Hermione was trying to get Zara to sit still long enough for her to tie the little girl's hair up when the doorbell went. Almost immediately Zara had wriggled out of her mother's grip and was running towards the door. It was the day of Zara's party and she was excitedly waiting for Mia to turn up. Hermione followed after her daughter and when she reached the door she opened it with an excited Zara jumping up and down beside her.
"Hi Hermione," Harry Potter greeted as he stepped into the house with his and Ginny's six month old son James. Turning to his goddaughter, he ruffled Zara's hair. "And how's the birthday girl? Are looking forward to your party?"
"Yeah," Zara muttered as she turned around and trooped back to the front room.
Harry and Hermione followed her and Hermione finally managed to tie her daughter's hair up.
"Was it something I said?" Harry asked Hermione. "Normally she's jumping all over her Uncle Harry."
"Don't take it personally," Hermione chuckled. "She's just waiting for Mia to arrive."
"Mia, is that Malfoy's little girl?" Harry checked. He knew Zara had made friends with the youngest Malfoy and he knew she was expected at the party, along with her father.
"Yes," Hermione nodded. "You will behave this afternoon won't you?"
"Don't worry Hermione, there'll be no trouble," Harry reassured his friend. "I know Malfoy and I didn't get along in school, but we were just kids back then. We've both grown up and I'm sure we can get along just fine now."
"Good," Hermione smiled. "I want nothing ruining Zara's day."
"And nothing will, not with Molly in charge," Harry laughed. "Speaking of which, I'm assuming she and Ginny are already here."
"They're in the garden," Hermione replied. "I've tried getting Zara outside, but she's insisting on waiting here for Mia."
"Let me try," Harry offered. Handing James over to Hermione he made his way to where Zara was sitting looking out of the window. "Hey squirt," he said, squatting down beside her. "Do want to come outside with me and James?"
"No." Zara shook her head as she continued her vigil. "I'm waiting for Mia."
"She'll still come if you're outside," Harry told the little girl.
"No." Zara shot a Hermione like stare at Harry, before returning her attention to the window.
Recognising he wasn't getting anywhere with the stubborn three year old, Harry returned to where Hermione was sitting with James. Hermione was chuckling quietly at Harry's attempt to move Zara.
"Don't say it," Harry muttered, pre-empting Hermione telling him she told him so. "That kid is as stubborn as you."
"That she is," Hermione agreed as she handed James back to Harry. "Why don't you head out the back, everyone else should be arriving soon."
Harry took James out into the back garden while Hermione waited in the front room to greet their guests. Over the course of the next fifteen minutes several people arrived, but not Mia and Draco. Arthur arrived with Bill and Fleur and their six year old daughter, Dominique. Fred and George then arrived with their wives, Angelina and Alicia. With them they'd brought George and Angelina's eighteen month old, Roxanne, while Alicia was heavily pregnant and looked as though she would pop any minute. Neville and Luna arrived next with their three month old twin boys, who were both fast asleep in their pram.
"Mia's here," Zara suddenly called, jumping up from her seat beside the window.
Hermione got up and by the time there was a knock on the door Zara was waiting impatiently next to it. The second Hermione opened the door Zara rushed forward and dragged Mia into the house.
"Whoa there," Hermione called as Zara began to lead Mia away from the door. "Come back here and let Mia take her jacket off." While the two girls skulked back to the doorway, Hermione turned to Draco and welcomed him into the house. "Sorry about that, Zara's just a touch excited."
"Mia's the same," Draco said as he helped his wriggling daughter out of her jacket. "It's taken me ages to get her ready, she won't sit still for more than two minutes."
"The joys of toddlers," Hermione laughed as she took both Mia and Draco's jacket and hung them in the hallway. "The party's in the back garden, I'll show you through."
Zara and Mia skipped on ahead as Hermione took Draco out into the back garden. It wasn't a huge garden, but it was more than large enough to hold everyone quite comfortably. When they emerged into the garden Mia stopped in her tracks and once Draco was beside her, she wrapped an arm around his leg and clung onto her father.
"It's alright sweetheart," Draco soothed his daughter as he knelt down so he was her height. "Zara will look after you and I'll be right here, all the time."
With a bit of coaxing from Draco, Mia took hold of Zara's hand and the two three year olds toddled over to a nearby blanket and sat down. Mia's nerves were evident as she kept surveying her surroundings and looking warily at all the people.
"I hope she'll be okay," Draco said worriedly. "She's not used to being around so many people."
"Don't worry, no-one will bother her," Hermione reassured Draco. "I'm sure by the end of the afternoon, she'll be running around without a care in the world."
"I'm sure you're right," Draco said, still keeping a close eye on his daughter.
Hermione was about to reply and suggest they head over to where the adults had gathered, but the door interrupted her. Apologising to Draco she went back inside and answered the door. This time it was Percy, his wife Audrey, and their five year old daughter, Molly.
When Hermione returned to the garden she was pleased to spot Draco over with the other adults. He didn't look entirely comfortable mingling with so many Weasleys, but Fred soon said something to get the blond laughing. Hermione was relieved to find Draco coping and when she looked over to where Zara and Mia were sitting, she noticed that Mia looked a lot happier. She did occasionally steal glances over at Draco to ensure he was still there, but she looked happy enough with Zara.
"Malfoy's grown up nice," Ginny remarked as she came up beside Hermione and handed her a glass of juice.
"What?" Hermione looked at Ginny with a frown. Despite being friends for a long time she still struggled with the way Ginny would jump into a conversation without any warning, more often than not she would just say whatever was on her mind, even if it had nothing to do with anything.
"I'm just saying, Malfoy's good looking," Ginny repeated. "Not that he wasn't always nice, but now he's pretty hot."
"And you're telling me this because?" Hermione asked.
"Just saying," Ginny shrugged.
"As long as that's all you do," Hermione warned.
Ginny liked to try and play matchmaker for Hermione, much to the brunette witch's displeasure. A couple of times Hermione had humoured Ginny and gone on dates with guys she'd recommended, but she soon found her friend chose the dates based solely on looks. While every wizard she went out with was attractive, they had nothing in common with Hermione and she was bored rigid all evening. In the end Hermione had told Ginny no more fix-ups, but the redhead still liked to try and point out good looking men to Hermione.
"You know, you also have stuff in common with Malfoy," Ginny remarked. "You said it yourself back in school. You had a lot in common when you were head students together."
"Don't start playing matchmaker, Gin," Hermione sighed. "Our kids are friends, end of story."
Not wanting to give Ginny a chance to continue on with matchmaking, Hermione excused herself to go and see to the girls. Grabbing two cups of juice, she went and checked on Zara and Mia, before returning to the adults. Draco was sitting alone on one of the garden chairs, so Hermione made her way towards him.
"Can I get you a drink or anything?" Hermione asked.
"I'm okay," Draco answered, holding up his nearly full glass. "The twins have been keeping me filled up."
"Is everyone being okay with you?" Hermione questioned as she sunk into the chair next to him. "I warned them all to behave."
"It's fine," Draco replied. "We've all grown up and put the past behind us. Everyone's being really friendly. I even had a chat to Potter about his Quidditch career."
"That'll please Harry, he loves to talk quidditch," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. "Wait, you didn't insult him or anything did you?" she asked worriedly. "Please say you didn't tell him you thought he was rubbish or anything."
"Relax, I was actually complimentary," Draco chuckled. "Potter is a brilliant player, and he's a world class seeker. With him playing for England we might actually stand a chance at the world cup next year."
"Wow, I never thought I'd see the day when Draco Malfoy said something nice about Harry Potter," Hermione laughed.
"Neither did I," Draco admitted. "There was a time you couldn't have forced me to admit he was a good seeker, but I've grown up and I'm more than happy to admit he's good. Now your other friend however, I'm not sure I could have been complimentary there. Speaking of which, where is Weasley?"
"Portugal," Hermione replied. "He signed for a Portuguese quidditch team a few months ago. The offer was too good to turn down apparently. They could guarantee him first team action, they had a load of sponsorship deals lined up and they gave him a luxury penthouse."
"Nice," Draco whistled lowly. "Although Portugal must be pretty depleted of talent if they want Weasley. I know he's your friend and all, but he's a pretty average player."
Hermione didn't take offence at Draco, as she knew he was speaking the truth. While she didn't know a lot about quidditch she knew that Ron was considered an average player at best. While Harry's career had sky-rocketed and he'd became a big star, Ron struggled to gain first team action with his team. When he'd accepted the position in Portugal, Ginny had explained to Hermione that it was the fact he was a foreign player that was the big draw. Apparently a lot of the European teams liked to boast having a foreign player on their team, and usually they became the star of the team.
"So why isn't Weasley here?" Draco asked. "Even if he lives abroad surely he can pop back for the odd day."
"He sent Zara a card, but he made it clear when he left that he wouldn't be returning in the foreseeable future," Hermione answered. "Who knows when we'll see him again."
"You don't sound particularly bothered," Draco noted.
"I'm not sure I am," Hermione replied, making sure none of the Weasleys were close enough to hear. "Our friendship started to disintegrate a long time ago. To be honest we were only still friends because of Harry and the rest of the Weasleys. We started to drift apart towards the back end of school and it just got worse once we left and began our different careers. Big quidditch star doesn't really gel well with lowly Ministry worker."
"First of all, it seems to work fine with Potter," Draco pointed out. "The two of you still look to be great friends. And secondly I doubt you have a lowly job at the Ministry. Knowing you, you're probably running a department or something."
"Okay, maybe my job isn't lowly," Hermione admitted. "But I don't run a department. I don't have all the extra time needed to run a department, I've got Zara to think about."
"So what exactly do you do?" Draco asked.
"I'm a prosecutor in the legal department."
"That's definitely not a lowly job," Draco remarked. He knew to be a prosecutor you needed lots of qualifications, both from school and from within the Ministry itself. Holding down such a demanding job and being a single mother was most certainly impressive, well it impressed Draco anyway.
"And what about you? You took over the family business, didn't you?" Hermione asked. She felt like she'd done nothing but talk about herself and her life, but Draco was surprisingly easy to talk to and she found herself sharing more than she intended.
"I did," Draco nodded. "But father's back with the company now, and I suspect getting him to retire again will be a tough job. As it was he was always in the office, but these last few months I've been relying on him a lot more. He's practically a fixture in the place again."
"Do you want him to retire again?" Hermione inquired. The way Draco spoke about his father gave her the impression he was enjoying having him around the office.
"Not at the minute," Draco admitted. "I appreciate him being around, it gives me more free time for Mia. She's my priority, and I'd rather concentrate on her and let father deal with the business."
"How's she adjusting to life without her mother?" Hermione asked.
"Better than I could have hoped," Draco replied. "She seems to be taking it all in her stride, I'm just worried it could affect her at some point. I mean, it has to have some sort effect when your own mother abandons you before you're even three."
"I think the same about Zara," Hermione confessed. "Granted she's never known her father, but one day she's going to ask about him."
"Will you tell her the truth?" Draco asked.
"Yes," Hermione nodded. "I know it's not nice, but I'm not going to lie to her. I just hope she won't be too affected by the fact he never wanted to know her."
"She's got you, and that's the important thing," Draco told Hermione with a smile.
"And Mia has you," Hermione smiled back at Draco. "I'm sure when the time comes to tell her about Astoria she'll be upset, but the important thing is that she's got a father who loves her and is there for her."
As the pair continued to talk, they failed to notice Molly and Ginny over the other side of the garden. The two witches had their heads together and their main focus was on how good Hermione and Draco looked together and how much at ease they were with each other. Even Zara and Mia were getting along brilliantly, and the pair looked to have forged a close bond already.
After Zara's party, Draco decided to take a more hands on approach to Mia's pre-school visitations. Twice a week he was the one to drop her off and pick her up, while his father covered for him at work. More often than not Draco was also the one to take Mia to and from her play dates with Zara. A few times he'd even stayed with Hermione and the pair had chatted nicely while their daughters played together.
While Draco insisted the change of routine had nothing to do with Hermione and their growing friendship, Lucius and Narcissa suspected otherwise. There was no denying that their son was a lot happier these days and he looked forward to play dates just as much as Mia.
It was now a couple of months after Zara's party and it was common for Draco and Hermione to spend a good ten minutes or so chatting when they picked the girls up from pre-school. One Friday they were just talking as usual when Hermione mentioned her plans to take Zara to the zoo on Sunday afternoon.
"Would you and Mia like to join us?" she asked. "I'm guessing Mia's never been to a zoo before."
"No, she hasn't," Draco replied. "Neither have I, for that matter."
"Sorry, I never thought it might be too muggle for your liking," Hermione grimaced, hoping she hadn't put her foot in it with Draco. She was enjoying getting to know him, and she was coming to really value their blossoming friendship.
"The muggle thing isn't an issue for me any more," Draco reassured Hermione. "I do however find it pretty nerve wrecking to venture into the muggle world. I've only done it a few times, so I'm a bit wary."
"It was just a suggestion, you don't you have to come if you're uncomfortable," Hermione said.
"No, we would love to come," Draco said. "Just as long as you don't mind venturing out into the muggle world with someone who knows nothing about it."
"I have no problems with that," Hermione smiled. "A few trips out are all you need to get used to things. Ginny was the same, but Harry persevered and now they often flit between the two worlds."
"I don't think I'll be flitting any time soon, but a trip to the zoo shouldn't hurt," Draco said. "Now, what do I do about money? I can get some changed at Gringotts, but to be honest my last few encounters with muggle money didn't go well. I don't really understand why muggles have coins and paper, and why a handful of some coins amount to the same as one piece of paper."
"Leave the money to me," Hermione chuckled as she thought about the trouble Draco could get into handling muggle money.
"I can't expect you to pay for us," Draco said, shaking his head. "Malfoys pay their own way in life."
"When we get back I can work out what I spent on you and Mia and you can give me some money if that makes you feel better," Hermione offered.
"It does," Draco nodded.
"Great," Hermione smiled. "If you and Mia come to mine on Sunday morning, about half nine, we can go from there."
"We'll be there," Draco promised.
When they picked the girls up, a few minutes later, both Zara and Mia were thrilled at the idea of spending yet more time together. Zara immediately knew what a zoo was, but Mia needed to be told it was a place where they could go and see some animals. Once she knew what to expect Mia was just as excited as Zara and the two toddlers started jabbering onto each other about animals.
"Can you understand those two?" Draco asked Hermione as the foursome walked along the street. Mia and Zara were in-between them, with each little girl holding onto her parent's hand.
"At the minute, no," Hermione answered. Both Zara and Mia were normally very eloquent for three year olds, but occasionally when they got excited they spoke to each other in what sounded like nonsense to adults.
"At least they understand each other," Draco chuckled.
After walking to the place where they usually parted, Draco and Hermione each picked up their little girl and after a round of final goodbyes, they headed home, both of them looking forward to the weekend.