Here is the next chapter!

Hope you all enjoy!

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Former Death Eater Found Dead by Own Wand

Draco stared at the headline before covering his hand over his mouth in shock. However upon seeing the name Deveroix, he cussed long and hard.

Taking his quill, he quickly owled Blaise.

Can you take the kids for the night?

-Draco

Draco managed to read the article fully two more times before Hermia returned with Blaise's answer.

Of course. Luna will take them home directly from the daycare. Make sure she doesn't blame herself.

-Blaise

Draco sighed thankful for his best mate. "I'm leaving early, tell anyone that asks that I will contact them tomorrow." He told his secretary before closing up his office and flooing immediately to where he knew he had to be.

!

Hermione could barely breathe after she collapsed to her knees. Tears blurred her vision as sobs tore from her. No, no, no!

How, but, they... Hermione thought incoherently. August Deveroix was an innocent man. There had been no trace of him in that house nor did his wand indicate that any killing curse had ever been uttered from it. Yet yesterday, he'd been declared guilty because he had been a Death Eater and there was no indication to anyone else. They couldn't find anyone else, yet Deveroix had been in a bar less than twenty minutes away, celebrating one of his best mates birthdays. That had been enough apparently. But she was bound and determined to re-open the case and prove that Deveroix could not have gone to the bathroom for five minutes and kill a whole family then come back to the party. Because he hadn't done it. Hermione knew he hadn't. He had to be one of the kindest men she knew. He had only joined the ranks to prevent his younger siblings from harm and being pulled into the war. He hadn't even been at Hogwarts for the battle. He'd never even uttered the killing curse, preferring to stun his opponents and tell them to pretend to be dead until they left. He hadn't the heart to kill anyone. Yet, he had been found guilty with no evidence and only circumstance because he was a former death eater that was too close to the scene of the crime.

Hermione couldn't breathe, she even began to hiccup as tears rolled down her cheeks. If she only had a little more time. But now an innocent man was dead and the real killer had gotten away scot free because she had failed.

Draco didn't even say anything to Anna, not that he needed to as he barged through his wife's office door. He sharply took a breath before closing the door softly behind him. "Hermione..."

Hermione felt two arms wrap around her while the smell of sandalwood and vanilla slowly enveloped her.

"It's not your fault love. It's not your fault." Draco murmured as he wrapped his arms around her, practically lifting her into his lap and rocking her as she often did for him.

Hermione couldn't say anything as she threw her arms around his neck in order to bury her head and tears into the crook of his neck. Because of her a man was now dead.

"No, it is not your fault." Draco said strong and loud as he hugged her tightly. He tried to stand up slowly as he picked Hermione up bridal style. "Let's go home, you've already worked too much this week." He said softly kissing the top of her head.

!

Blaise practically jogged down to the Daycare Care center, vying to see his wife rather than send his protronus or an owl.

Like a beacon, his mere presence was detected by his daughter before he even stepped into the door way.

"Dad!" Sabine cried before running up to him. Blaise bent down onto his knee as he held his arms out to capture her just in time.

Sabine couldn't help but let out a small airy giggle as her father rubbed his smooth cheek against hers.

"Hello pretty one, where's your Mum?" Blaise asked.

"Uncle Blaise,"

Blaises looked over to his left. He grinned when he saw it was his goddaughter Lyra Malfoy. "Lyra," He said before holding out his hand.

Lyra grinned before running and taking his hand so that he too could pull her into a hug. "I swear everyday you grow more and more beautiful just like your mum and grandmother." Blaise added causing the small blonde in his arms to blush but smile proudly.

At last he let the two go when Harry came bumbling to them, Willow attached to his hip as she pretended to be his shadow, giggling all the while as Harry pretended to struggle to move with her hugging his hips.

"Hiya Uncle Blaise." Harry grinned as Willow waved and giggled his way.

Blaise by now had stood up so he affectionately ruffled the boy's head, not being able to help but think that he really did look like the replica of his father at that age, but with slightly softer edges, a trait from his mother. He picked up Willow, kissing her forehead before putting her back down, not being able to resist a smile when he heard the littlest one giggle once more.

It seemed that his show with Sabine and the rest were attracting quite the crowd as other kids began to gather and then Seri, the new assistant to Luna as Jenny had moved onto getting her teaching license and a job in an elementary school.

"Hello Mr. Zabini," Seri couldn't help but blush as the handsome wizard who was her boss' husband smiled at her.

"Hello Seri, do you know where my wife is? I have to talk to her."

"She's in the office with one of the little ones that got sick, she's just putting the girl down to rest while waiting for the parent's owl."

"I see. Thank you Seri." Blaise said looking in the direction of Luna's office. "You four go have fun, we can go get ice cream when I get back."

"Yes!" Harry cried as he raised a fist in the air.

Willow merely smiled as Lyra took her from Harry to straighten up her shirt as she had been attached to Harry, causing her clothes to rumple while she was pressed to his hip. Lyra grinned widely at her godfather and her favorite uncle in turn. Sabine nodded before she and Harry left to go to the building blocks.

!

Draco skimmed his hand over the surface of the bathtub before dipping his hand lightly. The temperature was rather perfect if he could say so himself. He was getting rather good at this with practicing for the past six years from the time Lyra was born.

After turning off the tap he stood back up to walk into the bedroom. "Are you feeling any better?" Draco asked softly as he saw Hermione pacing in their room.

Hermione looked up at him, devastation still in her eyes.

Draco pursed his lips, a soft tender expression on his face. "Come here," He said softly.

Hermione did as she was asked, this time with no retort because all she wanted was to drown herself in him. Right now it felt like as if he was the only thing holding her together.

Draco hugged her frame to him once more, wrapping his arms around her waist as he rested his chin on the top of her head. "The bath's ready for you. Relax for a little while. You did so much love. You spent hours and hours over time. You barely ate and slept. Deveroix knew and appreciated it too, no one, and I mean no one else believed in him like you did. And for that, he wouldn't want you to blame yourself. You are one of the most amazing and caring witches out there and he couldn't have asked for anyone better than you to help him." Draco said feeling Hermione tense at Deveroix's name but then slowly relaxed into his arms until she was pliant.

"A bath does sound good," Hermione muttered at last.

Draco grinned as he backed them both into the bathroom.

"Join me?" Hermione softly asked as she played with the button of his shirt.

Draco's grin only grew. He didn't answer but instead let his hands do the talking as he pushed her robes off her shoulders and began to slowly unzip the back of her skirt.

!

"Why?" Willow asked as she licked her white chocolate roasted coconut flavored ice cream.

"Because your Mum's not feeling well and your dad wants to make sure that he can focus on getting her better." Blaise tried to explain in the best way possible without bringing up the topic of death. They were too young and too precious to discuss that with.

Sabine snuggled into his side as she murmured that she hoped that Aunt Mione felt better soon.

Blaise hugged her to him, giving her a brief squeeze before looking over at the three children that while, not his, and only Lyra was his goddaughter, he would lay his life down for them.

Willow was still a bit young so the she hadn't grasped the concept, she just thought it was like when she was sick and her dad would take the day off to read and take care of her while Ivy made her favorite soup.

Harry just nodded as he eyed Sabine's abandoned ice cream, having already devoured his.

Lyra though, her brows furrowed as she bit down on her bottom lip, much like her mother  often did in fact. She was worried as her mother was never sick. She was always the strong one that took care of them when they got sick. Their father was usually the one that got sick, often times because he did spend the whole day with whichever sick child it was that had gotten the latest flu and then end up catching it himself. In which their mother would shake her head and say that he was worse than the kids with his complaints and dramatics.

"As soon as we get back, you can owl your Mum and Dad, Lyra. See how she's doing." Blaise said knowingly.

Lyra looked up, her hazel eyes, that came from the Granger side of the family, shining at the thought. "Can I?"

"Of course." Blaise nodded.

!

Draco laid back on the pillow, grinning much like a fool. Being romantic really did have its perks.

Hermione snuggled up to him as she tugged the silk sheets to cover them both despite the fact that no one else was there but them. She was still in many ways very modest while Draco had no qualms walking around their room in his birthday suit.

"Now do you feel better?" Draco asked as he rolled over to pull her closer to him, not being able to help himself but laugh slightly when she squeaked at the covers slipping to expose more of her than she was comfortable with.

Hermione gave him a brief huff as she scrunched her nose but then laid her head on his extended arm. "Very," She said as she was very much so satiated and satisfied. She currently felt like as if her bones were made of jelly. After all these years, Draco still knew her better than she knew herself sometimes. He'd always known how to hurt her most, like he did in their younger years, but now, he knew how to help her like no other, and make her come back to herself faster than anyone else.

"I'm going to prove that he's innocent Draco, no matter what. If nothing else, his family deserves it." She said looking up at him with determination in her eyes.

"That's my girl." Draco grinned before rolling up and over her till he hovered just above her. "We still have the rest of the night just to ourselves. Blaise and Luna are taking care of the kids for the night."

Hermione's eyes widened as her mouth slightly formed an o. But then she lifted her head to kiss his lips. "So what do you want to do?" She asked.

"Well..." Draco smiled devilishly.

!

After a rather loud but hilarious and joyful dinner, the Zabinis and the Malfoy children all sat around the foyer room.

Sabine and Harry were back to back as they played a game of what am I thinking?

Luna was letting Willow brush her hair as she read the latest issue of the Quibbler. Blaise however was playing Exploding Snap with his goddaughter and losing rather badly as he kept getting distracted by everyone around him.

"I concede!" Blaise cried, raising his hands in mock surrender. "You my little star are much too smart for your age." Blaise grinned as he lifted Lyra up causing her to laugh. "So what do you want as your prize? A new dress? A new signed book?" Blaise asked as he was quite guilty of showering all four of the kids with too many gifts. Luna and Hermione had tried to put a stop to it so now he only did so when the kids did something amazing or beat him in a game. Sometimes the two females thought he lost on purpose just so he had the excuse to spend his inheritance that was made from well, wealthy step fathers that passed away and left him and his mother everything. He said that there was something fulfilling about buying gift for the kids with the money as he felt that it was going somewhere much better than his mother's wardrobe or other frivolous things like that. He could almost see his past step fathers being proud of him for doing so rather than wasting it all on alcohol and women.

Lyra Malfoy though shook her head. "I want to hear Mum and Dad's story from you." She said.

Blaise blinked before laughing. "You mean the one of your parents from our last year at Hogwarts?"

Lyra nodded.

Blaise laughed once more before putting Lyra down. "Well, I don't see anything wrong with that."

At his words Sabine stopped playing the game with Harry, instead standing up causing said boy to fall over backwards as he had been leaning on her. Willow too was all ears.

"Where do you want me to start?" Blaise asked as they all gathered around him and Lyra.

"Potions." Harry said simply as Sabine leaned her head on his shoulder, anticipating the story.

"Ah, yes. Potions." Blaise said before grinning widely. "So..."

Blaise and Theo were already partners for the project so Draco got stuck with another Slytherin who dared not say a word to Draco, in effect causing him to do all the work.

Meanwhile Hermione was as expected paired up with Neville and tutoring all the while trying to complete their potion assignments. For the first month of school, it continued like that until the Professor had finally learned where they all were on skill levels.

"This first month has been a great opportunity for me to assess all of your skill levels and I do say that I am incredibly impressed with many of you." Professor Brundy said smiling congenially at them.

Hermione Granger looked positive elated at this news while Draco looked more bored than ever. Snape would never have said those words even if they put him on Veritiserum.

"However as the year will progress I will start to take this into account and will begin to give you Potion Assignments according to your skill level in order to prepare you for the N.E.W.T.S. properly. Henceforth I have arranged partners for you. Here are the tablets that will tell you who your partner is and will be for the rest of the year along with the assignment for today that the both of you will be starting."

Blaise looked down at his tablet and shrugged when he saw that he was paired with Ravenclaw Terry Boot. He looked over at Theo to see that the boy was cringing as he was paired with a rather smart but slightly too happy Hufflepuff. Draco though was unmoving, he was in fact just staring at his tablet, his eyes unblinking.

"Draco, mate?" Blaise asked but he was given no response. However feeling eyes on him, he turned to where they were coming from and saw that Hermione Granger was looking in their direction, her tablet in her hand and a horrified expression on her face.

It took Blaise a second to comprehend the situation, but the combination of Draco's stoic pose and Granger's expression, it only meant one thing. The two had been paired together. No longer able to hold it in, Blaise couldn't help but laugh. Professor Brundy was either a genius or a lunatic for this decision. But either way, Blaise knew that he was going to have some laughs no matter what.  

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Tried my best to make it a little longer and more focus on Draco and Hermione!

Thank you and hope you all liked it!

Also I am going to try to post a new story on Veterans day called Kissing Frogs

Summary:

Since turning 25, Hermione's friends and family seem to believe that she is sad and lonely, mostly due to some of them already being settled down. Because of this though, they all seem bound and determined to help her with her love life. It has almost become a competion for them to find her the one they think is her perfect other half. Thus Hermione keeps being pushed into one blind date after another. Its a bit like kissing frogs to find her prince. Tedious and overwhelming. The cherry on top however is that Draco Malfoy seems to keep appearing out of no where, especially on her more disasterous dates!

Hope you can stay turned for that as well as the new chapter in this story!

An old face is going to make an appearance and his intials are VK!