Disclaimer: Not mine

A/N - this isn't the entire evening. More next chapter.

Sunday night until Thursday afternoon, both households were on tenterhooks. Unsurprisingly, the male Malfoys were the most anxious, with their respective mates reminding each of them how successful their last meeting had been. In desperation, Narcissa even waved the empty bag of crisps as proof.

By Wednesday, Hermione was ready to slip a calming draught in Draco's tea. Narcissa had started spiking Lucius' drinks on Monday night. The man was positively insufferable. Still, for every moment he drove her insane, she had twice that to smile at the improvement in their situation. It was painfully obvious how much he cared. She could only hope reconciliation would matter as much to her son.

So there was a sharp rapping at Draco Malfoy's door precisely at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The door opened so quickly it was obvious someone had been waiting right behind it.

The elder Malfoys looked straight, then down, into the wide eyes of their second chance. Feeling overcome, Narcissa teared up.

"Why are you crying? Did you hurt yourself?" The boy tilted his head in a manner reminiscent of Draco at that age, though he lacked their son's innate imperiousness.

Cissa sniffled, and did her best to compose herself. While it took an eternity to regain control in Malfoy-time (displays of emotion simply weren't done), it was but a couple of seconds. "No, dear. I'm crying because I'm happy. So very happy to meet you finally."

The boy gave his grandmother a skeptical look, then turned to his grandfather. "You again. You were strange in Honeydukes, but you were okay as Ab." Lucius raised a brow, and did his best not to laugh.

Scorpius shook his head, and offered the blunt opinion that adults made no sense.

"You'll understand when you're older." Draco had arrived at the door, and he gently pulled Scorpius back so his parents could enter. "Welcome to our home. I see you've met your grandson." He couldn't help smiling at his parents' reaction to Scorpius. They had seemed so cold for much of his childhood, and certainly during his teenage years. And here they were, thawed in seconds by a six year-old. Of course, it probably didn't hurt that they weren't worried about a certain lunatic wizard ending their lives at any moment anymore.

Lucius and Narcissa observed that while the house was miniscule compared to Malfoy Manor, it was undoubtedly a home. Their son and his wife had created a place of warmth and comfort, in sharp contrast to the cool beauty of the Manor. Lucius concluded this must be Hermione's influence. He surprised his son by inquiring regarding her whereabouts so quickly. Draco told him Hermione was in the kitchen, and he pointed the way. Scorpius happily led his father and his grandmother to the parlor, chattering about everything and nothing. When he left the room to get a toy, Narcissa turned to Draco and clutched him fiercely to her. His arms came up to return the embrace with equal strength, and he kissed his mother's hair. Their reunion was silent, but no less powerful for it.

Meanwhile, the Malfoy patriarch had located the kitchen.

"My dear girl, what are you doing?" Hermione spun around at the silky baritone, and found her father-in-law leaning against the doorjamb, one ankle rakishly crossing the other. For a moment, it reminded her of Sirius.

"Hello, Ab. We meet again. Honestly, if anyone told me you would be lounging in my kitchen and calling me 'dear girl,' I'd have had them committed."

"I am certain that would have been a gentler solution than one I would have employed."

She smirked as she recognized Lucius' attempt at self-deprecation.

He looked at her curiously. "The question remains, what is this? I was of the impression you and Draco had house elves."

"We do, but I like to cook the Muggle way sometimes. It's similar to potion making in some respects. And it soothes me when I'm nervous." She turned away to pull a dish from the oven.

"Hermione." She could hear the command in his tone, and she turned again to face him.

He paused, thinking of how he wanted to express himself. Then he stepped closer to her. "I wanted to thank you for getting my son to speak to me, and for allowing us into your home, and your lives. It is I who should be nervous, not you. And I have been. I want very much to get this right this time. Cissa and I never dreamed we would have the chance to rectify our mistakes, and we are extremely grateful."

She set the potholders down on the counter, and squared her shoulders. "If you hadn't snuck up on us that day at the park, I can't say if I would be so accommodating. So I guess I'm grateful for your duplicitous behavior, for once. Don't make a habit of it, though." She grinned up at him, and both parties felt the tension ease considerably.

"I wouldn't dream of it." This was said so smoothly, she knew she'd have to watch out in the future, especially around her son's birthday, or Christmas. She found she didn't mind. As long as he wasn't trying to kill her, she suspected Lucius could make life very interesting.

"Here. Make yourself useful. We don't stand on ceremony." Hermione handed Lucius a covered plate, and directed him to the dining room. He noted that the table held a large quantity of food, and curiosity got the best of him. He lifted the lid on the plate he was carrying, caught the familiar scent, and smiled.

"Everyone? Dinner is served!" Scorpius ran into the dining room, followed closely by Draco and Narcissa. The men pulled out the ladies' chairs, and they all settled down to a pleasant, peaceful dinner.

For five minutes.

"Grandfather Malfoy?"

"Yes, Scorpius?" Lucius was happily loading his plate, assembling a nice balance of traditional items and Muggle dishes. He couldn't wait to try some of them.

"Daddy told me that you and Grandmother made mistakes, and that's why you've never been here."

Grandfather stopped what he was doing, and turned his full attention to the child. "Yes, we did."

"What did you do? It must have been a really big mistake if you were punished for so long."

"Punished?"

"Yeah. Sometimes when I make a mistake, I get grounded, and I can't go anywhere. Is that what happened to you?"

Lucius rubbed his chin, doing his best to choose his words with care. "Have you ever believed something, and then found out you were wrong?"

"Sure. I didn't think the blender needed a top."

The older man's brow furrowed, and he decided to let that go for now. "Grandmother Malfoy and I believed something that was wrong, and it caused us to be...less than kind to your mother and your father. We behaved very badly."

"So you got put in time-out, then."

Hermione was covering her mouth with her napkin, and Narcissa reached out to touch Scorpius' blond curls.

"No, dear, though we certainly would have deserved it. We were very naughty. It took a long time for us to realize that we were wrong. Luckily, your mother and your father have agreed to give us another try."

"And you won't be mean this time? If you're mean you have to leave." Scorpius folded his arms, and glared at his grandparents. Ah. There's Draco in him. Lucius suppressed a grin.

"We promise. We will not be mean."

Scorpius climbed out of his chair, marched up to his grandfather, and held out his hand. "Shake on it."

They shook, and the child retook his seat. He turned to his grandmother, and repeated the action. Satisfied that everyone would behave, he dove into his potato salad, oblivious to the four uncomfortable adults.

Lucius looked like he'd been hit by the Knight Bus, and his wife wasn't in much better shape. Hermione shook her head. "Out of the mouths of babes." She rose from the table, and returned with two wineglasses that bubbled suspiciously. Her father-in-law looked highly pleased when he recognized the mysterious liquid. He was even more pleased by the gentle hands she laid on his and his wife's shoulders.