A/N: Hello, hello! Happy last Saturday of January! This chapter starts off with a brief scene from Rose and Scorpius's point of view, before going back to our regular narration from our two love birds' points of view. I have a lovely aesthetic of Rose and Scorpius on tumblr at ElizColl1035 or on Archive of Our Own, same story name and penname, if you want to take a look. (Also, sticking with the American English spellings in this story, I'm using "gray" rather than "grey" intentionally, because it's the more common American spelling.) As always, thank you to canttouchthis and Astrangefan for all their help alpha and beta reviewing this chapter - you two are wonderful!
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Rose and Scorpius
Rose and her friend Laxmi entered the foyer by the Great Hall, giggling over a secret joke, just as Albus and Scorpius walked into the hallway from the opposite direction. Rose and Albus elbowed each other—their standard "cousin greeting" since they were ten years old—while they made their way to the doors of the Great Hall for Sunday morning breakfast.
Rose turned to Scorpius. "Nice match yesterday."
"Thanks! I told you your Seeker wouldn't be able to beat me!" he smirked. Rose rolled her eyes, and he offered, "But you scored some good goals yesterday—at least, the ones I saw."
"Bet your arse I did! Glad you can admit it," she smirked back.
The four friends stepped through the doors of the Great Hall, and the room went silent. Nearly every eye in the hall stared at them, immediately followed by whispers rising in volume.
Rose frowned. Maybe they were surprised to see Gryffindors and Slytherins walking in together after the Quidditch game yesterday? But everyone knew she and Albus were cousins and that their mates were friends with each other. She and Albus looked at each other in confusion before making their way to their house tables.
When she and Laxmi clambered onto the bench, her friends looked at her oddly, seeming embarrassed to say hello. She glanced around and realized the entire table was watching her. What was going on? James caught her eye, then stood and made his way over from the sixth years' group, squeezing onto the bench next to her.
He grimaced and rubbed his neck. "Hi, Rose. Um, you probably want to see this and maybe go ahead and explain to people what's happening." He pulled a copy of the Sunday Prophet over to them, and he turned to one of the pages inside. "I've kept my mouth shut; I figure it's up to you and Hugo what you want to say to people. The reporter clearly doesn't know that your… well, you know… " he trailed off.
Rose didn't know, but she looked down at the newspaper James had opened. There was a photo of Scorpius's dad at a table with her parents and her aunt and uncle, and then others of her mum snogging and holding on to Scorpius's dad. She did a double take, and her eyes widened. She looked up at James in shock.
His lips twisted into a half-smile and half-grimace, and Rose looked back down at the article. Draco Malfoy seen with Golden Couple… intimate on High Street… Golden Couple split? ...cheating… hot and heavy… third partner to spice things up? "What?!" she exclaimed.
She looked at James again, unable to speak, and then back down at the photos. Her mum was squeezing Mr. Malfoy's arse in one of them, and they were intensely snogging in another. She looked around the table, and every one of her friends was staring at her—mostly in sympathy, though there were a few sniggers from some of the boys.
Glancing again at the embarrassing photos, she turned around to see what was happening at Scorpius's table. It was much the same scene. Scorpius's pale skin was flushed red and, as if sensing her gaze, he looked up and locked eyes with her. They stared at each other wide-eyed and in shock, and tears started to well in Rose's eyes. Scorpius didn't know either.
Appetite gone, she whispered, "Thank you, James," then fled the hall. She stopped at the bottom of the main stairs, unsure where to go or what to do, beginning to breathe shallow panicked breaths, and Scorpius came up, moments behind her.
She was embarrassed to look at him after seeing their parents like that in the paper. "You—you didn't know either?" she asked quietly.
Scorpius shook his head. "No. Dad never said anything." She saw the hurt in his eyes. "Do you—argh, I don't want to even ask." He took a breath and rushed out, "Are they cheating on your dad?"
Rose took a step back. "What? No! No. My parents got divorced in February."
Now Scorpius looked confused. "Really? How come Al didn't tell me?"
"We were keeping it quiet," Rose breathed. "I didn't want to deal with all the reporters and articles and people asking me questions all the time. They were going to make it public when Hugo and I got home from school at the end of the month. But this is even worse! Now everyone thinks Mum is cheating with your dad!" she wailed quietly.
"Or that my dad's shagging both your parents," Scorpius scowled, face flushing red again. He looked around. "Let's get out of here before someone else comes out of the hall."
They walked aimlessly down a corridor, not speaking, and eventually made their way into an alcove in the courtyard, sitting down on a bench. They were mostly hidden from view, and no one was outdoors yet anyway.
After sitting in silence for a few minutes, Rose barked, "I hate her! I can't believe she would do this to me!"
"Yeah, well, my dad's just as bad. This is the third time I've found out through the newspaper that he's been dating someone since Mum died," he groused. "He knows reporters follow him around everywhere." He picked at his robes and scuffed his shoe bottoms against the stones below their feet.
"I hate having famous parents!" Rose shifted in her seat. "Why can't they just be normal people, like Laxmi's parents, or Maria's?"
"Yeah, well, at least your parents are famous for doing good things."
Rose felt even worse, hearing him say that so matter-of-factly. She knew the burden of the past was harder for him than for her. Everyone thought her parents were heroes, but Scorpius still got bullied sometimes for his dad being a former Death Eater.
"What did your friends say about the paper?" she asked hesitantly.
With a dry laugh, he said, "They joked about my dad getting tail and said gross stuff about our parents shagging. When I saw you leave, I left, too. What did your friends say?"
"Nothing. James came over to show me why everyone was staring, and I left before anyone could say anything." Tears started to slide from her eyes, and she sniffled, wiping away the wet.
Scorpius shifted, looking at the stone pavers beneath his feet, clearly uncomfortable at Rose's crying.
"I want to go hide for the rest of the term," she breathed. "Do you think Professor McGonagall would let us go home for a few days?"
"It's not that bad, Rose. Your friends will be nice once you explain it to them. Everyone else can shove off." He turned to her. "I have a lot of experience ignoring people being mean here. Remember, Dad? Death Eater? Just pretend it doesn't get to you; don't give them anything to feed off of."
She wanted to tell him that was stupid advice, but she supposed he'd had a lot to overcome with his dad's past. She'd never thought about it that much; once he became Al's best friend, she'd just accepted him. But he had plenty of friends and was mostly liked around school.
"Do you want to go fly?" he asked. "No one will know we're out there; you can stay away from everyone, and we don't have to think about the stupid Prophet."
With a last sniffle, she nodded, and they set off for the Quidditch pitch.
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Hermione and Ron waited in tense silence outside Professor McGonagall's office. Ron paced, agitated, drawing the attention of the gargoyles guarding the door. Their stone eyes shifted back and forth, tracking his movements. Finally, the clack of Minerva's shoes echoed down the hall.
"Mr. Weasley, Ms. Granger." She nodded at each of them in turn. "Despite the rather unfortunate circumstances, it's good to see you. I've arranged for you to meet with your children in Professor Longbottom's office. Mr. Malfoy has also contacted me, and he will be meeting with the young Mr. Malfoy down the hall in Professor Binns' office."
Ron fought to keep a snarl off his face at the mention of Malfoy, and he ended up looking slightly constipated. Hermione fought back a giggle, which was wholly inappropriate to the situation; perhaps she was slightly hysterical, and this was her brain's way of avoiding the very real possibility that her entire family might hate her after this morning.
Minerva clipped out, "I haven't found your children yet, but the eldest Mr. Potter said your daughter and the young Mr. Malfoy left the Great Hall at the same time; I assume they are together."
Hermione started panicking: the kids had already been to breakfast. They had found out about the photos with all of the other students. She couldn't imagine how angry and upset they probably felt at being blindsided by this.
The headmistress ushered them down winding hallways to Neville's office. "It may take some time to track the children down; I'll send them as soon as I can."
Hermione sat, while Ron continued pacing.
Eventually, Hugo arrived, a puzzled look on his face. "Hi Mum, Dad. What are you doing here?"
Hermione puffed out a nervous breath. "Hi, sweetie. Have you been to breakfast yet?"
He looked at her in confusion. "Yeah?"
Given his level of bemusement, she assumed he and his friends didn't know what had happened. "Did you read the paper this morning?"
"No?" He sounded unsure if this was the correct answer. "What's going on?"
"Well, there was an article in the paper this morning that we didn't expect…"
She explained the basics of the article, and when she was nearly finished, they heard a pair of voices outside the door—Rose and, presumably, Scorpius. Hermione's stomach turned at the thought of facing her daughter. She finished explaining the article to Hugo as Rose entered the room, where she remained by the door.
Trying to quell her rising nausea, Hermione breathed out, "Hi, sweetheart. It's good to see you again." Rose just glared at her. Trying to keep her voice from shaking, Hermione asked, "Can you come sit down with us? I just finished explaining what was in the paper this morning, which I assume you've already seen?"
Rose bit out a sharp "Yes" while she walked over.
Hugo asked, "So, Scorpius's dad is your boyfriend now?"
Hermione swallowed and responded, "Yes, darling." Saying it out loud made her chest tighten; she wasn't ready for labels. "He moved in across the street, which is how we reconnected."
Rose and Hugo both looked at her in surprise. Rose's frown lifted a tiny bit, and she asked, "So, Scorpius will be living by us this summer?"
Hermione nodded, and her voice softened as she gazed at her daughter, now seated and intently studying the floor. "Sweetheart, I'm so sorry those photos ended up in the paper. We obviously weren't expecting it, and we're upset about it, too. I've been dating Scorpius's dad for a few weeks. We haven't said anything to anyone because it's still so new."
Rose nodded just enough to let them know she heard her mum, but she kept her eyes focused on the slate tiles at her feet.
Hermione wasn't sure what else to say. When Rose didn't feel like talking, it was impossible to draw anything out of her, and asking questions or trying to cajole her into a conversation would just make her angry. Sighing inside, she tried a different tack.
"Dad and I are going to talk to the newspaper this afternoon, to correct the article and ask for an apology. But"—Hermione winced, anticipating her daughter's reaction—"we'll need to announce the divorce publicly.
To Hermione's surprise, Rose didn't fly off the handle. Instead, she continued to stare at the floor and said darkly, "That's better than people thinking you and Mr. Malfoy are cheating on Dad." She glanced quickly up at Ron, then back down to the floor again.
Hugo asked, "Can I tell more of my housemates about your divorce now, or do I have to wait 'til it's in the paper?"
"You can tell whomever you want now, darling," Hermione responded. "But hopefully the correction will be in the paper tomorrow morning."
Ron asked, "Has anyone said anything to you or Scorpius, Rosie?"
The young redhead looked up and rolled her eyes in derision. "Everyone knows, Dad. Laxmi and I walked into the Great Hall with Al and Scorpius this morning, and everybody got quiet and looked at us weird." She glared at her mum, then shifted her gaze back to her dad.
"James told me what was going on and showed me those awful photos"—another glare at Hermione—"and then I left the hall. Everyone was staring and snickering." Her last sentence ended in an accusatory tone, before she shut her mouth and stared back down at her feet, arms crossed over her chest again.
She mumbled quietly, "Scorpius said his friends said crude stuff about you and his dad shagging." A red flush crept up her neck and face, while Hugo gaped at his sister.
Looking up at Ron, Rose asked, "Can I come home with you for a few days? I'll bring my school work with me. I can floo call Laxmi each night to get my assignments. Please?" she implored, sounding desperate.
Ron began shaking his head, and Rose spoke louder. "You can't make me stay here right now! Everyone's going to be mean, and ask questions, and make gross jokes about Mum and Mr. Malfoy." She turned to her mum, barking, "How could you do this to me?"
Ron stepped toward her. "Sweetheart, your friends will stick by your side regardless of what's going on with your parents. And as for snickering, silly boys, the less you respond to them, the less they'll bother talking about it. I should know; I was one of those silly boys when I was your age." He glanced at Hermione, remembering what an arse he'd been to her during much of their school years.
Rose mumbled, "That's kind of what Scorpius said."
Surprised that Scorpius had given her daughter some comfort and good advice, Hermione considered how to respond, when Hugo broke in. "Can I go now? My mates are waiting for me so we can go down the lake."
Hermione gave a wry chuckle, and she and Ron both gave him a hug before he scampered out the door.
Their daughter rose from her chair. "I'm going now, too. Scorpius and I are going back to fly on the pitch, to stay away from everyone." She gave Hermione another glare.
Hermione held in her frustration. This hadn't gone well, but she didn't know what else to say. She knew Rose would reject any comfort she tried to give her. "Darling, just a moment. I know you're mad and upset, and I'm sorry this happened. I really didn't mean it to. I love you, and Dad and I are both here for you, okay?"
Rose shrugged her shoulders, mumbling, "Mm-hmm. 'Bye." She quickly scooted out the door and Hermione heard two pairs of steps shuffling back down the hall.
She refused to look at Ron, not willing to see the condemnation in his eyes. At least Hugo didn't seem too bothered by the whole mess. She took several deep breaths and got up, ready to leave. There was nothing else they could do at this point. "I suppose we should go."
Ron muttered, "I suppose we should."
While Hermione and Ron were talking with their children, Draco was having much the same experience several doors down. After waiting alone, for what felt like an interminable amount of time, Draco finally heard a pair of voices down the hall belonging to his son and, presumably, Rose.
Moments later, Scorpius entered the room, hurt etched all over his face. Draco's heart cracked. He puffed a breath past his lips. "Hi Scorp. I'm sorry to be here under these circumstances. Thanks for coming to meet with me." They both sat, and Scorpius simply looked at him, waiting for him to speak.
Draco explained why he hadn't told Scorpius he was seeing Rose's mum—that Rose's family didn't want anyone to know about their divorce until after the school year finished.
Scorpius looked even more upset at this explanation. "But you could have told me, Dad. You know I wouldn't have told anyone about Rose's parents." Staring at his lap, he said quietly, "This is the third time since Mum died that I've found out from the papers that you're dating someone."
Draco's heart cracked even further. "I'm so sorry, Scorp. I didn't mean for any of those to happen. The first two were just dates that didn't mean anything; I didn't think they were worth saying anything about. But I guess you're right: I should have told you anyway. I just never thought they'd make it into the paper."
His son looked up at him, his eyes resigned. "You always make the paper, Dad. Just like Al and Rose's parents. At least the other articles didn't show you snogging each other. My friends said porny stuff about you and Rose's mum shagging after they saw the photos. I'm sure they'll keep it up for a while." Scorpius rolled his eyes. "I don't let their shite bother me, but it's gross hearing that about your dad."
Draco was proud that his son didn't let his friends bother him, but he was ashamed he'd been photographed in such a compromising position. "Scorp, Rose's mum and I have been on a few dates over the past month, but it wasn't until this past week that we started seeing each other more. It didn't feel serious enough to tell you, but I guess I should have said something yesterday after the game."
"Did you sit together at the game?"
"No. No one else knows Rose's parents are divorced yet. Or, they didn't yesterday, anyway. I guess everyone will know soon. We're going to have to get the paper to print a correction and an apology."
Scorpius didn't respond.
"Would you prefer I let you know any time I ask someone on a date?" Draco couldn't imagine calling or owling his son every time he went on a date with someone new; though he honestly hoped he wouldn't be going on a date with someone new for a very long time. Or ever, a quiet voice spoke in the back of his mind.
"I don't know." Scorpius fidgeted with his hands. "So, are you going on a few more dates with Rose's mum, and then you'll be done, like the others? I don't want Rose mad at me because you and her mum break up."
Draco wondered how much he should reveal to his son about his feelings for Hermione. He settled for part of the truth. "No, Scorp. I hope to date Rose's mum for a long time. I like her quite a lot, and we've been seeing each other off and on since I moved into our new house—she lives across the street."
Scorpius's gaze flashed quickly to his dad's, surprised. "Why didn't you at least tell me Rose's family were our neighbors?"
Draco rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I thought you might know where they lived, and like I said, they were trying to keep their divorce private."
Scorp rolled his eyes, but just shook his head in response. "Well, at least Rose and Hugo can come over and fly in the Quidditch shed this summer. And we can invite Albus, too."
"That sounds like a great idea."
Scorpius was silent for a moment, then his pale blue eyes—a mixture of the Malfoy gray and Greengrass blue—bored into Draco's. "I think Mum would have liked the new house, especially the Quidditch shed."
Draco stood, pulling his son out of his chair and into a hug. "I'm sure she would've, kiddo. I know she would have enjoyed watching you fly yesterday, too—seeing how much your skills have grown since you joined the team second year."
Scorpius returned his hug, silent and strong, and they stood there for a moment, an incomplete family of two still trying to fill in the holes left by Astoria's absence.
They parted, reconciled, and Draco heard Scorpius's steps mingling with Rose's on their way back out to the Quidditch pitch. He was glad Potter's kid had forged a friendship among them, and he was happy Scorp and Rose could get away from other students for the afternoon and just enjoy flying.
Another pair of steps sounded in the hallway moments later, presumably belonging to Hermione and Weasley, though neither spoke. Draco wanted to talk to Hermione, but he had no desire to run into Ron again and certainly no desire for a long and awkward walk out of Hogwarts together. Once their steps faded into silence, he made his way out of Professor Binns' office, feeling both guilty and relieved after talking with his son.
That afternoon, Draco found himself sitting in front of the lead Prophet editor's desk next to Hermione and Weasley. The nameplate on his desk read Edward Scrivener—fitting for a newspaper editor, Draco mused. The shifty man settled behind his desk, folding his long and lanky limbs into his chair, and Draco noted his nervous eyes darting among the three of them and the slight grimace he was trying to hide at the corners of his mouth.
Folding his hands across his work top, Mr. Scrivener asked, "Right, yes, what can I do for you three?"
"I think you know why we're here," Weasley said, fixing him with a glare. "We'd like a retraction printed, a correction issued, and a public apology made for ungrounded speculation. No attempt was made to reach us before publishing those photos or the speculation surrounding them. The statement that people close to us couldn't be reached is a flat out lie; we know your wanker of a reporter didn't reach out to anyone."
The man bobbled around nervously in his seat, flexing his long fingers and not quite meeting any of their eyes. "We're under no requirement to request permission from photo subjects, if they're photographed in public."
Draco leaned forward and scowled. "This article contains baseless speculation, which my attorney could construe as libel if you do not correct it. I've received unexpected visits and a number of highly unpleasant howlers already. We expect you to do as Mr. Weasley has requested."
The man didn't need to know the unexpected visits had been from family members. His mother had been waiting in his living room when he'd returned from Hogwarts. She was upset he'd been seeing Hermione Granger without telling her, confused about what was going on, and embarrassed for their family, particularly after Helena Greengrass had shown up at Malfoy Manor, Prophet in hand. He and his mother had parted on good terms, but shortly after she'd left, Andromeda had appeared. Yet another round of explanations had been required, and Draco was out of patience at this point.
Shifting in his seat, the jittery wizard asserted, "The photos have been published, and they're real, so I don't understand what you think could be retracted."
"We'd like you to retract the speculation that anyone is cheating on anybody," Draco snapped, irritated with the man's sniveling and conniving behavior. "And we'd like you to retract the assertion that I may be romantically involved with both Mr. and Mrs. Granger-Weasley—which I can assure you, I am not." He shuddered at the thought of doing anything of that nature with Ron Weasley, and he caught the redhead emanating much the same sentiment on the other side of Hermione.
The equivocating editor looked among the three of them, apparently debating what to say next.
When no statement was immediately forthcoming, Hermione spoke up. In a cold tone, she directed, "Your correction should state that Mr. Weasley and I have been divorced for several months now, and that Mr. Malfoy and I have begun dating recently."
Scrivener's eyes popped wide and a salacious look crept across his face; he was clearly excited about breaking such momentous news.
Hermione narrowed her eyes at the man. "That's all: one sentence stating we are divorced, and I'm dating Mr. Malfoy. No other speculation, photos, or details."
The man's face fell. "Yes, well—" he began to protest.
Ron spoke over him. "You heard my ex-wife. We also would like the retraction, corrected information, and apology," he emphasized, "to be posted prominently on the front page of the society section tomorrow. Understood?"
For once, Draco and Weasley agreed on something. The three of them stared at Mr. Scrivener, waiting for his response.
"Okay," he finally said, his lips twisting like he'd eaten something sour.
"Okay, what?" Hermione asked.
The editor looked resigned. "We'll print a retraction tomorrow of the speculation that you and Mr. Malfoy are cheating on Mr. Weasley and a retraction of the speculation that Mr. Malfoy has joined you and Mr. Weasley in… ah, romantic inclinations." He cleared his throat. "We'll issue a correction, stating that you and Mr. Weasley are divorced, and that you and Mr. Malfoy have begun dating recently."
They all nodded, waiting for more. The editor glared at them each in turn, ending with Draco, whom he seemed most afraid of. He cleared his throat. "We'll issue an apology for speculating about your activities without confirming the information first."
Draco stood. "Thank you, Scrivener. Should the paper tomorrow not contain the information we're expecting, both you and your reporter who wrote this may find yourselves looking for work elsewhere."
The man gulped and nodded, aware that Draco's business connections were fully capable of carrying through on his threat. At that, all three of them exited the room, ready to be free of this ridiculous farce.
"Can we discuss this at some point today?" Draco asked Hermione once they were outside. He nodded at Weasley, adding, "If you think the three of us should speak together, I'm amenable to that, too."
Weasley briefly glanced at Hermione, then at Draco, stone faced. "I'm fine. Hermione can relay anything I need to know." He nodded to his ex-wife, then apparated away, leaving Hermione and Draco alone on the sidewalk outside the Prophet offices.
Draco was unsure what to say to her, uncertain whether she was angry with him or not. He simply asked, "How are you?"
She hesitated a moment, then leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his waist and speaking into his chest. Her actions sent him into such great relief that he almost didn't hear what she said next. "Not great, honestly. Hugo was fine; he didn't seem too bothered by it. Rose, though… she was so angry and upset, she would barely look at or talk to me.
"She wanted to leave school and stay with Ron for a few days because she's so afraid of being made fun of." Hermione glanced up at Draco. "Because of what the article said and the graphic photos. Not because of you or Scorpius."
"I'm sorry, love." He squeezed his arms around her, grateful she was embracing him and not pushing him away. Today felt like it had lasted a week. He murmured into her hair, "Let's head home?"
She gave him a short, soft kiss in assent, and they left Diagon Alley for the calm of Muggle London.
That night, after a few games of tennis in Cambridge Gardens next to the Thames to work off their nervous energy, and a hearty Mickey-cooked dinner, Hermione flopped down on the leather sofa in Draco's study, completely exhausted. Draco settled next to her, and they sat in silence for several minutes, lost in thought about the day. Hermione sighed and turned to Draco. "I think I'm going home now. I'm really tired, and tomorrow is likely to be, ah… draining, with all this news going public."
Before Draco could respond, they heard Scorpius's voice calling from the floo in the living room. Draco breathed, "Will you hang on a moment 'til I'm done talking with Scorp?"
Hermione nodded and then, knackered, lay down on the sofa while he left the room.
When Draco joined her back in the study, he was dressed in a red clown wig and wore his Hogwarts Quidditch jersey. She sat up. "Draco, what are you doing? Why are you wearing that?"
He didn't answer her, nor even look at her. He made his way to his desk and opened the top drawer, pulling out a framed photo of Astoria, which he placed in the center of his desk.
"Draco?"
He ignored her, looking at the photo of Astoria, and he started singing a Pure-blood wedding hymn.
Hermione got up and walked over to him, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Draco, what are you doing?"
He turned to her, and his entire face had turned into a clown face, with white paint, large red lips, a red ball-like nose, and black circles around his eyes. Strangely, his gray eyes had turned red, matching his wig and nose.
She jumped back in surprise and horror, and he grinned at her and squeezed his clown nose, making it honk like a car horn while he laughed. She shrunk away from him, confused. Clowns weren't part of wizard culture.
Abruptly, he changed his appearance from clown to Hogwarts student, his Quidditch jersey replaced by his school robes, and his face suddenly younger; it was an impressive but disconcerting bit of magic. "Granger, I need to leave. Scorpius and Astoria need me. I'm moving back into the Manor for a few weeks. Would you check in here every few days and make sure no one has broken in and stolen anything?"
She looked at him in confusion—why couldn't he just put up wards?—but nodded yes.
"Thanks, Granger. Astoria and I really appreciate your help." He gave her a brief smile, then left the room, his Hogwarts robes changing back into the Muggle clothes he had been wearing earlier. She lay back down on the sofa, and she heard the floo sound as he disappeared; she wondered what Scorpius had said to instigate this.
Before she had a chance to analyze it, she heard the floo again. Thinking Draco was coming back for something he'd forgotten, Hermione tried to stand up to greet him. But her legs felt heavy, and she couldn't move. She heard his steps on the hardwood floor, walking over to her; but when she looked up, it was Ron, not Draco.
"Ron? What are you doing here? How did you get Draco's address?" His hair was longer, the way he wore it when they were younger. How had he grown it out so quickly?
Ron smiled at her and leaned down to run his fingers through her curls. "I have a trace on you, love," he said. "I can floo or apparate to wherever you are."
She made to pull away from him, but his smile was disarming, and she started to wonder why they'd ever split. But how had he placed a trace on her without her knowledge? She was better at most kinds of magic than him; surely she would have felt it if he placed a trace on her.
Reading her confusion, Ron said, "Harry helped me with it, love. Can you come home now? I moved your things back into our bedroom." His eyes softened as he looked at her. "I've missed you, sweetheart." He held his hand out to her.
Confused, she accepted his hand and let him pull her up, following him to the floo.
"You first." He stepped back and gestured for her to step into the fireplace. She was hesitant, but she felt a pull toward home. Sensing her hesitancy, Ron stepped closer and took her hand. "Rose and Hugo are there waiting for you, sweetheart. Rose just started reading and wants to show off how well she can read Babbity Rabbity."
Rose had learned to read? She had missed Rose learning to read? Why had she ever left home? She was missing major milestones in her children's lives, all because of her selfishness. Ron was there for them, but she wasn't. She had to go home. She had to see them. The feel of Ron's fingers entwined with hers was so familiar, so comforting. She squeezed his hand and replied, "Okay."
Ron's face lit up in a smile; she felt grateful to be able to make him and her children happy. He bent down to give her a kiss, and she leaned in to his familiar comfort. As she moved to step through the floo, she heard Draco's voice from the other room.
"Hermione? Hermione?"
She paused. She was drawn to his voice, but the need to see her children and not disappoint Ron felt more important. She had already missed Rose learning to read. She couldn't miss any more milestones. If she didn't go back, she might miss the kids learning to fly. Ron was so excited to teach them when they were old enough. She took another step toward the floo, and Draco's voice became more persistent, closer.
"Hermione!" She felt him shaking her shoulders. Why wasn't Ron doing anything to stop him? She looked around. Where was Ron? Where had he gone? She needed to get to the floo. She tried to tell Draco to leave her alone, that she needed to see her children, but no words came out.
"Hermione!" Draco's voice was insistent, his touch on her shoulders more firm. She turned to look at him, opening her eyes, and realized she was still lying on the sofa in his study, and not standing at his floo. Her eyes met his, confused and dazed, and she felt his hand run through her hair, just like Ron had done minutes earlier.
She sat up quickly, looking around for Ron, and realized she'd fallen asleep.
"Are you okay?" Draco asked.
She bent her head down into her hands, elbows resting on her knees, trying to recover her reality. She took a few deep breaths, and by the time she looked up at him again, all she could remember of her dream was an uneasy sense of missing something related to her children.
"Um, I just fell asleep. I had a weird dream, but I can't really remember it anymore," she admitted. Remembering why he had left the room, she asked, "What did Scorpius have to say?"
Draco sat down. "He was just checking in. He said he nicked food from the kitchens with Rose and Albus for lunch and dinner so they didn't have to eat with anyone else. He was relieved when I told him the paper's printing a correction tomorrow."
"Did he say anything about how Rose is doing?"
Draco shook his head. "Not really. I asked, and he just said she's okay. I wasn't going to pry."
Hermione rubbed her temples and gave him a tired smile. "I really need to go to bed, babe; I'm worn out."
Draco stood and held out a hand to pull her up. "Are you sure you don't want to stay here? I can get you settled…" She shook her head, and he asked, "Can I see you home? You really don't look well."
"No, that's okay." She smiled feebly up at him. "I'm just tired and feel a bit discombobulated from my dream. I'll probably fall asleep as soon as I get in bed." She hugged him, pressing her cheek into his chest. He felt different than Ron. Less comfortable. More exciting. She was too tired to appreciate excitement right now. She wanted the comfort of her own bed.
They parted at the floo, exchanging a kiss goodnight before she stepped into the fireplace.
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A/N: I'll remove this note when the next chapter is posted, but for current readers waiting two more Saturdays for an update - Hermione wanting comfort rather than excitement isn't a cliffhanger nor an indication of any greater angst or second guessing on her part. It's just how she's currently feeling after a long and emotional day. The next chapter takes place a bit later in the week, but in my head, by the time tomorrow evening rolls around, she's just as eager to see her blonde bombshell as usual. Thoughts, constructive criticism, plot points you'd like to see addressed in the remaining chapters - drop a review and let me know!