A Father\'s Revenge

No one said a word. Harry seemed flabbergasted. His mouth hung open and he repeatedly looked from Draco to Hermione to the child back to Draco and Hermione. Hermione felt Draco\'s hand on the small of her back, offering her some small form of comfort. She felt herself snuggling closer to his side, bringing the child closer to her body. She looked up at him and smiled gratefully as he took the child from her arms and hugged Hermione agianst the side of his body.

Whatever warmth was in his eyes when he looked at Hermione was gone when his eyes reached Harry. \"Are you done, Potter?\" Draco asked, his trademark sneer etched on his face.

Harry seemed to regain some of his composure and shook his head. \"I don\'t understand any of this, Hermione... how could you have had a child? You weren\'t pregnant last year...\"

Draco snorted. \"It\'s called a concelement charm, Potter. Don\'t you pay attention in charms?\"

Hermione watched as Harry began stomping towards Draco. Without even thinking, she threw her self in front of Draco. \"Stop, Harry!\" Hermione placed her hands on his chest, and willed him to look down at her. \"Please.. stop it.\" she whispered. \"Do you really think that mauling my future husband is going to make me stop loving him? We have a child, Harry... please be happy for me.\"

Harry looked down at her like he had never seen her before. \"Hermione..\"

\"I love him, Harry... I love him.\" She whispered, tears starting to form in her eyes. \"Please, try to be happy for me. You don\'t have to like him... but try to understand. I don\'t know when it started... but we\'re a family.. look at Christine, Harry. Isn\'t she beautiful?\" Hermione pleaded with him, but she felt horrible. How could she lie to the face of her best friend? The man that had saved her life on more than one occasion?

\"Hermione, have you forgotten what he\'s done to us? What his family has done to us?\" Harry whispered, tears forming in his own eyes.

\"He\'s changed, Harry... he\'s..\"

\"Tigers don\'t change their stripes, Hermione.\"

\"What about Snape? He\'s changed...\"

\"He\'s different.\"

\"No he isn\'t, Potter.\" Draco said, butting into the conversation for the first time. \"I\'m not going to stand here and let you insult me, Potter.. Or Hermione. You just have to face the facts. We love each other and we\'re getting married. You can either accept it, or you can just leave Hermione alone.\" Harry watched as Draco bent down and whispered something in Hermione\'s ear, making her smile and nod. He watched as she kissed the baby, ruffling her hair in the process. Then, to his utter disgust, he watched as Draco tipped up Hermione\'s chin and bushed his lips against hers before disappearing in, what he figured to be, the child\'s room.

Hermione turned back to Harry and a still comotose Ron. \"Harry, can\'t you try to be happy for me?\" She held her breath as Harry looked at her, his gaze seemingly ripping right through her.


\"What about his father, Hermione? Have you forgotten the kind of man he is? What he did to Ginny? What he did to everyone you care about? You know, for someone who isn\'t his father, he took a lot of care to look like him.\"

\"I haven\'t forgotten, Harry. Draco is NOT his father. He\'s a good man and a good father. You should see him with Chris. He\'s so loving... he plays on the floor with her, he stays up with her for hours on end. He cherishes that child Harry.\" Hermione waited.. the silence was almost deafening. She looked over at Ron, who was still passed out on the floor. Hermione brought out her wand and muttered the levitation charm. Harry watched as she led Ron\'s body into, what appeared to be, her room. She settled Ron on her bed, and turned back to Harry. \"This is our guest room. You can stay here tonight.\" She whispered, brushing past Harry and closing the door.

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Hermione waited until the portrait door of Draco\'s room whooshed shut to shed her tears. They seemed to come at her all at once, and before she knew it, she was in Draco\'s arms. The tears just wouldn\'t stop. They flowed over her body again and again, until she thought she could take no more... then more came. Draco held her and stroked her hair. She could hear words being spoken.... whispers of assurance. \"Its\' aweful, Draco... they hate me..\"

Draco smiled slightly. \"We can\'t be sure about Weasel... he kinda passed out beofre we could get any sort of reaction out of him.\" Hermione chuckled. \"At least I got you to smile.\"

Hermione looked up at him. \"I didn\'t think it would be this hard... I thought they would understand.\"

Draco smiled softly and stroked her hair. \"They will, envenutally, Hermione. I mean, did you think in a million years you would marry me?\"

\"No.\" Hermione smiled. \"I would have never wanted to be Mrs. Ferrret Boy.\"

\"There\'s that Gryffindor sarcasm...\" Draco smirked. \"Hermione, can you do something for me?\"

\"What?\"

\"Will you cut my hair?\"

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An hour later, Draco Malfoy looked hot. His hair was short and spiked up at the ends. He looked at himself in the mirror. \"Do I look like my father anymore?\"

\"No.. you look very handsome.\"

Draco smiled. \"It\'s about time, too..\" Draco and Hermione laughed...

Outside the door, someone was listening to them laugh and talk. He would end all of this... Hermione would be his...


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In the darkness of a dungeon, somewhere far away from Hogwarts, a woman awoke in her bed, her heart beating a million miles an hour. \"They\'re not safe... oh, God.. James.. our children aren\'t safe!\"