Draco didn't much care for the Leaky. It wasn't a place he felt comfortable, but he wasn't going to quibble. He stepped into the pub and glanced about. Granger was sitting in a booth and chatting with the Hufflepuff proprietor. He couldn't remember her name, but he thought she might have married Longbottom. They looked comfortable with each other. He needed to be friendly.
He took a deep breath, put on his most polite smile, and headed towards the booth.
"Granger." He blinked. "Hermione."
"Present." Hermione grinned up at him. "It's odd to be on a first name basis after all this time. Do you know Hannah Longbottom?"
"Not well." Draco bowed slightly to the blonde woman.
"Why doesn't Neville do that?" Hannah smirked. "He comes home and heads out with the children to the greenhouses. I can't remember the last time he used his manners on me."
"That's a shame." Hermione smiled. "He was always the most courteous boy in Gryffindor. You should make him take you out someplace where he can use those skills."
"I should at that." Hannah smiled. "I'll have the food out in a second."
Draco nodded and sat across from Hermione. He wasn't quite sure if he'd handled that correctly, but he took it as a good sign that his luncheon companion was smiling.
"I ordered for us." Hermione blushed slightly. "I hope you don't mind."
"Not in the least." He smiled at her. "I was pleased to get your patronus."
"I've become a bit impulsive in that last two years." She blushed. "I suppose most people just owl you."
"I like your impulsive behavior." Draco smiled. "It gave me a reason to cancel my afternoon meetings."
"I didn't mean to completely wreck your day." Hermione started fussing with her napkin. "This is awkward."
"It doesn't have to be." Draco licked his lips. Gryffindors were bold and brash and said what they wanted right out. It seemed dangerous, but he needed to be brave this time around. "We put the cart before the thestral, but that doesn't mean we can't fix it. I'd like a chance to get to know you as a person. I'd like us to be friends at the very least."
"I'm pregnant." Hermione blinked and then blinked again as if she had shocked herself.
The words wrapped around him oddly. If any other witch had blurted those words out at him, he'd have scoffed, but Hermione wasn't trying to trap him. Pregnancy wasn't a weapon to her.
"I assume it's mine." Draco took a deep breath.
"It is." Hermione nodded. "I feel like a bloody teenager. Adults aren't supposed to make mistakes like this."
"I've never known adulthood to spare anyone from occasional bouts of idiocy." Draco smiled. "I made several mistakes of my own when we conceived that baby. I didn't owl you immediately and beg you to see me again. I regretted that."
"But you don't regret this?" Hermione's brows knitted together.
"To be honest, it doesn't seem quite real." Draco took a deep breath and spotted Hannah bringing their food. "I never imagined having another child. Does your friend know?"
"No. You're the first one I've told." Hermione's lips quirked up the tiniest bit. "I was far less afraid of telling you than I am of telling my children."
Telling Scorpius wouldn't be easy, but he couldn't begin to imagine his parent's reaction.
The food drifted down between them along with glasses of water. It was a simple soup, but it smelled quite tasty. Hannah waved at them and wandered away.
"She's very circumspect." Draco tilted his head toward Hannah.
"No. This booth is charmed to provide privacy. If she touches the surface of the table, she can hear us. There are wards preventing eavesdropping, animagus infiltration, and muggle recording devices." Hermione stroked the table top. "It's one of three prototypes."
"You designed it." Draco wasn't surprised by the dip of her head. "Is that why you chose this establishment?"
"I like the food as well." She shrugged one shoulder.
"We are having a baby, and I don't know where you work or what you like to eat." Draco blinked. "I want to know you. I want us to spend time together."
"You want to be part of the baby's life." Hermione nodded slowly.
"Yes, I do, but I want to know you for you. I didn't know about the baby when I came here." Draco met her gaze steadily. "I can't help but think that fate has given us a chance here."
"Fate?" Hermione smirked. "This was inevitable, then?"
Harry slipped through Hermione's wards and stepped into the small house. He knew it was all she could afford. The divorce had brought out the worst in Ron and Hermione had paid her way to freedom.
It had been a misery watching their marriage implode. He'd avoided them both a great deal of the time. When Molly and Ginny tried to get him involved he'd flatly refused.
Hermione had never lived up to Ron's ideal standards. Harry doubted she'd ever tried. She loved unconditionally and always seemed to think that others did as well. Ron could barely stand her working as an assistant at the Ministry, and he'd gone a bit crazy when she quit to pursue her own interests.
He'd had their vault key locked and used the biased laws that had yet to be replaced to keep Hermione from using any funds without his permission.
Hermione had tried to reason with him, but he had planted his flag. He'd refused her access to their vault and given it to his mother. When Molly had asked him to help her deliver groceries to their home, Harry had been shocked by the empty bookcases. Ron had put all her books in a trunk and taken them to the vault. There had been six months of watching Hermione fade into the background of her life.
The request for a formal separation had been her last recourse.
Harry knew that, but seeing the tiny house with its transfigured furniture was a harsh reminder that freedom came at a cost. He walked through the place while he waited for her.
Rose and Hugo's rooms were untouched. She'd put so much effort into them. Their were posters of their favorite quidditch teams and brooms and equipment on specialized racks that he knew had set her back a great deal. She'd decorated with each child in mind and scattered a few of their childhood toys about the bookcases to make it all the more appealing. Suddenly, the transfigured living room furniture seemed more tragic. She loved her children so dearly, yet they rarely spent any time with their mother. He knew they blamed her for the loss of their happy family. Ron and Molly encouraged that view with their frequent complaints.
The third room was warded against him as well. The walls were reinforced with extra wards. She'd turned her bedroom into a workroom.
She was sleeping on a transfigured blanket in the living room of her house. Her mostly empty bookcases held pictures of happier times. Ron still hadn't returned her books.
Merlin, he should have come round more often. Always meeting her at the Leaky had allowed him to ignore how difficult her life had become.
He sat down on the chair and sighed. It held up. She'd put her effort into supporting the structure rather than the looks. He should have realized.
Hermione caught Draco watching her as she ate. He grinned sheepishly and took a drink of his water. He hadn't complained about the simple food and that made her nervous. There was so much between them that was negative. The realization of how connected their lives were going to become hit her hard.
"How long have you known? You're roughly eleven nearly twelve weeks along. Have you been debating telling me?" Draco studied her carefully. "Given our history and everything."
"I figured it out this morning." Hermione felt her cheeks flush. "I woke up and belched up butterflies. I realized I had all the symptoms. I took so many test and practically wore out my wand. I knew I had to tell you. I never considered not telling you."
"I'd like to go to the healer with you soon." Draco licked his lips. "My mother had many miscarriages as did my ex wife. I need to know you're both okay. I'll understand if you have friends attend you afterwards, but I need to know."
"Would you like to be with me through the whole pregnancy?" Hermione blushed again. "I know wizards view this as a witch's ordeal, but muggles have moved toward involving the father. I'd be fine with you being there."
Draco nodded slowly at her. It was adorable how his ears turned pink even though his face revealed nothing. Hermione took another bite of her soup and smiled. Getting to know Draco Malfoy was going to be interesting.