Chapter 6

They lingered at the restaurant over a cheese plate, sipping on the- admittedly excellent- wine, and then over dessert and coffee. The hour she was technically allotted for lunch became two, and then three. The guilt she usually would have felt over staying away from the office for so long never materialized. She was second in command in the D.M.L.E. and always had something on her plate, but her boss had often urged her to slow down and work less. Things had been slow when she left and Hollings, the department head, could always send a patronus or track down Head Auror Potter and borrow his mobile phone to contact her if she was suddenly needed.

She could have told herself that she needed a break, that she deserved a long lunch, but those were just excuses. The fact was that she simply didn't want to leave Draco's company. Draco, who was acting like he had all the time in the world for her, and who seemed to be having a difficult time keeping his hands off of her. And she allowed it: the arm around her shoulders almost continually, the fingertips tracing her face, the hand caressing her knee, the lips on her temple and hairline. In turn she leaned into his embrace and wondered when she'd last felt so safe. Not in a physical sense, though she felt that as well, but just secure in her circumstances. She kept that hand on his thigh whenever she didn't need it to eat, and when he kissed the top of her head she tilted her neck to run her nose along his jawline and properly enjoy his scent. It was a study in indulgence: the food, the wine, him.

She didn't know what was happening, but she liked it. She wanted to ask, but she was afraid of the answer. As interested as he seemed, well, he couldn't possibly be serious, could he? His marriage had just ended, perhaps he just wanted to have a little harmless fun with a willing witch. She would only let that go so far, of course, but maybe she too could enjoy this while it lasted.

Eventually the restaurant emptied and it became clear that the staff wanted them to leave so that they could close up and prepare for dinner service. He escorted her back to the Ministry and they agreed that he would be at her apartment with Scorpius in just a couple of hours so that she'd have some time to spend with the little boy and they would be able to feed him before he went down for the night. That meant she'd be leaving work a bit early too. She didn't regret it for a moment.

She'd been working at her desk for about half an hour when a very harried looking Harry Potter burst into her office.

"Where have you been!" He demanded.

He strode all the way into the room and fell dramatically into one of the chairs in front of the desk. It was the same chair that Draco had occupied earlier and Hermione couldn't help but think what different pictures they made. The first man's cool elegance was a stark contrast to her best friend's open, playful- if currently frazzled- demeanor.

"Hello Harry, it's good to see you too," she responded sarcastically.

He ignored her. "Some witch, I didn't even recognize her, much less know her name," he began to explain frantically, "she definitely doesn't work in this department in any case, cornered me in the breakroom earlier. I refuse to even repeat what she said to me, what she offered to do," he visibly shuddered. "I told her I had to go because I was having lunch with you, and then I came here and you were gone! I had to lock myself in my office! You know I can't sit in the cafeteria alone!" He had a wild look in his eyes and his hair was even more unruly than usual.

She bit her lip to suppress her laughter. News of the finalization of his and Ginny's divorce actually hadn't leaked until Wednesday and in the two days since he'd been beating off witches with a figurative stick. The problem was that Harry was too nice, and most of them weren't getting the message that he wasn't interested. He'd taken to using Hermione like a human shield and she was waiting for the inevitable resurgence of the rumor that they were romantically involved. She would need to nip that in the bud. Or, maybe warn Draco? It was a thrilling and scary thought, it had been so long since there had been a wizard whose good opinion she worried about maintaining.

"I'm sorry Harry," she said, not quite able to contain her laughter now that she'd opened her mouth, "I had lunch with Draco."

"Well why didn't you-" he cut himself off. And it was like a switch flipped, his entire demeanor changed and he perked right up. "Draco?" A knowing grin spread across his face and she immediately regretted her easy admission. "You had lunch with Malfoy, who you are now apparently calling Draco," he was sitting so far forward in his chair that she was surprised he hadn't fallen off of it. "Well, well, well. Did I tell you so or did I tell you so?"

Oh, she definitely wasn't going to tell him she'd also be seeing Draco later, smugness should not be rewarded.

"You know, I was going to let you sit here and whine about all the scary witches out for your body. I was even going to commiserate a little, but now I've suddenly remembered something that urgently needs to be done, so I think you better go," she said primly.

He looked at her closely those green eyes penetrating and she knew that this was one of those moments where Harry really saw her. She expected him to barrage her with questions. Instead he suddenly stood.

"Okay, I'll leave you to your Malfoy induced high." He made and exaggerated face of disgust. "But I expect answers tomorrow," he said with mock seriousness, pointing at her imperiously. "Come early, for breakfast?" He asked in a softer tone.

"I'll see you then," she agreed with a smile.

He stopped at the door and turned to look at her over his shoulder. "I'm not nearly dont giving you a hard time about this but it's really good to see you so happy."

He was gone before she could think of anything to say. She got very little work done during the remainder of the day as she pondered what she must have looked like to Harry, and- though she wouldn't have admitted it upon pain of death- daydreaming about her lunch and the feeling of being enveloped in strong arms.

At five o'clock on the dot the source of her daydreams, with Scorpius perched on his hip, stepped out of her fireplace. She'd rushed home twenty minutes before and changed into something more casual, and then she made a brief plan for the evening's activities. She hoped Draco would be game for her suggestions.

She lived on the outskirts of London. She couldn't afford to live more centrally, though she longed to do so despite the fact that magical travel made transportation to work- and anywhere else, really- a moot point. But her neighborhood was still very urban and she wasn't quite sure that Draco was ready to go out in such a busy area, but she wanted to try.

"Scorpius!" She exclaimed, when they emerged from the swoosh of green flames. But she didn't reach for him, assuming he would be hesitant around her, considering that they'd only met once.

"I see how it is," Draco drawled.

"Hello to you too," she said softly, avoiding eye contact but going up on her tiptoes to place a kiss on his cheek.

She took advantage of the proximity and ran a hand over Scorpius' head. She went to pull away only to discover that Draco had an arm hooked around her waist. She had tried, during the brief hours they were apart, to figure out how they'd suddenly become so familiar with each other, fallen into such easy intimacy, but she'd failed to reach a conclusion. She decided to just enjoy it- but not let it go to far.

And then,almost like deja vu, Scorpius reached for her. There was no hesitation this time, she put out her arms for him and Draco swiveled to hand him over. But he didn't remove his other arm from her waist.

"Hello sweetheart," she greeted the little boy, placing a kiss on his head and inhaling his sweet baby scent. "I'm glad you seem happy to see me, but I don't know how you could possibly remember me."

"He's my son, Granger, he knows a good thing when he sees it," Draco responded sardonically.

"I thought we were going with 'Hermione' now?" She looked up at him with one raised eyebrow.

He shrugged. "Old habits and all that."

She chuckled. "Alright, fair enough, Malfoy."

"Now that's just confusing seeing as there's two of us."

"It's safe to assume that if I say 'Malfoy,' I'm addressing you. 'Scorpius' is too lovely not to use."

To her surprise he just smiled smugly at her. "I know, as I told you, I chose it."

She smiled to herself and rolled her eyes at him. "Okay okay. Anyway, what I was thinking is that we could walk up the street and there's a shop where we can get a movie. Then we can stop by this place I know and pick up a pizza. Are you up for that?"

She saw the confusion on his face and knew he hadn't completely understood the question. But he just nodded, and she decided it was best not to say anything lest she offend him and set about transfiguring his robes for the second time that day. Granted, they were a different and thankfully more casual set than his earlier ones, otherwise she would have felt foolish in her jeans. When she was finished she considered a pram for Scorpius. She didn't have one but she was familiar enough with them that she was certain she could transfigure one from something she had lying around that would last for a few hours, but ultimately decided that with two of them it was unnecessary and might actually get in the way. The streets were sure to be busy at this time of day.

"You would probably enjoy driving," she commented when they exited her building onto the sidewalk and she looked out over traffic.

"Oh?" He questioned noncommittally.

She was still holding Scorpius which made it awkward to walk with his arm around her. So he took that arm and grabbed her free hand with his, intertwining their fingers. She ducked her head to hide her smile.

"Yes. I mean, I'm only guessing of course, but according to Harry it's the next best thing to flying. Not in traffic, like this, but out on an open road. And you would probably enjoy the luxury of a nice car," she added after a moment, smiling slightly as she imagined Draco salivating over the features of a car like an Aston Martin. "Aside from his racing broom, Harry's Porsche is his one indulgence."

"Porsche?"

"It's a very high end brand of car."

"I've only ever been inside of a car one time, and that was in France. Are they different there?"

"Well, they drive on the other side of the road."

"The other side of the road? Why?" He asked, brow furrowed.

She giggled. "I don't know. It's just one of those oddities I'm not even sure there's an answer to. Actually, most of the world uses the other side of the road- the right side- in this instance Britain is the oddity." He was quiet so she asked him a hesitant question. "You really haven't spent much time in the muggle world, have you?"

He shook his head. "Only in passing," he admitted reluctantly.

"I hope I'm not making you uncomfortable, I just thought you might enjoy helping me pick out a movie. My collection is rather limited." She turned to smile at him encouragingly.

"I wouldn't have agreed if I was uncomfortable," he said tersely, his tone of voice and his posture belied his words. And even though he was looking around curiously, he certainly didn't look comfortable. "There are really entire shops that just loan out movies?"

His effort to change the subject was not subtle, but she allowed it.

"Yes," she said simply, letting him lead the conversation, she didn't want to barrage him with information if he wasn't ready for it.

"So there are a lot?"

"Of movies? Yes, thousands. Hundreds of thousands if not millions have been made since the technology was invented. The shop will carry the newest and the most popular ones."

She again thought of Draco salivating over an Aston Martin and wondered if he'd enjoy James Bond. The technology would take some explaining, but she had it on good authority that there were few men who didn't enjoy those films. She even thought they were rather fun.

They ended up making short work of their errands. Draco was very amenable to her suggestion of movie choice, and though he did appear fairly fascinated by the the shop itself, they didn't dawdle. She'd already called ahead to the pizzeria and their order was ready when they arrived. After that they returned straight away to her flat.

She was the one who fed Scorpius his supper. She was happy that the baby was so accepting of her and wanted to remain in his good graces. Soon thereafter he fell asleep in her arms while Draco was finishing his own meal. She'd noticed that he ate quite a lot for somebody with such a lithe build. She'd only had one slice of pizza, still fairly full from their large, decadent lunch. He ate most of the rest of the pie.

"He's never done that before," Draco commented randomly during a lull in the conversation as he eyed the sleeping baby thoughtfully.

"Done what?" She asked warily, if he was about to express disapproval of her the way she treated his son she would be crushed.

"Reached out to somebody the way he did to you last week in the apothecary. He'll go to other people; let my mother or the nanny hold him. But he's never basically asked for somebody like that, except for me."

Hermione frowned. "He's not close to his nanny?" She was a little ashamed that she had no trouble imagining Scorpius being reticent around the stoic Malfoy matriarch, but somebody who cared for him during all of Draco's working hours? That seemed odd.

Draco smirked. "We've been through a few."

She barked out a laugh, her free hand flying to her face muffle it to avoid waking the baby. "Picky are you? I refuse to believe that this sweet boy didn't charm whomever you hired on sight, so it must be you," she clarified.

He shrugged. "Malfoys only have the best and the first three were lacking."

Were it not for the soft look on his face as he regarded his son, she would have teased him relentlessly. But as it was she just wondered how difficult it had been for Draco to leave his son in the care of another. Harry had nearly had a mental breakdown when Ginny had returned to work after James was born and had seriously considered giving up his own career. "Oh, well, I'm pretty used to children, maybe he just sensed that," she said lightly, not letting onto her thoughts..

He ate the last bit of crust absentmindedly, his own thoughts obviously elsewhere.

"I was relieved. I was starting to worry that since his mother has always been absent that he might have trouble connecting with women, or that he might even have trouble bonding with anybody aside from me. I kept us pretty isolated for the first few months of his life, even took a three month sabbatical from work. So, it was nice to see him open up to you so easily. I was also a little jealous," he confided sheepishly, though still with a smirk. "But if it had to be anybody, I'm glad it was you."

"I imagine it's difficult to share," she commiserated.

"It's odd," he conceded. "It also makes me wonder what it would be like to have a partner in this." He raised his eyes to hers as he said that, they were piercing and intense; she felt her breath catch in her chest.

She couldn't speak she just held the little boy in her arms a bit tighter and gazed at his peaceful face.

"He really is gorgeous, Draco," she said, certain that was a safe enough topic.

He chuckled. "I won't disagree with you there."

"I can see the resemblance between you two, obviously, but is this truly what you looked like as a baby?" She asked curiously.

He nodded. "You should see pictures, it's rather uncanny. Mother's even called him by the wrong name a few times. She's been rather nostalgic since he was born," he said with a slight smile as his eyes grazed Scorpius' form.

"Is she- do your parents spend a lot of time with him?" She asked, uncomfortable with the idea of the elder Malfoys, but oddly curious.

Draco looked at her knowingly, but answered the question anyway.

"They enjoy seeing him, but they're not exactly what you'd call hands on," he explained diplomatically.

"Oh?" She frowned.

"I was mostly raised by a governess. I know they care for him, just like I knew that they cared for me, but it's not like they are available for babysitting. That's one of the reasons I'm ready to move out of the Manor. When Astoria was living there it was nice to have my parents around, they were kind of a buffer. But now it just makes me feel like a grown man living with his parents, and if they aren't even going to be helpful there's just no reason for me to stay," he said with a slight shrug, as if he was brushing off the weight of his words.

She got the impression that he'd been unable to be so open with anybody else; he certainly wouldn't have been able to say these things to his parents.

"Understandable," she assured him

She'd already known he would be spending the next day, while she was at Albus' party, with an estate agent house hunting. She'd been glad to hear it, if they were going to be friends it would be easier if he wasn't living at the manor, given that she wasn't exactly comfortable visiting.

"Would you like to watch the movie now?" She asked in an attempt to move past the uncomfortable turn in the conversation.

"Sure," he agreed.

They got Scorpius settled in the same portable cot that he'd napped in the weekend before and then settled themselves on her sofa, also the same sofa where they'd watched 'The Lion King.' The difference this time was that they didn't sit on opposite ends and Draco wasn't shy about placing an arm around her shoulders as the previews appeared on the screen. She sighed happily and he chuckled.

She shrugged self-consciously when she realized what she'd done, and that he'd heard her. "You're comfortable."

"I'm not sure that comfortable is really the adjective I'm going for here Hermione."

She looked up at him slowly, feeling bashful. "I've told you more than once in the past week that you're handsome. But comfortable is a big compliment coming from me. It's always been difficult for me to open up to new people- but especially since the war. I either come on too strong or I hold back, the result is the same, I don't make friends easily. It's quite rare for me to feel comfortable- like I can be myself- with somebody so quickly." She bit her lip. What was it about him that inspired such honesty and trust in her?

He just blinked at her. "I take it back then," he spoke eventually as she heard the movie soundtrack begin in the background, "that's exactly the adjective I was going for."

She nodded and turned back to the screen.

He still had a lot of questions and he didn't wait until the movie was over to ask them, but she wasn't terribly bothered that he kept interrupting her viewing. Watching him learn was much more fascinating than whatever 007 was up to. They talked for awhile after it was over but she had to be up early to get over to Harry's and he had an eight month old who wouldn't allow him to sleep in either. So eventually, with obvious reluctance, he gathered up the baby, who thankfully stayed asleep, and after leaving a lingering kiss on her forehead they disappeared into the flames.

Author's Note: Thank you all for the anniversary wishes! My husband doesn't really get this fan fic stuff, but he definitely appreciates the smile you guys are always putting on my face. I also wanted to thank you again for the fabulous response to this story. It was one of the first things I started writing when I started writing fan fiction, but I never got the courage to start posting it and it was unintentionally cast aside until I casually mentioned its existence to Weestarmeggie, who asked to read what I had so far and then (lovingly) demanded that I keep on with it and finally let it into the world. I love this version of these characters and it's been such a joy to work on them again, so it just makes it all that much more special that it's been well received. As always, thanks for reading!