The Baby Project

A/N: sorry it's been a while, guys!
my computer decided to blow itself up on me, i was really not impressed!!!!!
Anyway, going through some heartache at the moment so chapters may not bee weekly, but this fic WILL be finished...seriously....

hope you enjoy!!!



Chapter Thirty Five

'photographs and brightly coloured paper,
are your mask you wear in this caper.
That is our life,
we walk right into the strife and a tear from your eye brings me home.

Won't you be the new one burn to shine?
I'll take the blue ones every time.
walk me down your broken line,
all you have to do is cry.'

Harry felt the frown marks appear upon his forehead before he realised the facial expression he was wearing.

"Visit?" He asked sceptically. "But I thought they were hiding so that no one could know where they were?"

McGonagall was losing her patience fast. "I do not think that Professor Dumbledore would see you as a threat, Mr Potter." She answered promptly. "Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy were informed that they could receive visitors once we were certain that they were in no immediate danger."

"So the threat has gone, then?" Ron piped up hopefully from next to Harry, bouncing little Joon on his knee.

"No." McGonagall replied pointedly. "However, almost two weeks have gone by now without anything reaching us regarding The Malfoys."

"Maybe they've realised what pillocks they've been over a silly little school project?" Ron asked cheerily, trying to keep a firm hold on his rugrat.

"So does that mean we can all visit?" Harry butted in enthusiastically. "I know Hermione will want to see Freddie and Bert-" Ron glanced down at the floor, looking uncomfortable. "-And Joon and Benny too."

The Professor studied them both for a moment.

"As long as you keep the destination of your journey to yourselves." She berated them sternly. "I will have no one spreading Miss Granger and Mr. Malfoy's whereabouts around the school, is that understood?"

Both boys nodded.

oxoxoxoxoxxoxo

Two weeks.

Two whole weeks and yet he still could not believe it.

Seeing is believing, he knew that... but he still had a hard time with it all the same.

Watching his baby stand on her own two feet; looking at her with a smile when he saw her trying to climb up onto the couch, still being too small to hoist herself up.

Ted Tonks had told them that they would have their hands full, and he wasn't wrong.
The day after Airyn had transformed, Draco and Hermione had been taken back by her development. They felt as if they had missed out on so much of her small life, yet they were there for all of it.

Airyn was an independent toddler now, waddling around the house on her own. If she wasn't having a temper tantrum for being naughty, then she was pulling on Andromeda's cat's tail and causing him to hiss at her.

Andromeda had told them that it was good to have a little one making noise around the house again, and told Hermione not to apologise when Airyn found delight in the fact that coloured crayons went well with wallpaper.

Draco was actually amazed at the older witch's patience, and once or twice caught her giving them a small smile as she watched the three of them together.

Airyn's vocabulary stretched as far as "Hoov" for broomstick, and "Nay" for No. Hermione had been rather concerned at one point, wondering whether Airyn would be able to learn anything more, when she discovered that just by talking to her, she pretty much picked up most words within the sentences.

Draco found this out to his own dismay when he accidentally trapped his fingers in the living room door one evening. Unfortunately, the one swear word that escaped his lips had been repeated over and over by his little girl, who thought it was hysterically funny to hold her left fingers in her right hand and run around the living room shouting 'buhgerrrr', causing Hermione to not speak to him for a few hours.

Hermione.

Now that was a completely different kettle of fish.

For two whole weeks they had been trying to get sometime alone to finish what they had started, but so far they had only managed a few intimate kisses before being interrupted by their landlords or by their daughter. Either way, it was clearly starting to get to them both, to the point where more than a few times Draco was sure he had spotted Hermione sitting there with a faraway appearance in her eyes, only to come back down to Earth and give him that look... the one that said it all.

She was ready.

She wanted him for who he was, and he wasn't about to deny her that any longer. If the other night had taught him anything, then it was that when they finally gave in, they would both know that it was the right thing to do.

Draco had known for a while, of course. It wasn't everyday that he felt those sorts of feelings for anyone, so the fact that it was Hermione Granger who made him feel that way was just the icing on the cake.

Typical, you might say.

Draco currently sat at the kitchen table, attempting to shovel the last bit of honeydew melon into Airyn's mouth. Every time the spoon got so far, she would turn her head away and pout at her Daddy before banging on the lid of the baby chair dramatically.

Determined, Draco tried again.

"Come on, Rynie." He almost pleaded with her, putting the spoon towards her mouth again. "Just one more spoonful and you can torment Jinx." He saw his babies eyes light up at that name.

Bloody cat got her attention more than he did.

Airyn screwed her pretty little face up, obviously not one for bargaining when it came to getting her own way with her Father. She had Draco wrapped around her little finger, and he knew it.

She pulled on her brown curls for a moment, grinding her new teeth together. Draco thought she looked adorable when she did this, as it reminded him of Hermione when she was deep in thought.

Draco tried once more with the melon, before deciding that Airyn would get her own way once again. He hoisted her out of the baby chair and set her down on her feet, watching her make a beeline for the open back door that lead to the garden... where Jinx was currently sat, enjoying the momentary sunshine.

Draco sat with a smile upon his face as he watched his little girl sit beside the chocolate coloured feline and pat it on its head. Dismayed at the contact, the cat hissed at her before swaggering along the small path and curling in on itself to sit beneath a small cherry tree.

Just as he was about to make a move from the kitchen and sit in the sun, he saw Hermione appear from the sidelines of the garden and swoop Airyn up into her arms. The child giggled delightfully as her mother planted butterfly kisses upon her cheek, and Draco could not help the happy smile that spread across his lips, lighting his features.

"I can't decide who Rynie looks more like." A female voice came into his ear. He looked up momentarily as Andromeda stood at the door conjoining the kitchen and the living room. "At first glance I would have to say Hermione, because of the curls," She continued, keeping her eyes on the pair outside whilst stepping into the kitchen. "But up on a second look, you can plainly see that she has your eyes and mouth."

"It's the perfect balance." Draco answered her, resting back in his wooden seat as he also watched the pair outside. "All things considered, I'd say she turned out pretty well."

"She turned out better than that, Draco." Andromeda told him, looking down at him as she stood by the kitchen worktop now. "She is the perfect experiment."

Draco didn't like that word.

Airyn may have started out as a project that he did not want to happen, but right now he could not imagine life without her. Everything about her was perfect; her nose and the way her small mouth curved when she smiled at him. Airyn had the best qualities of both of her parents, and for that he loved her even more.

"I remember watching Nymphadora play for hours when she was a child." Andromeda began again. "Everything about her was perfection, and Ted would often tell me that if he could go back and do things again, then he would never change a thing."

Draco glanced over at the dark haired witch; increasingly being reminded of his Aunt Bella, only Andromeda's face held a kindness that his Aunt lacked.

"Do you regret anything?" He asked before he could stop himself.

He hadn't meant for it to escape from his mouth.

He had no right to ask her questions, and she had no right to tell him what he probably did not want to hear.

And yet she had a small smile on her face.

"Sometimes I look back and wonder what would have been different." The older witch admitted, playing with the purple beads around her neck absentmindedly. "Wonder if I would be the same person if I'd have listened to my family and married a Pureblooded Wizard and lived the life that my parent's wanted for me."

Draco started to feel uncomfortable.

Not because of Andromeda's personal confession, but because her words were hitting close to home.

"When I met Ted we went through so much before starting a life together." Andromeda continued in a quiet voice. "Prejudice from my side of the family, and outrage from Ted's because he was due to get engaged to another witch at the time. But we didn't let that stop us because we knew we were doing the right thing." She smiled to herself once again. "We were in love, and we knew that no matter what happened, we would always have that."

Draco tried not to let the words sink into his brain, but they were forcing their way in.
How much longer could he keep his eyes and mind closed to what was right in front of him all along?

"The last time I saw your Mother, she was walking through Knockturn Alley with a small blonde boy in a stroller." She told him.

Draco looked over at her silently. "I wondered if it would be the right thing to make my presence known and say hello to her." Her face looked dazed and far away. "I made my way through the crowd, ready to introduce my younger sister to her Niece... when I caught that look in her eyes."

Draco frowned.

"I knew up on looking at her that something was missing." Her voice seemed sad now. "Cissy hadn't seen me yet, so I knew it couldn't be me that was making her act that way, but she looked... she looked lost." Andromeda slowly made her way to the chair opposite Draco and sat down, looking at him seriously. "When your Mother finally looked at me, it was only a fleeting glance." She told him calmly. "But within those few seconds, I could see all of her inner turmoil and sadness."

"My Mother has always led a fruitful life." Draco answered her carefully. Although he should have said something more, he could not bring himself to do it. He had seen his Mother smile and laugh many times, but somehow he wondered when the last time was that he had seen the smiles reach her eyes.

"Your Mother was always the treasured one, Draco." Andromeda told him fondly. "Your Aunt Bellatrix was the rogue of the three of us, always the one to end up in trouble with Mrs Fitz and her two boys next door." Draco smirked, knowing full well that that would be the case. "I was the middle child, and therefore the quieter and better spoken one... a good head for studying and keeping myself out of mischief." She smiled at Draco as she said this, her eyes lighting up with an unrecognisable glow. "Your Mother however, was the youngest of the three of us, and the prettiest."

Draco saw that glow leave her eyes instantly.

"Narcissa Black was a very popular witch, and could have had her pick of any of the Pureblood males." Andromeda continued, clasping her hands together on the table. "But as fate would have it, our Father thought it right to pair his most treasured possession with someone who would be worthy of her."

"My Father?" He asked curiously.

He knew the answer of course, but he had never known how his parents had met or married. Such affairs had never been spoken about.

"Lucius Malfoy, son of Abraxas Malfoy. Your Father would one day own Malfoy Manor and work well within the Ministry of Magic, and my Father saw this as the perfect match for the Black heritage." Andromeda confirmed for him, sounding almost bitter.

"But my Mother and Father love each other," Draco told her in a child like voice as if to prove the witch wrong. "They always have and they probably always will." Draco was not about to listen to this woman talk about his parent's in such an off-hand way. Maybe it was because he felt she did not have the right to shoot down his family honour. Or maybe it was the fact that he did not want to think of the truth behind her words.

"Your Mother and Father are as in love as any two people within a love match can be." Andromeda agreed finally. "But how would they know if they had found true love, if they had never got the chance to choose who they fell in love with?"

Draco thought about the impact of her meaning for a moment.

Was it possible to live your life freely if you were constantly controlled by the people around you? Had his Mother perhaps envied Andromeda for being brave enough to want to live her own life with whom she chose?

More importantly, was he himself on the verge of making that decision himself?

"They really are beautiful girls." Andromeda commented, bringing Draco from his thoughts.

He looked back out into the garden, to see Hermione sitting on the grass with Airyn as they picked daisies from the ground together. Hermione had made a bracelet of daisies for her daughter, but found all of her hard work go to pot when Airyn thought it would be funny to dismantle it. "If I were you, I wouldn't want to lose either of them."

Draco kept his eyes on Hermione, her hair shining in the sun and her features lighting up with happiness as she spent time with their daughter.

"No." He answered truthfully. "I really don't."

It was at that moment that Draco finally came to terms with the one thing that had been weighing on his mind since they had returned to Hogwarts after Christmas.

He was falling love with Hermione Granger.

oxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxo

He groaned inwardly when he saw the fire grate light up in a magnificent green.
Feeling as though their private corner of the world had been invaded, Draco felt the need to excuse himself from the room. Hermione had different plans however, and passed Airyn over to him.

"’Mione!" Harry was the first to shout after shaking the soot from his casual red t-shirt. He made his way over to her and captured the witch in a bear hug as the rest of the party made their way through the fireplace.

Draco didn't quite know where to put himself, so he sat down in Ted's armchair with Airyn bobbing up and down on his knee, pretending he was a 'Horsee'.

"Alright, Malfoy?" Harry asked him with a nod of the head.

Draco nodded back hesitantly, taken back by the fact that Potter had been the one to make the acknowledgement first.

"Not bad. And yourself, Potter?"

"Run off my feet with little Freddie." The bespectacled boy admitted, holding a small boy with chocolate coloured hair and blue eyes in his arms. "Yesterday he tried jumping off the couch to see if he could fly."

Draco's face held an amused expression for a moment.

"That's better than finding him eating cat food." He looked down at Airyn pointedly, who looked up at him with a confused expression, obviously not aware that he was referring to herself.

Hermione smiled to herself upon seeing the interaction between her best friend and her-

Well... she wasn't too sure what Draco was at the moment, but she was definitely sure that whatever it was, they were more than friends.

"Hi Hermione."

She smiled as she looked over to the grate to find Neville and Ginny standing there, dusting themselves and Bert free of the soot from the fireplace. Hermione instantly noticed that Bert's hair was jet black like his Pansy's, but his nose was definitely that of Neville's.

Hermione was about to say hello back when the fireplace lit up once again. Ron stood there, brushing the soot from his hair with one hand, whilst holding one of the twins in the other.

The room went silent, and she was sure that she could feel Draco's eyes burn into her back.

Hermione held her breath when Ron finally looked up at the other people in the room.

"Blimey, that was a bit of a wild ride." He announced in a weak voice.

Benny squealed with delight and announced that he wanted to do it again.

"How have you been, 'Mione?" Ginny asked her, hugging her tight as she stepped over to the other side of the fireplace. "It's not been the same since you left."

Hermione smiled at her red haired friend warmly.

"It's been nice." She answered honestly. "Very quiet, and I've missed my classes-" Ginny raised an eyebrow at her. "-but I've enjoyed having time to concentrate on Airyn."

"Amongst other things..." Ginny whispered in her ear, and her eye line wavered in Malfoy's direction.

Hermione put her head down with a smile on her face.

Ginny took a moment to catch on, before deciding to keep the conversation for somewhere more inconspicuous later on.

"I don't think we have anymore chairs for people to sit on." Andromeda announced as she walked in from the kitchen, and both Neville and Harry took a step back at the sight of the witch.

"You-you're-" Neville stuttered, walking backwards to stand behind the couch.

"Andromeda Tonks." The older Witch introduced herself tartly, not liking the reception she had got upon entering the room.

Both boys relaxed visibly.

"For a moment there, I thought you were-" Harry began, but Hermione's pointed look stopped him from going any further.

"Bellatrix and I share the same features, but I can assure you that the similarities end there."

Draco smirked to himself.

A truer statement was never made.


oxoxoxoxoxoxoxxoxoxo


Draco had to admire Hermione for her ability to make unpleasant situations bearable.
He knew beyond a doubt that she would fight to keep himself and Weasley separated, that much was true. But what he found even more outstanding was the fact that she somehow managed to keep everyone else happy at the same time.

Now he knew why he was never good with socialising... he had never cared about anyone else's discomfort.

At present he was situated in the kitchen, Airyn perched on his knee happily as she made a mess of herself as she ate Honeydukes chocolate, melted in a small bowl. She had smiled up at him, her face and fingers sticky and brown. Draco would have pulled a face, but she looked too adorable.

He could hear the commotion in the living room and suddenly relished the quiet of the Kitchen. He really wasn't one for crowd's these days, and was glad that he could escape from Hermione's friend's. The silence didn't last long however, as the backdoor to the kitchen suddenly flew open, and an unfamiliar face greeted him with a smile.

"Wotcher, Draco."

He frowned.

Airyn looked up at the intruder as she now splashed her hand inside the bowl, sending the melted chocolate all over the table.

"Tonks!"

Draco watched as Potter practically ran into the room and enveloped the petite woman in his arms. He studied them for a moment, thinking of the interesting connection between them. He knew she was some kind of Auror, but he never went as far to think that she would somehow be involved with Potter.

Then again, everyone was involved with him these days.

So this was his estranged cousin.

He would never have thought it; her facial expressions did not resemble the Black side of the family. The only thing that he could relate to were her pointed features, and even that was a stretch.

"How are the gremlins doing?" She asked Harry as he let her go. She sat at the kitchen table and run a hand through her short, bubblegum pink hair.

"Your Mum told you about the babies, I take it?" Harry answered.

"Everyone has heard about the Project" Tonks told him with a wave of her hand, as if it were old news. "Most people seem to think that old Dumbledore has lost the plot...but I think it's a brilliant idea" She then looked down at Airyn with a big smile on her face. "And they're adorable!"

Harry looked over at Draco momentarily, his eyes searching him for something. Then his gaze dropped to Airyn and he smiled broadly. "Is there a little girl under all of that mess?" He asked her softly, crouching down so he was head height with Airyn.

Airyn responded by reaching out to smack Harry's face playfully, giggling as she left a chocolate handprint upon his face.

Draco tried to suppress his laugh, but he couldn't help the snort that erupted from him when he saw the surprised look on Potter's face.

"Rynie, say sorry to Harry." Draco tried to say seriously, but was having problems keeping a straight face. Airyn giggled instead and shook her head, before turning herself around to get up onto her knees and hug Draco around the neck, her sticky mouth and fingers effectively ruining his white t-shirt.

"It's alright, Freddie's done worse." Harry announced with a smile on his face, his eyes still studying both father and daughter. "So far I think I’ve tried to get almost all the colours of the rainbow out of my whites."

Draco looked down at the boy and nodded in agreement.

Civil should have been Potter's middle name... he seemed to be trying hard to be on neutral ground. Maybe it was because of Hermione. He wasn't sure, but Draco oddly appreciated it all the same.

"I think I'm going to go and find Freddie." Harry announced, getting up from his crouched position to stand and walk towards the kitchen door. "He has an obsession with plant pots at the minute... I'm afraid to think of what he would do if he found the potted lily in the hallway."

Tonks smiled fondly at him as he exited the kitchen.

Her eyes wondered over to him a moment later, and he noticed that she was openly observing him.

"I thought you would look more like your Father, but I stand corrected," She told him matter of fact-ly as she took an orange from the fruit bowl and tossed it into the air. "You have his eyes, but the rest of you is Narcissa."

"You've seen my Mother?" He asked her curiously.

Airyn was currently mesmerized by the orange that Nymphadora was tossing into the air.

"In pictures." She answered, looking down at Airyn and moving the orange from side to side, laughing when she saw the child's eyes following it avidly. "I'm fairly certain that I've passed her in Diagon Alley once or twice, but I never thought I would get the warm reception I had hoped for if I had stopped to say hello."

Draco half resented her for that.

Yes, his family did not speak to the Tonks', but that did not give the girl the right to look down upon his family like she had.

He was about to open his mouth to relay his thoughts on the subject when the girl changed it.

"Can I hold her?" She asked, her arms opening up as she made funny faces at Airyn.
His Daughter held up her arms to the stranger, giggling when Tonks would pull a face funnier than the last. Draco held Airyn up, for his jaw to drop when he passed her over.

Metamorphagus?

"Does it run in the family?" He asked her, too curious to keep it to himself.

"Nah." She answered, holding Airyn up in front of her as she changed her nose to that of a pig, and her hair colour to bright orange. "I just developed it from an early age...I wouldn't worry about this one getting it, though-" Airyn reached out to touch the nose, when Tonks snorted at her, causing the baby to shriek with laughter. "-She's her mother through and through."

Draco smiled.

Airyn's curly brown head turned to look down at him. She smiled widely, some of her baby teeth still missing. Draco watched as Nymphadora placed the child on the floor, and shook his head with a sigh when he saw her immediately dart through the open kitchen door, leaving a chocolate handprint upon the white wood as she made her exit.

"Hermione is a nice girl." Tonks told him in a quiet voice, reminding him of her Mother. "She deserves the best."

Draco was about to ask her exactly what she had meant, when the door to the kitchen opened again and Ted walked through. Draco did not notice the scene of welcome between Father and Daughter that played out in front of him, as he was too busy watching Hermione on the other side of the door.

She was hugging Ron Weasley.


oxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo


Draco had been in the Kitchen for a while.

Hermione had worried a little when she saw Harry enter the kitchen, wanting to go in there and make sure that World War Three had not erupted. But instead she stayed where she was, knowing that Draco would not like to be too crowded.

She had visibly relaxed when she saw Harry walk out of the kitchen, a content smile on his face. He had passed her on the couch and used that smile when he looked at her, his eyes almost trying to tell her something.

Well, at least Draco hadn't tried to rip him apart.

But then... when was the last time that Draco and Harry had said a bad word to each other?

'When you had that confrontation with Ron...'

Damnit... every other thought she was having right now was coming back to Ron.
She could feel him standing behind her, talking with Neville about some Herbology project that Professor Sprout had given them.

Hermione got up from the couch and went over to the kitchen doors, deciding that if Draco were alone in there with Airyn then he might like her company for a while. It was funny how things changed... once upon a time she would not even contemplate gracing Draco Malfoy with her presence... now she rather enjoyed it.

Yes.

The world had definitely turned itself on its head.

Hermione pushed the door open slightly, when she heard voices from the inside.

"I just developed it from an early age... I wouldn't worry about this one getting it, though... She's her mother through and through."

She smiled.

The recognisable voices on the other side of the door made her smile broaden even further when her mind realised that Draco was actually talking to Tonks.

Was it possible that Draco was coming to terms with the fact that the things he was brought up to believe were not necessarily the right ones? Hermione certainly hoped so. He had done so much growing up, and she only hoped that he could enhance on that by coming into his own and realising that he could make his own decisions about his perception of other people.

"'Mione?"

She froze at the doorway, not quite sure what to do. She waited a few moments before biting the bullet and turning around to face her fear.

"Ron." She said quietly, not quite able to look at him.

He stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, not quite sure what to do with his hands or his eyes. He finally let go of the breath she knew he was holding and got on with it.

"How've you been?" He asked her meekly, realising how stupid it sounded as soon as it left his mouth. "I mean-" He stopped, shutting his eyes tight with embarrassment, a pink tinge resting upon his cheeks. "I'm no good at this." He sighed in defeat and put his hands in his pocket.

"Forget it," Hermione told him, her voice quiet. "You already said you were sorry, lets just leave it at that."

He looked up at her.

"You have no idea how really sorry I am, 'Mione," He admitted, his voice almost pleading with her to believe him. "I was drunk - I know that's no excuse, and I've kicked my own arse ever since that night for being such a stupid prat but-"

"You're forgiven." She told him honestly.

She wasn't sure if she could ever do it.

Many times she wondered if she could ever look at him the same way again. But at this moment in time, everything in her life was going too well... if she kept pushing Ron away then one day she was sure to regret losing a good friend.

He smiled at her for the first time in along time.

"You have no idea how good it feels to hear you say that." He told her.

Hermione nodded, giving him a small smile back.

"It feels good to say it... a weight off my shoulders."

"I'll take anything I can get," He told her honestly, shaking his head. "Parvati is driving me round the bloody bend... I just want my mates back... get back to the way things were before this Project ever started."

Hermione knew that there as no chance of that. Not now, not after everything that had happened within the last few months... especially with her and Draco.

"I'm here if you need me." She told him, that smile remaining on her face. It just felt good to be able to talk to him without feeling uncomfortable.

Ron suddenly held out his arms innocently.

She hesitated before realising that the hug was offered as one of friendship, and then closed the gap between them to hug her red haired friend around his waist, her cheek resting again his chest as he squeezed her tight.

She didn't notice a pair of confused grey eyes watching her.

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Thanks for the reviews guys!!!
much appreciated!!!!
shelly xx