One Life for Another

Hermione felt completely and utterly overwhelmed. A part of her was still hesitant, worried that Draco would revert back to the cruel little boy she had known at Hogwarts. The other, larger, part of her wanted to wrap herself around him and never let go. "Just... hold on a second..." she stammered.

Grabbing her wand from where it had fallen beside her, Hermione sent out her Patronus to let the others in the Order know she was safe. Then, without a word, she grabbed Draco by the hand and descended quickly into the Lady of the Lake's home. He didn't stray far from her side while she lit the fireplace, and as soon as she was done he pulled her onto his lap.

She wanted a clear head with which to discuss matters, but having his arms around her felt too good to argue. "Galahad," she began, then hurriedly corrected herself. "Draco... what do you want from me?"

"What do you mean?" Draco asked. He was quite obviously put on guard by her words.

Hermione chewed on her bottom lip for a moment before explaining. "I mean, well, you aren't just Galahad anymore. You are a pureblood wizard... a Malfoy. You are expected by your family to marry another pureblood and have an heir and--"

Draco placed a hand firmly under her chin and brought her face up to look him in the eye. "I just got you back, Hermione. I don't have everything figured out yet, but there are a few things I know. One of them is that family expectations aren't going to get in our way. I won't let them."

She didn't say anything, just walked over to the table where Galahad's letter from Nimue still sat. It was now obvious to her that Nimue had known exactly what would happen, and had left the letter with that in mind.

Galahad,

I understand, and I love you. Keep yourself safe, and take care of Hermione and your daughter.

Nimue

The letter was short and to the point. Still, it seemed to Hermione like an eternity of silence as Draco read--and then stared at--the letter. His face was expressionless, giving her the impression that he was overwhelmed now. Otherwise she doubted he'd be hiding his reactions.

"A daughter," he said finally. "Do you think it's possible? The Malfoy's haven't born a daughter in generations."

This was the perfect opening, though it didn't help her nerves in the slightest. "I don't know how much of that was actually foresight," Hermione mumbled. "It may have been an even more heightened awareness of what happened around her than we gave her credit for. I think... no, I know... I'm pregnant."

Whatever reaction Hermione had been expecting, it was not the one she got. His eyes shined so brightly she thought there must be tears in them. And his smile, it was the happiest expression she had ever seen on his face, as Draco or as Galahad.

"Really?" he asked softly, as if afraid he would find it all to be some sort of a joke, or wake to find it only a dream.

Hermione smiled and took her wand in her hand once more, casting again the spell that had caught her so off guard the day before. He stared in amazement at the pink glow and then moved to close the space between them. He wrapped his arms around her gently and kissed her lips softly, pouring into the kiss how much he cared for her and how happy he was about being a father.

She sighed in response and melted into his arms, relieved that he had taken the news so well. Draco was definitely not the young boy she used to know.

Slowly, piece by piece, they removed each other's clothes. He guided her over to the bed and moved on top of her carefully. His hands and lips roamed her body before finally he allowed himself to slip within her depths. He gasped sharply at the feel of being within her. To Draco, it was a completely new feeling. To the part of him that was still clinging to his identity as Galahad, it was like coming home.

Hermione was writhing beneath him, feeling tortured by the slow pace. He was so gentle she could have cried in happiness, but still she felt the need for more. She dug her nails in his back and raised her hips to meet him, silently pleading with him for what he knew she wanted. Finally, when he didn't give in, she spoke her frustration. "Draco," she moaned, "please! I'm pregnant, not porcelain. You won't break me."

He just smirked and acted for a moment as though he was ignoring her. Soon, though, if not quite soon enough for her, he gave her what she wanted.

As they lay there afterwards it was completely silent, with only her screams of "Galahad" towards the end that still echoed in his mind. Draco pulled her close, as if afraid she'd slip through his grasp and he'd lose her once more. In that silence, before they drifted off to sleep, one more piece of Galahad merged seamlessly with Draco.

His dreams were spent in emotional warfare, with Draco and Galahad in battle against one another. Part of each had already found a way to merge into one, but there were still some things that they could not agree on. For all that they were, in essence, the same person. Yet Draco was Slytherin, ready and eager to achieve his goals through careful thought and manipulation. Galahad, on the other hand, would have made a model Gryffindor. Both cared for Hermione and couldn't be happier about a child, but beyond that there was little agreement. Draco knew that he resented Voldemort, but he also had little respect for most of the Order. Galahad, who was called 'the Pure' for a reason, felt a pull to do the right thing no matter what. Both knew that because of Hermione they would have to join they Order. They would have to see that the Dark Lord was defeated.

The rest of the night was full of nightmares for Draco. They were all variations of the same story. Hermione would be captured by Death Eaters and taken before Voldemort. She would be raped and tortured before his very own eyes. He would be powerless to do anything, and not even his voice seemed to cooperate for him. Then, after much pain, Voldemort would finally tire of her and it would feel as though time was slowing as he heard the words "Avada Kedavra."

Bolting upright finally, he instinctively moved to protect Hermione's sleeping form from imagined attackers. His movement woke her and he took a deep breath, relieved to see that his nightmares were only that. Laying back down beside her and wrapping his arms back around her, Draco's racing heart finally began to calm.

"I'm so glad you won't be fighting," he said softly.

Hermione's previously closed eyes opened wide at his comment and she began glaring at him. "What do you mean? Of course I'm fighting."

"No," he answered, shaking his head. "The Lady of the Lake doesn't fight. She stays here. It's your duty to govern the flow of dark magic, and you will do far more good here than any but maybe Potter could do on the battlefield."

She opened her mouth to argue, then promptly closed it. She hadn't really thought about that part of being Lady, and wasn't exactly pleased by it. "Do I have to be at the Lake to control it?"

"Some Dames do, some don't," Draco admitted reluctantly. "Nimue could control it even when in Avalon or Camelot. It does require complete concentration though, and you won't have that in battle."

Hermione wasn't happy in the slightest with the new information. In truth, it was nothing that Nimue hadn't told her during training. It was just that she hadn't thought about it that way at all. Now it seemed like all her practice and study, not to mention the hours upon hours spent in Dumbledore's Army, was just a complete waste. She knew it wasn't really, as it had saved her arse on more than one occasion. Still, that effort had been with the final battle in mind. She'd always pictured it as Ron and she on either side of Harry, the Golden Trio fighting together. To think that she would no longer be able to be there with them made her sick, but she had to admit that she really would be helping Harry more by fulfilling her duties as the Lady of the Lake.

She sighed. "I have a lot to do, then. Who knows how soon the final battle could be, and I will have to explain this to the Order. Not to mention learn how to control the flow. I know there is something in Nimue's notes about it, but what if I can't do it? What if I fail?"

Draco just laughed and gave her a look. "Since when," he drawled, "has the Know-It-All Granger ever failed at anything? You'll read the notes, I'll help you practice a little, and you'll do so well I promise you it'll be worthy of an Outstanding."

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A/N: Alright... it's a bit early for the weekly update but I had it done and will be busy over the next couple days, so I figured nobody would mind if I posted it a bit early. lol. It's actually just as long as the other chapters but somehow, I guess since it's all one continuous scene, it just seems a lot shorter. Sorry for that. *hides*

Those reviews really help with the muses, so the more feedback I get the quicker I'll probably manage the next chapter. Not hinting at anything... ;)