Chapter One
Hermione Granger was enjoying life after the war. She was single and working in her apothecary with Luna Lovegood. Hermione will admit that co-owning an apothecary with Luna may not be the best choice but Luna is really good at doing the accounts.
So that leaves Hermione today, sitting at her desk in her tiny two-bedroom apartment that she shared with Ginny, trying to find a sponsor for her newest project, giving free wolfsbane potions to all of the Lycans and werewolves who were infected before, during or after the war.
Ginny is due home soon and Hermione is hoping that ginny will be able to help her decide on a sponsor. A a lot of people want to sponsor Hermione's projects because working with the Hermione Granger is a big step for any name, especially when someone is trying to build a good name for themselves.
Hermione had begun pulling out her pile of sponsor applications when Ginny walked in.
"Hey! Harry was asking when you're going to visit again. He said it's been too long and that he needs to vent." Ginny exclaimed as she was walking to the fridge to start on her fifth meal that day.
"Tell him I will be over for dinner next week like we planned, I'm too busy to be going over there like we used to and–"
"And I can't cut out anymore work time or I could risk losing the huge sponsors." Ginny interrupted, tired of the same explanation from Hermione every time she asks "well do you need help choosing?"
"Actually I do, can you look through all of them and sort out any with a number below my asking price?"
"Yup!" Ginny settled down on their old rusty couch and began sorting.
About 3 hours and an entire bottle of wine later, they have come down to three possible sponsors. Two of them are offering twice her asking price and the offer of branching out but the last one was offering ten times her offering price, with an offer of an entire office on top of that. There was only one problem. It was from Malfoy Enterprises.
"Nope, not that one!"
"Oh come on Hermione!" Ginny was frustrated, to say the least with Hermione's stubbornness. " You know this is the best choice even if it is Malfoy. This is ten times your asking price on top of an entire company in your name, it would be stupid for you to reject this. And maybe you can talk about other things, he's very fit you know."
"Ginny!" Hermione was thrown off guard by Ginny's statement,
"Come on Hermione, you know I was joking. But you should seriously consider his offer."
"I guess I can have a meeting with him and see if his interest is genuine. But I'm telling you, Ginny, one wrong move and I am walking out of there with no hesitation. Deal?" Hermione says while shoving all of the discarded applications in a recycling bin.
"Deal."
Draco was sitting at his desk in his office after putting Scorpius down for the second time that night when there was a knock on the window. Who in the world is writing at this time of night? The owl dropped a letter and promptly left. Draco swiftly read the letter before re-reading it when his eyes caught the initials at the end of the letter.
Mr. Malfoy,
I have taken your offer into consideration, and I have a request. I would like to meet up for dinner at a restaurant in muggle London near my house to talk terms. I need to make sure your interest is genuine.
To be honest you gave me the best offer but I will only accept if my terms and conditions are agreed upon
Feel free to write me back with any questions and your availability for next week.
Thank You,
Hermione Granger.
Putting down the letter from Hermione he swiftly picked up a quill and some parchment to write back.
Ms. Granger
Thank you for taking my offer into consideration it will be lovely to work with you.
I am available on Tuesday next week for dinner at 6:30.
I will meet you at the new French restaurant down the street from the Leaky Cauldron. I believe it is right down the street from your apothecary.
See you then,
D.M
Draco was really anticipating working with Granger. Between needing to be readily available for Astoria to drop Scorpius off at any given time and continuing to fix Malfoy Enterprises after his fathers' wrath during the war, he has been needing some– adult time. Drinking and talking––not sex––though that wouldn't be so bad.
As soon as Draco sent that letter he knew he had made a mistake. Tuesday is going to be Daphne's Birthday and Astoria is throwing her a party. Draco had already agreed to take Scorpius for the entire day and for the night.
Draco was about to write another letter when he heard little feet pattering down the hallway and he already knew what was coming. He settled down on the leather sofa and waited for the confrontation that had already happened twice that night.
"Daddy?" a little voice sounds from the doorway.
"Hey buddy," Draco says softly and with care as to not startle the three-year-old in the dark room "Why are you out of bed again?" he asks hoping that the frustration in his voice isn't picked up by the toddler.
"I had a bad dream," the little boy says while dragging his dragon blanket behind him to sit on his father's lap.
Even though Draco knew that Scorpius only wanted to cuddle and didn't actually have a nightmare, but he played along with the young boy's ruse,
"Oh I'm sorry about that," Draco said while Scorpius settled on his lap for what was hopefully his final time falling asleep, "what was it about?"
"A-a-a-a dragon flyed down and scooped you up in his biiiiiiiig claws and mommy didn't even cry"
"Oh, that sounds really scary." The father told his son while slowly stroking his hair.
Scorpius has never liked his mother, he's always been a daddy's boy. Astoria has a strange set of rules that Scorpius must follow at her house.:
No colouring, no talking louder than a whisper while playing alone, no cuddling, and the worst of all, No Stories before bed.
She seems to think all this stuff will ruin his head, but she is just following what her mother is telling her to do. She's a bitch.
"Daddy? You will never leave me right?" Scorpius was exhausted, Draco could tell by his droopy eyes,
"No buddy, Why are you asking?" Draco was confused, as far as he knew, Astoria was still around.
"Because Mummy sometimes leaves me alone with Toopsy and I get scared and I cry." Scorpius stated as his eyes drooped closed into a slumber.
Draco was fuming, to say the least, it was part of the custody agreement that Astoria has custody of Scorpius primarily and Draco gets weekends and holidays but it was under the condition that Scorpius was not left alone without a proper human adult. What Scorpius just said gave Draco the means to file for full custody. He just needed proof.
Hermione had just finished reading Malfoys letter, and she was surprised at how–kind–it was. She swiftly marked down on her for Tuesday and went to consult Luna about this predicament she had found herself in.
"Hey Luna, I think I found a good sponsor for the wolfsbane project." Hermione had just gotten to work and went straight to Luna's office to tell her the news.
"Oh hello Hermione," Luna in her usual dreamy state was lounging in her office " I saw the offers and if you didn't choose the offer from Malfoy Enterprises I will set my entire cage of nargles free in your office.
Hermione knew Luna was serious when she made threats with any of her mystical animals, especially nargles.
"I did Luna, don't worry," Hermione sat down on the visitor chair in Luna's office, "I wrote him and we are going to dinner on Tuesday to talk terms. It is Draco Malfoy but it has been five years, people change right" Hemione blabbered , she will admit, Hermione did fancy Malfoy for the last couple years of school and especially in their eighth year when they shared a common room as heads. They may have snogged a couple of times but that's neither here nor there. He is married now and Hermione just got out of a relationship.
"It sounds like your crush for Draco hasn't left." Luna giggled
"It has believe me, and I just got out of a relationship I wouldn't go for him even if it was." Hermione was panicking though– had it come back? Surely not, she is only focused on her project. It's not like she was ever in love with him she just fancied him a little bit.
She and Ron had been together since she found out about Malfoy and Astoria Greengrass's engagement. Hermione will admit in the beginning she just needed a distraction from the entire Malfoy-Greengrass wedding. It began with a drunken shag on graduation night and led to living together. Molly was so excited about it. She had always thought about Hermione as a daughter but to actually have Hermione as a daughter was a dream. But Ron cheated. Hermione found him with a blond bimbo he picked up from a bar, in their bed, while she was supposed to be away for a press conference with Luna about their new project. Needless to say, that was the end of their relationship immediately.
"Okay. Anyways the floor manager is telling me that they are almost out of dreamless sleep potion so if you could tell the potioneers to make another batch that would be great!" Typical Luna, getting straight to the point.
"Yep! I can do that." Hermione got up to leave the room when she heard Luna whisper something loud enough that she knew it was meant for her to hear,
"I don't think it would be so bad if you guys got together. I could sense that you loved him before you told me about their relationship."
Hermione swiftly left.
Draco was at work when the last people he wanted to see showed up at his office door.
"Hey, shithead. What is this I hear from the secretary that you're going to dinner with a Hermione Granger on Tuesday."
"Yeah I thought Tuesday evenings were for the boys, and why would you be going out with your ex." says another voice
Theodore Nott. The one singular annoying person in his office, other than Blaise Zabini, but their both good at their jobs so he keeps them around
"It is nothing, Theo. And she is not my ex Blaise. We snogged like twice in the common room after having too much to drink at the commencement ball, that's all." Draco said frustratingly.
"That's not what Luna said." Theo quips
Did he mention that Theo and Luna were together? They are the most unimaginable yet most perfect couple in the history of time.
"Yeah and Daphne says that you told Astoria that nothing happened between you two so who should we believe? Someone who is notorious for speaking the honest truth and not giving a fuck about it? Or someone who has lied their entire life?" Blaise adds
Blaise is married to Astoria's sister Daphne. They have often drank bottles of firewhiskey while complaining about the drama that is the Greengrass sisters. The only problem is, Blaise actually marries Daphne for love , Draco married Astoria because it was his duty to the Malfoy name. He regrets it.
"I see what you mean, but it isn't like I was in love with her." Draco was now scribbling on his planner, a nervous habit he picked up from Hermione in the eighth year, and his friends knew it.
"mmmhmmm," Theo says from his perch on Draco's desk.
"The meeting is about the offer I put in as a sponsor for her wolfsbane project. I didn't think you would mind, but I completely forgot that I had Scorp that night. Can one of you take him?"
"No."
"Ohh no."
"What? Why not" Draco asked,
"Because, you took away our boy's night, we're taking away your ability to have a relaxing night at a fancy restaurant with a woman you fancy," Blaise explains.
"I do not fancy her anymore," Draco whines, "but wish me luck for Tuesday, I'm going to need it." Scorpius wasn't the best eater, especially at a new restaurant. Hopefully, they had a kid's menu.
"Good luck." They said simultaneously,
"Now leave me alone" Draco quips.
The boys leave Draco alone in his office pondering over his meeting with Hermione.