19th March 2009
Hermione hummed to herself softly as she returned books to their correct shelves, smiling at the sounds coming from the various tables. Fifth year Ravenclaws and second year Hufflepuffs had a free period so they were currently camped out around the large tables, conversations varying from sophisticated to non-sensical.
"Did you hear? Werewolves are now able to get employed, they assed the Werewolf Employment Bill" one of the fifth years piped up from behind his morning paper, making Hermione smile brighter. Finally the Wizengamot was acknowledging some of the hard work so many werewolves such as the late Remus Lupin contributed to their society.
"I don't think that's right," came a firm response from Roland Barnegard.
"And why would that be, Mr. Barnegard?" Hermione approached with her trolly and stood beside their table to hear his opinion.
The fifteen-year-old looked at her and explained. "The fact that they can get work is a small victory, yes, but there is still so much legislation around their protection, flexible working hours, annual leave and maternity/paternity leave that this new law does not cover," he explained his point.
Hermione smiled at him encouragingly. "That is correct, ten points to Ravenclaw," she offered, seeing him beam proudly. "And if I am not mistaken, Professor Price accepts extra credit in the form of a polemic on laws, rights, and living conditions of magical creatures. You may wish to put your argument in written form as a polemic on a current issue," she hinted and handed him a book on legislation that may come in handy for his references.
"Thank you, Miss," he replied with a blush, as she moved away to return more books.
She could hear the classmates teasing him a bit for the blushing and rolled her eyes at the teen-age antics, but her good mood didn't wane as she spotted a group of little second years huddled together and looking through an illustrated version of Magical Maladies in equal awe and disgust. She chuckled as one of them turned vaguely green and a few 'EWWW's reached her ear.
She did lose her smile however when she noticed a little blond head poking out from behind her desk. Scorpius was very still, uncharacteristically so for eleven o'clock in the morning. Even when he sat and read or coloured, he tended to fidget and move about, and this stillness was unnerving. She set her cart on the side and headed to check in on him, noticing how pale and warm he was immediately as she touched his forehead to check his temperature. Far too warm for her liking.
She looked around and spotted Camille, the sixth-year Hufflepuff whom she could always rely on. After a few quick words, she sent a note to the headmistress and picked the boy up gently, carrying him carefully towards the hospital wing.
"Mimi?" he sniffled and wrapped his arms around her neck, feeling dizzy and hoping his Mimi would look after him.
Hermione offered him a small, reassuring smile. It was his latest favourite nickname for her and she was glad he was so comfortable with her presence in his life. "Shhh, it's alright, I've got you. We're going to visit auntie Poppy and find out what we can do to make you feel better," she soothed and opened the door one-armed, carrying him towards the nearest free bed.
Poppy walked over with haste when she spotted her carrying the limp boy and ran a few diagnostic spells before summoning six potions. "The beginning stages of dragon pox. You can see his skin tinging green around the ears. Have you had yours, dear?" she asked with concern as it was highly contagious.
Hermione nodded. "My first year. My parents had to call Minerva to ask what to do with me but mine was pretty mild, thankfully. I should get Draco, I don't have guardian rights and he needs to make a decision about Scorp's care," she said, turning to leave.
"Actually, you will find that you have been listed on Scorpius Malfoy's record as his emergency contact as well," Poppy said while gently encouraging the resting boy to drink the potions.
Hermione nearly tripped over herself before sitting on the edge of the boy's hospital bed. "I have? When did Draco add my name?" she asked curiously.
"January, after you've made your courtship official," the matron winked at her, glad to see the lovely young woman happy and in love.
Hermione smiled fondly at the little boy. "That is a big responsibility," she admitted, soothing the boy's sweaty fringe from his forehead. For Draco to trust her with her son's well-being told her how about his commitment.
"One he knows you will handle with his son in mind at all times," Poppy smiled and handed her a small case of potions. "Twice a day for the anti-viral, up to four times a day for the painkillers," she said, knowing Hermione would look after the boy perfectly fine by herself.
"Thank you Poppy. Mind if I take him to his own bed and pyjamas?" she asked, knowing the boy would be far more comfortable there.
"Of course. There is nothing I can do for him here, he will have to ride this one out," the matron offered as she flooed the case of potions to Draco's quarters, letting Hermione carry the boy up to his room.
It took her no time at all to get the boy into his Pikachu pyjamas and sat with him until he fell into a deep feverish sleep. She knew her pencil skirt would not be comfortable for this part, so she summoned her simple grey nightdress and a light cardigan to cover her shoulders before changing in the bathroom and folding her work clothing neatly on the side of the sofa. She opened the bathroom cabinet and smiled, finding a few of her hair ties neatly stacked on the shelf, awaiting her for the taming of the curled beast. She managed to wrestle her hair into a messy plait and headed for the kitchenette to make Scorp some fruit tea and herself her favourite lemon balm tea, another little thing that found its way into the blonds' quarters.
They've been officially together for nearly three months and things have pretty much settled in for them as they were up to now. Well, with the exception of having a companion to read in bed with, and the hot love-making they were both enjoying once making sure the door was well-locked and the room silenced from the cheeky little boy. She grinned stupidly at the memory of their last escapade, taking advantage of the silent Sunday morning for a workout of a different kind in their usual training room on the gym mats. But life at Hogwarts flowed at its own pace, some pupils beginning to prepare for exams in two months, others impatient for the two weeks of Easter holidays beginning in a couple of weeks. And Draco was forever busy with marking pop quizzes and homework, so they spent a lot of their evenings on the sofa in front of the fire once Scorp dozed off and Draco worked while Hermione read, researched, or answered letters to friends, family and colleagues.
She steeped the herbs for her tea with practiced ease while she sent out two notes; one to Minerva to let her know she will need a week off to look after Scorpius, and a short note for Draco to let him know of Scorp's condition and reassuring him of her care. She added a bit of dark forest honey to the boy's tea to help with the healing and headed to check on him. Simone scratched on the door to be let in and Hermione watched her sashay straight in front of the fire to warm up, purring loudly.
When Draco finally joined them after his last lesson, he found the brunette on the sofa, reading quietly with his son curled up in her lap as she gently carded her fingers through his silvery locks to soothe his headache, and Simone resting on the top of the sofa, near Hermione's neck to keep them both company. The brunette offered him a tired smile and motioned for the boy who was now growing greener by the minute.
Draco sighed sadly at the state of his son. He knew this day would come one day but still hated to see his son ill and suffering. He picked the boy up carefully and carried him back to his bed where he helped him drink the anti-viral potion and settled him back into his healing sleep.
Hermione had in the meantime asked the house elves to bring them some of the delicious creamy tomato soup with a crusty baguette and some garlic butter. She sliced the baguette with a few swift flicks of her wand and put the soup under heating charms, knowing Draco would want to wash the day off first. He joined her soon in his own pyjamas, ready for an early night in.
"How was your day?" Hermione asked as he leaned down to peck her lips before they settled next to each other at the small dining table.
She buttered them each a slice of the baguette while he sprinkled a bit of Connage smoked Dunlop cheese over his soup. It was a simple fare but they both enjoyed simple, delicious food, so he accepted the bread gratefully, his stomach growling hungrily. "Thank you," he hummed at the delicious butter with wild garlic and local herbs. The elves certainly knew their craft. "It's been a challenging one," he admitted. "Sixth year Slytherins decided to sabotage half the Gryffindor potions. Why we continue to pair those two houses for lessons, I will never know. And Elenor Hastings melted a cauldron, causing second degree burns for the other three second-years at her bench during group work. Poppy was not happy with how many of my students had to seek her help today," he said tiredly before taking another mouthful.
Hermione blew on the hot spoon in between bites of the delicious bread. "What were they supposed to be brewing?" she asked curiously, remembering the incident where Neville melted a cauldron nearly into nothing while brewing a simple sleeping potion.
"Ironically, a burn salve," Draco rolled his eyes at her cackle before smiling at way her eyes sparkled with amusement.
This was what he always imagined a true partnership should be; a few moments during dinner together to catch up on each other's day, taking turns with their shared responsibilities, and enjoying each other's company through the daily ups and downs. And maybe a part of him could already tell he found his equal and partner in life despite their short time together officially.
Hermione took another bite before asking the question that has been making her curious for the past few hours. "Today I found out from Poppy that you added me to Scorp's emergency contacts. You do know that gives me the right to decide about his care?" she asked.
Draco nodded. "I am well aware. I know it may seem hasty to some but I know that you will do everything in your ability to put my son first and make the right decision in an emergency. Of course, if you think it too fast, I can retract it?" he suggested, wondering whether it was too much to ask, though from the way Hermione naturally took care of his son, he was sure she would't mind one day considering being his parent.
"Not at all, I don't mind. I just wondered, as most parents are often too cautious about trusting others with their child," she admitted.
"I trust you," he said simply and honestly, no grin, no teasing tone, just pure and simple truth.
And Hermione felt her own feelings swell for this man that came into her life as a childhood foe and turned out to be what she really wished for in a partner. They shared a quick kiss over the soup before they were interrupted by the sound of shuffling feet.
"Oh, Scorp. Come here," Hermione was out of her seat in moments and picked him up, the boy's skin bright green with an occasional itchy scale rash.
"I didn't know where you went," he mumbled sleepily, the fever soaking his hair.
"I am right here, little love," she promised. "Dray, can you please bring me a bowl with some cold water and a flannel?" she asked before heading back to the boys bedroom.
Draco knew there was little they could do but keep the boy comfortable, so he resolved himself to short rest over the next few days, and hoped to see his son back to his happy self soon. He brought her what she needed and leaned against the doorframe to watch as she gently washed his son's feverish face and neck to help cool him down.
Yes, this was the woman of his life and he would make sure to work hard to keep her.
28th March 2009
"Okay, one raincoat, one lunchbox, and…" Hermione smiled at the hard plastic case full of playing cards and put them into the small Marvel backpack, "your Pokemon cards. You are all set," she smiled and helped him put it on.
"Thank you, Mimi, you're the best," he turned around and hugged her around the waist.
Hermione dropped a kiss onto the messy mop of silvery locks and squeezed him close for a moment. "I'm sorry I can't join you at your game, but I'll make sure your birthday party tonight is the best," she promised.
Scorpius was turning nine years old today and she could swear he grew another inch just in the past month… He will be as tall as she was in a few years and she would once again be the dwarf in the household. After recovering from the bout of dragon pox, they wanted to make every effort to make his birthday special, so Draco was taking him to muggle London for the children's Pokemon convention and for a trip to the library to pick up some more books on Celts, his new historical focus.
Hermione was in the meantime planning a small party for the boy and his first year friends at the castle to enjoy at the end of the day. She was however quite tired after being so busy looking after Scorp, so she was planning to rest for a few hours before setting up for tonight. At least the cake was already baked and balloons were arranged so she had little to follow up on.
"Thank you for getting him ready," Draco came in, rolling the sleeves of his jumper up to his forearms before pulling her into his body for a quick kiss.
Hermione hummed at the affectionate gesture, holding onto him a moment before letting them both go. "I hope you have a great time, and I expect to see loads of pictures," she handed Draco a muggle disposable camera to add to the growing collage of photos on the living room wall.
"Promise," Draco winked rakishly and stole one last kiss before ushering a bouncing and waving Scorp through the floo to Diagon Alley.
Hermione couldn't help the affectionate smile blossoming on her lips before tidying up a bit in the boys' quarters and heading back to hers. Perhaps in a while they may want to get the larger family suite to combine their quarters, but for now, as they were only across the hallway, this suited them just fine.
She enjoyed a lovely hot bath before putting on her favourite burgundy wrap dress and checking on the party preparations. Everything was in place, the balloons and table were all set in one of the smaller dining halls on the third floor, and the elves reassured her that the main cake shaped like a Viking boat was all prepared and they were nearly done with the food preparation. She made sure to arrange all of Scorp's presents on the spare table in the room and with a few hefty charms added a trampoline, and a 'Viking obstacle course' as the sign read, designed for the boys to chase around and feel like small warriors in training. She could already hear the squeal of excitement from Scorp in her mind.
Party preparation done, she headed back to her room and prepared some nibbles and a large pot of tea, just in time for the double knock on the door. It has been three long weeks since they managed to find time to sit down and catch up for longer than two minutes with all their obligations.
"Come in," she welcomed the two women, exchanging kisses and hugs before they settled in their favourite spots on the sofa and in the armchairs, curling up by the fire since the castle was still draughty this early in the spring.
"How is little Scorpius? All healed and ready for his party?" Hannah asked as she accepted a steaming cup of tea just as she liked it, with plenty of milk and sugar.
"He is running around again, and very excited for today. Draco took him to London to the library and a Pokemon convention. He is very proud of his card collection," she chuckled. "I fear we may have a budding dragon tamer on our hands. He speaks of nothing but his favourite Pokemon which is a Charmander, and reads about Celts and dragon fairytales," she sighed and served Astrid's tea before pouring her own cup and sitting down.
"Better start on a lifelong stash of burn salve," Hannah teased, humming in delight at the tea and reaching for a delicious looking truffle.
"Thank you for the emotional support," Hermione deadpanned, making Astrid snort inelegantly for a change.
"Ignore our grumpy friend here, she is still getting no sleep," Astrid poked at the other redhead who promptly stuck her tongue out at her in a very mature display of disagreement.
"Speaking of getting no sleep, how is the romance with one Miss Susan?" Hermione grinned over her tea, noticing the light blush on Astrid's cheeks.
"Well," she began, toying with the edge of her cashmere jumper. "She is divine, so shy but she has more fire than I thought at first, which is…magnifique," she admitted, making her companions chuckle. "Mais, she invited me to meet her parents and I don't know whether they will like me," she admitted, clearly nervous.
"Hey, it's perfectly normal to be nervous. If Draco's parents were alive, they would likely disinherit him, or try to threaten or blackmail me to leave him so he can marry within his social strata," Hermione shrugged, no longer bothered by the bigotry of the upper classes. "Susan's parents are muggles, they may be a bit surprised but from what I hear they are neither conservative, nor scared of the wizarding world. Just be yourself, and I am sure they will love you in no time," she offered in reassurance.
"Should I know anything before I go visit? About muggles I mean," Astrid asked, though she felt she could transfer between the two worlds fairly well.
Hermione chuckled and picked up some grapes to nibble on. "That would be a question for the resident muggle studies teacher," she winked, making Astrid groan.
"Very helpful," she tutted sardonically and sipped her Earl Grey morosely.
"You'll be just fine," Hermione reassured despite Hannah's snickering at Astrid's predicament.
"Hmm these truffles are delicious. I find I've had a particularly sweet tooth and craving for caramel the past couple of weeks," she mused, waiting for the penny to drop.
Of course she could rely on the ever-observant Hermione to pick up on his first. "A particular craving, you say?" she asked, a smile spreading on her lips.
"Indeed," Hannah replied in kind.
"And if I were to offer you some of the delicious Pinot Grigio currently chilling in my cupboard?" she asked.
"Well, I would have to decline. Sadly I won't be able to partake in wine on our wine evenings for a few months," she confirmed, a spark of happiness in her eyes.
"You are with bébé," Astrid clicked on and they smothered the Hufflepuff with hugs and kisses of congratulations before Hermione popped down to the kitchens to ask for some of their delicious chocolate cupcakes to celebrate with.
"You'll see, it will be you this time next year," Hannah pointed at Hermione.
The brunette saddened a bit, knowing it was unlikely she would get pregnant due to the damage she sustained in the war, but Scorpius was plenty to handle by himself. "I am in no rush, we are contented as we are," she smiled.
She remembered Draco's parting smile and the affection in his eyes as he kissed her this morning over breakfast, and knew that every word of that sentence was true. They were happy as they were, and she looked forward to the coming months and hopefully years of their lives.
