"YOU'RE SLEEPING OVER?" Scorpius screams as he found out his father was staying for the night.
"Yes, hopefully for the next few days till I find a good apartment." He smiles at the boy. Hermione sat at the opposite chair of the dinning table. They were eating dinner that Draco prepared. Hermione was delighted with the way he cooked but tried not to show her excitement. She chewed quietly listening to the two talk to each other.
"I don't see why you need to find your own apartment when you can stay with mum and I. Can't you see it? We're already a family! Just like my friends do and I'm so happy and excited to tell everyone in school!" He grabs a spoonful and chews on it. "Where did you learn to cook this good?"
"Well Magic did help me out, boy."
"See Magic. That's all that made this good. I bet you can't make this steak as good as this without it." Hermione snorts. She wasn't really that good in cooking. She knows how to cook the basics but has no idea how to gourmet and make things fancier. She was trying to ignore the offer Scorpius just gave about Draco staying over and them being a real family.
"Oh... is that a challenge Granger?"
"Yes Malfoy."
"Challenge accepted then, If I do it you have to compliment me and my cooking skills."
"If you did, I will." Hermione smirks and nods her head. Scorpius stares at the two.
"Why do you call each other that?"
"Well, how about I tell you a story." Draco pulls Scorp's chair closer and whispers. "Your mum used to bully me school and calls me Malfoy cause she hates me."
"NOT TRUE! It's the other way around." Hermione pipes in the conversation.
"I'm pretty sure you hated me more, Granger."
"You hated me more, Granger." She repeated annoyingly. He smirks and Hermione could feel herself falling for him again. Scorpius laughs at them bickering.
"What are you laughing at?" Draco starts tickling him while Hermione observes the two of them. Spoon dangling on her hand mouth slightly agape. She imagines a life where Draco never left. Him accompanying her through motherhood, him beside her as she picked different pajamas for their baby. Him changing Scorpius diaper and shushing him to sleep at night. She feels her heart break and could imagine more but flicks herself back to reality. The two stop and look at her. She looked flush.
"What's wrong mum?"
"What? Nothing! I was just wondering what flavor of ice cream we're going for after this."
Hermione gets up early that day. It was saturday and she was dressed for work. She fixes herself in the mirror before kissing sleeping Scorp good bye.
"Mum?"
"I'd be back in two hours, hun. Malfoy is here to take care of you so don't worry." He nods and goes back to sleep. Hermione steps out of their room and goes down the stairs. She sees Draco in the kitchen reading a newspaper.
"Oh there you are, I was meaning to talk to you."
"About what?" Hermione grabs her tumbler before filling it up with coffee.
"So I ran away and moved out right? So my mother's not really happy with that. She kind of told me that she'd disown me and cut me off if I left so... I'm pretty much broke." Hermione raises one eyebrow at him. "I've got my own money but of course that'll be wasted soon as I find my own apartment and of course since I have obligations and shares here in this household. I can't work and the only solution I have is to work here in the muggle world. You've told me that you own your own bookstore and I was wondering if you have any open slots for anyone?"
"I do. I actually need someone to help out in the book keeping area and I think you can learn how that goes. I also need a nanny for Scorpius and since most of the time you'll be staying with us I guess you're the best choice for that. I usually have meetings every Saturday and Sunday like the one I'm going to now so yeah. Do your job, Mr. Malfoy you're hired."
"Thank you." Hermione smiles and closes her tumbler. "Wait, Hermione."
"What?"
"Seriously, thank you. Thank you for giving me another chance to enter your life I know what I did a few years back was very hurtful and no amount of apologies can ever make up for it. I like how we're civil now and friends, I just missed you so much and -"
"Please, enough. I get it you're welcome. I need to go." She shushes him and leaves the kitchen. She exits the house and gets in her car. Her eyes were filled with tears and she couldn't and wouldn't cry in front of Draco. She closed her eyes and sighed out loud begging the tears to not fall so her make up wouldn't get smudged. She was humming when her phone began ringing. She opened it and saw her alarm. Her meeting was about to start in a couple of minutes.
"Ginny, the kids want to go over at Hermione's to visit Scorpius. The boy hasn't been here for almost two weeks, James and Lily wants to come play with him." Harry enters the kitchen looking at his wife who was busy preparing their lunch.
"That's actually a good idea! I'll pack everything and we can just go eat with them." Ginny smiles and nods. "Go tell the kids to get ready and we'll leave in thirty minutes."
Edited on June 11, 2018