The Weekend

The week went by slowly, and as much as the letters helped to keep Draco's mind at ease, he just wanted it to be 4 o'clock already. It had been a long week, and he was happy that he would be able to finally see his family again. He tried so hard to study throughout the week like he had promised Hermione, but it just seemed that he could not concentrate. Everything reminded him of his family. The books he read reminded him of Hermione; the thoughts then ran to his children and how one day they would be in this position learning all of this. Hopefully, by then, this law will not be in place, and they will get to have 7 years of education that isn't interrupted by war and hate. 

"Hey mate, want to go to supper with Luna and me tonight over at Neville's and Hannah's?" Blaise tried his best to keep Draco preoccupied during the week and make sure that he was actually doing his studies. Hermione would want him actually to pass his NEWTs. I mean, if she wasn't going to be taking them, Draco needed to do well for the both of them. 

"That is nice of you to offer Blaise, but I actually get to go back to the Manor for the weekend, and I am leaving as soon as this class ends."

The class then two boys were currently in was Potions, and in Draco's opinion, he didn't need to be in it at all. He had the highest mark in the class, and he almost always had with Snape as the Professor or not. He was good at potions, and he enjoyed it. But right now, he just wanted to see his wife and kids. 

"Well, maybe when you get back, we can study some. I might need some help with the History of Magic. I can't seem to stay awake long enough to take notes, to study." Blaise laughed at this thought. History of Magic had always been the most boring class, but Draco knew that he didn't need any help at all. Blaise was smart, really smart, actually. He just failed to show it to everyone. 

"Haven't you got to think about your upcoming wedding?" Draco decided not to point out this fact. He had been so busy with everything else he forgot all about the fact that his best friend had to get married too. 

"Well, about that. Luna and I had a ceremony with just Mother and her father. It was all very nice and small, obviously. After we planned the whole thing, she couldn't do it without her mother, and I was fine with just getting it over and done with. Plus, now mother thinks that we just got pregnant really quickly after that, to get the ministry off our backs. No need for her to have a heart attack." Blaise was rambling on some more about how well he and Luna were getting along but having a tough time with picking a name. 

"Have you thought about just letting her choose?" Draco finally butted in to get Blaise to stop talking. That normally was never the case. Blaise hardly ever rambled on about anything. 

"Yes, but I just don't think anything really goes with Zabini."

"Well, I am sure it will be fine," Draco was getting out of his seat as he watched the hand move and signal it was now 4, "Sorry mate, but I have to go," Draco practically was out of the room when Slughorn signaled for him to stop.

"And where do you think you are going, Mr. Malfoy?" 

"Sir, it is 4. Technically, class is over. And my wife has been having a go and taking care of triplets on her own all week. I do not think my absence is required any longer." Draco didn't care about school anymore. He had far more important things to worry about. 

"Draco, my boy, today, as you should have remembered, is double potions; I will let you leave at 6. When everyone else leaves. We have important things to do today, to learn today. Preparing for a big exam takes work." 

Draco looked at Blaise, who slowly nodded that, in fact, they did have double potions, and Draco took his seat angrily. He wasn't going to learn anything because he wasn't going to pay any attention. Those two hours were the longest of the week, and as soon as everyone was dismissed, he went straight to the Headmistress' office and helped himself to the floo powder by the fireplace. 

He marched through the manor straight to the east wing, looking for Hermione. He was still boiling with anger from earlier. 

"Draco!" Draco stopped at the call of his mother's voice but did not greet her as he should have, instead of skipping right to his question.

"Mother, where are my children?"

"Hermione took them to the garden." 

Draco didn't say thank you but instead marched right back out the door and along with the manor until he spotted them. 

"Draco, darling. I missed you," Hermione got up from the bench she was sitting on and went over to her husband, but stopped as she approached him. The darkness she once hated so was back in his eyes. This was not the man that she had grown to love over the past 9 months. 

"Draco Lucius Malfoy, what on earth has gotten into you?" Draco's mother had just rounded the corner, and she didn't look happy either. Hermione was starting to worry; this had all been a dream, and now she was entering into a nightmare. 

At that moment, Hermione watched her husband sink into the ground and start to cry. She had never seen this before, and she was shocked and concerned. What was going on? 

"Draco," Hermione rushed to his side and pulled him in close.

"I can't go back there, Hermione. I tried. I really did. I can't do it. I went home, and Slughorn wouldn't let me leave, and I just got so angry. I am so sorry. I...I'm sorry, mother." 

"Draco, you have to finish school; I am not letting both of us not finish. We can work something else out with McGonagall if we have to, but you can't leave school when you are so close to finishing." 

"Darling, Hermione is right. You need to finish this for you. For your family. For yourself. You are so brilliant, and you deserve to be rewarded."

"Would you like to see your babies, now that you are not so angry?" Hermione motioned to the 3 little cots that were lying in the grass. Each holding one of their precious little children. Scorpius was sleeping, and Hyperion was staring at the moving leaves above his head, but when Draco looked at Ara, it seemed like she was looking right at him. Her eyes cut into his soul like she could see his every want for her, his every fear. 

"They are perfect, just like I remember."

"It has only been 5 days. Did you think you were going to come home and find them walking?" At the moment that Hermione said it, she knew that is what Draco was upset about. He wanted to be this amazing father, and he was missing out on all of this time. She smiled turned into a frown. He thought he was failing. 

"Maybe I can talk McGonagall to let me visit 2 nights a week for the last bit of the term."

Draco looked at his wife, gratefully. They understood one another without having to talk about it. It was like a connection that they couldn't explain. Everything she wanted, Draco knew, and all of Draco's wishes flooded her mind constantly. 

They went back inside after a while, each carrying a baby and fussing over them. Cissy loved being a grandparent more than she thought she was going to. Hyperion snuggled deep into her chest, and she cherished the moment dearly. They sat down in the parlor, and Draco talked about class and how everyone was fairing in their studies. 

"Tuesday Blaise and I had to rush into the potions room and douse everything in water because Luna had been experimenting with one of the potions that we had to do in class. Blaise was not happy, and they had a row about it."

"Is Luna, alright?" Hermione looked worried about her friend, but she knew Luna was careful when it came to potions. After what happened to her mother, who wouldn't be. So this surprised her. 

"She is fine; she had built up this very intense shield around herself. Told us she was taking extra precautions because of the baby and all." 

"Are the two of them alright?"

"Blaise and Luna, yes, they are fine. They were a bot, acting as if nothing had happened the next day." 

"Luna, I am sure was acting as dreamy as ever." Hermione smiled at the thought of her friends and couldn't wait until the summer to have everyone over for parties and to meet everyone's new bundles of joy. "Draco, this summer, do you think we could have a couple of parties here and invite everyone over. You know before everyone has to start with their jobs and everything?"

"Mother?" Draco looked over towards his mother, and she just smiled and nodded. 

"Anything you two want." They were still so young, after all. Depriving the poor children of their last year at school. What was the ministry thinking? Cissy was certainly glad it brought as much joy back into this house again. 

That night after Draco and Hermione put the children to bed, she laid in his arm, and they talked for what seemed forever.

"Draco, can I tell you something?"

"Of course, you can always tell me anything."

"I think during the war I...I..." Hermione couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. 

"It's okay, Hermione, everyone had to do a lot of things they never thought they would. You are not the only one that is suffering from the pain that the war brought. You are not to blame. You had to endure more than anyone should have to. You had to survive. Remember when you said that to me. You had to survive. I had to survive. Everyone did."

Hermione had started to cry. He was right, and she knew it, but she thought about it every day. 

"What are we going to tell our children. What are we going to tell them? We will have to tell them something before they go to school and everyone else already knows. " 

"Is that what you are really worried about?"

"People are changing, but you know, I am sure that there are going to be kids that hate our kids on principle because of what their families have said." 

"Hermione. By then, you are probably going to be the minister. What families are you referring to that is going to mess with our kids? Don't you think they are going to have the biggest friend group? Probably with friends in each house. They will be fiercely defended on all sides. We have 3 children; we know that Neville and Hannah, Blaise and Luna, Ron and Romilda, and Harry and Ginny have to all have at least 2 because of the law. That is 8 children protecting our children. Plus, I have had a feeling that no one is going to want to mess with Ara." 

"She is going to be just like you. I know it. Mine as well paint her room green now." Hermione started to laugh at the thought. 

"She is going to be just like me. I feel it too. Cunning and ambitious."

"I was thinking more sneaky," Hermione laughed some more. 

"That too." 

"Thank you, Draco; I feel a lot better,"

"Goodnight Hermione, I love you,"

"I love you too, Draco Malfoy."