"It's fine. I don't care that he saw me." Rose shrugged, barely even looking at her mother.
Hermione shifted in her seat uncomfortably. She had taken Rose out for a mother daughter date in London, to try and bond with her wayward daughter and talk to her about the previous night's unfortunate incident. But Rose didn't even seem upset. She was very calm, and the quietest Hermione had seen her in months. They were sitting in a café, Hermione pensively sipping coffee as she watched her daughter sit sullenly across from her.
She'd expected a tantrum, insults, and demands to have Draco removed from the house, or demands to go live with Ron, her biological father. But no, Rose had barely even acknowledged that it had happened, besides saying that she didn't care.
Hermione had tried to reassure her daughter that what she was doing was natural, and nothing to be embarrassed about, but Rose had just rolled her eyes and ignored her. Eventually the older woman gave up and simply offered to put a lock on her bedroom door at their house. Rose had readily agreed and the subject was dropped.
Hermione made a mental note to install locks on her teenaged son's doors as well, she didn't need to experience Draco's embarrassment firsthand.
Once they'd finished their drinks Rose asked to go to Sephora so they walked there. Hermione was suitably dressed for the weather, grey leggings, blue woollen tunic, black coat, blue hat and scarf, a hefty handbag under one arm. She ditched heels for a pair of comfortable flat soled black knee length boots, her heavily pregnant body demanding the more practical footwear.
Rose wore ripped blue jeans, a black crop top and a white puffer jacket, her long red hair, waist length, pulled into two braids, that Kylie Jenner like style Hermione hated with a passion. Her beautiful features were caked with makeup, the foundation a shade or two too dark for her porcelain skin.
Hermione hadn't commented on the outfit, pleased at least that her daughter's ass was covered and she was technically wearing a jacket on the bitterly cold day. They fought too often, especially as Rose's cruelty extended from her parents onto her siblings, Hermione couldn't just ignore that. She couldn't have her kids bullied in their own home.
But she felt like Rose was just going through a lot of difficult growing changes and problems, she was just lost in the pain that was being a teen. Or so Hermione hoped.
In Sephora Hermione was immediately lost in the world of beauty. She did love glamorous beauty products. She had nothing against make up, used it plenty herself, but she hoped, to enhance her own natural beauty, not destroy it like some, her daughter included.
She was a classic woman, and her favourite perfume had been the same ever since she'd saved enough from her first job in the wizarding world to buy a bottle. Chanel No.5, her signature scent, the signature scent of thousands, but still, hers.
Draco loved it. Her pillow smelt of it and when she was away from their bed she knew he slept with her pillow instead of his own.
Within half an hour Rose had stacked up a pile of products, most of it the ludicrously expensive or exceptionally trashy. Hermione eyed the pile warily as the checkout girl started scanning.
"We've already brought you some clothes to wear at school, plus your robes, and you need shoes, so why don't we limit the make up to five pieces okay?" She suggested reasonably, pulling out her wallet.
Rose's face immediately scrunched up. "Ugh, you don't even care, you weren't a pretty girl at school so you don't know what it's like, and I need these things."
Hermione closed her eyes and let her breath out through her nose. "Rose, don't make a scene, take five and put the rest back, or have nothing." It kind of stung, a lot, when her daughter said things like this to her. But she didn't really want her to know how much it hurt. She was worried if Rose thought she was getting to her, she'd do it more.
"FINE!" Rose spat, picking out the allotted amount and pushing the rest aside. "That's all I'm allowed." She informed the checkout girl loudly.
"If you were my kid nothing is all you'd be allowed." The girl muttered, making Hermione blush furiously. She tossed some cash onto the counter and stalked out, the winter air outside cooling her heated cheeks.
"We're going home." Hermione informed Rose when she joined her outside, the Sephora bag joining all the shopping bags she was already carrying.
"But I need new shoes." Rose whined, stamping her foot on the frosty ground.
"Wear last year's ones." Hermione said coldly as she waved down a taxi.
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"Fuck, I need to work out more." Draco gasped, collapsing on the frozen ground, breathing great clouds into the frosty air.
Ariana giggled, way ahead of him, turning around and running back, her cheeks ruddy and her eyes sparkling in the cold. "Come on daddy, it's a race, you can't stop!" She scolded him gleefully, plopping down on his abdomen despite his protests.
"You're just too fast Ari." He pouted, lifting an arm from the ground to ruffle his daughter's wild silver hair, the curls almost feral and speckled with snow.
"No you're just to slow." She teased him, standing up and bending over to push at her father's side. "Get up, get up, GET UP!"
"Umph, now your just being mean." Draco groaned as he rolled over and hopped easily to his feet.
Ariana rolled her eyes and let her out breath dramatically. "Race you back!" She sped off with a shriek of laughter, closely followed by slightly miffed Draco.
Once inside to warm up they made hot chocolate, the delicious smell drawing various siblings into the kitchen for a mug too. Thomas and Jeffrey were spending the day with his mother, and Hermione had taken Rose out, all the rest of his brood, were present at the kitchen table, happily drinking liquid chocolate, except Hugo. Draco frowned. It wasn't like him to wonder off, or to miss hot chocolate.
Outside the snow, which had been wafting down lightly all day, began falling in earnest as Draco looked around the house for his son.
"Hugo?" Draco called up the stairs, listening for a reply, but hearing nothing.
As he drew closer to the back of the manor, he became aware of some unpleasant sounds. It was shouting, sounded like boys shouting.
Genuinely concerned now, Draco grabbed his coat, shoving it on as he charged into the backyard.
Hugo was pressed against an icy tree, terror written all over his face, two much taller and stronger looking boys in front of him, their wands raised to his face, both screaming expletives at the younger boy.
"Oi what the hell is going on out here?" Draco shouted, storming over to the group. "Get the fuck away from my son."
The two goons turned around and Draco was horrified to realize they looked familiar. They were definitely the spawn of his old school cronies.
"Shit, its Mr Malfoy, lets get the fuck outta here." The uglier one said and they quickly ran, allowing Hugo to collapse against the tree.
Draco watched them go, they climbed his fence and disappeared, before he turned to Hugo.
"Fuck, your face." Draco dropped to his knees besides the boy who was sitting, his brow bleeding, his lip quivering. Draco made him look up and inspected the wound, relieved to see it was only superficial, but enraged that he was hurt at all.
"What else did they do to you?"
Hugo shook his head and swallowed.
"Nothing. They just called me some shitty stuff and hit me a couple of times. Its fine, it's nothing worse than at school."
Draco's nostrils flared in anger as he pulled Hugo to his feet and walked him inside. Sure, he and Hermione knew he got hassled about his weight when he was younger, he'd been a chubby kid, but he'd shot up last summer and thanks to his newly average height he was only a little heavier than most of his schoolmates. Fuck there were fatter kids, for sure. Draco had thought it would have all died down. But now he knew, his son was being bullied. And he was mad.
He was ashamed of his past, and as a former bully, he knew how cruel and out of hand it could get. "I knew your sister was giving you a hard time, but I didn't realize those jerks were bullying you. You have to tell McGonagall when it happens at school okay? And me or your mum as well coz I won't stand for it. No son of mine is gonna be a punching bag for some asshole okay?"
Hugo nodded and suddenly hugged Draco tightly. "I really hate them."
Draco's eyes prickled a little as he hugged him even tighter back. "I do to."
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"We've already been through this!" Hermione wailed, later that evening as she and Draco caught each other up on their days in their bedroom. "Do you remember those hideous beatings Scorpius used to get?!"
"I know! That's why I wanna go around there and smash those jerks!" Draco retaliated, pacing across the floor.
"Oh great, just like last time, you almost ended up in Azkaban for threatening those kids."
"They broke four of his ribs Hermione! They beat the shit out of my baby, just because they saw him kissing another boy! He was home for months! He still has nightmares! He has scars! They were barely even punished! Suspended for a couple of days. Forgive me if I'm not going to stand by and let the same thing happen to Hugo!" Draco retorted angrily.
"I don't want him to get hurt either! But we need to handle the situation better this time, make decisions together." Hermione amended, knowing that deep down she wanted to punch those bully's herself, and she didn't want to shame Draco out for his actions, he'd already suffered enough.
"Whatever. We just need to protect our kids better." Draco decreed, lying down on the bed with heavy sigh.
"I promise you we'll deal with it." Hermione said tentatively, a little stung that he hadn't called Scorpius their baby, only his, but tried not to read into it.
"I know." Draco said tiredly and began pushing his clothes off.
The air between them felt unresolved and a lot uglier than usual but they both readied themselves for bed without speaking again.
Hermione had already been to see Hugo, cleaning his wound, applying a band aid and holding him while he pretended not to cry.
It had brought back horrible memories of holding Scorpius while he cried when his friends wouldn't accept him and people were hurting him. She had held him while he cried over his struggle to come to terms with who he was and while he writhed in pain.
It had brought back even older memories, older, but equally as horrible. Holding Draco while he cried, while he atoned for his sins, while he became who he is today. She comforted them both through the nightmares, and helped them stand when they couldn't alone.
And now she would do the same for Hugo. She would get him through this, she would.
She felt emotional as she climbed into bed, seeking comfort in her husband's arms, only to be rebuffed by his back to her. He had no idea how much it hurt her to fall asleep staring at the back of his silver head, his mind overrun with the issues their children faced.