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Future Parents Program	By : avari20 Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 58113 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 10
- 11
- 12
Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Introducing�.

Draco bolted upright, looking around wildly. What the--? When had they returned to Hogwarts?
�Welcome to the land of the living, Mr. Malfoy,� an all too familiar gravelly voice greeted him. Draco focused in on the Headmaster. Dragon-In-Headmaster�s clothing sat serenely to the right of the bed, which Draco had discovered resided in Hogwarts� infirmary. Malfoy was fairly surprised that it hadn�t been Madame Pomphrey who�d awakened him. The woman never seemed to pass up an opportunity to cause him any measure of discomfort. �What happened?� he asked Dumbledore, trying to fight of the lingering confusion. Ick remained mercifully asleep next to him.
Dumbledore could barely contain his amusement at the sight of the mighty Malfoy brought so low. Who knew that Draco battled a severe case of bed head every morning? It stuck up at the strangest angles. His clothes were twisted every which way, thoroughly mussed. The old man imagined that the boy before him would rather have died than let anyone see him so human in normal circumstances. Dumbledore realized it wasn�t every day someone caught Malfoy sleeping like a baby, with a baby, and snuggling with Hermione Granger of all people. It had been rather endearing, actually.
He returned his attention to Malfoy�s question. �I thought it would be best if the two of you were returned to the school. Miss Granger is out of danger, and St. Mungo�s needed the bed.�
Draco ran his hand through his already wild hair. �I need a bath,� he muttered to himself.
�You need to do more than that, Mr. Malfoy. You need to gather your books and get to class posthaste,� Dumbledore informed him. Draco looked at him, that look of confusion back in his eyes.

�Since when did Hogwarts start having classes on Sunday?� he asked derisively. Dumbledore crooked a smile at him. �They haven�t. Today is Monday, Mr. Malfoy. You slept through all of Sunday.�
Draco sprang into action. �Son of a skrewt�s redheaded stepchild!� he bellowed, leaping from the bed. He ignored Dumbledore�s admiration of his rather creative cursing and snatched Ick up. The little girl blinked owlishly at the Headmaster as her father leaned over and shook Hermione�s shoulder. �Get up, Hermione, we�re late!�
Hermione didn�t move. Draco stiffened and narrowed his eyes at the girl. �Hermione?� He shook her once more. Again he received no response. Alarm raced through Draco. Oh, gods, please don�t let her be--
�She�s fine, Mr. Malfoy.� Dumbledore placed a hand on Draco�s own shoulder. �She is in no danger, but her body needs time to rest. Hermione has been given a potion to allow her to sleep for a day or two.�
Draco wrestled the panic down and strove for a calm tone. �When will she be up?� he asked casually. He didn�t want the Headmaster to know about his feelings quite yet.
�By tonight or early tomorrow. Madame Pomphrey had everything in order, Mr. Malfoy. You are free to go to class.�
Draco knew an order when he heard one. Damn old Dragon, he thought sourly. �Yes, sir.� He turned and made his way out of the infirmary. He cut quite a dashing figure despite the absolute wreck he appeared, Dumbledore thought with a chuckle. He turned back to the girl that lay so still on the bed. �You�ve got quite a talent for trouble, Hermione. And if Draco Malfoy has realized his feelings for you as I�ve suspected,� he added, �I have a feeling you�ll have a whole lot more on your hands.�
Malfoy practically ran to his common room. No way in hell he was going to let anyone see him like this! He�d caught sight of himself in the mirror and scared himself. He was almost grateful Hermione had slept on. He needed to look his best when he put the plan-he-had-yet-to-devise into action. Not like Medusa�s bastard son.
He flew through his portrait seconds later, only to come to a complete and utter halt. What the hell was going on here? he thought thunderously. Perhaps he was hallucinating. Or maybe the other common rooms looked identical and they had gotten confused about where they were.
Because he knew, he just knew, that every Gryffindor he had ever hated had not camped out in his common room with enough food to LAST THE WINTER when he was tired, irritated, and READY TO KILL SOMEONE.
Surely that was not the case.
Hadn�t he expressly commanded them to get the hell out when he�d left? But not only had they stayed, the buggers seemed to have multiplied. Weasel, Potter, and Longbottom were strewn about the furniture in deep sleep. There was such a multitude of open and unopened food cast about the place the bastards were obviously planning on bloody hibernating on his couches.
And they had better pray that he was imagining the newest furniture in the room. The interlopers had surely left their cubs at home, not placed the mini-Weasels and an infant he assumed was Longbottom�s offspring in a play pen to pile together like the wild animals they behaved like.
But such unholy screeching convinced Malfoy the vision before him was real. Really, Potter needed to get that checked out. Although Malfoy could save him an infirmary visit and just kill the ponce.
That sounded like an excellent idea. He deposited Ick in the play pen, loathing letting her get so close to the Weasel Germs, but needing both arms to dispense justice. He cast the necessary charms that would block any noise disturbing the babies before advancing with deadly intent on the trespassers.
One minute Harry was snoring �peacefully�, the next he found himself flung into Ron�s arms. Ron, fearing Pansy�s return, threw Harry out of his arms again out of instinct and jumped to his feet. Harry hit the floor with a thud, Ron looked about in bewilderment, and Neville lurched out his seat to go for his wand. Malfoy�s appeared under the other boy�s chin instantly. Neville practically screeched to a halt.
�I could have sworn,� Malfoy growled softly, �that I told you to be gone when I got back, Potter.�
He looked furious and unkempt. Harry rather thought that it was more unnerving to see the normally perfectly groomed Malfoy out of sorts than to see him angry. �We wanted to make sure that Hermione was alright,� he stuttered.
�She�s fine.� Malfoy withdrew his wand and sheathed it. He tried to smooth his wild bed hair somewhat, but it just sprung back out. �She�s in the infirmary for now. Nothing serious.� He looked at the boys. �Now that that�s out of the way, get your progeny and get the hell out.�
He turned with a dramatic flip of his mussed robes and was about to collect Ick when Ron piped up. �Um, actually, we were kind of hoping we could stay here.�
Malfoy halted. Slowly, he turned. �Come again?�
Ron�s eyebrow rose even though a slight blush stained his cheeks. �We want to stay here for a while.�
Malfoy blinked. �As in�?�
Harry decided now was a good time to jump in. �You see, Ron�s feeling a bit�overwhelmed by Pansy. He thought he could hang out with Hermione while they adjusted to one another.�
Neville looked a little nervous. �What�s your excuse, Longbottom?� Malfoy bit out. The other boy drew himself up and looked Malfoy right in the eye. His voice was very clear when he said, �Millicent likes me.�
�WHAT?!� Malfoy bellowed. What lunacy was this?
Neville reacted as though Malfoy had confirmed his own thoughts. �Exactly!� he burst out. �She told me that she�d liked me for a long time, but I needed to buck up my courage. Now that the war�s over she says it�s the perfect time to make her move.� He looked terrified. And well he should, Malfoy thought to himself dazedly. Pansy and Millicent had the well-deserved reputations in Slytherin for being of rather�.forceful inclinations. They always got what they wanted.
Contrary to the rumor mill, it had very little to do with sex. As a matter of fact, not even the admittedly attractive Draco had managed to convince Pansy to let him do more than kiss her. But if she or Millicent wanted a new jewel�.a dog�.Persia even, it was only a matter of time�..
If he�d been Neville, he would have run a lot farther than the Head Common Room�.
The clock chimed the hour. �Buggering ponces!� he barked out. �I�m late!�
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Students parted like the Dead Sea to allow Malfoy to sweep by. Thanks to a few grooming charms Draco felt better and looked better than decent. He snarled at a few Hufflepuff second years to boost his morale just that much more. They cowered and scattered, which pleased him to no end.
Even as they scurried out of his way, the witches of Hogwarts school eyed him with blatant appreciation. His robes were pressed, his blonde hair was perfect, and he was damn handsome on top of that.
Having an extremely adorable little girl riding shotgun didn�t hurt one bit, either.
Malfoy shifted his books in one arm and Ick in the other as he headed for his first class of the day. Whispers and fingers pointing followed his progress. Ick was dressed in a miniature version of Slytherins uniform, from little robes to the tiny Mary Janes. Draco had come upon this brilliant idea sometime while fixing his hair. Hermione wouldn�t approve, but Draco found the little green tie a vast improvement over the ridiculous red and gold outfit his mother had picked. His little girl looked better in Slytherin�s colors, thanks very much.
Ick looked at everyone and everything. She seemed to soak up the attention as though it were only her due. �Great attitude, Ick,� he whispered in her little ear approvingly. She giggled at the brush of his breath on her soft skin. �Get used to the attention, command it, and you�ve got it made.�
�Oy, Neville,� Ron said from behind Draco. �Let me know if you see Pansy, ok?� Neville gave his assent on the condition Ron do the same for him in regards to Millicent. Draco rolled his mercurial eyes. His own command seemed to be slipping, if his entourage gave any indication. The buggers were still on his tail, amazingly having the same class schedule as he today. Damnit.
He swept into the classroom with aplomb and headed for Blaise Zabini. His best friend looked up from his book. His handsome jaw dropped. �What the hell is that?� he demanded.
Draco tossed his books down. �That,� he drawled, �is Ick. My-� He stopped. What did he call her? �She�s my daughter.�
Daughter. Now that was a scary word. Beside him Blaise shook his head. �Never thought I�d see the day.�
Draco couldn�t help but agree. �Here, Blaise, hold her for a second.� He plopped the little infant in the other boy�s lap without further ado. Blaise stared at Ick like she had suddenly grown another head and a few extra teeth while Draco straightened himself out. Malfoy couldn�t help but smile at the sigh from a group of Ravenclaw girls when he pushed his robe out of the way and showed his bum. A few more adjustments and Malfoy sat, supremely pleased. Hermione was going to be one of those kind of girls, he vowed silently. Until then he would take the poor substitute.
Ick had busied herself playing with Blaise�s tie. She wasn�t shy at all, and Blaise seemed to have relaxed. He did have little brothers and sisters, Malfoy recalled belatedly. Blaise was noticing Ick�s outfit. �Nice choice. Can�t imagine how you put it passed Granger.�
�She doesn�t know,� Malfoy admitted. Blaise grinned in understanding. He looked around for her. �Where is the mother of future Malfoys, anyway?�
Malfoy very briefly described the last 48 hours to his friend, ignoring the chortling with what he thought of as award winning restraint. An idea hit him seconds before class began. �Hey, Zabini. You�ve dated Muggleborns, haven�t you?� It had been a fact that many Slytherins had targeted Zabini for in years past. Or at least they had until Blaise had reminded them of the qualities that made him Slytherin, Malfoy thought with a grimace. Blaise was watching him closely. �Finally figured it out, have you?� he commented quietly.

It bothered the bloody dickens out of him that Blaise knew about his feelings, but Malfoy forged on. �Well, do you think you could help me?� he demanded.
Blaise shrugged with Italian flair. �You got it, my friend.�
The day went rather smoothly after that. For the most part, anyway. Somewhere around Snape�s class he�d realized that he�d neglected to provide Ick with any toys to occupy herself with. It was the first cauldron to be melted that year, and it hadn�t even been Longbottom�s fault. Ick thought it was funny, though. So did everyone else, much to Snape�s glowering displeasure.
Lunch was a much welcomed event. Pansy didn�t sit with Ron, not surprisingly. The twins, who had set a few creatures loose in Hagrid�s class, stayed with Weasel and Potter. Neville was no where to be found, but then neither was Millicent, which explained a lot. That strange girl Luna sat away from her partner as well. Malfoy noticed the dirty looks the boy cast in her direction.
It bothered him. Nobody knew it, but he�d always found Luna a bit fascinating. The way one would find dragons fascinating really. You admired from afar but never got too close in case they decided to fry your bum. Now Luna had a little girl named Hazel, and Alfred apparently couldn�t be persuaded to get within ten feet of the pair. Draco grimly made a mental note to remind Alfred of his parental responsibilities.
Ick was a hit with the Slytherins. The girls fussed over her little outfit, and even the boys studied her carefully. She sat on the table before Malfoy and fed him the bits of food she was supposed to be eating, making a mess of his face. Somehow Malfoy didn�t mind all that much. After that she was passed from Slytherin to Slytherin under his careful watch so that he would have time to eat. By the end of the meal Ick was declared to be the smartest baby in existence. Malfoy had scoffed that he�d already known that. She was a Malfoy, was she not? And her mother was no mental slouch, either. Good genes, that�s what.
It was at the end of the day when Malfoy was hit by a particularly difficult problem. It was the first Quidditch practice of the year. What was he supposed to do with Ick? Hermione hadn�t awakened yet when he had visited her the moment classes had ended. Potter and Weasel were off on prefects� duties that Malfoy had discovered already divvied by Hermione.
Which meant that she had done it Saturday night, rendering the entire episode of sneaking to Dragonmaster�s office unnecessary. Oh, but they were going to talk about this one, he swore to himself.
But back to the situation at hand. Where was he going to put Ick?
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�Mr. Malfoy,� Snape drawled, his hands tightly clasped behind his back. �What is that on your robes?�
Malfoy looked back and shrugged at the professor. �That would be a baby,� he said innocently. Ick giggled and almost ruined the moment before Malfoy restrained his smile.
One dark eyebrow raised to an equally dark hairline.

Malfoy was dressed in his Quidditch robes. In itself that was completely unremarkable. What was cause for comment, however, was the baby pack strapped to his back. In it Ick was dressed in another miniature version of her father�s clothing, looking ready for a good rousing Quidditch practice. All she was missing, Snape thought caustically, was a little broom to ride. �Babysitting difficulties, Mr. Malfoy?�
His student grinned. �You could say that.�
�You are aware that you cannot possibly participate with the child on your back? It would render difficult broom riding foolhardy.�
Malfoy nodded as he made to pass the head of his house. �I�m staying on the ground for this practice, Professor,� he replied calmly. �If you�ll excuse me, we�ll be late if we don�t hurry.�
Snape said nothing but simply stepped aside. The little girl waved at him before the pair disappeared around the corner. Snape could only shake his head.
Practice went fantastically for Malfoy. His bunch were great players, not that he�d ever tell them that, and Ick seemed enthralled with every aspect of the game. Malfoy was riding high when he returned to the common room, certain that the book 25 Ways to Romance Your Muggleborn Sweetheart that Blaise had given him meant that the week was only going to get better.
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Why him? Malfoy mentally groaned. How in the world had it come to this?
Draco stared at the realigned Gryffindor Trio. It was Monday night, and not only were the three intruders still in possession of all vital body parts, but they were actually staying the night as requested. Malfoy half expected the walls of Hogwarts to crumble and Severus Snape singing "You Are My Sunshine" any moment. It was just that fantastic a concept that these boys would be his guests.
He'd felt sorry for the pea-brains. Well, for the Weasel and Longbottom anyway. Given that Potter wasn't actually in the Future Parents Program, there wasn't a real reason for him to be there other than he and the Redheaded Wonder seemed like a package deal. If you took in one stray dog, you got the bloody pack, so to speak.
He looked down at Ick. And now this. He'd thought he'd gotten a grip on things, and suddenly Ick had demanded more attention from him than he'd ever imagined himself giving.
She needed to be changed.
Malfoy wanted to run.
From the looks on the other three, he wasn't the only one. Even Weasel looked a little trepidous. All of them stood in front of a wriggling baby (Potter had one of the twins), who lay on the table as though they were not about to severely alter the worlds of four young men. Little buggers. Except Ick, of course. She was the only blameless one, being a Malfoy and therefore in need of more care than the other three.
"According to Malfoy's mum's book," Neville said, holding the text in one hand and a nappy in the other, "we have to undo the nappy they're wearing first." He looked down in barely concealed horror at the little boy (who was named Marshall, by the by). The Weasel twins (Patrick and Henry) laughed in almost evil childlike humor. For some reason Potter had been muttering some nonsense like, *"Give me liberty or give me death" ever since he'd heard the twins' names. He'd started sniggering and hadn't stopped since.
Too many hits with the Bludger, that one.
Nobody seemed to want to make the first move. They all sort of looked at each other dumbly for a few moments before Malfoy decided to take the role of leader and threw his shoulders back. �Alright, lads, we�re being ridiculous here. What�s to be afraid of? Other than the stench,� he put in quickly just as Ron was about to interject.
He looked around. �Well? Nothing, that�s what! We�re bigger, stronger, and smarter than they are. We�ve survived worse than nappies before.�
The other three didn�t look convinced. �Like what?� Neville asked dubiously.
What, indeed. �Well,� Malfoy said while he wracked his brain quickly. �Snape?� That caught Neville�s attention. �Voldemort?� Harry perked up. What was the Weasel afraid of�� Pansy!�
Right on target. Ron considered Patrick with the concentration usually reserved for Quidditch statistics and escaping his mother. Suddenly he sucked in a deep breath (not the best course of action, considering the noxious fumes floating about) and reached for the nappy.
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He was never, ever doing that again, Malfoy resolved several harrowing minutes later.
He would feed, bathe, dress, and worship the little girl from here on out, but Hermione was taking over nappy duty. What the hell had she fed the child, anyway? Gods, he needed a bath after that debacle. Apparently Ick had developed potty humor and decided peeing on him after being freshly changed was funny.

He blamed the mini-Weasels, personally. Their rough breeding was infecting Ick.
So now the swimming pool was charmed into a giant bath, and the four young men and accompanying children currently occupied the shallow end. Malfoy never thought he�d see the day when he�d be half naked with a bunch of Gryffindors, much less male Gryffinndors.

Malfoy rubbed his temple.
Not one month ago he�d been a carefree teenager with nothing more on his mind then his next riding broom and the occasional fling. Now he was a father, wanted to be a lover, and had no clue how to go about either. Although he supposed it could be worse. He could have had Millicent after him.
Malfoy smirked evilly at Longbottom, who regarded him with unease over his child�s head.
Actually, the more he listened to the other three talk, Malfoy found Longbottom wasn�t nearly as stupid as he had supposed him to be. Seems he was a bit more intimidating to the formerly- gangly lad then he�d thought. Even the Neville didn�t stutter nearly as much when he spoke to Malfoy those few times as he once had. Miracle of miracles, somewhere along the way Longbottom had grown a spine.

He�d better pray Millicent never found that out, Malfoy thought, his smirk widening.
Ron broke the silence. �You know, Malfoy, it�s rather sporting of you to let us stay here. What with all that stuff that happened during school.�
Draco shrugged. �I figure you�ll owe me.� Ron looked like he wasn�t too sure how to take that. Harry tried to sooth him by commenting, �There are worse things than owing Malfoy, mate.�
�Yeah,� Ron said with a shudder. �Like Pansy.�
Malfoy held Ick away so she could kick her legs in the water more freely. She looked pretty cute in the little yellow Muggle bathing suit Potter had conjured. Whyever the hell Potter knew things about baby outfits, Malfoy was not going to ask. �Hey,� he grunted at Ron. �Pans is not a bad sort.�
The three Gryffinndors snorted derisively in unison. Did the ponces practice in front of mirrors or something? �Spoken like a fellow Slytherin,� Harry said offhandedly.
�Listen, you gits. Slytherin�s credo is �cunning�, not �evil incarnate� ,� Malfoy defended.
�Not a single dark witch or wizard that wasn�t in Slytherin,� Ron shot back.
Malfoy merely shrugged. �So some of us like to get a bit more creative than others. I find the Dark Arts rather fascinating myself.� He raised an eyebrow at the scoffing three. �Lot to be said for those arts. You don�t see any giant spiders picking on me, now do you, Weasel?� he asked haughtily.
�He�s got a bit of a point,� Neville said. He swished Marshall back and forth in the water as he said this. The infant laughed.
Malfoy snorted as he sat on the edge of the pool and held Ick between his legs. The boys wore something Potter called �swimming trunks�. What trees had to do with anything, Malfoy wasn�t sure. Looked like boxers to him. Illogical Muggles. �Ha! Bit of a point, my arse. The thing about the Dark Arts,� he explained to the simpletons, �It�s not about the actual arts themselves until you�re left with no alternative. It�s the reputation you get from just knowing about the more creative side of magic that really matters. No one messes with you because they understand that you�re capable of a lot more than you�re average wizard. Look at me,� he said. He gestured at himself. �All I have to really do is stand there and sneer, and the world is my oyster.�
Ron blinked at him. �You bloody faker,� he said at last in an amazed tone.
�Don�t get me wrong, Weasel. I can back up anything I say. My point is that I just don�t usually have too.�

I wonder how Hermione�s doing? Has she awakened? Did she see all the flowers I sent? Draco�s inner voice piped up suddenly.

Well, wasn�t that random? Just because you�re in love with the wench doesn�t mean you have permission to go all gooey over her and suddenly miss her all the time�Have some dignity! Really. The nerve. He�d lose his reputation for sure if anyone found out.

Excuse me, we are in love with that wench! And didn�t some Muggle once say something like �pride goeth before the fall�?

What the bloody hell does that mean? Draco asked himself incredulously.

Not sure, but it sounded appropriate at the time.
You�ve lost it for sure.
Oh? And who is talking to themselves, may I ask?

Draco blinked. Ye gods, the inner voice was right. He�d gone barkin�.
Neville�s eyes went wide. �Ye gods!� he breathed.
Malfoy�s brow arched. �I told you, it�s not that-� A sultry voice laced with pure steel stopped him dead in his syllables.
�So this is where you�ve run off too, Neville darling.�
Malfoy began to realize that it wasn�t inside look into the world of popularity that held Longbottom�s attention so absolutely�
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A lot of people thought of Luna Lovegood as a loony. Most even called her that instead of her real name, not always out of her earshot. She didn�t exactly go with the flow of the masses. She tended to dress strangely, believed in a lot of things other people didn�t, and didn�t go about fighting back when someone did her wrong.
That was ok, she supposed. She may not have fashion sense, but there was a reason she was in Ravenclaw. She wasn�t stupid by any means. And as for what people thought of her ideas, well, there had been a time when people who could see Thestrals were considered insane. Normal was a relative thing, you know.
As for fighting back�.what was the point? Whoever thought it was a jolly joke to steal her things and make fun of her would tire of the game a lot faster than if she hexed them in revenge.
So when Alfred Blankenship refused after a night of intense verbal abuse to have anything to do with her offspring, Luna had simply taken the new baby and left.
She had been wondering the halls for hours, unsure of where to go. She could have gone to Hermione�s common room, but if she knew those other Gryffindors, they would be cluttering up the place in minutes. Not exactly a quiet atmosphere to have a civil conversation in. More like Bedlam.
So she sat down on a bench in one of the least used hallways and contemplated the baby. She looked a lot like Luna, except for her hair. Instead of Luna�s dirty blonde hair, the baby had rich black hair. Blue eyes twinkled a bit like the Headmaster�s at her while little Hazel cuddled against her serenely. Luna was thoroughly enchanted.
�Such a pretty little girl,� she cooed with a soft smile. �Mummy�s little angel.�
Unlike her fellow participants, Luna actually knew what she was doing when it came to babies. Her own mother had passed away when Luna was small, but her multitude of aunts had done their best to immerse her in the family. That included her infinite number of cousins. It was actually her aunts that were responsible for Luna�s unusual image. They followed what Muggles called Wiccan magic, very earthy and at odds with the ever modernizing magic practices by today�s wizarding youth. Knowing that she wasn�t as alone as everyone thought gave Luna that envied air of serenity.
But she had to admit that even she was startled when Neville Longbottom suddenly burst through a portrait that Luna hadn�t been aware was a portal dressed in nothing but a pair of wet shorts. He held a tot in his own arms and didn�t even acknowledge his friend before spinning to the left and sprinted down the hall. Suddenly Draco Malfoy followed him, but not in pursuit as Luna briefly thought. �Longbottom, you coward! Wait for me!� he shouted after Neville. Ron Weasley and Harry Potter crowded the portrait right behind him. They each carried a child and wore an outfit identical to Neville�s.
Luna gaped. Even an unusual girl like herself could appreciate the extremely beautiful creatures before her in half-naked glory. �Run, Malfoy!� Ron cried out.
Harry grinned at Luna. �Hi, Luna!� A peculiar call that sounded like �yyyyyyyyooooooooooowhooooooooooooo� sounded behind him. �Bye Luna!� he called over his shoulder while he ran off after the other two. Just when things couldn�t have become stranger (even to Luna), who should appear in front of her but Millicent Bulstrode. She was dressed in such beautiful finery Luna was momentarily struck speechless. A Chinese silk green dress embroidered with serpents and matching stiletto heels complemented the awesome emeralds that decorated her throat and ears. �Oh, Neville, darling! You can�t run forever!�
She whipped out her wand and conjured a broom. Sitting side saddle, she continued to give chase in true witch�s fashion, her brown hair streaming in the wind.
What was a girl supposed to do now? Luna pondered this for only a nanosecond before deciding. Follow them, off course. This as too good to pass up.
She conjured her own broom and a baby pack to put Hazel in, trailing behind the teenagers moments later.
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The boys were running full speed ahead, determined to get out of this in one piece. Draco was only following because he wanted to make sure nobody got hurt. He wasn�t the least bit afraid of Iron-will Bulstrode. No sir. Her threats to dismember the lot of them for housing Neville like a fugitive had no effect on him whatsoever.
A hex barely missed him and hit the wall far too close to his head. Where the hell was Hermione when he needed her?!

And just as things couldn�t have gotten worse, here came the Slytherins.
A large group of them stood about the hall as if they had nothing better to do than loiter about directly in the boys� path. Pansy turned and gaped at the stampeding Ron. �Weasley?� she gasped when he skidded to a halt before her. She zeroed in on Ronald�s chest as if bewitched. �When did you get muscles?� she stuttered inanely.
�Pansy!� Ron cried. �Am I glad to see you!� He pushed Patrick into her hands. �You�ve got to take the babies for a minute, ok? Bulstrode�s on the war path!�
Harry seemed to think this was all a great game, for he kissed Pansy�s cheek when he pressed the other baby into her arms. �Sorry I couldn�t stick around. We�re marked men, you know.� He grinned.
Draco slapped him upside the head. �Are you daft, man? Bulstrode�s gunning for the parts that make you male and you�re just standing around like a dolt! Run already! Hang on to Ick for me, Blaise,� he ordered his best friend before speeding off. �Drop her and you die!� he shouted over his shoulder.
One Slytherin boy snickered at Pansy just as Ron was about to follow. �I guess you finally decided to open up your legs for somebody, Parkinson.� He started to laugh�right before Ron spun around and planted a ferocious facer that sent the other boy crashing to the ground. Other Slytherins leapt out of the way. Ron stood over the boy and glowered at him in fury. �Don�t ever talk about her like that again, you little snot,� he snarled. Everyone stared at him in awe. No one had ever seen Weasley in such a �..alpha male stance. Pansy couldn�t seem to take in the fact that Ronald Weasley of the Golden Trio was defending her honor.
A witch�s laugh interrupted the confrontation. Ron looked over his shoulder to see Bulstrode zooming down the hall. He pointed at the boy, his other fist clenched. �Remember what I said, or I�ll beat you bloody next time.� With one last look of warning, he left.
Pansy watched him go. Really, who saw that one coming?
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It was the Hagrid who ended up saving them. Millicent had cornered them in the Great Hall and was about to turn Ronald into a fluffy bunny and Malfoy into the serpent when the gigantic professor had appeared and plucked Bulstrode right out of the air. It was really something to see, what with Millicent hanging from the back of her dress like Hagrid was offering a hanky. She wasn�t nearly as amused as Harry was. Then again, the lot of them combined would never be as amused as that one.
Malfoy was beginning to wonder about him. What had gotten into the ponce?

Draco now glowered at the mirror Dumbledore had designated to be the participants� journals. He sneered into the shiny surface as it recorded. �Since the beginning of this whole fiasco, I�ve been going through some kind of torturous test of determination and endurance that only a certain crackpot Headmaster and my flippin� mother could engineer. The mother of my child is now in hospital. Ick has become adopted by almost the whole of Slytherin house. They insist Ick is the future leader of their house and are on the verge of reproducing just so they can provide her with followers.�
He gestured widely. �I of course knew all of this already, but who the hell wants the Slytherins going at it like rabbits all the time?� He ended the brief entry by recounting his experiences with Ick. The barbarous episode of nappy changing aside, Malfoy felt that he�d made significant progress in one day. He hadn�t dropped the baby once. But now he had better things to do.
He had a Gryffindor to capture, er court. Malfoy tossed the mirror out of the way in favor for his latest acquisition, 25 Ways to Romance Your Muggleborn Sweetheart. Hopefully this one would do better than that rubbish Super Condensed Psychological Theories and You. Although if he really thought about it that book was actually somewhat, in a very miniscule way, right about him and his displacement.
He glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one who�d mastered mind-reading was behind him. Bad enough he�d admitted it to himself.
There was no one else in the common room. Neville had gone to ground since the Millicent incident. Ronald had crashed on Hermione�s bed for the time being. Malfoy wasn�t too sure where Potter was, but figured he was better off without the bedlamite about. Ick was still in the clutches of the Slytherins, and likely wouldn�t surface for several hours.
Draco stroked his chin in thought as he contemplated the book�s cover. Hermione liked books. Maybe he should start his campaign off by making sure he was the first thing she saw when she woke up. Never mind that the blessed event wouldn�t happen for at least 24 more hours. He shrugged to himself. He had time.

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*Author's Note:

For those of you who either didn't catch it or just aren't history freaks like me, "Give me liberty or give me death" is a quote from a speech given by a very important American named Patrick Henry (hence the sniggering from Harry, who probably has a passing aquaintaince with the American Revolution in his Muggle history classes) on March 23, 1775. The speech's purpose was to garner support for the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Since there is no one in the world as independent as either set of Weasley twins, I thought the reference was appropriate. :)
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