A/N: Holy crap, you guys. We go into tech a week from tomorrow... How did that happen? Anywho, I've wanted to do a reunion story for a while but I couldn't ever get it out on paper... until now. I hope you guys like it!
Tallyho!
Hermione took a deep breath as she admired her appearance in the mirror. She was wearing a floor length high collar deep blue dress that had fabric gathering at her hip with silver jewelry that matched the clutch bag she was using and her hair was pulled back into a sleek updo. As she applied one last bit of lipstick, she nodded, approving of her appearance. Tonight was the ten year reunion at Hogwarts and she was terrified. She hadn't seen any of her old friends from Hogwarts since she graduated.
There had been a huge falling out between her and Ron during their last few months of school, completely destroying their relationship and friendship. She had caught him kissing another girl and from there it just fell apart. They both had said things that cut too deep and there was no going back from that. They avoided each other as best they could for the rest of the year and after graduation, Hermione had left for Australia to stay with her parents and got a job as the Charms professor at Kellertons, the equivalent to Hogwarts in Australia, a year later. She had happily stayed there ever since.
As for Harry and Ginny, she kept in touch with them for a while but stopped within the first couple of years as Hermione got on with her life and Harry and Ginny got on with theirs. She sent them a gift for their wedding with a letter apologizing that she couldn't make it but that she was going through some personal things at the time and couldn't get away, which was true. She had been eight months pregnant at the time and traveling in her condition would have been incredibly dangerous. She also didn't want to start a fight with her old friends when they found out her choice of husband.
A few months into her training at Kellertons, she was surprised to find that the other trainee she had heard was coming in was none other than Draco Malfoy; he had been training to be the Potions professor. Initially, both had just tried to avoid each other but that soon proved to be fruitless as they were in the same training program together and were always near each other. Eventually, they put aside their differences and began to get to know each other. Quickly, they developed a close friendship that led them to depend on and trust each other.
They had begun to divulge secrets to each other that no one else had ever known. Hermione told him about how she never really truly loved Ron and was glad that he had cheated on her because otherwise, she would have ended up in a loveless marriage. He told her about his failed attempt at a relationship with Astoria Greengrass and how he's always wanted to be a professor and teach potions, just like his mentor Professor Snape.
Their relationship only changed when Draco divulged to her what had happened to his parents and why he had moved to Australia. Lucius had contracted some sort of rare disease that was still being studied and was fading fast. The Healers did everything they could to save him but it wasn't enough. Less than four months after contracting the disease, Lucius died. Draco had been upset but Narcissa had been devastated. After everything they had been through during the war, she finally thought her family was safe only to have her husband taken away from her four months later by a disease. She mourned for months and eventually passed away from a broken heart six months later. Unable to deal with the heartbreak of losing both parents in a matter of months, Draco set his sights on starting his life over. He packed up what he wanted, shut down his father's accounts and business holdings, sold the Manor and moved to Australia to get a job as a Potions professor at Kellertons.
The night he told Hermione that story, he had broken down into tears in her arms. She comforted him all night and held on to him as he let go of all the pain and hurt he had been holding in his heart since Lucius' passing. When he woke up in her arms the next morning, he nearly broke down into tears again as he realized that she had stayed with him all night. He never had any friends who had done that for him before and finding that in Hermione made his heart swell with happiness and something else he couldn't place.
Six months later, he would find that emotion he couldn't place was love. He had fallen madly in love with her and she had fallen for him as well. They started dating and within a year and a half, got married in a small ceremony with Hermione's father officiating. David and Angela Granger loved Draco and treated him like their own son, filling the hole Draco had in his heart after his own parents had died.
Not many people back in Britain knew about their marriage except two of Draco's very good friends from school, Blaise and Pansy Zabini. The couple had run into Draco and Hermione while on holiday in Australia and were very accepting of their relationship when Draco explained how he and Hermione got together. Hermione had grown very close with the couple and even named them the godparents of their daughter Amelia when she had been born.
When Blaise got a promotion to the Deputy Head of International Affairs at the Ministry and found that they would have to move to Australia, he and Pansy happily packed up and moved a couple houses down the street from Draco and Hermione, allowing the four friends to see each other more often. Their son, Andrew, had been born six months later and he and Mia (Amelia's nickname) were inseparable as they were only a few months apart in age and were growing up together.
Speaking of her daughter, Hermione was pulled out of her thoughts when she saw a flash of red out of the corner of her eye. She looked in the reflection and saw her three-year-old daughter peeking into her room, watching her mother. Hermione smiled, turned around, and crouched down to her daughter's level. "Hello my love," she said.
Mia smiled and walked into the bedroom towards her mother. "You look beautiful, my love," she smiled as she saw her daughter in her outfit for the night. She was wearing a short sleeved red dress that fanned out at her waist and had a red sash separating the torso from the skirt. She had little black flats on and her curly brown hair was pulled back into a high ponytail with a matching ribbon tied around it. Mia grinned at her mother. "You're pretty too, mama."
Hermione kissed her daughter's forehead. "Thank you, sweetie. Is your Aunt Pansy here yet?"
"I'm right here," Pansy replied, coming into the bedroom with her son following close behind. Pansy was wearing a floor length turquoise gown with lace capped sleeves and a beaded belt that went across her waist and her hair fell over her shoulders in soft curls. Little Andrew was dressed very smartly in a little suit with a tie that matched Mia's dress. Hermione smiled at her best friend and godson. "You look very smart, tonight, Andrew."
He blushed. "Thanks, Auntie 'Mione."
"And Pans, you look gorgeous."
Pansy smiled. "You look pretty spectacular, yourself, hon."
Hermione smiled. She looked down when she felt a small tug on her dress and found her daughter looking up at her. "Mama, is Daddy coming with us tonight?" Hermione smiled and nodded. "Yes, but he and Uncle Blaise are going to be late as they have something to take care of before they can join us." Mia nodded, satisfied with her mother's answer. In truth, Draco was visiting his parent's graves as it was the first time he had been to the cemetery where they were buried since he had left for Australia nine years ago. Blaise had gone with him to make sure that his best friend would be okay.
Pansy smiled at the two children. "Why don't you two go downstairs and wait for us? We'll be right there." The kids nodded and bounced down the stairs, chatting happily. As the kids left, Hermione tried to busy herself with fussing with her appearance, while avoiding the butterflies that were wreaking havoc in her stomach. Pansy walked up to her best friend and grabbed her hands and held them to keep Hermione from tearing out her hair. "Are you okay?"
Hermione shook her head. She hadn't been back to Britain since she had left and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't nervous about seeing her old friends and classmates tonight after being gone for so long. So much had changed since the last time she had seen them; she had a career she loved, she was married to her soulmate, and had a daughter that she adored. She also had an amazing pair of best friends who welcomed her into their lives with open arms. Walking back into the Hogwarts to face her old friends just screamed bad idea but when McGonagall had practically begged Hermione to come, confiding that she was only really looking forward to the reunion so she could see her former favorite student, she couldn't find it in her heart to tell her former favorite professor no. So the two families had packed up for a short holiday and returned to Britain for a week, staying in one of Blaise's properties in the heart of London, arriving a few days before the reunion, allowing themselves some time to adjust to the time change.
"I'm nervous, Pans," Hermione confessed. "I haven't spoken to Harry and Ginny in years and I haven't seen Ron since I left. How can I just waltz in and pretend that everything is okay? Like nothing's changed when, in truth, everything's changed. For heaven's sake, they'll think I'm a traitor for marrying Draco, because in their minds, he's still the enemy."
Pansy's eyes softened in understanding. Draco had been cleared of all charges after the war but hadn't had the opportunity to redeem himself before his parent's deaths and only did so after he had left the country. In Australia, Draco was a well respected Potions professor at Kellertons who loved his students almost as much as he loved his family; in Britain, he was the son of a Death Eater. Nothing more. Hermione knew Draco was nervous about returning to Britain, especially with his daughter in tow. He didn't like the idea of his little girl getting involved in the drama that him returning to his home town would create. They both just hoped that everyone had grown up enough to control their tempers.
"I don't care what they think," Hermione said, confidently. "I know who my husband is and I love him for everything he is, flaws and all. What I'm worried about is Mia. I don't want old rivalries to spark up when we get there and my daughter to get caught in the crossfire. She doesn't deserve that."
Pansy shook her head. "No, she doesn't, but Blaise and I have already discussed that. If things get heated, we'll get her out of there and if we have to, we'll take the kids back here while you can find a way to keep your old friends calm without having to do damage control."
Hermione gave her a weak smile and pulled her best friend into a hug. "You're the best," she said.
"I know," Pansy joked. Pulling back, she adjusted Hermione's gown a little before smiling. "Shall we?"
Hermione took a deep breath and nodded as she followed her best friend downstairs where they found the kids chatting animatedly in the living room. Pansy and Hermione grabbed their respective children's hands and jumped into the fireplace as they flooed to Hogsmeade.
Hogwarts was overflowing with former classmates and professors. Andrew held onto his mother's hand while they walked through the Great Hall but Hermione had picked Mia up and was carrying her as she could sense her daughter was a bit overwhelmed with the size of the room they were in. Kellertons was around the same size as Hogwarts but Mia had practically grown up around the castle so she was used to big buildings but since Hogwarts was unfamiliar territory, she was a bit nervous. While in her mother's arms, however, she was more at ease.
Pansy and Hermione found their table quickly and settled the kids before taking a seat themselves. They chatted quietly to themselves before something, or should she say someone, caught Pansy's eye. "Mother Gryffindor, 3 'o'clock," she said.
Hermione turned in the direction Pansy was looking and saw Professor McGonagall walking towards her. Smiling warmly, Hermione stood and embraced her former Head of House. "Professor McGonagall, it's good to see you," Hermione said.
McGonagall smiled. "It's good to see you too, dear."
Hermione offered the older witch a seat which she took happily. "You remember Pansy Zabini, Professor," she said.
McGonagall smiled at Pansy. One of the few people Hermione had kept in touch with after school was McGonagall. She kept her mentor updated on everything: her job at Kellertons, her marriage to Draco, the birth of her daughter, and, of course, her close friendship with the Zabinis. So it was no surprise to the older witch to see the two women sitting together and chatting happily. "Of course, how are you?"
"I'm well, thank you," Pansy smiled. "You're looking well yourself, Professor."
Hermione had to resist rolling her eyes. Just like Draco and Blaise, Pansy was a charmer. With just a few words, she could flatter you and make you feel incredibly special. She never used her talent maliciously, however; Hermione made sure of that. Instead, Pansy would use it for business deals and meetings, just to ensure that things would go the way she wanted them to.
McGonagall didn't seem to be too phased by Pansy's efforts, however, and just smirked at the younger witch. "I am, thank you." She looked in between the two women and smiled as she saw the two children. "These must be your children."
Hermione grinned. "Yes, this is my daughter Mia and this is Pansy's son Andrew. Kids, this is a former professor of ours, Professor McGonagall. Can you say hi?"
Andrew beamed and stuck his hand out to the professor and introduced himself. McGonagall chuckled and shook his hand then looked to Mia, who was attempting to hide behind her mother's arm. Hermione looked down to her daughter. "Mia, can you say hi?"
Mia peeked out from behind her mother and whispered hi before hiding her face again. Hermione chuckled and apologized to McGonagall. "She's very shy around strangers."
McGonagall shook her head. "Not to worry, dear, I understand. She looks just like you."
Hermione beamed. "Thank you. She has Draco's eyes, though."
"Speaking of your husband, I don't see him. And I don't see yours either, Pansy. Will they be coming this evening?"
Pansy nodded. "They had a few errands to run but they'll be here later."
"Excellent. Well, I must go check on everyone else but I hope to catch up with you a bit more before the end of the night, Hermione. You as well, Pansy. I'd love to know how you two are doing in Australia."
Hermione smiled. "I'd like that."
McGonagall gave them one last smile before wandering off in the general direction of the kitchens. Hermione heard a snicker beside her and looked to see Pansy smirking at her. "What?" she asked.
Pansy shook her head. "It's been ten years since graduation and you're still a teacher's pet, despite the fact that you are a teacher!"
Hermione wanted to argue but knew it was pointless when Pansy was right. Instead, she laughed and agreed with her best friend. "Hey, old habits die hard, right?"
Pansy chuckled and nodded but her smile fell as she looked to the entrance of the Great Hall. "What?" Hermione asked, following her gaze. She tensed as she saw what her best friend was looking at: walking into the Great Hall was Harry, Ginny, Ron, and… "Is that Lavender Brown?" Hermione asked.
"Oh my God," Pansy said as she stifled a laugh. The witch in question was practically falling all over Ron and wearing a dress that showed off far more cleavage than was necessary. Clearly, not everything got better for everyone after school. Some people seemed to have stayed the same; and Lavender Brown was sadly one of them. "I can't believe he married her!"
"Pansy!" Hermione scolded.
"What? Oh, come on! You can't tell me that it's not funny that he married her."
Hermione rolled her eyes but couldn't help the smirk that was forming. "Okay, it is pretty hilarious." The two women broke out into a fit of giggles at the sight. Unfortunately, their laughter caught the attention of the whole group and immediately Hermione's demeanor changed. She saw recognition in the group's eyes and she tensed as she saw Harry walking towards her. The rest of the group hesitated before Ginny followed her husband and Ron and Lavender walked off to their table. She looked to Pansy for help. "What do I do?"
"Breathe," Pansy said, squeezing her hand. "Everything will be okay."
Hermione nodded and took a deep breath before standing and walking over to Harry and Ginny to meet them halfway, leaving her daughter with Pansy and Andrew. She smiled as she greeted her old friends. "Harry! Ginny! It's so good to see you!" she said, embracing the couple.
"It's good to see you too, Hermione," Ginny smiled.
They stood awkwardly for a moment before Harry spoke. "So how have you been? Last we heard, you were a professor over at Kellertons in Sydney?"
Hermione nodded. "Yes, I'm the Charms professor there."
Ginny smiled. "Are you enjoying it?"
Hermione grinned. "Yes; it's such a rewarding job. I love my students, they're always so eager to learn and they're all incredibly smart. I had one student learn Aguamenti within three tries of practicing the spell." Harry and Ginny nodded as they listened. "I won't lie, though, the best part is that my husband is a professor as well so I get to work with him all the time."
"You married a professor?" Ron scoffed as he approached the trio; Lavender was off chatting with the Patil twins by the punch table.
"Hello Ron," Hermione said. "Yes, I married the Potions professor at Kellertons."
"Potions, really? I never pegged you for a potions kind of girl," Ginny said.
Hermione chuckled and nodded. "Well, I am. We've actually managed to find a way to combine the classes so we can teach the kids the importance of mixing potions and charms and when that combination comes in handy. It's become one of the most popular classes in school."
"That's great!" Harry beamed.
They stood and talked for a while longer as they caught up with each other. They tried to get her to divulge more information on who her husband was and why she had been sitting with Pansy Parkinson but she just brushed it off and said that it'd be easier to explain once her husband arrived. Ron stayed with the group but said nothing; instead he just watched his ex interact with his sister and best friend as if no time had passed. Hermione noticed the tension coming from the redhead but ignored it. Just as Harry was asking if they could grab lunch before she left for Australia again, Ginny interrupted the conversation. "Is this your daughter?"
Just then, Hermione felt a small hand grab onto hers and she smiled as she looked down to see Mia looking up at her with her big grey eyes. "Yes, this is my little girl Mia. Sweetheart, these are some old friends of mine; can you say hi?"
Mia hid a little bit behind Hermione before saying hello quietly. Hermione chuckled at her daughter. "She's incredibly shy."
"She's adorable," Ginny cooed.
Hermione noticed Harry and Ron looking at her daughter curiously. Mia peeked out from behind Hermione and Harry and Ron's eyes widened as they recognized the piercing grey eyes that only one other person they knew had. "No," Ron said quietly.
Hermione braced herself for a confrontation but before she could say anything, Mia suddenly flew out from behind Hermione and took off towards the entrance of the Great Hall. "Mia!" Hermione called but relaxed when she saw who Mia was running to.
"Daddy!" she exclaimed, running to Draco as he and Blaise walked into the Great Hall.
Draco crouched and caught his daughter right as she jumped into his embrace. "Hey, monkey!" he smiled. Hermione glanced at Pansy who was watching the group wearily before looking back to her old friends. "Will you excuse me for a moment?" she asked, fully aware of the surprised looks on Harry and Ginny's faces and ignoring Ron's fuming expression.
She walked over to Draco and Blaise and smiled at them before hugging the latter. "About time you two showed up; I was starting to think you two ditched us to go bowling or something." Bowling was the two couple's favorite past time, with and without the kids.
Blaise laughed. "Believe me, we considered it but we knew you two would kill us if we did."
"Damn right, we would have," Pansy said as she walked up to the group. Andrew ran into his father's arms and Blaise picked him up and kissed his forehead before pecking his wife on the lips. "What have we missed?"
"McGonagall wants to see you two and catch up and Hermione's just been catching up with her old Gryffindors but I think they're broken." The group turned around to find Harry and Ginny watching them with raised eyebrows while Ron seemed to be getting angrier by the second.
"By the look of it, things are about to get interesting," Blaise said. He gave a quick glance to Pansy and she nodded. "I think we should go catch up with McGonagall, don't you think?" he said.
Pansy nodded and took Mia out of Draco's hands. "Come on, pretty, you can come with me and play with Andrew while we talk with McGonagall."
Mia smiled and nodded before reaching out for her mother. Hermione held her daughter's hand and kissed it lightly. "You behave for Aunt Pansy and Uncle Blaise, okay? We'll be with you guys shortly."
"Okay, mama." Draco kissed his daughter's forehead before Pansy and Blaise wandered over to McGonagall, the two kids in tow. Hermione looked to her husband. "Are you okay?"
"Hm? Yeah, I'm fine," he said, obviously distracted.
She didn't get an opportunity to pursue her questioning because Harry, Ginny, and Ron all walked over to them. Ron was still fuming when they approached. "So, this is the Potions professor husband. Malfoy? Really?"
Hermione could feel herself getting angry but willed herself to control her temper. "Yes, really. Draco's quite talented in the subject and all of his students have passed with flying colors."
"He's only talented in the subject because of his Death Eater connections," Ron muttered but when Hermione's eyes flashed, he knew she heard him. Hermione stepped forward but Draco stopped her by putting his arm around her waist, immediately causing her to relax. She took a deep breath before speaking. "Draco's always been talented in potions, Ron. If you'll remember, we were always fighting for the top spot in that class. His past has nothing to do with his craft."
Her eyes flashed a warning to Ron and he flinched slightly under her glare. Draco smirked and looked back to the Potters. "So how's the Quidditch business?" Draco had done some research on their old classmates before the reunion and found that Harry and Ron opened up a Quidditch shop and it was one of the most popular stores in Diagon Alley. Harry seemed to be surprised about Draco's knowledge but said nothing about it. "It's good. We just got the lease to expand to another store in Hogsmeade. We're hoping to open up in mid-March."
Draco smiled. "That's great. Maybe we'll stop by during the opening."
"Death Eaters aren't welcome," Ron spat. "Neither are their whores or their spawn."
Ginny and Harry glared at Ron as Hermione grabbed Draco's arm to keep him from pulling out his wand. Hermione's grip was the only thing that kept Draco from pummeling Ron into the ground but it didn't stop him from threatening the redhead. "Listen, Weasel; I don't care what you think about me. I don't care whether or not you think I've changed or what other stupid grudges you have against me. You can think what you want, if it helps you sleep at night. But don't you dare insult my wife and daughter. Hermione forgave me a long time ago and I'm still working on making up for everything I did. She should have slammed the door in my face but she didn't, and I thank the gods everyday that she gave me a second chance. As for my daughter, I have done everything in my power to be the best father I can be to her. I would do anything for her, and I mean anything. And believe me, you don't want to know just how far I'd go. So before you open your mouth again, I suggest you think about what you're going to say next because it could determine whether or not you're going to leave here with a broken nose. Or worse."
Ron was fuming but did the smart thing and backed down. With one final glare at Draco and Hermione, the redhead stormed off towards his wife. Hermione, meanwhile, squeezed Draco's hand and pecked him on the cheek. "Thank you for that."
He looked down at her and smiled before kissing her forehead. "I love you," he whispered against her skin.
"I love you too," she replied quietly.
The couple looked back to the Potters who were quietly talking amongst themselves. Hermione cleared her throat and the two of them looked at her. "Sorry about that," she began.
Ginny shook her head. "You have nothing to be sorry for. If anything, we're the ones who should be apologizing. Ron's a git. I thought he grew out of his old school prejudices but I guess not. I'm sorry he said that about you two and your daughter."
Draco shook his head. "You two have nothing to apologize for either. Weasley's the one who needs to apologize but I think we all know he's too proud to do that."
The four chuckled. Harry looked at Hermione and gave her a small smile. "I know we haven't spoken in a while but we miss you, Hermione. We were hoping that you'd be here tonight so that we could hopefully catch up and try to be friends again."
"And unlike my brother, we know when it's time to forgive and forget," Ginny said, extending her hand out to Draco. "I say we let bygones be bygones and start over. And in addition to this offer of friendship, Malfoy, from this moment on, I will stop calling you Ferret Boy."
Draco laughed. "That's fair. In return, I suppose I can stop calling you Weaslette."
She smirked. "Considering I'm a Potter now, you'd kind of have to."
Draco thought for a moment. "Potterete?"
Ginny lightly punched him and Harry and Hermione laughed. "I wouldn't push your luck with her, Malfoy," Harry said. "Her hormones tend to make her more violent than usual."
Hermione paused for a moment before looking to Ginny. "Hormones; wait are you pregnant?"
Ginny smiled and nodded then laughed as Hermione pulled her into a tight hug congratulating her. Draco smiled and congratulated the couple as well. "Is this your first?" Hermione asked when she pulled out of the embrace.
Ginny shook her head. "Our second. We have a little boy named James; he's about a year old now."
"How far are you?" Hermione asked.
"Six weeks," Ginny replied.
Hermione smiled and was about to reply before she heard the excited voice of her daughter calling her. She turned around just in time to catch Mia who seemed to have a newfound love for jumping into her parent's arms. "Mama, look what Unca Blaise taught me!" Mia held a Knut out in her hand, then made it disappear and found it by pulling it out from behind Hermione's ear. Draco and Hermione grinned at their daughter and applauded her talent. Mia was then passed to her father where she repeated the same trick over and over again, delighted that her father seemed to be fascinated by Mia's disappearing act.
Meanwhile, Blaise and Pansy greeted Harry and Ginny warmly, picking up that things between them and Hermione were fine. Little Andrew was introduced to the couple as well before they all sat at a table together. Harry and Ginny were supposed to sit with Ron and Lavender but considering they were too busy catching up with Hermione, they decided to sit at her table instead. Draco and Blaise couldn't help the smirks that grew on their faces at Ron's angry expression but he said nothing and instead turned his attention to stabbing the chicken on his plate.
Draco smiled and kissed Hermione's temple as she, Pansy, and Ginny talked about Australia. He knew it had been hard for her to leave her life behind in London so for her to reconnect with her friends was huge and he could see by the light in her eyes that she was happy. And as long as she was happy, he was happy. Sensing what he was thinking, Hermione smiled at her husband and gave him a soft kiss which he returned, happily. Their moment was broken, however, by Pansy gagging. "Ugh, get a room!"
They laughed and Draco shook his head. "You two have no right to comment; remember Christmas the year the kids were born?"
Pansy blushed and buried her face in her napkin while Blaise busted out laughing. Harry and Ginny raised an eyebrow but Hermione shook her head. "Trust me on this, you don't want to know." They shook their heads and chuckled but were quickly distracted when Professor McGonagall joined them. The table was filled with chatter and laughter during dinner and afterwards was a little bit of dancing. Hermione was smiling as she watched her husband dance in small circles with their daughter when she felt someone sit next to her. She turned, expecting Blaise or Pansy but started when she saw that it was Ron.
They stared at each other in silence for a moment before she spoke. "What are you doing here?"
He shrugged and muttered something that sounded a lot like Ginny sent him over.
"What was that?" she asked.
He huffed and looked at her. "I'm here to apologize."
She raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."
He was silent for a moment before speaking. "I'm sorry I insulted you and Malfoy. I'm sorry for insulting your daughter. I shouldn't have said that about any of you."
"No, you shouldn't have," she said, sternly.
His face hardened. "Well what did you expect, Hermione? That I would just welcome Malfoy with open arms just because you married him?"
"I didn't expect anything from you," she said. "After you told me you wanted nothing to do with me, you lost any and all privilege to know about my life. That includes how Draco and I got together." Her voice was hard and filled with the bitterness and hurt that she had buried deep down since her breakup with Ron. She wanted to shake him for how stupid he had been and how angry it made her that he was still prejudiced against Draco despite everything they had learned during the war; instead, she took a deep breath to calm herself down. Ron knew nothing; he didn't know about the way Draco touched her when they were making love, his smile on their wedding day, the way his eyes filled with tears when he first held his daughter in his arms, the way he encouraged her and made her the happiest woman on the planet.
Ron didn't know the Draco that was currently on the dancefloor with his daughter; he only knew Malfoy from school.
It hurt her that her husband would always be the bully from school in her former best friend's eyes but decided that if Ron was too stubborn to put the past behind him, then it wasn't worth reconciling with him. She was happier than she'd ever been and she didn't need her friendship with Ron when she had Pansy and Blaise who had treated her ten times better than Ron ever would have. With a new resolve, Hermione looked her former best friend in the eye.
"I forgive you, Ron. For what you said tonight and what you said and did ten years ago. If anything, what you did was a blessing because if we hadn't broken up, I wouldn't be with Draco, I wouldn't have Mia… I wouldn't be as happy as I am now. I hope you're happy, Ron, I really do. You deserve to be happy and I hope you and Lavender have a long and prosperous life together."
She opened her bag and pulled out a locket and handed it to him. It had been a birthday gift from him right after she turned eighteen. Inside was a picture of her, Harry, and Ron from the summer before the war. It was a memento from the past; a past Hermione was finally putting behind her. "When we last saw each other, we said a lot of hurtful things and for that, I'm sorry. I wish we could have ended our friendship on a better note but sadly, that's not how it worked. We made a lot of great memories, Ron; memories that I will cherish forever. But I think it's time we closed this door for good. I hope we can still be civil to each other but I think there's too much damage to try and repair our friendship."
He nodded. "I- I think you're right."
She stood and squeezed his shoulder. "Good luck with opening up your second location in Hogsmeade. I look forward to hearing how it turns out."
"Y-you're more than welcome to come to the opening if you want," Ron said, quietly. "You can bring Malfoy and your daughter too."
She gave him a small smile. "Thank you. Hopefully we can make it."
He returned the smile. "See you around, Hermione."
"Goodbye, Ron." As she walked over to the dance floor, she couldn't help the grin that was growing on her face. She felt lighter, as if a great weight had been lifted off her shoulders and for the first time in ten years, she could breathe properly.
She chuckled as she found Draco standing with Pansy, Blaise, and Andrew with an asleep Mia in his arms. She joined the group and lightly kissed her husband's cheek. He smiled at her. "Hey, how'd your conversation with Weasley go?" he asked.
She nodded. "Good. I think we finally made our peace with each other."
"Good," he said and kissed her forehead. Hermione chuckled as she looked at her sleeping daughter. "I think it's time to get Mia home."
"I think the same can be said for us too," Pansy said, noticing that her son was starting to drift off against her shoulder.
The two couples said their goodbyes to McGonagall and the Potters, making a promise for the three couples to have dinner before the Malfoys and Zabinis returned to Australia, then returned to their flat. After putting the kids to bed, the two couples bid each other goodnight and got ready for bed.
As Hermione was putting on her pajamas, she realized that she never got to hear about Draco's trip to visit his parent's graves. She found him in the bathroom, brushing his teeth. "Hey, I meant to ask you, how did visiting your parents go?"
He spit out the toothpaste and rinsed his mouth before answering. "It went well, actually."
"Really?"
He nodded. "Yeah. I laid some flowers on their graves and talked to them for a little bit before heading to Hogwarts."
"Draco, look at me," she said, noticing he was distracting himself with checking his appearance. He complied at his wife's statement, however. "Are you really okay? I know it was the first time you'd seen their graves since the funeral. How are you holding up?" she asked.
He gave her a small smile. "I'm okay, actually. It didn't hurt as much as I thought it would and… I didn't feel anything. I mean, sure, I felt sadness and a little hurt because they couldn't be here to see all that I've done but that hole is gone. I feel at peace, finally."
She smiled. "That's great. I'm glad that you're okay."
"Me too," he said.
They talked about the evening as they snuggled up next to each other in bed.
"How are you holding up?" he asked her. "I know tonight couldn't have been particularly easy."
She thought for a moment. "I'm good, actually. Really good. I know my friendship with Harry and Ginny won't be the same as it was before I left but I think we have a strong chance of still being good friends. As for Ron, well, we've said our peace. I wish him well but I don't have a desire to reconcile our relationship. He was always so infuriating, it's a miracle we never killed each other while on the run during the war. I'm happier without him, anyway. I have you and Mia and Blaise and Pansy and I wouldn't trade it for anything."
He gave her a small smile and chuckled. "How about you?" she asked. "Think you can handle being friends with the Potters?"
He smirked and sighed dramatically. "I think I'll survive."
She laughed. "Good." Then she kissed him softly before snuggling up to him. Draco turned off the lights and gave Hermione a light kiss on her forehead before going to sleep.
"Oh, Draco, there's one last thing I forgot to tell you," Hermione said.
"Hm? What's that?" he asked, half asleep.
"I'm pregnant."
P.S. Hermione's dress: non-traditional_colors_christmas_party_contest/set?.embedder=1348518&.svc=pinterest&id=65131252
Pansy's dress: pin/572309065125431706/
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Stay Golden!