Topsy began opening her mouth, but Draco raised an eyebrow pointedly and continued, “I'm aware it's not ideal, but Ginny trusts you with James. I can't have her baulk or delay because I sent a house-elf she doesn't know.
“But—”
Draco's expression grew icy. “Topsy, I didn't call you to consult with you. You will go care for James. That is an order. If all goes well, you'll see Granger again within the month. Go on now.”
Topsy stood for a moment as she stared up at Draco, then she blinked and her enormous eyes filled with tears. “And when will Topsy be seeing Master Draco again?”
Draco stared down at her for a moment, and his throat dipped as he pressed his lips into a flat line. “Don't do this, Topsy. This has always been the plan.”
Topsy shook her head and stomped a tiny foot.
“You is not even saying goodbye. You is just sending Topsy away.” An enormous tear slid down Topsy's nose and splashed onto the floor. “Topsy was to stay to the end. You promised.”
Draco looked at her, his eyes flickering for a moment before they turned flint-like and his expression hardened. “It's not an option now. Topsy, you have an order from your master.”
Topsy didn't move. She kept staring up at Draco, and several more tears splashed onto the floor.
Topsy's eyes widened with horror, and she reached towards him. “No! Please. Master Draco—”
She vanished before she'd finished speaking.
Draco stared down at the empty space for a moment before turning away. He sighed and suddenly looked so exhausted Hermione thought he might just fall backwards.
She was at a loss. Topsy's expression of desperate horror felt branded into her eyes.
“You should have let her say goodbye,” she finally said.
Draco nodded dully. “I don't know how to.”
He sighed and rolled his jaw. “You can tell her I'm sorry when you see her again.”
He seemed to regard the matter closed.
Hermione felt a growing sort of hysterical rage. “She helped raise you. If she thought she was going to be with you until the end, you should have at least given her a chance to say goodbye. You can't — you can't just use people like they're tools for getting what you want and force them away if their emotions inconvenience you.”
Draco looked at her sharply, irritation visible in his silver eyes. “My entire life is comprised of emotional fallout.” He looked feral. “Sometimes — I don't have the capacity to handle any more of it.”
Hermione pressed her lips together, but they twisted. “Is that what you're going to do to me too — when it's my turn to go?”
Draco's eyes glinted. “No. Although it would be fitting. We were never much for goodbyes, as I recall.”
She looked down and fidgeted with her hands. “You should have let her say goodbye. A few more minutes wouldn't have hurt. Now she's going to feel—”
“I'm aware of how it feels to lose someone without saying goodbye, Granger!” His knuckles were white and his jaw clenched as he snarled the words.
It was like being kicked in the stomach. She felt herself pale.
Draco's eyes burned as he glared at her with all his bitter rage. Then he blinked, and the emotions vanished behind his occlumency walls.
“Sorry. I'm sorry. Just — tell her I'm sorry,” he said in a clipped voice.
Hermione swallowed bitterly as she nodded. She looked down at her hands, trying to think of something else to talk about.
“I didn't know you were in contact with Ginny,” she finally said.
Draco shrugged and appeared relieved by the change of subject. “Not much. I used to visit on occasion, mainly to ensure she hadn't tried to run off.” He raised an eyebrow. “She tried to cut my throat with a steak knife when I told her the Order had lost.” He gave Hermione a pointed look. “Shockingly enough, it was rather difficult to make her believe I was keeping her locked in a safe house for her protection.”
Hermione's eyes dropped away. She hadn't considered how fraught a situation it would have been for Draco to be the one informing Ginny that the war had been lost and her entire family killed. Or how he would have ever managed to convince her that he was trustworthy.
“Once the Dark Lord restricted me from leaving Britain without permission, we primarily used a scroll with a protean charm for occasional communication. Topsy was with her, helping her care for James until you were assigned to me. Ginny was aware that you'd finally been found, and that the plan was for you to join her. I sent her updates from time to time about your memory loss and what condition you were in, so she'd know what to expect. So… she's — aware that you've become pregnant.”
Draco looked down and straightened the cufflinks on his shirt.
Hermione studied him for a moment. “What?”