A/N: *skids in sideways, eyes on the clock*
"I MADE IT!"
*Winks as she hands over the chapter in the nick of time*
xx-Kitten.
Tip of My Tongue
By Kittenshift17
Chapter 20
Aurelian Granger frowned when he woke up in bed at Gran's place. Mummy hadn't come back to get him last night. Gran had told him that they were having a sleepover while Mummy worked on something at the office. He'd been excited last night. He didn't get to stay and Gran's place often. But this morning, Aurelian wanted Mummy. She'd been busy lately, and Aurelian wanted to know what she was working on. Usually if she was this busy it meant she was studying a new creature in her lab and Aurelian wanted to know what it was.
Throwing the covers off himself, Aurelian peeled his pyjamas off his body and chucked them on the floor before pulling on one of the spare changes of clothes Gran kept in the drawers of his room for nights when he stayed over. They were a bit tight, he noticed, pulling on the front of his shirt to try and stretch it to fit his body. His pants were too short for his legs too, and Aurey supposed Gran's comments about him growing like a weed must be to blame.
Silly Gran.
When he was dressed, Aurelian hurried downstairs, finding Sparky, the dog, asleep on the floor in the kitchen while Gran puttered about in her house coat, making breakfast and humming along to the radio.
"Gran? I want to see Mummy," Aurelian told the elderly woman as he climbed up to sit on the kitchen counter.
"Aurey?" Gran asked, spinning toward him.
She clutched her chest as though he'd surprised her, and Aurelian frowned at her.
"I want Mummy," Aurelian repeated.
"She worked late last night, darling," Gran said. "And she'll have work again today."
"But I want to see her," Aurey said. "I know you're supposed to meet the ladies to go for tea at ten o'clock."
He knew because Gran met with the ladies every week and because she'd been telling him about it yesterday.
"You can come along, darling. I know Ginny's still too unwell to look after you."
Aurelian didn't like the sound of going to tea with lots of old ladies. He wanted to see Mummy and find out what she was studying in her lab. He wanted to see Mr Draco, too. Aurelian liked Mr Draco. He was interesting, and he had hair just like Aurey's. He was Scorpius's daddy, but Aurelian had secretly begun hoping that Mr Draco might be his daddy, too. They looked alike enough that he could be, and Mummy seemed to huff at him a whole lot.
"I don't want to go to tea, Gran. I want to go and see Mummy and Mr Draco," Aurelian told his grandmother sternly, crossing his arms over his little chest before pulling at one of his sleeves when it cut into his arm. It really was much too tight.
"I know, darling. But Mummy's working," Gran said patiently.
"I could play with Mr Draco," Aurelian suggested. "He doesn't go hunting on Wednesdays."
"How do you know?" Gran asked, looking curious.
Aurelian grinned.
"Mummy said Wednesdays are the worst days in the office because Mr Draco doesn't go hunting on Wednesdays. He stays in the office to do paperwork and he drives her spare."
"You rather like Mr Draco, don't you, Aurey?" Gran asked.
"I want him to be my daddy," Aurelian admitted, smiling hopefully.
"You should tell Mummy you think so, dear," Gran smiled in return. "I'm sure she'd like to know that you like Mr Draco very much."
"He has hair like mine," Aurelian told her. "And Scorp is his son. I always wanted a little brother. If Mr Draco was my daddy, Scorp could be my brother."
Gran nodded, smiling strangely at him now.
"Well…. I suppose it wouldn't hurt if you were to pop by and see Mummy, today," Gran mused. "Especially if Mr Draco will be there to keep an eye on you. Oh, but they'll be at the Ministry and I don't know the way. I can't just Floo you over to them when I'm a muggle."
"I can Floo by myself," Aurelian told his grandmother. "I know the way to Mummy's office. Please can I go and see Mummy and Mr Draco, Gran? Please? Can I?"
"Let's have some breakfast and find you something a bit better fitting to wear, and then we'll see, alright?" Gran asked, smiling indulgently.
Aurelian nodded, hopping down off the counter and hurrying over to accept the bowl of porridge Gran handed him.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Draco Malfoy frowned as he sat at his desk in his office at the Ministry of Magic. He hadn't slept well, and he was irritable as a result. His mood hadn't improved in the slightest when his mother had made some not so subtle comments of breakfast about how he ought to spend his evening – daring to say he ought to take Granger out for dinner. Draco didn't like it one little bit, and from the look of disgust his father had worn, Lucius didn't like it either.
Not that he'd mind taking Granger out for dinner. Or he wouldn't have, had he arrived at work to find her in a pleasant mood.
But Draco Malfoy was beginning to think his luck had officially run out because Granger most certainly was not in a good mood when he'd arrived at work. She'd stormed out of her lab at the time of his arrival when he'd begun knocking on the door and she'd looked terrible. Dressed in yesterday's clothes, her eyes bloodshot, and with her hair frizzing out of control, she'd looked like some vengeful hair-demon come to feast on his soul. She'd levelled him a glare and she'd shoved past him muttering about needing coffee and how if she ever had to look at another Fairy, she might kill someone.
He suspected she was working on figuring out what was going on with the pregnant witches, but he hadn't dared ask her about it when she'd turned her wand on him the minute he'd opened his mouth, even before he could utter a single word.
Scowling at the paperwork on his desk, Draco wondered if anyone would mind if he broke routine and went out into the field today. He wasn't supposed to spend five full days a week in the field, but Merlin's bloody toenails, if he didn't get out of here and far away from the temptation Granger made, he might go mad. Worse, he might burst into her lab and seduce her into shagging him again.
Somehow, he doubted it would go as well as last time since she would likely try to hex him if he came within three feet of her. Before he could decide whether it was worth spending another day in the field, the patter of small footsteps suddenly filled the otherwise quiet office and Draco rose to his feet.
"Mummy?" a familiar voice asked, dashing first into Granger's office across the hall before tearing right back out of there when the office was found to be empty.
"Aurelian?" he asked, hurrying around his desk and toward the door in time to see his son reaching for the handle to his mother's lab and beginning to open the door.
Running after the small boy, Draco scooped him up just as the child took the first step into the lab.
"Mummy?" Aurelian asked, not struggling in Draco's hold.
"Aurelian, what are you doing here?" Draco asked the small boy, leaning forward with the boy tucked under one arm while he reached for the doorhandle to the lab with the other.
"Aurey?" Granger asked turning from her workbench and frowning at them. "Malfoy? What on earth is going on here? You can't be in here. Either of you. Out! Now!"
Her eyes widened when she realised they weren't a mirage and Draco stepped back, taking the boy with him while Granger hurried for the door. He wasn't sure he liked the way she looked so panicked at the sight of the two of them and suspected she must be working on something that might be dangerous or toxic should Aurelian get too close to it.
"Mummy!" Aurelian shouted, reaching for the witch and beginning to wriggle in Draco's hold.
"Aurelian," Granger said, sounding exasperated as she hurried across the lab and pushed them both back out into the hallway before pulling the door closed. "What are you doing here, sweetheart? You're supposed to be with Gran. You haven't run off on her, have you? She'll be worried sick."
She took the squirming child from Draco the minute she'd closed the lab door, lifting him to prop him on her hip and peering into his face. Draco watched the way the small boy cuddled into her embrace, burying his little face in her hair and sighing contentedly.
"Why aren't you with Gran? How did you even get here?"
"I took the Floo," the small boy smiled toothily. "I wanted to see what you're working on. You didn't come home last night, Mummy. I missed you."
"Oh, Aurey," Granger sighed, closing her eyes and pulling the boy into her body a little closer, pressing a kiss to the boy's forehead.
Draco looked on, intrigued and concerned in equal measure.
"You didn't go home?" he asked in a low voice, eyeing the witch worriedly.
"I stayed with Gran," Aurelian informed him. "Hello, Mr Draco."
"Good Morning, Aurelian," Draco replied, smiling at the child in spite of his sudden worry for the witch he couldn't stop bloody thinking about.
"How're you?" Aurelian asked, waving at him belatedly.
"I'm well, and you?" Draco asked of his son, amused.
"I missed Mummy," Aurelian said. "Missed you, too… Mummy?"
"What is it, Aurey?" Granger asked, sounding weary and looking suddenly like she could use a good sleep.
"Can Mr Draco be my Daddy?" Aurelian asked. "I like him. I want him to be my Daddy."
Draco's eyes widened at the request, his gaze darting to Granger's face while she frowned, looking frustrated and glaring at him as though the boy's request was somehow his fault.
"Aurey…" she began.
Draco suspected she was about to tell the kid not to be foolish, and he wasn't about to let her sweep his relationship with his son under the rug so easily.
"I'd be honoured to be your father, Aurelian," Draco informed the boy.
Aurelian beamed.
"Really?" he shouted excitedly, squirming in his mother's grip and reaching toward Draco, making grabby hands and obviously wanting to be held.
Draco took the boy back from his mother, unable to hide his grin as he propped the kid on his hip and let the little tyke curl his arms around his neck.
"Malfoy!" Granger hissed, her eyes flashing angrily.
Draco ignored her, carrying to boy down the hall and into his office.
"What have you been up to, Aurelian?" Draco asked the child, rounding his desk and sitting in his chair. Aurelian sat on his lap, perched on his knees, his legs dangling as he stared at Draco with a big grin on his face.
"I went to Gran's," the boy told him. "We made muffins. And I played with Sparky. And we watched the telly, a bit. And she read me a bedtime story."
"Who is Sparky?" Draco asked curiously.
"Gran's dog," Aurelian told him.
"Did you have a good time, then?" he asked ignoring the way Granger stalked into his office and closed the door, scowling at him heatedly across the desk from behind their son.
"It was ok," Aurelian shrugged. "How's Scorp? Is he here? I haven't seen him in ages."
"You saw him on the weekend, Aurelian," Granger reminded the boy.
"That was ages ago," Aurey rolled his eyes.
"Scorpius is well," Draco told him. "He's been asking after you. I told him you might stop by and visit him sometime soon, if your mother allows it."
"He can't go to the Manor," Granger said immediately.
"But Mum," Aurey began, turning to look at his mother pleadingly.
"No, Aurelian. You won't be going anywhere near Malfoy Manor," Granger said sternly, her icy gaze fixed on Draco and Draco frowned at her, wondering what he'd done to make her so angry.
Other than telling the boy he'd be his father, obviously.
"Why not?" Draco challenged.
"Because your father will be there," Granger hissed. "What do you think he'll do when he spots Aurey?"
"Have a conniption, most likely," Draco admitted, shrugging.
"He'll not be going."
"Well… can Scorpius come to our house?" Aurelian asked, clearly distressed by Granger's ultimatum.
"That will be fine," Granger snapped, and Draco was relieved that she wasn't trying to keep the brothers apart.
He wondered why she didn't like the idea of Aurelian attending the Manor before recalling that one of Granger's only visits to his house had resulted in her being tortured on the floor of the Drawing Room while his Aunt interrogated and threatened to let Greyback rape her if she didn't give up the answers Bellatrix wanted. He supposed, looking at it from that perspective, in addition to factoring in the likelihood of Lucius meeting Aurelian, that it was somewhat understandable that she didn't want the boy visiting the Manor.
At least, he could understand for now. Eventually, Draco would have to insist that Aurelian be allowed to visit, and even live at the Malfoy family home. After all, the boy was a Malfoy and it wasn't right that he lived anywhere else. Perhaps he ought to see what he could do about convincing Granger that the Manor wasn't all bad when Astoria cleared off for good and things in the media died down a bit.
"Can we go there now? I want to see Scorpius," Aurelian said, interrupting Draco's scheming to insist upon seeing his brother.
"Mummy and Draco are working, Aurey," Granger said, exasperated.
"You shouldn't be," Draco informed her. "You look like hell, witch. You didn't even go home last night. The kid confirmed as much and you're in yesterday's clothes. Whatever you're working on in the lab can wait."
"It can't," Granger said tightly. "I've found the cause of the illness in the pregnant witches. I'm trying to concoct a cure."
"What's the cause?" Draco frowned at her, ruffling Aurelian's hair when the boy pulled a toy Hinkypunk from his pocket and began waddling it across Draco's chest.
"A super-strain of the Fairy virus that wiped out most of the fairy population three years ago," Granger said, and Draco paled a little, recalling the uproar of their department when that virus had ripped through the fairy population.
"Bloody hell," he muttered, and Granger hissed at him before eyeing Aurelian meaningfully, obviously not thrilled to have him swearing in front of the boy.
"Bad words!" Aurelian announced. "You have to put money in the swear jar, Daddy."
Granger's face lost all colour at the boy's address of him and Draco's heart skipped a beat, his stomach turning over. Bloody hell, he was in over his head. He was entirely too happy to hear his son call him 'daddy', and from Granger's face, she was the farthest thing from happy.
"I'll be sure to do that, Aurelian," Draco drawled, unable to keep from smirking. He almost laughed when the boy smirked in return.
"Why don't we get out of here for the day, yeah?" Draco suggested to the child. "Your mother is dead on her feet, and I'm sure Scorpius is lonely at the Manor. You run on home with your Mum and I'll go and grab Scorpius, alright?"
"Promise?" Aurelian asked.
Draco nodded.
"Swear on my magic, son," Draco told him, offering the boy his hand to shake and chuckling when Aurelian shook his hand smartly.
"Mummy, we have to go home. You sleep, and Scorp and I will play with Daddy."
"Aurelian, you can't just begin calling Draco 'daddy'," the witch protested, frowning worriedly.
"But he's my daddy," Aurelian said. "He said he would be. And he looks like me. We have the same hair. See?" he twisted in Draco's lap, pulling on a lock of Draco's hair and showing it to his mother whilst leaning close enough, allowing the identically coloured strands of hair on Draco's head and Aurelian's head to mix together.
"Granger, it's fine," Draco said gently, shaking his head as the witch wrung her hands together.
"It's not fine! What if someone hears him?" Granger hissed, frowning at him fiercely.
Draco shrugged. "Come on, Aurey. Let's get you and your Mum home before she has a conniption, yeah?" he said to the small boy. "She's had a big night. Needs some sleep."
He lifted the boy off his lap and watched Aurelian round the desk to hug his mother's legs.
"Let's go home, Mummy. You can have a nap," Aurelian told her.
Granger eyed the boy helplessly before frowning at Draco again.
"Go on," he told her, nodding her out the door. "Get your things and take the tot home, Granger. I'll meet you there."
"You can't just… make a house-call," Granger protested even as Aurelian climbed the woman like she was a jungle gym.
Draco snapped his fingers at her and pointed her out the door, before rounding his desk and steering her out the door where she refused to budge. In fact, he steered her and the small boy all the way to the nearest fireplace and grabbed a fistful of Floo powder for shoving her into the fire with Aurelian in her arms.
"Home!" he shouted, sending the two of them on their way and smirking to himself for a moment before stepping into the Floo himself and calling out for the Manor, intent on collecting his second son from his mother before forcing Granger to face the fact that sooner or later she was going to have to accept that they were family.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Hermione Granger frowned at her reflection as she stomped into the bathroom of her house. She really did look terrible, with dark circles under her eyes thanks to her sleepless night and the ever-growing mountain of anxiety piling up inside her brain. She was bone weary and tired after so many hours spent working and she could use a good sleep and the chance to just shut her mind off for a while. The last thing she needed was to be dealing with Aurelian calling Draco Malfoy 'daddy' and insisting that they were all one big happy family.
Merlin, she'd spent how long trying to distract herself from memories of shagging him on her desk at work and now he was just barging into her life all over again and upsetting the applecart all the more. Why couldn't he just leave well enough alone?
Grumbling under her breath about pushy Malfoys and arrogant twats, Hermione stripped off yesterday's clothes and ran the hot water of the shower, hoping it might revive her a little, or at the very least, rid her skin of the smell of fairy blood and bubotuber pus.
"Granger?" she heard Malfoy call out just as she was trying to wash the shampoo out of her hair and Hermione cursed.
"Daddy?" Aurelian shouted, and Hermione listened to the sound of his boisterous footsteps as the boy raced across the house. "Scorpius! You came!"
"Aurey?" she heard Scorpius respond and Hermione sighed, supposing that at least the children would be kept busy while she shouted at Draco for being such a prat and agreeing to have Aurey call him 'Dad' in the first place.
"Where's your Mum, Aurey?" Draco asked her child.
"Showering," Aurelian told Draco. "Want to play dragons, Scorp?"
The boy must've answered in the affirmative, because the sound of them both running and beginning to roar at one another met her ears.
"Showering, huh?" she heard Malfoy say before the bathroom door opened.
"Malfoy!" Hermione squealed, clapping her hands over her private places to try and hide them from his gaze when he strolled into the bathroom knowing full well that she was naked.
"Mind if I join you?" he drawled, sounding wickedly amused.
"Yes! I do mind," she snapped. "Get out!"
"Where else am I going to talk to you without those two overhearing us?" he asked, leaning against the sink and crossing his arms over his chest.
She could tell from the way he craned his neck a little that he was trying to get an eyeful of her in all her naked glory. The peeping bastard.
"Not here. I'm naked, Malfoy," Hermione protested.
"I've seen it before," he reminded her.
"Not like this," Hermione argued.
"Granger, stop dodging me, yeah?" Draco demanded. "Now, are you going to throw a hissy fit if I come in there with you, or are you getting out?"
"I haven't finished washing my hair," Hermione protested.
"So, I'm coming in, then," he said, and Hermione gulped when he took his jumper off.
"Daddy?" Aurelian appeared in the doorway before Malfoy could take a step in her direction.
"Aurelian?" Malfoy asked, turning to their son.
"Scorpius is hurt," Aurelian told him.
"What? How?" Draco said, forgetting his plans of seduction as he charged out of the bathroom behind Aurelian, intent on finding out what had happened to Scorpius.
Muttering to herself, Hermione lathered conditioner through her hair before rinsing it out quickly and stepping out of the shower. She wrapped a towel around her body, following the sounds of crying coming from outside the bathroom, leaving wet footprints on the floor as she went.
"Blimey, that's a lot of blood. What the bloody hell happened, Aurey?" Draco was asking, cradling Scorpius while the boy cried and clutched his face.
"He tripped on the stairs," Aurelian said, looking distressed. "I tried to catch him, but I missed. I skinned my elbows sliding down after him."
Aurelian showed off the injuries. Hermione frowned, wondering why he wasn't crying at least a little bit too.
"Oh, Aurey," Hermione sighed, hurrying over, heedless of the towel she wore that barely covered her bum. She scooped the boy into her hold. "Bring Scorpius to the kitchen, Malfoy. What's he done?"
Draco scooped him up, hurrying after her into the kitchen where she set Aurelian on the bench and reached for the first aid kit.
"Bloody hell, I think he's put his teeth through his lip," Draco said. "And maybe broken his nose."
"Oh, dear," Hermione sighed, jostling him after handing Aurelian a tube of ointment to put on his grazed elbows – having done so many times in the past because Aurey was notorious for skinning his elbows and his knees when he fell down the stairs or came off his broom.
"Let's have a look. Come on, Scorpius, you're alright, darling. Let me see," she crooned to the crying toddler, shoving Malfoy aside as she did so and prying the crying child's hands away from his face. "Oh dear, it's a broken nose, for sure. Come on darling, you close your eyes for me and we'll have it mended in just a jiffy, won't we? That's it. Episky!"
Scorpius howled as the cartilage clicked back into place, clutching his face all over again.
"Granger!" Malfoy growled at her, clearly distressed thanks to his child's pain.
"Hush up, Draco," Hermione told him. "And find me some dittany and some salve in the box there. His lip's not too bad. The tooth didn't go all the way through, just part of the way. It'll be tender for a few days, but dittany will stop the bleeding and close the hole."
Malfoy scowled, rummaging in the box.
"Are you alright, Aurey?" she asked her son, watching the boy doctor his own wounds.
"I'm okay, Mummy," Aurelian told her, peeling open some band-aids and slapping them on over the grazes.
"Malfoy, the salve," she snapped her fingers at Draco and he glared at her, digging for it before locating it and handing it over. "Alright Scorpius, come on, love. Just a little bit of this and it won't hurt anymore, you'll see. Come on, darling."
She managed to pry the boy's hands from his nose and mouth with Malfoy's help, dripping dittany on the small wound before smearing some salve over it.
"Let me get a cloth so we can wash his face," Hermione said, hurrying back down the hall for a face washer and running it under some warm water before returning.
"I'll do it," Malfoy said, taking the washer from her and gently washing his youngest son's face. "Come on, Scorp, you're all healed up now, yeah? Let's get a look at you?"
He cleaned the boy's face and Scorpius sniffled when he realised he was no longer in pain.
"You alright, kid?" Draco asked the child, smiling encouragingly into his little face.
Scorpius nodded, the resilience of children allowing him to bounce right back from the injury without too much difficulty now that the pain was gone.
"There's a good boy," Draco said. "You be more careful on the stairs in future, yeah?"
Scorpius nodded.
"Aurelian, you too, alright? Not so fast in the house," Draco chided the pair of them and Hermione looked on when her son nodded in agreement.
"Maybe a less dangerous game this time, love?" Hermione suggested to the boys.
"We could watch telly?" Aurelian suggested. "Until Scorp feels better?"
Hermione smiled.
"Alright," she nodded. "Put something on, darling. I'll get dressed."
Aurelian nodded, bounding away as though he'd never been hurt, already asking Scorpius what he'd like to watch. Hermione shook her head, turning to clean up the mess they'd made in the kitchen before recalling she only wore a towel. She didn't say anything to Malfoy before leaving the room, hurrying up the stairs and into her bedroom, intent on getting dressed.
Malfoy followed her.
"Damn it, Malfoy," Hermione hissed, clutching her towel closed after almost dropping it when she spotted him in the mirror.
"Granger?" he asked, stepping across the threshold of the bedroom and pushing the door almost all the way closed.
"Don't even think about suggesting you help me out of this towel, Draco Malfoy," she warned, narrowing her eyes on the wizard in frustration.
"You're being stubborn," he said. "And avoiding me. You've been avoiding me since the other day in your office."
"Because you're still married and we… shagged," Hermione spluttered. "We can't just…"
She frowned when he strode across the room, closing the distance between the two of them.
"We can't just what?" he demanded when he was close enough to touch, though he kept his hands to himself.
"Your wife is in the hospital, dying, and you're seducing me, Malfoy!" Hermione hissed at him. "That's not alright."
"She's not my wife anymore," Draco said, crossing his arms over his chest.
"She signed the papers?" Hermione asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Today was the deadline… so, she'd better have signed them," Draco scowled.
"So, you're not certain she has," Hermione huffed, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at him. "And even if she has, you can't just… seduce me! Just because we share a son doesn't mean we're going to…"
He cut her off when he stepped closer and leaned down to steal a kiss from her lips. Hermione pushed him away after only a moment, not trusting herself with him for a second.
"Granger," he warned, his voice low and husky.
"Don't you, 'Granger' me, Malfoy," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "You need to forget this notion that just as soon as your wife is out of the picture, you and I are just going to pick things up and run with them. I'm not about to be your rebound."
"My rebound?" Malfoy scoffed. "As though I've ever actually cared about Astoria in a romantic sense? Come on, Granger. You don't rebound if you weren't in love, and I most certainly was not and never have been in love with my wife."
"But…" Hermione protested.
"None of your excuses are going to work, Granger. We've got a kid together, and when I shagged you the other day, it was probably the best sex I've ever had. Why are you fighting this so hard? It's going to come out eventually, you know? All of it. Astoria's affair. You and Aurelian. The divorce. Her baby not being mine. No matter how quietly she signs the papers and goes away, it will come out. Don't you want to be able to say we've got shit figured out between us when that happens."
"We'll never have things figured out between us, Draco!" Hermione rolled her eyes. "There's too much baggage in the way, and there's your father and your bloodline, and all that rot to worry about."
"My bloodline is already continued through Aurelian and Scorpius," Draco argued with her. "And my father will come 'round. You'll see."
"I don't want to see," she told him. "You and I aren't compatible. We never have been."
"Rubbish!" Malfoy argued. "We've got more bloody chemistry between us than your entire lab, witch. We have had since we were dumb teenagers. Why are you fighting this so hard? What are you so afraid of? I've already knocked you up, and Potter already knows Aurelian's my son and hasn't killed anyone."
Hermione bit her lip, shaking her head and looking down.
"I'm happy alone," she said.
"Liar," Draco accused. "No one is happy alone. I sure as hell am not, and I know you're lying to say you are. What are you thinking is going to happen? That you'll someday meet someone else willing to raise my son? That even if you did, I'd allow it?"
"Allow it?" Hermione hissed, her head snapping up as she glared at him. "You're not my fucking keeper, Malfoy! I don't need your permission to do anything."
"You need my permission if you mean to involve some other tosspot in my son's life. He's already calling me 'Daddy', Granger; as he bloody well should because I'm his bloody father. What are you going to do? Confuse the matter all the more by dating someone else? You haven't bothered up until now and you know I'm interested in giving things a go with you."
"You…." Hermione spluttered at him, flabbergasted at his announcement.
"What?" he frowned, clearly confused by her shell-shock.
"You can't just… blurt something like that out," Hermione said, putting her hands on her hips. "We're not… I mean, we haven't… and… you…"
Hermione shook her head, staring at Malfoy utterly dumbfounded.
"What?" he repeated. "I can't just say I want to try things with you?" he confirmed.
Hermione nodded.
"And why the bloody hell not?" Malfoy demanded crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at her. "You're the mother of my son, Granger. You're the witch who harps on about my safety, and nags me about paperwork and protocols and proper procedures. You're basically my work-wife, as it is. The only difference, should we give things a go, would be that I'd be bending you over that desk in your office a whole lot more often and I'd have to put up with you nagging me outside of office hours, too."
"Because that sounds so good?" Hermione asked scathingly. "This isn't… We're not trying things of for size, Malfoy. Sharing a son doesn't mean we have to date."
He narrowed his eyes on her, scowling, and Hermione took a small step backward.
"What are you so afraid of, Granger? My father?"
Hermione shook her head.
"If Lucius tries anything, I'll deal with him," she said.
"Then what is it?" Draco demanded. "You and I together makes sense. It always has. We're both brainy, we're both stubborn as mules, and we're not afraid to hurt each other's feelings. On top of that we have this haze of sexual tension between us and have done since probably the Yule Ball in fourth, and on the occasions that it's gotten the better of us, it's been bloody brilliant. So, what's your bloody problem?
"We're not compatible," Hermione argued.
"Yes, we are," he replied.
"We'll drive each other spare," she tried again.
"Probably, but it'll be bloody worth it," he informed her.
"You're still married."
"Not for long," Draco reminded her.
Hermione scowled, her heart pounding in her chest as he slowly back her across the room, intent on getting to the bottom of her resistance.
"It'll confuse the children," Hermione said.
"Aurelian is already calling me 'Dad', Granger," he sighed. "And Scorpius is young enough that he's not going to be too traumatised if you step into his life as a mother-figure. Especially since Astoria will be stepping out of that role and relocating across the globe."
"We hate each other, Malfoy," Hermione insisted, her back hitting the wall by the fireplace.
He raised one eyebrow in silent challenge and Hermione glared at him stubbornly.
"I haven't hated you since I was about fifteen, Granger," he said. "I didn't particularly like you, but I haven't hated you since even before the war."
"You called me a mudblood," Hermione reminded him, scandalized.
"It was expected of me, and I was trying to make myself see you as my father wanted me to see you," he argued in return.
"Meaning?" Hermione frowned, raising her eyebrows at him and watching the way his cheeks flushed the faintest shade of pink.
"Come on, Granger," he said in a low voice. "You're smart. You figure it out. What possible reason could I have for trying to convince myself that you were dirty and unattractive and beneath notice? What reason does any idiot teenage boy have for picking on a girl?"
"You expect me to believe you fancied me?" she scoffed.
"I wouldn't say fancied… I…" he sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. "Alright, so, maybe I would say that. But I was an idiot kid and I was on the wrong side of the war and when I drunkenly confessed to my father that I'd been looking in your direction, he made it beyond clear that you would never be suitable as a candidate for the next Mrs Malfoy. So I was a right bloody prick and tried to tell myself he was right, and here I am ten years later in the midst of a messy divorce from the woman my father said was right for playing the next Mrs Malfoy, and I'm standing in your bloody bedroom, looking at you in that cute bloody towel that barely covers your arse, hoping you'll drop it, and listening to our sons playing downstairs, all whilst trying to pry the truth out of as to why you don't want to bloody give it a go with me."
Hermione blinked at him, completely shocked. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know if she even believed him. Surely, he was just trying to get his way. Surely, this was just some ploy to convince her to date him – maybe even to marry him – because he'd found out he had a son with her and he was old fashioned enough that he wanted to wed her to legitimise the boy.
Malfoy sighed heavily, running a hand through his hand and looking exasperated as though he could hear every thought running through her head and Hermione frowned at him.
"Tell me why you're so afraid to try things with me, Hermione," he said in a low voice, his use of her first name surprising her so much that she almost dropped the ends of the towel she'd fallen to clutching.
Hermione frowned. She wanted to tell him that she wasn't scared of anything, but she knew it would be a lie.
"I…" Hermione shook her head, biting her lip and looking down at her feet for a moment, trying to gather her courage.
"Mmm?" Malfoy hummed, stepping closer until he invaded her personal space. He lifted his hands and tunnelled them into her damp curl, tipping her head up to hold her gaze.
"I just… what if we gave it a go, and the kids were all excited and happy and accepting, and then things fell apart? What if we try, and fail?" Hermione asked in a whisper, tracing her eyes over his face and hating him a little for being so handsome and for passing those intense grey eyes on to his son. She'd been conditioned for the past five years to fall into eyes like his and now here he was, tempting her to fall into his eyes instead.
He smiled just a little, almost as though he thought she was adorable.
"Come on, love," he said gently. "You're Hermione Granger. You've never failed a single thing in your life."
Hermione's breath left her lungs in a rush and she stared at him, trying to understand where he got this faith that they could make something of the mess and tension between them.
"Are you only pushing this because of Aurelian?" she asked. "Because of your mother and her insistence on this?"
One corner of his mouth pulled up.
"No," he confessed. "I admit that knowing Aurelian is my son certainly means I'm pushing to have you agree harder than I might've had we not already had a child together, but he's not the only reason I want you, Granger."
Hermione stared at him, trying to understand how he could seem so sure that she was what he wanted.
"Why me, then?" she said. "I'm not fishing for compliments. I'm genuinely curious. I'm hardly the nicest or the prettiest person you know."
"You're the most interesting," he replied. "And you're the one brave enough to shout at me and tell me when I'm being a complete tosser. You slapped me once, witch. Who else in that entire school would've dared to slap me for being a rude little prick?"
"You want me for my violent nature?" she asked sceptically, raising her eyebrows.
He smirked.
"Maybe," he shrugged. "May I keep catching myself looking at you whenever we're in vicinity of one another. Maybe I've spent too bloody long comparing every other woman I meet to you, and finding them all lacking."
Hermione frowned at him, not sure she even wanted to believe what he was saying and what it might mean.
"Malfoy…" she began, shaking her head slowly.
"Don't just shoot this down on bloody principle of being stubborn, Granger," he said quietly, cutting her off before she could find some way to give him an easy let down. "If you need time to think about it, or you've got some stuff you need to figure out first, that's fine. But don't say no to trying things with me just because I'm Draco Malfoy and you're Hermione's bloody Granger. I think we're getting a little old to keep hissing at each other like feral cats, don't you?"
Hermione sighed, searching his face and trying to figure out if he was being genuine or if this was all just some unfortunate mess of transferred feelings. She could tell he wasn't going to give up, even if she told him to shove off. He was many things, but he'd never been a quitter when it came to getting his own bloody way and Hermione kind of hated him for that, almost as much as she admired his willpower.
"Get your divorce settled first, Malfoy," Hermione said quietly. "Divorce your wife, and figure out the custody of Scorpius with her, and let some of the fuss die down in the papers after they get wind of it. And maybe break the news to your father that he has two grandsons instead of one, and keep an eye out for assassins, because I really do think he'll try to have Aurelian and I killed, rather than daring to face such accepting notions as to allow a half-blood and muggleborn into the prestigious Malfoy family. Maybe, after all that, we can revisit the idea of trying something, if you're still interested by then."
Malfoy smirked widely at her, looking like he'd just been given the best news he'd heard in weeks. Hell, for all she knew, he had. Everything else in his life had turned to shite, maybe having her agree to consider dating him at a later date was what Draco Malfoy perceived to be a win.
"Have dinner with me tonight?" he asked.
Hermione snorted, shaking her head.
"Not a chance," she informed him.
"You just said…" he began.
"You're still married," Hermione reminded him. "And anyways, I'm meeting with your mother for dinner this evening."
"What? Why?" he frowned.
"We meet every second Wednesday," Hermione shrugged. "We have done since she barged into the maternity ward at the hospital five years ago, trying to buy my silence about Aurelian."
"Certainly worked," he muttered, frowning suddenly and looking bitter.
"I've never accepted a dime from her, thank you very much," Hermione said, scowling at him. "I kept quite about our secret without monetary incentive."
"For all the good it's done you," he retorted meanly. "I'm going to redden your arse for it one day soon, too."
"You'll do no such thing," Hermione hissed.
"Oh, I will," he informed her, staring her down in a way that kind of made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and reminded her that in the days since he'd been a cowardly brat at school, he'd grown a backbone and faced off against hungry and angry magical creatures on almost a daily basis. He was hardly scared of one five foot witch.
"Get out of my bedroom so I can get dressed, Malfoy," Hermione demanded.
"I could help you get dressed," he suggested, smirking.
"Out!" Hermione hissed.
"Don't be a spoil sport, Granger," he argued.
"I'm not getting naked in front of you," she said.
"Why not?" he frowned. "You've seen me naked plenty of times."
"By coincidence when you almost get yourself killed in the field, not when you're alone in your bedroom, fresh out of the shower. And when it happens, I'm not interested in ravishing you senseless. I'm usually a little too preoccupied trying to stave off your untimely death."
"More evidence that you fancy me," he smirked.
"You're an idiot," Hermione informed him, scowling.
"If I turn my back so you can dress, will you let me tuck you into bed?" he asked, and Hermione raised her eyebrows, wondering if he was serious.
"I'm not ready for bed," she informed him.
"You look like you need sleep, witch," he argued.
"We've two small boys downstairs who would wreak havoc if we slept now. You saw what they did last time they were left unsupervised."
"A little mess never killed anyone," he shrugged.
"I should feed them," Hermione sighed, turning away and going to the cupboard to fish out some clean, comfortable clothes to lounge about the house in. Part of her thought she ought to go back to work and finish working on her cure, but the rest of her knew she was much too tired to focus, and it could end up being fatal if she made a mistake with the antidote.
"I'll feed them," he said sternly, turning away to let her dress and surprising her when he didn't try to peek even once.
"You want to just putter around my house all day, feeding the kids while I nap?" she asked, frowning at him.
"They're my kids, Granger," he rolled his eyes. "I'm not about to let them starve. And you look terrible. You need sleep."
"Are you trying to convince me that you'd be good boyfriend material?" Hermione asked, blinking as he turned back when she was dressed before he crossed the room, intent on tucking her into bed.
"Is it working?" he smirked.
Hermione kind of hated him that it was. Shaking her head stubbornly, she turned away, crawling into bed and letting him pull the covers over her. He did a surprisingly good job of tucking her in before he perched on the mattress beside her.
"You're going to fall for me eventually, witch," he informed her arrogantly.
"Not if you act like your usual smug self," she replied.
"Mmmhmmm," he hummed doubtfully, grinning even as he leaned over her, invading her space one more.
"You can't just kiss me goodnight," she said. "It's barely eleven in the morning.
"Granger?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.
"What?"
"Shut up and let me tuck you into bed and kiss you goodnight," he commanded and Hermione narrowed her eyes on him.
Before she could utter a reply, he leaned over and brushed his lips softly over hers, coaxing her into a soft, chaste kiss before he pulled back without even trying to properly snog her. Hermione suspected she really was more exhausted than she'd realised when he smiled gently and kissed her forehead softly as she drifted off.