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It's Not Over	By : cpetnm Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 70654 -:- Recommendations : 6 -:- Currently Reading : 5
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Hermione was woken early on a Sunday morning by her father.

“What is it, Dad?”

Her father handed her The Daily Prophet. The headline read, “Lucius Malfoy Dead”.

“Oh my God,” she gasped.

“Let us know if we can help.”

“Thank you, Dad. I’m going to go over and see Draco.”

Richard nodded, closing her door. Hermione read through the article and saw that Mr. Malfoy had died the day before, in the early morning. Why hadn’t Draco contacted her?

Hermione dressed and attempted to use the Floo to enter Malfoy Manor, but access had been blocked. Maybe they didn’t want unwanted guests? She Apparated to the manor gates and used her wand to announce her presence. Beenie appeared at the gate.

“Hello, Beenie. I’m here to see Draco.”

Beenie didn’t even open the gate to speak to her. “I’m sorry Miss Hermione, but the family isn’t taking guests.”

She was taken aback by being denied entrance. “Well, will you tell Draco I came by?”

“Yes, miss.”

“Wait, Beenie, when is the funeral?” she asked before Beenie popped away.

The little creature wrung her hands and looked at the ground.

“Why are you upset, Beenie? What’s wrong?”

“I is so sorry, miss, but Master Draco only wants a few people at the funeral. You would have been contacted if you was included, miss.”

“Oh. It’s okay, Beenie,” she said with a watery smile. Turning to walk down the road, she let the cold chill of the air cool her. She wasn’t close to Mr. Malfoy, but she wanted to be there for Draco. She had assumed she’d be included in their family now that she and Draco were engaged.

The day passed without word from Draco. Hermione was beginning to feel sick: with worry for Draco and Narcissa and uneasy that she’d been rejected from Malfoy Manor. She had the sense that she was purposefully being left out and the pit in her stomach grew as she ruminated on this possibility. She knew now was not the time to confront Draco, but all this was only confirming her worst fears.

Two days later she still hadn’t heard from Draco. She’d gone back to Malfoy Manor, but Beenie had told her Draco was indisposed. The little elf looked extremely unhappy to deny her entrance, but Beenie couldn’t disobey a direct order.

The following morning, The Daily Prophet ran a picture of Narcissa and Draco at the grave site. She cried for Draco and his mother, but also because the paper had been allowed to send a photographer and journalist, but she hadn’t been allowed to attend.

On Friday morning Hermione went to Gringotts to drop off her work. It had taken all her willpower to complete her assignment, but she had eventually let the work serve as a distraction for her worry and sadness.

Theo generally avoided her when she came to the bank, but on this day he came out to talk to her.

“Hey,” he said quietly. He eyed her burgeoning belly, his gaze displaying his regret.

“Hey, Theo.” She gave him a small smile.

“How have you been?”

“Okay,” she murmured. “I’d better turn in my work. It was good to see you.”

Theo gently laid a hand on her arm. “I was about to take my break. Would you like to join me?”

His kindness and friendship were exactly what she needed at this moment. Hermione didn’t have many friends and it was nice to interact with someone who understood her to some degree.

“Yeah, I could use some tea.”

They sipped their drinks and talked about work. Theo had gone to Lucius Malfoy’s funeral and had wondered why Hermione wasn’t in attendance. He wanted to ask her why she had been absent, but judging by her glum expression, he guessed Malfoy hadn’t wanted her there.

They walked out of the café, Theo headed back to Gringotts and Hermione to Flourish & Blotts.

“Thanks, Theo. You’re too good to me,” she said, kissing his cheek.

“You deserve the best. I wish you knew that.” He looked at her for a few seconds before making his way back to the bank.

Sighing, she made her way through Diagon Alley. Theo was such a good man. He deserved a wonderful life with someone who loved him and understood his need for family.

Hermione didn’t go back to the manor or try to contact Draco via the Floo. He would seek her out when he needed her. She felt emotionally numb, not knowing why she had been shut out from Draco’s life. Even though she wanted to be there for him, she could not force him to need her. She’d come to the conclusion that maybe he didn’t need her.

It had been three weeks since Draco had seen Hermione. After his father’s death, he focused on taking care of the arrangements for the funeral, attending to his mother, and running Malfoy Holdings. The funeral had observed pure-blood protocols and he didn’t have it in him to teach Hermione what she needed to know. He also felt that the announcement of their engagement shouldn’t coincide with his father’s death. That would be distasteful.

He’d seen the disapproving way Theo had looked at him after the funeral. Actually, Pansy had given him the same look. He was grateful the Slytherins had kept their opinions to themselves. He knew he had been shitty to Granger, but his father’s funeral was not about their relationship.

Hermione sat in the lobby of the obstetrics healer at St. Mungo’s. This visit marked her sixth month of pregnancy. She could keenly feel the baby’s kicks and movements.

The healer collected her from the lobby and set her up on an examination table. A knock sounded at the door of the examination room and the healer opened the door a crack to see what was needed. The healer moved aside as Draco walked into the room, making brief eye contact with Hermione before lowering himself into a chair.

“Hi,” he said quietly. Hermione looked at him for a moment before turning her attention back to the healer.

It was tough for Hermione to keep her emotions together through the visit. The baby was growing, her weight gain was a little less than the healer would like, but overall the baby and mother’s health were fine. The healer excused herself to allow Hermione to redress.

“I’ll wait in the lobby,” Draco offered.

“Okay.” Hermione nodded. She took her time getting dressed, not knowing what this interaction with Malfoy might bring. When she could no longer put it off, she walked out to the waiting room.

“I took the afternoon off. Do you have time to talk?” Draco asked.

Hermione nodded, not trusting herself to not burst into tears or yell at him. He led her to the Floo and called out “Helene Cottage” as they stepped into the green flames. They stepped into the cottage Draco had shown her a few months before. In the afternoon light, Hermione admired the detailed tapestries hanging on the walls and the ornamental woodwork decorating the cottage.

“Beenie,” Draco called. The elf appeared in front of the couple. “Please prepare tea and sandwiches for us.”

“Yes, Master Draco,” Beenie replied, disappearing as quickly as she had appeared.

After spending the morning working for a sick receptionist at her parents’ office then going to her appointment, Hermione was tired. Being near Draco was making her feel shaky. She had absolutely no idea what to expect from him. She sat on the plush couch, a sigh escaping her lips.

“I’m sorry about your father, Draco.” She figured she would be civil. While she wanted to rail against the way he’d ignored her, she had to focus on herself and the baby.

“Thank you.” He looked at her ring finger, relieved that she still wore his ring.

She saw him looking at the ring. “Do you want it back?”

He shook his head. “No. I wasn’t sure if you’d still be wearing it.”

Beenie brought in a plate of sandwiches and tea. Hermione poured herself tea and inhaled two sandwiches. Draco watched her with suspicion.

“Did you eat lunch?” he asked.

She gave him a dark look. “Don’t.”

“Don’t what, Granger?”

She sipped her tea and stood when her cup was drained. “I’ve had a busy day and I don’t have the energy to try to make sense of your emotionally stunted behavior. I’m expecting a baby in three months and I need to focus on her. I’m sure you can at least understand that.”

“I saw you with Theo. Saw you kiss him.” He eyed her wearily.

“We had tea and talked about work. He’s a nice man, Malfoy. After how much I hurt him, it’s a wonder he still wants to be my bloody friend!” She tried to move past him, but he grabbed her wrist and stopped her.

“You have no idea the pressure I’ve been under, Granger. Then to see you parading through the Alley with Nott. It’s a fucking slap in the face.” His fingers bit into her wrist.

“Let. Me. Go,” she hissed.

“Agree to stay and I’ll let you go,” he hissed back. His horrible temper was back in full force. He was angry at her and ashamed of himself for ignoring her. When she dissolved into sobs and sank into the seat next to him, he was horrified at his treatment of her. He tried to put his arm around her, but she slapped his hand away.

“No!” she shrieked. He gave her space and waited for her breathing to slow.

“I don’t know why I act like I do with you. I’m sorry I scared you.”

She wiped her cheeks. “Why did you cut me out of your life?”

“I don’t know. I’m all emotion around you. If you’d been at the funeral, I wouldn’t have been able to do what I needed to do.”

“If that’s how you feel, why do you think we can be married? Marriage is about leaning on each other when needed, Malfoy.”

He shook his head. “My mother needed me to be strong. It would have been wrong to focus on my feelings.”

“If I was a pure-blood witch, I would have the training to deal with you in a variety of social situations, is that it?” She twisted the ring off and handed it back to him.

“You can still be part of our lives, Malfoy, but this is not the relationship I want,” Hermione said through her tears. “I love you and I think you’ll be a good father, but that might not be enough for us as a couple.”

“No! You knew my issues and you agreed to marry me anyway. I grew up alone and I’m used to processing my feelings on my own.”

“You don’t get to decide this by yourself, Draco,” Hermione said sadly. “I’m not going to break our engagement, but it’s on hold now. It would be better if you held onto the ring.”

Her belly made it hard for her to get up from the deep sofa, but she did and without a backwards glance, she walked to the fireplace. She felt her stomach cramping, probably a result of the volatile situation.

“I’m sorry I hurt you,” he said as she took Floo powder from a jar on the mantle.

“I know.” She disappeared into the flames.

“Fuck!” he yelled after she had gone. He threw a tea cup at the wall, then proceeded to use his wand to blast holes in the walls.

The house was quiet when she got home. Hermione laid on the sofa in front of the tv, flipping through the channels. She was trying to calm down, but her stomach felt horrible. Her guts were churning.

Maybe water will help, she thought and tried to get up from the couch when a tremendous wave of pain doubled her over. Knowing what she was feeling wasn’t normal or safe for the baby, she used her wand to send a Patronus to Draco, asking for his aid. A minute later he ran from the fireplace and helped her sit up.

“What happened?”

“I think I need to go to St. Mungo’s,” she rasped out.

“Don’t argue,” he ordered, picking her up. Her head rested on his shoulder. He carefully threw Floo powder into the fireplace and headed to the hospital.

Draco sat next to a sleeping Hermione. The healers said she had pre-term labor due to stress. His hand rubbed over his face. No wonder she kept trying to get away from him. How could he have treated his pregnant fiancée with such disregard to her health? He was absolutely disgusted with himself.

He’d owled his mother and she had gone to retrieve the Grangers. Her helpfulness and compassion had taken him aback. The Grangers had been polite, but noticeably cooler with him. He had promised them he would take care of their daughter and he had failed. Jean and Richard had wanted to stay with Hermione, but Draco had insisted it was his right to be with Hermione at the hospital. Neither parent looked convinced, but they finally agreed after Narcissa promised to escort them to the hospital the next morning.

Draco had spent most of the night watching Hermione sleep. About six in the morning, he decided coffee would be Merlin-sent and made his way to the hospital cafeteria.

Hermione awoke to a quiet, empty room. She just wanted to go home and relax in her own bed. She dressed and made her way to the reception desk and checked herself out.

Upon entering the room half an hour later, Draco was livid the hospital had let Hermione leave. He had been with her all night, but as soon as she woke up, she had assumed he had left the hospital. It didn’t look good for him.

Jean stayed home from work to tend to her daughter. She had tucked Hermione into her bed surrounded by magazines, books and a small breakfast when she heard the doorbell ring.

“Mum, I don’t want to see him,” Hermione told her mother. “Tell him I’ll contact him later.”

“I don’t want to interfere, love, but you need to work this out with him yourself.” Jean was sympathetic to her daughter’s wishes, but relationships weren’t built on messages relayed by a third party.

With a heavy heart, Hermione waited for Draco to make his way up to her room.
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It's Not Over