Draco joined Potter by the grill while Hermione and Ron Weasley walked back and forth from the kitchen, laying out bowls and plates of salads and sides. Summoning them proved to be a disaster when Weasley accidentally summoned a plate of deviled eggs up against the kitchen window.

"Are those two always like that? I thought they'd be really uncomfortable to be around because of post-break up drama. Instead they just make me regular old uncomfortable."

Harry laughed at that, checking on the chicken before closing the grill up and facing Draco.

"I imagine they'll always be like that. They were cruel to each other a lot growing up, not sure how to deal with liking one another and I often got caught in the centre of it, but now they've come to terms with this really weird sibling like relationship. They clash in a lot of ways but they complement each other a lot too."

Draco watched the pair as Ron explained something with wild hand movements and Hermione let out a very unlady like laugh before turning back to Potter.

"It also helps that Ron isn't pining away for her anymore, but my first answer is the one Hermione would demand I give."

. . . . .

Hermione handed the potato salad down to Draco as they all settled in to their seats and began to dig in. The meal was outrageous in size but Hermione argued that with Ron living with George over the shop, they don't get enough quality cooking in them anymore and Hermione was determined to see the pair eat better.

Weasley spoke about the shop a bit, saying they were considering a second location in Hogsmeade but would that be too predictable and maybe they should keep an eye on some foreign markets instead.

The conversation shifted at some point to what their classmates are doing these days; one of Weasley's older brothers, Percy, has a job in the Minister's office; one of the Patil twins was apprenticing at St. Mungo's – where, Draco grumbled, he was still not allowed admission – while the other was abroad studying at a muggle university; Theo Nott, who never took that monsters mark on his arm, was working in Gringott's and he and Hermione ran into each other regularly.

Everyone else had lives.

The conversation went on without much contribution from Draco, who was now sullen and taking it out on the glazed ribs in front of him, which of course Potter grilled perfectly.

"—and now those on the Right are pairing up with a few of the weirdos on the Left. You'll have a hell of a fight," said Weasley.

Draco, hearing politics, perked up.

"What are the two political factions freaking out about nowadays?" Draco asked, trying to hide his pleasure at the change of topic. Hermione, who he hadn't noticed was scowling at Weasley's news, looked at him and her look shifted to one of amusement.

"You, actually. They're unifying to try and fight us on some of your parole conditions," informed Hermione, making Draco's face twitch slightly and causing the brunette to laugh.

. . . . . .

Weasley approached Draco and handed him a beer, drinking from his own and watching as Harry and Hermione cleared the table manually.

"The world's changed a lot since the war. You'll have a lot to catch up on," said the red head conversationally. Draco shrugged, not much caring for how the people they grew up with had moved on with their lives, but Weasley shook his head and continued.

"I don't mean the people. I saw how you perked up when the politics were mentioned, but they're different too. Used to just be the left and the right but Harry's changed things."

Draco said nothing but pondered what he was being told. The left had always called for inclusivity for muggleborns, limitations on blood and dark magic, yadda yadda. Everyone else was for traditional values: blood mattered, candles and quills continued to be used, men were the face of the family and women were to be docile, controlled, quiet.

Even Draco saw some faults with the old ways, but the left was never really an option. He never believed as a child that his father was in some way superior to his mother, so he didn't understand why she stayed home and volunteered while he pursued politics. Now, living with Hermione, he was struggling to reconcile his childhood beliefs with the woman who saved him from an unjust prison sentence when no one else would.

He would never admit to her that she's had him questioning his beliefs since the day she withstood torture at his aunt's wand, the day he saw her blood was just as red as his. He spent a good portion of his prison sentence thinking about everything he had been bred to believe and how wrong it had been. But intellectually knowing that was the easy part.

Since moving in with Hermione and Scarhead, he had yet to apologize for calling her a mudblood for all those years or even acknowledge the issue. Hermione sometimes looked at him as though she was waiting for him to say something cruel but he didn't trust himself to say anything right, so he said nothing about it at all.

"He and Hermione both, they've created this kind of grey area. The bond they did was some serious blood magic but they still obviously believe muggleborns and their families belong in the magical world. They want better rights for house elves and werewolves but they have your mother supporting them. They've carved out this political space in the middle of everything that just made sense after the war; not everything the left wants is reasonable and not everything the right wants makes sense any more, and after the war a lot of people our age started thinking that way. But both sides hate them for it, especially since you got mixed in."

Weasley took another long drink from his beer, nodding to Potter as he approached them. Draco followed suit and drank as well, hoping he wouldn't be expected to chip in much. He wanted time to digest the information Weasley had given him.

. . . . .

Hermione summoned the men back to the table after it had been cleared of their dinner and desserts were laid out. Draco joined her immediately, smirking when he saw the chocolate cake she'd had made for him to celebrate one week of not killing each other.

Harry held back, pulling Ron with him.

"I've got to ask something, but you have to promise it stays in the vault."

Ron nodded, looking around to make sure there were no beetles or spy gnomes present, before turning his full attention to his best mate.

"Does Malfoy just naturally look good in everything or is he just cocky enough to pull anything off? It's really not fair that even muggle clothes look fancy on him."

Ron laughed and nodded, having thought something similar earlier, then shrugged.

"It's really not fair," was all he could think to say to appease his irritated looking friend before clapping him on the back and making his way towards the desserts.

. . . . .

"How's Ginny doing lately? She cancelled on lunch with me for the fourth time so I'm guessing she's still a bit put out," Hermione asked, making no pretense of subtlety.

Potter and Weasley both blushed, the former stuffing his face with chocolate pudding to avoid contributing to the conversation.

"Well, Sunday dinner at the Burrow is about as tense as it was after Fred died," Weasley explained, oblivious to Draco's flinch of discomfort. He had been listed as one of the possible killers of the Weasley twin but he had been nowhere in the area when the redhead was killed by a stray hex.

"I figured once I stopped whining about our break up," he continued, gesturing between himself and Hermione, "that things would get better but then Harry and Ginny split and it just got worse."

Ron thought back to Sunday's dinner at the Burrow, discussing the project Hermione had voluntold him to do with his father and Percy, both keen to help. His mother, however, overheard and pitched a true fit, convinced Draco was the one who killed Fred despite his adamant refusal at his trial.

"Mum's always been a bit extreme but Ginny's taken the break-up pretty badly and now they're using each other as crazy sounding boards. She's been going on about how you don't give a rats' for tradition and saying some horrible things about 'Mione and how muggle witches don't understand wizarding values. Makes the rest of us real uncomfortable," he admitted, his voice ending in a whisper of shame as he finished confessing the sins of his sister.

Hermione looked ruffled, but unlikely to kill. Then she snorted and every head turned to her.

"She'll get over it. Can you imagine the Gin at Hogwarts being told she'd be living with her mother, wailing and whining because a man wouldn't marry her?"

Potter and Weasley perked up at that.

"Yeah, can't imagine she would have really much cared before whether or not she would be the next Lady Potter," Weasley joked.

This time it was Potter's turn to snort, looking at Hermione who refused to catch his eye.

"Alas, it seems there will never be another Lady Potter. Someone told me I could take the title and shove it." Harry noted, enjoying the strange look Draco was giving Hermione.

She was blushing furiously.

Authors note: Can't believe this story has gotten over 10,000 views! So grateful for the wonderful readers and reviewers this story gets. I have a small giveaway happening on tumblr for the people who follow me on there; winner will get a one-shot of their chosen pairing/particulars written up as a thank you for just being outrageously cool readers. Otherwise, there is still one more installment in the Visit and soon Draco will have to face the rest of the world.