7. A catching up over ice-cream
She awoke much, much later than she usually did, relieved it was a Sunday, and straightened gingerly so as not to further upset the crick in her neck.
The first thing she saw was Severus, snoring lightly on the sofa, just opposite her chair. She smiled, removing the blanket he must have placed on her sometime during the night. Of course the man would snore, with that silly nose of his.
She tiptoed to the kitchen so as not to wake him, her habitual eight o'clock-coffee now several hours overdue. She found Dizzy outside of the window, proudly displaying a small ball of fur along with the rolled-up parchment that was attached to her leg.
"A vole. Good for you."
She unrolled the letter. It was brief, the penmanship refined.
Florean Fortescue's at noon.
It was for Severus then. She wondered vaguely who it was that wanted to meet him there, of all places.
Coffee in hand, she put the note on the low table in the living room. Severus was still asleep, looking quite relaxed. One long arm lay stretched out past his head, the other rested on his stomach. His cotton shirt was sleeveless, and she could see the faint outline of the faded dark mark on the inside of his left wrist.
His face was also relaxed. He usually had such a strict look upon him. So severe. She chuckled lowly. Had his mother known instantly the nature of her boy and named him thereafter? Or had she merely guessed at the ways in which his life would shape him? Both seemed a bit fatalistic actually, now that she thought about it. Somewhat unfair.
Hermione checked the watch on her kitchen wall. It was nearly eleven. She would have to wake him if he had somewhere to be at noon.
She sat down on the table, close to his head. Indulging her fancy, she carefully captured a lock of his hair between her fingers. He wore it long, almost down to his shoulders. It was just as soft as she had known it would be, and only slightly greasy. She smelled it, recognising her favoured floral scent, and snorted as she realised he must have used her soap bar on his hair, not minding the shampoo.
She understood what it was now, this fascination she had with him. She wanted to be near him, and touch him, and know things about him. To think, she was even fascinated with his teeth, of all things. Her parents' profession aside.
Yes, she knew what it was. But she had a suspicion that he was attracted to her as well.
She released the small lock to weave her fingers through the hair close to his temples. The grey suited him; it softened his appearance. There was grey in the stubble on his face too. She could see it amongst the black if she leaned close, especially on his chin. She petted the hair on his head once more; –would she get such an opportunity again? - until he grunted, and took hold of her hand.
He drew back a little to look up at her, straining his eyes. "Hermione?" His voice was deep and scratchy from disuse.
"Hello there, slugabed."
He looked out the window, squinting against the bright light and released her hand to sit up. "As if you were up all morning," he growled, scowling. "You're fooling no one; I can see the imprint of the chair on your cheek."
Her hand flew involuntarily to her face, and she blushed the tiniest bit, realising she must look a sight with her unkempt hair and tatty pyjamas, and probably with drool on her chin.
She shoved her own coffee into his hands, and straightened. "Morning person, are we?" She turned to retrieve his letter, missing the flash of apology in his eyes. "Dizzy brought you this. It seems you're in a bit of a hurry, so I'll make us a quick breakfast."
"Oh, good." He read the note, holding it close to his face. Then he stretched languidly, giving her the chills when his arched back produced several loud pops.
As his shirt rode up though, she caught sight of pale skin, and a dark line of hair that led down past the waistband of his trousers.
She wouldn't mind following that trail. She rather thought it might cure his morning grouchiness as well.
He caught her looking then, and it was his turn to blush. He lowered his arms quickly. "Is there a Sainsbury's nearby?" He touched his face. "I need to shave."
"No, but Tesco is just around the corner. Do you need money?"
He stood up from the sofa. "I've got a Visa." He leaned close, and to her surprise, kissed the top of her head. "But thank you. And thank you for having me."
She smiled, lingering to watch his back as he retreated to the bathroom before she went to the kitchen to prepare toast and eggs.
…
As Severus walked into Florean Fortescue's later that morning, he spotted not only one, but two white-blonde heads next to the display of available ice-cream flavours.
The sight when they turned brought him twenty years back in time. The small boy at Lucius' side had darker eyes, and a longer face and fuller lips, but the resemblance to Draco was staggering. For a moment, all he could do was stand there, looking his fill, and blinking against the lint that somehow had gotten into his eye.
Being a gentleman, Lucius turned his back to resume the perusal of Fortescue's wares.
"Hello there." Severus crouched down to the boy's height. "My name is Severus. I'm an old friend of your Grandpa."
The boy faced him, fingering a toy wand in his small hands. He did not seem shy but the look in his eye wasn't trustful either.
"I'm Scorpius Malfoy."
"Of course you are." Said Severus, adjusting his position. "And aren't you a handsome young man. Now, what's that you got there?" He pointed at the toy. "Did Grandfather give it to you?"
Scorpius proudly displayed the wand. "No, it was Grandma. Grandpa says I'm too little to have one, but Grandma says that Grandpa is a sissy." He considered for a moment. "That's the same as being a cry-baby."
Severus chuckled. "I'm sure you can do wonderful magic with it."
"No, silly. This is just a toy," said Scorpius, frowning. "But when I'm eleven, I'll get a real wand from Olivander's." He drew himself up to his full 46 inches. "Then I'll be a wizard like Daddy, and then," He aimed the wand at Severus' chest, wielding it with the dramatic flair of a true Malfoy. Fierce green sparks sputtered from its tip. "I'll defeat you!"
Severus looked up, meeting Lucius' proud gaze. They both smiled.
"Yes." He told Scorpius. "Yes, I'm sure you will. You'll be right good at it too, better even than Daddy."
"That's right. You best watch out, Severus," said the elder Malfoy. "Though I hear that you have not returned to teaching?"
Severus straightened. "It won't be too soon if I never see Hogwarts again," he nodded towards Scorpius. "Though I can see now that I'll be missing out." He held out his hand.
Lucius shook it, looking him up and down. "Azkaban treated you reasonably well, I see."
Severus returned the appraisal. There were a few more lines around Lucius' eyes, and where his own hair was going grey, Lucius' was sporting a fair few white hairs among the blond. His eyes were less haughty than in his youth, and spoke of battles fought and fears faced. That had changed irrevocably during the winter of 1998. The Malfoy handsomeness, though, had not been beaten from him, and he cut the same immaculate figure that he always had.
"Potter said you have retired. I'd leave you in peace, Lucius but I have landed myself in a bit of a predicament."
They found an available stall, and Lucius brought chocolate ice cream for Scorpius and tea for the adults. There were quite a few customers despite the autumn chill, but most of them were too young to recognise the two former convicts.
"I'm a grandfather now," said Lucius, "first and foremost. I find myself quite finished with politics, so if that's where you need help...?"
Severus put two sugars in his cup. "I was attacked the other day," he said. "They burned down my house and tried to kill me."
"Is that so?" Lucius blew on his tea. "This is curious. Selwyn's house burned down not two weeks ago. They said it was an accident."
"Really? Is he alright?"
"He died."
A chill went down Severus' spine. Were the vigilantes were targeting ex-Death Eaters? "Did they report it to the Aurors?"
"The Aurors?" Lucius snorted. "Don't be daft."
"No, of course not." Severus watched Scorpius as he played with two spoons, enacting a wizard's duel. If Selwyn had been killed, it might mean he had not been able to access his magic properly. It was time to find out.
He held out the last sugar cube. "Lucius, would you mind transfiguring a napkin?"
The hard, calculating look he got was answer enough, but he had to make sure. "Can you do magic at all?" he asked. "What of the dark arts?"
Lucius nodded once, casting a wary look around the shop. "Only those. You as well?"
"Yes."
"Did the Dark Lord curse us?"
"I don't know."
They sat for a while, lost in thought, watching as the yellow plastic spoon suffered a fatal curse from the bigger pink one, and crumpled on the table top.
"I'm indebted to Potter."
Lucius' eyes widened. "Really? What on Earth does he want?"
Severus shook his head. "I can't talk of it."
"You've taken a vow again, haven't you?" Lucius' mood was restored, and he grinned with off-white teeth. "You have to stop doing that, Severus. It's rapidly becoming a bad habit."
Severus scowled. "Don't I know?"
"I did appreciate your last one, though," said Lucius, sober, "Narcissa as well. Come on. How bad can it be? It's only Potter, isn't it?"
Severus' widened his eyes in mock horror. "Could it possibly be worse?"
Lucius grinned. "He named his second son after you, you know. You could try and show some appreciation."
Severus' left eye twitched. "That's preposterous!"
"Are you telling me you don't know?" Lucius laughed outright. "Don't you read The Daily Prophet?"
As they left Florean's a few minutes later and headed down Diagon Alley in the direction of The Leaky Cauldron, the street was busy with afternoon shoppers. They kept to the shadows, trying to avoid unwanted attention. Lucius raised his hood.
Outside of Olivander's, a passer-by knocked into Severus' shoulder, making Scorpius startle, and grab Lucius' hand.
"Death Eater scum!"
They hurried through the enchanted brick wall where Lucius called upon an elf to apparate them home. Suddenly longing for the anonymity of the muggle world, Severus gratefully accepted the offer of a ride back to Hermione's flat.