What the Future Holds

Draco awoke to birds singing and the sun shining across his face. He threw his arm over his eyes and moaned. He had a splitting headache and his mouth tasted like copper.

Rolling over onto his side, he slowly opened his tired, bloodshot eyes. As the room came into focus, he sat up fast, his eyes darted around the unfamiliar room. "Where the hell am I?" He recognized nothing.

He swung his legs over the side of the messy bed. He noticed that he was naked as a newborn babe. Not a good sign. Glancing across the beige carpet, he saw that his clothes were strewn about, along with a woman's red bra and black fishnet stockings. Definitely not a good sign!

He stood up, clutching the bed post as his pounding head threatened to burst open like a rotten pumpkin. His vision swam and he felt like he was going to blow chunks. "What the shit happened last night?" He made his way over to the closet, holding on to the furniture as he went. Opening it, he gasped. It was full of his clothes... and someone else's...! He pulled out his favorite outfit and stared at himself in the full length mirror on the back of the door. He looked ten years older!

"I look like death warmed over!" His face was paler than usual, with bruise-like marks under his eyes and lips that were dry and cracked. His hair was a mess, sticking up in some places and stuck to his head in other. "Damn! I need to take an hour long shower and scrub my teeth with cleanser!" He bared his perfect white teeth and checked them out in the mirror.

He was half way across the floor, heading for the door he thought must be the bathroom, when a woman's voice called to him from somewhere downstairs. He froze, heart beating rapidly, and listened. It sounded a little familiar. She called his name again and he jumped.

"Draco? I've made you some breakfast. Your favorite. Spinach and mushroom omelet with hot sauce. The twins are already eating and they're asking for their daddy."

Draco could hear her coming up the steps and ran into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. "This is not happening!" he said in a panic. He listened and heard her walk into the bedroom. Quickly, he turned on the taps in the shower and got in. It was too hot and he yelped as the burned his tender skin.

"Draco?" the woman said, tapping on the bathroom door. "Are you all right?"

Draco blurted out the first thing that came to his mind. "Yes, love. I just needed to shower. All that fun last night really wore me out and I need to wake up a bit!"

He heard the woman laugh in a tiny embarrassed way. "You were definitely a stud last night! I'm surprised the kids didn't wake up from all the noise!"

Draco leaned up against the wall of the shower, trying to take in what this very familiar voice was telling him. He was a father... of twins. Him a father! What stupid idiot let him procreate? He never even had the inclination to have kids. He hated them! Always clinging to you with their sticky grubby little hands! This woman! Now either he was married to this person, or living in sin with her. He hoped it was the latter. It would make it easier for him to do a runner.

She rapped on the door again. "I'll pour you coffee for you and set out the Daily Prophet, just as you like it. Oh! And I love you!"

Draco jumped again, almost sliding and killing himself. He grasped the bar just in time. "W... what did you say?" he asked, shocked.

The woman on the other side paused, a little concerned. "Are you sure you're okay? I said I love you."

Draco licked his lips. This woman, whoever she was, loved him. Maybe he could use this to his advantage somehow. "I...I love you too. Honey," he said sweetly. "Now run along, I'll be down in a few."

The woman stayed on the other side of the door, listening for a moment and then left. Draco let out a huge sigh of relief. He had no idea what he was in for once he left the bathroom and went downstairs, but one thing he knew for sure, he was not sticking around to find out. As soon as he was done showering, he was going to climb out the window and make a run for it. He had no idea how he got here and intended to find out just exactly what the bloody hell this was all about.

Stepping out into the steamy bathroom, he toweled off and dressed. After brushing his teeth and shaving, he carefully and silently opened the door. The room was empty. He walked over to the window next to the fireplace and looked out. There was a beautiful rose garden and a gazebo in the back yard. "Lovely," he said. He also noticed a child's playhouse and two tricycles on the lawn. "Not lovely!"

He turned around and looked for his wand. It was there, on the mantle, next to some framed photos. As Draco picked up his wand, his eye fell on one and he did a double take. "I don't believe it!" He picked it up and watched as a bride and a groom smiled and waved from the back yard garden. "I'm married to Granger?" He frowned. "And I seem happy about it!"

He put the photo down and picked up another. It was also taken in the garden. Two curly blond haired cherubs were playing with baby dolls. As he looked on, the one took the doll from the other's hand, making the other one cry. "Cute little monsters!" he said. "Wait! Am I actually smiling?" He shook his head, as if to get a grip.

"Such little angels aren't they?" Granger said from over his shoulder. He hadn't even heard her come in. Draco stiffened as she put her hand on his arm. "They are quite a handful, but I wouldn't trade them for anything!" She kissed him on the cheek. His hand automatically came up and felt the spot where her warm lips and just been.

"Y... you just kissed me!" he said before he could stop himself.

Hermione looked at him funny. "And? I always kiss you. That's what we do." She slipped her arm around his waist and laid her head on his chest. "I love to kiss you... among other things." She caressed the front of his pants.

Draco's head began to pound again, as blood rushed from his brain and accumulated in certain area. He tilted her head up and kissed her, deeply and passionately. "What am I doing? I'm kissing Granger! And I'm liking it!" His brain shouted out for him to stop, but his hormones told him to go for it. "I should stop," he said to himself. But it felt so natural to be holding her, to be kissing her. It was disturbing to say the least.

Suddenly two little girls came bounding into the room, climbed up on the bed and started jumping. "I bet I can jump to the moon!" the one little girl said. "You go right ahead! I hope you get stuck there and never come back!" the other one replied and stuck out her tongue.

Draco looked at them, seeing attributes of both parents. They had his blond hair, although it was sort of curly and frizzy like their mother's. Both had his grey eyes, but their mouths were shaped like Hermione's. Their complexions were smooth, like porcelain and their cheeks were rosy. They were striking and beautiful. For a moment, Draco felt proud of the fact that these gorgeous little girls belonged to him. Then he came to his senses. "They aren't mine! I don't even remember them being born! I don't remember anything!" He watched them a second longer with Hermione. Right then and there, he decided to just go down to breakfast and when the time was right, tell Hermione everything. "I must be going soft!" he said in his mind. The girls jumped off the bed and ran to him.

"Daddy!"