AN: Draco and Hermione are around 4 or 5. This note is so you don't get confused. Enjoy.
Draco at in the chair, dwarfed by its size. He looked around nervously at the bright lights and strange instruments on the movable table next to the chair. He didn't understand why his mother had to bring him to this muggle dentist place. His teeth were fine. He brushed and took care of them. But his mother had dragged him here. And on Halloween, of all times. All the assistants were dressed up in goofy costumes.
The door opened and Draco looked up at the lady who walked in. She wore a bright pink shirt and had little swirls and hearts painted on her face. "Hello, Draco. I'm Dr. Granger," she said as she sat on a stool by his chair.
"What are you?" he asked. He meant if she were a pureblood or a Muggle.
But she only smiled. "I'm a Valentine. It's my Halloween costume. Now, I want you to relax. I'M only going to look at your teeth and make sure everything's fine. Okay?" She pushed a lever with her foot and the chair moved. Draco grabbed the chair's arms as he was laid flat. Dr. granger pulled on a mask and a pair of purple gloves. "Open wide," she said.
Draco clamped his mouth shut and put his hands over it, shaking his head. He didn't want this stranger putting her hands into his mouth. "It's alright, Draco. I'm not going to hurt you," Dr. Granger said softly.
The door opened again and a young girl around his age, looked in. her brown hai was bushy and wild, held in check by a pointed black hat. She wore a sparkly black dress with a green sash around the waist and spiders on the shoulders. Dr. Granger turned. "Hello, Hermione. Is something wrong?"
The little girl walked in and said, "Daddy says that he'll take me Trick-or-Treating if you're too busy."
"Actually, I could use your help, Sweetie. Draco, here, is a bit nervous. This is his first time at a dentist's office." Dr. Granger said.
Hermione smiled at Draco and he stared. She looked really friendly to him and she didn't even know him. "Hi. I'm Hermione."
Draco lowered his hands from his mouth. "I'm Draco. What are you?" he asked again.
Hermione smiled down at her clothes before saying, "I'm a witch." Draco smiled. Finally, one of his kind! Hermione turned slowly to show off her dress. "Mum made my costume. Are you going as a wizard? You're wearing robes, so I was just asking."
Draco looked down at his robes. They had been hand maid by the best seamstresses in Diagon Alley, and this girl thought it was a costume.
She clapped her hands together as if a thought had come to her mind, though the noise made Draco jump a bit in his seat. "I know," Hermione said. "Do you want to come Trick-or-Treating with us? It's a lot of fun." Draco was silent a moment, but he nodded at her enthusiasm. "Great. But you have to let mum check your teeth, though. And don't worry. I'll be right here so you don't get scared."
Draco turned red. "Malfoys do not get scared," he said.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Right. That's why you won't let mum look at your teeth. You're scared," she said.
Draco glared. "I'll show you. I'll get through this and then I'll beat you at getting more candy," he said and laid back down. Dr. Granger looked in his mouth, making Draco a bit uncomfortable. Her gloved hands felt weird on his gums, but he would not fidget. He'd get through this to show that Hermione.
A few minutes later, Dr. Granger straightened and said, "All done, Draco. Your teeth are perfect."
Draco shot a smug look at Hermione. "See? Told you."
She smiled. "Good. Now, let's go. We have to get to the good houses before the candy's gone."
Draco followed her out of the room and down the corridor before stopping. "My mother might not let me go," he said. His mother would be angry if he went and mingled with Muggles.
Hermione grabbed his hand. "But you have to come. We're friends now."
He looked at her and then nodded. "Right. Friends."
They continued down the corridor and came to the waiting room. Draco was shocked to find not only his mother, but also his father there. And even more surprising, was that they were talking to a man that Hermione identified by crying out 'Daddy' before hugging him.
Draco's father spotted him. "How did it go?" he asked as if demanding a report of Quidditch figures.
He smiled. "Perfect teeth," he said proudly.
"Are you Draco's parents?" Hermione asked. They looked down at her, but she only smiled at them. "Can Draco go Trick-or-Treating with me? Please? We're friends now."
Draco was waiting for the sharp words that would cut down the girl. Father was never nice toward Muggles. But was surprised when Lucius said, "Why don't we all go? I've wanted to see this holiday first hand."
Hermione smiled and said, "Thank you, Mr. Draco's Dad." She ran over to Draco and hugged him. "Yay! I have a friend to go with me."
Dr. Granger came out and smiled. "Well, we might as well go. Ready?" she asked.
The children ran out into the neighbor, leaving the parents to talk. Draco was slightly worried about leaving the four adults to talk, but Hermione pulled him toward the first house. She handed him a cloth pumpkin bag and said, "All you have to do is ring the door bell. When they answer, just say 'Trick-or-Treat'. Got it?" Draco nodded and Hermione pushed the doorbell.
They waited for a moment before an elderly lady opened the door. "Trick-or-Treat," the little ones said at the same time.
The lady smiled and said, "Well, aren't you two cute. Matching outfits, I see. Is she your girlfriend, young man?" she asked, winking at Draco.
His cheeks turned red. "No. We're friends," he said.
The lady laughed and dropped Bournville Bars into their bags. "Thank you," Hermione said, turning and hurrying down the walk to their parents. Draco followed.
"This feels like begging," he said as they went to the next house.
Hermione rang the doorbell. "It's not begging, Draco. It's called 'Trick-or-Treat' for a reason." The door opened and a man looked down at them. "Trick-or-Treat" they said, but he only sneered.
"Go bother someone else, you snot nosed brats." He slammed the door in their faces.
Draco was dumb founded. How dare this Muggle treat him like this. He, Draco Malfoy. He raised his fist to bang on the door, but Hermione grabbed it. He looked at her confused. She smiled. "The reason it's called 'Trick-or-Treat', is that if they don't give us candy, we trick them. It's not begging. It's basically a threat." She reached into her bag and pulled out a piece of green chalk. As they walked down the porch steps, she ran the chalk along the pillar, marking it. "You do that to anyone who doesn't give you candy, and the big kids come and trick the people living there."
Draco stared in wonder. "You have it all figured out, huh?" he asked.
Hermione smiled proudly. "This neighborhood knows the what to expect. They prepare and the big kids always have payback to those who mess with us little kids."
Draco laughed and followed Hermione through the entire neighborhood, hitting every house. They had only to mark up three other houses. The rest had readily given them sweets and pastries. After hours of running around and collecting their goodies, Hermione and Draco sat on a bench in the park.
"Will I get to see you again?" she asked as they sorted their candies. She was currently counting the number of Galaxy Caramels she had gotten.
Draco shrugged, munching on a Chocolate Button. It was almost better than a Chocolate Frog. "I don't know. My family doesn't usually like me talking to Muggles. But he was talking to your parents as if it were the most natural thing in the world."
Hermione looked up. "What are 'Muggles'? Are they bad?"
Draco looked at her. She was one and he was completely fine with her. Any other one and he would be spiteful to them, just as his father wanted. But was it wise to tell her about the magical world? He wanted a friend, and she wouldn't understand most of what he talked about if she didn't know of his world. And he wanted a friend so bad.
He opened his mouth to begin explaining, but his parents hurried up to them. His mother had a sorrowful look on her face and his father was cold faced. Draco feared they were here to take him away from his new friend and he would never see her again. But, instead, they surprised him once more.
His mother leaned down and pulled Hermione into a hug. The little girl was surprised and sat there. "What's wrong, Mrs. Draco's mom?" she asked.
She pulled back and said, "Hermione, I'm so sorry. Your parents..." She bit her lip and shook her head. "There was an accident."
Hermione paled. "What happened to my mum and dad?" she asked.
Draco's mother stared into her eyes and said, "They...A horse drawn carriage was carrying children around so they could Trick-or-Treat. Something spooked the horses and they-" She sniffed. Draco had never seen his mother so emotional about people she'd just met. "They didn't get out of the way in time."
Hermione looked from Draco's mother to his father, looking as if she wanted them to tell her it was all a joke. That her parents were fine. She jumped off the bench and ran toward the street. Draco followed, his parents not far behind. He saw her stop on the sidewalk, staring at the street. He stopped next to her and gasped at the sight before them.
The constables had shown up and were walling off the scene. Blood covered the ground and two heaps of something sat in the middle of the road. Looking closer, Draco saw paint on one of the faces, and the other was wearing the closes of Mr. Granger. They were really dead.
Hermione gasped and started to move forward. Draco grabbed her hand. She shouldn't see that. He pulled her close and hid her face in his shoulder. She sobbed, her body lurching violently, but Draco held her. He let her cry over his new robes. A shadow fell over them and he looked up to see his father standing there.
"I think we should take you with us, Hermione. You should live with us," he said. The words shocked Draco. What had gotten into his father? He was famous for hating Muggles, and here he was, helping one. Telling her she should live with them.
Hermione didn't answer. She continued to cry into Draco's shoulder. His mother showed up, holding their bags in her hand, and looked like she was on the edge of tears. She placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder. The little girl looked up, tears still streaming down her face. "Let's get your things, okay? You'll live with us. Unless there's someone you can go to?"
Hermione shook her head. They walked to the Granger's house and she packed up her clothes. She walked over to her jewelry box and pulled out a necklace. She explained to Draco that her mother had given it to her after coming back from a conference in the States. It was a Mother of Pearl circle on a red string. She pulled it over her neck and left with her things. Draco took her hand and said, "We'll be your family now. Okay?"
She looked over at him and nodded. He smiled softly. His father and mother took their hands and apparated them back to their manor. Hermione didn't seem to notice. She was in a sort of shock trance and obediently followed Draco up to a guest room. "You can stay here," he said, but he was sure she didn't even hear him.
Hermione set her things down and crawled into the bed. Draco was about to leave, but she said, almost too softly to hear, "Stay with me, Draco? I don't want to be alone."
Draco turned and nodded. He pulled off his robe, showing jeans and a tee shirt; kicked off his shoes, and climbed up into the bed. He wrapped his arms around her small body, like he'd seen couples do in Diagon Alley, and just held her. It didn't take long for them to fall asleep. They'd witnessed too much for kids their age.
AN: The sweets mentioned in this story are candies that are popular in the UK. Don't worry if you've never heard of them. I hadn't until recently. Hope you enjoyed the story. Please tell me what you think.