The Houses Competition

Themed - Disappointed vs Proud

Prompt: "I finally did it! I finally-" [Speech]

Word count: 1236

Beta's: Holly

Hermione Granger-Weasley had to keep herself together. She had faced so much over her life, from being bullied as a child, to helping to save the Magical (and muggle) world for Voldemort, to facing the aftermath of wiping her parents memories. Each one tore her down and she built herself back up. But she couldn't explain the utter shock showing clearly on her face when she discovered Scorpius Malfoy had been invited over with his parents to one of their family get-togethers.

Sure, she knew that Albus and Scorpius had become friends during Hogwarts. Them both being in Slytherin was probably the catalyst for that. But she didn't visit any of her friends from Hogwarts until they were much older, and Albus and Scorpius had only finished their first years.

She couldn't help herself for keeping a close eye on the three Weasleys as they interacted with everybody. Hermione could feel the tension radiating off the adults; some were clearly more accepting like others. She had already told Ron off three times for being immature.

Walking out of the kitchen with a glass in her hand, her eyes flickered around before noticing that Scorpius was looking at her laptop. Hermione had been using the laptop occasionally - mainly in cafes - to keep an eye on her parents social media accounts. It was strange to see them living a whole other life, but reserval charms were tricky and if she messed it up she could cause more damage than intended. Her parents were happy as they were. At least, that's how it looked; she dreaded to look any further.

Pulling herself from those thoughts, she walked over to the 12-year-old blonde boy. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Draco tense - she would have too if the roles were reversed. "Hello, Scorpius."

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Granger-Weasley," he replied eloquently, as he straightened his back whilst addressing her. "How are you today?"

Hermione was pleasantly surprised by Scorpius' manners. She only remembered Draco's bullying tactics at this age. "Very well, thank you. I see you're looking at my laptop," she said pointedly.

Scorpius' eyes widened. "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"I'm not telling you off," Hermione interrupted softly. "Have you seen one before?"

He shook his head. "It's a muggle item, isn't it?"

She nodded. "It is. This is a laptop." Hermione had decided to repeat the object's name as she was sure the young boy would not be accustomed to muggle items.

"What does it do?" Scorpius questioned curiously, more focused on the object instead of her.

Hermione couldn't help but wonder how many muggle-centric items Scorpius had ever seen, or, upon encountering them, knew what they actually were. "Many things. You can use it to write, or send emails, or look at pictures and videos."

Scorpius looked at the laptop with genuine interest. "What's an email?" he asked.

Hermione could see that he had several more questions on his mind but had restrained himself to only ask one. A smile made its way to her lips and she sat down to explain it to him. The way he was fully engaged and willing to learn about a muggle item was exhilarating. She was actually proud of the boy for being so open about this. This taught her to not judge a book by its cover. She showed him how to write an email, smiling at his extremely slow and timid typing.

"Is that right?" he asked, looking up at her expectantly.

"It is," she confirmed. "Don't forget to press the enter key to start a new paragraph."

Scorpius nodded and once again fell silent with concentration as he continued to write the email. Hermione was surprised at how the laptop was still working with all of the magical interference but simply hoped that Scorpius would have the chance to complete the task.

He looked up at her once more. "I've finished."

She read over his email, smiling as he successfully explained how to write and send an email… in an email. It definitely was a breakthrough for him. Just typing the email had been a struggle for him to begin with. "Go ahead and send it."

His face lit up at her words and he turned his attention back to the laptop once more. However, his expression dimmed almost immediately. "It didn't work," he said, his voice deflated.

"Try again," Hermione encouraged, noticing that Draco was making his way towards them. Her mind filled up with several different possibilities for what he could want. The most obvious being his son. She glanced at Scorpius briefly to see him trying for a third - or was it fourth - time to send the email. Suddenly, as she turned her attention back to his father, Scorpius jumped up.

"I finally did it! I finally-"

"Scorpius."

The boy stopped and looked at his father. "I sent an email, Father."

Draco's stern expression did not change. "We are here for you to play with your friends, not delve into knowledge on muggle artifacts."

Scorpius nodded. "Sorry, Father." He instantly turned and ran over to Albus.

Hermione rolled her eyes. You would think Draco would be more accepting.

"Do you have a problem, Granger?"

The opportunity to correct him to her actual last name was tempting, however, now was not the time to get into those details. "I merely thought you would have more compassion over your son learning something new."

"Something irrelevant," he countered. Without missing a beat, he continued; "My son did not beg me to attend this event to learn how to use your l- muggle object. He wanted to see his friends. That is the only reason we are here."

Hermione glanced at him with mild surprise. He had nearly said laptop; she could hear and see the l forming on his lips. She hadn't expected him to know anything muggle related. "You know what a laptop is? Why do you insist on calling it a muggle artifact or object?"

Draco turned slightly to look at her. "I am not as narrow minded as my father. It is important to understand a basic level of muggle history, objects, and culture as muggleborns and half bloods join the magical community on a regular basis."

"But that's not you," she found herself saying. Why was she so surprised about Draco revealing this to her?

"I'm disappointed in you, Hermione. I presumed you'd be the most open when it came to people changing. After all, you married the weasel and he used to bully you too."

Her expression darkened. "Ron never bullied me."

The smirk on Draco's face was angering her. "Really? I distinctly remember him insulting you many times, especially in the first year. What was the phrase he used? A nightmare and unfriendable."

Hermione felt a defense automatically on her lips, ready to rip him apart with no violence, however, they fell flat when she remembered that Ron had used those exact words about her during their first year of Hogwarts. Even being attacked by a troll later that day didn't diminish the way it had felt for a classmate to insult her behind her back. Quickly pulling herself together, she looked Draco straight in the eyes. "People change. I hope you have, too."

He wasn't able to get another word in as she turned on her heel and walked over to Ginny. She needed to rant.