Chapter 1
"Hi. My name is Draco. Draco Malfoy. What's yours?"
The shy girl glanced at the boy standing in front of her; she hid her face behind her storybook and replied in such a soft voice that the boy, Draco, had to strain his ears to hear.
"That's a pretty name. Do mind if I sit here with you? All the other kids are mean and stupid."
Again she replied in that soft voice of hers that he may join her on the park bench. Not that she would be able to stop him if she wanted to.
The little boy kept staring at the book the girl was reading; he's never seen this book before in the library.
"What's the story about?"
That was the perfect question to begin a long conversation. The little girl explained that the story is about a beautiful lady named Belle, "She's the prettiest girl in the whole village, her name means Beauty you know, and this nasty guy wants to marry her but she doesn't like him at all." And she went on to tell him about how Belle had stayed behind in a castle to rescue her father and how this monster named Beast fell in love with her…
And so the little boy was told the story of Beauty and the Beast. He was paying such close attention to the little girl he didn't hear his mother call out to him.
"Draco!" The boy jumped and spun around to face his mother.
"Mother, I'm sorry I didn't hear you. I was listening to the story. Mum, this is Hermione. Hermione, this is my mum."
The girl peeked out from behind her book where she hid at the strange lady's appearance.
"Hermione is such a pretty name. It's lovely to meet you dear, are you Draco's new friend?"
The girl looked at Draco, she didn't want to say yes and then have Draco deny it. But the boy was smiling at her and nodded his head furiously, "Yes mum. She's my new best friend!"
The older lady smiled warmly at her son and teased him, "Oh? What of poor Blaise? I thought he was your best friend?" The boy nodded again and Hermione felt her heart plummet. She'd never been someone's best friend before and it looks like it will be a while before that happens.
"But Hermione is my best girl friend." Draco shot a smile at Hermione and she felt a blush creep onto her face.
"Then it's settled. Hermione, would you like to join us for some ice cream?"
The girl turned her startled gaze to the woman but before she could utter a word another older woman joined them.
"Hello there," she said to Mrs Malfoy, "my name is Jane. I'm Hermione's mother."
"Jane, it's such a pleasure to meet you. My name is Narcissa and this young lad is my son, Draco. We just invited your daughter to ice cream. Would you care to join us?"
"Narcissa, we would love to join you and your son, right Hermione?"
Hermione nodded and jumped off the bench. As they walked towards the small ice cream shop at the other side of the park, the two mothers started talking about their respective child. Asking how old they are; "My Draco is seven and how old is Hermione?" "Also seven." The schools they go to; "Where does Draco go to school?" "He's home schooled." "Hermione wants to be home schooled but we thought it better that she be in a public school, try and get the shyness out of her." Soon the topic changed and changed again and they started talking like they were old friends.
Draco and Hermione walked behind their mothers, it was Draco's turn to talk it seemed for he did not spare a moment for Hermione to comment. He told her of how today was the second time he came to this park, how all the kids he met yesterday were mean to him because of how he dressed and he went on to tell her about Blaise, his best guy friend and that Blaise is in Italy right now with his mother and step-father. He told her about the other little girl he met last month, Pansy Parkinson, and how she was so terribly annoying ("Nothing like how you are, all she could talk about were her dolls and what she dressed them in,") and so it went on. By the time they reached the ice cream shop Hermione was grinning widely and laughing at the stories Draco was telling her. Jane was happy to see her daughter interact with someone her own age and was already thinking of inviting the Malfoy's around for dinner the following day. She will do anything to keep the friendship growing between Draco and her darling shy girl.
They went to get seats and Draco refused to sit next to his mother, stating that he is a man now and will sit next to Hermione.
The mothers looked at each other and smiled.
When the children were wholly engrossed with their menus, Jane turned to Narcissa; "Narcissa, would you and your husband consent to joining us for dinner tomorrow night?"
"Thank you Jane, I would love to join you, but I'm afraid I shall have to come alone, my husband is abroad at the moment." They quickly and quietly exchanged times and place for the dinner and enjoyed their ice cream with their children.
"Bye Hermione!"
"Bye Draco. I hope I see you again."
"Of course you will. I'll visit you every day."
Jane and Narcissa exchanged a small hug and well wishes.
As Jane and Hermione walked away Draco turned to his mother and said; "I will marry Hermione one day. She is perfect!" Narcissa smiled amusedly at her son.
"Then you will be a very happy man my son."
Little Draco grinned happily at his mother;
"Mum, how old must I be before I can ask Mione to marry me?"
Laughing delicately behind her hand Narcissa bend on knee and replied; "When you can find the courage to ask her father for her hand then you may ask her."
When they rounded the corner a few meters from the grand house on the hill, Narcissa held tightly onto Draco's hand and apparated them home.
