Chapter 20:
When the first of February rolled in, the small family had attended their checkups to find out that both children were incredibly healthy. They had grown up several years in the few short moments they had been with the matron. They were now seven. Draco had decided that they should spend the day shopping in Hogsmeade, much to the girls' excitement. Hermione as always, was reading the new information they had received.
Seven year old children are becoming much more adept at taking care of themselves and so the role of the parent is more about guidance rather than close supervision. Seven year olds will often express preferences for certain activities or types of books, toys or food. There may be more negotiation over diet, extracurricular activities, how to spend leisure time, and even what chores they can and want to do.
Draco frowned, "Chores?"
Hermione stopped reading aloud and lifted an eyebrow at her fiancé, "yes dear chores."
"You mean… people actually make their children do house-elf work?"
"No… people make their children do little tasks that will help them become a useful member of society one day," Hermione said, her voice raising towards the end.
Hermione continued reading, eating patterns can fluctuate widely at this age. It is important to establish healthy eating habits. School aged children generally need about 10 to 12 hours of sleep each night. With increasing social diaries it is important to ensure your child is getting enough sleep.
Signs that your child may not be getting enough sleep:
Has trouble waking up in the morning.
Exhibits irritable behaviour.
Seems overly emotional and moody.
Is hyperactive.
Has difficulty concentrating in school.
Has trouble staying awake during the day.
"Mummy now that we're bigger do we get to go to bed later?" Aurora asked.
Hermione laughed, "we'll see."
Aurora and Curtis sighed, "that means no."
"No it doesn't. Let's see… You need about 10 to 12 hours sleep each night," Hermione thought out loud, "so we could possibly say that you can stay up an extra half hour on week nights and an extra hour on weekends. What do you think?" Hermione looked at Draco.
He smiled, "Only if they wake up on time in the morning. How about we have a trial week?"
Hermione nodded in agreement as the two children jumped up and down in excitement.
By this stage of develop, child discipline is often focused on guidance and less centred on consequences for bad behaviour. As 7 year olds continue to explore their identities and develop socially and emotionally, they will naturally explore boundaries and limitations. They may experiment with behaviour such as lying, defiance, or talking back. Seven year olds will take great pride in being "big kids" who can handle more responsibilities. Chores can also help your child feel like they are contributing to the family.
Age Appropriate Chores For Seven Year Olds:
Sweep Floors
"No kid of mine is sweeping the floor," Malfoy laughed.
Hermione frowned as she continued reading the list aloud.
Make their bed in the morning.
"I guess that is an ok chore," Malfoy grumbled.
Clean their room.
"But mummy…" Aurora started complaining, "you already make us tidy our room."
"Hey! We help," Draco laughed.
Set the table.
Feed pets.
"Mummy, does that mean we can get a pet?" Curtis asked.
Hermione and Draco glanced at each other. Draco murmured under his breath, "Oh shit."
"Maybe not son," Hermione tried to come up with a good reason, "because we live in a big castle."
"Yeah and that's no place for a pet," Draco frowned.
"But," Aurora complained, "I want a kitty cat."
"I want doesn't get," Hermione told the young girl.
Help clear the dishes after a meal.
Many seven year old children develop a love of collecting toys or other knick knacks. They are fond of order and routine.
7 am – wake up
8am – breakfast
10am – Snack (fruit/ biscuits/ yoghurt)
12pm – Lunch
3:00pm – Snack (fruit/ biscuits/ yoghurt)
4pm – Pick up from daycare
6pm – Dinner
7:30pm – Bathtime, Stories, and Bed
"Their daily routine hasn't really changed," Hermione commented.
Aurora piped up, "Except we don't have to go to bed early anymore."
They quickly walked into the villiage. Hermione and Draco held hands whilst the children ran ahead. "I heard from my parents," Draco said conversationally.
"Oh?" Hermione smiled.
"Yeah; they want to know if we will go and spend half term at the manor," Draco said with a false light air. Hermione got the feeling he was nervous. His calm exterior crumbled, "I understand if you don't want to after…" His mind went back to that horrible night when Hermione had been tortured in his drawing room.
"Draco, calm down. Of course we can go to your parents house," Hermione smiled as she saw him sigh in relief. Their conversation was quickly ended however as Aurora and Curtis started throwing demands at their parents. They seemed to want everything they saw in the shop windows.
"If we didn't have the kids with us, I'd totally take you for a drink at the three broomsticks," Malfoy whispered into Hermione's ear.
She laughed, "I always had you pegged as more Madam Puddifoot's sort of clientele," she teased him.
Draco smirked, "as if."
"Mummy, can we go to Honeydukes?" Aurora asked, tugging at Hermione's robes.
"Maybe later Princess," Hermione replied.
"But mummy…"
"First we need to go to Gladrags Wizardwear," Hermione told the children. "We need to buy you both new clothes."
"Then can we go to Honeydukes?" Aurora asked.
"And Zonko's… and Spintwitches?" Curtis asked.
"Sure," Hermione sighed. Draco pulled her closer to himself and kissed her cheek. "I wish we could just order them some clothes from Gap, Next or H&M."
"Muggle shops, I'm guessing," Draco raised an eyebrow.
"Indeed," Hermione grinned.
"I just wish we could go to London. Then we could get them something from Twilfitt and Tattings. Then they'd be proper Malfoys."
"Proper Malfoys?" Hermione asked.
"Well… my family have always worn a lot of clothes from Twilfitt and Tattings."
"Oh… I thought you most dressed in Italian… expensive… designer clothes."
"We do… but Twilfitt sorts it all out for us," Draco smiled.
"Well couldn't we write to the owner of the shop and have our order delivered to the castle?" Hermione asked.
"That's a brilliant idea," Draco smiled, "we'll still need to get them some stuff today so that they don't run out of clothes."
Hermione nodded. They quickly bought both children a pair of jeans and several t-shirts, some socks, underwear and jumpers. On the way out of the shop Hermione noticed a sign, "MASS BREAKOUT! DARK LORD'S FOLLOWERS WANT REVENGE?"
"What the hell?" Hermione blurted out. She looked up at the poster and read the article underneath. "Twelve death eaters have escaped. They think they might be after the golden trio…" Hermione frowned. "Shit!"
It wasn't often Draco heard Hermione swear, especially not in front of the children. "Come on love, let's get back to the castle," Draco wrapped his arm around Hermione tightly.
The children began to complain, "BUT DADDY!"
"That is enough!" Draco replied sternly. "We will go to Honeydukes on the way passed."
"But I want to go to…" Curtis began again.
"If you behave, I will take you to London in a few weeks and then we can go to Quality Quidditch Supplies."
That quickly shut the boy up. The family arrived back just in time for lunch. They joined their friends in the Great Hall. Both Ron and Harry looked deep in thought when they approached. Aurora sat with her friends Alina, Rosanna, Ilenia and Natascia. Curtis chose to sit between his father and his best friend Gofreddo. Enzo his other close friend was sat opposite him in between his parents. Draco frowned over his son and Gofreddo's heads to his own best friend, Blaise. Zabini sighed, "the whole school is talking about it," he whispered.
Draco merely nodded before turning back to Hermione. After several minutes, Harry looked up at Hermione, "what do you think we should do Mione?"
"Not here, Harry," was all the reply he received.
He nodded his head.
After lunch the four couples and their children made their way to the head dorm to talk about their new problem. Once they were all inside and the children had been sent upstairs to Aurora and Curtis' bedroom, Hermione let out a loud sigh.
Following Hermione's sigh there was a long silence as if they were all too scared to break it. Hermione broke the silence herself after several minutes, "I don't know what we should do… all I know is we have to do something. If they really are after us… well our greatest weakness is our children. They will use them to get to us. I can't let that happen."
"It won't," Draco tried to reassure her.
Hermione kissed him on the cheek, "you can't promise that."
Pavati and Theo, the only pair who didn't have to be there were the first to make a suggesting, "up the security a bit… be more careful about who baby sits whilst you're on patrol… no one outside of this circle."
Harry nodded, "it's a good start."
"It's not enough," Hermione frowned. "We need to stop them."
"I have to agree with Hermione," Draco nodded his head, "I'm not going to let them anywhere near Hermione or my kids and the only way to be sure… other than murder that is… is to catch them and have them put back in Azkaban."
The group of friends spent several hours trying to come up with a plan but none of them had any ideas how to find the death eaters. Eventually the families all separated. Hermione had made a list of protective spells and wards for each family's apartment. Draco showed their guests out whilst Hermione sat on the sofa. She sighed, it wasn't that long ago that we were in the middle of a war… sometimes I forget.