It was a bright, beautiful summer morning when Draco decided to walk down to the river at the edge of their property. He made his way through the gardens, picking a few flowers as he did so. Once he reached the entrance to the path that lead to the river, he stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath, trying to calm himself before he entered. He walked down an old narrow path. It was covered by weeds that had grown through the now cracked stepping stones from years of neglect. Tall grass surrounded both sides of the path, creating a jungle like atmosphere. Old trees now hung over him like a canopy as he walked.
He listened to the sound of the wind blowing through the trees as he walked. His feet kicking at the odd rock that bounced along in front of him. He hadn't been to the river in months. He had been so busy that he had completely forgotten about it. So many things had happened since the last time he visited the river. At the end of the path he was walking, was a river that he and Hermione had discovered so many summers ago. That was before all the unfortunate events happened. That was when he was just a young boy entering Hogwarts. That was when he was truly happy. It was the first time he had been truly happy. Memories of their time together began to flood back into his head.
Draco and his mum had just arrived in Diagon Alley to go shopping for his school supplies. He had received his Hogwarts acceptance letter no more than a week ago and his mother couldn't contain her excitement. She had planned that they would get all his supplies and robes three weeks before he started school. Giving him and his mum enough time to relax more, knowing that they didn't need to rush to buy anything last minute.
They were currently walking to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions to buy the last item of the day: his robes. There was no one in the shop when they entered, but soon a girl, with hair that reminded him of a lion's mane, entered the shop a well. She was chattering none stop to her mother, who looked like she had no clue as to what was going on, listened and nodded at the appropriate times. He stifled a laugh as the mother shushed the girl and walked up to the counter and asked if they could get some robes. It was obvious that the girl's mum was a muggle and that it had been the first time the girl had ever been to Diagon Alley. Being Draco Malfoy, he decided to approach her. He watched as he face turn to a look of confusion as he stuck out his hand and said, "I'm Draco. Draco Malfoy."
They spent every day of those three weeks together. Draco didn't care about her blood, and she didn't care about his. They simply enjoyed each others company and didn't think about the prejudices that they - mostly Draco - had been taught. Draco's father had been away for business for three months, so it had just been him and his mother. His mother was always more understanding. But when they began school, everything changed. Draco become more rude and cold, but he and Hermione both knew it was just an act for they spent almost every summer that his father wasn't there, together.
Draco still couldn't believe how long it had been. Time just seemed to fly by before his eyes. He was now a 25 year old man with a year old son, Scorpius. He ran his fingers through his ear-length hair, sighing as he breathed in the air. He held the flowers in his hand, knowing they were her favorites, and slowed down his pace. He knew that if he got there to fast, his stay would be just as quick and too short for his liking. Soon, he wasn't even thinking about how fast he got there or what he was holding. He was thinking about all the time they have spent together. Memories going through his mind at lightning speed.
It was the night of the Yule Ball and Draco was escorting Pansy Parkinson. Not by choice, of course. He had been waiting at the bottom of the stair case, as was every other male, when Pansy began to descend. She looked great, he would admit that. But not as good as the girl behind her. Hermione looked… beautiful. He found himself staring at her instead of Pansy. Well, everyone was staring at Hermione instead of their dates.
But no one knew Hermione like he did. He knew it must have taken hours to get her hair like that. And that dress… He couldn't believe how perfect it look on her. But he quickly shook his head of the thoughts, tearing his gaze from her, and lead Pansy into the Great Hall. No one, absolutely no one, could know that Draco Malfoy was secretly friends with a muggle-born. And so he spent the night either ignoring her or insulting her as he would on any other normal day. It was like everything was normal between them, how it should have been. Or at least, how it should have looked to everyone.
Of course, why he couldn't have been friends with her publicly was obvious. His father had been against muggle-borns and everything that had anything to do with them. And so Draco had to act as though he felt the same. But every summer, that changed. Draco was a different person when his friends and father weren't around. He was actually the complete opposite when they weren't around, save a few characteristics.
"Hurry up, Draco!" Hermione yelled as she ran down the path towards the river, Draco following slowly behind, laughing at her excitement. They were 15 and it was the beginning of summer, of course she was excited. "If you would just slow down…" He said, rolling his eyes as she shot him a look. "Never mind, never mind," he chuckled. A smile on her face, Hermione continued to run towards the river. Draco following close behind, now jogging to keep up with her. When they reached the river he remembered why they came here in the first place. The sound of the water, the sound of the trees rustling as the wind blew through them. It was calming.
He walked down to the water's edge and sat down on the bench they had put there when they first discovered it. "Hey, 'Mione?" He said as he watched her stand with her feet in the water. "Hmm?" She turned around to look at him. Draco carefully stood up, careful not to trip over any rocks as he walked over to her. He took off his shoes, and then his sock before walking into the shallow water to stand beside Hermione. "You don't…" He hesitated, "have a thing for Weasley, do you?" It wasn't the type of question he asked often, but he was curious. "No, why?" Hermione asked, unbothered by the question. A smile crept onto his face. He didn't respond, but instead he turned her head to look at him, placing his hand on her cheek lightly. He wasn't sure whether or not to kiss her. But he listened to his heart instead of his mind in the end. He took the small step that separated them apart before pressing his lips delicately against hers for a short kiss.
That had been the first of many kisses that they shared that summer. But when they started sixth year and Draco became a death eater, everything changed. They no longer spoke in private or shared those looks that no one else noticed. They simply ignore each other and acted like they were supposed to. Except, it wasn't acting anymore. Things stayed the same until the end of the war. Harry testified for Draco, and for that he was thankful. It wasn't until months after that he went and spoke to Hermione. Last he had heard, she was with Ron and they were dating. He couldn't pretend that didn't hurt. No, it had. Hermione was supposed to be his. And his only.
The thoughts poured through his head as he reached the river. Oh how he had missed it. He took a moment and let his eyes wander over every detail. It hadn't changed much since the last time he had been there so many years ago. The elfs had obviously taken good care of it while he had been way. A smile smile appeared on his face for just a moment before disappearing again. He carefully made his way down to the old bench and sat down before the last memory came to mind. The memory of the event that changed everything.
Draco had spent days contemplating whether or not to go and visit Hermione and apologize for everything that had happened. There was a 50% chance she would even talk to him. Getting her to understand what he went through and did, would be even more difficult. He sighed and drank the last of his tea before apparating to just outside her apartment. He took a deep breath before lifting his hand, making a fist, and knocking on the door. The seconds felt like hours before she opened the door for a moment to see who it was and then closed it again. "Come on, Hermione," he said as he knocked on the door. "Go away," he heard her say from the other side. "No, just let me explain," he said, hoping she would give in and let him. She didn't say anything for a few moments. "Why?" Her voice cracked. Why? He almost laughed. "To make things right again," and with that she opened the door and let him inside. "I thought you would have put up more of a fight, Granger," he said, lifting an eyebrow at her as he sat down on her couch. "I don't want to fight anymore," she replied and he understood why.
He spent the next few hours explaining everything and shushing her when she tried to interrupt every few minutes. She asked so many question, he forgot that about her. But when she did, they were good questions that he had an answer for. By the end of the hours she still hadn't forgiven him for everything that had happened. He hadn't expected her too. "Just, think about it, alright?" He mumbled before leaving her house that night.
It took weeks of Draco owling her and coming over and apologizing multiple times. He finally gave up after three weeks of doing the same thing over and over again to get her forgiveness. He was a Malfoy. If she wanted to forgive him, she would come by the Manor and say so. He wouldn't spend hours and hours begging. He just didn't expect her to take so long. It took another two weeks for her to owl him and tell him that she was forgiving him. He felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his chest.
He flood over to her apartment as soon as he had finished the letter, almost giving her a heart attack no less. He cursed himself for not telling her he was coming over. But soon shrugged it off. For what seemed like days, they stood there and looked at each other. Neither one of them saying a word. "Hel-" His greetings cut off by Hermione running and hugging him. A laugh escaped him without him knowing. He stood still for a few moment before wrapping his arms protectively around the girl, hoping that he would never have to let go.
Hours passed as he sat on the bench and stared at the river as the water flowed slowly through it. The flowers that has been sitting beside him had now blown away from the wind and the lack of weigh keeping them down. So much had changed in the past few years. It all changed to quickly. No longer thinking of any memories, he continues to stare blankly at the river. He didn't hear the footsteps coming behind him, nor did he heard his little boy yelling and laughing behind him. It wasn't until he felt the familiar touch of lips on his cheek that he snapped out of his daze and looked up, smiling at his wife and his son. "Come here, Scorp," he said, picking his son up and placing him on his lap, wrapping his arm around his wifes shoulder. "Hey, did I ever tell you that your mum and I used to come down here when we were little?"