Thanks for the suggestions, I will keep them in mind :)
"Hello? Hermione?" Draco called as he stepped out of the fireplace and into the modest front room of Hermione Granger's town house.
"Draco? I'm in the kitchen." Came the reply, she sounded frantic but then the witch was always up to some task or other that was all-consuming.
Draco cautiously followed the sound of her voice, he noticed that the front door was down a hall on the opposite wall to the fireplace and on his left was a door. He opened it: the open plan kitchen-dining room was on the other side.
"Good evening, Hermione. Nice house." Draco complimented her, the house was about as cramped as his own but he knew he couldn't afford even a two bed apartment in this part of London.
"Thank you Draco, you look very nice, I like the jumper." Hermione shot back, Draco was wearing some dark blue jeans that he had found in the back of his wardrobe and a dark green lightweight jumper.
"I see you kept the designer stubble though." She joked, returning to the salad she was preparing on the counter.
"Don't you like it?" Draco asked, touching his chin with his hand self consciously
"I think it suits you, Draco. Now can you stop worrying and go and see if you can find my son and tell him dinner is ready?" Hermione asked.
"Which room is his?" Draco asked, looking slightly overwhelmed by the task at hand.
"Oh you'll know as soon as you see his door."
She was right, Draco couldn't miss it as soon as he made it halfway up the stairs. The door to Hugo's room was plastered in images of the Chudley Cannons, the players zooming around the door like it was going out of fashion.
He knocked on the door, opening it slowly.
"Hey Hugo, your mum says dinner is ready." Draco said trying to remove his natural sarcastic tone so as not to scare the boy.
"Okay! Who are you?" The boy jumped up from his place on the floor, reading a book that Draco didn't recognise; his mother's son through and through.
"I'm Draco, a friend of your mum's." Draco explained, following the child back down the stairs, chuckling slightly at his enthusiasm.
"Hugo, what have I told you about crashing down the stairs?" Hermione said as Hugo entered the kitchen.
"Sorry, mum." The nine year old said, taking his seat at the already laid table, he was sat at the head of it, leaving Draco to sit across from Hermione. He took the seat facing the kitchen area, where Hermione was bending down to get the lasagne out of the oven. Draco turned to Hugo.
"So you like the Chudley Cannons, then Hugo?" Draco asked, trying to fill the silence.
"Yup. My dad bought me all their stuff and did the door."
"Oh that's nice. Does he take you to their games? I know your mum isn't likely to." Draco said with a smile, he knew of the woman's hatred for all things broom related.
"Um I'll have you know I have taken Hugo to see quidditch." Hermione chipped in, carrying the steaming plates to the table, placing a smaller one in front of Hugo and the other in front of Draco.
"Wow this looks lovely, thank you." Draco said earnestly.
"Could you pour the wine, Draco?" Hermione asked as she returned for her plate and the bowl of salad. He did as he was told, filling his and Hermione's glass half way.
"Hermione, that was honestly one of the best meals I've had." Draco said as he helped clear the table. He had spent most of the meal time being quizzed by Hugo, who was now yawning; exhausted from all the excitement.
"Oh thank you Draco but it really isn't tricky. I'd be happy to make it for you again anytime." She said, touching his arm as she joined him by the sink; He insisted on washing the dishes, doing it the muggle way to truly show his gratitude.
"You didn't have to do this, you know Draco."
"You cooked the meal, it is the least I can do." Draco protested, washing the last plate and standing it on the drying rack.
"No, I mean you really didn't have to, I have a dishwasher, its a muggle appliance that came with the house." Hermione laughed at Draco's confusion, he retaliated by spraying water at her.
"I'll get you back for that, Mr Malfoy." Hermione said, leaving the kitchen to see what Hugo was up to.
"Come on, it's time for bed." Hermione said, trying to coax Hugo from his place on the sofa in the living room. "I'll read you a story."
"I want Draco to." Hugo huffed, re entering the kitchen with Hermione following on behind him.
"Okay then, come on then bud." Draco said, "You go on up and get into your PJs and I'll be there in a moment." The boy complied, rushing up the stairs.
"Is that okay?" Draco asked Hermione, quietly.
"Yes of course Draco," Hermione replied with a smile, she was shocked at how well Draco had been with Hugo this evening, especially considering his mood earlier on in the day.
"What?" Draco said, noticing her staring.
"Nothing, I just, you surprise me Draco." She said, taking another sip of wine.
"Right I'd better go read to bookworm junior." Draco teased with a smirk, heading back up to Hugo's room.
"Which book do you want?" Draco said.
"This one!" An excited Hugo responded, clutching a book tightly to his pyjama clad chest.
"What is it called?" Draco said, moving to sit on the end of his bed, gesturing for Hugo to take his place at the top.
"It's called Snow White and the 7 Dwarves." Hugo said, holding the book out for Draco to take.
"Oh I haven't heard it before. Do you think I'll like it?" Draco turned the book over in his hands before flipping elegantly to the first page of the thin book.
"It is the best book ever." Hugo said grinning and throwing his arms out in what Draco presumed was excitement.
Draco chuckled, reaching out to high five one of the child's outstretched hands.
"Right, lets begin."
Draco was reading the story for about 15 minutes before he noticed the boy had fallen asleep, on top of the bed rather than in it. He stood gently, not wanting to wake Hugo, and put the book on his bedside table.
Then he gently pulled the covers from under the sleeping form to cover him. It had been a while since he had read Scorpius to sleep, he had become very independent from a young age. Draco couldn't help but smile, he really had had a wonderful evening. However this peace was interrupted as Draco turned to quietly exit the room and was given the fright of his life to find Hermione leant against the door frame, wine glass in hand, smiling at the scene before her.
Clutching his chest to show his shock, he walked towards the witch who moved to head back down the stairs, closing Hugo's door softly behind them.
"Jesus, Hermione, I nearly had a heart attack. How long had you been there?" Draco asked in hushed tones as they sat back down in the living room.
"Oh long enough. I should have you read to me sometime." Hermione joked.
"Well, I am a master of reading aloud," Draco replied, smugly.
"I do have to admit, you are better at doing all the voices than me." Hermione said, still looking at Draco with the same smile on her face as before.
"Why do you keep looking at me like that?" Draco asked, confused.
"I said earlier, you surprise me."
"What 'cause I'm not a big bad Death Eater anymore, is that what you expected?" Draco said, a frown forming on his face.
"No, Draco, I just mean that, especially after how sad and reserved you seemed today, I thought you'd be more quiet and not as involved. I thought being around Hugo might have been a little challenging." Hermione explained, frowning at Draco's frown.
"Just because my son has gone down a cold and resigned path, doesn't mean I was a cold and reserved father." Draco said defensively.
"I know and I know how hard this has been for you these last few months and I know none of it is down to you." Hermione said, desperate to cheer the man up again. Without thinking, she reached a hand up to his forehead, trying to smooth the frown, to get him to relax.
"You exceeded my expectations Draco, that's a good grade, you shouldn't be frowning." Hermione said as she withdrew the touch, having realised what she was doing.
Draco smiled.
"What do I need to do to move it up to an Outstanding?" Draco asked, playing along with the metaphor. The room was charged, the atmosphere thickening with each second that the pair held eye contact. Hermione noticed that Draco's eyes had returned to a blueish grey as opposed to the steel which had greeted her that morning.
It happened as they moved at the same time, lips touching for only a matter of seconds before they pulled away.
"Draco-"
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have, I should go." Draco said, interrupting her and scrambling to get up from the sofa.
"Draco wait." He stopped. "It's okay, you don't have to rush off."
"No, it's late, and Hugo's sleeping. I should go, I'll see you tomorrow Hermione." Draco said, turning towards the fireplace but before he could reach the floo powder, Hermione grabbed his hand. He turned back to face her and she got on her tiptoes, giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Draco."