Disclaimer: I do not own anything!
A/N: Thank you to all those who reviewed, followed, and favorited last chapter! As promised, this chapter will be about our favorite menace's birthday :) Please don't forget to review afterwards. Enjoy!
Chapter Nine: The Birthday Party
If anyone asked him, Theo would deny that he bumped into Luna Lovegood in this Muggle coffee shop purposively. He was merely out for a stroll in Muggle London, escaping from his god-awful employees, paperwork and general responsibilities. As he was strolling around, his eyes chanced a glance at one of the overly-priced Muggle coffee shops and found her sitting there, thoughtfully writing on some paper.
He had owled her two nights ago after Rose Weasley pleaded him to invite Luna over for her birthday. Theo thought this was a blessing in disguise; he was meaning to reach out to Lovegood, to insinuate another dinner with only just the two of them this time, but he never really knew how to start his letter. Inviting her for Rose's party was a good thing. He knew she liked the menace and thought she would instantly reply.
Apparently, he thought wrong and he had been wondering if his letter ever reached her.
He was admittedly wounded. No woman had ever ignored him that long. In fact, his past exes would bombard him with numerous texts in this so-called Muggle cell phone. The witches would send him letters; the desperate ones sent Howlers. He just could not accept that Lovegood wouldn't even bother sending a letter, even if to decline the invite.
With these thoughts in mind, he casually strode into the coffee shop. She hadn't lifted her head from what she was doing, heightening his frustration. After ordering some random, fancy-sounding coffee, he immediately strolled towards her table and claimed the empty seat opposite her.
Finally, she looked up to glance at the intruder. Simply put, she was not happy to see him and Theo couldn't understand that.
"Hello," she pleasantly said, but the annoyed tightness of her jaw never left her face. "You're in Muggle London again."
"Obviously," he said, drumming his fingers on the table. He expectantly looked at Luna, waiting for some semblance of apology for her lack of response, but she merely stared at him blankly. "Oh for…" He paused, collected himself, and ran a hand through his stylishly disheveled hair. "Why didn't you answer my letter?"
Luna silently placed her pen on the table and fully looked at him. Theo took that chance to survey her clothes, and was surprised once more with how un-Lovegood she looked right now. She was wearing denim overalls atop a white, plain shirt. Her blonde hair was left undone today, but he could see the radish earrings underneath them. She dressed too simply it felt weird that this was actually the weird Luna Lovegood with a weird fashion sense he went to school with.
"I'm not sure if you have really noticed it, Theo, but I've cut off myself from anything magical," she said with that dreamy voice of hers. Her blue eyes were not twinkling today, however, and it made him want to do strange things just to bring those sparkles back in her eyes.
"I can see that," he said, meaningfully glancing at how severely lacking she was tightly clutching her wand or tucking it in her hair. He highly doubted they were even in her pockets. "But a reply to my letter wouldn't have hurt you, yes?"
She managed to look a little guilty and refused to meet his eyes. "It was rude of me, I'm sorry," she finally said. "I had too many wrackspurts for two days and I couldn't find the time."
She was speaking about those blasted make-believe creature again.
"Funny how you speak about your beloved creatures when you specifically told me you cut yourself off from anything magical," he snapped back, unable to stop himself. His ego felt a little hurt from the rejection and he couldn't help but lash out at her.
Luna stiffened with his words, before slowly looking at him with such coldness he didn't know Luna Lovegood could ever possess. "It reminds me of my father," she simply said.
The annoyance immediately left him, replaced by gut-wrenching guilt. He remembered how Xenophilius Lovegood died in Azkaban after failing to give the Golden Trio to the Death Eaters during Voldemort's reign. Theo remembered Luna had been kidnapped during that time, and how his father tried to bargain her life with the lives of her friends. In the end, the goodness in him prevailed and allowed them to leave. He was soon captured by the Death Eaters, thrown into Azkaban, and left to rot.
If Theo was her, he would have blamed himself for his father's death. But then again, maybe she already did.
"Rose will like it if you come," Theo finally said to break the tensed silence.
Upon the mention of the child, a small smile appeared on her face. "She is a sweet child," she said, glancing at him. "Pity I cannot come."
"Why not?" Theo persisted, "It is just a birthday party. It will be a private affair, I swear. We will celebrate it in Draco's flat and only four people will attend."
"Including Hermione and Harry, too?" she asked, her voice growing unnaturally quiet.
Theo scratched the back of his neck. "Well, yeah. Obviously," he said, confused with her question. "Granger's Rose's mother and Potter's the best friend of her parents. I'm sure they wouldn't miss it for the world." The idea of spending some time with the Gryffindor's made him uncomfortable, but if it meant a lot to Draco, and he did owe Rose, he knew he couldn't ditch this one.
"And they're celebrating it in Draco Malfoy's flat?" she asked, more as confirmation.
He nodded his head. "Yes," he answered. "Rose and Granger are currently staying with him. Apparently, Granger's too weak to go home and take care of both herself and Rose."
A strange smile graced her lips. "Draco always thought Hermione was pretty," she said. "I can see it in his eyes."
He snorted.
He still could not understand his best friend's strange fascination with the bushy-haired know-it-all. Theo knew Draco was extra harsh on Hermione because he could not understand his feelings, bless his bloody heart. He sure as hell knew it became clearer to him when they defected and helped the Light Side. He could still remember, clear as a day, how Draco looked when Granger and Weasley announced they were expecting a child and would be married as soon as the War was over.
If heartbreak had a face, it would easily look like Draco.
"I haven't… talked to them for years," she said, nervously glancing down on the tabletop.
"Why did you leave the Wizarding World?" he asked once again.
Luna slowly glanced back at him, a knowing glint in her eyes. "I think you already know," she stated matter-of-factly. "Living there after the war… it just brings back too many memories. It's - it's suffocating." A sad smile graced her features. "You, of all people, would understand. I can see it in your face, too. How magic can be tiring."
Theo sometimes looked at his wand with disgust, shamed with the spells he had uttered just to survive. Wars brought out the most inhumane traits in a person. As a child, there were never any sides for him, only peace and comfort. He sure as hell knew the Light Side would not offer that to him. The Light and Dark were bloody ridiculous in the first place; whatever side he chose, there would always be turmoil and pain and fighting. It was just the manner of how acceptable they handled these things. The only reason he joined the Light Side during the last few years of the War was because they offered the closest thing to the peace and comfort he coveted. Oh, and Voldemort was a bloody bitch and he deserved to die for tearing apart his family.
His first time stumbling upon Muggle London was purely by chance. His business meeting with some obscure company in the Netherlands had been cancelled due to his temper, and he was too shamefaced to return to his company. Venturing around Muggle London, finding that quaint French restaurant he came to love, Theodore Nott could not believe how peaceful and comforted he felt. Ever since then, he ran away to this place when things got too suffocating in the Wizarding World.
So yes, he knew how magic could be tiring.
Desperately wanting to change the topic, he chanced a glance on the paper on the table and was surprised to see that she wasn't writing; she was drawing. His eyes widened, amazed that it was actually a pretty drawing of the bustling Muggle street outside this quaint coffee shop.
"You draw?" he asked, cringing when he heard the awe in his voice. He couldn't take his eyes away from the drawing, glancing at every detail she had perfectly captured.
"Yes."
His eyes shifted onto her, surprised at the pink tinge on her cheeks. Was she embarrassed? "I actually prefer painting more," she confessed. "But paint is terribly messy and it smells." A small smile appeared on her face, seemingly remembering a memory. "Not everybody likes the smell of it."
Theo blinked, not knowing what to reply. Instead, he watched as Luna grabbed her pen and started sketching once more.
"Rose will be expecting you," he said as soon as he found his voice again. He grabbed one of the napkins on the table and scribbled down Draco's address. "I'll ask Draco to lower the wards in his flat to accommodate you in case you decided to come." A small smirk appeared on his face as he stood up and looked down at her. "Or, you can just get there the Muggle way."
He then proceeded to leave without glancing back, too afraid of what he would see on her face.
It was the day of Rose's sixth birthday and everything was chaotic in Draco Malfoy's humble abode.
House elves from the Manor came into his house first thing in the morning and had been blowing balloons and hanging decorations hither thither. When Rose had awoken, she had squealed in delight, pointing at all the decorations they did and had abandoned breakfast all together.
Because of this, she was grumpy even before lunch time, and Tippy had to prepare their lunch quickly to appease the hungry birthday girl. Draco wasn't used to brunches and had to bite his tongue countless times so as not to snap at Rose. Hermione constantly gave him amused glances, perfectly understanding his turmoil, but did not comment any further.
Her birthday party would start by six o'clock sharp, but Hermione already started preparing food by three o'clock. The Malfoy house elves gladly helped the nice Mistress in the kitchen and he hadn't seen her ever since. For a woman recuperating from a deadly curse, Hermione sure had enough energy today.
Rose was busy preparing her toys for her party, asking Tippy to alter their clothes to make them prettier and festive. Draco knew he had no choice but to retreat to his study if he wanted to keep himself sane.
He was already hungry by five o'clock. Having not eaten lunch at exactly twelve noon, his stomach was already protesting with the disrupted meal time. He thought of ordering Tippy to send him some afternoon sandwiches, but he was sure they were already too busy with the other food preparations. Besides, he was admittedly curious with Hermione and her 'delicious food'. He thought it would be better to be ravenous if they weren't that good as what Rose said so that he wouldn't offend her if he wouldn't touch any of the food she prepared.
Potter came thirty minutes after five o'clock, dropped by at his study to say hi, and proceeded to disappear to his kitchens to help Hermione with the preparations.
Theo dropped into his study at exactly six o'clock, a crazed look on his face. "It's a bloody warpath outside!" he exclaimed, plopping on one of the plush couches in the room.
Draco snorted his agreement.
Ten minutes after, there was knocking on his door. Hermione's head popped in, a wide smile on her face. "Food will be ready in fifteen minutes," she announced.
Malfoy hid a snicker whilst Theo gaped. "Blimey, Granger, are you all right?" Nott asked.
"Yeah, why?" Hermione asked.
She was a disaster. Her hair was frizzier than normal, with clumps of cheese and red sauce clinging in some strands. Her nose was smudged with chocolate and her clothes were stained with a lot of things Draco could not pinpoint.
"Nothing, Granger," the blond said, amusement heard in his voice.
She looked confused for a while, before scratching her nose. This action successfully smudged the chocolate to her cheek. "Well, I better get cleaned up before dinner starts!" was her farewell before her bushy-haired disaster disappeared behind his door.
Unbeknownst to him, a fond smile grew on his face as he stared at the place where she used to stand. It was rare for Granger to be this disheveled. She was always impeccable and clean.
Draco suddenly blinked in surprise when Theo started snapping his fingers in front of his face.
"Hey, hey, eyes front soldier," the shorter of the two said with a smirk on his face.
Draco smacked his hand away and glowered. "By the way, where's Lovegood?" he asked.
All cajoling left Theo's face. Instead, he frowned and refused to meet his eyes. "I'm not sure she'll come," he said, disappointment thick in his voice. He was silent for ages, before taking a deep breath, and smiling brilliantly once more. "Oh well, more fishes in the sea for Theodore Nott to catch."
He then proceeded to stride out of his study. Draco sighed and soon followed, momentarily distracted as he marveled at how the house elves designed his house for Rose's birthday. Numerous helium balloons clustered on his ceiling. Bewitched confetti rained down from above, and disappeared before they reached the ground. Huge 'Happy Birthday, Rose' letters was placed at the center of the room. For a small party, the house elves sure didn't hold back. It was a shame that only six people would be attending a six-year-old party.
The birthday girl was currently sitting on one of the couches in the living room, playing with the Tornados figurines with Potter. The-Boy-Who-Lived had his wand at hand, pointed at Draco's beloved figurines, and made them do tricks that made Rose clap in delight.
"Those cost a thousand galleons, Potter," Draco drawled, announcing their presence. "Each."
Harry was surprised, both with their sudden arrival and the price of the figurines, disrupting his concentration. The Captain Birch figurine, which was suspended mid-air, came hurtling down. Little screams from the figurine was heard and thankfully, Harry Potter's Seeker reflexes were still intact. Else, his vault would have felt the sudden lack of a thousand galleons.
"Be careful with those, Potter," Theo added with a smirk, prompting the auror to glare.
"Now, now, boys, be good in front of the child."
All eyes latched onto Hermione and Draco felt his jaw drop. She was wearing a yellow blouse tucked under a blue, flowing skirt. She was also wearing black kitten heels and to complete her look, her hair was tamed and held away from her face by a yellow headband.
"Eyes front, soldier," Theo whispered in his ear again and he had to quickly close his mouth before he made a fool out of himself. He shot his best friend a glare, who was smirking at him knowingly.
"You look wonderful, 'Mione," Potter said, sauntering towards the brunette to give her a tight hug.
Draco made a face and glared at Potter's messy, jet-black hair. Theo tried to stifle his amused chuckles but failed in the end.
"I'm hungry!" Rose then exclaimed. "Let's eat."
"Yes, yes, birthday girl," Hermione said, bending down to carry the child in her arms. "Blimey, you sound like your father."
Potter sadly smiled and nodded his agreement. "She really does," he softly said, following Hermione into the dining area. Theo shot Draco a glance and followed suit.
Draco sighed at his grumbling stomach and finally entered his dining area. Decorations were much simpler here, but Merlin, the smell that instantly invaded his nostrils had watered his mouth. He sure hoped their tastes would not disappoint.
Dinner started and conversations were light. Hermione constantly mothered over Rose, who kept on protesting she was old enough to wipe her face or to fill her glass with orange juice. Draco was highly amused by the child's antics, but the sadness in Hermione's eyes was noticeable. There was nothing more saddening than your child growing up before your eyes and slowly not needing any of help from you.
'Fucking hell, Malfoy,' a voice hissed inside his mind. 'You sound like a bleeding parent.' Draco scowled and shook his head to rid himself of the voice.
Theo and Potter were engaged in a casual conversation about Quidditch, which quickly turned heated.
"How can anybody still like the Chudley Cannons?" Harry blurted out, frustratingly batting a stubborn fringe away his face. "They hadn't won any season for ages. If I were their captain, I would have fired all the players and rehire better ones."
Nott darkly glowered. "They have the best defense," he protested, ignoring Rose's chant of 'Tornados'. "Well, all right, their offense suck, but you have to admit their Keeper is brilliant."
Draco had to smirk when Potter actually looked conflicted. He knew his best friend wouldn't back down at all. He had to make sure everybody understood why he would love the Chudley Cannons until his last breath. Which was why Draco always tried to steer clear from any Quidditch-related conversation with Theo; it always ended with a fist fight.
"Which team do you even support?" Theo snapped. "We already have Tornados fans here."
"Tornados are the best!" Rose hollered, pumping her fists in the air. She managed to splatter lasagna sauce towards her mother, who merely rolled her eyes and muttered words like 'ridiculous' and 'Quidditch' under her breath.
Draco quirked an eyebrow when Harry hesitantly glanced at Hermione, before answering, "I support the… err… Holyhead Harpies."
Upon the mention of the team, the bushy-haired brunette instantly stiffened. Ginny Weasley was Chaser to the team and her addition to the line-up actually improved the stats of the team. He couldn't argue with Potter's choice, if he was honest with himself.
Theo, oblivious to the slight tension in the room, made a huge show of rolling his eyes. "You only support that team because your bloody girlfriend's in it," he snapped.
Color instantly drained from Hermione's face and Draco sighed. He kicked Theo as hard as he could, earning him a dark glare from his best friend.
"What is the matter with you?" Theo exclaimed, bending down to massage his smarting extremity.
His best friend could seriously be daft sometimes. Draco often wondered if he would always be cursed to be friends with dunderheads, and dunderheads alone. "Holyhead Harpies," he whispered under his breath for only Theo to hear. He then shot a quick look at Hermione.
Realization thankfully dawned on Theo and he had the decency to look apologetic at both Granger and Potter. "Right… err… go Holyhead Harpies," Nott lamely cheered, and proceeded to stuff his face with Granger's delicious lasagna. Rose wasn't exaggerating at all when she complimented her mother's cooking.
Draco cleared his throat and decided to break the awkward silence this time. "So, Potter," he casually drawled, "How's Rodolphus Lestrange?"
It was apparently a bad thing to ask because Harry Potter gave him the darkest glare The-Boy-Who-Fucking-Lived could ever muster.
"I don't think this is really the right time to talk about it," the auror answered through gritted teeth.
"Harry," Hermione sternly said. "It's fine. I want to know, too."
Harry hesitantly looked at his best friend and sighed. "Ugh, Malfoy, way to go and ruin the party," bloody Potter muttered under his breath.
"Idiot Nott started it," Draco interjected in a hiss, prompting Potter to roll his eyes and said Nott to glare at him.
"Really, boys," Hermione said with a disappointed frown.
Draco immediately backed down, not wanting to rile anyone up anymore. The brunette looked much too exhausted for his own liking. He knew Potter would crack soon.
"We… err… we still haven't gotten anything from him," Harry finally said, avoiding Hermione's gaze. "Spells did not work on him and apparently, our favorite Moldy Voldy developed a potion that would produce some immunity from Veritaserum."
Theo choked at the nickname while Draco resolutely nodded.
"I told you it's a waste of time keeping him in the ministry," the blond said. "Lestrange is stubborn and loyal to boot. He will never crack."
"We need vital information, Malfoy," Potter snapped back. "We already have a good source of vital information. And unless you actually are secretly conniving with those bastards and have the information we needed, then we can all bloody go our merry ways, eh?"
Draco was fuming. "How dare you" -
He was saved from cursing Potter's ugly face when a soft chime alarmed, alerting a newcomer's arrival.
Potter was shamefaced as Draco stood up and gave him a stony glare. At the corner of his eyes, he saw Hermione's disappointed scowl at her best friend and felt irrationally triumphant.
As he slowly approached the door, he wondered who would be arriving at this time of the day. When he opened the door and saw a nervous, but unmistakable Luna Lovegood standing on his porch, he remembered that Rose invited her. And Theo said she wouldn't arrive.
"Hello, Draco," she said with that strange, dreamy voice of hers. "This is where Rose's birthday is, isn't it?"
The blond was too gobsmacked with her presence. Her weirdness had absolutely toned down. She was wearing a simple pale yellow dress that brought out the blueness of her eyes. The only thing that was remarkably her was the radish earrings dangling from her ears and… were those corks strung through a string and hanging on her neck?
"Um, yes, come in," he said, stepping aside to usher the blonde inside.
He carefully watched as Luna slowly walked into the dining area. She looked amazed by the house elves' decorations, commenting how the confetti magic was brilliant, and the balloons were lovely, but Draco was too busy staring unbelievably at her.
"Selena!"
Rose squealed and instantly jumped down from her seat, dashing towards the newcomer.
"Hello, Rose, happy birthday!" she greeted, chuckling softly as Rose's small arms wrapped tightly around her abdomen.
Draco looked at the adults in the room. Theo was positively ecstatic, having stood up immediately upon Luna's arrival. Granger and Potter, however, looked like they had seen a ghost.
"Blimey," Harry breathlessly said. "Luna."
There were tears in the blonde witch's eyes, but the happiness in her smile was unmistakable. "Hello, Harry," she greeted. "It's been a long time."
Hermione suddenly dashed forward and, like her daughter, threw her arms around Luna. "Oh Merlin," the older witch cried, tears also streaming down her eyes. "Where have you been? We've been Owling you for years but you never replied."
Luna quickly looked at Theo in alarm. Instantly, Nott stepped forward. "I hate to break this heartwarming reunion, but I think she came here for me," he said, complete with a handsome smirk.
She discreetly wiped her tears and lightly glared at him. "I came for Rose," Luna said.
Theo lifted his hands, chuckling, and took a step back.
"We missed you," Potter said, also giving her a hug. "We have so many things to tell you."
"Mama, Mama," Rose then said, tugging on the hem of Hermione's skirt. "Can we eat cake now? Selena's here."
"Selena?" Hermione and Harry echoed. Luna's cheeks tinged with pink, and Theo smirked.
"It's a long story, mates, really," Theo said, gesturing at the impatient redhead. "The menace wants her cake now so we must give it already."
"You came because you wanted to see me, didn't you, Selena?" he asked, a smirk gracing his handsome face.
Luna sighed. "I came because it's Rose's birthday," she deadpanned, daintily munching on a slice of the chocolate cake. "She had wrackspurt infestation the last time I saw her, and I was worried." She smiled prettily at the young girl, who returned it with a huge beam of her own. "I'm glad to see that the wrackspurts are gone now."
"I hate to break that pretty heart of yours, but wrackspurts are bloody non-existent," Theo whispered under his breath.
She thoughtfully tilted her head. "Funny, because you had some infestation the last time we ran into each other," she said, the corners of her mouth lifting into a small smile.
"What the hell are wrackspurts anyway?" he asked. Theo lightly glared at Draco when he heard his question. His best friend merely shrugged, then returned to his conversation with Harry Potter.
"They usually enter your ear and travel to your brain," she explained with her airy voice. "Infestations usually occur, which may manifest as sadness or distraction. They are dispelled by thinking happy thoughts."
Theo loudly snorted. "I would have bloody well felt it if things are crawling inside my brain, thank you very much," he replied.
Luna smiled. "They're gone now, if you must know," she simply said. "I do wonder why."
He choked on his drink, prompting Draco to absentmindedly pat on his back until his coughing fit subsided. Theo could feel a blush creeping on both of his cheeks, and refused to admit that the reason his wrackspurts were gone was because Luna Lovegood actually came.
They weren't even real, those little buggers.
After dinner, Hermione worked her magic and charmed the dishes clean. They all then moved to the living room so that Rose could now open her gifts.
Theo gave her a bagful of every imaginable sweets sold in Honeydukes. Hermione wasn't pleased with the gift, but she held her tongue for the sake of her daughter's happiness. She couldn't help but give Nott a dark glare as compensation, and she was secretly smug how he withered slightly under her glare.
Harry gave her cute Tornados Quidditch robes that had fitted her perfectly. The name 'Weasley' was stitched at the back and Rose had been proudly wearing it. Hermione doubted she would remove it anytime soon. She resolutely looked away from the back of the Quidditch robes, however. To see the name 'Weasley' scribbled on a Quidditch robe reminded her of Ginny and she couldn't afford to be sad on the day of her daughter's sixth birthday.
Luna, surprisingly, also had a gift for her daughter. She kept on giving the younger witch inquisitive looks, questions sitting at the tip of her tongue. Why did Rose kept on calling her 'Selena'? Why did she disappear after the Second Wizarding War and where did she go? And why, in Godric's name, did she keep on looking at Theo for help when Luna became noticeably uncomfortable? Theo and Luna was such a strange pair. From the gossips and Draco's stories, she highly doubted Luna was even the womanizer's type.
Luna gave Rose a book, which was perfectly okay for Hermione. However, when she saw that it was a book about the non-existent creatures she believed, the mother was conflicted. Rose was positively ecstatic with her gift, already running to Draco to plead him to read it to her before bedtime, and the blond had no choice but to agree.
"Mama, your gift!" Rose then said, running towards Hermione.
Her mother fondly smiled before pulling out the gift-wrapped book from her pocket.
"It's a book, isn't it?" the child happily cried. Hermione still couldn't help but feel floored that her daughter inherited her love for books. It was something they could share upon, especially during Rose's teenage years. It was what Hermione's mother did when she was growing up, and that was something special for the brunette.
"Open it," she said, and Rose carefully tore the gift wrapper away.
When the book was fully exposed, she couldn't help but glare at both Harry and Draco, who simultaneously snorted upon reading 'Hogwarts: A History'.
"Oh, Hermione, this is so you," Luna dreamily said, oblivious to the snickers the other men were trying to stifle. The Ravenclaw peered closer to the book, and then smiled. "This is your first copy, isn't it?"
Hermione normally took quite good care of her books, but her first copy of 'Hogwarts: A History' was well-loved and well, slightly worn out from all the reading she did. If people passed by her small bookshelf, they would undoubtedly guess that this one was her particular favourite amongst the other, well-kept books.
"It is," she finally said, smiling brilliant when Rose looked thrilled. "This is my most favourite book, so you must take good care of it, Rosie."
"Yes, Mama," Rose piped, reverently hugging the book against her chest.
Mrs. Figg gave her a sweater with kittens embroidered on it. Bill, Charlie, and George, who were the only immediate Weasley family that stayed in contact with the mother and child, gifted Rose with some suspicious new products from the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. She thought of immediately hiding it from her daughter, lest she wreaked havoc in Draco's home with the joke products.
Speaking of Draco, Rose was now expectantly looking at him for her gift. He looked a little nervous, much to Hermione's suspicion, and assured Rose that it would arrive anytime soon.
As Rose pouted and demanded for her gift, Hermione couldn't help but smile at how well Draco Malfoy handled her daughter. She knew Rose was a handful; as a child, Hermione had been the same. Despite his foul-mouth sometimes, Draco actually took care of Rose quite well. She still firmly believed he would make a good father, despite his protests.
The fireplace chimed, signaling an arrival, and Draco immediately jumped onto his feet. He shooed Hermione, Rose, and Luna away, threatening the child to not give his gift if she tried to peek. The ladies and the child went to the kitchens without protest, but Rose was simply an impatient child. She kept on jumping and fidgeting and pulling her hair.
"She really looks a lot like you," Luna said, smiling widely when Rose gave her a toothy grin.
"A lot of people does say," Hermione said, heart swelling a tiny bit. It made her feel prouder and good when people kept on pointing that her daughter looked a lot like her. Her personality, however, it was more of Ron. Rose actually got the best traits of both her parents, and Hermione was thankful for that. She believed her Rosie wouldn't have a hard time adjusting once she started Hogwarts.
"I want to apologize on behalf of Theodore for bringing Rose to our dinner a few days ago," the younger witch said. "In my defense, I didn't even know he was bringing a child."
Hermione thoughtfully looked at Luna. "So there is a Theo and you now, huh?" she inquired.
Her eyebrows rose when Luna slightly blushed. "Oh no, Merlin no, we were just having some… err… dinner," she said. Hermione had this feeling Luna was keeping something to herself, but decided to let it slide.
Instead, she continued, "I heard that you've been staying in the Muggle World."
Luna refused to meet her eyes. "Yes, quite right," she replied.
"We've tried to reach out to you, you know," Hermione added, persistent. "We were worried sick when you just disappeared after the war."
"I… well… I needed some time." Luna took a sharp, shaky breath and gave her a watery smile. "For me, that is."
"You have been well, though, yes?"
"Oh, yes," Luna replied. "The Muggle world is a lovely place for a flighty girl like me." Hermione couldn't help but grin at Luna's soft chuckle.
"What have you been doing these past few years, then?" Hermione asked, genuinely curious.
Luna absentmindedly drew circles on the cup in front of her. "I'm what Muggles call an interior designer," she revealed. "I especially like to paint walls the most."
Hermione's eyes lit up in surprise and delight. "Oh, Luna, that's wonderful," she gushed. "I remembered when you used to paint back in Hogwarts and they were really lovely. I'm glad you're pursing something you love."
"Thank you," she daintily replied.
Their conversation was momentarily halted when Rose released a huge sigh and started stomping all over the kitchen.
"Rosie," Hermione called out with a chuckle, "Stay still."
"Mama," the child whined, clutching her curls in frustration. "Draco is taking too long. My gift!" She started stomping her feet again. "My gift!"
"Blimey, she definitely did not get that from me," Hermione joked, rolling her eyes when Rose petulantly crossed her arms against her chest.
Luna, a sad smile now on her face, reached out for Hermione's hand. "I'm sorry, Hermione," she whispered. "About Ron."
She matched her smile with a sad one of her own, but she was not able to say anything in return when Draco finally called for them.
Once they entered the living room, the decorations of the house elves were already gone. At the very front was undoubtedly a flat screen television, and Draco looked very proud of himself.
"A telly!" Rose exclaimed, already dashing forward to turn on the appliance.
"Well, you had been pestering me about not watching your kartowns," Draco drawled, but there was no irritation in his voice. In fact, Hermione could spy a small smile growing on his face. "You'll be staying here for a few more weeks, so I decided to find something that would keep you away from bothering me, you bloody menace."
Hermione had let it slide that he cursed in front of her daughter. Instead, all she could do was stare incredulously at the blond man who used to bully her as a child.
Theo and Luna were already asking Rose about the shows she watched. Harry had a pinched look on his face, kept on darting strange looks at Draco, before sighing and joining the others in marveling at the new television.
"You shouldn't have bothered buying one," Hermione said, finally finding the words to say to Malfoy. She felt incredibly nervous and embarrassed, although she didn't really know why. "We'll be gone soon, Draco, and well… you know… you and technology…"
"Sweet Salazar, Granger, you still think I'm a bigoted Pureblood?" He didn't sound offended, but Hermione couldn't help but feel a little sheepish. "Your daughter had been pestering me ever since she stayed here, and it was the gift all I could ever think about." He awkwardly scratched the back of his head and lamely gestured at the appliance. "Besides, I'm awfully curious. Theo had been hounding on and on how I've been missing a lot, so a telly will be a nice addition to my house."
It was… it was bloody sweet and all Hermione could do was beam brightly at him.
"What now, Granger?" he spat, cheeks slightly tinged with pink.
"I told you you'll make a good parent, Draco," she teased, prompting his cheeks to darken in color.
"And I told you to never repeat those words again!" he barked in a hurried whisper. "Fucking hell, Granger, I just installed a telly in my house and you think I'll be a good parent?" He scoffed and crossed his arms. "I've seen one in Theo's home and I sure as hell know most shows shouldn't be shown to children."
Hermione nodded her head to concur. "There are nice cartoons suitable for children," she explained. "I mostly accompany Rose when she watches the telly so I could monitor her." A sudden thought came into mind and a wicked grin grew on her face. "Hey, you know what, since you were gracious enough in buying a television for my child, I trust that you'll be able to keep her away from the bad shows. A word of warning, though. Most children shows are… mind-numbing."
Draco looked confused, unsure of what she meant, but Hermione merely smirked then strode away to join the group.
A/N: Review!
I'll keep this a/n really short because I'm in a middle of a Harry Potter movie marathon because Merlin, it's been years since I've last watched any of the movies. Now I'm itching to binge read the whole series again lol oh well, please do leave a review.
Next chapter will be updated next Monday. It will feature Narcissa again so do wait for the update.
With love,
WickedlyAwesomeMe
