Tucking Willow into the bottom bunker, Draco took her spring green blanket, her favorite color, which consequently made him smirk because he couldn’t help but think, Slytherin. Covering her with the blanket, he eyed his youngest when her dark lashes fluttered thrice before revealing light brown eyes that peered right at him.  “Story, daddy?” she asked. 

“Willow,” Draco brushed some of her dark wisps of hair out of her face.  “It’s time to sleep.  Sabine’s already sleeping plus tomorrow’s a big day too.”

However the youngest one wasn’t falling for it, so like her mum or maybe him... Draco actually wasn’t sure but the stubborn expression accompanied with the look of disbelief at being belittled, on her features was awfully familiar.  “Willow,” He tried once more. 

Watching her puff out her cheeks, not budging.  Draco blew out his own breath, his eyes not leaving Willow’s, yet like always, he was unable to resist.   At last, Draco sighed and tapped her forehead. “Short, ten minutes maximum.”

Grinning, Willow buried into her pillow and rested her chin on the top of her blanket.  She glanced up at him with an eager expression.  “Afta plosion,” She said with a yawn, still smiling despite herself. 

Draco had been in detentions before. But he was never so aware of himself and everything around him than in those first few detentions solely with Granger.  She was so silent, sometimes that it slightly freaked him out, but then at other times she was utterly present.  Her breaths, the squeaks of her shoes on the floor, or the motions of her rapid cleaning, like as if she were conquering the unjustness of house elf treatment with each swipe, even the soft motions of Granger pulling her hair out. 

By the third detention Draco had gotten over the feeling uncomfortable staring at Granger because quite frankly she never seemed aware of him.  He might as well not have been there as she furiously washed cauldron after cauldron.  On a roll and utterly focused, Granger cleaned like as if she were on a mission, but what he saw was exhaustion. Rings under her eyes so like his… and a lingering sadness he hoped he didn’t share but his snarky conscience assured him that he was no better at hiding his emotions than her.

Watching Granger’s mane of wildly curly hair bounce, he almost missed the click of the door unlocking. Detention was over.  Looking from the newly unlocked door to his detention partner, his silver like irises widened slightly upon finding Hermione Granger’s eyes on him, slightly narrowed. It looked like she wanted to say something but she never did.  Instead she silently put her last cauldron away and stood up.  Brushing her knee length skirt a few small whiffs could be heard from her hand meeting the fabric of her skirt before she was gone. 

Pushing himself away from the ingredient cabinets, Draco sat down, counting to ten so that he could let Granger get a head start.  At ten he got up, brushing his own pants before leaving too. But he couldn’t help but be frustrated.

“Daddy,” Willow stressed, her face scrunching as if to tell him to not dare stop there. 

“Willow,” Draco groaned. 

“Daddy.” Willow matched him, her bottom lip protruding slightly.  Just as she said so, Lyra came in too, holding Colby’s hand.  Looking at the two of them, Lyra blinked twice before a wide grin spread across her face because she came back just in time for a story.  Letting go of Colby’s hand, she practically flew to Willow’s side, climbing in with her younger sister. 

Silently Colby joined them, sitting on the floor near the bunk bed, briefly squeezing Willow’s hand that she reached out for him. 

On cue all three of them turned to look at him expectantly. 

Draco raised his brow but was just met with them returning his gesture.  “Bested by three pubescents,” He muttered. 

Somewhere along the blurry lines, Blaise had somehow become friends with Longbottom, then Granger in turn.   More animated than he ever was in their previous years, Blaise often chatted with the Gryffindors like old friends while at meals.  Currently as the two of them sat by said Gryffindors, Draco having no choice per Blaise’s demand, he was telling them about one of his step father who had been old enough to be his grandfather, nearly deaf and most definitely blind.  Because of all the above, the man used to believe that Blaise was a female since he was such a quiet child and had such soft skin, so at first when Blaise would come home, he would find gifts of dresses, dolls, more of the such, lying on his bed,  In which the two boys often used the dolls as torture subjects, dropping them from heights, throwing them, and focusing their untamed magic at. 

“We were on our way to being the perfect little Death Eaters,”

A silence descended as the truth hung in the air. Draco’s eyes unconsciously darted to Granger’s, waiting to see a spark of hatred like he was used to but there was nothing as her eyes gazed over, yet her hand unconsciously went to her forearm, making Draco flinch because he was reminded of that time too.   Draco wanted to yell at Blaise for his running mouth, having been contained too long, yet just as he was about to get up and leave, before the screams became a part of his living, her screams that haunted his dreams, Granger’s words stopped him in his tracks. 

“But the both of you weren’t…” Hermione Granger said at last, not looking at Draco but he could almost feel the heat of her words on his skin. 

“It’s not right of you to say-” Hannah Abbot began harshly but was gently cut off by Granger.

“Blaise has ever right to say Death Eater, as should we.  By making it taboo, we give it a power over as just as Voldemort’s name once was. And Blaise means no harm Hannah.  If he can joke about such, it means that the tides are shifting for the better.”

The fist Draco hadn’t realized he was clenching, unfurled as he stared at the calm and tranquil Hermione Granger.  Who the bloody hell was that forgiving?

!

Walking with Blaise to class, he was knocked from his confusion over Granger by Blaise literally hitting him over the head. 

“Talk to her, stop staring and talk to her.  Or else you’re going to become ugly from sleep deprivation.”

Draco rubbed his head whilst looking at his best mate with a scowl. 

“Seriously, I’m building the bridge for both of our sakes, cross it and talk to her, it’ll help you sleep and will definitely help your potions grade at that.” Blaise snorted. 

“Blaise,”

“Look this is our chance to be something, something more than we were taught as children! Take it and stop being so damn moody.  Oui Boot, wait up!” Blaise yelled before leaving him standing in the hall. 

!

Draco had been processing Blaise’s words all morning so that when his free period rolled around, he had found himself in the library, Hermione Granger’s domain.  He found himself walking to where he could only assume that Granger was  from their younger years when he’d had a more than healthy obsession with the Golden Trio in order to best them.

Yet when he got there, he didn’t know what to do and found himself pacing the area.  He would dart over but Granger didn’t see him… Getting a little closer Draco couldn’t resist.  A look of surprise and almost laughter graced his features when he realized that Hermione Granger had fallen asleep… the infamous bookworm had fallen asleep in the library with a parchment that had A on it for Acceptable  not the E or the O, he used to scowl at her over. It made him realize that Blaise was right… scary as that was.

Hovering near, Draco couldn’t help but watch her sleep for a few seconds before feeling slightly creepy.  Silently he got closer just so he could silently cap her bottle of ink before it fell off its precarious place.  Tomorrow after he gathered the will, he would approach Granger… their sleep and their grades were both suffering, and at least when it came to grades, the two of them could at least set aside differences. 

!

Willow smiled at last, that was the kind of temporary ending that was acceptable.  “Night Daddy,” She said before yawning extra long then snuggling into her bed. 

“Night angel,” Draco whispered, kissing the top of her head.  “And you too,” He whispered to Lyra before picking her up to lift her over Willow’s sleeping figure and onto the top bunk. 

“Kay,” Lyra just smiled before she too climbed into bed. 

“You too Sabine Zabini!”

“I will Uncle Draco.” Sabine said, a small airy giggle in her voice in which Lyra joined her as Draco just shook his head.

!

“How was Wood, he as cool,” Draco mocked the word, “As you imagined?”

Colby smiled down to the ground.  “Yeah, he was really cool, it looked like quaffles were shining from his eyes when he described the game and praised his teammates to Lyra and I.  He autographed my hat for me too and also told Lyra she had the speed to be a chaser, having witnessed her chasing after James.” He laughed this time, just seeing the image before him. 

Draco groaned.  That Potter boy…

“Well glad you sound like you had a good day, you did right?” Draco asked, peering down at his half brother so that his eyes couldn’t lie to Draco.  Colby softly smiled and nodded.  “Good, now off to bed with you too, tomorrow’s a big day too.”

“I know, night Draco.”

“Night Colby.” Draco said, watching him go into the section where all the boys were, where hopefully his son asleep and not causing trouble.

Turning back around he saw the boy whose son was after his daughter, looking at him by the entrance of the tent.  Looking over at the tent where Draco could only assume his wife was sleeping peacefully, he went over to Harry Potter. 

“Okay, do I have to hex Ron Weasley?” Draco asked immediately. 

“You would have to go through me first,” Harry frowned.  “I’m the Head Auror,” he said in warning. 

“And I’ve taken care of all the brats alone for long periods of time,”

Harry blinked at Draco’s dry tone before chuckling.  “Ah yes, even a task I don’t want to think about attempting.  And no, not yet.  All Ron did was stare at the kids.  You know he’s never seen them in person, he’s seen pictures sure, but tonight was the first time he ever saw them in person.”

“And?”

“He looked crushed, defeated.” Harry admitted.  “I think seeing the kids was the nail on the coffin,”

“Only took him this far? I feel bad for that poor girl,”

“Kenna,” Harry Potter corrected.   

Draco rolled his eyes.  “Well good, just make sure he doesn’t say anything stupid to my wife or children and we won’t be needing your Head Auror skills.  Now you up to a drink of Fire Whiskey cause I bloody am.”

“Yes, fire whiskey sounds pretty great. Let me get George and we can move part of the table outside.”

“And I’ll get the fire whiskey,” Draco said, leaving to get it from the fridge that Ivy had stocked, knowing just where Ivy put his emergency fire whiskey.