Disclaimer: Characters belong to JKR. I'm writing for fun.

A/N: Beta thanks to dreamsofdramione! Story written for Dramione RomCom 2020. This is a reimagined version of "13 Going on 30."

4.26.03

When Draco woke the next morning, he found himself alone. He'd gone to bed the night before beside Astoria, but it was a year later, and she was now pregnant.

Draco sat up.

At least, he hoped she was.

His heart started racing and he threw off the covers, quickly pulling on his pajama bottoms. Not bothering with anything else, Draco rushed out of his room and practically ran to Astoria's. Not bothering to knock, he flung open the door.

She was there, still asleep on her side, her back to the door. But Draco had to know, he had to make sure. Gently but urgently, he shook her shoulder.

"Astoria. Wake up. Please."

She made a noise and rolled onto her back. Draco's eyes darted to her stomach, unable to tell if it was slightly swollen or if there was just a bunch of fabric under the sheet.

"Draco? What—what do you want?" She pulled the covers up to her chin, as though afraid he was there to try and see her naked.

"When are you due again?" He couldn't act too crazy; he would assume that she was pregnant, finding it unlikely that she wasn't.

She blinked at him, confusion evident in her expression. "What?"

"The baby! When is the baby coming?" There was a slightly panicked edge to his voice, but he was making every effort not to fully give in to it. After all, he didn't know anything for sure.

"Draco, did you honestly wake me up for this?" She scowled and tried to get comfortable again, all while making sure he didn't see her.

He wanted to roll his eyes considering that she was, technically, his wife, and he'd seen everything there was to see. Her shyness only reinforced how very far apart they had always been. He wondered briefly how uncomfortable she'd been being intimate with him, but he ignored the thought.

"Yes. I did. Now will you answer me?"

Astoria yawned dramatically. "October twenty-second. I'm sure you wrote down in your calendar. You'll want to be absolutely certain that you get your heir."

He ignored the jab. "Thank you." As he turned to go, he remembered something. "Oh, happy birthday. And I really mean it. Thank you for carrying our child."

She gazed at him with curiosity. "Well, you're welcome. Though I'm only doing my duty. And thank you. I'll be spending the day with my mother and sisters. They're taking me to Paris. I don't know when I'll be back."

Draco grinned. "Paris is lovely in April. Have a good day, then." It was only then that he realized he needed to check his memory in the Pensieve.

"Thank you, Draco. You too." She settled back down into bed.

He waved and shut the door behind him. Grinning wildly, he nearly ran to his study. A quick trip into the Pensieve revealed that Astoria would, indeed, spend the whole day with her family. When she came home, he had met her and given her a gift—another pair of earrings from the Malfoy vault—kissed her cheek, and said goodnight. He, meanwhile, had spent the day at work, though he hadn't attended any meetings.

Good.

Since nobody would miss him, he could easily spend the day with Hermione instead. Thankfully, he was able to find some Galleons lying around in plain view, so he didn't have to go to the bank. Draco arrived at the cafe first for a change and requested their usual table.

He was in such a good mood that he went ahead and ordered Hermione's usual tea—a rooibos—along with his English breakfast while he waited.

She arrived exactly five minutes before their appointed time and stopped in her tracks for a moment when she saw him. She took a deep breath, then continued toward him.

Draco grinned and jumped up to pull out her chair.

"Um, thank you." Hermione flushed slightly as she sat.

"Great news." He was so relieved, felt so light, that he tapped his saucer a few times with his spoon.

"Oh? Have you figured out what's going on?" Hermione's tone was surprisingly sharp.

"No. Astoria's pregnant!"

Her eyes widened in surprise and she looked down at her hands, then wrapped them around her tea cup. "Oh, um, congratulations."

He decided to ignore her strange response for now. He was too happy. "Thank you. I'm mostly just relieved that I didn't screw anything up last year. She needed to get pregnant in December so she could have him on October seventeenth. I was a bit anxious yesterday—last year—that I might mess something up."

"Oh!" Her expression went from guarded to understanding. "I hadn't even thought about that."

He chuckled, feeling lighter than he had in a very long time, including a long stretch before the time jumping started. "It's all I've been thinking about since the war ended. Scorpius is amazing, I can't wait for you to meet him."

The server arrived then and he noted bemusedly that it was the same woman who'd served them every time they'd come. She seemed distracted today, however, and they placed their food orders without the usual chatter.

When she walked away, Hermione gave Draco a skeptical look. "Scorpius, huh?"

"It's better than my name, at least." Draco shrugged. "But he's just the best kid."

"And I meet him?" She leaned forward, showing interest for the first time that day and possibly the previous one as well.

"You will. Next year. I'm going to bring him to breakfast."

"Oh!" Her eyes went wide again, then she laughed. "I thought you meant I would meet him in the future."

Draco wagged a finger at her. "Did you really think I'd slip with something like that?"

She shrugged. "Well, I was surprised, but you're so happy, I thought maybe you'd gotten careless."

"Nope. Nice try, though."

"So, um, you want me to meet him?"

"I do. He's the most important thing in my life, and he'll be even more so now that I'll be divorcing Astoria. I'll be able to focus completely on him. He's so smart and funny, and he's got this fantastic imagination. He loves to play outside. We were deep into plans for building a tree fort the day I got stuck in this time jump."

Hermione was smiling and he could practically feel some of her tension dissipating. "He sounds incredible."

"Of course, next year he'll only be a few months old." Draco thought back to when his son was just an infant, and he was hit with the realization that, when he woke up tomorrow, he'd be very, very tired. "I'll probably be poor company next year. He'll be about six months old, and I think he was up at least twice a night still at that age. Although your body sort of gets used to it. I remember feeling like I was in a constant daze for the first three years of his life."

"You must have been very involved in his life. Did, um, Astoria help?"

Draco snorted. "Sure. She breastfed him for a year, but she pumped a lot of extra milk. It was my job to feed him through the nights. She claimed it was so she could rest and be fresh for him during the day when I was at work." He chuckled, remembering some of his midnight mishaps and diaper disasters.

"Tell me one." She leaned forward, her smile radiant. "I want to hear all about Draco Malfoy the father."

It only took a moment to recollect the story he wanted to tell. "One night, I had just put on the last clean nappy, so I called Kippy—she's our house-elf—and she informed me that there was a clean load ready and went to fetch them. I must have been extremely exhausted because I hadn't fastened the thing on correctly. Kippy hadn't been gone ten seconds before Scorpius had a major blowout. It had leaked down his leg, was all over his clothes, the changing area, and somehow it ended up on the wall."

She gasped loudly. "Oh no!"

He gave her a significant look. "I immediately started cleaning him up, knowing that a fresh nappy was on its way. I was halfway through when he let loose with a second wave. And this time, there was no diaper to mitigate the spread."

"Oh, Draco! That sounds completely awful!"

He shook his head, chuckling. "As soon as I realized what was happening, I grabbed the dirty nappy and tried to cover him up, but that only made a kind of splash wall, and the baby crap went everywhere. It got on the floor, it got on my clothes—Hermione, it was even in my hair. I just held on for dear life until he'd finished."

Hermione was laughing now, not even trying to hold it in. "I can picture this so clearly! It's hilarious!"

"I can laugh now, but I assure you, I was horrified then. I was brand new at being a father, I'd never heard anything like that was even possible. So I'm standing there, covering his bum with a soiled nappy, when Kippy came back with a basket full of fresh ones. She looked at me, the wall, and then her eyes flicked up to my hair. I've never seen an elf trying so hard not to laugh. Finally, Scorpius's supply was exhausted. He started making little cooing noises, and I didn't know what to do except laugh. Then Kippy joined me, but she didn't let me suffer long. She Vanished the crap that was flung all over the room—she even found a spot on the window, which was six feet away! I cleaned Scorpius up and got him dressed in fresh clothes, and he was just happily laying there being a baby. Kippy offered to hold him while I showered, and I swear, I washed my hair five times, just to be safe!"

Tears were streaming down her face now, and her eyes lit up with mirth. "I've heard that every parent ends up with at least one diaper-changing horror story. Yours is one of the worst I've heard, though."

"Oh good, that's some relief." He chuckled, unable to take his eyes off her. When had she gotten so beautiful?

When her laughter subsided and she wiped her eyes, she resumed eating her meal. They ate in silence for a few minutes, Draco lost in memories of when his son was a newborn.

"Tell me about Kippy."

"Hm?" Her question penetrated his thoughts, but it took him a moment to register her question. "Oh, my house-elf. What do you want to know?"

Hermione pushed some eggs around on her plate. "I'm trying to do something at my job. It's… it's just not gotten any better since the last time I spoke with you. I was thinking if I could bring something forward, some kind of meaningful legislation, that it could really jumpstart my career." Her shoulders slumped. "Four years now and… nothing. It honestly feels like such a waste of my time."

He almost suggested that she look into something else but decided against it. She hadn't needed his help before to find her own way. Best to let things progress naturally, as they had in his time. "How can I help?"

"Well, do you… I don't mean to offend, but… I only wonder…"

"She's paid, if that's what you're asking."

"Oh, good!" Hermione let out a relieved breath. "Is she? I had no idea, I mean, the way you spoke about her made me wonder…"

"As soon as I was in charge of the Manor, I freed all the house-elves. My experience with the Dark Lord felt a little too much like how I'd seen them act. Too many of his followers bowed and scraped, debasing themselves for even a hint of favor or power. Plenty of them even offered to punish themselves; it was disgusting. I refused to allow such a thing to happen in my home. I offered them jobs and wages, but only Kippy remained. I don't know what the others have done."

She was beaming at him, the tips of her cheeks slightly pink. "That's… incredible, Draco. I had no idea. Though, of course, I'm sorry to hear about your experience during the war."

He waved her off. "That's long past. No sense dwelling on it. All I can do is try for better. But how can Kippy help you?"

"Well, I'm not sure. It sounds like you have a good relationship with her?"

"Yes, I do."

Hermione hummed, her brow furrowed in thought. "I'll get back to you about that, but I should really get going. I hate to end this, but I'm already late for work."

Draco quickly downed the rest of his tea and stood to walk out with her. Once on the street, they started toward that same alley. "Oh, I have a favor to ask. Next year, could we possibly go somewhere else? I'll have Scorpius with me, and I don't think a cafe is the best place. Maybe somewhere outside?"

"Sure, there's a park a few blocks away. Why don't we meet here and walk there?"

"Great. I'll most likely be taking another taxi. Can't quite Apparate with a baby. They tend to get sick all over you."

She laughed and pulled some money from her purse. "Here. Make sure to put it somewhere safe so you can find it and use this next year, yeah?"

"Thanks. Goodbye, Hermione."

By the end of their time together, he felt she was more back to normal. Still, he couldn't fight the feeling that something was a little bit… off.

ooo

4.26.04

Draco arrived exactly seventeen minutes early. He had overestimated how much time it would take him to prepare Scorpius for their outing. Into a gaudy, designer nappy bag Astoria had picked out, he stuffed two changes of clothes, four nappies, a wad of wipes, and a stick of Granny Emderelda's Miracle Toosh Goo. The name was ridiculous but it worked like a charm.

The taxi driver kept shooting him strange looks in the back seat. He was wearing Scorpius in a carrier that he'd bought after seeing a Muggle mum wearing one when Scorpius was only three months old. It had looked comfortable and easy, plus he could keep both hands free. He loved being so close to his son, and now, with Scorpius's baby days long behind him, Draco relished the feel of his infant son in his arms.

Rather than stand around outside the café, Draco paced up and down the sidewalk, enjoying looking in the windows. It was warm for April, so he had his shirt sleeves rolled up—his Mark covered with a glamour—and a pair of sunglasses on. He had just completed his second pass of the street and was pointing to something inside the café's display window when a stranger stopped beside him.

"Excuse me, can I ask you something?"

Draco turned to see a young woman around his age holding the hand of a small girl. She wore a long, flowing dress, and her long, black hair rippled in the wind. Pushing a pair of large sunglasses onto the top of her head, she revealed her dark brown eyes.

"Yes?" He started bouncing slightly, automatically, to keep Scorpius content.

The woman beamed at him. "Where did you get your carrier? I've never seen one like that, and I really like the fit."

The truth was, he'd modified the one he'd bought so that it fit him perfectly, even adding some features, like a wand pocket. "Oh, um, it's custom made." He shrugged. "Sorry."

She laughed lightly, using her free hand to brush a loose tendril of hair from her face. "Are you shopping or just looking?" She nodded sideways toward the window he'd just been looking in.

"Looking. Showing Scorpius here the selection of treats for today." He patted the bottom of the carrier where Scorpius's bum rested.

"Aw, that's an adorable name! Can I see him?" She stepped into Draco's personal space, and it took all of his mental fortitude not to panic and back away.

He turned slightly, presenting the side of the carrier where Scorpius's face could be seen. He was asleep, one hand tucked up near his cheek.

"He's precious! How old is he?" The little girl was spinning back and forth in place, her free hand swinging through her dress. She looked bored.

"He's just about six months old."

The woman got even closer, ostensibly to get a better look, and Draco wondered briefly if she was trying to chat him up. "Hello, little one." Then she stood and straightened, her expression very interested. "We were just headed to the park down the street, have you been there?"

"I have not. I'm actually meeting someone—"

"Draco?" Hermione walked out from behind the woman. Her smile was thin as she took in the scene, and he wondered how much she'd heard. "Sorry I'm a little late."

He smiled at her, relieved. "It's no problem. I'd wanted to grab a tea to go, though, do you mind?" He stepped around the woman and walked to Hermione's side. He turned to the woman. "It was nice talking with you. Have a nice day."

She looked disappointed and gave him a weak smile. "Thanks. You too." Then she led her daughter down the sidewalk.

"Who's that?" Hermione asked blandly as she opened the door of the café.

"No idea. She stopped to speak to me right before you arrived."

Hermione huffed. "Obviously, she was hitting on you."

"I gathered that, actually." He placed his order for tea and an egg wrap to go at the counter while Hermione perused the offerings. She selected a croissant and waited in line behind him. "Although she might have been truly interested in the carrier. It's got a lot of extra pockets." He grinned at her. "Said she liked the fit."

Hermione snorted. "I highly doubt she was that interested in the carrier. I think she liked the way it fit you."

"Oh? Was that some sort of compliment, Granger?" He was needling her a little because she seemed so easy to rile up right then. He didn't mind a bit the flush on her cheeks or the spark in her eyes.

Her return look was sharp but then it was her turn at the counter. Draco considered her words and realized they'd gotten dangerously close to something that resembled flirting—though she seemed more irritated than anything, and his response might have been unwelcome. He resolved to steer clear of such banter in the future.

When they were done, Hermione led him out of the café, still silent. The alley they usually used to Apparate was a left turn, and she turned right instead. "It's just a few blocks ahead."

"All right."

The air between them felt charged for the first block and a half, but then Hermione let out a long breath and her shoulders relaxed. Much of the tension melted at the same time. "So, that's Scorpius tucked inside there?"

"Yeah." Draco automatically put his hands around the carrier. "This is Scorpius. He's asleep right now, though. Still has a morning nap at this age, but I'm sure he'll wake up soon so you can meet him properly. How's your year been? Any improvements?"

"Maybe. I'm nearing the end of putting together a bill for house-elves, after talking about it with you last year. Although, if this doesn't go through the way I hope…" She trailed off, looking away and sipping from her cup.

"I think you could do just about anything you wanted." He tried to think back to when she had quit the Ministry and started the school. If he remembered correctly, she'd approached him when Scorpius was three to get his opinion on the idea, and he'd been very supportive.

"The park is just over there." Hermione pointed to a decently-sized green space across the street. There were trees and benches and a paved trail winding through it all. "I saw you, you know."

Draco frowned. "What do you mean, you saw me?" Her tone was slightly accusatory.

"In January. You were in Diagon Alley one Saturday, and I saw you with Scorpius and your mother."

"Yeah?" They crossed the street when it was safe, and Hermione led him to a bench. Draco remained standing for a few minutes, continuing to bounce Scorpius in the hope that he could sit without disturbing his sleep too much.

"I watched you. I couldn't help it. I've been so curious about all of this, and it was the first time I'd seen you since your trial. The you in my time, I mean. Oh, it's so confusing. But I… I wanted you to see me, because…" She threw up her free hand. "I don't know, what if you—he—did recognize me? Or have some kind of ghost of a memory of everything? So I, um, followed you into a shop. You did see me, you sort of did a double-take, but then I think once you confirmed that it was me, you went on with your day."

He tried to remember that happening, but from how she'd described the incident, he didn't think anything would stand out. "I don't recall that. Sorry."

She shrugged. "I wasn't expecting you to, I was just so curious. I kept watching you, though. I'm so sorry. I wanted to see if I could catch a glimpse of you in him—past you—but without actually interacting. It was impossible. Though you did seem very at ease with Scorpius. He was tucked away in your carrier, so I didn't see him at all."

Draco finally felt confident enough to sit and he did so carefully. The bench wasn't terribly big, and he set the nappy bag beside him knowing that Astoria would be very angry if the bag got messed up in any way—including the presence of a few specks of dirt on the bottom. He'd learned that the hard way. He ended up sitting rather close to Hermione, close enough to feel her beside him.

Close enough for butterflies to tickle his stomach.

He hadn't been sitting for two minutes, however, before Scorpius began to stir. Draco sighed. "He doesn't like it when I sit." He unbuckled the carrier and gently took it off, scooping one arm around Scorpius to hold him secure.

Hermione leaned closer, invading his personal space in a completely different and much more welcome way than the woman had earlier. "He's precious, Draco. Oh my, look at his hands! They're so tiny!"

"Wish you could have seen him when he was first born." He turned Scorpius so that Hermione could get a better look at his face. "He's got my eyes."

"And your scowl! Look at him!" She laughed lightly and held a hand up to his. "May I?"

"Of course." Draco handed him over, along with a spare cloth in case she needed it.

He leaned back and put his arms up on the back of the bench, stretching out his legs in front of him. He couldn't quite believe where he was: in a Muggle park with Hermione Granger, introducing her to his son. Granted, he knew she'd meet him eventually, but this… this felt different, somehow. This was introducing him to someone he'd grown to truly care about over the last ten days. Before, his fledgling attraction to Hermione had been just that—very, very new. So new, in fact, that he hadn't quite spent time sorting it all out.

Now, she was important to him in new ways. She'd given him a chance when he'd needed help after he'd woken up in third year, despite the fact that his past self had just been horrible to her and her friends. More than that, though, she had believed him. She'd somehow seen past her intense dislike—okay, outright hatred—of him to hear him, to hear that he was truly different. Then she'd allowed him to show her, over the next few years—days to him. And by some miracle, she'd wanted to talk to him after the war, after he'd been responsible for Death Eaters in the school, after she'd been tortured in his home. Once again, she had listened to him, allowed him the time and space to answer her questions. She'd even spent time during which she was furious with him trying to solve his time travel mystery.

Hermione was an exceptional witch, and if she'd let him, he would do everything in his power to convince her to give him a chance.

"He's amazing, Draco. And you seem really comfortable with him."

He chuckled. "Remember that story I told you last time? About the diaper incident? I am comfortable now, but I certainly wasn't then. Not even close. Plus, Astoria was very little help."

"Did she have no part in taking care of him? Did Kippy watch him?" She bounced Scorpius on her knee while he watched her with wide eyes.

"Kippy definitely played a large role. She put him down for naps when I was at work, which was every weekday, and prepared the bottles when Astoria didn't feel like nursing him. She would rather be attached to a milk collection system and spell herself to pump milk than actually nurse him. The thing is… I view my time with Scorpius as a gift and it feels as though Astoria has always considered it a chore. My mother noticed her lack of motherly attention and started coming to visit more frequently. As the years passed and she saw the state of our marriage, she offered to move back, but I said no, that I had it handled." He chuckled bitterly. "I did my best."

"But things are good between you and him now, right? I mean, in your time."

"Oh, yeah. They're great. I just wish I had more time with him. I definitely go to the office less than I used to. I come home to have lunch with him as often as possible." He wondered if this trend had been a factor in the board wanting to replace him. If so, then good riddance.

"It's a little sad that Astoria isn't more involved."

Draco shrugged. "I was annoyed with her about it at one point, but I came to accept it. It's how she was raised, like many of us. My parents were something of an exception, though they certainly messed up." He gave her a significant look. "My mother had to sit me down and explain things one night after a fight between Astoria and me. She explained that being hands-off was very common and considered perfectly acceptable. I remember yelling at her that I wish I'd known the person I was marrying." He shook his head. "I doubt it would have done any good, but it felt good to say."

Hermione was playing a little game with Scorpius, touching his nose and making a soft humming sound as she did. Scorpius seemed surprised every time.

"My mother's words, about how she had grown up, how Astoria had grown up, made me realize something: Scorpius would grow up never knowing anything but magical playmates. Muggle-born children don't find out they're magical until they're eleven, and wizarding children never have a chance to interact with them until they arrive at Hogwarts, potentially after years of being indoctrinated with pureblood dogma."

Her eyes went wide. "Really? You… you thought that?"

"I really did. I thought so much about my own upbringing, how my only companions were purebloods. My parents wouldn't even let me near families like the Weasleys, or any that weren't considered 'pure' by the strictest standards." He shook his head, watching a couple walking by holding hands. "Even someone like Weasley—sorry, Ron—was at something of a disadvantage when he went to Hogwarts. Sure, his family didn't teach him to hate, but he still had no practical knowledge about Muggles or what your life was like before you found out you were a witch. I remember Potter said something once about some awful things that happened to him as a kid, and just… Why doesn't the wizarding world reach out to magical children born to Muggles before they're eleven? Is there some risk that the magic will disappear?"

Hermione was staring at him open-mouthed. She seemed at a loss for words and turned her attention back to Scorpius. Finally, in almost a whisper, she said, "I can't tell you how many times I've had the same thoughts. My childhood was… fraught with tension and insecurity. I covered it up by striving to be the best, the smartest. My parents were slightly afraid of the things I could do, and finding out I was a witch was… Well, I'm not sure how much it helped."

"The Brightest Witch of Our Age." He nudged her with his elbow and smirked. "Do you know how long an age is?"

"There's not really a definition," she replied without hesitation.

Draco laughed and shifted slightly on the bench. "Of course you'd know that."

They were quiet for a few minutes. Hermione was now cooing at Scorpius, who smiled and laughed at the silly faces she was making. Draco's heart constricted. He suddenly wondered what it would be like to do this with her…

He cleared his throat and sat up, his whole body rigid. Where had that thought come from?

"Everything okay?" Her tone was still definitely 'baby talk,' and her eyes were fixed on Scorpius.

"Fine." He forced himself to relax, settling back against the bench but keeping his arms to himself.

After another few moments, Scorpius's smile flipped to a frown. He looked at Draco and held out his arms. Draco grinned and took him from Hermione, sitting him on his lap.

"What do you need, little guy? Are you hungry?" With one hand holding onto Scorpius, he reached into the bag at his side and pulled out a bottle. Then, he gripped the baby carrier tightly where his wand was stowed, pointed the tip to the bottom of the bottle, and cast a Warming Charm. All it took was four seconds, and he counted them carefully—better too cold than too hot.

He tucked Scorpius into the crook of his arm and started feeding him.

"Draco, can I ask you something?"

"Of course." His eyes were locked on his son's. Feeding him was one of the best parts of his days, when he was snuggled up close.

"Are you really going to divorce Astoria?"

He spun his head around to look at her. "What? Why would you ask that?"

She shrugged, kicking her feet at the dirt under the bench. "You just seem… so happy right now. I wondered if maybe you were reconsidering."

He gaped at her, then turned his attention back to Scorpius, who had reached a hand up to grab his shirt. "Um, yes, I really will be divorcing her when I return. Did you forget everything I just said about her?"

"You're just so happy. I've never seen you like this."

Draco chuckled and gave her a sideways grin. "I'm happy because I'm with Scorpius. As a parent, these baby days are so fleeting, so exhausting, and when they're gone, you suddenly have a walking, talking person to contend with. As much as I love him, he was a little terror for a few years! But right now, I get to fully enjoy him and all of his little baby ways, without the stress of being a brand new father." He looked back down at his son. "I don't know any parent who could be anything but elated at a chance to relive this, even for just a day. At least, any parent of older kids. When they start to need you less, you miss these days."

"And… you don't feel, somewhat, that things could be this way once you get back?"

He frowned. "Be what way?"

Hermione threw up her hands, then clasped them in her lap. "I don't know. I'm not making sense. I only wonder if you'll be so happy right now, today, with your family, that you'll want to work to keep it together when you get back." She bit her lip and looked at him, then her eyes widened. "Oh! Not that keeping your family intact would be a bad thing! I only wonder if—"

"If somehow I'll associate the way I feel right now, being happy with Scorpius, with Astoria?" Draco shook his head. "You've no idea. This, today, is simply a pure, happy moment for me. You'll notice that Astoria is nowhere to be found. Even my past self was on to something. I set up an elaborate day for her birthday—she's at a spa with her mother and sisters, gone for a full day of the best pampering money can buy. I'll join them tonight for dinner, where I'll give her yet another piece of the Malfoy family jewels—that she'll happily accept and I won't miss. Then she'll stay there for the night while I head home to keep Scorpius. And every year in the future, that will be my gift to her: letting her be away from us for the whole day."

He hadn't meant to sound bitter, but by the end, it was dripping from his lips. How had he survived ten years with her?

The truth was, he'd become numb—so numb that, while miserable, he was content to continue with his life. It had taken the truly earth-shaking event of seeing her with Theo to wake him up. And just when he'd made a decision about that, Theo had stolen the company from him, leaving him completely adrift. Well, he wasn't going to let that stick. He'd spend the rest of his time catching up to himself figuring out how to move forward.

First, he needed to begin divorce proceedings.

Second, he planned to ask Hermione out—if he didn't botch things up here, in the past. If this even really was the past and not just some elaborately crafted hoax. He had no clue why she featured so heavily, but he was very glad about it.

Third—well, that's what he'd need to work through. Maybe he'd take some time with Scorpius, take him on a trip around England. At least, once school was over.

Something buzzed on the bench, and Hermione grabbed her bag. She dug around inside it until she found what she wanted, then pulled out a pocket watch. "I can't believe the time. It's nearly eleven-thirty!"

"You're joking." He was astonished; they'd been there for nearly two hours. It was by far the longest they'd spent together since the four days during their Hogwarts years, but he felt that he could stay with her for hours more. It was unsettling how rapidly his feelings toward her were evolving.

"No. I'm not. I've got a lunch meeting at noon. I'm so sorry, I don't like to rush away but—"

"I understand." He smiled and stood up. "I'll change Scorpius and then I'll head home. You go on."

"Oh, are you sure?"

"Absolutely. I've done this hundreds of times." He pulled out the nappy changing things and set to work. "See you next year? Want to meet here again? I'll plan to bring Scorpius, though if he's talking a lot, it won't be a good idea."

She looked surprised. "Oh? Why's that?"

"Can't have him telling Astoria that Daddy met with a pretty witch at a park, now can I?" He instantly mentally berated himself for calling her pretty.

Hermione's cheeks went pink and she started looking for something in her bag. "I can see how that might be problematic, yes. All right, well, um, I'll see you next year, Draco." She gave a small wave and walked away.

Draco sighed and watched her go until she reached an alley across the street. Then he sat and took his time changing Scorpius's nappy.

When his son was fresh and clean once more, Draco hoisted him into the carrier and strapped him in. "You know, Son. When you find a woman like that, you should go for it. All right? Let's just hope your dad can follow his own advice."

ooo

Thank you for reading! I love the feedback and hearing what you're thinking on this.