Monday, July 27th, 2020

Dear Rose,

Dad has been in a foul mood since he got back from his date with your mum last night. I tried asking about it at dinner tonight and he said what happened during their date was their business. He insisted that you and I stay out of it. I know you are staying with your dad, but could you maybe ask about it when you get home? I haven't seen dad this upset since he found out my best friend was Albus Potter, and that is saying something.

He did mention that we would be attending your party this week. I can't wait to see you again. Should I bring my broom so I can join your cousins at Quidditch? Let me know.

Take care,

Scorpius H. Malfoy


Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Dearest Scorpius,

I've been back with mum for two days and she has been acting weird as well. I've tried asking about the date several times, but all she'll say is 'fine'. I can only guess they simply did not hit it off. It's probably for the best, though. Can you only imagine if they had? What if they ended up marrying each other? That would be the most awkward arrangement ever. I agree with your dad, we should stay out of it, if only in an attempt to remain unjinxed. They'll get over it quickly, it was only one date, after all.

I am looking forward to seeing you on Friday! We will be playing Weasley Quidditch, so your broom is required. Might I suggest bringing a helmet and protective gear? Jamie and Teddy have been joking about sending the bludgers exclusively at you, just for being my boyfriend. But don't worry, I'll have Aunt Ginny hex them if they get too out of hand.

Love,

Rose W.


Friday, July 31, 2020

Hermione wrung her hands in Ginny's kitchen. She'd been so anxious, she only half heard the redheaded witch as she waved her wand, effortlessly preparing food for the party guests. Both witches had skipped work that day, in a long-standing tradition to join together in the birthday preparations for Ginny's husband and Hermione's daughter, although Hermione had been uncharacteristically unhelpful all day.

She'd avoided Roseall week, desperate to not talk about her date with Malfoy, but she knew there'd be no avoiding it once he appeared in the Potter's floo.

She shouldn't have agreed to go out with him in the first place. It was a spur of the moment, bad idea based on one civil meal with a long-time enemy. Twenty years may have passed, but Malfoy's views on life were still very different from her own.

Exasperated, Ginny spun around, hands on hips, leveling a glare so reminiscent of Molly Weasley Hermione cringed. It was time to face the music.

"Hermione, you've been completely unhelpful today, what in Merlin's name is wrong with you?" Ginny demanded.

Shaking her head, Hermione pretended to busy herself by charming the icing on the cake. "I don't know what you're talking about, Gin."

"Okay, you have to tell me what happened on your date with Malfoy."

Hermione blanched. "I- Ginny, it's not- What makes you think it's about him?"

Ginny narrowed her eyes at Hermione. She started ticking off her fingers. "You arrived from your date in a bad mood. You haven't spoken about what happened on Sunday to anybody, not even Rose. Finally, you've iced that cake three times since you got here. You're oozing anxiety and it is getting worse by the minute." Ginny surveyed Hermione. Abruptly, she dropped her wand, taking her friend's hands in hers. "Merlin, Hermione, did he hurt you? I'll hex his bollocks off!" she snapped. She snatched her wand from the countertop and brandished it at the fireplace as if Malfoy had just stepped in through it.

Hermione couldn't help but laugh at her friend's endearing reaction. Hermione had never had many girlfriends, but Ginny was different. Their friendship had grown exponentially during their last year at Hogwarts after the war as nights spent confiding in each other transformed them from friends to something closer to sisters. Hermione trusted Ginny to help each other, and Harry, heal from the wounds left by years of fighting and abuse. Hermione sighed her shoulders loosened, and she gave Ginny a warm smile. "Malfoy is just—"

"We're back to Malfoy, now then? I thought you were friendly now." Ginny interrupted, snatching the bottle of wine from the counter and filling two glasses nearly to the rim.

"Well, apparently he's never had anyone be friendly to him in his life because I called him Draco once and he asked me to marry him!" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, her free hand flying to cover her mouth as if she could put them back.

Ginny's eyebrows shot up to her hairline and her mouth gaped open.

"He what?" Ginny practically yelled. "What do you mean he proposed? Is he bloody mad?"

Hermione groaned, letting herself fall on the stool and taking a heavy gulp of wine.

"He didn't actually propose," Hermione corrected. She sighed heavily and let her face fall into her hands, her hair tumbled over to cover it. "He asked me if I had considered remarrying and what my expectations in a relationship were."

She waited for Ginny to say something, to validate her frustration, to agree that Malfoy had gone completely bonkers and that she was not, in fact, overreacting. But no words of comfort ever came.

"Apparently, Scorpius never meets any of the women he dates, but since he already knows me, he wants to be able to have a conversation with Scorp about what this would mean."

Surely Ginny had to agree with her now.

Hermione felt a thwack over her head, and she looked up to find Ginny glaring at her fiercely. She held a dishtowel firmly in her hand, her weapon of choice.

"Ginny! What was that for?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Ginny struck her with the dishtowel twice more.

"For being a bloody idiot!"

Hermione dodged another of Ginny's dishtowel attacks, stopping the offending object with her hands and tugging it away from her deranged friend.

"I'm not being a bloody idiot," she yelled, flipping the towel at Ginny in return. "He's being a bloody idiot! Asking me if I would like to remarry. Who does that on a first date, Ginny?"

"A single father who worries about his son's well being," Ginny deadpanned, not taking her eyes off the tray she'd started working on.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at Ginny. Suddenly, she didn't think Ginny was doing a very good job at being her sister.

"How do you not see where he's coming from, Hermione? You're in the same position as he is with Rosie. And honestly, I don't think you've given it due consideration, otherwise, you'd agree with Malfoy." Ginny jabbed her wand toward her, driving the point home."What were you planning on doing if this relationship with Malfoy actually blossomed into something and you ended up living with the bloke? Just move Rose into her boyfriend's home? What if they broke up? Would they still have to see each other around the house, act like siblings, and pretend you're all one big happy family?"

Ginny's words washed over her, sobering her. How could Hermione ever consider this? She had been so stupid to believe that going on that date was as simple as... well, going on a date.

Dejected, Hermione shook her head.

"This was a mistake," she whispered. "I never should have gone on that date with him."

"No, what is wrong with you today?" Ginny reached for Hermione's glass of wine, removing it from her hands. "I'm cutting you off, you're too dumb to drink."

Hermione looked at her friend, perplexed. "Wasn't that what you were trying to say? That dating Malfoy was a horrible idea?"

Ginny rolled her eyes at Hermione, wagging a finger at her friend. "No! That's what you want to believe. I think you are in desperate need for company and Malfoy probably is too. Once your kids both go off to Hogwarts, you'll find yourself alone for the next ten months, which is more than enough time to figure out what this is!

"Besides," her tone softened. "It's not like you expect to remake your life over Draco Malfoy. You're forty-one, have a teenage daughter, and will probably be Minister for Magic by the end of the year. You are allowed to date without having to jump into marriage. You know this right?"

Hermione considered Ginny's words. As usual, the redhead was right, and, as usual, Hermione was getting ahead of herself. She had gone on one date with Malfoy, and before his mention of the m word, Hermione enjoyed herself with him.

She'd enjoyed herself on their lunch in Diagon too.

Ginny and Draco were both right: establishing boundaries for their potential relationship would be crucial, not only for them but for the sake of their children.

She needed to learn to let sleeping dragons lie.

The floo roared to life, sending Ginny in a rush towards the living room to greet her newly arrived guests. Ever Molly Weasley's daughter, Ginny greeted her guests and led them towards the garden, where the party was underway.

Hermione remained in her seat waiting for Ginny's return. She poured herself some more wine, considering briefly that it might not be the best idea she'd ever had, but the last week had been more complicated than anything she'd had to handle since her divorce.

She heard Ginny's footsteps entering the kitchen behind her but didn't turn to look at her friend, eyes glued to the glass in front of her.

"Hermione."

The voice sent shivers down her spine, and her chair went crashing to the floor in her rush to stand. Draco Malfoy stood in the doorway to the Potter kitchen, Ginny by his side, piercing Hermione with an unforgiving glare.

Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but words escaped her as she took in Draco's appearance. If she'd been shocked by how much he'd changed before, she was even more so taking him in now.

Draco wore jeans… muggle jeans that hugged his waist quite well. His white button-down long-sleeved shirt was missing the top two buttons and Hermione tried very hard not to blush. The three glasses of wine she'd already downed were not helping, she suddenly felt dizzy. The air in the kitchen felt dense and oppressively hot in the closed space.

She pressed her back against Ginny's counter, her hands clung to it as if the action would ground her. She wasn't ready to face him. Though she knew it was inevitable, she still harbored a hope that maybe after their train wreck of a date he would act as if nothing had happened.

She felt herself taking a deep breath, and saw a pale eyebrow disappear into his hairline.

She'd been quiet for too long.

"Hello."

As soon as the squeak left her lips, she closed her eyes and flinched. She could only imagine the disappointed stare he was probably fixing her with.

"Thank you, Ginny." How could he be so calm?. "Would it be alright if I had a moment to speak with Granger?"

Hermione's eyes snapped open, panicked over being left alone with him, or disappointed that he'd reverted to using her last name, but she felt compelled to look at him.

"I'll be right outside if anybody needs me," Ginny said, giving Hermione a look and wave of her hand that said "fix this" before retreating from the kitchen.

They stood in silence; Hermione felt as if she'd aged ten years in the time they spent avoiding each other's gazes. It was really quite childish of both of them.

"Look Draco—"

"I wanted to apologize," he said, at the exact moment that she began speaking.

Draco Malfoy had caught her off guard with his charm when they first sat down at Diagon Alley for lunch on Saturday. He caught her off guard when he asked her on a date last week. He completely shook her to the core when he asked her about marriage. Yet, if she'd been surprised by him before, she was even more confused now.

"What?"

He kept his eyes fixed on hers as he stepped further into the kitchen, edging closer to her. Her fingers tightened on the edge of the counter.

"I wanted to apologize for causing our misunderstanding the other night," he said, his voice level. Hermione marveled at his composure, especially when she was a mess of nerves herself. "I understand why you reacted the way you did."

Hermione laughed, not quite a cackle, but a bubbling laugh that sent one hand up to cover her mouth, while the other hugged her midsection. His grey eyes widened, and Hermione could see the panic reflected in them.

"I'm sorry," she quickly blurted, covering another snicker with her hand. "I just find it funny, because it's been called to my attention that I overreacted."

She giggled again, clearly unable to restrain herself, but this time Draco's eyes softened. His brow relaxed and she could see the smallest hint of a smile painting the corners of his lips.

He didn't speak, evidently waiting for her to elaborate.

"You're right," she said when was sure she wouldn't laugh again. "If we chose to be anything more than friends, our relationship would be complicated by our children. It's a good idea to talk about how we should proceed."

It was his turn to laugh.

"Right. And we definitely do not have to consider marriage when we have that conversation," he added.

His eyes flickered down to the floor for the briefest of moments before resting back on her face.

"No, we do not."

She beamed up at him.

Two strides brought him directly in front of her. Hermione gazed up at him, enveloped in his surprisingly floral cologne. He raised a hand and it hovered closer to her face for a brief moment, cupping her cheek when she nodded in assent.

"I would very much like the opportunity to take you out to dinner." His voice was low, and she felt his breath ghost against her face. "Properly this time."

Hermione's cheeks burned as she bit her lower lip. "No fuck ups?"

He nodded. "No fuck ups."

"I promise to not run away this time."

He smirked and Hermione's insides melted.

"And we can talk about how we'd like to proceed with this."

Hermione nodded her agreement again and she placed her hand on his chest. They slowly closed the gap between them, close enough to feel each other's breaths, but neither willing to give the first step. Time stopped when her hand found the nape of his neck. They stared at each other intently in their proximity, both desperate to feel each other's lips. They inched closer together, lips parting as they grew closer together, then–

"Hey, mum! Have you seen my—" Rose burst into the kitchen, Scorpius crashing into her as she came to an abrupt stop. "Woah."

Draco stepped away from Hermione, and she missed his warmth almost immediately. He adjusted his clothes as he cleared his throat.

"What's going on here?" Rose questioned, staring from Hermione to Draco.

"Hermione and I were just talking," Draco explained, his voice taking on the business-like tone she'd heard him use on Scorpius before.

Scorp cocked an eyebrow at him. "That didn't look like just talking."

"Scorpius," he began.

Hermione quickly cut him off. "No, it's okay. We were just talking, nothing happened." She gave Rose a desperate smile. "You wanted something?"

Rose's eyes widened.

"I was just wondering if you'd seen my broom," she blurted.

"I'll be out to help you find it in a moment. Go outside."

Rose pressed her lips into a thin line. Scorpius opened his mouth to protest, but Rose tugged him away from the kitchen before he could say anything else.

Hermione didn't miss how Draco had stared intently at her during the whole exchange.

"We can set a date when you've thought about your expectations." Draco's voice had softened when he spoke to her.

With that, he followed the children out of the kitchen, leaving Hermione alone, excited, and feeling just a little like a teenager all over again.


Thank you for the overwhelming support this story has gotten. And a very special thanks to AlocYrrehc, who turned my nonsense into something enjoyable!