Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All characters and the wizarding world belong to J. .
Hermione woke up the next day feeling worse for wear, her head was pounding and her stomach very unsettled. She was sure that the contents of her stomach would make an appearance sooner or later. The room her was spinning and all she wanted to do was stay in bed. The memories of the night were a little hazy. As she lay in bed nausea, she'd been feeling was getting worse and she shot out of the bed into the ensuite, emptying the contents of her stomach. Despite the acrid taste in her mouth, she did feel a little better. She went to sit by the toilet, eyes close. She really felt like shit. Hermione had no idea how long she'd been sitting on the bathroom floor but, she'd thrown up once more. Finally gaining some energy she stood up splashing cold water on her flushed face, she used the mouthwash in the cupboard to rinse out her mouth.
She had contemplated going back to bed but decide that she should probably go to the kitchen to get something to eat. When she'd woken up, she'd had no idea where she was but once her head had stopped spinning, she'd realised that she was in Harry's. As she was getting ready to leave the room she heard a soft knock, "Are you awake?" Ginny spoke. Hermione let out a strangled noise of agreement, her throat raw from vomiting. Ginny opened the door and smiled, "Good morning Mione.". The two girls made their way in silence to the kitchen where Harry stood cooking breakfast. "Morning Mione. How're you feeling?" He asked, a small smile twitching at the corner of his lips. However, it didn't quite reach his eyes though. "I've felt better." Harry let out a chuckle and passed her a vial of hangover potion. Hermione had eagerly accepted it, she shot it down then felt extreme nausea that came before the hangover dissipated. "Much better." She sat down at the kitchen table and slumped over, "Where are the kids?" she asked, Ginny, placed a cup of coffee in front of her, "They're with mum, she came over this morning to get them." She smiled. It dawned on her that she had no idea what time it was. Ginny saw the look of confusion on her face, "It's 11:30.". She slumped down further in her chair, she'd gone and wasted most of the day. Harry placed a plate of food in front of her, which she eagerly accepted. She hadn't eaten much last night so she was considerably hungry.
Hermione wolfed down the food in front of her, she was so preoccupied with the food that she hadn't noticed Harry and Ginny sitting opposite her. It was only when she had finished that she noticed their presence. Both of them were looking at her a look of concern on both their faces. "Why do I feel like I've been called to the headmaster's office?", she sighed. She had a fair idea of what they were going to say, she hadn't been this drunk in a long time. "Why didn't you tell us you were struggling?" She was shocked, she wasn't expecting that. She expected them to give out to her for getting drunk. She scoffed a little, "Did you really think I would be okay? My marriage has broken down. Gin, I asked you to join me last night, surely that should've given you an idea I wasn't doing great." The concerned expression on Ginny's face fell and her expression soured considerably, "Mione you're so fucking hard to read, you never show your emotion. How in all honesty do you expect me to understand how you're feeling if you don't fucking tell me? You can be so immature sometimes." Ginny got to her feet before storming out of the kitchen, and up the stairs. "Mione, she's worried about you. We both are. You really scared us last night. Something could've happened to you." Hermione's expression faltered, "We'll noting did. I'm here and I'm okay. Look, I really am sorry." Ginny had joined them again; she'd collected her emotions before joining them again. "Well, you can thank Malfoy for that. He brought you here." The colour drained from Hermione's face and she hung her head. She'd completely forgotten that she had drunk with him. Draco Malfoy of all people had seen her in her most vulnerable state and she felt like she wanted to die from embarrassment. She wasn't sure how she was going to be able to face him when she saw him at work on Monday. "Look, we don't want to argue with you. We're just worried is all. I know the war changed us; I know it's hard to express yourself but you should talk to us. We're here for you." Ginny took her hand and rubbed circles on her palm, a soft expression on her face, "We love you." Hermione squeezed her hand in return. They all sat in silence as finished her coffee.
Hermione left soon after their conversation. Now all she wanted to do was relax with a good book. She grabbed the latest book she'd been reading and settled into the armchair. Another cup of coffee in hand. She did her best to focus on the book but thoughts of the night kept popping up. Draco had stolen her shot, his gentle touch as he comforted her. She felt her face burn in embarrassment. She had been vulnerable with him and that made her uncomfortable. When it became apparent that she wasn't going to be able to focus on the novel that lay open in her lap she put it back. Since she had yet to take a shower and she was sure that the smell of the Leaky Cauldron was over her clothes and hair. She headed up their stairs, the walls that were once covered in photos of her and Ron now lay bare. Her eyes welled up, "Why am I so sad? This is what I wanted.". The shower had been very refreshing, it was just what she needed. She felt like all the emotions of the day before were being washed down the drain. She dressed in a pair of jeans and a simple white sweater, throwing her unruly hair into a bun.
Hermione had decided not long after her shower to head into London. She had a few things she wanted to pick up before the kids would be home, Rose needed a new pair of jeans after she'd torn them after falling off her bike. London had been very busy and her patience was running thin as people took what felt like hours to purchase what they needed. After her trip to London, she headed into Diagon Alley, she needed to pick up a couple books from Flourish and Blotts and felt like treating herself to ice cream at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. Their Pistachio ice cream was the best she'd ever had. When she was in school, she'd loved the strawberry and peanut butter one but as she'd gotten older her ice cream of choice had changed. She entered the ice cream shop and it was bustling with parents and their children, their faces pressed against the glass. Eagerly watching as the staff handed out ice cream after ice cream. She didn't have to wait long before it was her turn, "What can I get you?" Hermione didn't need time to think, "I'll have 3 scoops of pistachio." She smiled and paid quickly. With her ice cream in hand, she headed out outside to sit on a bench outside the store.
These days people didn't stare nearly as much when she was out and about. After the war, she'd been the talk of the wizarding world. Her pictures were plastered over every newspaper. It had all been very overwhelming. Hoards and hordes of people begging to take pictures with her. However, now things were different. People still talked about her but they left her alone, no more ambushes. She was able to relax in peace. Hermione was in her own little world when she felt a presence next to her. To her left sat a little blond-haired boy, his eyes wide as he looked at the ice cream. She smiled at the boy. He was brave. Her children would never have approached a stranger, she'd taught them not to. "What flavour is that?" The little boy looked at her, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "It's pistachio. You should ask your parents to buy some for you." She continued to eat her ice cream however, the boy's gaze never left her.
"Why did you get 3 of the same flavour? Don't you like anything else? I like chocolate and raspberry ice cream but my daddy doesn't really let me eat it. He says that if I eat too much, I'll feel sick." Hermione smiled adoringly at the boy. "Your daddy is right. If you eat too much, you'll get a tummy ache…where is your father?" The little boy pointed towards Flourish and Blotts. "Daddy's in there but he told me not to go in. He said if I was a good boy and sit here, he'll buy me ice cream." Hermione thought it was rather dangerous for a parent to leave their child unattended outside. From looking at the boy she thought that he was probably around the same age as Rose. Since his father was nowhere in sight, she decided that she'd keep the young boy company.
The two talked animatedly for 10 minutes. Hermione had been kept on her toes during those 10 minutes as the little boy had tried to wander off twice when he saw a young kitten. All Hermione could do was pray that the boy's parents would turn up so she could continue on about her day. The ice cream had wet her appetite and she was keen to grab a late lunch before she headed home. "Granger." Hermione's head whipped around, she came face to face with Draco Malfoy, her cheeks heated up and she hung her head. She had not wanted to run into him. Before she could even reply to him the little boy had shot forward into Draco's arms, "Daddy, I want to try pistachio ice cream. Can I try it?" Hermione watched as Draco's expression softened as he looked at his son, however, he had an air of caution to him. That was when she noted that Draco had the hood of his cloak up. Despite both Harry and herself speaking in his defence, the rest of the wizarding world had not been so keen to forgive and forget. "Pistachio? You don't want chocolate? Pistachio is for adults." the little boy shook his head, "This lady was eating it and it looked so good. I want to try it. You said it's yummy, right?" Draco's son was now looking at her, his little body buzzing with excitement. Hermione let out a chuckle. She looked between Draco and his son. This was truly a side of him that she'd never seen.
Remembering that Draco had brought her home last night she felt like she should probably pay him back in some shape or form, "Malfoy, I'm so sorry about last night. That you for taking me home." She was unable to look him in the eye, "I was thinking since your son wants ice cream maybe I could buy you both one as a thank you." She waited for an answer but was met by silence. When she decided to look up, she noticed that people were staring at him, his hood had been knocked off by his son in his arms. The gathering crowd was starting to grow hostile throwing insults at him. "Filthy Death Eater!" they screamed. "You should be rotting in Azkaban like your father!". Hermione saw tears starting to form in the young boy's eyes. She couldn't stand to watch it. She grabbed Draco's sleeve and motioned to where the Leaky Cauldron was. She didn't have to say anything but he understood. He pulled Scorpius closer to him and threw his hood back up, then stalked towards the pub. Hermione followed a little behind. She didn't particularly want to get caught up in some scandal, particularly with one Draco Malfoy.
Once in the Leaky Cauldron Draco headed to the table he and Hermione had sat at the night before. He fell into the chair and slumped forward. He was overwhelmed. Hermione sat in front of him, she didn't say a word, she just patted the back of the overwhelmed young boy. Was Draco a good person, it was hard to say. He'd been a horrible and vile teenager, although his circumstances played a huge role in that. After the war, he'd changed. He'd been punished for what he'd done and he'd worked hard to rebuild his reputation. People didn't like him but his work was respected. "Draco?" Draco finally lifted his head to look at Hermione. He hadn't expected her to call him by his name. "What do you think about getting ice cream in London?" Hermione had expected him to protest, but he didn't instead he smiled as he watched his son's face once again light up.
London felt like a breath of fresh air, all the tension both Hermione and Draco had on their shoulders had gone. Nobody knew who they were and Draco didn't have to worry about what other people might say. "Where are we going?" Draco asked, he had spent almost no time in muggle London, only really going to explore it once he entered his 20's, but even then, he felt like he stuck out like a sore thumb so rarely went. "It's my favourite café. They've got a fantastic selection of ice cream and probably the best coffee I've found in London." They walked in silence for about 15 minutes before they came upon the small café, a mere 8 tables in the place. The moment that'd walked in the door Scorpius had taken off to look at the ice cream, his hands and face practically plastered to the glass. Hermione placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, "Ok, what flavour do you want?" The boy looked up and her, and then to his dad. "I want pistachio." Bother Hermione and Scorpius were startled by the bark of laughter that escaped Draco's mouth. "How about I get the pistachio and then you can try some of mine, what do you think?" Hermione couldn't stop the small smile that formed on her lips as Draco negotiated with his son. The waitress watched in amusement, "What can I get you?". "I'll get an americano. Draco, what do you want?" Hermione looked over her shoulder, "I'll have an americano too, and a scoop of pistachio.". The waitress then bent down to Scorpius's height, "Now what can I get you sir?" The young boy blushed, "Can I get a big, big scoop of chocolate?". The waitress ruffled his hair, "A big, big scoop of chocolate coming up."
Once they had finished ordering they went to grab a table towards the back of the café. They didn't have to wait long for their food to arrive. They sat in a comfortable silence as they ate and drank together. Draco finally interrupted the silence, "Ah, Granger, I forgot to introduce you. This is my son Scorpius." Scorpius smiled at Hermione, his hands covered in chocolate, which she instinctively went to clean. For a pure-blooded child, she was surprised by how carefree and childlike the boy was. Nothing like his father at all, "Hello Scorpius, I'm Hermione." The little boy enthusiastically shook her hands, definitely nothing like his father. Once everyone had finished their food, it was time to part ways, "Goodbye, Granger. See you on Monday." He nodded at her, "Goodbye, Malfoy. Goodbye, Scorpius." She bent down and was met by a hug from the little boy. With that, they went their separate ways. Hermione could not believe that she had once again spent time with one Draco Malfoy Here desire for lunch was completely forgotten. What was happening to her life?
Author's note: Hi all. I just want to thank everyone for the positive response to this story. I apologise for not being a frequent uploader. I suffer terrible from writers' block but I'm trying to work through it. This story was not something I expected to ever write. Almost all the writing of done about Harry Potter has been based in the Marauder era but this is a nice change. I hope you will continue to support this story.
