Harry Potter 1. Chapter 1

_A/N: All Characters you recognize belong to J.K. Rowling. Only the storyline is a figment of my imagination._

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**Chapter I : 5 Years Later**

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Hermione Granger looked at the clock on her desk, fifteen minutes and she'd be off for the weekend. Since most of her work was done, she planned her weekend as she stared at the pale mint coloured walls of her cabin. For a healer at St. Mungos children ward, Hermione's cabin was quite dull. There were three posters on the wall facing her under which stood 3 broad shelves. The shelves full of children's activity books, patient files, a few handy toys & some of her personal collection of books, which of course included the latest edition of _Hogwarts: A History_. On the cork-board by the wall on her left was her little photographic collage. There were pictures of the trio taken during their years at Hogwarts, her infancy, Harry's seventeenth birthday with the snitch cake, at his marriage with Ginny Weasley, Hermione with a beautiful pale blond girl holding a baby in her arms, her parents after she had found them and restored their memories and finally, the entire Weasley family along with Harry and Hermione. She absentmindedly traced a finger over the image of Mrs Weasley, who was cheerfully waving back at her. It was hard to believe she was gone almost five years. It had been five years since Voldemort was destroyed, five years since their lives had turned upside, five years since Mrs. Weasley, Remus, Tonks, Colin Creevey, Professor Sprout and many others had lost their lives fighting against Voldemort. The day after was the anniversary of the Wizarding War and Ginny had planned on hosting a family dinner at the Burrow. This was one of Ginnys ways to keep her family close knit after the loss of their mother.

The Burrow was never the same after the war. The loss of Mrs. Weasley, the matriarch of the family had been a big blow to her husband and children. In the days that followed the war, a gloom seemed to be cast over the house. Arthur Weasley barely left his room. The Weasley boys, fondly known for their great appetite had seemed to lost it. Although Professor McGonagall, Tonk's mother Andromeda and Neville's Grandmother would occasionally drop by with food for them, the boys would seem hesitant to accept it.

"You are like my own children," McGonagall would say, " I've seen each and every one of you grow up. Molly wouldn't like to see you starving like this." Those words would usually make sure that she had her way and the Weasley family stayed healthy. Harry, Ron & Hermione had asked the Wizarding Media not to pester them, Harry even had to pay a sum to have them left alone.

In the following summer, Harry, Ron, Fred & George joined Auror training with Shacklebolt. Although the joke-shop had been a big success, the twins thought it was their responsibility to help the ministry round-up the remaining Death Eaters. Ginny went back to Hogwarts for her last year with Luna and Hermione began her studies to become a Healer. Being a healer was one of the last things Hermione Granger had imagined herself doing as a child, in fact she might have thought of herself being dead more often, especially while on the run with the boys. But it had come naturally to her, helping others and being selfless was what Hermione Granger was all about.

The clock struck six and Hermione Granger lifted her bag. She walked out of her small cabin and headed directly to the staff children's playroom on the second floor of St. Mungos.

"Healer Granger", acknowledged the trainee when she entered the room, "I'll just get Kate for you."

"Thank You Matilda", Hermione smiled back.

"Hermioneee!", sang the four year old as she ran forward to hug her. Hermione bent down and embraced the little blond girl.

"Kate, Had a good day?", asked Hermione as she took Kate's bag from Matilda.

"Yes, It was so much fun! We did finger painting today. Then Mrs Finnigan came by, she read us stories. Do you know that Mrs. Finningan is going to have a baby, Hermione? I bet its going to be a girl."

"Oh, is it?" Hermione asked her in a childish manner, "I must owl Parvati once we get home, are you ready?"

"Yes! What will you make for dinner? Can we have pasta today? We haven't had pasta since..", the little girl paused to think, finally unable to decide she said, "forever!"

Hermione laughed. "Sure"  
Hermione led Kate through the back entrance of St. Mungos which opened in a muggle warehouse. She took out the keys to her red Mazda MX-5 convertible and seated Kate in the passenger seat, buckled the seat belt and then closed the door.

Meanwhile, somewhere in a cell in Azkaban, a pale, blond young man marked another cross on the wall. Two more months to go and he'd be let free to enjoy the life he truly deserved.

He closed his eyes and reminisced about his childhood, the good memories though. The first time he rode a broom, he was barely four feet above the ground, but he had gone around announcing it to everyone in the house, his parents, his friends and even the house-elves. He remembered the his first time on the Hogwarts Express, his excitement when he was sorted into Slytherin, although it was pretty much expected. Making it into the Quidditch team in second year, which didn't take much persuasion, all he had to is tell his father that Harry Potter had already made it onto the Gryffindor team. The trip to the Capri Island with his mother for vacations. He had learned how to surf during this trip. His mother had taught him. Suddenly he thought about his mother. She would be out of Azkaban the same time as him. Where would they go? Would the wizarding society accept them back? Of course, they belonged to two of the oldest pureblood wizarding families in Britain. He wondered if the pureblood reign had gone down since after the war. Potter must have done something to abolish it. Not that he believed in it anymore, but curiosity just got to the better of him and Draco Malfoy couldn't wait to get out back into the normal world. Away from the darkness of the cells in Azkaban, away from the dementors that guarded the place and mostly away from his father who lay in the cell next to his.

_A/N: Just a Prologue there. Reviews and Criticism will be appreciated._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Wow, so many follows, I wasn't expecting this. Thank you. This really puts on the pressure, doesn't it? Anyways, this chapter is small because I didn't want to introduce Draco as yet. Please feel free to point out errors and criticize. I'm, still learning :)

xx

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**Chapter 2: Daphne Greengrass**

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Dinner at The Burrow would be an emotional disaster, and Hermione knew it as soon as she stepped out of her car outside the house. The Weasleys had renovated the place for the twins wedding and now was big enough to accommodate all members of the Weasley family comfortably. Each sibling had their own room with an attached bathroom, there were 2 living rooms, one for formal guests and the other with a muggle television for entertainment, two guest room which were usually occupied by Hermione or Andromeda. The garden had also been redecorated. There was a big gazebo placed in the center with could seat upto twenty people. Despite the expansion, the decor of the house was still homely and had the 'Molly Weasley' touch to it. Hermione led Kate to the formal living area where Harry, Teddy and all the Weasley men sans Mr Weasley, were seated. With her busy schedules, Hermione barely had time to come to The Burrow, but whenever she did, she felt like Kate and her were a part of the big Weasley family.

"Teddy!" greeted Kate as she rushed up to hug him. Being just over a year apart, Teddy Lupin and Kate were the best of friends.

"You look pretty.", he complimented. His hair changed into the platinum blond shade she had.

"Thank you." she grinned back at him before turning to meet her favourite member of the Weasley family. "Uncle Charlie."

"Hello my drăguţă." Kate blushed at this, It was a special name that Charlie had kept for her. Drăguţă meant beloved in Romanian, but it also sounded like 'dragon' which were Kate's obsession. Every since they had met, Charlie & Kate had bonded over their fascination of wild beasts, Dragons in particular. Dragons had been special to Kate since the only things she'd received from mother were a sapphire ring, which was a family heirloom and a silver chain with a dragon pendant.

After greeting the men, Hermione made her way to the kitchen from where Ron's girlfriend Amber and Percy's wife Audrey exited. "Hermione!", they greeted in unison. Amber was a Ravenclaw from Fred & Georges year and worked as a psychiatric healer in St Mungos. She mostly dealt with reformed death eaters, and that was how Ron had met her. The two seemed to get along quite easily and had completed over two years of their relationship.

"Amber, Audrey...how are you?"

"Oh I'm doing just fine, its been awhile since I've seen you."

"The twins birthday, last month wasn't it?", remarked Amber.

"Oh Yes!", giggled Hermione. Fred & George's party had been a crazy one. That night both their wives had announced their pregnancy, which just added to the list of pregnant Weasley women. Fleur being ahead at seven months, Ginny at four, Fred's wife Katie and George's wife Alicia both having crossed over seven weeks.

"Anyways, if I were you, I wouldn't go in there.", said Amber pointing towards the kitchen.

Once Hermione stepped in, she knew exactly why. If you thought you had seen the worst of Fleur when she was planning her wedding, you are mistaken. Pregnancy made her 'a monster', according to Fred. Fleur, or rather Phlegm was bossing around by the oven, arguing with Ginny. "But zis is ze same, I just added zome cinnamon for better flavor, and change!"

"That is not how mum made it! don't you understand Fleur, This is for mum!", pleaded Ginny.

"Fine zen, 'ave it your way. Do it yourself!", she said marching out of the kitchen muttering something in French.

"Oh Hermione, you're here!", called out Katie calmly. She was busy knitting tiny shoes, the muggle way of course, 'so much for being a witch', snorted Hermione

"As always." Hermione smiled at her and looked at the cake batter in the mould before turning to face Ginny, "I stand by what I've been saying for seven years, I Absolutely Hate Phelgm!". Hermione gave her a weak smile. "Why don't you sit down, I'll manage this."

"Oh thank you Hermione, I wouldn't blame Fleur entirely though, Pregnancy does make a woman crazy. Just last week I made Harry get me chocolate and raspberry ice-cream from Florean Fortescue's at 2 am." Hermione giggled back at her friend. She knew exactly what Ginny meant. When Daphne was pregnant she was addicted to white chocolate dipped strawberries and caramel popcorn. The two of them would sit up all night talking. Oh Daphne, good old Daphne.

Hermione seemed to have zoned out for a moment before getting interrupted by Ginny snapping her fingers in front of her. "Were you even listening?"

"Uhh, yes. I was, I was just thinking about how I had to do the same with Daphne, run around and get her things, you know."

"Oh" Ginny knew this was a part of Hermione's past she was very secretive about. When Ginny was away for her last year at Hogwarts, Hermione had befriended Daphne Greengrass and they had become quite close. This made Ginny jealous at first, but after understanding their circumstances, Ginny too embraced Daphne as a friend.

"Well then, the cake's in. Now we wait." Hermione flashed a small smile.

"Ginny, where's Mr. Weasley?" "Oh, you know him Hermione, must be busy with that muggle contraption you gifted him. Let me go get him" she said walking towards the back door of the kitchen. "Computers, Are they supposed to save your time, or help you waste it?" Hermione laughed at this. After retiring from the Ministry, Arthur Weasley went back to his true love, after Molly of course, Muggle things! He knew how to operate most electronic devices and stayed upto-date with muggle technology.

Five minutes later, she stepped back in with Arthur. "Hello Mr Weasley."

"Oh, Hermione dear, just the person I was looking for. I was wondering if you could help me link some Eminem songs to my MySpace profile, I just can't seem to get it." "Sure!"

"Right then" he nodded and made his way towards the bar where he poured himself a glass of FireWhiskey.

"He was looking at her pictures again, wasn't he?" Hermione asked her friend. "Yes, does it every single year. He misses her a lot, everyone does, but dad misses her the most." Hermione comforted her friend with a hug.

Amber and Audrey had already set the table up for dinner. At dinner, Mr. Weasley raised a toast to his wife giving a little speech about her, like he did in the previous years. Soft sobs and sniffs were heard across the table, which ended in another quiet meal until Percy spoke,

"So Harry, could you come down tomorrow by my department before lunch to pick up the Malfoy files?"

"Sure"

"The Malfoy files?", inquired George.

Harry took a big gulp of his drink before replying, "Narcissa and Draco Malfoy." everyone looked at Harry. "They should be out in another two months"

"What?", spat Fred.

"They're bloody death eaters!", growled Bill but Fleur instantly shoo-ed him reminding him about the children.

"Not technically", Harry corrected them, "Narcissa wasn't one and if she wouldn't have lied, I wouldn't be alive today. I owe her a life debt."

"But-"

"And Draco was our spy all along, he took the mark under Dumbledore's orders."

A silence fell over the table, despite their past with the Malfoys, the Weasleys knew that what Harry had said couldn't be argued with.

"Hermione", Kate asked hesitantly "Is Draco like the dragon?"

Hermione thought for a second before replying, "No, he isn't a dragon, he's...well..our friend." Ron scowled at this.

"Can I meet him then?"

"I'm not so sure. Kate please finish your peas, Teddy is almost done." Looking up at her friends almost clean plate, Kate went back to hers and didn't ask further questions.

After dinner, Kate and Teddy went to play Wizards Chess with Charlie, while the rest of the adults lounged in the living room.

"So Harry, where exactly will the Malfoys go?", asked Fred, "I mean, that horrible place they call home has been seized by the ministry."

Harry leaned back into his chair and gave it a thought, "Well, there's Dromedas, I intend to ask her if she's okay with it, or else, Grimmauld Place."

"Grimmauld Place?", exclaimed Ginny. "Our house, Harry Potter, I am in no situation to have house guests, and with the baby coming..."

"Calm down love, it was just a suggestion. Plus I'm sure you'd want someone around to help you at the later stages."

"Thank you very much, but I have Hermione." Harry could see no point in continuing further, yet he presented his defense..

"But Hermione is busy..she has work, and Katie...Don't you Mione?"

All heads turned towards Hermione who seemed to be lost in a totally different world. "Hermione", Harry called out again.

"Huh, yeah, yeah. He's right.", she said.

Ginny just rolled her eyes. "Anyways, Hermione, we have a project for you too.", stated Ron.

"Me?" She looked from Ron to Harry and back.

"Hermione, I have decided that I want you to take charge of the Malfoys rehabilitation." Hermione glared at Ron for a moment.

"No Way! There is no bloody way I will treat those...ugh. No Ronald, I decline your offer."

"Hermione, its not an offer, its, its a...command." Ron said sheepishly.

"How dare you-"

"Hermione," Harry interjected, "This was my decision and its final."

It was his turn to receive her death glares. "Please, Amber will assist you. You are the only person I can trust with this job"

"But Harry, you know, there's Kate.. There's no way I could do it. Ginny, tell him", she pleaded. Ginny gave her friend an apologetic smile.

"Harry's right, Hermione.", remarked Amber. "I've gone through their medical files, I'm sure we can handle this. They're easier than Mrs Nott and her sons."

Hermione looked at Amber skeptically, "Fine, but I want to see their files first, before I decide." Harry jumped up from his seat and hugged Hermione

"Oh thank you Mione, you don't know how thankful I am."

Later that night as Kate drifted off to sleep, Hermione pondered over how she had gone from being treated as filth by purebloods to becoming a Godmother to the daughter of two such purebloods, one of whom had mistreated her throughout her school life.

_Daphne Greengrass, the older daughter of Lord and Lady Greengrass waited impatiently as her healer, a trainee she went to Hogwarts with was going through her test results._

_"Good day Daphne", greeted the brown haired Gryffindor Princess, "Well, this is good news, but I don't really know how you will take it." Daphne nodded and Hermione took it as a sign to continue._

_"You're pregnant.."_

_Daphne looked at her with her big blue eyes for a minute before finally speaking, "It can't be..I can't be.." her voice trembled as she spoke. Hermione studied the girl. She was probably 19, the same age as Hermione. Her sleek blond hair was tied up in a messy knot, her eyes had deep dark circles, just as Hermiones did. She looked skinnier than the last time Hermione saw her during their sixth year. The ministry had sealed and taken away all their property and assets as Lord Greengrass had been involved in providing safety to some death eaters, who had threatened him to do so and eventually killed them._

_The War had affected all of them, whichever side they were on. They had all walked in as Children into the war and emerged as adults._

_Hermione went over and put her arm around her patient, half heartedly expecting that she would ask Hermione to go away and call her filth or scum, but Daphne didn't do so._

_"I want to give it up." Hermione looked down at her patient._

_"I want to give the baby up." Abortion wasn't a common thing in the wizarding world, in fact very few witches and wizards knew about it._

_"Are you sure?" asked Hermione, "Daphne you know this isn't an easy procedure."_

_"I'm most definitely sure."_

_"Well then, let me see." Hermione took out her wand and examined Daphne. She then turned back to the report and pondered for a while._

_"I'm sorry.", she whispered. "I'm so sorry Daphne, you can't. You're quite weak, and its risky. We might lose you too."_

_Daphne burst into another round of sobs. Hermione didn't know what to do, it was just her second month as a trainee and she had never faced such a patient before. After drinking some water, Daphne straightened up and spoke, "What do I do? My parents and Astoria are dead, I have no family, not much of money and I'm not even married. I can't have a child out of wedlock! I just can't."_

_"I understand Daphne, but right now, you need to be strong and do this. I want you to take care, not for your sake, or mine, but for the little bundle of joy right here", she said placing her hand right above Daphne's stomach._

_"But, I need money...and a house to stay. I can't be at Mungos' forever."_

_"Well, you can work here..I will talk to my seniors, I'm sure we can get something you could do and you can stay with me at my apartment for as long as you'd like."_

_Although hesitant, Daphne Greengrass accepted the offer and due to her fine potion-making skills, all thanks to Professor Snape who gave special preference to his Slytherin students, Daphne started working at St. Mungos along with Hermione. As the months passed they became closer, more like best friends. Hermione, whose only other female friend had been Ginny had formed a similar bond along with Daphne. However, a few things were never discussed between them, like the reason why Hermione would wake up screaming in the middle of the night or who was the father of Daphne's child._

_As the months proceeded, Daphne became weaker and was put to bed-rest by the medi-witches._

_Then one night, after eighteen fatiguing hours of labour, Daphne gave birth to a little girl with pale skin and bluish-silver eyes. "Katherine Amelia Greengrass", she said, handing the girl into Hermione's hands. "Would you like to be her godmother, Hermione?", she asked softly._

_"I'd be honoured Daphne", replied Hermione cradling the baby._

_"There's something else I want to tell you...about her father." Hermione placed the baby back into the bassinet and sat next to her friend, placing her hands over Daphnes._

_"You never asked me who the father is.."_

_"I didn't want to invade your personal privacy. I felt you'd tell me when the time was right."_

_Daphne nodded, "I think it is now..Hermione, I think its time you know, but..." Daphne hesitated for a moment and gathered all her courage before she spoke, "He is a death eater, currently in Azkaban." Hermione's mouth automatically formed an 'o'. "He's imprisoned for there's something else..."_

_"Yes"_

_"Hermione, Her father, he didn't love me, and neither did I to him." Hermione nodded waiting for Daphne to continue. "When the death eaters had taken shelter in our house, he forced me...I didn't want to...", she spoke in between sobs. Hermione held Daphne in her arms and comforted her for a while. "He repeatedly raped my sister and I. This went on until the night my father discovered him with my younger sister Astoria. I was in the kitchens with the house-elves preparing the potion to heal Astoria later. That was when I heard the ruckus. Twister, our house-elf quickly apparated me to Hogsmeade where I took shelter in The HogsHead. The owner, Dumbledore's brother, took me to Professor McGonagall. A few days later, I read about my parents death in the Prophet." Hermione comforted her friend as they lay silently in her bed, until Daphne spoke again._

_"Hermione, I don't think I can go on for too long." Hermione placed her finger on her friends lip, "Don't ever say that again!"_

_Daphne moved her finger and intertwined them between hers. "You know it Hermione, you do.. but there is something I must ask of you."_

_Hermione nodded trying to fight the tears. She was never too good at hiding her emotions, especially when upset. "I want you to care for my daughter as your own. Promise me Hermione, that you will take care of Katherine. Promise me."_

_"I..I..promise.", Hermione spoke between sniffs._

_"Thank you..." The two witches hugged each other and cried to their hearts fill._

_Daphne had passed away in the following month, but she had told Hermione the final details of Katherine's father, his name._

The little girl next to Hermione tugged on to the blanket and brought her back to consciousness. Hermione placed a soft kiss on her forehead and turned to sleep on her side of the bed now diverting her mind to her new patients, The Malfoys.


End file.

Harry Potter, Friendship, Romance