A/n: Written for the Monopoly Game Challenge story one prompt the Hogwarts Express, the Family Boot Camp Challenge prompt #16 (flower) and the OTP Boot Camp Challenge prompt #18 (jubilant).
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Platform 9 and 3/4 was crowded that windy September day. Scorpius followed his father through the stone pillar, arriving there just after the tall blond, his nanny following behind.
He was so ready for the first day of school. He was jubilant, ready to see the school his father sometimes talked about and his nanny gushed over. He just hoped the rumors were fake, and she wouldn't really be gone by the time he came back for Christmas.
Hermione Granger was his favorite person in the world. She only worked this job to get through her final year at university. He overheard his father talking to her the other day about how he was going to miss her. Scorpius really hoped Hermione wasn't going anywhere.
"Is this the train that takes me too school?" he asked, surveying the train. Draco nodded.
"Yes. This is the Hogwarts Express. It'll bring you back for the holiday too."
"Cool." He looked around, noticing all the other people standing around. "There are a lot of people there apparently."
"Hogwarts is an elite school," Hermione continued, glancing towards Draco. "There are a lot of students that go there, but you have to be accepted as well. Did your father ever tell you he wanted to go to Drumstrang?"
Scorpius turned and looked up at his father. "You never said that."
Draco shot Hermione a look, but she just smiled and looked the other way. "Yes, when I was young I looked at the world differently than you do now. I thought Drumstrang would be a better fit. My parents did not agree."
"Should I have gone to Drumstrang then?"
"No. It's a terribly difficult and somewhat cruel school. I'm glad that I went to Hogwarts now."
The boy nodded, apparently content with that answer. Unlike his father, he had some of Astoria Greengrass' easy going mood. He didn't ask too many questions. But they never actually spoke of his mother.
Astoria died five years ago. It took a long time after Hermione was hired for the boy to accept her. She'd been working for the wealthy family for two years now and making a handsome pay off of her time. It helped put her through school.
Hermione's own children were currently with Ron. After their divorce two years ago Hermione decided to get a second job to help support the children when they were with her. Rose wouldn't start school until the following year, and Hugo wouldn't begin until two years after that. She had some time at least before she had to do this with her own kids.
Technically she was already doing that.
Scorpius pointed somewhere off to the left, and the two adults followed his hand. "Look! There's Zacharias!"
"Zach honey," Hermione reminded, shooting Draco a playful look. "It is okay to call him Zach."
"Oh, right. Dad, can I go see him? He's getting on the train."
Draco placed a hand on his son's shoulder, squeezing firmly. "Yes, go on son. But not before you say goodbye to Hermione. She'll cry if you don't."
The boy turned around she Hermione made a sad face. He threw his arms around her, knowing she was playing. Pulling back, he looked up at her face. "Promise you'll still be here in winter when I come back."
"I promise," she replied, shooting Draco a mischievous look. "Now go on, the trains getting ready to go. Get to a window and wave out. We'll wave you off."
He nodded, and was gone in the throng of children a moment later. Hermione moved and stood directly beside Draco, waiting with him to see Scorpius off.
"Think he caught on yet?" she asked.
"He knows something's going on, but he's afraid you're going to really leave by December. No, he hasn't caught on yet."
"Do you think he'll be upset? I'm not entirely sure how my children will take it."
"It'll be a shock to everyone at first Hermione, that much is a given. But people will be more accepting the longer they have to think about it."
"So initially everyone's going to throw a fit?"
"We're you expecting something else?"
"No," she sighed, "I suppose I wasn't Draco. It's just the one thing I'm not really looking forward too."
"Yeah, me too."
They waved Scorpius off, watching his smiling face disappear with all the other students as the Hogwarts Express took off. He'd found a place to sit with Zach and a few other friends. As the train traveled off in the distance, the pair turned and left.
They didn't get far. Draco grabbed her shoulder and dragged her back behind a nearby wall into a small cubby. She gasped, then smiled and stood on her toes, locking lips with him now that they were out of sight.
"We'll tell everyone at your birthday party," he whispered, kissing first her cheek and then her lips one more time. "We'll let them all know about the engagement."
"They're going to think we're bloody crazy or something," she replied, pulling away for a moment. "It's going to be a major battle."
"Yeah, but it'll be worth it." He grabbed her hand, kissing it. "A few weeks and we can tell everyone about it, and then we don't have to hide away in little spaces like this just to share a kiss."
"Yes, we can have the entire world staring at us instead."
He smirked, wavering his hand. An orchid appeared, and it handed to her. "Let then watch then," he muttered, kissing her again as she took it. "Just don't concern yourself with them. Pretend they aren't there."
"You think that'll work?"
"It's worth a shot. Now come on, we better get out of here. Someone else might want to use this spot and we can't have anyone finding us yet."
Hermione grinned, stepping back into the world again, they continued on their way and then apparated away, back to the Manor. If anyone shot them strange looks or stared at the flower in Hermione's hand, she didn't notice them.
She was very ready to be Mrs. Malfoy. They'd kept their relationship a secret long enough.
~FIN~
