July 2008

"I cannot believe my son shares a birthday with Harry bloody Potter," Draco huffed. He was hunched over in a wooden picnic chair, his arms crossed over his chest.

"James," Hermione said, not looking up from the book in her hand. When Draco scrunched up his nose in confusion, Hermione's chuckle filled his ears. "Harry James Potter, not Harry bloody Potter," she said in a prim voice. The roll of his eyes was nearly audible.

"Malfoy!" came the aforementioned man's voice, and both Draco and Hermione turned their attention to the raven-haired Harry who was lightly jogging towards them.

"It's my birthday, and we are short a player for a pickup Quidditch game. Want to fill in for Gin as Seeker on the second team? I could use a trip down nostalgia lane to when I used to kick your arse back in school."

Draco's response was delayed, and Hermione found herself grinning at the clearly readable emotions passing over his face. Confusion, anger, annoyance - and finally, an expression that could only be described as purely Draco.

He stood with a smirk. "I think you took a few too many bludgers to the head, Potter, because I was always kicking your arse," he said, pointing a finger into Harry's chest. "Sure, I'll join, just to prove once and for all how much you suck, though."

So of course what was meant to be a lighthearted, fun and quick game on a Thursday summer afternoon turned into four hours of yelling, ranting, and constant heckling. Molly finally pulled the pin on the game when Harry had caught sight of snitch and Draco and Bill had collided into each other mid-air as Draco had sped to gain on the other Seeker.

While Hermione applied a healthy dose of Dittany to the cut above Draco's eyebrow, the two continued to bicker.

"Excuse me? You can't say you're the better Seeker just because you saw the snitch first. Puh-lease. My reaction time was so on, I would have beat you to it if Bill hadn't have learned to fly five minutes ago," Draco snapped at Harry, arms waving and eyes narrowed.

"You just have to accept that I'm better than you, Malfoy!" Harry yelled back.

"AS IF!" Draco roared.

"Well! I guess we'll just have to play again so I can prove it once and for all!"

"I guess we will!"

"Next Saturday then!"

"I have plans with my mum!"

"Sunday then!"

"Sunday then!" Draco yelled back, throwing himself back in his chair. He blew a strand of hair out of his face from the opposite side of the wound, and Hermione looked over him at a very pregnant Ginny with a frown on her face.

"Did they just -?" she mouthed, and Ginny nodded.

"They just made plans for Quidditch," Ginny mouthed back, equally shocked.

Just then, the muggle baby monitor that was on the grass beside Draco crackled into life, and Alphard's waking cries could be heard over the radio.

"Al's up from his nap," Draco said cheerfully, standing once again. "I'll get him." And off he sauntered towards the Burrow with a surprising amount of spring in his step.

Hermione took his place in the chair, utter flabbergasted. "Did that just happen?" she asked Ginny, out loud this time. The redheaded woman nodded back at her.

"Merlin, it really just did."

A/N: Sorry for the wait! Been a super crazy week, and I know this one is a bit small but I wanted to get something out there.