"Hello?" A loud voice shouted from the front hallway of the loft.
Hermione quickly shot up from where she was sleeping and rubbed her heavy eyelids. Glancing around the room she realized that she was the only one still sleeping besides Adrian who slept all day and all night.
"Hermione? Cassie?" A familiar voice asked reaching the end of the hallway and the entryway to the living room.
"Daddy!" Cassie squealed rounding the corner of the hallway and running into her father. Hermione watched in delight as he picked her up and cradled her to his chest.
"Good morning beautiful," A husky voice said behind Hermione.
She gave Adrian a slight shove before rising from the couch to give Draco a hug herself. "How were things?"
"I'm never dealing with the Russians again, bloody ridiculous people, the propositions they tried to give me for partnership were completely unethical, so I left early and took my happy arse back to England," He complained.
"Language!" Hermione scolded.
"Dad?" Cassie said.
"Yes Cassie," He responded nuzzling her curls with his hand.
"What's a wanker?" Hermione's eyes opened widely and she starred at her daughter shockingly.
"What?" Draco snapped glancing at her suspiciously.
"Uncle Blaise and Uncle Adrian say you're a wanker all the time, what is it?" She inquired innocently.
"Stay with your mother for a moment, okay?" Draco declared handing her off to Hermione.
Hermione placed Cassie on the kitchen counter. "Don't listen to your Uncle Blaise and Adrian, okay? And don't use that word ever, understand?" She nodded her head happily acknowledging her mother's lesson.
Cassie looked at her mother with squinted eyes and motioned for her mother to come closer to her face.
"Is daddy mad?" Cassiopeia whispered into her mother ear.
"Blaise! Adrian!" Draco shouted strutting down the hallway that housed all of the bedrooms.
"Yes, I think he is," Hermione giggled.
X
"So how was last night?" Blaise asked from the breakfast bar, he was chewing loudly on the pancakes Hermione had made. Nearly minutes ago he had suffered a harsh beating with a magically enchanted book while Adrian was woken up by an Aquamenti charm, irritating both him and Hermione.
"It was pleasurable," Hermione replied tending back to feeding Cassie. She was hoping they wouldn't ask any further questions about the subject at hand.
"What happened last night?" Draco asked arching an eyebrow as he looked at Hermione questionably.
"Mia went on a date with Marcus Flint," Theo smirked as Adrian pointed towards Hermione with his fork as a pointer.
"Adrian, don't point that's not polite," She scolded avoiding eye contact with Draco.
"Flint? I haven't heard from him in years. So, you went on a date, how was it?" He asked sounding intrigued.
"You're not mad?" Hermione questioned.
Draco furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "Why would I bet mad?"
She shrugged. "Normally you try to scare all of my dates off, along with Adrian, Blaise, and Theo," Hermione added.
There was a pregnant pause in the room.
"I know Marcus can handle his own, he isn't like those other guys. He hasn't really ever had a long-term relationship, if you forgot; he wasn't the best-looking bloke in school. He grew out of the ugly duckling stage though," Adrian said breaking the silence. Hermione did have to agree with that.
"I know Flint isn't like the others, he wouldn't intentionally hurt you, or use you for publicity. Flint can also handle the fact that we have a child together, those other wankers can't," Draco scoffed.
"That's a no-no word daddy!" Cassie squealed crossing her arms.
The whole room was filled with laughter as Draco's face flushed with embarrassment.
"When are you two going on a proper date?" Theo inquired.
"Tonight, he didn't tell me a time so I assume he would owl me," Hermione answered shrugging her shoulders.
Suddenly, someone began knocking at the loft door.
"Or that could be him right now," Adrian teased jumping from his seat.
"Adrian!" Hermione hissed as he disappeared behind the corner leading to the hallway.
A few muffled voices were heard from down the hallway and then moments later three heads appeared. Luna, Blaise's girlfriend of three years was chatting Marcus' ear off from what Hermione could hear about the horn tailed pixies her father had found in their apricot garden.
"Luna," Blaise called. Hermione watched as she suddenly stopped talking and her eyes quickly filled with nothing but pure lust. It all happened so fast, first she was standing next to Marcus next she was attacking Blaise's mouth with her own.
"There are children in the room!" Adrian scolded covering Theo's eyes with his hands while Draco hid Cassie's.
"I didn't know I was labeled as a child," Theo huffed crossing his arms like a petulant adolescent.
"You are when you do that," Marcus chuckled shoving his hands deeply in his pockets. Not noticing it last night, but Hermione looked at the height difference between Marcus and his friendly mates around him, it was nearly three or four inches, besides Draco who was merely two inches.
"You're quite tall," Hermione blurted.
"It runs in the family," He informed shrugging his shoulders.
"Something else could be tall as well," Adrian murmured. Marcus quickly smacked Adrian across the back of the head making Cassie laugh with delight.
"I like you," She smiled from her father's arms, "You're funny."
"Nice to see your back Malfoy," Marcus started extending his hand for one of his old-school mates to shake. Draco took it willingly, smiling as Cassie clutched her arms around her father's neck.
"I missed England, I'm done with business trips, they're useless. How's your company going?"
"Quite well, Adrian just finished a deal extending our company to a few places in Ireland and I just persuaded a few more in Russia and France, bloody Russians were hard and their compromises weren't very promising."
"You're telling me."
"Enough work talk, it's the weekend," Luna smiled clapping her hands.
"What should we do today?" Hermione asked glancing between Marcus and Draco.
"We could go to Hogsmeades, take Cassie to a few stores and have an early lunch," Luna suggested.
"That sounds lovely, so up boys, go shower or change, or do whatever you have to do," Hermione commanded patting the back of Theo and Blaise's seats.
Groaning the three boys got up and walked down the hallway to the spare bedroom where Hermione had kept the multiple pairs of clothes they had a tendency to leave over night when they stayed.
"I'll go get Cassie changed," Draco winked, taking Luna along with him leaving Hermione alone in the kitchen with Marcus.
"Hello," He said in his husky voice she loved already.
"Hi," She nearly squeaked.
"So am I invited with this little rendezvous or would you like to wait until tonight?" Marcus asked running a hand through his hair. Had it grown even more since last night?
"You're invited, you never gave me a proper time or location for tonight so I assumed you would contact me later today."
"I thought stopping by and communicating in person was more suitable."
"Or chivalrous?"
"Or chivalrous," He agreed.
"I'm going to go and change, so wait here, it'll just take a moment," She pleaded.
"Anything for you princess," He smirked turning around to walk to the living room.
Hermione smiled softly to herself then subtly made a hurry to her bedroom. Glancing around at the mess of dirty AND clean clothes she made a quick choice. A pair of dark blue muggle jeans, her favorite cream sweater that exposed her left shoulder and a pair of ankle nude boots.
She stopped abruptly at the door, noticing the unruliness of her hair. Grabbing her wand, she used a cleansing spell to pull the long waves into a suitable fashion tucking the tendrils on the side of her exposed shoulder behind her ear to enhance the bareness there.
"Mum," Cassie said knocking from the outside of the door.
"You can come in," Hermione smiled.
"Dad too?" She asked.
"Yes, dad too."
Draco pushed the door open and Cassie walked in dressed in a small white and green polka dot dress with a black cardigan and black flats. He unruly curls were pulled into two small pigtails held by green ribbons.
"Did daddy do your hair or did Aunt Luna?" Hermione asked tickling her daughter's stomach momentarily.
"Aunt Luna," She blushed hiding her face from her dad.
"I thought that was going to be our little secret," Draco chuckled, explaining why Cassiopeia was hiding from her father.
"Don't teach her how to lie Draco, that's completely against our morals."
"You scold me a lot," He teased.
"It's because we're parents and we have to raise her right, even though she is perfect."
The two stood there for a moment smiling at their beautiful daughter.
"Do you like him?" Draco asked.
"What?" Hermione replied completely taken off guard.
"I saw how you looked at him, it may have only been a day Hermione but you're completely smitten with him. I know you like him," He smirked.
"Yes, I do like him, but I don't want to make things awkward or uncomfortable for you or Cassie," She sighed sitting on the edge of the bed.
"I'm completely comfortable with you dating, and I think Cassie is also because she's completely smitten with him as well," Draco replied.
"Are you sure it's okay?"
"Hermione, you like him and I'm telling you to go after him," Draco encouraged.
She smiled softly and leaned over to her daughter's father kissing him solemnly on the cheek while afterwards whispering a soft thank you into his ear.
X
"Where do you want to go next Cassiopeia?" Hermione called watching as her daughter starred around at the various shops trying to decipher where she wanted to go.
"How about the candy store that Uncle Blaise and Adrian always take me too?" She suggested clapping her hands.
"Honeydukes it is then," Adrian clapped throwing Cassie up into his arms and running with her towards the candy store.
"He loves candy," Marcus informed, "Ever since he had his first chocolate frog."
"Those things are absolutely disgusting; I don't know how anyone could find them even edible " Hermione retorted making a face.
X
After the shop was entirely picked over by Blaise, Adrian, Theo, and Cassiopeia, Luna and Hermione made the suggestion to go eat lunch at the Three Broomsticks. Walking down the small dirt pathway of the streets of Hogsmeades, Hermione smiled when she felt Marcus curl his long soft fingers around her hand and she clutched on tightly in return.
"Hermione dear, welcome!" Madam Rosmerta called as they walked through the door.
"Would you mind if we moved a few tables together in the back so we could all sit down, there's seven of us and I don't want to cause a ruckus," She blushed.
"Sit wherever you'd like," She recalled tending back to the pestering wizard in front of her who had four empty Fire Whiskey glasses sitting upside down in front of him.
"What would everyone like to drink?" Draco asked as they all sat down.
Adrian and Blaise glanced at Draco seriously. Shaking his head, he sighed heavily.
"Okay, what would everyone besides Adrian, Blaise, and Theo like to drink?" He corrected.
"I'll just have a butterbeer," Luna smiled snuggling into Blaise's embrace.
"Same for me," Hermione said.
"Can I have a kid's drink dad? I like the umbrellas they give you," Cassie pleaded.
"Yes you can petal."
"I'll help you Draco," Marcus declared rising from his seat next to Hermione.
"Alright, be right back."
Luna turned her full attention to Hermione, "You're completely smitten with him."
"Yes I like him, I wouldn't say a lot though Luna, it's complicated. I don't want to put Cassie in an uncomfortable position," She mumbled glancing down at her daughter who was trying to read the book her father had just bought for her.
"She likes him too Mia," Adrian chimed in.
"They get along so well and I've never seen you smile this much before, even Cassie said so!" Blaise announced throwing his hands in the air.
"I just fee-,"
"Well look who it is," A snarky voice called from the head of the table. Hermione's ears immediately perked up and she quickly placed Cassie on the other side of her so that she was next to Adrian.
"Weasel, what do you want?" Blaise growled glaring at the red hair male in front of him.
"What are you doing here?" Adrian groaned with piercing eyes.
"I could ask you the same question," He snapped.
"Why did you come over here Ronald?" Hermione asked running her hands unceremoniously through Cassiopeia's curls to keep her calm.
"I noticed these three wankers so I thought I'd come over and see why you were all here, last I checked neither of you were allowed anywhere near Hogsmeade," He sneered.
"Who implied that rule?" Hermione gapped.
"I did."
"You're an egotistical bastard," Luna quipped.
"You should think twice before you speak Loony," Ronald insulted.
"Hey!" Blaise shouted.
"What's that thing doing here?" He pointed, glaring at Cassiopeia. If looks could kill Adrian would have already murdered Ron.
"Leave her out of this Ron," Hermione warned wrapping her arms around Cassie who was now fully aware of the situation.
Placing himself in the seat next to Hermione he leaned into her ear, "You know that could have been our daughter, she would have been beautiful. But now you've gone and lowered your standards."
Hermione shook her head, "We weren't meant to be Ronald, I've told you that. You're married Ron, doesn't your wife make you happy?"
"You leave my wife out of this," He snapped.
"Please just walk away Ron, I really don't want any more trouble," She pleaded.
He smirked, "Are you begging?"
"I believe she asked you to leave," Marcus said with a dark tone. His height towered over Ron's and with the build of his body there was no doubt Ron would lose if he tried to fight the bloke.
"Is this your new boyfriend?" It was almost like he had sounded jealous. "I remember you. You're Marcus Flint. You used to play Quidditch. What happened there, not good enough to be resigned?"
Marcus clenched his fists so tightly at his side that his knuckles had turned white. "I got a real job, that has benefits and can support me. You can't play Quidditch your entire life, you'll be done in a few years. And when you are you'll regret not going out and getting an actual job."
"How dar-,"
"Ron! That enough, let's go."
Hermione looked at a face she hadn't seen in years, she wanted to smile however, she didn't. Harry Potter stood behind Ron, avoiding eye contact with everyone. He grabbed Ron's arm and tried to pull him away.
Ron pushed Harry away, "Let me go Harry."
"We need to get back to the Burrow, your mum is waiting," Harry informed. Obviously, it was a lie. Even after all these years of not seeing him Hermione knew when he was being honest and when he was lying.
Ron turned around quickly, stalking away from the table, Harry following quickly behind them, "They're all a bunch of rubbish anyway." The inhabitants at the table stood silent as they watched the two wizards leave the tavern.
"I think we should go to Grandma Cissa's." The silence was finally broken.
