I do not own Harry Potter.
Ch. 2 The boy and girl in the book.
Two days later, on Friday, I am sitting behind the front counter, catching my breath after the morning rush when the door dings open.
"'Mione!" A boy squeals and I see a flash of white hair fly into the store.
"Scorpius, how lovely to see you again." I say honestly kneeling down just as he comes around the counter and flings himself into my arms. I close my eyes taking in the scent of kids shampoo and peanut butter.
I laugh at his exuberance and he snuggles in squeezing me, "I missed you 'Mione." His voice is soft and I blink quickly at how sweet and honest he is.
I turn my head and whisper, "I missed you also." Then I loosen my hold and pull him back to look at him, I open my mouth to ask him if he came to read and a female voice cuts in.
"Scorpius, you can't just run behind the counter of a store, oh!" I look up to see Narcissa Malfoy standing on the other side of the counter looking down at us. A look of surprise mixed with confusion on her face.
I have my arms around Scorpius' waist and his hands, one clutching the dragon, are around my neck. I clear my throat and my stomach drops, I know that Narcissa is going to start freaking out about my 'mudblood' and the sweet little boy will suffer. I open my mouth to say something, but Scorpius beats me to it.
"Nana, this is my 'Mione, she's my friend and she read to me the other day." He grins up at Narcissa, playing with my hair, half sitting in my lap.
Narcissa looks between the two of us a couple times clearly wondering what to say, then looks at Scorpius, "So this is why you wanted to come here." She smiles at Scorpius.
"Yup, she saved me the other day when I left dad." He sounds proud of the fact that he ran from his father.
I glance back at Scorpius who is leaning his head on my shoulder, and then up at Narcissa feeling awkward. "So, um did you come to read?" I ask not sure who I'm asking, but needing to say something.
"Yes. Nana said we could come here for thirty minutes, then we have to go." Scorpius sits up straight, "Can we read the same book?" He looks hopeful and excited.
"Of course, go get it, and we will follow you." I suggest, he bounces up and takes off toward the children's books. I slowly stand and after Scorpius disappears around the bookshelves, I turn to Narcissa.
"I will look around while you read to my grandson." She says before I can say anything, my eyebrows shoot up in surprise and Narcissa's brows furrow. "Will that be fine?" She asks sounding confused.
"Um, yes." I clear my voice and try to reign in my shock. "Of course I'll read to Scorpius." I answer and then haltingly take the same steps that Scorpius did while Narcissa just watches. As I hurry to the children's area where Scorpius already has the book flipping the pages to find the page we left off on, I wonder about Narcissa letting me anywhere near her pureblood grandson. He is sitting in the same place we sat last time; he looks up at me smiling hugely. I push the thoughts away and smile back at him, There is no way I can hold on to my own worries and fears while the sweetest little boy is here.
"Come on 'Mione!" He happily pats the cushion next to him, I lower myself to the cushion and he crawls onto my lap again, I smile to myself as he hands me the book.
"Ready?" I ask, he nods his head hugging his dragon as I start reading. The book he had picked out whenever he was in here for the first time, was written just after the war and is a story about Harry Potter. The author wrote about the prophecy and everything in terms a child would understand and even went as far as making the horrible parts seem less horrible. We have just come to the part where Harry, Ron and I were hunting for the Horcruxes. The first part of the book had mentioned Ron and myself by name, but this really talks about how each of us figured out or destroyed each Horcrux. I finish reading this chapter about how I figured out the Deathly Hallows using a book, and Scorpius leans back to look up at me.
"'Mione, the girl in this book has the same name as you." His brow is furrowed. "I wonder if any books that have been written have my name in them." I smile at him wondering if I should explain that the girl in the book is actually me.
"Well, Scorpius, do you know what a non-fiction book is?" I ask deciding to explain part of his comment.
"No." He shakes his head frowning.
"A non-fiction book means that it is true, or factual. So this book was written about events or people that are real." As he is thinking that through I continue, "There are also books that are called fiction which means that they are made up, or not true. The people and or events are not real." I watch to see if he understands.
"So this girl is real?" He points to the books.
"Yes, she is real." I answer and he looks up at me as if he is going to ask the obvious question whether or not I am the girl. So I continue, "There might be a book out there that has a character with your name." I suggest trying to change his train of thought not wanting him to think of me any different than the girl who reads to him.
His eyes light up, "Really there might be?" I nod smiling at his excitement. "That would be so awesome!"
"Do you want me to continue?" I gesture to the book we are reading, and he nods leaning back against me.
"Wait," He sits up again, "So Harry Potter is real?" He looks awestruck.
"Yes, he is real also." I add playing it safe, "I went to school with him."
"Really?" He sounds surprised, when spending time around Scorpius I can almost forget he is Draco Malfoy's son. His demeanour is nothing like Malfoy's when we were at school and other than the obvious hair and the gray tint to his light blue eyes; he could have been anyone's son.
Before he can ask me any more questions I look back at the book and continue reading, after finishing the next chapter, Narcissa speaks up.
"Scorpius, we shall be going." She's standing next to the short bookshelf looking at us with an odd look on her face. "Come now." She adds as if he didn't hear her the first time. Then after seeing and hearing Narcissa it floods back to me, this is Malfoy's son, and even though he is adorable and very loving, I can't let myself get attached to him. I wonder how long she has been there, watching us. Maybe she isn't okay with me being around Scorpius.
"Thank you miss 'Mione." Scorpius turns to hug me around the neck then he stands and runs to Narcissa, "Nana the book we are reading has a girl with my 'Mione's name." He's beaming up at her and I realize he has called me his 'Mione twice now, Narcissa glances at me, but before I can figure out the look on her face she looks back down at Scorpius. I try to keep myself from feeling warmth from the way he seems to like me, I feel almost motherly toward him.
"That's nice, love." She takes his hand in hers and then nods at me before they leave the store Scorpius bouncing along beside her.
I sit there for a moment before rising and returning the book to the shelf, then making my way back to the front counter. The rest of the day passes quickly and I close down the store before apparating to my flat to get ready for dinner with Harry and Ginny.
*Draco*
After leaving work and flooing to the Manor to pick up Scor, I decide maybe I'll take Scor out to dinner. He has been acting a bit odd lately, and he won't tell me what is bothering him. Maybe if I have a few moments alone with him, he'll open up to me.
"Mother? Scor?" I call stepping out of the floo and dusting my robes off.
"Dad!" Scor squeals running into the travelling room, from the hallway.
"Hey big guy!" I lift him up above my head and he laughs. I smile at how happy a child he is, always laughing and smiling, though it hasn't always been that way, "How was your day?" I ask him as I settle him on my shoulders to head into the parlour, which is where I'm sure mother is.
"I had so much fun with Nana and Pop Pop." He says excitedly. "Pop Pop let me ride a broom today, it was awesome even if it was a small one. Nana took me for ice cream and I got to see my 'Mione!" He says as I set him down in the parlour.
I freeze after setting him down my body tenses up at the mention of her name. I was so completely flabbergasted, not that I would say that out loud, when I went into that bookstore and found my son curled up asleep on Granger's lap. He looked so peaceful laying across her lap asleep with not a care in the world. I wasn't overly worried when I realized it was her with Scor, because if nothing else she is more than capable of protecting him. She was brilliant in school and even after with all the work she has done at Hogwarts and in the community. I'm a bit surprised she ended up working in a bookstore, not that she doesn't fit in perfectly with books, but she just seemed the type to do something grander. Yeah, like saving the world with the boy-who-would-always-survive-the-killing-curse and the red-headed-sidekick isn't grand enough, I scoff at myself, shaking my head.
I picture her again in my mind; she still looks similar to when I saw her last, beautiful even though I would never say that out loud. Her hair seems tamer, though still wild, she definitely has filled out a bit since school. She is still slim though a bit curvier, of course the last time I saw her was shortly after the war and after living in a tent apparating all over and eating hardly anything, she was quite thin. I wonder if her and the Weasel married, and if she has any kids of her own. She seemed so at ease with Scor. I bet she has multiple kids and they all have red bushy crazy hair I muse silently then shake myself hearing my mother say my name.
"Draco, darling, are you quite alright?" Mother asks and I look around Scor must have fled to find father.
"Yes, sorry I was thinking about something else." I say then try for nonchalance, "So you went to the bookstore, Scor sure loves books." I say hoping mother won't think too much of my direction of conversation.
"Yes, he does love to read." She agrees, "I was stunned when I realized the reason for him wanting to go to that particular bookstore." She adds looking off into the distance.
"Oh?" I say as I lower myself into a chair stretching my legs out and letting my head fall back as if I couldn't care any less about her answer.
"Yes, well he does seem to like that um woman." She says sounding as if woman wasn't quite the word she had in mind, "Though I will say that she seems intelligent and caring." She finishes and I roll mothers words over in my mind. Luckily before I'm expected to respond she continues. "They were having some sort of discussion and Scor asked her about Harry Potter." My head jerks up and I settle my gaze on mother.
"Really?" I ask before she can continue.
She narrows her eyes at me briefly but continues, "I believe what Scorpius asked was, 'Is Harry Potter real?' Really not so odd a question from a young wizard, but her answer surprised me." I stay quiet this time knowing that she will tell me when she is ready. "She answered, 'Yes, he is real.' Then after a pause she added, 'I went to school with him.'" Mother finishes and I scowl at her slightly.
"Well, why would that surprise you, everything she said was fact. They are best bloody mates." I nearly growl at my mother, and then catch myself when she raises her brows at me.
"Yes, true, but she said nothing about Harry Potter being her best friend, nor anything about her being the Hermione Granger." I feel my mouth go slack as I finally realize what mother is saying. She could have and by all rights should have explain who she was and what she did, then continued by going on about how wonderful the Golden Trio is and everything Potter has done.
"She also said nothing about you, not that you knew Potter, nor what if anything you had to do with him." She's smiling slightly. "I think I might respect her a bit." Mother declares standing, "Well, I'm going to give instructions for dinner, are you and Scor staying?" She looks down at me.
I blink a couple times trying to clear my head a bit and look up at my mother, "Ah, no thank you I thought I would take Scor out to dinner tonight, we don't get enough time together now that I started my new schedule." I rise to walk follow her out of the room to find Scor.
Everything Granger didn't say keeps running through my head as Scor and I floo home for me to change, then floo to a new restaurant we haven't tried yet. I can't believe she didn't take the chance to boast, or even just try to make my child worship Potter. I know that had it been Ron Weasley, he would have done anything he could to make me go mad, maybe even trying to give Scor a fake lightening bolt scar. I shudder to myself thinking how horrible that would truly be. Come to think about it, anyone other than Granger probably would have done everything in their power to tell Scor all about their connection to The-boy-who-defeated-repeatedly.
"Dad!" Scor says loudly and I shake myself to look down at him.
"Sorry, what?" I ask smiling faintly at the look on his face it came straight from Lucius.
"Gee dad, pay attention." I chuckle stepping away from the floo with him and over to the host to ask for a table.
Kay, so I gave you a bit of insight into Malfoy's thoughts, and a bit more of Scor, which I gather you all love :) Please please review, and let me know what you think. I have chapter 3 in the works and hopefully will be up tomorrow...This is very different that my last story, but I hope it is just as good! Thanks so much for all who have added me and or my stories to their favorites, it makes me feel wonderful! Thanks again and enjoy! Oh and I do love reviews :)