"She seems like a lovely young woman," Estelle commented.
"What?"
"Hermione," the woman clarified. "She seems like an intelligent and sensible young woman. Very nice."
"Also bloody stubborn," Draco added.
Estelle smiled, "She's got a good head on her shoulders. I can tell."
"She's a real pain in the arse."
"She's rather pretty too," Estelle continued.
Draco couldn't help his smirk. "She didn't look like that in school."
"She seems to have put you in a good mood." Estelle adjusted Juliet in her arms as she realized the little girl had fallen asleep.
Draco shook his head, "Granger," he muttered.
"Alright, Mister Malfoy," Estelle sighed. "I'm going to go lay Juliet down."
Draco nodded absentmindedly and just as Estelle turned with Juliet in his arms he spoke. "No," he said.
"Pardon?"
He held out his arms, "No, I'll take her."
"Are you sure?"
"Give her here," Draco ordered, "you rest."
Estelle didn't protest and easily handed the child over. "Goodnight Mister Malfoy."
He nodded and a small smile graced the woman's aging features. She turned from the room went upstairs; straight to her own room for once. Quietly she walked down the corridor and into her bedroom, turning on the lamp and letting out a content sigh.
Draco held Juliet how he saw Estelle hold her, cradling her to his chest, her little limbs tucked in his arms. He kissed the top of her head and then took the stairs slowly and carefully. He caught a glimpse of himself in the corridor's mirror and stopped. He stared at his reflection. He wore one of his typical outfits, an expensive grey button-down (the sleeves rolled up) and black slacks. His hair fell un-gelled in a platinum and somewhat messy style. The same colour of the fine hair on top of the small head he supported in his large hand.
He looked slightly different.
He looked like a father. Almost a dad.
Hermione braided her hair to the side and pushed her bangs away from her face. She smacked her freshly coated, pink lips together and fixed her green strapless dress. Checking her watch she smiled. Impeccable timing.
She grabbed the shrunken present she had prepared nicely and grabbed her wand before apparating out of her flat and to the Weasleys.
"Hello," Hermione called as she tucked her wand away into the pocket of her dress she had enlarged.
"Hermione!" Ginny squealed from somewhere else. "Yay! You're here!"
"Where are you, Gin?" she asked.
"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed; his arms wide open for her.
Hermione grinned and hugged him tightly. "Harry, where is everybody?"
"Outside in the back," he told her. "It's sweltering hot out there but we put up a tent. And there's a ton of drinks going around."
"Really?"
"I say, it's too hot out there anyway but what do I know? Ginny says it's beautiful."
"It is beautiful out there," Hermione said.
"You're wearing a dress," Ron told her flippantly as he came inside. "You have no sleeves. Of course it's beautiful outside."
"Oh come on you two," Hermione laughed. "Let's go, outside." She began to usher them out the back door.
"It's too hot!" Ron roared. "No!"
Hermione rolled her eyes and got out her wand. A light blue light quickly burst from her wand, hitting Harry before she cast another to Ron.
They both jumped a little before looking at each other and grinning widely. "Cooling charm," Harry shook his head, "why didn't I think of that?"
"Because you're sweaty and slightly panicky over your son's first birthday," Hermione said. "Now come on. Outside. Let's go."
The two men shrugged and went out the back door, Hermione following behind with James' present.
"Harry, I need you to put the banner up now," Ginny instructed, little James sitting comfortably on her hip. "And the balloons…Ron!"
Ron's eyes widened and he jumped. "What? What did I do?"
"The balloons!" Ginny exclaimed. "I asked you to blow up the balloons and you just left them there! One task! That's all I asked!"
Ron shot Harry a look, trying to convey the message of 'control your wife' but Harry just shrugged in response, 'she's your sister'.
"Where're your mum and dad and George and Bill and Fleur and Charlie and…who have I missed?" Hermione asked.
"Percy and Audrey," Ginny supplied. "And Mum and Dad are out getting…something. George had to close the shop, Bill and Fleur and Victoire are on their way. Charlie's running late for some reason or another."
Hermione nodded. "Okay, well what else needs to be done?"
Ginny began listing to herself, "The banner, balloons—"
"And why can't I use magic for those?" Ron asked.
Ginny glared, "Knowing you, they'd burst. What else?"
"I'll get the balloons done with Ron," Hermione said. James began to squirm restlessly in Ginny's arms. Hermione walked over and took him from Ginny, "He can open my present now and you go ahead and help Harry with the banner."
Ginny sighed and nodded, pulling back her red locks and going over to Harry and the banner. Harry mouthed a quick 'thank you' to Hermione before working on the banner with Ginny.
"Come on James," Hermione bounced him on her hip and then set him down on the grass next to his present. "Ron," she called, "bring the balloons here."
Ron did so without protest and Hermione pulled out her wand, blowing up a few of them before sitting and pulling James in her lap, helping him unwrap his gift and laughing as he smiled and became enthralled with the wrapping.
"Hogwarts: A History?" Ron said incredulously. "Really, Hermione?"
"Everyone should have one," Hermione defended. "Here, James." She unburied the building blocks she had gotten him from beneath the wrapping paper and put them in front of the little boy. He played with the wrapping a little longer before picking up the blocks and clapping them together.
Ron picked up a few of the balloons and pulled his wand from his shorts' pocket. "You know, she really likes to think I'm useless," he commented, looking over at his younger sister and shaking his head.
"She's just a little stressed, is all," Hermione assured.
Ron rolled his eyes a bit. "For heaven's sake, though. I'm a bloody auror now; I think I can handle a few balloons." To prove his point he blew up a several balloons via magic and Hermione laughed.
"We all know you're capable, Ron," she laughed. "So anyway, how has the week of an auror been?"
Ron chuckled, "Pretty uneventful to be honest. Filed reports and crap. What about you?"
"A lot like yours then actually," she said. James threw a one of the blocks and it bounced off Ron's knee. He picked it up and gently tossed it back to James. It landed in the one year old's lap and Hermione looked at Ron. "Careful," she warned.
"It barely touched him!" Ron exclaimed.
Hermione said, "Yes, but a little harder and it would have hit him."
Ron inflated more balloons and Hermione followed suit.
"Hermione!" Ginny yelled from across the tent. "Does this look straight?" She gestured to the banner and Hermione looked at it scrutinized it.
In dark blue lettering it read Happy 1st Birthday James!
Harry gave Hermione a pleading look and she nodded. "It looks straight."
"Looks straight?" Ginny repeated. She stepped back a bit and stared at it. "I don't know—"
"It's straight!" Harry said quickly. "If Hermione agrees you know it is. She's a perfectionist about these things."
Ginny nodded. "Alright, well—"
The distant sound of the floo was heard and Ginny forgot what she was saying and went inside. "George!" she exclaimed. "Angelina!"
Hermione craned her neck around to see George and Angelina Johnson coming out of the house.
"Hey, Hermione, Harry Ron," Angelina greeted.
Hermione smiled at her, "Hello."
George grinned. "Hey, 'Mione, Harry, Ronnikins."
"Hey George, Angelina." Harry called.
Hermione stacked a few of the blocks in front of James and watched him push them over in glee. She glanced back and George and Angelina. Everyone knew they were going to get together soon. But so far they were only friends. Just friends. What a lie.
Mr. and Mrs. Weasley apparated into the yard looked around.
"Alright, Ginny," Mrs. Weasley said. "Looks like everyone's about here. I'll go put the food to warm while we wait on the others."
Ginny nodded and looked over at Hermione, Ron and James. "Ron," she said, "could put the balloons up now? Please," she added.
Ron got the balloons and began to put them around the tent. Hermione turned to Angelina, "I'm going to go help Molly in the kitchen. Could you keep an eye on James?"
Angelina nodded eagerly. "Yeah sure. You go ahead." Hermione waited until the other girl had sat down behind the little boy before leaving to go inside.
She went into the kitchen and helped Mrs. Weasley with the very last of the food preparations. By the time the food was finished and brought out, everyone had arrived and was hungry and the party began.
It was early evening by the time James' birthday party ended. The little boy had fallen asleep and his parents decided it was about time they took him home. Hermione was tired too. Only six o'clock, still plenty bright outside, but she was perfectly content on just going home, having a light dinner and watching a movie relaxed on her couch.
She apparated into her apartment and kicked off her sandals, then fixed them neatly on her shoe mat. She headed straight into her bedroom and changed into her pyjamas, a pink t-shirt and gray shorts.
Mrs. Weasley had fed everyone a little too much at the party and Hermione couldn't fit another full meal into her if she was force fed. She put on a pair of ankle socks and padded into the kitchen and opened the fridge. She poured herself a glass of milk and then went into her living room, falling back into the 'L' of her sofa and grabbing the remote and a coaster for her glass on the side table.
She turned on the television and started flipping through channels. There was a loud and slow knock at the door.
Hermione sighed and got up from the sofa and hesitantly went towards the door. She wasn't expecting anyone, although sometimes Harry, Ron, or Ginny would stop by. But she had seen them just minutes ago. She looked through the peep hole and stepped back a bit. She looked again and then again stepped back.
Forgetting the chain on the door she tried to open it. The door stopped with the chain and Hermione looked at him through the opening.
"Is everything okay?" she asked immediately. "What are you doing here?"
"Granger," he said, standing up straight and looking surprised. "What are you doing in there?"
"What do you mean? This is where I live," Hermione told him.
"I've been standing here for nearly half an hour. You weren't home," Draco said. "How'd you get in there?"
"I apparated."
"Straight into your flat?"
"Yes." She blinked at him, confused and he tilted his head a bit to look at her through the door.
"So anyone can just apparate straight into your flat?" he asked. "Do you have any idea how dangerous—"
"Not anyone," she said. "I have wards up. And hardly a few know my address anyway."
Draco shook his head.
"Well what are you here for anyway?" she asked, pressing herself against the door to see him as he moved.
"I had something to tell you," he explained.
"Oh." She shut the door in his face and he sighed. He turned to leave and go home when there was a rattling and the door opened again. "Do you want to come in?" Hermione offered.
He shrugged, "Sure."
She opened the door wider and let him in. He noticed her shoes, neatly organized on the mat and he raised an eyebrow. She gave him and his shoes a pointed look and he rolled his eyes and took off his own black shoes. "Do you want something to eat or drink?" she asked.
"Not unless you have scotch," he said.
She shook her head, "Nope. I have coffee, though."
"I take it black."
Hermione went into the kitchen and started making the coffee while Draco leaned on the island. "So what did you come here to tell me?"
He paused. "I went to Diagon Alley today. I was bombarded by press questions. The nosy arses."
"What were you in Diagon Alley for?" she asked over her shoulder as she continued on with the coffee at the counter.
"I was going to meet Blaise at the Leaky Cauldron, decided not to go after all," he shrugged.
"I don't mean to be a nosy arse," Hermione started, " but when exactly is your court date anyway?"
"There isn't one," he said dismissively.
"What do you mean there isn't one?" she demanded.
"Well Bervex and Dirana, the Parkinsons, got the press and their fricking lawyers involved and crap but they can't actually fight me for custody."
"Because…" she fiddled with the coffee beans and pulled down a mug, "because you're the biological father," she finished.
He nodded, "Exactly."
"So then why did they bother with the press?" Hermione questioned aloud.
"I don't know," he hopped up on the island and swung his legs around to face her back. "They think they have some right to Juliet because Pans put their names on a couple of the forms."
Hermione sighed. "So you're not fighting for custody."
"Technically no. But the Parkinsons are trying to fight their way into Juliet's life and I'm trying to stop them. That's fight enough," he smirked, sort of tiredly. "I talked to my lawyers though and since I'm technically capable of taking care of Juliet, the Parkinsons have nothing over me."
"Then why all the fuss?" Hermione asked, opening a drawer and getting a spoon to stir the coffee, bumping the drawer closed with her hip.
"Because they're rotten people in general and I don't want them anywhere near my kid," Draco snapped.
"I see," Hermione smiled. "Here you go. Black coffee."
Draco took the mug from her and sipped. "Thanks."
"You're welcome," she replied. She went over to the couch and waved Draco over. She picked up her glass of milk and drank a bit.
He followed her with his coffee and looked at her. "Where have you been?" he asked curiously.
"Why do you ask?"
"Well because this," he gestured from her neck up, "looks dolled up, and this," he gestured to the rest of her, "looks…"
"Like slop?" Hermione supplied.
"Sure," he grinned.
"I was at one year old's birthday party. And I am not 'dolled up'," she protested.
He chuckled, "I can see that. Why is it that I am constantly seeing you in your pyjamas and track clothes?"
She rolled her eyes and plopped herself back on the couch. "Shut up. You interrupted what was supposed to be my relaxing time."
He sat down as well. "I could relax."
"Fine," she said. She sipped her milk and he drank his coffee and she flipped through more channels.
"This is relaxing?" he asked. "You're giving me a headache."
She found a John Hughes movie and left it on that. "Well, that's good to hear," she commented.
"What's good to hear?"
"How everything's going," she said.
"Granger, if that's good what the hell do you consider bad?"
"It's better Draco," she told him. "It's better, and that is good."
"Whatever Granger."
"You should go," Hermione yawned and looked at the clock.
"Alright." Draco stood.
Hermione realized how that sounded. "I'm not trying to be rude," she added quickly. "But it's almost nine thirty, you have a baby at home—don't you dare tell me the nanny will handle everything—and I'm tired. Go home Draco."
He nodded, "Bye Granger."
"Goodbye Draco," she smiled. She walked him to the door and opened it to let him out.
"You've got wards up?" he checked.
"Swear to Merlin," she said, exasperated.
"See you Granger."
A/N: Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it! I had a crappy, crappy day so I stayed up to post this. But you don't care so I won't babble.
Please review!
Anyways,
Scarlett
