Hermione Malfoy, nee Granger paced the length of her office as she tried to figure out the best way to approach her next case.  It was a former Death Eater, one of her old classmates in fact. Though if she hadn't read that in her documents, she never would've known as she couldn't honestly recall the person at all. Sadly, most of her school days, she recalled very little Slytherins except Draco and his "posse" from back then.

In the midst of her pacing however, her stomach decided that it'd had enough of being ignored as it had been for the past fourteen hours that Hermione hadn't dared to leave her office.  Putting her hand on her stomach, Hermione made a face. What an inconvenience! She didn't have enough time to bother with food!

"You know, scowling at your stomach will do absolutely nothing." 

Hermione looked up to the door of her office to find her husband standing there with the smirk that used to rile her up as a student, but now, she'd grown to fondly glare at it with a look of her own.

Seeing her not so impressed look, he just chuckled as he came up to kiss her forehead. "Your hair's starting to curl from all your stress.  Relax. You'll succeed, you always do. But first." Draco  grinned.  "Anna you can let the kids in now."

Hermione's brows furrowed at Draco's words before Anna appeared, holding the hands of her two daughters while Harry stood beside Anna, his blonde hair seeming to glow in the lights of her office.  Lyra and Harry were both carrying baskets while Willow held a blanket to her tiny chest. Gripping it desperately with her tiny fingers that would switch places to keep a hold on it and not to let it fall.

"Anna you can take a break for a bit now." Draco nodded as the kids ran towards them.

"Draco Malfoy you cannot tell my assistant to take breaks! You have your own to do that to!" Hermione said as she lightly whacked his head at his audacious nature.  "But I am sorry Anna, you should take a break too. I've kept you here much too long. Come back in an hour or two."

At her words, Draco looked over at her, blinking with a look of exasperation.  "Woman, did you have to do that?" He said rubbing his head, pretending injury.

Hermione said nothing as she hugged her children.  "Now what do you three have?" she asked bending down on her knees, laughing as she felt her husband's eyes on her.

"Picnic!" Lyra cried as she held up her basket proudly.

"Picnic?" Hermione echoed before looking up at her husband. 

Draco nodded. "You need a break and food. Also because of your last case, we haven't been able to have our family picnics.  So we thought that we would bring the picnic to you."

A slow soft smile graced her lips before she stood up to walk over to her husband.  With a yank of his tie, she lightly kissed him. 

"Ewww!" Harry cried while Lyra and Willow giggled at their parents. 

Draco grinned into the kiss.  "Now that was the greeting I've been waiting for." He said before pecking her lips once more. 

~~~

Harry and Willow spread the blanket out on the floor of Hermione's office while Draco went to open up the windows to let fresh air in.  Meanwhile, Hermione and Lyra took out the supplies in the baskets. 

Draco having finally convinced Hermione to teach him her 'Mary Poppins' spell as she liked to name it, just a couple of weeks ago. Ever since, he had gone a little crazy and had started to use the spell on anything he could.  Hermione had to restrain him of course and threaten to stuff him into one of his bags herself, if he didn't stop using the spell whenever he wanted to expand capacity size. However, he still took great pleasure in casting the spell on the picnic baskets.  So Hermione and Lyra, by the time they finished taking all the things out; Draco had helped the two youngest ones straighten up the blanket and place the dining ware down for all of them. 

At last the family of five could finally feast as Draco and Hermione served the food.  Brushing hands and stealing kisses all the while.  That of course made their son pretend to gag while their daughters laughed.

 "Mummy, can I have more Chicken Waldorf salad?" Lyra asked. 

"Of course," Hermione said before scooping some for her daughter.

Hermione sighed at all the food that was there but she also smiled as she realized that almost all the foods were her favorites. 

She looked up at Draco, silently thanking him. She did need this.  The case was killing her because she just didn't know how to defend August Deveriox against the accusations when her gut told her that while he had the reputation of being a former Death Eater, he couldn't hurt anyone if he tried. 

She just wished that the people that would be trying the case were not so prejudiced.  Being a former Death Eater was the main argument of the appellant, and sadly it was working well, even though it shouldn't.  After all Draco was a former Death Eater too and he was now a wonderful husband and father.  Yet she couldn't use that as her defense.  She'd be laughed out of court, well not really, they'd dared not do that to her, but still, it wouldn't fly for a defense. 

"Sweetheart, breathe." Draco whispered when he saw Hermione get riled up again, lost in her thoughts, most likely about her latest case. 

"I know, I just," Hermione muttered as she laid her head on the crook of his neck.

Hugging her with both arms, Draco soothingly rubbed circles on her arm.  "Its going to be okay, but first you need to relax. I can't have you collapsing like you did during your pregnancy with Harry and the Faust trial."

"What about me!" Harry Scorpious Malfoy asked, looking up from his fried chicken at hearing his name.

"Nothing Harry, sweet." Hermione lightly said, laughing as she patted her son's head.  "Anyway Draco, I'll be fine.  I'm not pregnant this time, or you better hope so for your case." Hermione threatened. 

Draco made a face but then just laughed.  He'd made the mistake of joking once that he wanted to have enough children to have their own Quidditch team.  To say that Hermione did not think it was funny was an understatement.  She'd made him sleep on the couch for two days and put a repellment charm so that he would be repelled back if he came within an inch of touching her. It'd been a sight for his friends.  Merlin knows, Harry Potter and Blaise had quite a great time mocking him for it, as he would often forget, and then try to kiss his wife, only to hit a force field like thing and his lips, feeling rather electrocuted.  

It probably also had to do with the lack of sleep from Harry who was at his terrible twos. Still, he never dared to say that again.  Not that he had any reason to.  He had three children that were absolutely perfect in his eyes and everything he'd wished he could've been as a kid.  Kind but tough, smart with independent spirits, and a warm hearted soul that was all their mother's doing.  He couldn't ask for more. 

"Mummy, Daddy, can you tell us a story?" Lyra asked as Willow played with Lyra's blonde hair.

Harry lifted his head from the ground as he had been lounging on his back, due to eating too much.  He wouldn't mind a story.

"Which one?" Hermione smiled as she continued to lay her head on Draco's chest, letting him play with her hair. Twirling the soft strands between his fingers.

"Yours!" Willow chimed before getting up to move towards them. 

Draco and Hermione looked over at their remaining children.  Lyra nodded eagerly while Harry lazily nodded, too full to argue against his sisters. 

"Come on Harry." Lyra said before she literally rolled her brother closer to their sister and parents. 

"Lyra!" Hermione cried while Harry said whoa, only to say again to Draco's amusement. 

So Lyra continued to roll her brother until Harry was able to rest his head on their Mum's leg. 

Hermione shook her head, trying not to laugh as she brushed her son's hair that was uncannily like her husband's out of his face. 

"Okay..."

That first day of potions, Hermione looked around not believing how small their class was.  It was really sort of sad.  Potions after all was a skill that was very important whether in a career or just every day. 

"Hello class my name is Professor Brundy. First name Professor, surname Brundy." The elderly male grinned at his joke. 

Hermione's brows furrowed as she was unsure whether to laugh or not.  Instead she looked around her.  Neville was nervous as can be, she wasn't sure why he was taking Potions since it seemed the subject alone scared the living day lights out of him, nonetheless she was proud and relieved.  He was a familiar and friendly face.  Nott could be seen nearly sleeping on his book while Malfoy looked on, seemingly not to see anything with his silver orbs. Zabini however, feeling her gaze, waved slightly before going back into his book. 

There were several Ravenclaw's too and only a handful of Hufflepuffs.

"Welcome back to Hogwarts, all of you.  Congratulations for being courageous enough to come back and complete your education despite everything you've been through and the tragedies that have made you all grow much too soon."

Hermione blinked, before she felt a tear bubble in the corner of her eyes as she thought of all those that she loved but would never be able to see again. This was Snape's room, his domain, but he would never be able to sharply insult her with a backhand compliment about her answering his questions.  Collin with his camera. Dobby and his personality that enlightened her on Elves and their need for independence and rights. Tonks and Remus that would never see Teddy grow up. Fred...

"Professor may I please take a breath of fresh air?" Hermione shakily asked when the professor called on her. 

A soft knowing look crossed the professor's features before he softly nodded. 

Hermione stood up on shaky legs as she made her escape.

"Mummy, it's okay," Harry said softly as he sat up, seeing that his mother looked about ready to cry as she told the story. 

"I know, sweetheart." Hermione softly said as she hugged Harry to her.  He didn't resist either, knowing that his Mum probably needed the contact. 

Draco kissed the side of Hermione's head.  "When your mother ran out..."

Draco had been spacing out, his thoughts in the past, to the memories of being in the same room with Snape who was in so many ways, his family. Who was as much a father figure as well as his godfather.  But when he heard the commotion of whispers, he'd looked up just in time to see Hermione Granger run out of the room. 

As the class continued, he couldn't help but look over at the door again and again.  Thinking that at any moment, Granger would come back in, her hair probably a mess and her nose redder than that ridiculous flying hippogriff like thing they idolatrized rather foolishly in his opinion. 

"Daddy, Rudolph is not ridiculous!" Lyra interrupted while Hermione glared at him when he'd used her crying face that often resulted in a red nose to compare metaphorically with Rudolph the red nosed reindeer. The man was treading on dangerous waters. 

"Rudolph, that's the name." Draco joked, ignoring his wife's look, knowing that as soon as he continued, she'd be fine. 

However, class finished and Granger was nowhere to be seen.  Draco couldn't help but find it odd, however it was even odder when he saw his best mate go over to Longbottom to help the fellow put all of Granger's stuff back into her satchel.

"Blaise, what are you doing?" Draco asked, approaching them. 

Longbottom looked up at him with wide eyes with a slightest bit of initial fear, but then hardened. 

"Just helping.  I feel bad for Granger you know. It's got to be hard for her. With all that she went through during the war, and now being here, where it all reminds her of the people we lost.  And unlike you and I, she's one of those that lets the guilt eat her like no other, probably believing that she should've, could've done more to try to help them.  By the way, Draco, you have no class next right? You quit Divination right?"

"Of course, with Potter gone, bloody Twelawney has decided that I'm the next one plagued with death. I dropped out before she got to finish about how gruesome my death was going to be." Draco snorted. 

"Great, Longbottom and I still have class.  So find Granger and give this to her!" Blaise said throwing Hermione's stuff at him. 

"Wait, what?!" Draco cried but the two took off leaving him there. 

Muttering to himself, Draco hung the strap of Granger's bag on his shoulder, not believing that he was honestly doing it.  The normal him would've left Granger's bag there in the potions room for the next kid to raid if they wanted to, for all that Draco cared. 

It took him only two minutes before he found her sitting in a little niche, overlooking the Black Lake, her face ashen and weary. Her eyes just tinged with red from her tears.  She jumped up, alarmed and wand at the ready, hearing him approach.  "What do you want Malfoy?!"  

Draco merely looked over her stance, realizing that it was one prepared to fight.  How sad was it that, the war had made Granger even more violent than she already was.

"Draco!" Hermione said poking him in the rib, narrowing her eyes at him. 

Draco though just grinned as he winked at his children. 

"Your bag, your highness." He said sarcastically as he handed the Gryffindor princess her bag. 

Hermione's expression fell as her stance relaxed.  "Oh," Hermione said taking her bag.  A few seconds later, she realized that he'd also sarcastically insulted her.  "Thank you, oh shining pale knight." She responded. 

Draco's expression fell as he realized that she was poking fun of his fair complexion.  Even Blaise sometimes joked that he was pale enough to glow in the dark.  However, Granger was not Blaise.  "Well, Granger, you missed the whole lesson. Good luck catching up especially with Longbottom as your partner." He said, turning around, so she couldn't see his grin.  He after all knew that nothing freaked out Granger more than the thought of being behind in her studies. 

"You! You!" She yelled after him. 

Draco just waved. 

Neither of them noticed that their exchange had been seen by Professor Brundy the whole time.  Shaking his head, he gave a small sad smile before heading back down the corridor to his class in order to prepare for the fifth years. 

 ____

Hope you guys liked this chapter!