When Your Parents Tell You Bedtime Stories

13

"What could he possibly want with her?" Draco muttered as he continued pacing the nervous Headmaster's office. Nymphdora (Tonks) Achernar sat fidgeting, watching the two Aurors she had trained. Standing, she decided she was just as capable of coming up with a solution as they were.

"What did he from Hermione?" she asked, breaking the tension.

Draco turned immediately on his heel to find the other three heads in the room looking at him. "You expect me to know? I suppose he just wanted to get back at her. He always went on and on about how Granger had this perfect life and she didn't know what it was like to be a Slytherin and live with the pressure and...."

"We get it, Malfoy," Harry said, stopping his ranting. "The stupid git thought Hermione needed to learn a lesson. But what could he possibly want with Persephone? He doesn't want to be a father, we know that."

"How does this explain the disappearance of my son?" Tonks put in, pondering the thought.

"He was probably just at the wrong place at the wrong time, Tonks, that's all," Harry said reasonably.

"At midnight?"

"No one is perfect. Even Potter took midnight strolls under his invisibility cloak," Malfoy said dismissing the fact.

Harry sent daggers at Malfoy for sharing that information in front of the Headmaster, but secretly wondered how Malfoy knew.

"If Hermione were here she'd know what to do," a voice said from behind the party. "Hermione always knew what to do."

"What would she say Blaise would want Persephone for?" Harry asked, grinning broadly at his best friend standing in the doorway.

Draco Malfoy's eyes widened again at a sudden thought that rushed through his head. It was disturbing and revolting, but....

"Bloody hell, Malfoy, what's wrong?" Ron asked, noticing Malfoy's poor state.

"We've got to get to her now," Malfoy replied hoarsely.

*********

"You look just like your mother," Blaise said magically locking the door behind the startled girl. "But I suppose I've told you that before. My old friend Draco did a fine job raising you. Probably best that he raised you anyway."

"Why do you say that?" Persephone asked meekly, swallowing her pride. "And why would you do what you did to my mother?"

"She deserved to be pulled out of her perfect world. Hermione Granger was stuck in a revoltingly disgusting world where everything always worked out. Life simply wasn't like that, and someone had to show that to her."

"Of course her world wasn't perfect!" Persephone said defending her mother. "The most evil man on earth was after her and her best friends! How does that make her life perfect? And you didn't answer my other question," Persephone said proud that she had realized he had craftily tried to get out of it.

"Your one about why it was best Draco Malfoy raised you?" Persephone nodded. Blaise smirked and leaned into the light of a torch in the room, all the lines of age on his face painfully visible. "Because I prefer innocence. And you, love, are full of it."

*********

Mirach, though it pained him to stand, was pacing the small cold room he had woken up in. Blaise Zabini had taken a scared Persephone away minutes ago and he no longer had anyone to converse with but himself. Thoughts raced through his mind as to what her father could possibly had kidnapped her for. It just didn't make sense. Nothing added up.

Mirach turned his thoughts to lighter topics. His mother. She must be worried by now. She was always afraid he'd go off and do something stupid. Well, she must be proud of him now.

Suddenly Mirach stopped in his tracks. He remembered every single story his mother had ever told him. One's of Harry Potter, those of Ron Weasley, and most vividly, the tales of Hermione Granger. He remembered, though he had never known Hermione Granger was raped, that Hermione had 'announced' it to the entire great hall. Everyone remembered the day. Who could forget it?

The odd thing was; Persephone also knew the date she was conceived. They just didn't match up. A week? Mirach didn't know a lot about women and pregnancy, but he knew enough to know it'd be nearly impossible, even as a witch, to know you were pregnant in that amount of time. It didn't make sense.

Mirach thought back, trying to remember parts of his side conversations with Persephone while he had been telling her the stories of her mother. She was premature; three weeks. He knew that. Everyone knew that. But something just wasn't right. Someone from Hermione Granger's past was holding a secret, and Mirach wouldn't rest until he figured out what it was.