4.27.11
Draco opened his eyes, and for a few blissful seconds, thought nothing of it. Then reality hit him, and he sat bolt upright in bed. Frantically searching for some sign of what day it was, he threw the covers off and hopped up. His clock read two minutes til eight, so he rushed from the room, pulling on a robe as he went. Scorpius's alarm would go off soon, and if anybody would know the date, it would be his son.
He stopped outside his son's door and waited until he heard the alarm go off. When the beeping stopped, he knocked and waited for Scorpius to speak.
"Come in."
Draco poked his head around the door and grinned at his son, who was rubbing his eyes with his fists. "Morning, Score."
Scorpius's face lit up and he sat up, then threw off his blankets and jumped up from the bed. "Daddy!" He flung his arms around Draco for half a second, then released him. "Are we going to talk to Miss Granger today? About the drill?"
Draco's heart leapt and he nearly scooped up his son and spun him around the room. Instead he merely grinned. "For the tree fort, right?"
Scorpius gave him an incredulous look. "Yes, Daddy. We talked about it yesterday."
It still wasn't absolute proof, even though Draco felt in his heart that he'd truly stopped time jumping. "And yesterday was Mummy's birthday, right?"
"Are you feeling okay?" Scorpius asked, turning away to begin dressing for the day. "Of course it was. You let me stay home from school and we went to the creek all morning, just like we used to. I hope we keep doing it every year."
"Of course we will." Draco shut his eyes and took a few deep, calming breaths. He was really and truly home. Then everything he'd been able to avoid came crashing down on him: Astoria's cheating and Theo taking the company being the most obvious and pressing matters. Thankfully, his mother was there and could take Scorpius to school so that he could be at his lawyer's office when he arrived.
"Hey, Score. I'm going to have Grand'Mere take you to school this morning. We'll talk to Miss Granger this afternoon, when she has more time. I've got an important appointment first thing today."
Scorpius nodded seriously. "All right. But you promise you'll pick me up?"
"Promise. You get ready for school while I speak to Grand'Mere." Draco ruffled his hair then set off to find his mother.
Narcissa was in the breakfast room and had just sat down to her meal when Draco entered and saw the Daily Prophet on the table near her plate. Knowing she was seconds away from opening it, he speed-walked over to her and snatched it up.
Narcissa looked up, one eyebrow raised. "And good morning to you, Son. Pray tell, why have you taken my newspaper?"
Draco sat down in the chair nearest her. "Mother, we need to talk."
She glanced up at him, unimpressed, but something in his expression made her pale slightly. "Oh, Draco. I'm not really angry about the paper."
"It's about yesterday, Mother. It was a terrible day." And he needed to tell her the basic gist quickly, before Scorpius arrived to eat. "I'm just going to get it out and we can discuss the ramifications later, all right?"
"Draco, darling, you're scaring me." She set her fork down and sat up straight, rigid as a post.
He took a deep breath. "Yesterday, Theo Nott somehow managed to wrest control of the company from me."
Narcissa looked at him expectantly, as though waiting for the punchline. "Draco, do be serious."
"I am, Mother. I swear. The Board voted me out yesterday. It's why I didn't come home in the afternoon, why I was completely and thoroughly wasted yesterday before dinner—though I'd sobered up a bit beforehand." It was such a relief to get the truth out. To her, it had been only yesterday, but he'd been carrying the knowledge for eighteen days, dreading the moment when he had to tell her.
Her expression went from disbelief to rage to a cold, calm fury. "Exactly who does Theodore Nott think he is, anyway? Just wait until your father hears about this."
Draco smirked. "I've wondered how he would react. I'm not sure Theo really thought it all the way through."
"Does he honestly think he'll get away with stealing the company from you—our company, the one with the Malfoy name on it?" Her hands were shaking she was so livid.
"He said he can change the name." Draco shrugged. "Honestly, mother, I've had time to think about it, and I'm not terribly upset. I've got a bit of a nest egg set aside, started it years ago, and I might want to try something new for myself. I think I did a decent job, but I'm not sure I've got what it takes to really make it in such a cutthroat business environment. It will suit Theo, though."
Narcissa narrowed her eyes at him. "Lucius will come home for this."
"I assumed as much. Good luck getting him in."
She scoffed. "Please. The only reason he hasn't returned is because he hasn't wanted to."
Draco tried not to take that personally; Lucius had never once visited him for his birthday or any other special occasion—not even the birth of his grandson.
Narcissa's grip on her napkin relaxed. "All right. Thank you for telling me." She seemed ready to resume her morning routine.
"I'm sure it's all over the papers. There were reporters accosting me last night when I left the Leaky." Draco limply waved his hand toward the paper. "Oh, and there's one more thing. I also walked in on Astoria and Theo, and I want a divorce."
Narcissa's eyes went wide, her hand flying to her heart. "Oh! What… what do you mean?"
"I caught them in the act, Mother. It's really simple: I want a divorce."
Her expression warred between wanting to comfort him and scandalized by his proclamation. "Draco, are… are you sure?"
He chuckled wryly. "I'm completely certain, Mother. Both that she was cheating on me with the same man who one hour later stole the company from me and that I want a divorce."
Her expression was torn, and he waited for the inevitable. "I'm so sorry, Draco. She can be immediately removed from all future Malfoy financial considerations, and I wish that your experience with Astoria was better than it is, but is divorce really the route you want to pursue?"
"Yes, absolutely."
"Oh, but darling, can't we work something out? Divorce is so messy, and in our circles—"
"I know." He paused to calm down, not wanting to argue with her. "But I simply cannot live my life the way I've been living the last eight years. This is not up for negotiation." His tone was hard and he hoped she would accept his decision without any fuss.
"No Malfoy heir has ever—"
"I don't care." Draco scowled. "My relationship with Astoria never progressed beyond two people who agreed to have a child. She got what she wanted out of this, and it was very clear from the start that she wanted our name and everything that comes with it, not me. I spent ten years with her, faithful in all ways, never even trying to involve my heart with anyone else, and I am done. I don't want to argue, I won't beg, but this is what I'm doing. If you truly care about me, you will support my decision."
Narcissa pursed her lips, then her expression gradually softened. "Oh, Draco. Has it truly been that bad? It's always seemed... tolerable."
He snorted. "Such high aspirations. Well, it's no longer tolerable. She and I have only ever been very good at pretending to truly care about each other."
She didn't speak right away. "You're set on this, then?"
"Completely. Immovably." He crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm doing it—with or without your support. Obviously, I would prefer it. After all, you've got your pureblood heir to carry on the family name. Now I'd like to try and find someone to share my life with."
"You have a woman in mind, I take it?"
He frowned, trying to figure out why she would have made such a conclusion. "There's nobody waiting in the wings, Mother, if that's what you're suggesting. As I said before, I haven't sought to involve my heart with anyone." He considered the days with Hermione somewhat outside of time and could therefore consider his answer to his mother truthful. Before his time travel adventure, he'd kept himself emotionally closed.
She regarded him thoughtfully for a moment but didn't respond to his statement. "Well, Son, if you must, you must. I didn't lie to the Dark Lord so that you could wallow in misery for the rest of your life." She paused, then sighed heavily. "All right, then. I'll support you."
Draco released an anxious breath. "Thank you, Mother. That means a lot to me."
"You, um, caught her in the act, you said?" Narcissa peered at him.
"Yes. On my desk at work, actually." He poured himself a cup of tea, able to enjoy it now that the unpleasant business of telling his mother had concluded. "I'll be at the lawyer's office first thing when they open. Would you take Scorpius to school? I've already told him you would."
"Of course, dear. I am awfully sorry." Narcissa frowned. "I suppose this explains why things were so… frosty between you two last night."
Draco scoffed. "That's putting it mildly. It was all I could do to stay in the same room as her."
"And yet you did it for your son." She looked at him pointedly. "Have you considered how this will affect him?"
"I have, actually." He sighed. "It will be hard, but I think in the long run, seeing his parents with people they truly care about will be far better for him than if Astoria and I were to go on pretending." He couldn't tell his mother that Scorpius had already noticed that he wasn't happy; that had happened on his time jump journey, and he didn't know how—or even if he should—tell her about any of that.
Narcissa pursed her lips, and he could tell bringing up Scorpius had been her last effort to get him to consider something other than divorce.
Finished with his tea, Draco grabbed a few portable breakfast items and kissed his mother on the cheek. "Thank you. I'll see you later."
He had just exited the room when Astoria arrived. Her eyes went wide. "Draco! I'm so glad you're here. Can we talk?"
He checked his watch; it was quarter till nine. "I've got somewhere to be in fifteen minutes. I will listen for the next ten." He didn't wait for a response but started for the Traveling Room at a brisk pace.
She hurried to keep up with him. "How are you doing?"
"I said I'd listen, Astoria." Draco shot her a warning look. "What is it that you wanted to say?"
"I just… Can you stop? For one minute?" She grabbed his arm to slow him down, and he had to adjust his movements so that he didn't spill his tea.
He did glare at her, though, hoping to convey that every second he was in her presence was a nuisance.
She frowned and began to fidget with her hands. "I'm only… I want to say that I'm sorry. Truly. That our lives haven't quite turned out the way you hoped they might have. I know that I wasn't really open to anything with you, but I was so angry with my parents and bitter over having no say in the matter whatsoever that I resolved to despise you for the rest of my life."
Draco bit his tongue to keep from snapping at her. This sounded like the sort of conversation they should have had at the beginning of their marriage, not the end.
"All right. That would have been nice to know. You know. Sooner." So much for not snapping at her.
She bit her lip. "I just want to know… what happens now? I haven't seen Theo since… well, since—"
Draco held up a hand. "I understand your meaning. Here's what's going to happen. I'm headed to the lawyer and I'm going to file for divorce. If all goes well, you'll get an owl with the information."
Astoria went pale. "A d-divorce? Draco, are you sure?"
"Completely." He gave her an easy smile. "I'm headed there now, actually."
"But, divorce is so… improper! Nobody we know has done it, regardless of how they felt!"
He shrugged. "I don't really care. I'm doing it. If you really want to do something for me, then you'll make the process as easy as you can. I know it's going to be unpleasant, but… since it was you who cheated, it might be in your best interest to help me."
"Are you threatening me?" She narrowed her eyes.
Draco rolled his, and part of him wanted to let her think he was. "No, Astoria, but the details are bound to come out if it drags on. Something quick and quiet is in everybody's best interests, wouldn't you agree?"
He could see her considering the angles, weighing her options. Finally, she held her chin high. "I love Theo. I have for a very long time."
"That's great, Astoria." He wondered how long but didn't care enough to press for more details. "Wouldn't you rather go and marry him, then?"
"I suppose so. But—"
"What is it about this life that you want to continue?" He tried to keep his tone controlled, though he felt a great well of bitterness and skepticism building inside him.
She pursed her lips and crossed her arms. "You want the truth?"
"Of course. Please, let's have no more lies between us." He crossed his arms, too, mirroring her angry stance.
"I like the prestige and the gold."
"Another thing I wish I'd known much sooner." Draco clenched his jaw. He'd always suspected as much, but hearing it straight from her lips was still jarring. "I'll say it again: make this quick and easy for me, and I'll compensate you accordingly." He wanted to add that she'd be well situated with Theo, since he had taken over the company, but he hoped it wouldn't last very long. There was simply no way Lucius wouldn't come to reclaim things.
"What are we talking here?"
"Astoria, you cheated on me. You really have no room to make any demands. I'll at least give you equal to your Fidelity Bonus—which is laughable, because I assume you and Theo have been toeing that line for a while now."
She stuck out her chin once more, reminding Draco of Scorpius when he was about five. "Double that, and I'll sign today."
"Done." He grinned maliciously, then inclined his head. "Let's seal this with a spell."
Astoria huffed but complied, holding out her left hand. Draco grasped it, muttered a strong but simple binding spell while they repeated the terms of their agreement. As soon as it was complete, he released her as though it burned.
"Pleasure doing business with you. The papers will be in the post by the end of the day." He gave her a brief nod and spun on his heel, feeling lighter than he'd felt in a very long time.
ooo
Draco was whistling by lunch; the papers for divorce were already filed. It was amazing what a hefty pile of gold could do to speed things along. A nondescript owl was currently bearing the papers to Astoria, and Draco had already signed his. The actual divorce wouldn't be finalized for some time, but at least the process was started. He felt he could see Hermione without holding back.
Not that he planned to ambush her with his feelings, but he didn't intend to waste any time, either.
He arrived home at the Manor in the best mood he'd been in since he could remember, ready to get started on a new chapter in his life. He didn't make it out of the Traveling Room, however, when a thought occurred to him. He quickly changed his immediate plans, donned a large, heavy cloak to hide his identity, and Apparated to Diagon Alley. Half an hour later, he had a small bag of Muggle money in his pocket and he'd Transfigured his clothing somewhat so that he'd pass for a Muggle. Then he Apparated behind the dumpster outside the café where he and Hermione had met over the years.
Smoothing down his hair, he strode onto the street and into the shop with a spring in his step. He whistled while he waited for his turn to order, then chose his and Hermione's favorite things: teas and treats. He had done the same the year before, but everything felt fresh today.
It was a new day, after all.
With his purchases in hand, Draco hailed a cab and headed for the Leaky Cauldron. As he rode along in silence, he wondered what she would say when she saw him. He wanted to have a very long, detailed conversation with her, but when he went to pick Scorpius up, there wouldn't be the time for that. Should he ask her to dinner? They had to be so, so careful, both on account of his now pending divorce and Scorpius. He'd need to proceed with caution, and he should probably ask someone how to date when you had a child so that Scorpius would be part of it but also protected in case things didn't work out with Hermione.
He chuckled to himself; she hadn't even agreed to a date, yet here he was, imagining telling Scorpius about them.
When he reached the Leaky, he thanked and paid the driver, then used the fireplace to reach the school. His long jaunt into Muggle London had put him a little bit behind schedule to collect his son, but that worked out in his favor anyway because he wanted to speak to Hermione alone.
Draco removed the Charms he'd placed on the food before knocking on Hermione's classroom door. He could see through the window that she was at her desk, and when she saw him, her eyes went wide. She quickly motioned for him to enter, which he did with a sudden knot of nerves in his gut.
She stood up as he opened the door, smoothing down her skirt and looking adorably flustered. When her eyes landed on the tea and little brown bag he carried, she broke into a big smile.
"Hello, Miss Granger. I'm sorry that we missed our yearly venture into London yesterday, so I brought it to you instead." He wanted to slap himself for how ridiculous he sounded, but she didn't seem to mind.
"Draco? Is… is this really you? Are you here?" Her words sounded slightly breathless as she accepted the proffered cup of tea.
"Just how you like it." He nodded toward her beverage, then handed her a chocolate croissant.
"You're really here." Her voice was an awed whisper.
Her words were like a flame to a fuse, and he found himself wishing he could forget everything—Astoria, his mother, his divorce, losing the company—even the added level of complication due to having a child—and sweep her into his arms and kiss her. He'd kiss her without regard for their tea that he'd so carefully preserved so that it would arrive in pristine condition for her enjoyment, without concern for the croissants which tasted best fresh so the layers were at peak crispness. A vision even flashed through his mind of sweeping her things off her desk, sitting her on top of it, and kissing her with abandon.
That last visual left his mouth dry and his heart racing, so he tried to think of unpleasant and boring things.
"I'm sorry I missed yesterday, but it was too late once I got back. Or, woke up, rather." He chuckled.
Hermione took a sip of her tea, peering at him over the plastic top. "I look forward to hearing everything."
"Right, well, about that." He set his fist down on her desk and spun it slowly about his middle knuckle. "I was hoping… we might talk over dinner?" She sucked in a breath and he rushed to finish his thought, hyper aware that it sounded like he was asking her out. He had no real reason to expect or even hope she would say yes to such a request. "Right now isn't a good time, for obvious reasons, but my mother is here and can put Scorpius to bed. We'd need to go somewhere in Muggle London, also for obvious reasons, so if you'd rather not, I understand."
But Hermione gave him a small smile. "Dinner tonight sounds fine, Draco. I know a great place for Thai food, if you'd like to try it."
"All right. Yes. Eight sound okay?"
"That's fine." She pulled out a slip of paper and wrote down an address for him. "It's near the café. Why don't we meet there and walk to the restaurant? Oh, and it's very casual."
Draco nodded and pocketed the paper. Things felt very strange at the moment, knowing how much he wanted to call it a date but at the same time not feeling ready to put his heart out there when he didn't know where she stood. "Great. I suppose I ought to get Scorpius now."
To his relief, Scorpius was still in the pick-up area and not wandering about the grounds. His face lit up when he saw his father, and he immediately left what he was doing and ran over to Draco.
"Daddy! You're here. Did you talk to Miss Granger? About the drill?"
Draco chuckled to himself. "No, I'm sorry. It slipped my mind."
Scorpius gave him an exasperated look and grabbed his hand. "Come on, let's go then."
Draco allowed himself to be led back to Hermione's classroom, where she looked surprised to see him again. Her expression softened into a smile upon seeing Scorpius. Once they were inside the room, Scorpius suddenly went shy and half-hid behind Draco's leg.
"Scorpius and I," he began with a smile, "would like to inquire about a drill."
Her expression was one of surprise, and she quickly smiled wider as she crossed to where they were standing. She knelt down so she was on Scorpius's level. "A drill? Scorpius, what do you want the drill for?"
"We'regoingtobuildatreefort."
Hermione glanced up at Draco. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that."
"The tree fort." Scorpius spoke each word deliberately, as though annoyed that she hadn't heard him the first time.
"Ah, the tree fort! Are you going to build one?"
Scorpius nodded. "With Daddy."
"I see. That sounds like a lot of fun! And why do you want the drill?"
"You said we should try things the Muggle way sometimes, and I want to try this."
She laughed and stood up, addressing both of them. "Quite an ambitious project for trying something Muggle. I'll have to think about this, Scorpius, because do you remember something important I said about drills? How do they get their power?"
"Electricity," he replied without hesitation.
"Yes, and something tells me your home doesn't have any of that."
Scorpius shook his head morosely, as though it was one of the greatest tragedies of his childhood. Draco had to bite back a laugh.
Hermione seemed amused as well. "Tell you what, there is a kind of drill that will work, but I don't have one, and I'll have to see if I know anybody who does. Once I find one, I can bring it to you and show you how to use it."
Scorpius looked up at Draco with bright, excited eyes. "Dada, can she? Can she come over and show us the drill?"
Draco chuckled and swung his son's arm. "Of course. Whenever she's ready." His eyes met hers and his breath hitched at the thought of her coming to his home. "But what about the electricity? You said drills need it."
"There's a kind of drill that uses batteries. They still need to be charged with electricity, but they last a while. I can maybe get a second battery, and that should be plenty."
Draco tutted. "Just get what you need, Granger, and send me the bill."
Both she and Scorpius looked at him, he with shock and she with an indefinable expression: amusement laced with something else, something... dangerous.
"I mean, Miss Granger." Draco cleared his throat and gave Scorpius a penitent look. "My apologies, I suppose something of an old habit slipped in. When we were in school together, Miss Granger and I primarily called each other by our surnames."
Hermione clasped her hands, all traces of the mysterious glint in her eyes gone. "Well, that's sorted. Scorpius, I will get in touch with your father to arrange a time for me to come over with the drill."
Scorpius nodded excitedly. "I'll make some biscuits with Grand'Mere. Or Daddy, if she's not here anymore when you come."
She smiled warmly. "That sounds lovely."
"Thank you." Draco was oddly anxious to get Scorpius away. He feared that his son might continue extending invitations, and then things could get awkward—especially if their evening didn't go very well tonight or if he got any impression that she wasn't interested in him. "I look forward to hearing from you, Miss Granger. And I mean it, get whatever we need."
Hermione regarded him for a moment. "Whatever you need? Because you're going to need more than a drill to make a tree fort."
"Yes. Whatever we need. I trust you."
"All right. I'll see what I can do."
Draco tugged Scorpius's hand. "Let's go, Score. I'm sure Miss Granger has things she needs to do."
Scorpius waved to his teacher and followed his father out. They used the Floo to get home, and Scorpius ran off to tell his grandmother all about his day. Draco chuckled as he watched him disappear around a corner.
Draco made for his study, undoing the top button of his shirt as he walked. When he reached the hallway where the door to his study was located, he saw Astoria approaching from the opposite direction. Their eyes met and he fought a grimace. She gave him a half smile and held up a stack of parchment.
"All signed. Just like we discussed."
He took them from her and tucked them under his arm. "Thank you. This means a lot."
"Have you thought about telling our son? What's going to happen with him?"
Draco leaned against the wall. "He'll stay with me, of course. You know that. We'll work something out for you to be in his life, Astoria. I'm not trying to take him away."
She chewed on her lip. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't consider trying. But in the end, a Malfoy Marriage Contract is iron-clad, and there's no point. All I ask, Draco, is that he doesn't know why all of this is happening. You know, about… about Theo. And me."
"I had no intention of telling him that. I believe it's enough to say that we love him, but we want him to have parents who love each other, and you and I simply don't."
Astoria nodded thoughtfully. "Any idea how long this will take?"
"No. The lawyer said it largely depends on you, but with everything with our families, it could take a few months." The shortest he anticipated was six weeks, but he felt a more realistic timeline was somewhere from two to three months. "You do realize this is the best thing, right?"
She sighed. "Yes, I do. I know it's better for me, and I assume it will be better for you. And Scorpius really does deserve better than two parents who are essentially estranged roommates who hold hands for the cameras. He must know something isn't right."
"He does. He mentioned something recently."
"Are you… seeing someone?" Astoria stuck the toe of her heel into the plush rug and spun her ankle around, making a temporary divot.
"No. I'm not." Yet.
"Will you wait until the divorce is final? What do you want me to do about Theo?"
Draco snorted. "You should at least wait until there's an announcement in the Prophet about it. After that, I couldn't care less what you do about Theo." He really wanted to ask if she had known about Theo's plan to take the company. He wondered whether sleeping with Astoria was some kind of attempt to further ruin Draco's life, though Theo must have known that he wouldn't especially care.
It was a mystery, one he was only mildly curious about but not nearly enough to inquire. At least, not right now. Maybe someday.
"Well, I'll have my things removed from the Manor soon and we'll need to figure out a time to talk to Scorpius. I guess… have a good day."
She held out her hand. "It's… it's been an experience, hasn't it?"
Draco shook it, despite feeling it was a very strange thing to do. "It has. Thank you, again, for Scorpius. You will forever mean a lot to me because of him."
Astoria leaned toward him, faltered, then huffed and quickly threw her arms around him. "You're a good man, Draco Malfoy. Any witch would be lucky to have you."
He very lightly returned her embrace, relieved when she pulled out of it just as quickly. "Thanks. Good luck with Theo."
She waved as she walked away.
Draco shut himself in his study and let out a long, relieved sigh. That had gone as well as it possibly could have. Now he only had to fill the time before he would see Hermione, and he decided to go flying. It would help clear his mind and turn his thoughts away from over-analyzing everything that had happened today and might happen tonight.
Yes. Flying would be just the thing.
ooo
Draco arrived at the address Hermione had given him five minutes early. He was nervous, exceedingly so, but his afternoon has passed pleasantly enough. His mother had been suspicious when he'd said he had dinner plans, but as he hadn't dressed up in any way, wearing dark denims and a jumper over a collared shirt, she hadn't pestered him too much.
No Malfoy would go on a date in such attire.
And it wasn't a date. That word hadn't been uttered, and he didn't think of it as one, yet his heart was still racing and his palms were sweaty and he didn't know what to do with himself.
Hermione arrived just two minutes after him and smiled warmly. She wasn't dressed as carefully as she'd been two years before, the day they'd spent nearly six hours together, but he thought she was even more beautiful.
"Hi, Draco."
He swallowed hard. "Hermione. Um, I put our name on the list. Shouldn't be more than a few minutes."
She nodded. "Good. Did you find it okay? I hope you haven't been waiting long."
"The gent driving the cab dropped me off right in front." He grinned, hoping that he'd soon feel completely comfortable around her again. The bundle of nerves currently residing in his gut would surely dissipate soon.
They were shown to their table, a booth near the back, and after only one shared look, Hermione cast a few spells to ensure that they wouldn't be overheard.
They looked over their menus and ordered, and as soon as the waiter had gone, Hermione leaned forward on the table, her eyes sparkling. "Alright. Tell me everything. What happened when you woke up?"
Draco took a deep breath and launched into the story. He told her about feeling so sick he thought his head was splitting open, about Cecil and the Recovery Potion, all the way down to the fairy that Scorpius had befriended.
Hermione gasped lightly at that. "The fairy! I remember them! They were invited to come to the school along with an array of other Magical Creatures to introduce the children to the more sedate and calm creatures. We had a niffler, fairies, a unicorn, all sorts."
"Well, the fairy took a liking to Scorpius." He shrugged and took a sip of his drink. They'd both ordered glasses of wine, and he was well into his by that point. She had mostly eaten her food while he'd talked, so he hoped to follow suit now that the bulk of his story was told.
"I'm not the least bit surprised. He's a wonderful child, Draco. Truly a joy to teach and know, even just the little that I know him."
Draco chuckled. "He's only asked me four times if you've written about the drill."
"Oh, dear, I suppose I need to get busy on that then. For your sake." Hermione laughed.
"Precisely. Though I'm curious what other things you'd need besides the drill."
"Well, to begin, you need screws, which you use with the drill. They are driven into the planks of wood to secure them. So you'll also need wood. And a plan." She laughed lightly. "Though I'm not in charge of that part. If you and Scorpius work that out, you can send me a list of what you'll need. Or at least, what you want it to look like, and I can figure the rest out. I'll probably ask my dad for help, since I'm not exactly fluent in power tools."
He blinked, then decided he had no choice but to trust her. "I'll take your word for it."
"Probably best." She grinned, and they fell into a comfortable silence for a minute.
"I still can't quite believe it's real." He shook his head with a disbelieving smile. "Do you actually have a memory of me coming to you third year, after you slapped me?"
She nodded. "That, and the next day, when you treated me like rubbish and told me I was raging mad to think you would ever talk to me."
Draco cringed. "Right, sorry about that..."
"We've had this conversation already, remember?" She waved him off. "Don't be sorry for it now. I understand. I've got pretty thick skin, and once you spoke to me in fourth, everything made sense."
"It's still so strange to think that was real." He shook his head. "That I lived an extra eighteen days yesterday."
"So… what now?" She took a sip from her wine. "Where do things stand with your business?"
"Oh!" He'd nearly forgotten to tell her everything he'd done that day, though he was hesitant to mention Astoria. Wouldn't it sound an awful lot like he was telling her about the divorce for the sake of seeing her reaction? Though she knew everything that had gone wrong and his plans for the future, and she'd find out eventually. "I told my mother about it. She was angry and is convinced my father will come and set things right. I told her I don't care, but that's not quite true. My pride took a major hit yesterday."
"Astoria, you mean?"
He shrugged awkwardly. "I suppose. Even though it's not like she and I had anything, I think there was still a sting."
"What did you do when you saw them?"
"Nothing really. It was such a shock. When I walked into my office, they were, uh, just about at the end. Theo, who I suppose must hate me, just kept pumping into her, looking at me, until he, uh, finished. It was all very quick. I then proceeded to my desk, took something from a drawer, and left. I think I said something to her about dinner with our son, but I can't remember." He grimaced. "My assistant had come in behind me. I don't know what she thought about the whole thing." He downed the rest of his wine, surprised at the strength of his feelings now.
Anger.
He wanted to bury Theodore Nott.
Then he felt a soft touch, and he looked down to see Hermione had put her hand on his, which he'd unconsciously balled into a fist.
"I think it's extremely good of you not to want revenge."
He frowned down at the table. "You weren't in my thoughts just now."
Hermione sighed. "Of course it's normal, but when you talked to me before, you didn't seem upset."
"No. I felt mostly... numb. But I've felt numb for so many years, how do I know what's real?"
Hermione retracted her hand and looked thoughtful. "Honestly, the anger is real. Being numb is not. But you can be angry and still not retaliate in a spiteful way. I think Theo is delusional if he thinks his plan is really going to work, but once the shock is past, it would be strange if you didn't feel angry."
He shrugged, feeling a bit like he was under a strong lens, wishing to change the subject. "I'm honestly not upset about the company; it was never my desire to work there."
"It's more the principle that angers you. He worked for you, then took something that was yours."
"I suppose. Probably." He forced a smile and looked her in the eye. "But I'd rather not talk about Theo tonight."
Hermione nodded. "Of course not. Have you continued writing down your experience? I think it's absolutely fascinating."
"Let me guess, you're only here for academic purposes?" he drawled.
Her eyes went wide and she lowered her gaze. "No, Draco, I'm… I'm here because you're my friend."
The way she said 'friend' made him squirm unpleasantly. He decided to ignore that for now. "I've kept up with the writing. Though I've not yet added anything since my return."
"What do you want to do with it?"
He shook his head. "I have no idea. It's been good, I think, to write about my experience, and I've thought about turning it into a story of some kind, but I'm not sure how it ends." He'd once considered writing it as a fairy tale, much like the one Hermione had found, only he still hoped for a happy ending to his reality. If Hermione said yes when he asked her out, if things went well... He liked the idea of that ending very much.
"Well, just remember, you've already got one interested reader." She smiled at him brilliantly, and he was loathe for their evening to end. Their plates were empty, they'd consumed two glasses of wine each, and he never wanted her to leave him.
When the bill came, Draco hurried to pick it up, despite her protest. "I asked you to dinner, so it's on me."
She narrowed her eyes playfully for a moment, then her lips broke into a smirk. Merlin, he wanted to kiss those lips. "Fine, but I'm buying ice cream."
His heart leapt but he tried to stay calm. "Two scoops."
She laughed. "Deal."
Since they were near the café, they were also close to the ice cream shop they'd visited years before. As they walked, Hermione told him all about how much she loved her work, how she had seen true harmony between the children, how happy the Muggle parents were to know their children were being taken care of and well educated.
"I exhibited magic from a very young age, and nobody knew what was going on. I actually learned to control it all by myself, even though I had no clue what was happening. I never dared try to make it happen, of course, because I had no clue what it was, but I got to where I could at least keep things from happening that shouldn't. I could feel when I was about to have a burst. It would have been so nice to know the truth when I was four rather than having to wait until I was eleven."
Draco opened the door of the ice cream shop, and five minutes later, they had their cones.
"Want to go to the park? See if our bench is still there?" he asked, nodding toward the park.
"Sure."
They walked in silence, enjoying their treats for the few minutes it took to walk to the park. It was mostly empty, save one jogger they saw, but it was well lit and felt like they were in the middle of nowhere—except for the occasional car horn.
The bench was easy to find, and they chatted about nothing while they ate the ice cream. It reminded Draco so much of the last time they'd done this, that time when it had felt like a date and it had seemed neither one of them wanted it to end.
Draco swallowed his last bite of cone and turned on the seat so he was angled toward Hermione. She was still licking her treat just at the top plane of the cone, and her eyes were alight as she gave him a smile.
He felt strangely energized, his entire body thrumming with nervous energy. He watched her tongue dart out to swipe at the ice cream and had to look away, swallowing hard. He still hadn't told her about Astoria, or about the freshly inked papers in the drawer of his desk in his study at the Manor. He would, though, before they said goodnight.
She took a bite of her cone; he could tell by the crunching sound. Between bites, she spoke. "I know you woke up this morning and the time jumping is over, but how does it feel? Was it strange to wake up and not question when you were?"
He sighed and stretched his legs out, then crossed one over the other so he could continue to face her. "I absolutely questioned when I was! I had to know as soon as possible. After I'd determined that it was, in fact, the twenty-seventh of April, everything felt strange. Very disorienting. I've spent the last eighteen days worried about affecting the future, so it felt odd not rushing to my Pensieve to see what I had done in the past. Even though the old man told me it was all over, I wasn't quite ready to fully trust it until this morning."
"What did you do? Once you knew it was real?"
"I got busy with my list of things to do. First up was telling my mother everything—including my intention to get divorced." He chanced a glance at her face, their eyes meeting briefly.
Hermione's eyes widened before she averted her gaze, staring at the pavement in front of the bench. "How did she take it? I know you were unsure how she'd react."
Draco chuckled. "She reacted exactly as I expected, actually, and tried to convince me to consider staying. But I think the fact that Astoria cheated with Theo, who then stole the company, coupled with my absolute refusal to even entertain thoughts of staying with Astoria, brought her around. It took less time than I'd anticipated, honestly. There's already an heir, a pureblood son, and I'm sure that helped her adjust to the idea. Then I bumped into Astoria. Figured I ought to tell her."
Hermione's head whipped around, her curls flying out as she turned. "She was there? In your house?"
"Sure. She technically lives there, being my wife and all. We haven't shared rooms with each other in years, though." He shrugged. "Most days I only saw her at dinnertime."
"Still. After everything, I'm surprised she'd have the nerve to show her face!"
"I'm actually glad she was there. It turned out to be a good thing. We came to an agreement wherein she agreed to make the divorce as smooth a process as possible." He grinned at her. "We've already signed the papers."
Hermione frowned. "Wait, you're not—you can't get divorced in a day, right?"
"No, but my lawyer and I drew up terms, and she and I signed it. Now begins the process of magically separating our families, sorting out who gets what; although, she put herself in a bad position by cheating. She loses most of her rights that way."
Hermione scowled. "Even though she was unhappy and trapped in a marriage it sounds like she didn't even want?"
He was surprised at her vehement exclamation in Astoria's defense. "Don't worry, she's getting everything she wants."
"What about Scorpius?"
"He stays with me. He's a Malfoy, and I've always been the more present parent anyway." He shrugged. "I understand it must sound very mercenary to you, but you've never been in this situation. All I ask is that you don't hate me over it."
Her expression softened immediately. "Oh no, Draco. I'd never hate you for this. I'm just... angry for you. And her, to be frank. Because I don't want anybody to be in marriages that are merely transactional." Despite the softening, she still seemed to have fire around the edges. It was captivating, and his heart swelled to think that the fire was, in part, for him.
"The good news, anyway, is that it's done. Or, I mean, it's begun. But there's no going back now." It was an immense relief, one he'd waited eighteen days to feel.
Hermione laughed. "I suppose in your mind and heart, it's done, and now all that remains is the paperwork."
"As I said, it's going to get worse before it's really and finally over, but Astoria will be moving out soon after we speak to Scorpius." He took a deep breath and looked away from her, into the darkness of the park. He straightened his body out and rested both arms on the back of the bench. "I am ready to move on with my life."
He could see lights in the distance, and the moving ones he knew belonged to cars. He was about to say something when he felt a warm touch on his hand. Instinct made him flinch, but then he saw that Hermione had turned in her spot and was facing him, one leg fully on the bench, one arm resting on the back of it like his. She'd put her hand out to touch his, and when their eyes met, she boldly laced her fingers through his.
The contact sent electric sparks through his body and his breath hitched. She looked like she might want to kiss him, but he couldn't let himself assume anything. Maybe holding hands was where she was at, and he didn't want to risk misinterpreting the gesture.
Still, though, she was gazing at him, her eyes narrowed infinitesimally, as though she were deep in thought about something. He decided to take the next step and he lowered their joined hands to the bench, moving his body so that he mirrored hers, shifting closer to her as he did so. Their eyes were locked and Hermione bit her lip. A warm breeze wafted between them, blowing a few loose strands of her hair into her face. She used her free hand to try and push them out of the way, but it was awkward, since that hand was on the opposite side of her face. After trying for a moment, she laughed sheepishly.
Draco decided that the time had come for him to declare his intentions, even though it hadn't been his plan to do so tonight—not that he'd really had a plan to begin with—so he released the hand he was holding and scooted closer to tuck the errant curls behind her ear. Then he was close, very close, and he lightly, gently, trailed his finger along her jawline, stopping at her lips. He flicked his gaze up to hers and saw that her eyes were suddenly very intense. His heart was hammering so loudly he thought she could surely hear it. He thought she was going to say something, and they sat that way for a long moment—could have been an eternity—teetering on the edge once again.
But he didn't want to wait. Not for a second longer, not after everything he'd been through, how sure he was that he wanted her—not when she seemed to be giving him permission.
Draco touched his hand to her cheek more firmly, and with a confidence he only partially felt, dipped his head and pressed his lips to hers. Instantly, he felt on fire and at the same time like he couldn't breathe properly. She kissed him back, eagerly leaning into him, gripping his arm that still rested on the back of the bench as though afraid he might try to run away.
When she ran her tongue over his lips he thought he might explode, but he complied, deepening the kiss before she did, sliding his hand from her cheek to the back of her head. She pulled herself even closer to him until their legs touched, but he wanted more—more contact, more pressure, more delightful release of the pent-up desire. His time in the past hadn't seemed like much, mere days out of entire years, but apparently, it was all he'd needed to decide that she was the only one he wanted.
The wind blew sharply and they pulled apart, startled by the chilliness. Then their eyes met, and they both chuckled awkwardly. Draco didn't know what to say, and his heart was still thudding loudly in his chest, but Hermione had ideas of her own. In a motion so quick it barely registered, she'd lifted both of her legs up and laid them over his lap, nudging his leg off the bench so she could get as close as possible. Then she grabbed his face in her hands and pulled it down, crashing her lips to his. She pressed her body against him as much as was possible, eagerly moving her lips against his, then wrapped her arms around his neck.
Draco lost all sense of space and time, and soon they were snogging like teenagers hiding in a broom closet. He threaded his fingers into her hair as he slid his tongue across her lips. She whimpered, parting her lips and allowing him to deepen the kiss. He was lost in the feel of her lips on his, the softness of her hair, the bare skin at the back of her neck. In the next moment, she was fully in his lap, her legs on either side of him and her arms around his neck. Draco took hold of her hips and held her firmly in place, delighting in the ribbon of skin he could feel above the waistband of her trousers.
He groaned against her mouth when he slipped his fingers under the hem of her jumper, splaying his hands against the bare skin of her back, jealous to touch every inch of her he possibly could. His hands roamed up until he reached the band of her bra, yet still she didn't seem inclined to protest. He then drew his hands forward, his thumb brushing the soft curve of skin. She sighed and scooted closer and his eyes popped open because she'd ground against his most sensitive organ, and it hit him that they were in the middle of a bloody public park.
His hands froze and he abruptly pulled out of the kiss. Hermione made a small squeak of protest that nearly made him kiss her again, but he managed to refrain. Both breathing hard, he lowered his hands back to her hips and squeezed slightly. Her eyelids fluttered shut and she released a breathy sigh.
"Granger." His voice was rough and gravelly, scratchy as though he were dying of thirst—maybe he was.
Her eyes met his; her expression was one of pure hunger that rocked him to the core. Her gaze darted to his lips again, but he shook his head slightly, still out of breath, and rested his forehead against hers.
"That was… bloody hell."
Hermione bit her lip and leaned back so she could look into his eyes, worry dancing in hers. "What are you thinking? Was that… too much? Too soon?"
Draco's eyes went wide. "I… I'm not thinking. I can't form a coherent thought."
She laughed lightly and carefully extricated herself from his lap, returning to the seat beside him. "I take it you want to stop?"
"I do not." He dragged a hand through his hair, feeling slightly shaky and still… very much wanting to continue kissing her and… other things. "But we're in a bloody park."
Hermione hummed, still smiling, then reached for his hand and again twined her fingers with his. It was enough to ground him while also making his heart beat wildly and his nerves dance in delight. He quirked a smile at her, and she moved from sitting beside him to face him, one leg up on the bench, just like they'd been before they'd started kissing.
"I hope that was all right with your, um, divorce rules. You'd said certain things were allowed under that Fidelity Clause; I'm assuming kissing is all right?"
He swallowed hard, still trying to bend his will to focus on her and what she was saying. "Kissing… is allowed, but with the papers we signed today, we're officially separated and no longer bound to that clause."
Her eyes went wide. "Oh, I see. That's… that's interesting." She would be the end of him, right here and right now, if her tone meant what he thought. "Before we explore that further, though, I need to know what you're thinking." She bit her lip as though worried about what he might say.
"At best… I'm thinking that it's a shame we're here in this park right now, but… also that this isn't how I wanted to go about this. I… I'd planned to ask you out, on a date, but not tonight, because I had no idea how it would be received—"
Hermione laughed. "I suppose you know my answer now."
"I think so." He chuckled sheepishly. "Unless you make a habit of snogging just anyone on public park benches."
"No." Her eyes sparkled. "Not with just anyone."
Draco looked at their joined hands and rubbed the back of hers with his thumb. "I'm certainly not complaining, Hermione, and I obviously… I obviously enjoyed that, but… will you tell me how it's possible? I don't… I really didn't expect—"
She raised a finger to his lips to quiet him, and he was grateful. Her eyes were wide open, beautiful windows into her heart, open pools of emotion. "I have waited for this day for years, Draco."
His heart thudded almost painfully in his chest. "What do you mean? You've waited for what day? And what do you mean by years?"
She arched an eyebrow in amusement. "I've waited for the day when you'd be here. You. Finally where you belong."
Draco swallowed hard, his brain slow to accept the full breadth of what she might mean. "I don't… I don't know quite what you mean."
She bit her lip and looked into the park. "What I mean, Draco, is that I've been feeling things for you for… years." She shook her head with a sigh. "It felt so silly. I only ever saw you once a year. How could I possibly have romantic thoughts for you? And yet, I did. I tried hard not to because it felt absurd to have feelings for someone I saw once a year. How could that possibly work? And the idea of trying to wait for you felt insurmountable. Scorpius wasn't even born yet; how could I get through eight years of waiting?"
"I agree. That's too much." Merlin, he felt awful knowing that he had altered the course of her life by approaching her in third year—significantly. Who knows what her life would have been like without that?
"You're not… angry with me? For the way I inserted myself into your life, potentially affecting your entire future?"
Hermione shook her head. "No, Draco. Just because you reached out to me didn't automatically mean that I'd fall for you some day! That happened because of choices I made. But it doesn't mean they were very difficult to live with. When you brought Scorpius to meet me, those were the hardest few hours I'd experienced in a very long time. Seeing you with him was… well, confusing and hard, and part of me wanted to tell you how I felt, but… I couldn't quite do it. Trusting you was impossible at that time."
He frowned, surprised. "Trusting me?"
"You said you were going to divorce Astoria, but it was hard to really believe that. I saw you two in the papers on a regular basis, and you seemed happy."
Draco sighed. "I told you all about that, though. I said I would."
"I know, but I was so young, and there you were, with a child already, and it was… too much for me then. It's why I stayed away for the next three years. I couldn't simply… wait… until you got through with your time traveling. It wasn't fair to me." Now she met his gaze and hers was strong, unrepentant. "You were only passing days, but for me it was years. I had to live my life without living for Astoria's birthday."
Draco nodded earnestly, his thoughts a whirring jumble. "Yes, I completely agree. I never… I would never have asked you to." He thought of the copy of Witch Weekly he'd seen with the photo of her and Krum. "It's… one reason I never said anything or acted upon how I felt. I refused to let that happen because it was unfair to you—not that I had any idea of your feelings, I'd only determined to pursue you once I got back to my time. And, of course, I had to mind the timeline."
"I know that." She smiled. "I promise, I understood everything. Well, I had no idea you had feelings for me, but it was probably better that way." She paused to consider further. "No, it was definitely better that way. It would have been so much harder, had I known, to walk away when I did, taking those years to try and put you out of my mind, so... thank you. Anyway, I managed to move on. Mostly. I dated a few people, was even slightly serious with one."
"What happened?" He had to swallow the question of whom she'd been slightly serious with. "What changed, why did you want to start meeting again?"
"I saw you. Your past you, I mean." She sighed. "I told you before I couldn't get the thought of a school out of my mind, and since you'd told me how much you'd wanted something like that for Scorpius, I approached you."
He nodded. "I remember. We talked about it before."
"Yes, but what I didn't tell you was that when I saw you again, when I approached you about the school, all of my feelings came rushing back, and it wasn't even the right you. It was a younger version of you, but you'd already gone through much of the changes toward becoming who you are now, and... I knew that, if you were going to be in my life, sending your son to my school, that I wouldn't be able to stop my feelings for you. I was already drawn to you, and watching you change, even just the little I saw, was fascinating. Every time we interacted, you felt closer to being you."
Draco shook his head with a wry chuckle. "I remember that first meeting, the way you breezed into my dull, boring existence like a breath of fresh air. I remember feeling lighter for days afterward. Sadly, I was still too numb to be as affected by you as I should have been."
Hermione quirked an eyebrow. "Oh? So when did I begin to affect you, then? Clearly it wasn't tonight."
He chuckled. "No. It was... Maybe six months ago? The kids at school put on a play."
She groaned and threw her head back, then dropped it into her free hand. "That was one of my worst ideas. I'm not ashamed to admit it."
"No! It was one of the best nights of my life!" She gave him a skeptical look. "I mean it. Scorpius was so serious about his role, his part as... a tree, third from the left, and I couldn't keep a straight face watching him stand there so very still with that important look on his face."
Hermione laughed and drummed her fingers on the bench seat. "It was an amusing evening."
"And that's when I started to really see you. Watching you with the kids, seeing how patient you were despite all the mishaps... I found myself, about halfway through the night, unable to keep my gaze from straying your way." He gave her a half smile. "It was the start of... Let's call it a heightened awareness of you. As I've said, I was—"
"Numb." She smiled sadly at him.
"Yes. But by the time yesterday rolled around, I had progressed to the point where I felt the beginnings of something develop for you. Then, after seeing Astoria, I was jolted out of that numb state. And I started spending so much time with you that my initial hints of attraction grew into... something more."
"When did that start, exactly?"
Draco shrugged. "Sometime after I was released from Azkaban. You were still young when I first appeared, and you didn't look or even act like the person you are now. But over the years, I started to recognize you more."
She sighed and scooted closer, drawing his hand around her shoulder and tucking herself into his side. "When I admitted to myself I had feelings for your past self, even in a nebulous, unusual way, since it wasn't really you, I realized it was inevitable. Knowing this version of you who had traveled back in time predisposed me to being attracted to you when I met you a few years ago." She smiled helplessly. "It can be confusing to talk about, but I kept you, who only yesterday traveled back in time and befriended me, distinctly separate in my mind from your past self."
He chuckled. "It makes perfect sense to me."
The wind blew around them, promising rain, but Draco was in no hurry to move. He was perfectly content to stay right there, if she would stay beside him. He still couldn't quite believe she was there, snuggled next to him, his arm around her after a truly dizzying snog—on a public park bench of all places.
"So, what happens now?" Her voice was small when she spoke, and she pushed against him even more, as though trying to meld into his side.
Draco removed his arm from behind her and took her hand in his, lacing their fingers. "I've thought about this a good bit."
She chuckled. "Have you now?"
"You'd be surprised." He grinned. "I had every intention of asking you out, remember, and I had a whole speech prepared, plus a lengthy description of how things would proceed in the event you accepted."
"A speech? You mean, I missed the speech because we kissed?" She pouted playfully. "I'm disappointed now."
He smiled but began to gently rub his thumb over the back of her hand. "I do know that nothing we do until my divorce is final can be public. It shouldn't take more than three months. That's what my lawyer said, anyway, but I don't really know what to expect, having never done this before. There's also Scorpius to consider. You're his teacher, and that could be a problem if things don't work out." His throat constricted slightly, resisting the words he spoke, as though the very thought of them not working made him physically ill. "Not to mention, he's going to be hit with some very hard things in the coming weeks, and I don't want to make anything harder on him."
Draco paused, both in his speech and his ministrations to her hand. "It feels unfair to ask you to commit to anything at this point. It had been my intention to make myself known in subtle ways, and then approach you once things were finalized, but…"
"Then you kissed me," she supplied with a smirk. "And it was incredible."
"I did. And it was." He chuckled. "But in all seriousness, I didn't want to ask you to hide anything. If you'd rather wait, that's fine with me."
Hermione considered his words. "I think... well, my preference is to jump right in, but I think you've thought about this a lot, and I need to follow your lead. You have a son, and he takes precedence for you. Whatever you think is best."
Draco sighed. "I would be quite happy ignoring everything and starting a relationship now. While I can't ignore it all, we could still date, unofficially. It might give us a chance to make sure this is something we want to pursue without any outside pressure. Obviously Scorpius would need to be told before the general public finds out."
"I think we should wait at least until the school year is over." Hermione gave a determined nod. "The fact that I'm his teacher makes me want to be extra cautious."
"Wait to start dating?" His heart sank slightly, and he realized how anxious he was to call her his, even if only in his own head.
"No, I'd rather start that immediately." She smiled up at him. "I don't want to wait any longer than I already have if I don't have to."
Her expression was so earnest, so eager, that his heart skipped a beat, so he kissed her. She welcomed it, allowing him to deepen the kiss. It was slow and sweet, agonizingly so, as they focused on getting to know each other in a new way. Despite the languid pace, the kiss was intense, and Draco felt his heart pound and his blood rush. When he found himself wanting more, he knew it was time to end the kiss.
Only, he didn't want to, and she didn't seem in a hurry, either. So he gave himself over to it for a bit longer, shutting his mind down and allowing himself to simply exist and feel—her tongue dancing with his, her lips as they moved over his, her hand now fisted in his jumper, pulling him closer. His hands wandered into the softness of her curls, and he lightly ran his fingernails over the skin at the base of her neck. He felt her shiver at the touch and grinned against her lips.
Eventually, he had to stop before things went too far, and he gradually slowed the kiss, pulling back until he finally pressed a long kiss to her forehead.
She sighed and leaned into him again. "So… Are we officially dating?"
Draco chuckled. "Unofficially."
"Right. It'll be easy enough, we can find plenty to do in the Muggle world. All I meant was that, if your divorce goes through before the end of the school year, we'd need to wait to make it public. I'd prefer to have the summer out of the public eye, let Scorpius have time to get used to it. I'll need to change some things about next year; I'll probably remove myself from teaching so there's no risk of being accused of favoritism. And then—"
"You don't need to solve everything right now, you know."
She gave him a sly grin. "Oh I'm not, only telling you. You aren't the only one who's been thinking about this a lot. I would venture to guess that I've thought about it much more than you have."
"Too right, I'm sure." Draco's thoughts drifted to images of he and Scorpius with Hermione: on walks around the grounds of the Manor, out shopping in Diagon Alley, cozy nights by the fire. A thought he'd shoved to the back of his mind jumped to the forefront, however, and he felt nervous once again. There was one more important, non-negotiable thing to discuss.
He cleared his throat and shifted a bit, introducing a little bit of space between them. She would need it to absorb what he had to say. "Um, Hermione? There's... one thing more. It might be a deal breaker, so hear me out."
She sat up a little straighter, her expression curious. "I'm listening."
Draco pressed his hands into his thighs as he gathered himself. "It's... about Scorpius. Sort of. But... Oh, there's nothing for it. Astoria wanted to get pregnant immediately in order to fulfill that part of the marriage contract. It took longer than she liked to conceive, and once that was accomplished, she made it clear she had very little interest in me and none in doing it again. After Scorpius was born, I fell madly in love with him, and I wanted more children. I never asked or mentioned it to Astoria—except once, when I had too much to drink at dinner one night. She flat out refused, said she had done her duty, and would never even entertain the idea."
"She sounds so selfish!" Hermione seemed shocked at her outburst and covered her mouth with her hand. "I'm sorry. I believe that should be a decision made together."
He snorted. "It was, in a way. Only one child was promised, and one child was delivered. I never dreamed I'd want more until I held Scorpius. Looking back, I'm relieved we never had other children, but..." Now he looked at her, feeling more vulnerable than he ever had in his life, about to share one of his deepest desires. "I do want more. Children, I mean. You deserve to know that."
Hermione laughed and she let out a relieved breath. "Oh, Draco, you scared me for a moment. But thank you for telling me that. I assumed you wanted more children; you're so good with Scorpius, being a father seems so natural for you. I'm not at all put off by that. Watching you with him... Well, let's just say that I've thought about it long and hard, and I'm not averse to the idea in the least."
He kissed her so fast his head nearly spun, and he felt such immense relief and joy that it was all he could do not to Apparate them to his bedroom so they could get started. Which was, of course, getting quite ahead of things.
She responded just as eagerly, and soon they were snogging again. Things progressed quickly, and before he realized it, he'd pressed her down to the bench and was trying to position himself above her—but the slats didn't provide great support, so he ended up growling more in frustration than enjoyment.
After a few minutes, he drew back and sat up, breathing hard. Merlin, he had never kissed a woman quite like this before, and it was by far better than anything he'd ever felt in his life—that year or so of shagging anyone who would let him included.
"I suppose a park bench isn't the optimal location for anything more than snogging." She propped herself up on her elbows and smiled at him. "It's okay. It's probably getting late."
Draco nodded and checked his watch. "Yes, I should get home. I'm sure my mother will have all manner of questions. She asked if there was someone else, and I hedged a bit, saying I had no one waiting for me. That was true at the time, but—"
Hermione pushed up into a seated position and sat beside him. "Now it's not. Because I am most definitely waiting for you." She cocked her head slightly and grinned, her eyes bright. "Actually, you did have someone waiting for you. You just didn't know it."
Draco stood and held out his hand, which she took. He threaded his fingers with hers and they started walking toward the alley from which they had Apparated so many times before.
"To summarize, we will begin seeing each other immediately, but we won't tell anyone until after my divorce is final or the summer ends, whichever comes first."
"And you will talk to Scorpius however you deem best. Oh!" She swung toward him slightly as she stepped. "Will you wait on that until summer at least? It's only a little over a month away. Early June."
"Of course." They reached the alley and, when no one was paying attention, slipped down and hurried behind the dumpster. As they waited, watching for when the coast was clear, Draco chuckled. "I thought about kissing you here once."
"Oh! I know exactly when you mean. I desperately wanted you to, and I was a little miffed that you didn't."
Draco smirked and pivoted off his shoulder, stepping in front of her and resting his hands on either side of her head. "Like this?"
She swallowed and dipped her head slightly, her voice breathy when she spoke. "Something very much like this, yes."
He quirked his lips and lowered his head, stopping mere inches from her lips. "Permission to amend the summary?
"Granted." The tiny puff of air from her whispered word ghosted across his lips.
"I can kiss you whenever I want."
"Please do." She surprised him by rising on her toes to meet his waiting lips, her hands winding around his neck as she pulled him in for a final kiss of the night.
He withdrew one hand from the wall and sunk it into her hair, tilting her head up for better access. She arched into him and he pressed her into the wall, relishing the feel of every dip and curve against his chest. They snogged until they were breathless, until things started really heating up, and he couldn't possibly stand another second without touching her more.
He ended the kiss, both of them heavy-lidded and out of breath.
"Do you think it's normal for us to act like this?" she asked, her cheeks flushed.
Draco forced himself to put some distance between them, every cell in his body screaming to do the opposite. "I really don't know. I've never… uh, I've not really done the dating thing before. Not counting the experiments during school. That was just hormones."
She smirked and brushed some of the fringe from his eyes. "Well, at this rate, it will be some kind of miracle if we manage to last until you're divorced."
He chuckled, almost deciding that it wouldn't be any harm to sleep together before he was divorced, but that wasn't his rational mind talking. He'd decided firmly that they'd need to wait because he wanted to conclude his marriage the way he'd carried through it.
"But I've waited years… what's a few more months?" She stepped away just a little, enough to show that she respected his wishes and would do her part to honor them.
Draco nodded with a heavy sigh. "It's going to be much harder for me, you know. You've had years of practice."
"I have every faith in you, Draco." She kissed him lightly on the lips. "Good night. I'll see you tomorrow when you bring Scorpius to school."
"Good night, Hermione."
She waved and Disapparated. Draco stared at the space she'd just occupied, feeling like he was floating.
There would be obstacles to overcome: his divorce, his parents, her friends, Scorpius. They'd have to navigate all of it while keeping their relationship a secret from the world. It would be one of the most difficult and trying experiences of his life—and Draco couldn't wait.
ooo
NOTE: Just the epilogue remains! I can't believe this story is almost complete! Thank you to everyone who has followed along and left me notes—I love them all and I'm so appreciative! MANY thanks and MUCH LOVE to my beta, dreamsofdramione, who walked with me through this entire story, encouraging me and generally being awesome. Chapter title from "Tonight, Tonight" by Smashing Pumpkins.