Chapter 9 – The Cabin in the Woods
Sunday, 7:15 AM, September 1st, 2023 - Kitchen, Malfoy Manor
Sunday morning brought a steel grey sky with threats of rain and a dropping temperature signalling the official start of autumn. September 1st left no trace of the warm late-summer weather August 31st had offered. It was still early in the morning when Draco woke so he decided to let Hermione sleep some more and he went to the kitchen to make some tea. Just as he'd lit a fire on the cooker and placed a kettle over it to heat the water Rose walked into the kitchen.
"Morning, Rose." Draco greeted as the sleepy teen rubbed her eyes.
"Oh, morning, Draco. I didn't expect to find someone up just yet. I was just getting a glass of water." Rose said.
"I was just making some tea, would you like some?" Draco asked.
"I would love some." Rose smiled and sat down at the kitchen table.
Draco reached for two large cups from the cupboard.
"We've got vanilla, Green Passion, Chai or Earl Grey. Which would you prefer?" Draco asked.
"Green Passion sounds good, thank you." Rose answered and Draco put the tea leafs in the kettle in which he then poured the water.
"I'm actually glad you're up. I've been meaning to ask you something." Draco said as he gave Rose one of the teacups and took a seat opposite her by the table with his own cup in front of him.
"Ask me what?" Rose asked intrigued.
"Well, it's about your mother. I don't know if I'm rushing things, so I wanted to run it by you first." Draco begun.
"You're not asking her to marry you, are you?" Rose asked and raised an eyebrow.
"Why, do you think she would say no?" Draco asked.
"You are asking her, aren't you?" Rose gasped.
"No! No, I'm not. We've haven't even seen each other for a whole weekend. A bit early still. But I would like to. Eventually. But when it's time, I promise you and Scorpius will be the first to know." Draco smiled.
"Don't forget grandpa Granger. If you don't talk to him he'll don't care you have a wand and he'll come for your arse. Just thought I should give you a heads up." Rose grinned as she saw the colour in Draco's face fade.
"Now that I do not look forward to." Draco confessed. "Perhaps I should just wait until he's all old and lost the plot so he doesn't remember how I treated his daughter when we were young."
"You'll probably have to wait a long time then." Rose said. "Don't worry about it. When the day comes for you to talk to grandpa I'll come with you, I'll have your back. I too, just like aunt Ginny and uncle Harry, do ship Dramione." Rose laughed.
"Bloody hell, it's catching on." Draco mumbled. "But that was not at all what I was going to ask."
"So, what was it you did want to ask me?" Rose said and drank from her tea.
"Well, you mother's birthday is coming up and I was thinking of what to give her. My family have a few houses in Italy, in the countryside and by the coast, and I thought it might be nice to take your mother there. Do you think she would like it?" Draco asked and sipped on his tea.
"Would she like warm weather, drinking wine in a mansion with a view, strolling through an old village down a cobblestone street and the chance to read a good book? Have you met my mother? She wouldn't just like it, she would love it!" Rose grinned.
"Great, I'll take her there then. But you can't tell her, I want it to be a surprise." Draco smiled.
"I won't tell her. Just out of curiosity; how many houses do you have around the world?" Rose wondered.
"Well, there are three in Italy. One in just outside of Spello. It's a small village in the middle of Italy. There is one by the coast in Bogliasco. The last one is in Auronzo Di Cadore, which is a small town near the boarder to Austria. That one s great for skiing or hiking." Draco said.
Rose just looked at him with huge eyes.
"In the Western Azores outside the coast of Portugal we have a house on the island of Flores. The island has such impressive landscape with valleys and waterfalls. And of course, we have one cabin in northern Sweden in a small town called Boden. But no one ever really goes there any more. My great grandfather had if for game. But that's about it" Draco finished.
"That's impressive. What game was your great grandfather hunting in Sweden?" Rose asked curious.
"Well, the game was huldra; a forest nymph that lives in Scandinavia. They are the protector of the forest and all living things in the forest. That's why they're so sought after; for their magical ability to heal. It's great for potion making. In Sweden there's elk hunting every year, and when all the huntsmen are out in the woods hunting elk the huldras gets agitated and are easy to find. Hunting huldras are, obviously, since long outlawed; which is why the house isn't really used anymore." Draco explained. "It's still a great place to experience the midnight sun or the Northern Lights. They are, in their own way, sort of magical." he finished.
"Well, sounds brilliant. I mean, not hunting, but midnight sun and Northern Lights. And the rest of the mansions your family have sounds brilliant as well." Rose said and Draco could tell she was impressed.
"Calling them mansions would be a huge overstatement. They're just normal houses. Except the one in Sweden, that's more of a cabin, really." Draco shrugged.
Just then both Scorpius and Hermione walked into the kitchen.
"Who has a cabin in Sweden?" Scorpius asked and helped Hermione and himself to a cup of tea before they joined Rose and Draco at the kitchen table.
"We do, Scorp. You know, the cabin up in Boden where you, your mother and me went to see the Northern Lights the year before you went to Hogwarts." Draco said.
"Dad, that's not a cabin. It's a bloody villa. It has something like five bedrooms, a drawing room, a study and a sauna. That's not the definition of a cabin." Scorpius pointed out.
"If you think that's a cabin I don't want to know what you think of my house!" Hermione laughed.
"Don't be silly, I find your house absolutely charming, love." Draco said and smiled at Hermione. "The cabin, however, is not as posh as Scorp makes it out to be."
Sunday, 9:45 AM, September 1st 2023 – Master Bedroom – Malfoy Manor
"How boring this must sound, but I don't think we should go public with our relationship just yet." Draco said. "Reason number one, I think you should tell all your children about us before they read it in the news paper. Reason number two being you're the Minister of Magic and I'm the Head of the Ministry of Magic's research committee; some might say there's a conflict of interest here. Until we know how we address that we don't tell anyone who is not family."
"I agree with you. However, there is a reason number three." Hermione said. "And reason number three is called my ex-husband."
"Hm, you're right. I bet Weasley won't be thrilled. Must we tell him?" Draco complained.
"Of course, he has a right to know from me and not the tabloids." Hermione said and made a stern face.
"Fine, but must I be there? I really rather not." Draco confessed and took a seat on the bed.
"No you don't. I have a public relations manager we could speak to. I'll owls her and see if she can meet us today." Hermione said.
"Lovely, trust me; we do not need a public relations manager for this." Draco said and shook his head.
"May I ask; how come?" Hermione said and crossed her arms.
"Because we have me. As a pure-blood and heir to the Malfoy estate I've had trained for these types of situations since before I could walk basically." Draco said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
"You've had training in this specific situation?" Hermione asked in disbelief.
"Obviously not this specific situation, but I have no doubt we can handle this. Without a public relations manager." Draco scoffed.
"Alright then, Mr Malfoy. How do you suggest this situation handles?" Hermione said. Her voice was calm and Draco noticed a hint of a smirk in the corner of Hermione's mouth.
"I love it when you call me Mr Malfoy." he growled and gave Hermione a fierce kiss.
Hermione giggled once Draco let her go.
"See, this is exactly what I'm talking about. When we're out in public you can't get all randy as soon as I call you 'Mr Malfoy', because I will. Probably a lot now that I know how that makes your eyes go dark with lust as I do." Hermione smirked.
"You little vixen, you." Draco leered. "In all seriousness though, once you've announced this relationship to those you deem it necessary find out from you and not the tabloids we'll talk about the rest of my plan."
"You don't have a rest of the plan, do you?" Hermione asked and tilted her head slightly, one of her eyebrows crooked.
Draco walked over to her where she stood by the dresser and placed his arms around her waist.
"Of course I do, love. But there is no need to rush." he whispered and placed a light kiss on her lips which made Hermione hum in pleasure.
Sunday, 9:45 AM, September 1st 2023 – Scorpius' Bedroom – Malfoy Manor
"Are you going to telling your father about us?" Scorpius asked as he packed the final things in his trunk. Rose, being the organised and planned women she was, had already had her trunk packed and ready for weeks.
"Of course I will. And I'll do it soon." Rose smiled.
"You don't really think he'll actually rip my head off, do you?" Scorpius asked a little worried.
"Of course he won't, Scorpius. Just talk to him about the Chudley Cannons and you'll be fine." said Rose reassuringly.
Sunday, 10:30 AM, September 1st 2023 – The Room with the Fireplace – Malfoy Manor
"Dad! Seriously! We need to hurry!" Scorpius shouted to his father whom was still upstairs some 45 minutes later.
Rose and Scorpius stood by the fireplace, trunks packed and already dressed in their school robes, waiting for their parents in order to Floo to Kings' Cross Station and Platform 9 ¾ to board the Hogwarts' Express which would take them to their final year at Hogwarts. Hurried steps were heard making their way down the stairs before Draco appeared in the doorway smoothening his hair. Hermione appeared right behind him, straightening her dress.
"That's great, really. You two couldn't wait 30 minutes and Scorp and I would have been on our way right across the country?" Rose rolled her eyes at her mother and Draco who exchanged flirtatious looks.
"No worries, we'll still have plenty of time to make it." Draco hummed and placed an arm around Hermione's waist as they stopped in front of the fireplace.
"Listen, Scorpius, Rose. Before you leave Draco and I need to ask you to be very discrete about, uhm, this." Hermione said and pointed back and forth between Draco and herself. "For now we're just keeping in within the family. It's not the time to go public just yet."
"In that case you should probably wipe that lipstick off your lips, dad." Scorpius said.
"Too bad, I thought this was a good colour on me." Draco joked before he wiped his lips with a handkerchief.
Scorpius rolled his eyes and sighed loudly. He had a strong feeling that Rose and him weren't going to be the ones who would this slip to the press.
