Hermione's POV
We all tucked into the delicious three course meal the staff had prepared throughout the day – since working at the Ministry it was now law that House Elves did not work in the kitchen of any home or establishment, they were only required to work in up keeping the cleanliness of the home or building. Everybody around the table appeared to enjoy the food, all amazed by the hog roast that had been made as the main course. When dessert arrived the children went mad; Draco and I planned ahead and arranged a selection of different cakes and treats with the hope that it would cheer up Rose, Hugo and Scorpius. Fortunately our plan had worked to our advantage and the children revelled in the choice, their plates stacked with all kinds of luxuries from slices of pie and cake, to bowls overflowing with vanilla and chocolate ice-cream. Even the adults went slightly wild at the prospect of a dessert buffet, Neville and Luna gathering a mighty collection of cake and ice-cream – something Luna used to do at dinner time in Hogwarts too. Harry, Ginny, Draco and I were more restrained as we opted for a large portion of profiteroles in hot fudge sauce.
"Do you remember…" I chuckled to myself, "Harry, Ginny, do you remember that odd dinner we had with Professor Slughorn, in 6th year?" I paused again, laughing slightly louder now.
"How could I ever forget!" Harry responded, a smile growing across his face, "You told him the boy who bit your dad's finger during a dentist appointment, Slughorn was so confused by it all!"
"And Cormac McLaggen would not stop staring at me!" I responded, my voice cracking ever so slightly from all the laughter.
"Remember the Christmas party Slughorn held too, the dragon tartars? McLuggan ate one then threw up all over Snape?" Harry chuckled, prodding the profiteroles with his fork before stuffing them in his mouth.
"Did that really happen?" asked Albus, Harry's oldest son. Harry and I nodded enthusiastically, sniggering once again at the memory. "Oh." Albus responded. "Dad never tells us funny stories like that."
"You never ask Albus." Harry retorted, pointing his fork at the direction of Albus. "If you want to hear some I'm sure we'd all be more than happy to share funny tales from our time at Hogwarts?" We adults nodded in unison, our eyes scanning the room for a reaction from the children.
"We could set ourselves up in the biggest living room couldn't we, Draco? Get some hot chocolate ready with lots of snacks, blankets and a big fire in the fireplace. Would be lovely don't you think?" There was a wave of nods from around the table, all the children filling with excitement for even more treats. I swear children just think with their stomachs! Might give you some inspiration for your wedding speech too Draco." I muttered, playfully hitting his arm as he flashed a half-smile at me, trying his hardest not to humour my snide comment. We stood from our seats and began to clear the mess we had made, stacking the dishes in an orderly pile at the end of the table to help ease the load for the staff. As one of the waitresses approached the dining table I requested a large pot of hot chocolate, bowls of cream and toppings for the beverages, as well as snacks for the children and a few Butter-Beers for us adults. She nodded and went on her way as we adjourned to the largest living room in the manor whilst Draco hunted down blankets for everyone to use.
As everyone sat themselves down on the sofas near the fireplace, I took out my wand and projected a spell at the coals, the room filling with cheers as a great fire erupted. Just as I turned around Draco entered the room, arms overflowing with blankets. I paced across the room to lighten the load, placing a kiss on his cheek to thank him. We moved back to the crowd of people together and distributed the blankets amongst everyone before sitting ourselves down on the remaining two seater sofa. I threw the cover over us and settled myself against Draco's body, my heart fluttering ever so subtly as he wrapped his arm around me, letting it linger on my waist, sending shivers through my body.
Harry was sat beside Ginny, his hand placed around her the same way Draco had done with me. Neville and Luna were less publicly affectionate towards one another but still sat beside one another, Neville holding Luna's hand as she rested it on his knee. They always were an awkward couple, but absolutely perfect for one another. I suppose I've always felt quite jealous that they matched so well; they share all the same beliefs and their personalities are nearly identical. They just mesh so well together in a way so different from Draco and me and from Harry and Ginny. Their wedding was so beautiful too; set in the countryside surrounded by nature, they said their hand-written vows to one another and had a blessing in the woods before moving into a cosy tent decorated in bunting, flowers and fairy lights. Neville wore a tux similar to the one he wore at the Yule Ball, and Luna, well Luna wore a floral headdress on top of perfectly waved hair, and the most incredible bespoke dress I have ever seen – a knee length white dress made of silk and floral patterned tulle for the skirt. Both looked absolutely fantastic on their big day...I could only dream of a wedding so pure and beautifully simple.
"So what kind of story do you want to hear?" Harry asked the children, his voice pulling me out of my thoughts.
"Anything funny!" They chimed. They stared at us all for a moment in anticipation. I felt Draco lean forward slightly his body tensing as if about to speak but being unsure. I imagine he felt nervous that he did not have as many good memories as everyone else in the room did and so I took his hand in mine and brushed my fingers across his in an attempt to calm him.
"Well," he spoke gently, "When I was younger in Hogwarts I was often quite mean to everyone. I used to get away with it a lot because of who my parents were, but then one day I was mean to Hermione, and boy did I regret it." He gripped my hand tightly, as if pained by the memory of our past. He exhaled and continued. "Hermione got pretty annoyed with me and so she launched forward and punched me full on in the face before Harry pulled her away. She made me cry like a little girl!" He chuckled lightly, unsure on whether anyone else would find it amusing. A fraction of a second later the children burst out laughing and Draco's body released all the tension that had built up in that short minute. Everybody else slowly joined in with the laughter too.
"That actually happened?!" Exclaimed Rose, before erupting with laughter. Harry, Draco and I all nodded our heads, finally beginning to calm down after the fit of hysteria.
There was a loud knock at the door before it edged open, the light from the corridor flooding into the room and jolting our attention the waitress stood in the doorway. She carted the food and drinks I had requested towards the group before taking her leave. Once we had all calmed down we began to help ourselves to the beverages and food and Draco relit the fire. We settled down back into our seats and refuelled ourselves with our treats, preparing ourselves for the long night ahead.