brother is going to be there eventually. He has some major groveling to do in his near future and I don’t know how it’s going to be received. I want you out of there before that happens. Things could get volatile between the two of them. I don’t want you to get caught in the crossfire.”

“Yeah, I guess your right. I’ll make sure Mia’s ok then I’ll come home. Do you think I should being Tylinn home with me?”

“Ask Mia when she gets out of the shower, let her decide. They really need to talk; and it’s not going to be easy for either of them. But all of that tension will not be good for Tylinn but that’s not our call.”

“Good point.”

“Anything else?”

“Come home soon.”

“I will, I’ve miss you like mad.”

“Ditto… I love you.”

“I love you.”

Blythe entered the master bedroom and found Hermione curled up on the bed with the green blanket over her feet. The enormous black bathrobe she wore had the Slytherin Crest on the back. Blythe sat down next to Hermione and ran her hand over her friend’s wet hair. Hermione moved so her head was in Blythe’s lap; her tears began to fall freely again.

“He…He called me ‘mudblood’…he’s gonna take Tylinn away… He should’ve just killed me…it would’ve hurt…so…much…less…” She said as she sobbed. “I knew…I knew it…was…all…too good…to good to be…true… ‘He’ was right… No one would want a ‘filthy mudblood’ like me…I never deserved either of them…This is my punishment…”

“Mia sweetheart, don’t ever say that.” Blythe cradled her friend, trying to comfort her.

“…It’s my fault…all my fault for hoping...praying…for love…for happiness…” She coughed and sobbed and Blythe rocked her, gently.

Draco stood at the door, tears streaming down his face. He did this to his beloved wife. Her heart was breaking; her faith in him, in them had been shattered because of his cruel words. How could he ever make this right? He retreated to the study at the top of the stairs, burying his face in his hands as he sat on the sofa.

‘The God and Goddess gave me everything, after all the wrong I had done, they gave me a second chance and I fucked it up. I’ve lost everything because….’ He couldn’t bring himself to say it; he cried quietly.

He swore he could feel his heart breaking into tiny pieces and all he wanted to do was scream at someone but the only person that deserved to be screamed at was him.

***********************************
Blythe finally convinced Hermione to let her take Tylinn home with her for the evening so she could get some rest. Once Hermione finally fell asleep, Blythe gathered up the sleeping infant and left the room, heading towards the stairs.

“Where are you going with her?” Draco jumped up; his face was red and blotchy. “I…I promise, Blythe, I would never take Tylinn away from Hermione. Please don’t take my little girl away from me.” She could see the fear and desperation in his eyes; the swelling and bruising around his left eye was more than noticeable.

“Draco,” her voice was soft and calm, “you and Mia need to talk and it’s NOT going to be pleasant. Tylinn doesn’t need to be here for this. I’m going to stop at the Manor to pick up some of her belongings. She will be at our house until the two of you are ready to pick her up.”

He swallowed hard. “Do you think we can get over this?” She shook her head, no; Draco’s heart sank.

“You can work on it, TOGETHER. It’s going to take time and you’re going to have to earn her trust all over again, but there are no guarantees. Draco, you broke her heart. You tore open every old wound she’s ever had where the two of you are concerned. She’s even questioning her self-worth because of your words.

Draco winced and clenched his fists. After taking several deep breathes, he finally looked at Blythe again.

“Thank you...”

“For what?”

“For being my conscience.” She gave him a sad smile then headed downstairs with Tylinn.
****************************************************

The Zabini Manor

Blythe had Draco and Hermione’s driver take her home since she had Tylinn and some of her necessary belongings. They didn’t use James, a very friendly, older squib gentleman, very often but Draco kept him on the payroll so they would have someone to run errands that the house elves were unable to do. He was also in charge of the horticulture on the property. Much to both Draco and Hermione’s disappointment, he was recovering from an extended illness when they were wed so he was unable to oversee the details for their wedding. He helped Blaise to the best of his ability but it didn’t have his flair for capturing the moment.

“Hello? Is anyone here?” Blythe called out, trying not to wake Tylinn. The thunder of small feet grew larger and larger as Chloe came barreling into the foyer.

“Mummy! Mummy! Mummy!” The little girl was running circles around her mother until she saw the small bundle in her mother’s arms. She stopped, looked at her mother, then at the bundle. She peeked under the bottom edge of the blanket and saw Tylinn’s feet. The surprised look on her face was priceless. It was like someone had pinched her bum.

“Mummy, that’s Tylinn…” Blythe smiled.

“Yes, Dear Heart, it is.”

“Where are Auntie Mia and Uncle D?”

“They’re home. They asked us to take care of her for a couple of days. Is that ok with you?” She nodded, happily. “Would you like to help Mummy take care of Tylinn?”

Chloe nodded, proudly. Just then, Blythe heard another set of small feet pounding down the hall toward the foyer.

“Chloe, I found you… It’s your turn, you’re it.”

Chloe turned around and gave the little boy a dirty look. “Shhh..Albus.. Baby Tylinn is sleeping.” The little boy looked at her blankly like she was speaking a foreign language. He opened his mouth to speak and Chloe gave him a ‘zip it’ look. The little boy frowned.

“Hi Albus… how are you today?” Blythe smiled, her voice was soft and gentle.

“H-Hi Mrs. Zabini… W-What’s that?” He pointed to the bundle in her arms. She smiled at him and bent down as she pulled the blanket back.

“Albus, this is Baby Tylinn.”

“She’s my best friend.” Chloe chimed in. Albus looked at her, a hurt look in his eyes.
“I thought I was your best friend?”

Chloe let out an exasperated sigh, “Fine…if you stop giving me that ‘puppy look’, you can be my best friend.” Albus grinned from ear to ear. Blythe did her best to hide a grin.

“Hi Love. Do you need any help?” Blaise entered the foyer, bent down and kissed his wife on the cheek.

“Hi… Yeah, that would be great. I have a bunch of stuff to take upstairs and I really want to lay her down before she wakes up and gets fussy.” Blaise simply nodded and kissed his wife on the head as he stood and moved towards the pile of items near the door.

“Hey Blaise, let me help you with those.” Blythe looked up and felt a knot form in her stomach as she subtly pulled Tylinn closer to her. “Hi Blythe, and who is this pretty little girl?” She swallowed hard and hoped it wasn’t noticeable.

“Hi Harry, I didn’t know you were going to be here. I thought Ginny was going to be bringing Chloe home this afternoon?”

“She was but her Mum needed help with something so I told her I would bring Chloe home since I had to bring some paperwork to Blaise anyway.” Blythe nodded and moved towards the stairs. Tylinn stretched and whimpered softly as Blythe rocked her as she walked.

They entered Chloe’s bedroom, the ‘pack and play’ was set up in the corner. After Blythe got Tylinn settled and all of her belongings were upstairs, she moved toward the door. When she saw Harry looked closely at the infant her heart nearly stopped.

“She’s a beautiful little girl. I bet her mummy is quite a looker.” Blythe didn’t say anything. “Did her mum go to school with you in the states?” Blythe nodded, hoping this would be the end of the questions about Tylinn.

“Yes…Yes, she did.” He nodded, then absently reached down and stroked the infant's cheek.

“C-Come on, Harry, let’s go downstairs before we wake her up.” He nodded and followed her out of the room, but hesitated for a moment at the door with a strange look on his face as he looked back at the little girl. Blythe reached past him and pulled the door closed.

It was late in the evening, after Harry and Albus left; Chloe had helped Daddy make pizza for dinner while Blythe feed Tylinn. Then she helped Mummy give Tylinn a bath and put her down for the night. Much to Blaise and Blythe’s surprise, Chloe had fallen asleep on the floor next to the ‘pack and play’; she had been watching Tylinn sleep.

Blaise entered their bedroom suite and found Blythe curled up on the chaise lounge with her arms hugged tightly around her legs. She was staring out at the garden that was barely visible in the moonlight. “Knut for your thoughts, my love?” He kissed her temple softly as he pulled her into his arms.

“I’m ok.” She said weakly. Blaise lifted her chin and looked into her watery eyes.

“Then why have you been as tense as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs since you came home with Ty?” She shrugged and laid her head against his chest. “What is it, Love? I’ve never seen you like this before. Come on, Bly, you know you can tell me anything.” She nodded, slowly and sighed.

“I didn’t know ‘he’ was going to be here when I came home with Tylinn.”

“He? You mean Harry? Oh…well neither did I. I thought Ginny was going to have Chloe for most of the afternoon but something happened with her Mum and…”

“Yeah…I know.” She said, quietly. “It’s just…” she cleared her thought… “How often does Harry help you with foundation stuff, Blaise?” He paused to think about the question.

“Well, originally, not that much but he seemed so eager to help, I let him help with some things from time to time. Nothing critical or confidential, of course, no matter how much time as passed, I don’t think he and Draco would or could ever get along.”

“Blaise, it’s more than that…” He looked at his wife, confused. “It’s Mia… They had…issues awhile back. I’m worried about how she AND Draco will react when they find out that he’s been involved with the foundation.”

“Hunny, I wouldn’t say he’s ‘involved’ exactly. He’s been trying to push his way in because it’s a prestigious foundation and it would make him look like even more of a ‘Savior’ if he ‘took over’ the foundation, but I’ve got his number. He’s as shallow as a contact lens, I’ve been able to see through that ‘Saint Potter’ façade of his for years. And regarding Mia and Draco, Harry is the last person they are thinking about right now.”

“What set D off like that? I mean, we were all talking and joking around; Mia told us that they had finally decided to move back home. When I asked her what made her change her mind, she said it was something Lucius had had. Then *bang*, he flew off the handle and attacked her. I don’t get it. If she hadn't already told me, I never would've picked up that she had seen Lucius. Mia thought going to see Lucius would make Draco happy; she was trying to mend fences. You know, for his and Tylinn sake. I never saw this coming; if I did, I would have told her not to mention it.”

Blaise nodded, “I don’t get either but maybe it’s not our place to understand it. They will tell us when they’re ready.”

Blythe looked up at her husband with tears in her eyes, “Do you think they will make it through this? What if they can’t get past this? What will happen to them, to Tylinn?”

Blaise hugged her close, “It’s going to take a lot of work but I think they will make it through this. D may not have told me why he reacted that way but he’s not that irrational. Something set him off and he needs to talk to Mia about it. Things will be ok; it’s just going to take time. We just need to be support them in any way possible until they work this out.”

Blythe nodded as Blaise wiped her tears. “You have such a good heart, my love. You worry about everyone. Come on; let’s try to get some sleep before Miss Tylinn wakes for her early morning snack.”


Author’s Note: Are you confused? Intrigued? Baffled? Patience, my dear readers, clarity is on it’s way soon. No nasti-grams are necessary. The final chapter is almost finished, I promise.