http://quietones.org/archive/viewstory.php?

sid=2447 The Fine Print by scifichick774 Summary: Draco agrees to participate in a Ministry program without reading the fine print before signing. Disclaimer: Obviously not mine. Im just playing with the imaginary characters lives for fun and not for profit. Categories: Draco/Hermione Characters: Draco, Hermione Genres: Drama, Romance Warnings: None Challenges: Series: None Chapters: 1 Completed: Yes Word count: 3935 Read: 2072 Published: 04/06/08 Updated: 04/06/08 Chapter 1 by scifichick774 Author's Notes: I've included the follow-up drabble directly at the end of the first chapter, so don't be confused when more words come after the 'end' marker. ~*~*~ He thought it was a joke at first. Provide a sperm sample for the Ministrys Repopulation Program and be pardoned from all charges pending against him. When he realized they were serious, he jumped at the chance to have his name cleared; for true freedom. There was an odd condition he caught that said he agreed not to father any children for a minimum of ten years, but seeing as how his romantic life was abysmal, he hardly thought it was an issue. He didnt know what they intended to do with his seed wasnt really sure he wanted to know until an expos came out in the Daily Prophet a full year later, detailing the Ministrys nefarious plan. Of course, the reporter didnt say it that way. No, the whelp did the governments bidding by glossing up the whole thing to make it sound like a grand idea. Willing participants agreed to spawn (or birth) a child with different bloodlines than their own to increase the odds of adding to the magical community. Pureblood witches would be inseminated with muggle-born wizards sperm and muggle-born witches would receive the samples from pureblood wizards. Everything was anonymous, save for the Ministrys own records, so inbreeding wasnt as likely to occur in the generation they were trying to breed. Draco was outraged. Willing participants indeed. Hed wager that most, if not all, of them had been tricked or coerced into going along with it like he had. Bloody Ministry bastards. Oddly enough, it wasnt the parentage of the future mother of his child that concerned him well, not as much as it would have back when he was in school, at any rate but that he didnt get a say in who it was, or even the information after the fact. 1

http://quietones.org/archive/viewstory.php?sid=2447 Some ignorant muggle-born former Hufflepuff could bear and raise his child (with the help of a healthy government stipend) and he could pass them on the street and never even know the tyke was his. Again, the thought was in contradiction to his younger self, who wouldnt have cared about that in the slightest, but the war taught him more than hed ever thought possible and hed adapted accordingly. To a point anyway. Some prejudices were difficult to completely shake, and some personality traits that were encouraged by his parents when he was younger were probably going to be ingrained in him for life. Like the arrogance that prompted the belief that nay information could be bought with the right name and right amount of money, for one. Draco may not have acknowledged that flaw in particular, but the fact remained that hed spent the last half-hour arguing with Archibald Wembly, a clerk at the Ministry, because of it. I already told you, Mister Malfoy, I cannot release that information. Draco gritted his teeth. Idiot. Then get someone down here who can, he ground out. Sir, I might remind you that you did sign Wembly blathered on, but Draco was no longer paying attention. He was just proud of himself for not openly snarling at the man. Yes, he remembered signing the paperwork the scrawny, incompetent wizard in front of him was rambling on about giving up all rights therein, including visitation and custody, as well as he hadnt bothered to read through all of it though. Bugger. Listen, Draco said, cutting him off, I just want to do the right thing; make sure my kid is financially provided for, has the family name it deserves, and all that. Thats it. Regardless of my reputation, I dont have any sinister motives. Wembly, he thought sourly, looked positively gobsmacked. He supposed his history sort of warranted that reaction, but it was still emotionally hard for him to see. I Oh. Hed driven him to being at a loss for words. Finally. 2

http://quietones.org/archive/viewstory.php?sid=2447 So? Draco verbally nudged. Can you help me? ~*~*~ He might have known. Fate had always conspired against him; he didnt know why hed thought for a second that this time would be any different. Hermione Granger. The bloody bane of his existence. She had all the wrong breeding and still managed to come out smarter and more magically gifted than anyone else in their class at Hogwarts. To make matters worse, she was pretty too; even stunning when she bothered to put some effort into her appearance. A sneer pulled on his upper lip. It just figured that shed be the mother of his child. There hadnt been a full muggle-born in Slytherin in enough years for it not to be an issue, a former Hufflepuff would have been easy to frighten into acquiescing to his demands, and someone whod been in Ravenclaw could have been persuaded by logical reasoning. But a Gryffindor? Let alone the queen of them? Not a chance. So why had he even bothered to search her out? Why spend far too many galleons in bribe money for her address if he didnt think he could convince her to at least let him have visitation rights? He didnt have an answer; just the stubborn spark of optimism that she might somehow, someway, understand where he was coming from. After all, shed been roped into participating in the program as wellmaybe she was just as resentful about it as he was. Malfoy? It was surprise in her tone when she opened the door, he noted, not disdain. What are you doing here? Okay, maybe a little disdain. Despite the warning voice in the back of his head telling him not to, he couldnt help but respond in kind. Theyd bickered far too long for him to simply let the grudge go. The Ministrys Repopulation Program, he answered curtly. Hermione narrowed her eyes suspiciously. What about it? He gave her a long, pointed look and didnt quit until her lips parted in appalled understanding. No. 3

http://quietones.org/archive/viewstory.php?sid=2447 No? Draco questioned. Hmmwell, perhaps not, he considered. She certainly didnt have the figure of a woman whod recently born a child. Maybe Wembly had just taken his money and lied to him to get him to leave. The man truly was an imbecile if that was the case. No one crossed Draco Malfoy and got away with it. No, Hermione replied, folding her arms underneath her breasts. Then again, Draco thought, those were fuller; now that he got a better look. Nice. Giauzar isnt yours. His eyes jumped back up to hers. Giauzar. He had a son. And Granger had even picked a proper wizarding name instead of something plain that could blend in with the muggles like everyone else seemed to be doing for a good many years. Interesting that he and his son were both named after the same star The Ministrys records disagree with you, he replied, an ironic grin twitching on his lips. Those are supposed to be anonymous! They wouldnt even tell me! Because you probably didnt think to bribe the right people. Hermione scowled at him and from that alone, he knew his supposition was correct. Regardless, she started, wiping the smirk that just began fully forming off his lips. You signed paperwork. Good gods, not that again. You have no rights whatsoever. In the eyes of the law, he is not your son. His jaw hurt from clenching it so hard. Why hed thought, maybe A sharp cry interrupted his rebuttal before it began. Disturbingly, the sound of it made his heart skip a couple of beats. He hadnt been prepared for that. Hermione sighed. If youll excuse me, it looks like hes up from his nap early. Draco fidgeted where he stood, darting glances past her into the house. Realistically, he knew he wouldnt catch a glimpse of the babe unless he ventured further in (and an invitation to do so was highly unlikely), butit was his son. 4

http://quietones.org/archive/viewstory.php?sid=2447 Hermione narrowed her eyes again. What? Can I see him? Draco asked excitedly, hopefully. Lending fuel to that hope was the confusion that flickered across Hermiones face. You youre not here to try and hurt him, are you? What? No! Draco said, astonished. How could you think? Hermione raised a challenging eyebrow. Okay, I can see where you might think that given our relationshipbut no. I dont want to hurt him. Or you, he hastily added. Hermione frowned, but nodded, and stepped to the side to allow him into the house. It was a nice house, Draco thought with some surprise. Hed always assumed that she must have come from a lower class family because shed been involved with Weasley and her parents were muggles, but the abode was actually fairly large and wellfurnished, decorated with items undoubtedly from her much-publicized time touring the world with Potter after the war was over. But that was before shed gotten pregnant with Giauzar, of course. At least he hoped so. It wouldnt do for her to have endangered his son before hed even left the womb. He silently followed her up the stairs, furrowing his brow when she led him through strange little gates at both ends. He wondered how the Ministry had managed to snooker her into participating in the program. She was a war hero, well-liked by the public, and, from the rumors hed heard, could have had her pick of suitors. The government couldnt have gone after her without risking their own necks in the process; not unless they had something blackmail worthy on her. He wished he knew what it was so he could use it too. The room they stopped at was dark, but had tiny lights in the ceiling that twinkled like the night sky. He could see but shadows of the mural that was painted on the walls, a scene of a beautifully drawn Arabic fire demon (a fierce sand dragon typically twice the size of a Hungarian Horntail once they reached adulthood) in its natural habitat. But as splendid as the art was, it wasnt what captured his attention. His eyes were fixed solely on the baby boy Hermione now held in her arms, the childs wails subsiding now that it had found comfort in its mothers embrace. Wembly hadnt lied to him. Though Giauzar didnt have his coloring, he had the black hair and fine porcelain skin of Dracos mothers family, as well as possessing Hermiones fey-like facial structure (still apparent under a couple layers of chub) and warm honey-brown eyes. He was striking. Not that hed expected any different. Heswow. 5

http://quietones.org/archive/viewstory.php?sid=2447 Hermione actually graced him with a smile. Him. It was startling and disconcerting, and for some reason, caused a warm feeling to spread throughout him. Hed have to give some thought to that later. He is, isnt he? she asked, clearly rhetorically. I must admit, I was hesitant to give in to the Ministry when they approached me with the idea, but having him is much better than being forced to marry someone I didnt love would have been. Draco blinked. What? The marriage law they were contemplating marrying purebloods off to muggle-borns against both parties will. Completely ludicrous, of course, and I doubt it would have been nearly as successful in obtaining the results they wanted, since the Ministry would have been the ones choosing the unions, and the couples never would have slept together. Uh He took the safe road and simply nodded. He hadnt heard a bit about a proposed marriage law, but he could see where the prospect of such a thing would have forced her hand into agreeing to the Repopulation Program. Hed have to keep his mouth shut on the whole topic. If he lied and told her he was inclined to participate for the same reason, then shed think he was still an unreasonable bigot (double standard, that), and if he told the truth, then shed think he wasnt fit to be any sort of influence on their son. Although, there was a good chance she already thought that. She sighed and it broke through his thoughts. I suppose I can see where youre coming from, she offered reluctantly. The Ministry gave the witches a choice, you know, but I never would have been able to give my Zar up for adoption to another wizarding family; not knowing who would be raising him, or where he would be growing up. Funny; he didnt remember actually stating his position to her. But then, shed always been perceptive sometimes uncomfortably so. So? Im sure we can work something out, she said. Im not willing to give up custody. Hes too young to be shuffled around, and hes still breastfeeding, so it would be almost impossible for you to keep him for any extended period of time. Butif youd like to visit, or arrange visits at a neutral place, then Im willing to work with you on coming up with a regular schedule. He resisted gaping at herbarely. Restraining himself from hugging her was easier, though strangely, not by much. He was even on the verge of completely dismissing his common sense and asking her to just move into the manor to simplify things, but didnt because she interrupted his stream of thought with a grin and a gesture he never thought for a second that shed make. Would you like to hold him? 6

http://quietones.org/archive/viewstory.php?sid=2447 He nodded wordlessly. She showed him how to support the babys head and before he knew it, he was cuddling the tiny little creature in his arms, gushing and cooing in a ridiculously un-Malfoy-like manner. He likes you, Hermione commented. So he did, Draco thought, wagging one of his fingers in front of Giauzar for him to grab with his small hand. Still, he needed to be polite if he wanted to keep things as civil as they currently were, so he asked, You think so? Hermione grinned. Yes. Hes not pitching a fit, is he? Not like when Ron or Ginny tries to hold him; he screams like a banshee then. Draco laughed. Damn straight. His son knew riff-raff from not. Hermione rolled her eyes as if reading his thoughts, but made no further comment. She could have easily goaded him with the fact that her son liked Mrs. Weasley well enough, and was absolutely taken with Charlie; the latter being the one who came up with his name in the first place. She also thought it best not to mention, as of yet, that Harry was Giauzars godfather. What about Potter? Draco asked. Oh, well, she sighed inwardly. Shed tried to be nice. He adores him. Draco frowned grumpily. Oh. Harrys great with kids. Its a shame he and Ginny cant have any of their own. He perked up a little. Yeah? Why not? With her family, youd think it wouldnt be a problem. Youd think, Hermione agreed. But she was hit with the sterility curse during the war and none of the researchers have found a way to reverse it yet. Nor would they ever, Draco mused. Hed heard about the sterility curse from various contacts while hed been in hiding. Not only was it a nasty piece of work that Voldemorts side had come up with about midway through; the source behind it was old magic, dark magic, and there was no way for it to be undone. Sorry, he mumbled. And he was, but not for the reason shed assume. If Potter and his Weaselette had their own brood, then they wouldnt be glomming on to his. He hoped his contacts had been wrong about there not being a way to reverse the curse; he wasnt sure he could stand them hanging around, acting like they were closer to Giauzar than he was. Anyway, Hermione said, changing the topic as poorly as shed ever done, what days and times are best for you? I cant do it in the mornings, since Im down in the lab, but afternoons or evenings are fine so long as its not on a Sunday, of course, because we 7

http://quietones.org/archive/viewstory.php?sid=2447 spend the majority of the day at the Weasleys on Sundays. Draco opened his mouth to speak and then closed it when he thought better of what hed been about to say. He wasnt in a position to alienate her from her surrogate family. Not yet. Instead, he asked, Lab? I converted the basement here into a potions laboratory. That way, I can work from home and spend more time with Zar. Ah. His confusion must have shown, because she gave him a wry smile in return to his silence. You didnt honestly think the annual stipend the Ministry gives me was enough to afford all this, did you? No, he hadnt, which was why hed automatically assumed the money used to buy and care for the house had come from her parents. Upon reflection, he really needed to stop assuming things, since his assumptions were so frequently incorrect. I hadnt really given it a lot of thought, he lied. Ill help, you know. I mean I know what you mean. Hermione reached out to take Giauzar away from him and then rubbed her hand up and down the remarkably quiet babys back. It was only upon this observation that he also noticed that his son had closed his eyes again and had drifted back off to sleep. But its not necessary. Ive got contracts with a couple of apothecary chains. Theyre quite lucrative. Well, shite. Not that he didnt want his son to be well cared for, but that certainly put him into a quandary of what Hermione would want from him. What could she want if not money? Thats the only thing his mother ever asked of his father after all; he couldnt imagine it any other way. And then he stared at her, dumbstruck by the comparison. He and Hermione were not married. Nor dating. Nor anything. A sinking feeling twisted in his gut as he suddenly placed the warm emotion that had filled him earlier. And here hed thought his wholly inappropriate crush on her had dwindled after sixth year. Bother. Draco watched as Hermione placed Giauzar back into the crib and then he followed her out of the room, taking more than one look back at his son as he went. They walked 8

http://quietones.org/archive/viewstory.php?sid=2447 back down the stairs through the strange gate-like contraptions, and Hermione showed him to the front door. I must sayyouve surprised me, Malfoy. And thats not something that happens that often. Draco grinned back at her, but said nothing in response. Giving up his plan plan to the woman it centered around, when it was still in the mental stages of formation would be foolish, and he was not a stupid man. Tomorrow? he asked. Its Friday. I could come aroundtwo? Will he be up by then? He should be. He nodded and bid her goodbye, smirking giddily after she shut the door and he turned to leave. It may take some doing since hed never actually had to woo a girl before (and never even been mildly involved with anyone like Hermione), but Draco was determined to give his son what hed always wanted and never had. Siblings.

~fin~

Based on the future/past drabble meme at my lj, wildkitty27 requested The Fine Print, 5 years later. I would like to caution you that this is why I don't generally do follow ups, because they turn into super fluff, which I normally loathe. This isn't too bad compared to some of the fics I've seen out there - no lovey dovey nonsense, anyway - but it's still fluff. You've been warned. Disclaimer in part one, such as it is.

Whats wrong with him? Nothings wrong with him, sweetheart. Hes perfect, Draco answered and grinned down at the new little bundle in his arms. Theyd been unable to settle on a name as of yet, but he suspected the baby actually being born would make Hermione more willing to compromise. His eyes flicked to his daughter. Just like you. But his face is all red and squishy, she protested and then paused while she made a face. And hes bald. So were you when you were a baby. 9

http://quietones.org/archive/viewstory.php?sid=2447 Was not! Heka, keep your voice down. Youll wake him. The blonde girl ran toward her mothers side. She thought shed been sleeping, but she wasnt about to let an opportunity for some of her mums attention pass her by; not when she knew that shed tell her the truth unlike her daddy, who tended to skillfully evade her questions if he didnt want to answer them, and completely unlike Giauzar, who would lie at the drop of a hat just to tease her. Mummy! she exclaimed, though she heeded her mothers warning and did so in a loud whisper. Daddy said Yes, dear, I heard him. Its because you and your new little baby brother have your daddys colouring, she explained patiently; tiredly. And how unfair was that? All three of her children inherited their primary colouring from Dracos side of the family; Giauzar from the Black line, and Heka andwhatever they were naming this one from the Malfoys. Ugh. It was bad enough that shed let Draco talk her into having another (by playing to her weakness for wont of a child with brown hair) when she remembered how the first two pregnancies exhausted her, but no amount of wheedling on his part could make her have a fourth. This was the last one. Really. The redness will be gone in a few days; in a couple of weeks, his features will start to fill out and he wont look soermsquished, and in another month or two, his hair will start to grow in, just like yours did. Heka wasnt entirely convinced, but she was willing to set aside her doubts in favor of climbing onto the bed to snuggle with her mother. She promptly sulked as she watched her father and older brother look at the baby. There was some small consolation to be found in the fact that Giauzar didnt appear all that impressed either, but the look of pure pride and adoration on her fathers face was almost too much to bear. I thought he was supposed to have brown hair, Giauzar said. Isnt that what you told Mum? Heka grinned in malicious delight as her dads cheeks filled with color. More of a pink than red, but it was still lovely retribution to see him embarrassed when hed been all but ignoring her. Hmm. If Giauzar could get away with teasing their dad, then maybe she could too. Payback was sweetest when hand-delivered. Maybe having a new brother wouldnt be so bad after all.

~end~ 10