His Saving Grace

CHAPTER THREE: Resemblance











Hermione fussed about the kitchen preparing dinner while Harry emptied the rubbish bins. She laughed softly when she heard him trip down the back steps with a harshly whispered curse.





“You really shouldn’t laugh you know, what if I’d seriously injured myself?” He asked, closing the door and locking it behind him.







“If you seriously injured yourself carrying out the bins I would laugh all the more for your clumsiness.” Hermione said, stirring the marinara sauce in the pan one last time before setting the dial on low so it could simmer.







“Hello? Where is everyone?” They heard Ginny call from the living room. Harry smiled brightly when he saw her. He leaned in and kissed her gently, then took Grace from her arms.







“Welcome home, Gracie girl, what did you do today?” He asked, tugging the bonnet from her head while Hermione and Ginny watched him in amusement.







“Mum and I took her to Diagon alley with us today to do some shopping.” Ginny said, laughing when Harry immediately removed the baby’s shoes and socks. “You won’t believe who we bumped into.” She said, handing Hermione the bright pink bag she had been carrying draped over her shoulder.







“Who?” Hermione asked, bending down to kiss Grace’s cheek and tickle her beneath her chin.





“Draco Malfoy.” Ginny said, still not quite believing it herself.







Hermione straightened abruptly and gasped. Harry looked at her curiously, watching as her face paled and her hands began to shake.







“He’s back?” She asked softly, her voice shaking slightly.







“Apparently his family just returned. It was odd; he thought Grace was mine if you can believe that.” She laughed. “I thought he was going to pass out when I told him she was yours, Hermione.”





“He saw Grace?” She asked her eyes wide and her lips trembling.







“Yes, though I don’t think he likes babies. When I turned her around and took her bonnet off so he could look at her he nearly fell over.” She glanced at the clock over the mantle. “Oh crap, I’ve got to run; I don’t want to be late for training camp.” She leaned down and kissed Harry, then ruffled Grace’s curls.







“Mum said she will see you in the morning when you bring Gracie.” Ginny waved and in a rush she floo’d from the house.





Hermione lowered herself slowly into the chair and stared straight ahead as though she were looking through the walls. Harry was puzzled by her reaction, what was the big deal about Draco Malfoy coming back? His stomach lurched and he lowered his gaze to the little girl nestled in the crook of his arm. Blonde curls, soft pale skin, and bright blue eyes began to register and suddenly he saw what he hadn’t before.





“Why didn’t I notice the resemblance before?” He asked quietly, staring at Grace in amazement. “She’s Draco’s daughter, isn’t she?” He asked, looking up at Hermione.







“Yes.” She said, tears spilling over onto her cheeks.





“Hermione…did he…I mean, was it…did he hurt you?” Harry asked around the lump in his throat, his wand hand twitching, ready to go after the pureblood.







“No…I let him…I mean, it was consensual.” She said, blushing.







“How in the world did that happen?” Harry couldn’t believe it. Hermione and Draco had been at one another’s throats since first year. She had physically attacked him, they exchanged insults regularly and Draco couldn’t stand muggleborns. How in the world did the two of them end up in a position to conceive a child?







“God, Harry, I still don’t know the answer.” She said, wiping the tears from her cheeks.







“When? I can’t recall a time when you weren’t with us…when were you alone with Draco?”







“It happened the night before graduation.” She said, sniffling slightly as she explained. “I was feeling down and didn’t much feel like joining the party so I slipped out to walk down by the lake. Draco wandered into my company and we started talking. He was depressed, had been for some time and he opened up a little. I’m not sure how we ended up…together…but we spent the night there on the banks of the lake, and went our separate ways the next morning.”







“Hermione, what are you going to do?” Harry asked, shifting Grace in his arms so that she was perched on his knee with his hands under her arms as she toyed with his wristwatch.







“I don’t know, but he is her father, Harry, I can’t deny it, look at her.” Hermione looked at her little girl bouncing on Harry’s knee and smiled. “I guess I will leave it up to him.”







“What if he…you know…tries to change her, turn her into a Slytherin?” Harry asked; imagining the sweet little cherub in his lap turning into something wicked.







“I don’t think he would do that, Harry. You don’t know what he was going through after the war, you didn’t see what I saw when he spoke of it. He was different, wiser, wounded.” She said sadly. “It’s difficult to say where he is now, emotionally. He may not want any part of her, his family has a strong influence on him and no doubt Lucius will be furious to discover he has a half-blood grandchild.”







“I won’t let them hurt you, or Gracie.” Harry said. “If Draco does not wish to recognize her then I will when you register her birth with the ministry.” Hermione had until six months after the birth to register the baby with the ministry, she had been holding off to give Draco a chance to learn of his daughter and decide if she would carry his name or not.







“Harry, that is so sweet of you, but if you do that, you will be her legal father with all the responsibilities that come with it, Ginny may not like it.” Hermione said, touched once more by Harry’s love of her and her daughter.







“It has already been discussed and she is fine with it. I would be honored to be her father, Mione, if her real father can not see how wonderful she is.” Harry smiled at the little girl he adored. “But I don’t see how he could resist her, she’s perfect.”







“I thought you would be angry, Harry.” Hermione said softly.







“I am, to some degree. Draco took advantage of you with no thought to the consequences. I don’t understand why he didn’t use the contraceptive charm, I know that he was aware of it, we were in the same class when it was taught to us.” Harry’s brow furrowed. “Though the same could be said for you…why didn’t you protect yourself?”







Hermione’s face heated and she tucked her chin low. She felt odd discussing the subject with Harry.







“I wasn’t thinking…things sort of got away from us.” She said.







“I don’t mean to embarrass you, Mione. It’s just that you are the most intelligent, levelheaded person I have ever known, I just cant believe you of all people could get so swept away…with Malfoy.” He said, still baffled that Malfoy was Gracie’s father.







“Harry, I am just as much a slave to my emotions as anyone else, I’m not cold, regardless of what you and Ron think. I let the heat of the moment carry me away and now I have a living reminder of that moment, but truthfully, I wouldn’t change it. I couldn’t change or regret anything that brought her into my life.” She said.







“Was he at least nice to you? I know its none of my business, Mione, and really, I don’t want to know any details, I can barely get my mind around it as it is, but I just need to know that he wasn’t…him.”







“He was sweet, and very gentle, Harry. Believe me, if it had been any other way I would have said something, I would have come to you, I promise.” She said, reaching out to take Grace and cuddle her. “You are a very good friend, Harry. I wouldn’t be able to do this without you.”





“I’m here for you, always.” He said, making faces at the baby. Though inside he was torn, worried that Draco would reject his daughter and secretly hoping that he would so that Harry could claim her as his own and he would not have to share his Gracie girl.





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