A/N - This is just a light-hearted little one shot. I hope you all enjoy, and next week I'll be publishing a multi-chapter story.
Ron Weasley stopped in his tracks and gazed up at Hogwarts for the first time in a decade. It had been ten years ago he'd graduated from Hogwarts alongside his best friends, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, and in that time his life had changed beyond all recognition. He was now happily married, his wife had recently discovered she was expecting their first child, and most surprisingly, he didn't even live in wizarding Britain these days. Sadly, he'd also lost touch completely with Hermione and only saw Harry once in a blue moon, despite the fact he was his brother-in-law.
When they'd first left Hogwarts, Ron never would have imagined he would lose touch with the two people he'd spent so much time with in school, however the cracks started to appear a little over a year after graduation. It all started when Harry was offered a three year loan deal with an American Quidditch team, following his successful first year trial with a British team. The opportunity was far too good for Harry to miss, so he'd headed off to America with Ron's little sister, Ginny, at his side.
With Harry out of the picture, Ron started to drift away from Hermione. Without Harry to bridge the gap between the pair, it turned out they were just too different to make a friendship work. None of their interests were the same, and by the time they'd spoken about their work and mutual friends, they'd had very little to say to one another. In the end they'd just drifted away from one another, although they'd never had any sort of major falling out, it was just the natural thing for them to break away from each other and let their friendship die a natural death.
It was during the time that Harry was in America that his girlfriend, Lavender Brown had been given the opportunity to work with a famous fashion designer in Milan. Ron hadn't been keen on a move abroad initially, but he loved Lavender and since it had been her dream to work in fashion, he'd made the move for her. After taking a few months to settle in, Ron had fallen in love with Italy and after finding a job working at the home stadium of the quidditch team based in Milan, he couldn't picture his life anywhere else. These days Ron ran the club shop at the stadium, while Lavender was a senior designer in the fashion company she worked for.
When he'd initially moved to Italy, Ron had fully intended to keep in close contact with his family and friends, but his good intentions had soon faded away. Ron had never been a big letter writer, and it had just been a hassle to write to his family that often. He'd quickly fallen into just sending birthday cards and Christmas cards, although he had made the effort to return home whenever any of his brothers, and Ginny of course, got married. In fact, Harry and Ginny's wedding over five years ago was the last time he'd seen Hermione, and he'd only seen Harry a couple of times since then.
However, when he and Lavender had received the invitation to the ten year reunion of their graduating Hogwarts class, Ron had seen it as the perfect opportunity to catch up with his friends. He'd even decided to make his appearance at the reunion a surprise, so not even Ginny and Harry knew he and Lavender would be turning up that evening.
"Are you nervous?" Lavender questioned, pulling Ron from his thoughts.
"A bit," Ron admitted, still gazing up at the familiar castle. "What if no-one is happy to see me? I mean, I haven't even met Harry and Ginny's little one yet."
"We can catch up with the family while we're here," Lavender said. "That is the whole point of this trip Ron, to catch up with everyone. You can meet James in the next few days, and all your other nieces and nephews."
"Even so, they still might not be pleased to see me," Ron said with a worried frown. "I should have kept in touch more."
"Keeping in touch works both ways, Ron," Lavender said. "Your family haven't exactly put themselves out to visit us in Italy. We've seen your parents a handful of times, and the only time we've seen some of your brothers was at our wedding. We haven't been the only ones to let the contact lapse."
"I guess you're right," Ron agreed, never having thought about things from the other perspective before. He'd been so worried about his lack of contact with his family that he'd failed to remember that they'd been just as lax at keeping in touch as he had.
"I always am," Lavender replied with a smile. "Now are you ready to do this?"
"I am," Ron confirmed as he slid his arm through Lavender's. "Let's go and show everyone just what we've made of ourselves."
Grinning at each other the Weasleys strode towards the front doors of the castle, which was standing wide open to allow people to enter the castle. As they entered the castle, they heard music coming from The Great Hall, where the main body of the reunion was being held. However, some people had spread out from the main party and they encountered a few people they knew hanging around in the front hallway. However, none of their close friends were around, so after saying a quick hello to a few people, they entered The Great Hall.
The Great Hall had been transformed from what they were used to and there was no sign of the four long house tables which normally dominated the room. Most of the floor was clear for people to dance, but there were tables and chairs dotted around the outside of the room where people could sit and catch up with old friends. In one corner of the room was a bar, while the opposite corner was where the DJ had set up, and along the back wall was a long table laden down with food.
The Great Hall was also filled with former students and Professors. Even some of the Professors that had retired, had returned for the reunion. Scanning the crowds, Ron looked for his friends, while Lavender searched for her best friend, Parvati Patil. Lavender was the first to find who she was looking for, and with a high pitched squeal she ran over to Parvati and the two witches embraced warmly. Unlike Ron's friends, Parvati regularly visited the couple in Italy and she and Lavender were still as close as ever.
"You look amazing, Lav," Parvati gushed. Lavender was wearing a sweeping ice blue dress and she was glowing with happiness.
"So do you," Lavender returned. Parvati had always been stunning, and she was looking particularly lovely in a turquoise dress.
"Hi Ron," Parvati said, greeting her friend's husband with a smile. "Still loving Italy, are you?"
"I am," Ron replied with a nod. "You'll have to come over and see us again."
"I will," Parvati promised.
"I don't suppose you've seen Harry or Hermione have you?" Ron asked, scanning the crowds again in search of his oldest friends.
"I haven't seen Harry, but I did see Hermione earlier," Parvati answered. "Mind you, I almost didn't recognise her. She's looking great these days."
"Is she?" Lavender asked with a slight scowl. She'd never really liked Hermione, and she wasn't too thrilled with the idea that she was looking good.
"Yes," Parvati answered, oblivious to her best friend's distaste. "Blaise Zabini was virtually drooling over her."
"Zabini?" Ron questioned. "Malfoy's best friend, Zabini?"
"Do you know another Zabini?" Parvati laughed. "I saw them talking earlier and Blaise couldn't take his eyes off her."
"Why was Hermione talking to a Slytherin?" Ron asked with a frown.
"You know Hermione, she was always friendly towards everyone," Parvati answered with a shrug.
As much as he didn't like it, Ron had to agree that Parvati had a point about Hermione. Even back in school she'd never bought into the rivalry with Slytherins, and she refused to believe they were all bad people. Truth be told she was right, and by the time they'd left school, Ron had been grown up enough to admit that the Slytherins they'd gone to school with weren't bad people just because their parents happened to have been involved in the war years earlier. Still, admitting they weren't all bad and chatting happily to them were two very different things.
"Oh look, there's Harry just walked in with your sister," Parvati said, pointing towards the doorway to The Great Hall.
Turning around, Ron couldn't help but smile at the sight of his sister and best friend. They looked blissfully happy together, and Ginny was looking lovely in a deep red dress after giving birth to their first child eight months ago. Raising his hand, Ron tentatively waved at the pair, and he was thrilled when they both grinned widely at the sight of him and rushed over.
"Ron you're here," Ginny squealed, throwing her arms around her brother and almost strangling him in her excitement.
"I am," Ron replied with a laugh as he hugged his sister and then gave his best friend a hug. "It's great to see you guys. You're both looking good."
"So are you," Harry replied with a grin. "I've missed you, Ron."
"I've missed you too, mate," Ron said.
"How are you Lavender?" Ginny asked as she hugged her sister-in-law. "Your dress is amazing, by the way."
"Thanks, I designed it myself," Lavender answered, beaming with pride. "And I'm great. In fact, Ron and I have some news."
"I thought we were going to wait," Ron hissed in his wife's ear, hearing his wife mention their big news.
"You can't tease us about big news and not deliver," Ginny said with a pout.
"Come on Ron, we can keep a secret," Harry urged.
"Okay, but when we're at The Burrow, act surprised when we tell Mum and Dad," Ron said, glancing around to check no-one was eavesdropping on their conversation. "Lavender's pregnant," he confided in a quiet voice.
"That's amazing," Ginny squealed, hugging Lavender and then Ron. "Congratulations."
"Congrats, mate," Harry said, grinning at his oldest friend.
"Does this mean you're coming home?" Ginny asked excitedly. After three years in America, she and Harry had returned home, but so far Ron and Lavender had shown no sign of coming home.
"No, Italy is our home," Ron replied. "But you really must come and visit more often. James would love it out there."
"Yeah, we really must visit more often," Harry agreed. He actually felt guilty over how little he'd seen Ron in recent years, but his career as a professional quidditch player took up a lot of his time.
"And you must visit us more often," Ginny said. "You are staying for a while, aren't you? You're not rushing off after the reunion, are you?"
"No, we're here for a few days," Ron said. "So we'll have lots of time together."
"Excellent," Ginny beamed. Growing up she'd been closest to Ron and she'd missed not living in the same country as him for almost a decade.
"Shall we grab some drinks?" Harry suggested.
After grabbing some drinks the two couples spent some time catching up as well as chatting to a few other old school friends. After a while, Ginny dragged Harry off to dance and Ron had to laugh as his best friend tried his hardest not to step on Ginny's feet. Shaking his head at Harry's bad dancing skills, Ron looked away from his sister and her husband just in time to spot a stunning brunette enter the room wearing a floor length, figure hugging deep emerald dress. At first he thought he didn't know her, but then she smiled at something and he realised it was Hermione.
"I don't believe it," Lavender muttered, having also gotten her eye on Hermione.
It turned out Parvati was right, and Hermione was looking good. Her wild hair had been tamed significantly and had been cut to hang just below her shoulders in soft curls. Lavender could tell the dress she was wearing was an expensive designer number, and it fit her perfectly, highlighting curves she would have sworn Hermione hadn't had in her youth.
"Wow," Ron breathed, his heart stopping when Hermione looked his way and caught his eye.
With a small smile, Hermione began to tentatively approach her old friend. Ron smiled back at Hermione to let her know he wanted to see her, and when they were close enough he reached out and pulled her into his arms.
"It's great to see you, Hermione," Ron said with a smile.
"It's good to see you too, Ron," Hermione returned. "Italy suits you, you look great."
"Or maybe it's marriage that suits him," Lavender said, clutching at Ron's arm and making sure Hermione could see her engagement and wedding rings. "Sorry we didn't invite you to the wedding Hermione, but it was a small family affair."
"It's okay," Hermione replied with an unconcerned shrug. "I'm just happy the pair of you are happy together."
"We are," Ron said, giving his wife a lovesick smile. "And what about you, Hermione?" he asked, turning his attention back to his friend. "Are you with anyone?"
"I'm also married," Hermione answered with a smile.
Automatically, Lavender looked down at Hermione's left hand and she was put out to spot that Hermione's engagement ring looked more expensive than hers. Granted, hers had a bigger stone, but Hermione's delicate diamond ring was surrounded by tiny emeralds and Lavender knew it must be worth a small fortune.
"That's great Hermione," Ron said with a slightly forced smile. He was happy that Hermione had someone in her life, but he was a bit surprised that none of his family had mentioned it.
"So where is the lucky wizard?" Lavender asked. "He is, a wizard, isn't he? You haven't married a muggle, have you?"
"Yes, he's a wizard," Hermione replied with a small chuckle. "And he's around here somewhere. I left him talking to Professor McGonagall. Sorry, to dash, but I've just seen someone I need to talk to. We'll have to have a proper catch up later on."
"We will," Ron vowed.
As Hermione headed off, Ron and Lavender began to look for Professor McGonagall. Lavender was the first to spot their former head of house, and she subtly nudged Ron and pointed him in the right direction. Following his wife's direction, Ron located Professor McGonagall and gasped out loud when he spotted her deep in conversation with Neville Longbottom.
"Neville," Ron gasped. "Hermione is married to Neville."
"It looks like it," Lavender said. "But how could he have afforded the ring she's wearing?"
"I can't say I noticed her ring," Ron said with a shrug. "Maybe he saved up."
"He would have had to save up for years to afford a ring like that," Lavender said with a snort. "He doesn't have family money, does he?"
"I honestly have no idea," Ron admitted. To be honest he'd never given a second thought to Neville's inheritance, but given that his parents had both been successful Aurors in their time, he could very well have been sitting on a fortune.
"Do you know what he does for a living?" Lavender asked.
"I'm sure Harry once mentioned him training to be a Professor," Ron said, recalling something Harry had said years ago. "He could well have taken over from Professor Sprout, now."
"I can't imagine that would earn him that much," Lavender mused.
"Does it matter how he afforded the ring?" Ron asked his wife. "I'm more curious about how they got together. I never would have pictured Hermione with Neville."
"They are an unusual pair," Lavender conceded. "But I guess love can bloom in the most unlikely of places."
"I guess so," Ron said with a nod. "Anyway, I'm sure we'll find out the full story before the end of the evening."
"I'm sure we will," Lavender agreed. "Now shall we get some food? I'm starving."
More than happy to grab some food, Ron headed off with Lavender, his mind still on Hermione and Neville, and the surprise he'd received when he'd discovered they were a couple. However, what neither Ron and Lavender realised was that mere moments before they'd located Professor McGonagall, she'd also been talking to another wizard they'd gone to school with, and he was Hermione's husband, not Neville Longbottom.
Attending a school reunion was not Draco Malfoy's idea of a good evening out, but he was being a good husband and attending the event for the sake of his wife. Luckily a few of his friends had also chosen to attend the reunion so he wasn't left totally on his own when his wife spent time with people she hadn't seen in ten years. Personally, Draco figured if he hadn't spoken to someone in ten years they had nothing to say to one another, so he didn't see the point in socialising. Of course back in school the Slytherins hadn't really spent time with the students from the other houses, so in all honesty he didn't really know most of the people in attendance.
"The things I do for love," he muttered to himself as he grabbed another drink from the bar.
With a fresh fire-whisky in his hand, Draco scoured The Great Hall, looking for someone to help alleviate his boredom. He quickly spotted his wife, conversing with a couple of Gryffindors, so decided not to join her. He also spied his best friend, Blaise Zabini, flirting with a witch Draco thought had been in Ravenclaw when they'd been at school. And then his eyes landed on a very surprising sight over the far side of the room. Sitting on his own, sipping a glass of fire-whisky and looking completely bored was Draco's godfather, and former Potions Master, Severus Snape.
"You are the last person I expected to find here," he remarked after crossing the room and sitting down next to his godfather. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm asking myself the very same thing," Severus drawled in reply.
"And have you come up with an answer?" Draco chuckled.
"Free bar," Severus returned in a deadpan voice.
"I'm not sure this is worth the free bar," Draco snorted. "And the fire-whisky is an inferior brand. I've got better at home."
"So why are you not at home?" Severus asked. "Wait, don't tell me. The wife."
"Why else would I be here?" Draco questioned with a shrug.
"Ah, young love," Severus remarked with a low chuckle. "I never thought I would see the day my godson's life was dictated by his wife."
"Like father, like son, I guess," Draco laughed. "We both know Mother rules Father's heart, so I guess it was inevitable that I would settle down with someone who does the same to me."
"True," Severus conceded with a slight incline of his head. "And how are your parents? I haven't seen much of them just recently."
"The same as usual," Draco answered. "Father is enjoying his semi-retirement. Apparently having more free time with mother is doing him the world of good. He says he feels like a newly-wed, so I don't really want to think about what that means they've been up to."
"Knowing your parents, it's the same thing they've been doing since they got together as teenagers," Severus remarked with a knowing smirk.
"Speaking of retirement, I hear you're thinking of ending your days here at Hogwarts," Draco said, swiftly changing the topic away from his randy parents.
"I have been considering it," Severus admitted. "As I'm sure you're aware, teaching was never my passion. Truth be told, I don't really like children."
"You could have fooled me," Draco laughed. It had been an open secret that Severus had never liked the students he had to teach, and Draco and his friends had often joked that if he could have gotten away with it, he would have done away with the students all together.
"The only problem is, if I retire, I would have a lot of free time on my hands," Severus continued. "Unlike your father, I am not blessed with a beautiful wife to help idle away the long hours. I fear I would become very bored if I were to leave Hogwarts."
"What you need is a job," Draco said. "As you said, teaching isn't your passion. But you do love Potions. You're one of the best Potion brewers in the country."
"I suppose I could apply to join any of the numerous potions companies out there," Severus conceded. "But then I'd have to deal with new work colleagues."
"Don't tell me, you're not a people person," Draco joked.
"Not really," Severus agreed.
"How about instead of dealing with new colleagues, you deal with new employees?" Draco asked.
"Employees?" Severus frowned. "How on earth would I end up with employees? I don't have the money to start my own business."
"No, but you do have a godson who is days away from closing a deal to buy the biggest potions firm in Ireland," Draco supplied. "The place is a mess, and I'm getting it at a discount because it's about ready to fall into liquidation. To be honest I'm buying it because I love potions and I couldn't stand to see what was once such a good company go under. But truthfully, I don't know how I'm going to get it back on its feet while dealing with the rest of the business. However, if I had someone I could trust to get things back on track."
"Me?" Severus questioned, gazing at his godson in shock. "You want me to run the company?"
"It would solve both our problems," Draco replied. "I wouldn't have to worry about turning the business around, and you could leave the torment of teaching behind. We both win. Just say you'll think about it."
"I will," Severus vowed as he finished off his drink. "I certainly will."
Leaving Severus to mull over his offer, Draco grabbed another drink and took it outside so he could grab some air. As well as The Great Hall being available for the reunion, parts of the grounds were also lit up with enchanted fire-flies for the evening. Wandering around the grounds, Draco was filled with memories of his time at Hogwarts. On a whole he'd really enjoyed his time at school, and he wouldn't change the seven years he'd spent at Hogwarts for anything.
Feeling nostalgic, Draco found himself in an area of the grounds which wasn't lit up by the enchanted fire-flies. However, he was right beside an area just under the windows of The Great Hall, and as he stood lurking in the shadows, he got his eye on one of the most attractive witches at the reunion. It had been hard to miss Hermione Granger, who was looking rather Slytherin like in her emerald green dress.
Sliding from the darkness, Draco slid silently up to Hermione's side, causing her to jump when she noticed his presence.
"What are you doing sneaking up on people?" she asked.
"I wasn't sneaking, I was merely being quiet," Draco retorted.
"Hmm," Hermione murmured with a slight shake of her head. "So what are you doing?"
"I was grabbing some air, and then I was captivated by a stunning sight," Draco answered, giving Hermione a sinful smirk.
"Oh, and just what was this stunning sight?" Hermione asked.
"A lioness dressed up as a Slytherin," Draco replied. "And what a delicious Slytherin you make, Granger."
"Granger?" Hermione chuckled with an arched eyebrow. "Oh Malfoy, I haven't been Granger in several years."
"You'll always be Granger to me," Draco shot back with a smirk. "So Granger, what are you doing sneaking around outside?"
"I'm hardly sneaking, I was getting some air and looking for my errant husband," Hermione replied.
"Errant husband?" Draco laughed. "He's not hiding from you, is he?"
"Not me, more like the entire evening," Hermione said with a shrug. "I virtually had to drag him here this evening."
"Why didn't you just try bribery, it works with me," Draco said with a smirk. "You wouldn't believe the things my wife promises me just to get me to behave."
"I can't imagine anything getting you to behave, Malfoy," Hermione chuckled.
"What can I say, I'm very good at being bad," Draco drawled in a low voice. "Do you want to come and see how bad I can be?"
"Here?" Hermione asked with wide eyes. "Where anyone can see?"
"I was thinking more of round the corner," Draco replied, gesturing behind him to where there were no magical fire-flies.
"I don't know what you take me for, Malfoy. I'm a happily married woman," Hermione tutted.
"And I'm a happily married man," Draco returned with a smirk. "That doesn't mean I'm opposed to some fun in the dark. Oh, come on Granger. Are you telling me you never fantasied about sneaking around Hogwarts with me?"
"Never," Hermione said with a shake of her head.
"Not even once?" Draco questioned with a pout. "Not even one naughty little fantasy that you never wanted to admit to?"
"Not even one naughty fantasy," Hermione returned, smirking at Draco. "At least not when I was in school. Since then however, I've had many naughty fantasies about you."
"Do tell," Draco urged, sliding even closer to Hermione so that their faces were mere inches from each other.
"Now really isn't the time," Hermione said, glancing back over her shoulder towards The Great Hall. "I really should get back into the reunion."
"The reunion will wait," Draco muttered in a low growl. "Live a little Granger. We both know you want me."
"I do," Hermione admitted with a sigh. "But we've been over this before. We can't keep doing this. I'm a respectable married woman."
"Respectability is overrated," Draco snorted. "Besides, it's not like we're doing it in front of an audience. Come with me now, and no-one will ever notice you've been gone."
"You are such a bad influence," Hermione chuckled as she slipped her hand into Draco's larger one.
"I live to please," Draco returned with a wicked smirk as he tugged Hermione into the shadows and around the corner of the castle, totally unaware that their entire interaction had been witnessed by two people who had formed their own conclusions as to what exactly was going on.
After several hours of catching up with old friends, Ron and Lavender needed a breather so they stepped outside for a while. After taking a short walk, they headed back to return to the reunion via one of the side doors, only to spot Hermione standing nearby. After their initial talk with Hermione, neither had spoken to her since, but Ron was wanting to have a proper catch-up with his friend.
"Do you want me to leave you alone?" Lavender asked reluctantly. Even though she trusted Ron completely, she still wasn't comfortable with leaving him alone with someone she'd once viewed as a rival for his affections.
"No, we can talk to Hermione together," Ron said, entwining his hand with his wife's. However, before he could lead the way over to Hermione she was joined by Draco Malfoy.
"Why is Malfoy with her?" Lavender questioned with a frown.
"I don't know," Ron muttered with a frown of his own. "Should we go and save her from him?"
"In my experience Hermione can handle herself," Lavender snorted. "And besides, she doesn't look like she wants to get away."
Ron had to admit his wife was right, and it looked as though Hermione was having a cordial conversation with the man who had been the bane of their lives while they were at Hogwarts. Just as Ron was wondering what exactly was going on between the pair, Lavender tugged on his arm and pulled him closer to the unexpected pair. Even though the fire-flies lit up part of the grounds, Ron felt as though he and Lavender were sneaking around as they remained as close to the castle as it was possible to be. Truth be told, he figured they would be very visible to anyone looking their way, but Hermione and Draco seemed to only have eyes for each other.
Although as they drew close enough to hear what was being said, Ron was appalled to hear that the pair had more than eyes for each other. It was very clear from the way they were speaking that this wasn't their first interaction in years. In fact, Ron would say their was an intimacy about their communication which implied they conversed regularly. And of course, it was impossible to miss the blatant flirting and innuendo in every word that was exchanged by them.
By the time Hermione allowed herself to be dragged into the shadows by the former Slytherin, Ron was feeling sick to the stomach. And it didn't help matters when Lavender spurred them forward into the darkness as well, and they heard intimate moans and gasps which filled in exactly what Hermione was up to with the blonde wizard.
"I can't believe it," Ron hissed as he and Lavender backed away from the noises Hermione and her lover were making and returned to the part of the grounds which were lit up. "How could she do this to Neville? He's a brilliant bloke. The poor sod deserves better."
"He does," Lavender agreed. "He also deserves the truth."
"You think we should tell him?" Ron gasped.
"In his shoes, I would want to know what was happening," Lavender returned with a determined nod of her head. "Wouldn't you?"
"I guess so," Ron conceded with a sigh. "But not here, not tonight. I'm not going to publicly humiliate him."
"Of course not," Lavender agreed. "Although to be fair, the one who should be humiliated is that cheating bitch Hermione."
"True, but we both know it doesn't always work that way," Ron said. "If we make a scene tonight, Neville will end up getting hurt even more than he's going to be. Let's do this in private."
"Or, we invite Hermione and Neville to join us for a drink tomorrow, and ask Harry and Ginny to come along for some moral support," Lavender suggested. "We can confront Hermione in front of Neville, but he'll have all of us to support him. Let's not give Hermione the chance to wiggle out of anything. Let's expose her for the lying snake she is in front of Harry and Ginny as well."
"That sounds okay," Ron said with a nod of his head. "Let's issue the invites now, and then we can grab an early night. We can ask Harry to pass on one for Hermione. I don't want to actually speak to her in case I say something I'll regret."
"An early night sounds good," Lavender agreed. "Suddenly, this party has lost its appeal."
Shooting one last look to where Hermione had disappeared with her Slytherin lover, and was likely still cavorting with him, Ron and Lavender headed back into the reunion. Back inside the castle they asked Neville to join them for coffee the following day so they could have a proper catch-up. They also asked Harry and Ginny to join them, and asked Harry to pass the message along to Hermione. After all that, the couple retired for the evening as they prepared to confront Hermione with her infidelity. However, if only they'd remained at the reunion for a short while longer they would have seen Draco and Hermione return to the party hand in hand and would have had a chance to find out what was really going on without jumping to all the wrong conclusions.
"Where are you going?" a sleepy voice muttered from behind Hermione as a strong pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist, halting her from rising from the bed she'd been lying in.
"I'm getting up," Hermione replied, even though she made no further effort to move from her half-risen position. "We can't stay in bed all day."
"Who says?" her husband questioned grouchily
"Everyone," Hermione laughed, able to hear the pout in her husband's voice even though her back was to him. "It's not the done thing to stay in bed all day."
"Who cares what the done thing is," her husband muttered, tugging Hermione back towards his naked form. "We can make our own rules up," he whispered seductively in her ear. "If we wanted we could run away and live on our own private island, and then we could spend all day every day in bed and no-one could object."
Chuckling at the thought, Hermione tilted her head so she could look at her husband. Draco's grey eyes glittered mischievously and even though she knew he was just joking, she suspected part of him would very much like to run off and live on a private island, just the two of them.
"Maybe we can do something similar for your next birthday," Hermione suggested.
"I'll hold you to that," Draco replied with a grin. "And I want more than a few days. I'm thinking three or four weeks."
"I'm sure I can put up with you for that long," Hermione laughed, briefly pressing her lips to Draco's.
"Don't worry, I can keep you thoroughly entertained," he vowed, reconnecting their lips for a deeper kiss. "About getting up, how sure are you it's what you want to do?" he muttered against her lips.
"Sadly, I'm very sure," Hermione chuckled. "I would love nothing more than to stay here with you, but I'm due to meet Ron and the others for coffee this morning."
"Damn Weasley for spoiling my morning," Draco grouched. "I had all sort of wicked things in store for you."
"More than last night?" Hermione laughed.
"I was just getting started last night," Draco replied.
"Unless you've got things to do, you could always wait until I come back," Hermione offered as she wriggled out of her husband's embrace and darted up from the bed. "I should only be a few hours."
"I suppose I could rest for a few hours and regain my strength," Draco conceded, his grey eyes watching Hermione intently as she moved around the room, still naked, while she sorted out what she would need for the day ahead.
"You do that, and I'll be back as soon as I can," Hermione said, blowing her husband a kiss before disappearing into the en-suite bathroom.
By the time Hermione re-emerged from the bathroom, Draco had fallen back asleep, so she got ready as quietly as she could and left her husband to regain his strength following the previous night's tiring activities.
Ron's invitation to join him and Lavender for a drink, along with Harry and Ginny, had come from Harry as Ron and Lavender had left the previous evening's reunion early and Hermione had missed having a proper catch-up with her old friend. Despite the way their friendship had died a natural death, Hermione was looking forward to speaking to Ron again, and she was eager to hear how his new life was going in Italy.
Hermione was due to meet her friends at a popular coffee shop which had opened the previous year in Diagon Alley. Considering Ron had been out of the country for so long, she suspected the choice of location wasn't his doing. In fact Hermione was guessing Ginny had suggested the meeting location as she was a fan of the shop and she and Hermione often met there for a drink and catch-up. Apparating to Diagon Alley, Hermione was making her way towards the coffee shop when she spotted a familiar figure in front of her.
"Neville," she called out, causing the wizard a few paces ahead of her to stop and turn around.
"Hermione," Neville greeted with a wide grin. "What are you doing here?"
"Meeting Ron and Lavender for a drink," Hermione answered. "What about you?"
"The same," Neville replied. "Although I'm not sure why I received an invitation."
"You and Ron were friends."
"Yeah, but we were never that close," Neville argued. "To be honest even before he moved to Italy, we barely spoke after leaving Hogwarts."
"No matter the reason, I'm glad you're here," Hermione said with a smile, linking her arm with her friend. Unlike Ron, she had kept in touch with Neville after leaving Hogwarts, and they regularly met up, sometimes just the two of them and sometimes with Draco and Neville's wife, Hannah Abbott.
Arm in arm the pair headed into the coffee shop to meet their old friends. They found Ron, Lavender, Harry and Ginny were already there and had secured one of the larger booths set against the back wall. After greeting their friends, Hermione and Neville headed to the counter to place their order. While Neville ordered a herbal tea, Hermione went for an extra strong coffee as she still didn't feel very awake.
"Late night?" Neville asked with a chuckle as Hermione stifled a yawn while they were waiting for their drinks.
"Very," Hermione admitted with a smile. "Although if Draco had gotten his way, I would still be in bed right now."
"There's nothing better than a morning spent in bed with your wife," Neville remarked with a wistful smile. "Unfortunately for me, those days are few and far between with Hannah. Between my job at Hogwarts and the pub, we rarely get a chance to enjoy such a luxury."
"Maybe you should whisk her away for a few days," Hermione suggested as they received their orders and made their way over to where their friends were waiting. "Nothing beats a few days away from all the stresses of normal life."
"Whose escaping stresses of normal life?" Ginny asked as the pair joined them at their table.
"Hermione and I are just talking about the benefits of a holiday," Neville answered.
"And how you can spend the entire time in bed if you wish," Hermione added with a chuckle.
"Sounds good to me," Ginny laughed, turning to her husband. "What do you say Harry, should we think about taking a short break. I'm sure Mum and Dad will be happy to look after James for a few days."
"Yeah, let's do it," Harry agreed.
"We've started a trend now, Hermione," Neville remarked. "Now everyone will be heading off a naughty weekend away."
"Is it really a naughty weekend if you go with your spouse?" Ginny questioned thoughtfully.
"It depends on your spouse," Hermione answered with a shrug. "Anytime spent with my husband can turn naughty."
"That we can all believe," Harry joked as everyone, but Ron and Lavender laughed at Harry's words.
The couple were rather shocked by the fact Hermione seemed totally unrepentant by her behaviour the previous evening. It didn't seem to bother her that at the reunion she was sneaking around with Malfoy, and yet the next day she was making innuendoes about her seemingly healthy sex life with her husband.
"How long are you here for?" Hermione asked Ron and Lavender as the laughter died down.
"A few days," Ron answered. "We're hoping to spend a bit of time with the family before we head back home."
"That'll be nice," Hermione said with a smile.
"Family is important, don't you think so, Hermione?" Lavender asked.
"I do," Hermione agreed. "My family are very important to me."
"Do you have children?" Ron asked with a frown. Even though he agreed with Lavender that Neville deserved to know the truth about his cheating wife, he wasn't sure if they should go ahead with their plan if there were children involved.
"Not yet, but hopefully one day we'll be blessed," Hermione replied.
"I'm not sure you'd call it a blessing if you spent as much time with children as I do," Neville remarked. "Sometimes, it can be a nightmare up at Hogwarts. Do you think we were ever as much trouble?"
"Probably more so," Harry laughed. "Don't tell me you're thinking of leaving Hogwarts, Nev. I thought you loved your job."
"I do, sometimes I could do without the students though," Neville joked. "Hell, now I sound like Snape. He's always complaining about how his job would be perfect if it wasn't for the students."
"Maybe he should retire," Ginny suggested.
"He's been threatening to do just that since I started my training up at Hogwarts," Neville replied with a shrug. "The first time I heard him say it, I thought he really was going to leave, but Pomona told me that he's been saying that virtually since he started working there."
"If he hates his job so much, he should just leave," Ron stated. "If people aren't happy, they should move on and not stick around and hurt people."
"I very much doubt he's hurting anyone but himself by staying on teaching," Hermione countered. "Even if it's not his natural vocation, he was a good teacher. There isn't many people better at brewing potions than Severus Snape."
"I very much doubt we've come here to discuss Snape," Ginny jumped in, spotting the annoyance in her brother's face and suspecting he was going to start an argument with Hermione. "Why don't you tell us more about Italy," she suggested to Ron and Lavender. "If Harry and I are coming for a visit, we need to know what to expect."
Unable to ignore an outright request from Ginny, Ron and Lavender spoke about their lives in Italy. However, they were each looking for a way to turn the conversation back towards the purpose of the meeting, which was to expose Hermione as a heartless adulterer. And as luck would have it, it was Neville who provided the opportunity when he asked if either Ron or Lavender had learnt any Italian.
"I'm hopeless with languages," he chuckled. "I just can't grasp them."
"Neither of us are very fluent, but we can speak some Italian," Ron replied. "Luckily most of the people we know speak English."
"You know some Italian, don't you, Hermione?" Ginny questioned, turning to her friend. "Weren't you learning some a few years ago when you were planning a trip to Rome?"
"What I learnt would not be suitable for use in civilised company," Hermione snorted. "Turns out my Italian tutor, despite having Italian blood in his veins, only knows how to swear and talk dirty in his native tongue. So, unless I was going to proposition anyone, what I learnt was entirely useless."
"That is classic Blaise," Harry laughed.
"Zabini?" Ron pressed, jumping on the mention of the former Slytherin. "You're friendly with Blaise Zabini."
"We are," Hermione confirmed. "Slytherins are not all bad, Ron."
"I suppose that depends on the Slytherin," Lavender sneered. "I know at least one Slytherin who was sneaking around with a married woman last night at the reunion."
"Oh, who?" Ginny asked eagerly, always interested in gossip.
"Malfoy," Lavender announced, his focus on Hermione as she waited for her to look guilty, however she just looked bemused by the announcement.
"Draco Malfoy?" Harry checked with a puzzled frown.
"Do you know any other Malfoys?" Ron snorted.
"Three actually," Harry replied. "I know his wife and his parents."
"Malfoy also has a wife?" Lavender questioned with a shake of her head. "Now why am I not surprised that he's the sort to cheat on his wife."
"I do think you're mistaken, Lavender," Neville said gently. "We all know Draco, and he would never cheat on his wife. He loves her."
"I'm sorry to have to tell you this Neville, but it was your wife he was with," Ron said kindly.
"My wife?" Neville queried, turning his head to share a baffled look with Hermione. "You saw my wife with Malfoy last night."
"I'm afraid so," Lavender confirmed, even though she didn't look sorry, in fact she looked positively gleeful.
"They are friends, I'm sure there's an innocent explanation," Ginny offered.
"It wasn't innocent," Ron snorted. "You should have heard the lines he was feeding her. And then they snuck off into the shadows and the noises they made left little to the imagination. Isn't that right, Hermione?"
"What?" Hermione blurted, growing more confused by the second.
"Don't try and play the innocent, we saw you," Lavender crowed.
"And heard you," Ron added with a grimace.
"Oh," Hermione gasped as she worked out what was going on, or at least she thought she knew what was going on as she was still totally unsure as to how Ron and Lavender had leapt to the conclusions she thought they had. "You saw Draco and I at the reunion. We were the ones who snuck off into the shadows."
"Hermione, can you not control yourself even for one evening," Ginny scolded with a chuckle.
"Not when it comes to Draco," Hermione answered honestly. "He brings out my inner Slytherin."
"I still don't get what any of this has to do with Hannah," Neville remarked, giving Ron and Lavender a pointed look. Like Hermione, he had an inkling as to what the couple thought, but also like Hermione he was clueless as to how they had reached that conclusion.
"Hannah?" Ron frowned. "Who the hell is Hannah?"
"My wife, Hannah," Neville answered quietly. "Whom you have just accused of having a liaison with Draco Malfoy."
"No, Hermione was having the liaison with Malfoy," Lavender corrected, seemingly not having heard Neville call his wife Hannah.
"We gathered that," Neville said with a roll of his eyes. "And no-one is surprised that they got frisky at the reunion. They can't keep their hands off each other. But what we don't quite grasp is what that has to do with my wife."
"We thought Hermione was your wife," Ron muttered. Unlike his wife, he had been listening and he had heard Neville use his wife's name, and while he was still unsure who Hannah was, even though the name was vaguely familiar, he was sure that they'd made a huge mistake.
Turning their heads to face one another, Hermione and Neville burst out laughing at the thought of them being married to each other.
"How on earth did you think that?" Harry asked as Neville and Hermione continued to laugh together, the sheer absurdity of the idea briefly clouding what was a more serious matter.
"When we spoke to Hermione, she said she'd left her husband talking to McGonagall," Ron explained. "And when we found McGonagall she was talking to Neville."
"So, you assumed they were married," Ginny said with an understanding nod of her head. "But what about when you saw Hermione and Draco together. Didn't that tell you that you'd gotten the wrong end of the stick?"
"Not the way they were talking," Lavender snorted. "It certainly sounded like they were doing something they shouldn't."
"We were just having a laugh," Hermione said, having recovered from her laughing fit and paying attention to the explanation that was being given. Not that she was impressed with what she was hearing. "Oh, and in case you're still not totally clear on things, Draco and I are married."
"You married Malfoy?" Ron questioned, his mouth dropping open in shock.
"I did," Hermione confirmed with a nod of her head.
"So no-one was sneaking around with anyone?" Lavender questioned, sounding rather disappointed by the entire thing.
"No, everyone was with who they were supposed to be with," Neville said frostily. While the situation had been humorous at first, he was now starting to see that the matter was anything but funny. "Although, since you did think my wife was cheating on me, I would have rather you had come to me in private. If you had been right, you were happy for me to discover the news in public."
"Yeah, I never thought of that," Ginny muttered with a frown. "You've just tried to publicly shame Hermione."
"Not to mention humiliate me," Neville added. "Some friend you are, Ron. That's why I was invited, wasn't it? For you to tell me my wife was cheating on me."
"We wanted to confront Hermione in a way she couldn't wriggle out of it," Lavender argued.
"And we made sure Harry and Ginny were here to offer you support," Ron added feebly.
"A good friend would have spoken to me in private," Neville said with a shake of his head. "Instead, you used what you thought was my wife's betrayal for your own amusement. I think it is time I was leaving."
"I'll come with you," Hermione offered. Like Neville, she'd been amused at first by what had happened, but with explanations out in the open she could see how much pleasure Ron and Lavender had taken from thinking they were going to expose her a cheat. "Goodbye Ron. Lavender. I don't think our paths will cross again while you're over here."
Promising to be in touch with Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Neville left the coffee shop together, neither of them sad to be saying goodbye to Ron for the final time.
"Are you okay?" Hermione asked Neville.
"I'm fine, how about you? After all, it was you they were hoping to expose as an adulterer," Neville remarked.
"You know what Neville, I don't care," Hermione said, sliding her arm back through her friend's as they walked away from the coffee shop. "In fact, I half wished they'd confronted Draco and I last night. They certainly would have looked like the fools they are. Why accuse someone of cheating without checking the facts? All they had to do was ask and they would have been told we weren't married."
"Ah, but that would have spoiled their fun," Neville chuckled. "I think Lavender especially loved to think the worst of you."
"I don't care what Lavender thinks of me," Hermione snorted. "Let Ron and Lavender think what they want. They're no longer part of my life. I already have all the friends I need."
"That's the spirit," Neville said with a smile. "How do you fancy lunch at the pub with Hannah and I. Go get that lazy husband of yours and we can all eat together. We can even amuse them with the fact you and Draco are having an affair."
"It's a date," Hermione replied with a grin.
As Hermione headed home to inform Draco of the changes to their plans, she didn't give a second thought to Ron and Lavender, or the fact they were being called out by Harry and Ginny for jumping to conclusions. The recent reunion may not have brought old friends back into her life, but it had clarified that the ones she did have, were worth having.
The End.