The Granger house
The following Wednesday, they were invited to a dinner with Hermione's parents, as they did on an almost weekly basis to check up on their daughter and her relationship with Draco. The first meeting between him and her parents had been a bit awkward if not even a bit strained, as they remembered Hermione's stories about his constant, and sometimes relentless, bullying, but after a deep conversation about his motives with their only daughter, they did realise that he had matured into a completely different person; they considered him now a charming young man who had been through a lot, and who had done just as much for his redemption. And he was clearly a match for Hermione's level of intelligence and wit.
Draco loved the visits to her parents, he felt comfortable there because with them, he wasn't the Malfoy heir with all the baggage attached; instead he was just Hermione's boyfriend for all they knew. It really felt liberating to have contact with someone who hadn't been involved in the war, and who didn't judge him for his shameful role in it.
And since Hermione's mother, Jean, had an interest in psychology, even currently trying to finish a diploma, she usually provided them with some advice about how to handle a few of the more clashing aspects of their personalities, like Draco's possessiveness and her need for independence, or his more relaxed attitude to life, based on his wealth, and her drive to excel at everything because she still sometimes felt as if she had to prove her worth, but especially her habit of quickly jumping to assumptions, and his feeling insulted by it every time.
"There you are. We thought you had forgotten the time," Jean commented with a smile when she opened the door and found her daughter there in a kiss with Draco.
"Sorry, Jean, she needed a bit of cheering up after a bad day at work."
"Hi, Mum." Hermione smiled and waved, blushing a bit, then entered her old home while keeping Draco's hand in hers, and thus pulling him inside. "It really was a bad day at work, I'm sorry."
"It's okay. It's only ten minutes anyway." Jean closed the door behind the two and followed them back into the living room, where the table had already been prepared for the dinner. "So, how's everything going in the wizarding world?"
"I thought I heard someone come in." William, Hermione's dad, came out of the kitchen, where he apparently had been handling the wine. "Good evening, you two. And please, sit down." He put the open wine bottle on the table, then waved at his daughter.
Hermione waved back. "Hi, Dad." Smiling, she took a seat, with Draco sitting down next to her, then placed a peck on his cheek. "Thanks for the cheering up, my dear."
"Anything interesting happening in the wizarding world?" Jean repeated her question while she sat down as well; tonight it was her husband's turn to cook dinner, and he had banned her from the kitchen to keep her from taking over. "Have you finally told your friends? They should really have picked up some clues..."
Hermione shook her head. "We haven't yet, but they seem to have indeed picked up some clues, as they are trying to get us together-"
"We decided to reveal everything in about a month-"
"It is amusing to listen to them, but-"
"You should really tell them, sweetheart. You've been together for a bit more than two years. I don't know whether they'll take it so easily that you have fooled them for so long." Jean poured the wine into the glasses, as William was back in the kitchen.
"I just didn't want to jinx it, Mum. They are great friends, but they tend to meddle a bit too much in things that don't concern them. And it being Draco..."
Jean smiled sympathetically. Her daughter had told her of the objections her friends might have about the relationship, that he had been her biggest bully in that special school, and that their backgrounds were so different; but she didn't think that those objections would be of any importance in the end. Draco was part of the group now, as far as she understood, and even regularly part of the Weasley Sunday lunch. Anyone who was invited by Mrs. Weasley was good enough for her other friends. "Just remember that fooling them for more than two years might be a bit of a shock. But no more advice from me, you're here for a nice dinner. To a nice evening..." Jean raised her wine glass for the toast, repeated by Hermione and Draco.
"How's the dentist practice going?" Draco asked when he put his glass back down. He held Hermione's hand tightly in his other, letting his thumb run over the back of her hand, clearly enjoying that he was able to do that here.
"Dental practice," Hermione whispered, correcting him.
"Same as usual," William replied from the kitchen. "People still eat too much sugar."
"He told me yesterday that he had a small boy in for braces that reminded him of you. You know, blond hair and pale-bluish eyes."
"Braces?" Draco asked. Hermione had explained him quite a bit how Muggle dentistry worked, so that he had a topic with her parents, but he was still sometimes surprised by some things.
"I explained that I think," Hermione replied, slightly purring from his touch. "It's what dentists put on your teeth to correct them, so that they look nice and straight. Not everyone was born with a perfect set of teeth like you."
"I remember, though I don't think I paid much attention, as I was slightly occupied with something else when you thought it appropriate to explain it," Draco replied with a smirk.
"...and I don't want to know those kinds of details," Jean added, smiling, slightly embarrassed.
"So, dinner is finally ready," William said from the kitchen. "Jean, can you help me bring everything to the table in one go? I'm sure they are starving..."
"Dad!"
Minutes later, everything was put on the table. William had opted for something fitting a summer evening, basically just a nice piece of chops, some roast vegetables and some potatoes, nothing too heavy.
"So, what happened at work today that she needed to cheer up on our doorstep?"
"Nothing big, really. Just that my boss suddenly has the idea that I don't pay enough attention to the cases he hands me. Only he doesn't give me anything worthwhile, just baby stuff, usually done in an hour or two, a day at most. And now he won't let me help Harry on a case he says he desperately needs my input on. It's just frustrating. Gah!"
"I could request you as a new partner, you know? Po- Harry might be happy to have someone else to share his office with, and you would no longer be stuck with Flaherty," Draco proposed with an earnest smile.
"Thanks. I'll think about it." She took another bite of vegetables into her mouth.
"If that happens before you tell your friends, that might just fuel the rumours. I hope you know that," Jean added after taking a sip from her wine.
"You should hear the gossip in my dentistry. Sometimes I think they just make an appointment to exchange the latest news in the waiting room..."
"As I said, I'm going to think about it. Might just as well apply for a change of department myself. I'm sometimes more often in Harry's office to go through a case than my own, though I always make sure my own are up to date."
The rest of the dinner was spent talking about things that happened in the neighbourhood, and how Jean's niece had just given birth to twins. Children was one of the topics they hadn't yet talked about, as they both still felt a bit too young for it, but they both got the impression that Jean would love a grandchild.
"Care to help me with the dishes, young man? Let the ladies of the house enjoy a moment between them?" William asked when they finished dinner, slowly collecting the cutlery and plates.
Draco nodded and of course got up, wondering a bit why the older man was making a point of having him help with the dishes. He didn't mind helping with clearing off the dishes, but William's voice had an additionally questioning sound to it.
"Thanks. Just put it on the counter. I'll put it in the dishwasher later."
"Why do I get the impression that you want to talk with me?" Draco said, still puzzled but somewhat amused about the now visibly nervous William.
"Well, yes, I do. Sorry about that."
"Just shoot. It takes a lot to shock me nowadays..."
"Well, it's about my daughter, you know. I just wanted to know something. You've been together for more than two years, and I was just curious whether you were playing with the thought of proposing to her in the near future. You do have my blessing, you know..."
Draco smiled. He had been suspecting a question like that for a while now, and it reminded him that the Grangers should be on the invitation list for the revealing as well. "It did cross my mind, but haven't yet found the right moment." Though he had already, about seven months ago, in late autumn. He had been paired with Hermione as a partner on a case in Bath, and the setting just had been perfect for it. And, thank Merlin, she had said yes.
"What's taking you two so long?" Jean asked from the living room. "You better come back with the dessert..."
"Another minute, my dear." William opened the fridge and took out a tray with four bowls containing a simple vanilla pudding and fruits. "Anyone want some coffee as well?"
"I'll bring the desserts," Draco proposed, taking the tray. "Better not let them wait any longer."
"I see Hermione has trained you well."
With a smirk, Draco left the kitchen again to bring the desserts to the table. "There you are." He served the two women sitting there their bowls before placing the other two at his and William's spots.
"What did Dad want to speak about?" Hermione asked before she dug her spoon into the pudding.
"I'll tell you later..." Draco sat down again, looking forward to the dessert.
"William, you didn't ask him what we were discussing earlier today, did you?"
Hermione looked at Draco, who just tried to hide his embarrassment behind the pudding. Then her eyes grew big, sharing his embarrassment when she realised what it probably had been about. "We might have to revise the invitation list," she whispered so that only Draco could hear her.
"Oh yes. That's going to be an interesting evening..."
"We should make them a picture book or something, you know."
"We only have that one picture, love."
"True. Sorry about my dad, though. He just cares about me." She placed a small kiss on his cheek.
In that moment, William came back from the kitchen, balancing the coffees on a small tray together with milk and sweetener.