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Time's Up	By : Gotbooks00 Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Hermione/Blaise Views: 23286 -:- Recommendations : 4 -:- Currently Reading : 6
Disclaimer: I own many things, but not any recognizable characters, things, or places in the Harry Potter series. Somehow, I doubt that JKR would agree to joint custody…shame, that. Also, no profit is being made from the writing or posti

Chapter List
- 1-Time's Up
- 2-TWO
- 3-THREE
- 4-FOUR
- 5-FIVE
- 6-SIX
- 7-SEVEN
- 8-EIGHT
- 9-NINE
- 10-TEN
- 11-ELEVEN
- 12-TWELVE
- 13-THIRTEEN
- 14-FOURTEEN
- 15-FIFTEEN
- 16-SIXTEEN
- 17-SEVENTEEN
- 18-EIGHTEEN
- 19-NINETEEN
- 20-TWENTY
- 21-TWENTY ONE
- 22-TWENTY TWO
- 23-TWENTY THREE
- 24-TWENTY FOUR
- 25-TWENTY FIVE
- 22
- 23
- 24
Time's Up by Gotbooks93

Summary: After successfully hiding the existence of her son for eight years, Hermione is out of luck and time. When the father of her child discovers her secret, their quiet worlds are changed forever. Join Hermione as she takes on the challenges of co-parenting, snake charming, and a crazy little thing called 'love'.

Disclaimer: I own many things, but not any recognizable characters, things, or places in the Harry Potter series. Somehow, I doubt that JKR would agree to joint custody…shame, that.

CHAPTER TWENTY- THREE

It was sort of interesting, being on the other side of the law. The room was cool, bordering on cold, and a single, bare bulb hung from the ceiling. The table in front of her was metal, riddled with scratches and engravings that stood out in the dull light. Walls and ceiling look like concrete, with a pane of one- way glass to her left.

All in all, Hermione thought the decorators had seen too many episodes of Law and Order.

Across the table, Blaise flicked through a small folder. His eyes skim each page, pausing longer on some parts than others. Hermione decides not to break his concentration by asking questions, although a million different ones had come to mind. At length, Blaise flipped the folder closed and looked at her directly, determination clear on his face.

"Alright, here's the deal: the formal request for arrest was from the Division for Protection of Magical Children, but it was based on information provided by a source that wishes to remain anonymous. They're taking you to court for child neglect, abuse, and erratic conduct as a parent. Worst case scenario, you lose custody of Alexander, get a hefty fine, and possibly do time in Azkaban." Hermione felt the blood drain from her face, and Blaise leaned forward. "Best case scenario, you get cleared of all charges, get back custody of and get the opportunity to file a countersuit against the Ministry for unlawful charges, mental distress, etcetera. Not something I'd suggest, but that's up to you."

Hermione nodded, soaking in the information. After a moment, he continued. "Now, child custody cases aren't my specialty, but I'll ask around the office, see if anyone's willing to help. To be honest, I'm not worried; a lot of people owe me some favors."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Without waiting for a reply, an auror barged in, looking disgruntled. "Zabini, there's just been a floo call for you. Apparently, your kid's school is closing for the night, and they need someone to take him home." The auror turned around, leaving as quickly as he had appeared.

Blaise turned back to her, opening his mouth to speak. Hermione beat him to the punch. "Go." She encouraged. "Reassure him that I'm fine, and that there's just been a misunderstanding."

Blaise hesitated before standing. "I'll floo Potter, so expect him soon. He's probably used to getting called away at the middle of the night, by now. Alexander can stay with me, and I'll come see you tomorrow about your case."

Hermione nodded, trying to keep the panic from her face. Since her arrest, Blaise had been her shield; preventing the aurors from throwing her in a holding cell, slinging around complicated- sounding legal jargon like it was another language.

After dropping a quick kiss on her forehead, he left the room without looking back. She is only alone for a few minutes before Harry barged in, looking harassed. "Bloody idiots." He swore, kicking the door shut behind him.

Facing her, Harry shot her a sympathetic look. "Rough night?" he asked as he took the seat Blaise had vacated.

Hermione smiled faintly. "You have no idea."

"I'll be honest, when Zabini mentioned you needed my help, this was the last thing I thought it would be. I'm glad he contacted me, though. Half of these morons don't know what the hell they're doing, and it never hurts to have someone on the inside." Hermione nodded in agreement, watching as he too flipped through the file. Finishing it, Harry ran his hands through his hair, elbows on the table. Hermione thought he looked rather tired, and grimaced guiltily. If it weren't for her, Harry would be home with his boys and wife.

The Boy- Who- Lived looked up, green eyes cautious. "I need to ask you a few questions. I want you to hear me out, think them through, and try to keep emotion out of it. Don't let your feelings affect your answers."

Hermione took a deep breath, held it, and let it out in a gust. "Fire away, Auror Potter."

Harry nodded, but looked a little dubious. If she was being honest, she wasn't sure she'd be able to keep her cool, either, but was determined to give it a shot.

"Alright. Now as you know, the source of information wishes to remain anonymous, which isn't unusual in a case like this. But I need you to think; who would want to separate you and Xander? Who thinks you're a bad mum?"

Even the insinuation of her bad parenting had Hermione's hackles up. Harry hurriedly raised both hands, palms out. "I'm not saying you're a bad mother, but we need to make a list of suspects. Now, answer the question."

Hermione calmed herself, and was silent as she thought. She didn't think it could be someone from work; both students and staff tended to fawn over her son, much to Xander's annoyance.

Harry gently interrupted Hermione's train of thought, placing a hand over her forearm. "Hermione, where's Xander right now?" He hedged.

"Blaise went back to the school to pick him up." Hermione said distractedly, still running through a list of possibilities in her mind. "He'll stay at the manor until this is all sorted out."

"That was nice of him." Harry commented.

"It's not really about niceness, Harry. I mean, he's Xander's father, and Blaise is always happy for them to spend time together." Hermione said dismissively. Then, a thought occurred to her. "Harry, you're not upset that he didn't stay with you and Luna, are you? I mean, in the past, Xander stayed with you guys when I was busy, but now that Blaise is in the picture…" She trailed off, watching her best friend's face closely.

Harry quickly shook his head, his face still troubled. "No, it's not that, although he's always welcome to stay with Luna and I. But, Hermione, have you considered that… Well, that maybe Zabini was the anonymous source?"

Hermione wretched her arm out from under his, feeling as though she had been slapped. "Harry, how could you say something like that?" She questioned, going on the defensive.

"Hermione, you need to think about this. You know Zabini wants Xander to live with him, and this would be a good way to accomplish that. He's from one of the old families, and they tend to be really traditional. It would make sense, for him to try and get full custody by making you seem like an unfit mother."

Hermione was already shaking her head. "Harry, I know that's how it looks, but Blaise has made it clear that he wants Xander to know both his parents. Besides, he was helping me with the aurors, earlier. If he was working against me, why wouldn't he just make an outright claim, instead of being an anonymous source of information?"

"Because then he'd be formally categorized by the ministry as the plaintiff. If he made a formal claim, he wouldn't be able to keep Xander, because that would give him the opportunity to influence a potential witness." His logic was sound, but part of Hermione still protested. Blaise had always been clear: he wanted Xander to experience the love of both his parents. He wouldn't do this…would he?

"Hermione, who's known as one of the most brilliant attorneys in the wizarding world?"

"Blaise." Hermione admitted.

"And haven't you said he can be very cunning, when it suits his agenda?" Harry continued.

She nodded, still reluctant. "Yes, he can be. But it still doesn't seem quite right. Like I'm missing something."

Harry huffed, frustrated. "Zabini is a Slytherin, through and through. He's ambitious, he's sneaky, and he's not averse to using underhanded tactics to achieve his means. This whole thing reeks of deceit. Seriously, who else would gain from your loss of guardianship?"

Hermione thought furiously, brows furrowed. Several minutes passed, causing Harry to get more and more exasperated. Finally, he stood, his metal chair scraping loudly against the concrete floor. "Look, 'Mione, if you're too blind to see that Zabini is trying to steal Xander right from under you, then that's your business. I'll support you, regardless of your decision, but I that doesn't mean I'll agree with it."

Hermione nodded, swallowing hard. Harry was her best friend, and she knew she could count on his support. But she still felt as if she was missing something. Every time she tried to focus on what it was, the thought would slip away. Like she was trying to catch smoke with her bare hands.

"Now, your trail will probably take place in the next week or so, since abuse cases tend to take priority. You're not allowed to have any contact with Xander until then. No face- to- face visits, no floo calls, and no owls. I suggest you don't try and break any of the rules; if the Wizengamot found out, they'd probably condemn you before your trial even started."

Hermione nodded, albeit grudgingly. The thought of being cut off from her child for so long was like a stab in the chest. And, Merlin forbid, what if she lost her case? The idea of never seeing Xander again was agony.

"I strongly suggest you get a lawyer; I'd prefer it was someone other than Blaise, of course, but that's your choice. If not for the trial, then for the press and public. Whenever public figures like you go to court, the vultures go into a frenzy. Release an official statement, but be careful. Dealing with the press is like a double- edged sword; If they're on your side, you're golden. If not… well, not so much. If you get a decent lawyer, they'll probably start asking you to think of witnesses to call, to vouch for you as a mum. I can't testify, because I'm an auror, and it's a conflict of interest. But I'm sure Luna will, and the Weasleys too. Try to get a hold of Charlie."

Hermione agreed. "Those all sound like good suggestions... So… am I going to Azkaban?" She asked, trying to keep the fear out of her voice.

Harry smiled a little, shaking his head. "No, you're not going to Azkaban. Technically, they don't have evidence that you've done anything wrong- the anonymous tip is enough to bring you in for questioning, but not enough to hold you, unless you confess. They'll schedule a court date, confiscate any children in your care, and make sure you don't try to leave the country. I'll say I conducted your official questioning, and deemed you fit to leave."

Hermione stepped forward, embracing her friend. She sniffled a little, the long day catching up with her. "Sometimes, it's nice to have friends in high places." She said quietly.

Harry chuckled, placing a hand on each of her shoulders. "One of the few perks of being best friends with The Chosen One, I expect." He joked.

Hermione smiled, feeling a little better. They soon left the interrogation room, stopping at the desk outside. A bored- looking auror cast Termino iter on her, which restricted movement outside of the United Kingdom. The same auror informed her that her trial would take place in eight days, and asked if she had legal counsel. After confirming that she did, Hermione was told she was 'free to go'.

Walking through the maze of cubicles, the pair came to the large entrance that separated the Magical Law Enforcement division from the rest of the Ministry.

"Everything's going to be alright, Hermione." Harry said seriously. Hermione did her best to smile back, although it ended up as more of a grimace.

"Thanks for everything, Harry." She said. "I'll talk to you soon, yeah?"

He nodded slowly, watching her face closely. "Yeah. Seriously, though, give my Zabini theory some thought. I know he's kind of a blind spot with you, but don't dismiss it."

Hermione rolled her eyes, already tired of the conversation. "Good night Harry." She called as she walked away. She heard his answering "Good night" behind her, followed by the sound of his retreating footsteps.

~(o)~

Apparently, boring elevator rides were universal. Hermione leaned tiredly against one wall, listing to the generic female voice announce each level as she descended further into the Ministry. Unexpectedly, the elevator stopped on the ninth floor, which housed both the Wizengamot's court rooms and the Department of Mysteries.

Hermione frowned. The hour was late, and the Ministry was mostly deserted. The only people left were a few late- shift aurors, various workaholics, and… Draco Malfoy?

Both Hermione and Malfoy were visibly startled as the elevator doors slid open, revealing their presence to the other. After a moment of awkward silence, Malfoy dipped his head in greeting and stepped into the elevator. "Granger."

Hermione nodded in return. "Malfoy." She replied, a little uneasy. "Er, how's Mandy?"

"She's good." He said casually. "Up to her ears in wedding crap."

Hermione nodded. "That makes sense. It's next week, right?"

Malfoy shook his head. "We had to postpone it so her ancient grandmother could come. The old bint is senile, and decided to go on a trip to Africa. For some reason, Mandy wanted her there. So now, it's on New Year's Eve."

"That's romantic."

"I guess."

There was a long pause, then: "So, you're here awfully late."

He shrugged casually, his mouth twisting up into a smirk. "Throughout the years, the Department of Mysteries has been an invaluable asset to Malfoy Industries, whether they know it or not."

Hermione made a sound of reproach in the back of her throat, relaxing a little. Scolding others for their behavior was an old, familiar habit. "Stealing government secrets, are we Malfoy? Do you really have no scruples?"

He grinned roguishly, and for a moment Hermione could see why Mandy had fallen so hard for the former Death Eater. "I have some moralities, but they do not include respect for intellectual property. However, I don't know why you're acting so high and mighty. From what I've heard, you got into a spot of trouble with the law this very evening."

Hermione gaped unattractively. "What? How could you possibly have heard about that, already?" She gasped.

Another devil- may- care grin. "I have my sources. Also, aurors tend to have big mouths."

Hermione's shoulders slumped a little in amazement. "Word spreads like wild fire around here." She murmured.

"The Ministry's gossip mill is the intelligence network in the world, I think." Malfoy agreed. "It'll be all over the papers by tomorrow morning."

Hermione nodded, resigned. "I know."

There was another moment of silence, interrupted only by the announcement of each floor they passed.

"What did you get arrested for, anyway?"

A raised eyebrow. "I thought your sources would have already informed you."

A shrug, "They're good, but not that good. Not unless I have a real interest."

Hermione sighed for what felt like the millionth time. "I'm being charged with child abuse and neglect, and erratic conduct."

Directly after she finished speaking, the cool female voice announced "Ministry Atrium." And the elevator slid to a stop.

Hermione stepped toward the opening doors, only to be roughly yanked back by her arm. "Wait a second Granger, what did you say?"

Impatiently, she whirled around to face him. "You heard me. Now, why the sudden interest?"

"Because I might know something about that." Malfoy admitted reluctantly.

"What?" Hermione's voice was high and shrill, and was immediately shushed.

"Honestly, Granger, do you want the whole Ministry to hear you?" He scolded, his eyes darting around the empty atrium before resting on her once more "I'm only telling you this because, for some reason, Blaise is miserable without you. And quite frankly, I'm getting sick of his sulking; he was much more fun when the two of you were playing nicely. So listen well, because I'm only going to say this once."

Hermione nodded silently, struck by the bizarre turn of events.

"As you know, my mother decided to stay at Malfoy Manor after my father was sentenced. Mostly, our paths don't cross much. She has her own life, and I have mine. The other day, I overheard a conversation she was having during one of her tea parties. Once a month, she has a little get- together with some of her friends; they drink tea, plan charity events, and spread rumors about other people. Anyway, Elena Zabini was there, and I recognized her voice." He flushed a little, shaking his head. "We were all obsessed with Elena when we were younger; she was the sexiest woman any of us knew. Now, of course, we know that she's half- mad, and steer clear due to self- preservation... Anyway, the woman is hard to ignore. So I did a bit of eavesdropping, and heard her talking about your kid."

Hermione froze, listening intently. Malfoy continued. "She was saying you and Blaise weren't doing a good job raising him to be the next Zabini heir, and how he didn't even speak Italian, and if she could just raise him herself, she 'wouldn't make the same mistakes as she did with Blaise.' At the time, I thought she was all talk; a lot of the older generation is a little bit obsessed about their bloodlines, so it's nothing out of the ordinary. But now, I think she may have taken matters into her own hands."

Hermione's mind whirled, rapidly processing the information. "Why are you telling me this?" Hermione asked.

His mouth tightened. "To be honest, most of us are a little bit fucked up because of how we were raised; our parents were so busy treating us as their heirs that they forgot to treat us as their kids. Plus, there was the whole 'Pureblood mania' thing, which got us absolutely nowhere. To be honest, Alexander isn't a bad kid. You may not be my favorite person, but you seem like a pretty decent mother."

Hermione put her hand to her chest, touched. "Thank you, Malfoy."

He snorted. "Don't get all gushy on me, Granger. This doesn't make us best friends, or anything."

She nodded with mock- seriousness. "Of course not."

He turned sharply on his heel, his robes swirling around him. Just before he apparated away, he called over his shoulder, "And will you RSVP to the wedding, already? Mandy got all depressed and shit when Blaise said you weren't coming. Honestly, the two of you need get over yourselves and stop giving us all headaches."

Seeing Hermione's nod, he raised a hand in farewell. "Good luck, Granger." He said, and was gone.

Instead of apparating home herself, she rushed back into the elevator and jabbed the button for the twelfth floor. The elevator slowly rose, causing Hermione to jiggle her leg in impatience. As soon as the doors slid open to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, she bolted out, startling several aurors who were lounging at their desks, obviously waiting to be needed.

As she rushed by the rows of desks, someone behind her called for her to halt; she ignored them. Skidding to a stop in front of Harry's cubicle, she groaned aloud in frustration.

"Ms. Granger, I thought we were done with you tonight!" said Auror Davies from behind her.

Whirling around, Hermione gave him her fiercest glare. "You would be if you'd tell me where Auror Potter has gone." She snarled back.

Looking seriously peeved, Davies rolled his eyes. "He floo'ed out about ten minutes ago." He said, gesturing towards a lit fireplace a few feet away.

"Thanks!" Hermione said quickly, striding towards the bowl of floo powder next to the hearth.

"Hey, that's for official Ministry use, only!" Davies called from behind her.

Faking deftness, Hermione ignored the man. After throwing a handful of powder into the fireplace, she stepped into the green flames, shouting "Potter Residence!" and was whisked away.

After enduring the nauseating sensation of floo travel, Hermione soon stepped out into the Potter's kitchen. Despite the lateness of the hour, Hermione she was not alone in the room. A pajama- clad Albus Potter sat on one of the marble countertops, idly swinging his legs as he sipped from a glass of water. Beside him, Luna leaned against the stove, wrapped in a sky blue robe and looking sleepy.

"Aunt Hermione!" Albus squealed, quickly setting down the glass and trying to squirm down from the counter. Unfortunately, his three- year- old legs weren't quite long enough, and Luna quickly provided assistance.

Sweeping the little boy up into her arms, Hermione hugged her 'nephew' tightly. "What are you doing up, little one?" she asked with a grin.

"Albus told me he had woken up thirsty, which may be a sign of Wackspurt exposure. If left unregulated, Wackspurts can cause unpredictable outbursts and stunt one's growth." Said Luna in her dreamy, pleasant voice. "They're easy enough to get rid of, though. Just drink a glass of water and bathe in carrot juice, and they'll go right away."

Hermione regarded her friend with patient acceptance. "I'll keep that in mind, Lu." She said after a moment. "If you don't mind, though, will you get Harry for me? I know he's probably gone to bed by now, but it's quite urgent."

"Of course, Hermione. I'll send him right down. I hope everything turns out okay." Luna smiled, gathering Albus into her arms. "Come on, Albus, it's time for bed. Your carrot bath can wait until tomorrow morning."

Mother and child disappeared down the hallway, and Hermione caught the beginning of Albus' objection, "But Mummy, I don't like carrots!"

Harry, his hair in disarray and clad in flannel pajamas, stumbled downstairs a minute later. "You know, 'Mione, when I said I'd see you soon, I didn't mean this soon." He joked, yawning.

Hermione wrung her hands. "I'm sorry to wake you up, Harry, but I've come into some new information about my trial." She said fretfully.

Harry gestured toward the kitchen table, and they both took a seat on the long wooden benches. "Yeah?" He asked, blinking sleep from his famous green eyes. "What's that?"

"Harry, we've been thinking of the wrong Zabini." She explained, much to his confusion.

"I'm not following."

"Elena Zabini, Harry. You know, the purebloods call her 'The Black Widow'. Blaise's mother." Hermione began to regal him with Elena's past deeds, along with Malfoy's revelation.

By the time she was finished, Harry looked a little dazed. "Merlin, someone needs to put a muzzle on that woman." He said. "But if it is her, which I don't doubt, you need to tell Zabini- er, Blaise. Legal representation or not, he should probably know his mother is trying to take Xander away from you."

Hermione nodded, brows furrowed. "I was going to, but was afraid of running into Xander if I went to the manor, and if they question me under veritaserum, I'll have to admit I've come into contact with him. Blaise said he'd come over tomorrow, so I'll wait until then. But getting back to the point, I don't think Malfoy will testify, when it comes down to it."

"I don't think he will, either. He really doesn't have anything to gain by testifying, and his word isn't worth much to the Wizengamot. If anyone can find a way to use that information in court, it's Blaise Zabini."

Translations:

"Termino iter" (Latin)

-Termino: to restrict, limit, or set bounds to

-Iter: to travel, journey, walk, or march

Chapter Twenty- Three Author's Note:

Hello, Internet peoples,

(Somewhat) speedy update this time, and the chapter was pretty easy to write. Lots of information, but all necessary I assure you. Any thoughts?

Not much else to say, besides THANK YOU for all of the lovely, inspiring reviews, from both members and guests! I love hearing from you guys, and hope you all continue to let me know what you think. Also, as a reminder: the site blocks out all email addresses automatically, in order to prevent spam. Or something.

See you all soon (I hope) and stay safe.

Sayanora,

Gotbooks93
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Time's Up