A/N- Happy Friday! Last chapter was how far Ron has come, this chapter is how far Harry has. And it takes us to the return home on the Hogwarts Express for winter break :-) This chapter actually takes place mostly outside of Hogwarts. Happy reading!
Harry entered Weasley's Wizard Wheezes on Saturday morning and looked around. The store was a little different but still looked as fun and crazy as ever. He hadn't been in in a few months what with auror training and all. "Welcome to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes how can I-oh, hello Potter."
Harry turned and stared. Standing there, in George's shop dressed in the robes his employees always wore, was Daphne Greengrass. "Greengrass? What are you doing here?"
"I work here," Daphne answered. "Why are you here?"
"I wanted to stop by and see George," Harry answered.
"George is at St. Mungo's," Daphne said. At Harry's alarmed look she added, "He's fine. Verity was on the receiving end of a firework that some kid set off and so he took her into the emergency room."
"Oh," Harry frowned, "I thought the fireworks could only be lit with a wand."
"He took his mother's," Daphne answered. "Verity's okay, but George is going to take her home after the hospital releases her and then he'll come back. I'm holding down the store by myself until he returns."
Harry looked around. There were quite a few people in the store already. And soon the busy period would begin as it was only around eleven in the morning and Christmas was coming up. Running the store on your own was like a death wish and Harry couldn't let Daphne Greengrass do that, "Well do you need any help? I know how to use the cash register and I've used or inspired most of the products."
Relief appeared on her features and Harry realized she must have felt in over her head, "Thank you. Between the cash register and helping people I've felt stretched all morning. There's extra robes in the back room."
Harry knew where they were; that summer he'd helped George a couple times. He put on the employee robe and went to help Daphne. He was still surprised she worked at the store, but he wasn't going to hang her out to dry. She needed help and he was going to help her (and by extension, George) out.
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George returned around two in the afternoon. Apparently St. Mungo's had been very busy that morning. While he was surprised to see Harry there, he thanked them both for their help and sent them off for lunch together, Charlie Weasley coming in to help George with the store while Daphne was gone.
Harry took Daphne to a café not far from the shop, "So how did you end up working for George of all people?"
"I was in the Alley with Pansy, going shopping for some things, and I saw the sign in the store's window. George needed someone who's good in potions to help him brew and I needed a job. Pansy said that he probably wouldn't hire me, what with me being a Slytherin and friends with Draco, but George didn't care. He hired me and even gave me the spare room in his apartment when I needed a place to stay."
"Your parents weren't arrested," Harry frowned. The Greengrasses had been neutral in the war to his knowledge.
"No but I refused to return to Hogwarts or let them marry me off to Marcus Flint," Daphne made a face at his name. "So I got kicked out of the house." Harry frowned. That was horrible. Daphne noticed his reaction, "It's fine. I was already seventeen so I have my trust fund. They can't take it away from me. I have my own flat now. Draco arranged for me to lease a lovely penthouse apartment from his father's company very cheaply."
"At least you're not stuck with Flint," Harry offered.
Daphne laughed, "You have no idea. The man has the intellect of a flobberworm. He had to repeat a year at Hogwarts."
Harry smirked. That was embarrassing. He was curious about her relationship with Malfoy though. "Why did Malfoy help you?"
"Curious or suspicious?" Daphne asked, tilting her head at him to study his reaction.
Harry blushed at being so easily read, "Maybe a little of both."
"Well I guess given your relationship with Granger you have a half-reason to be suspicious," she mused as the waiter brought their meals to them. When he left she answered, "Draco is my friend. Has been a very long time."
"You never seemed like friends in school," Harry frowned, confused.
"That was Draco's decision. Keep the anti-Slytherin sentiment on him and let the rest of us get through school unnoticed. He stopped hating muggleborns around third year I think," Daphne chewed thoughtfully. "Yes, sometime third year. But he never let anyone know. Had to play the role." Harry was stunned. Kingsley was right; Harry really didn't know Malfoy as well as he thought he did. "So why aren't you back at Hogwarts?" Daphne asked him.
"Too many bad memories," Harry answered.
"Me too," Daphne nodded. "I appreciate you helping me at the store. I was a little overwhelmed."
"It was no problem," Harry said. "I'm just glad George opened the store back up. Losing Fred really crushed him."
"He's more durable than he'd have you believe," Daphne smirked. "And I didn't know Fred at all but if he was truly identical to George, then I can't imagine either of them ever closing the shop even after losing the other. George is happiest when he's putting smiles on the faces of others."
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After that the conversation became much lighter and after dessert Harry walked her back to the shop. She thanked him again for his help and he visited with George for a bit while Daphne went back to brewing potions. "Business looks great," Harry said.
"Yeah Daphne is pretty great," George nodded. "She's really helpful with the female lines especially."
"Really?" Harry asked, surprised.
"Yeah," George nodded. "She's a great brewer. She's not as good as when Hermione was helping me, obviously, but Hermione's ridiculously talented at potions. Daphne's a little more willing to help me invent stuff so she's more useful in that way. Hermione doesn't have the mind for mischief quite like Daphne."
Harry was very intrigued by how different Daphne was since their time together in school. He'd really enjoyed having lunch with the blonde witch. And her words about Draco Malfoy had him thinking hard about what he thought he knew about Hermione's boyfriend.
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Lucius Malfoy stood at the International Portkey with Kingsley Shacklebolt. Any minute Narcissa, the healer, and the Grangers would be returning. Kingsley had offered to escort him to the portkey point to see his wife and Lucius had jumped at the chance. It had been a week and Lucius very much missed Narcissa.
Finally they arrived and he smiled, relieved that there were four people there and Narcissa looked fine. She led the Grangers over, "Helen, Troy, this is my husband Lucius and this is Minister Shacklebolt. He was the one who found you."
"Hermione wanted to get you sooner but I was unable to take her and I made her promise not to go alone," Kingsley apologized. "I didn't want her to get in trouble with the Australian authorities."
"Narcissa explained that to us," Helen said. "We've had a very educational and emotional past week."
Troy nodded, "Can we go home now?"
"I've had some house elves clean it up for you," Lucius nodded. "My sister-in-law bought some groceries for you so that you'd have the basics at least. Your daughter did a very good job preserving your home."
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Andromeda had brought her car and Kingsley saw them all off. The trip to the Grangers' home wasn't long and they soon arrived. They all five went inside and Helen and Troy both breathed a sigh of relief that everything was still there as they remembered. "Your daughter is an incredible young woman," Lucius told them.
"Yes we've heard about her accomplishments in your war," Helen said. "It's quite a great deal to take in though."
"Certainly understandable," Andromeda gave her a sympathetic smile, "My late husband was muggleborn. He often said it was very hard, straddling two worlds such as he was."
"I've seen the stress in my daughter before," Troy admitted, sitting down in his favorite chair. "When she gets owls and then struggles to tell us what her magical friends are doing or want to do."
"When does Hogwarts let out for winter break?" Helen asked. So much needed to be done before Christmas. She'd missed her daughter and the anger had dissipated after a few days. All she wanted now was her family reunited.
"December twentieth," Narcissa answered.
"Not much time to do the holiday properly," Troy frowned.
"We had many house elves at Malfoy Manor who currently have very little to do in Andromeda's home. They would be happy to assist you in any way that you like be it cooking, decorating, food shopping, cleaning, whatever you need," Lucius said.
"That should make things easier at least," Helen conceded, curious just how helpful these magical little creatures could be.
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Draco groaned into his pillow as Hermione massaged his neck and shoulders. This was nice. Very nice. Quidditch practice had been fine until a blizzard had suddenly whipped up and then he and the Slytherin team had hurried inside. But not before Draco'd hurt himself straining for the last bludger in the intense winds. Hermione had put him in a hot shower and when he exited she'd ushered him to the bed for a massage. Her hands felt so good.
"I love you," Draco mumbled.
"You're just saying that because of the massage," she teased. Draco smiled into the pillow. "All better?"
"Yes," he answered. She moved off of him and Draco turned onto his side to pull her against him. "Thank you."
Hermione smiled, "You're welcome," her hand moved to his hip, "So what are our holiday plans or am I still not to know?"
"I'm still working on some things," he said. It had been just over two weeks since the letter from his father and Draco was holding to his plan to not tell her anything about her parents' return. He did know the Grangers had moved back home, safe and sound. He'd had to swallow his pride and his anger at his father to work with him to surprise Hermione which, frankly, proved he'd changed dramatically. Even five months ago he couldn't have envisioned helping his father in any way, let alone something like arranging a surprise dinner for Hermione with her muggle parents. There was no denying that Lucius Malfoy had changed no matter how much Draco would like to hate his father. "But I have agreed to have dinner with my parents."
"That's great!" She kissed him, "Draco that's amazing."
"Yeah I guess," he sighed. "I was hoping that you'd come with me though. I'm not entirely sure I can sit at a table with my father and not hex him. My aunt will be there, though, and so will my cousin Teddy. So you'd have some allies there."
"Of course I'll come with you," she said. Draco gave her a grateful smile, pleased that he had pulled that off. He did have some acting experience; he'd pretended to believe muggleborns were weak and deserved to die for a little over four years, after all. That he hated a witch when in truth he admired her fire and determination. Draco figured if he could do that, convincingly no less to everyone from the witch in question to Voldemort, well that made the current task seem much easier.
"Thanks," Draco kissed her, "you're the best."
Although she wouldn't mind continuing the kiss she broke it to speak, "it's almost time for lunch. We should go downstairs."
"Food is important," he conceded. "What do you want for Christmas, Hermione?"
"Before Ron arrived I'd have asked for you to get along with my friends but Terry seems to have literally knocked some sense into Ron and he's surprisingly getting on with you," Hermione sat up and handed him his shirt to put on, "You're already taking me to find my parents, Draco. You don't have to get me anything else."
"Yes I do," he said. "You're not introducing me to your parents and when they ask what I got you for Christmas saying, 'nothing.' It is unseemly for a Malfoy to appear cheap."
Hermione watched him button up his shirt before reaching for his hand. He pulled her into his arms and she looked up at him, "Well then get me some jewelry or something. I can't think of anything I want or need other than you and having my parents back."
He smiled. She'd have it all this Christmas. In his opinion, no one deserved a better Christmas than Hermione. Not after all she'd gone through and done. "Father has Severus' belongings. Maybe we can find something to treat and get rid of your scar in his notes. He was the best potions master ever."
"That sounds like a good, safe topic of conversation," Hermione said as he led her out of their room. Anything that prevented bloodshed between Draco and his father appealed to her greatly.
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While Ron seemed to be getting along with the rest of the eighth years, the divide between him and Ginny was intense and hostile. Ron still believed that Ginny had cheated on Harry. Hermione, meanwhile, was angry with Ginny trying to manipulate Draco into a confrontation with Ron to take the heat off of her.
Blaise shared Hermione's anger, and as a result his relationship with Ginny had soured. Draco was rather pleased, in all honesty. He didn't trust the youngest Weasley after that little scene in the Great Hall. At lunch at their table Theo looked at Blaise, "What are you doing for winter break?"
"I don't know," Blaise answered.
"Well there's plenty of room at my place," Theo offered.
"That sounds better than being alone," Blaise admitted.
Ron put food on his plate, "I really don't want to have to deal with Ginny this Christmas," he muttered.
"I feel your pain," Blaise said. "I'm just relieved I'm out of that."
"Did Potter say she was cheating on him?" Ernie asked.
"He hasn't answered that letter," Ron answered with a frown. "But Ginny's the one that was falling all over him after the Final Battle and then suddenly starts dating someone else on the sly so for me that's case closed."
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Hermione sat down with Draco, "You two sure took your time," Terry observed.
"Hermione made me take a shower to make sure I don't get sick," Draco shrugged.
"Smart," Blaise chuckled. "A sick Draco is a whiny, irritating Draco." Theo laughed while Draco gave his friends a glare.
Hermione ignored his friends as she put food on her plate, "I wouldn't mind playing nurse to Draco," she said, making her boyfriend smile as dirty fantasies popped into his head. Oh that would be a fun avenue to explore. They hadn't tried roleplay yet.
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"I have to go home for a bit but I'm hoping to get to spend some time at Theo's place," Padma said.
"Me too," Terry nodded.
"Just let me know when," Theo said. "I can have an elf prepare a room for you."
Hermione smiled. At the welcoming feast she wasn't certain they'd have the unity and friendship they did now; she was glad they did, though. And that Ron, stuck in his own personal hatred of Slytherins since childhood, could overcome that hatred gave her hope for the rest of wizarding Britain.
"Have you two made your plans yet?" Padma asked Hermione and Draco.
"Draco's agreed to have dinner with his parents," Hermione smiled. "I'll be going for moral support."
Theo, suspecting just what Draco actually had planned, was impressed with his friend's ability to pull one over on Hermione. To use her desire for him to mend things with his parents to his advantage was the ultimate feat in Slytherin cunning. Draco smiled, "After that I think we'll play it by ear. Weather will play a big part of course."
"Inter-continental portkeys aren't fun," Blaise agreed.
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Harry helped Teddy stand up, "You're growing so quickly Teddy."
"They always do at that age," Andromeda mused.
"How are you doing?" Harry asked. The closer it got to Christmas the more he worried about the witch who'd lost her husband and daughter in the war.
"Better than I might have expected," she answered. "Narcissa and Lucius being here helps. Both with Teddy and the loneliness."
Harry nodded. Since deciding to put an effort into putting aside his biases to support Hermione in her relationship with Draco Malfoy and keep his job, he'd made an effort to spend more time with Teddy. This meant spending time with the Malfoy parents. And learning what Lucius had planned to do to show his gratitude to Hermione and prove to his son he was capable and willing to change.
He still had his doubts, of course. Harry wasn't going to let that go away overnight. But he had to admit, Lucius Malfoy seemed sincere. Kingsley's words were always in the back of Harry's head so he tried to always give the Malfoys the benefit of the doubt, which was very hard for him given his visceral distrust of them.
Of course, he had to concede that bringing her parents back was a pretty big deal. And spending time with them, which the Malfoys were doing regularly, was impressive since he knew they were both raised to hate muggles.
"I figured I'd spend Christmas with you and Teddy if you don't mind," Harry said.
"You're welcome here anytime, Harry," Andromeda smiled, "but we'll be spending the day with the Grangers. I need to be with my sister and it's a certainty that Draco and Hermione will be there. You're of course welcome, Troy and Helen have both said so."
Christmas with the Malfoys? Harry thought about it quickly. Pros- Teddy, Andromeda, the Grangers, and Hermione. Cons- the Malfoys. While clearly Lucius and Narcissa were making an effort, Harry hadn't seen Draco Malfoy since the bloke's trial. And yes, he did have several lunches and even a few dinners with Daphne Greengrass. And yes, her stories about Draco showed a side of him that Harry'd never seen. But he and Draco had been rivals since they'd arrived at Hogwarts and that made burying the distrust and the anger and hatred very hard.
However if he was going to see if Malfoy had truly changed, he had to be around the bloke. And he needed to show Hermione that he himself could mature and put aside petty childhood rivalries lest he lose her friendship which he valued dearly. So Harry accepted the invitation.
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Their final week at Hogwarts before winter break seemed to fly by, which was perfect for Hermione but she knew it was harder for most of the others. They didn't have much to look forward to over the Christmas break. Draco, meanwhile, was eager for his witch to see her parents. While he liked surprising her, he didn't like lying to her about what they were doing over the holidays.
Hermione closed her trunk and smiled. "Have I mentioned how great you are for doing this?"
"A few times," he answered, leaning in to kiss her. "I'm glad that you're excited. Tonight's dinner isn't exactly exciting for me." Draco thought he deserved a muggle Oscar. In truth, he was giddy that soon Hermione would be reunited with her parents. Quashing that down and acting like he was dreading dinner that evening was very, very hard.
"It'll be fine, Draco," she assured him. "Andromeda won't tolerate your father being a bigoted arse."
He smiled at her words and wrapped her in his scarf, "You look good in green."
"I know you think so," she teased. Draco winked and slipped his coat on. He was happy to leave for break. Even happier that they were staying in Hermione's apartment. He and Blaise's lease had only been for the summer so he'd left his things in Hermione's apartment, shrunk into a few boxes in her closet. Hermione put her coat on, adjusting Draco's scarf around her neck. She didn't mind wearing his house colors and it always made him happy so she had no problem with it.
"Well I think we're ready now," Draco said.
"Let's go then," Hermione shrunk their trunks and Draco pocketed them before they exited their dorm.
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Ron found it weird, being on the Hogwarts Express without Harry. Even weirder to be on the train yet be a full adult. Draco and Hermione had let the others join them in the heads' compartment, which was a large size because of the prefect meetings typically held there. "This is really strange," Ron said.
"Now you know how we felt being in the rest of the train," Terry said. "Bloody awkward and uncomfortable."
"At least Hermione and Draco had their own compartment up here; they didn't have to go through sitting with younger students. I know we're only a year older than the seventh years but it feels like we're ten years older," Ernie sighed. "I sat with Hannah and Susan and some younger Hufflepuffs back in September. It was weird."
"I reckon that's because most of us saw battle or felt the effects of the war," Neville mused.
"Blaise and I sat with some first years in September," Theo said. "They were muggleborns so they didn't care what our last names were. Everyone else just gave us evil glares. Except the Slytherins."
"So who all are you inviting to your party?" Draco asked Theo, trying to change the conversation to something happier.
"Well everyone in here obviously," Theo said. Ron smiled. A night away from the Burrow sounded like heaven. "And I figured I'd invite Daphne and Pansy too. That's as far as I got. I figured Susan might have some ideas."
"Well you might want to invite George Weasley," Draco mused. "Daphne works for him now and they seem to get on really well based on her letters."
"George will certainly add some humor and fun to the party," Hermione smiled.
"Well if he doesn't hate Slytherins I don't see why not," Theo said. "No one gets to insult me or my friends in my house. Otherwise they're welcome."
"This party is getting better by the minute," Blaise said. "Needs more witches, though."
Hermione rolled her eyes. Blaise was a horn dog. It seemed his breakup with Ginny was no big deal for him, at least now, and she was sure he would be 'back to his old ways,' as Draco would put it, by the end of break. She glanced out the window at the falling snow. Dinner that evening with Draco's parents, and a trip to find her parents. It was going to be a really great Christmas.