Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any other recognizable works.
A/N: Sorry guys! I wish I had a great excuse for this being so late but honestly I don't. I've been feeling crummy lately and haven't done much of anything productive. Unless you count binge watching Call the Midwife and izombie "productive" Anyway, here it is and I hope you enjoy it. Also, A/N at the end.
Chapter 7-
"Pass the jam please?" Hermione asked and Draco looked up before quickly looking back down and handing her the jar of jam, careful to avoid her touch.
She sighed as she accepted the jar and set to work smearing it on her toast as Draco pushed up from the table.
"I should get going." He said quietly and he leaned over to kiss the top of Scorpius' head before he turned on his heel.
Hermione debated for half a second before she quickly followed after him, smiling at the kids as she left the room. "Draco, wait!"
She saw him stiffen as he came to a stop and ever so slowly, turned around. "Yes?"
"Can we talk about this?" She asked.
Draco sighed, hanging his head as he reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "No, I don't think so."
He made to turn and Hermione reached out, grabbing him much the same way he had her the night before. "Draco."
He turned on her then, moving close enough that she could feel his warm breath fanning across her face. "What? What do you want me to say?"
"Draco-" She said again, louder this time and he leaned forward. She could smell him and it made her pulse quicken and her thoughts race.
"Do you want me to say it was a mistake? Do you want me to point out all the reasons I shouldn't have kissed you? Do you want an apology?"
"No, I-"
"Forget it happened." He said lowly and for a moment, the old Draco flashed in his eyes. The one she had known long ago, the one she had slapped, the one who had called her names, the boy who had left her in tears at times with one simple word. As quickly as he appeared, he was gone and Hermione saw the sadness in his eyes increase tenfold.
"I can't." she said honestly.
"Why?"
"Because I don't want to." And this time, she was sure it was her who had made the first move.
He was still under her lips at first and she pressed herself against him, her fingers tangling in the hair at the nape of his neck, until finally he responded. He pressed back with vigor, his lips moving in synch with hers before his tongue darted out, licking her bottom lip as it sought entrance and before she could think on it too much, she let him.
They were breathless when they broke apart and Hermione rested her forehead against his chest as she fought to control her heart rate as she listened to the same, quick thump of his beneath her head.
"We can't." He said finally and she looked up at him quickly, noting the same sadness in his eyes.
"Draco-"
"I can't." He said finally, shaking his head as he pulled away. "Not with you."
And before she could respond he had pushed away, leaving her standing dumbfounded and heartbroken in his wake.
She waited in the library that night for hours until her eyes battled to stay open and the pit in her stomach had filled with lead because she knew he wasn't coming. By the time she had fallen to sleep, the nightmares were almost too much to bear.
She continued teaching the children, placing him out of her mind as much as she could she worked with Hugo to say more than the few words she could coax out of him as Scorpius and Rose worked on their lessons. It seemed she was doing a good job of pretending that Draco's rejection hadn't stung to her core, and every night she found herself waiting in the library until she returned to her room to succumb to the nightmares.
Draco's time spent at the manor shortened as well and soon she began to see Scorpius withdraw into himself and her heart broke for the little boy. So it was two weeks later that she found herself outside of Draco's bedroom, warring with herself on what she was about to do. Her hand was poised to knock as she worried her bottom lip just as the door opened.
"Hermione." Draco said, looking at her in surprise. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes." She said quickly, "Well, no. Actually, it's not."
"What's wrong?"
Hermione groaned as she stepped back, pinching the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. "It's you."
"Beg your pardon?"
"That came out wrong." She said quickly. "Look, what happened…"
"Don't." He said, his eyes dangerous and Hermione stepped back slightly before she remembered the sad little face that morning at breakfast.
She straightened her shoulders as she stepped forward, her posture rigid and her stare firm. "No Draco. You don't get to do this. Whatever prejudices you still have against me, fine. If you're horrified about what happened between us, I won't fault you for that either. But you don't get to pull away from Scorpius. If you want me to leave just say so, but I will not stand by and watch that little boy break."
Draco gaped at her and she swallowed, waiting for his biting remark but it never came. She stood there in complete silence until her jaw hurt from clenching her teeth so hard before she turned on her heel and marched off, not looking back once.
"You did what?!" Ginny stared slack jawed at the witch in front of her and Hermione groaned, resting her forehead on the tips of her fingers.
"I know." She finally said and looked over to where all of the children were playing in the grass.
Hermione had been wary to tell Ginny about the kisses she had shared with Draco. Not wanting to make her sister-in-law feel as though Hermione was trying to forget her brother. However, after the recent turn of events she wasn't sure she had any other choice. After she had accosted Draco she had retired to her room only to wake in the morning to a note from Draco stating that he didn't wish for her to leave but that he had taken Scorpius for the day. In the week since he had been spending more one on one time with Scorpius but Hermione hadn't seen him at all. She even sat in the library every night, despite how pathetic it made her feel. She hated to admit it, but talking to Ginny was part frustration and part desperation.
"Why though?" Ginny asked as she picked up a pickle and cheese sandwich and spread some honey on top.
"I don't- I don't know." Hermione answered honestly. "It's…complicated."
Ginny sighed as she set her knife down and looked at her friend. "It's only as complicated as you make it."
Hermione scoffed. "You sound like your mother."
"Yes, well, she's been known to be right sometimes." Ginny laughed. "Jamie, if I see you hit your brother with that quaffle one more time-"
Hermione shook her head and swirled her cooling tea around the cup. "He's different Gin. I mean, he's still Malfoy. But, when we were in the library together he was thoughtful and kind. He listened to me talk and he talked with me in return. Like a- friend. But it was more than that. I guess I just thought-"
She trailed off as her cheeks pinked and her tongue tied. She had been about to say that she thought there might have been something there, but Ginny was looking at her with eyes so like Ron's that even admitting it felt like she was being disloyal to her late husband.
"Hermione." Ginny said firmly. "I'm going to tell you this and I'm only going to say this once and if you repeat it, I swear I will hex you from here to Romania and my mum can bring you back and I'll hex you again. When you were ill, you were talking to Ron but it wasn't Ron you were talking to. It was Draco. You were telling him that you loved him, that you missed him, that you hated him for leaving and Draco was just taking it. He kept telling you that he was sorry and that he wished things had been different. I only overheard because the man wouldn't leave your side for a second. But Hermione, it wasn't out of pity or guilt that he stayed… "
"I don't-"
Ginny shook her head before she continued. "He stayed because he cares for you in some capacity. And honestly, I can't imagine how you feel, I really can't. But Ron has been gone for three years, and I knew my brother Hermione. He would want you to be happy, even if it meant you running off with Argus Filch or something."
Hermione gagged at that, and Ginny laughed as she reached over to grab Hermione's hand. "All I'm saying is that if you feel something for Draco, don't downplay it to me because you think it will hurt me or because you think you're being unfaithful to Ron. James Sirius Potter, what did I say?"
Ginny rounded on her son then and Hermione laughed as she watched Ginny pull the boy aside to talk to him about being kind to his brother and cousins. She chewed on her bottom lip, wondering not only how Ginny had somehow become the voice of reason, but also about everything that had happened in the past five months. If, months ago, someone had told her she would be sitting on the grounds of Malfoy manor, talking about kissing Draco Malfoy, she would have laughed in their face.
"It doesn't matter anyway." Hermione said as Ginny sat back down in her chair. "He's completely avoiding the situation. Avoiding me."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Oh, you poor sweet child, I obviously have so much to teach you."
"Huh?"
"Do you remember when we were younger and I had the biggest crush on Harry Potter but he was completely blind to me because I was his best friend's little sister?"
"I believe I spent an entire summer listening to you bemoan this fact, yes." Hermione said.
Ginny smiled conspiratorially "Well, I spent a year dating boys in his year and now I'm married to that boy and we have two children and one on the way. I think if anyone can figure out how to help you gain Draco Malfoy's attention it's me."
Hermione listened as Ginny prattled on, eager to get to planning, and although Hermione couldn't help the dread that happened to settle in her stomach as she listened to Ginny eagerly lay out her idea, she also couldn't have been more grateful for the woman that was her sister.
Hermione exhaled deeply as she walked up to Draco's closed study door. It was a place she had only been on the occasions that she had given him progress reports on Scorpius' learning. Then, she had been eager to tell him everything that Scorpius had been learning and accomplishing in their time together. Now, however, she was executing a well thought out plan by her sister-in-law and she thought she might vomit on the marble floor.
She raised her hand, knocking twice, and listening to the silence that seemed to stretch on on the other side before she finally heard Malfoy call from the other side. "Come in."
Unsteadily she reached out and opened the door, willing her nerves at bay as she stepped into the room.
Draco had stood up behind his desk at her entrance and she realized at once that he wasn't alone. The man that sat before him was familiar, at least, so she didn't feel so worried that she had interrupted something important, and surely, if a meeting with Blaise Zabini this late in the evening was more than a friendly visit, he would have told her to come again another time.
"Mrs. Weasley." Draco said and Hermione had to fight the urge to correct him as she nodded once at him and then at Zabini.
The man hadn't changed much since Hogwarts. In school she had known that he had run with Draco Malfoy and had spouted his ideals about blood purity and lineage to his fellow Slytherins. However, at the battle of Hogwarts, Zabini had been one of the few who had stepped forward and had fought alongside his fellow peers, alongside Harry Potter. Though she couldn't be quite sure, she almost wondered if all his bluster back then had been a ruse.
"Hello, Mrs. Weasley." Blaise said and he smiled as he stepped forward offering her his hand. "It is a pleasure to see you again. I was very sorry to hear of your husbands passing. He meant so much to the wizarding world."
Hermione swallowed and looked away as Malfoy cleared his throat roughly, and though she was sure it was more out of discomfort of her presence, she was glad for the interruption.
"Did you need something?" Malfoy asked and Hermione nodded as Blaise let go of her hand to move back to his chair and Malfoy sat back down.
"Yes, sorry, I was just making sure that you were still planning on taking the weekend off?" she said and for once the nerves she had at the entirety of Ginny's plan worked in her favor.
"Yes, I didn't plan on working…" Malfoy started, his brow furrowed as he stared up at her.
Hermione continued quickly so as not to lose her courage- some Gryffindor she was turning out to be. "I only ask because I intend to be gone late Friday evening."
"Oh." Malfoy said before he cleared his throat. "Do you have plans?"
Hermione smiled this time and nodded. "I, uh, have a date actually."
Malfoy stared at her and for a moment she thought maybe Ginny was right, before his face became the same composed mask it always was, seemingly unfazed by her announcement. "And your children? Will they be staying with their cousins?"
"Harry and Ginny have plans so Neville has said he would watch them for me actually."
Draco nodded and picked up the glass that sat on his desk, taking a long pull from the amber liquid. "Why not just leave them with me?"
She paused at that, her eyes flickering to Blaise who seemed to be highly amused by something as he stared hard at Draco from across the desk. It hadn't been part of the plan. Neville had agreed to watch the children while she went on her date but she also had planned on returning to Neville's to stay the evening with them.
"If they stay here they can sleep in their own beds. As I'm led to believe, Scorpius has moved a bed in their room as well? It would be hard on him to sleep in the room alone."
She swallowed, realizing he had a point before she nodded. "Of course. I think that would be fine."
Draco nodded. "Then it's settled. Was that all you needed?"
"Y-yes." She stammered. "Thank you."
She nodded at Draco and then at Blaise who stood up once again before she hurriedly left the room to floo Ginny. She only hoped the witch would tell her she hadn't ruined everything.
"You look pretty mummy." Rose said as Hermione finished the last touches of her hair and makeup. She had spared no expense tonight, having used nearly a whole bottle of Sleekeasy's on her head.
"Thank you Rose." She said as she pushed one of the curls she had left loose back into position and finished her lipstick.
"Do you have to go?" Scorpius asked and Hermione turned with a smile.
"I'm sorry Scorp. I do." She sighed as she moved to where all three kids sat on her bed.
She had told the children she would be going out that night and while Rose had been excited at the prospects of getting away with more when her mother wasn't around, and Hugo hadn't seemed to mind either way, Scorpius had seemed to take it hard.
"Remember though, I will be back before you know it." She said, leaning over to kiss his white blonde hair before doing the same to Rose and Hugo. "Now, off you get."
The kids all giggled as she shooed them out of her room and she grabbed her shoes before she followed them out into the sitting room of their suite. She nearly gasped when she was met with Draco Malfoy standing from where he had been sitting on her sofa and her date quickly doing the same.
"Hermione." Cormac McLaggen smiled broadly at her and for a moment she thought about killing Ginny herself before she quickly remembered to smile back.
He crossed the room and handed her the flower in his hand, and though it was slightly wilted and a touch on the brown side, she kept smiling and thanked him for the gift.
"I made reservations at eight for a nice little restaurant in Muggle London." The man said and though she wasn't, she could tell he had meant to impress her.
"Alright, just let me give the children one last kiss good-bye." Hermione said and Cormac nodded as she walked over to the children's room. It wasn't until she had slipped inside that she realized Malfoy had followed her.
"McLaggen?" He asked, his brow raised.
Hermione nodded. "Is that a problem?"
"No." He shrugged, his hands in his robe pockets. "No problem at all."
She pursed her lips and nodded curtly. "Good."
She kissed the children good-bye, once more promising Scorpius that she would return before she headed back out to the sitting room where Cormac was standing by the door.
"Ready?" He asked, impatience seeping into his tone and she nodded.
"Hermione." She stiffened slightly at the use of her name and turned to see Draco holding her coat out for her.
"Thank you." She said quietly as he held her coat while she slid her arms into it.
"It's chilly." He said by way of explanation, his tone clipped and his mouth next to her ear.
She almost turned around but she forced herself to keep going, her eyes focused on Cormac who opened the door and walked out and she followed closely behind, not daring to look back.
A/N: Don't throw things at me yet! If I get enough interest I'll post another chapter tonight! (Bribery at it's finest right there folks!) So hit the review button and let me know!
