Hermione's POV-

I spend much of the next two days busying myself around the house. I stock up on groceries, make up the spare bedroom, and organize the downstairs. There won't be a speck of dirt left when Scorpius arrives. It isn't so much for his benefit but for mine. His arrival gives me an excuse to be busy; I have less time to think about my nightmares and more time to worry if this was a bad decision.

There is no going back. I highly doubt there would be an easy way to contact Malfoy now, even if I did change my mind. He would ignore it, and simply show up with the little boy.

Rose was the hardest to explain this new transition to. Ron had spent hours telling her stories of our adventures at Hogwarts, most of which portrayed the horrible Draco Malfoy as our most hated enemy. Most of these stories were true, but with a few exaggerations. Either way, Rose had eaten them up. And now, without Ron here to help, there was no way for me to counter her hatred for Malfoy. It doesn't help that Gryffindors and Slytherins are still rivals at school. Now Rose has her own Malfoy problem at Hogwarts, and I've just invited it to live with us.

Needless to say, she is not happy with me.

By seven in the evening, my children and I are restless. I sit with Hugo on my lap, thumbing through The Tale of Beedle the Bard. Every few moments I find myself raising my head to peer out the window. Malfoy surely likes to make an entrance.

Our dinner sits on the table, probably cold by now. I had hoped to dine with the Malfoys, for Scorpius' sake. But Malfoy must have other ideas.

"Well he's being rude if you ask me." Rose pipes up from behind her spell book.

"Maybe they won't show up. Or he forgot!" Hugo answers, with a hopeful expression. He glances up at me and I smile.

Rose rolls her eyes and grumbles, "We can only hope." She ignores my disapproving stare and carries on with her reading. Only minutes after this do the bells chimes throughout the house. We all jump out of our seats in both excitement and anxiety. The clanging continues for a few more seconds, as we rush to the front door. With Hugo at my heels and Rose only inches in front of me, I feel a sudden sense of nervousness again. Was this a mistake? Was this too much for them to handle?

Rose stands on her tiptoes, trying to see out the window beside the door. Hugo is still by my side. I run my hand through his hair, "Ready?" With little hesitation, they both nod. My hand moves to grasp the doorknob. I turn it slowly, taking a deep breath as I do so.

To say the apple didn't fall far from the tree was an understatement. My breath catches in my throat as I am face to face with Malfoy today and Malfoy some 20 years ago. They stand calm and collected, staring stoically at my family; both dressed in black robes that balance out their very blond hair. Scorpius is just as tall as Rose, perhaps a few inches more. He held a small suitcase in his hand, and a large trunk lay at his feet.

"Good evening, Weasleys," Malfoy says, his voice surprisingly civil.

I smile, as I always do when I hear my family name. "Hello, Mr. Malfoy, Scorpius, we've been expecting you. Why don't you come in?" I step to the side, towards a disgruntled Rose, her arms folded across her chest, and gesture them inside. Hugo follows closely behind me, his hand gripping my shirt.

Malfoy nods in my direction and walks gracefully into the parlor. Scorpius trudges after him, scrapping his feet against the wood floor. He does not seem nervous, anxious or fretful, but almost rather bored. He keeps glancing towards his father, trying to mirror his calm demeanor.

Once we're all five in the parlor near the kitchen, the true awkwardness of the situation can begin. Malfoy places his hand on Scorpius' back getting his attention. "Scorpius this the woman I told you about." His tone is softer than I remember from his last visit. Scorpius gazes up at me through curious, unmasked eyes.

"You can call me Hermione." I say quickly, unsure where else to go. I let my hand fall on Hugo's red hair, ruffling it gently. "This is my son Hugo, and my daughter Rose, who I believe you already know." Rose rolls her eyes when Scorpius looks her way. His eyebrow raises, not unlike his father's tend to do.

"So it is true." He mumbles with slight disappointment in his voice. "I have to live with Weasleys for the summer."

Hiding my annoyance at his tone, I continue. "We are excited to have you, Scorpius. You're more than welcome here while your father's away. We have a room set up for you near Hugo upstairs, and more than enough space to share." I say, earning a scoff from Rose.

"Mum wouldn't like this." He pronounces, glancing up at his father still disbelieving. I don't know what I had been expecting from this first encounter, but it hadn't been this. With a pointed look from his father, he adds, "But thank you."

"You'll have to share the room with Scuffles." Rose says matter-of-factly and adds for clarity, "Our cat."

With an exasperated look at his father, Scorpius whines, "I have to share a room with a cat?"

Before either Malfoy or I could respond, Rose takes it upon herself. "He's really quite friendly if you're a decent human being. Then again… maybe you should room with Hugo."

Hugo stares at Scorpius from behind my frame. I cannot see his expression, but I'm sure he's terrified of the idea of sharing. Ron had spoiled both Rose and Hugo from the time they were born. He had to share so much, and had so little, he tended to overcompensate with our children.

"Scuffles can stay with Rose." I interrupt, saving Scorpius from answering. "You'll have the room to yourself. Rose, why don't you show Scorpius up to his room then? You can drop off his belongings and come back down. Your bag must be getting heavy."

"Oh, can I?" I hear Rose mutter, but she turns swiftly to march up the stairs. Scorpius' shoulders fall and he shakes his head. With a gentle push from his father, he follows her. Hugo eyes the stairs, weighing the choices. Before long his curiosity wins, and he's racing up the steps after them.

"That went well." Malfoy states, sarcasm playing on his voice.

"Better than I expected." I say, wishing for something wittier. "It will be an interesting summer. I'm sorry about how Rose treated Scorpius; she definitely is Ron's daughter."

Malfoy's eyebrow raises and I wait for some inappropriate comment. "Was there ever any question? My, my Granger, maybe you've changed more than I thought."

"And there you are being rude again. I take back my apology." I retort, crossing my arms over my chest. The noise that comes from upstairs grabs my attention. I make a move towards them, ready to break up any fight that is starting when Malfoy reaches out and takes hold of my arm.

I turn to glare at him, but before I can, he drops his hold and steps back as if burned. "They're fine. They'll have to get used to each other one way or another. I'm sure Rose can hold her own." He states firmly. Stealing a glance back up the stairway, I mumble, "It's not her I'm worried about."

This, surprisingly, gives Malfoy a chuckle. "She seems to hate us, doesn't she? Like mother, like daughter." He adds as an afterthought. He finds his way towards the kitchen door, his eyes traveling throughout the room. His judgment is evident, probably wondering why anyone like us would choose live with so many muggle tendencies.

My eyes narrow as old feelings flame up inside of me. Suddenly I can't believe I've let him into my house, into my life. He may have a son now, but nothing has really changed. We're still the same people from Hogwarts, enemies from the start. "I had reason to hate you, as did many others. I can't understand why anyone would work so hard to create such feelings."

"I don't mind being hated, Granger. When you've been where I have, it doesn't matter what anyone thinks of you." Malfoy says calmly, his hands behind his back and he takes a step further into the kitchen. He locates the light switch and gestures towards it questioningly.

I strut past him and flip it on. I feel the need to defend myself, but Malfoy doesn't say anything in return, only nods. "Where will you be going?" I ask for lack of something else to say. I am only mildly interested in where he'll begin his search.

"It's probably better if you don't know." He says simply.

"You don't even have a plan do you?" I mock, "I thought you were so very good at tracking?"

"I am, and I have a plan. But you can't be involved in it. If anything happens, I'd prefer if Scorpius weren't put into danger by what you know." By now, he's made it near the refrigerator, his face scrunches up slightly in confusion.

Frustrated, I brush past him again and open the door. "It keeps food cold. Now what is this about danger? Where do your parents believe Scorpius is?" I say in a rush.

"My mother thinks Scorpius is being sent to a boarding school in France. No one should bother you here. You know you could just use a freezing charm. Muggles, honestly." And there it was, his annoyance seeps through.

"They're useful." I defend.

"For muggles. You can put your skills to better use without them," Malfoy states. Although I can't understand where it came from, a compliment hides in that bitter tone.

I try to ignore his comment, somewhat confused by the meaning and call up to the children; before I can get the last word out, Scorpius races down towards his father, Rose and Hugo not far behind. Rose is rolling her eyes, and Hugo is grinning.

"We have a problem." Scorpius says, clearly disturbed. Malfoy glances at me for an answer, but I simply shake my head and glare at the two smiling redheads standing in the doorway. Scorpius gulps, takes a deep breath. "They're Cannons fans."

Draco's POV-

As soon as the words of terror fall from Scopius' mouth, Granger bursts out laughing. It is the first time I have heard her laugh whole-heartedly since Hogwarts. I had thought she was only capable of the cold laughter I heard a few days ago. Somehow, even with the newly formed worry lines and the messy chestnut hair falling in front of her face, she resembles the girl I once knew. I can feel a smirk threatening to show on my lips as I think of the irony of this change. Scorpius has turned and is glaring at Granger, he is not used to being laughed at.

"Only a few of us," She manages to explain through short breaths. "I'm sorry if you don't like the color orange. Ron decorated that room." By now, Rose and Hugo have also began to giggle. Rose is staring at Scorpius seemingly elated.

"I don't find it funny. " He says with complete seriousness in his tone. "The Cannons are hardly a team anymore; they haven't won in years." When the Weasley's smiles fail to leave their faces, he glances back towards me.

I try to keep a straight face, and agree with him. "The Cannons are rotten. But Weasley always had horrid taste," I feel Granger's glare, but my comment does the job and the laughter ceases. "You'll have to ignore it."

At the mention of her dad, Rose snaps. "Malfoy can't ignore. His head is too big for that."

"Better a big head than a big mouth." Scorpius retorts, his hands balling into fists as he speaks. "At least mine's gotten me top of our class."

"Oh please," Rose mutters. "You've only got on top becau-". Granger quickly puts her hand in front of her daughter's mouth, who grumbles in response.

"That will be enough Rose. Did you have dinner Scorpius?" Scorpius, still disgruntled by Rose, mumbles a no. "Perfect, we have dinner waiting on the table if you'd like…" Granger offers.

I nod when Scorpius turns to ask my permission. "Go on, Hugo can take you."

In hearing his name, specifically because I said it, Hugo jumps. He stares at me with cautious eyes and begins slowly, "Okay."

Rose sighs with exasperation and pulls on Hugo's arm, leading him towards the table. "Come on, it's roast beef and potatoes. Probably cold, but that's easily fixed." The three of them walk sourly past, leaving Granger and I alone. She watches them closely, with a slight smile on her face.

"You're going to have your hands full." I say, breaking her out of her ravine. "That reminds me…" I trail off, pulling open my jacket's right side. I grab an envelope from my pocket. "It should be enough to get you through the next few weeks."

I set down the plump full, blank envelope on the counter, and slide it towards her. She stares at it for several moments, weighing her options. Then slowly she reaches for it, only to push back to me. "I don't need your money, Malfoy. I'm doing fine on my own." She explains her eyes firmly on mine.

"You have an extra mouth to feed. Take it." I say sharply, and push it back towards her.

"No." She gives me a mocking smile. Her stubbornness is more frustrating now than I remember. Years of living with Weasley had made her worse. She turns her back to me, and grabs a glass from the cupboard behind her.

I glare at the back of her head and grit my teeth. "Scorpius has a bit more extensive tastes than you might be used to. And I'd prefer for my child not to be just skin and bones when I see him again."

Filling her cup with water, she glances over her shoulder. "I have money, Malfoy. Your son will be well cared for; if you didn't believe that, you wouldn't have brought him here. Now shall we talk about more important things, or would you rather sit here and argue for a while longer?" She looks at me expectantly, awaiting an answer and adds, "Honestly, either works for me."

Her words say one thing, but once again, her actions describe another. The envelope in question is still sitting on the counter, only a few inches from her fingers. There is no reason to continue quarreling, for there is too little time for something so wasteful. I know as well as she does that the envelope is not leaving with me. Instead of voicing this I response in a rather bored manner, "There is nothing more to discuss. I'll be leaving tonight; I've already explained to Scorpius everything he needs to know."

"Does he have a way to contact you?" She asks, before taking a sip from her cup.

"You own an owl, do you not? Or have you succumb to those ruddy telephone contraptions?"

She rolls her eyes, just as her daughter no doubtable would have, and states, "Of course we have an owl. He's getting a little old, but he'll get the job done."

"Very well," I nod in return. "When I write, they will be addressed to you. And likewise, when you or Scorpius write, the letters should be signed by you. That way, in case there are any problems during the exchange, Scorpius' location will not be easily determined." She agrees.

"You believe they're reading letters? They can't be that paranoid, or powerful." She questions, her eyes bright with intrigue. It was odd, being the one with the answers for once. Here was one topic I knew more about; I had wished for a moment like this many times back at school all those years ago.

"They may be. I wouldn't underestimate them, Granger. With the little information I've been able to come by, it's impossible to know who to trust. Hence my presence here." I glance over towards my son. His was expression grim as he picked apart the meal on his plate. "I suppose I should make my exit."

Granger follows my gaze; I can see a look of pity fall across her face. "You could stay a bit longer, if you wish to." She says, surprisingly me slightly.

I almost accept her proposal, unwilling to leave Scorpius so soon. But it would be easier this way, get the goodbyes over quickly, like a bandage. I shake my head, unable to say or do more, I move towards the dining room table. "How is your dinner?"

Scorpius' head shoots up from the table at the sound of my voice. I kneel down, so we are face to face. He shrugs, knowing full well what must come next. Rose and Hugo's gazes continually flicker from Scorpius to me.

"I believe you're in good hands here. I expect you to do as I told you earlier. This is a very nice thing she is doing, so you must be respectful of Mrs. Weasley." I say the last sentence slowly, feeling Granger's eyes on me. "If there is anything the matter, you can use their owl, but you must listen to her."

Scorpius nods, "I know."

"Good. I'll write soon, in the mean time, you have plenty of schoolwork to keep you occupied." At least, he smiles a weak smile.

"Yes, father. I am top of the class after all."

"Right you are," I stand, and straighten my jacket, taking a moment to peek at Rose out of the corner of my eyes. She is picking at her napkin, tearing it into small pieces.

Hermione's POV-

I cannot pull my eyes away from the scene unfolding before me. Malfoy talks so softly to Scorpius, in a tone I've never heard uttered from his mouth. The way he speaks of me to Scorpius is almost enough to make me believe I am in some sort of a dream. Malfoy has never been respectful of me, of anything in relation to me. This couldn't have been a mistake. Perhaps he was right when he told me people change… But only time will tell.

Malfoy stands and is about to turn to leave, when he catches himself. He then does something that astounds me further. With a deep breath, obviously aware of his audience, his arms open and beckon Scorpius towards him. With a quick scoot of his chair, Scorpius is folded into a hug by his father. Now it isn't as though I've never seen a hug before. I've seen Ron hug Rose many times, and even seen Arthur trap Ron in a few himself. However, never, in my whole life, have I seen a Malfoy show so much compassion. They're a veiled family, one that does not wish to express feelings so visually.

He is still rude, stubborn, and arrogant, but at least someone has taught him to care.