Hermione sighed as she ran her hand through her hair. Again. She seemed to be doing that a lot, and added stress made her repeat the annoying habit.
She had yet to see or hear from Draco and Rose. It had been two days since she had returned to her old house and ended up with a child in hospital. She had gone home with Hugo, making sure to keep an eye on the child. But in doing so she had pushed her own daughter away, into the arms of someone else. Hermione wanted her daughter back, she was missing her. But what surprised Hermione the most was she found herself wanting Draco to come home, come back to the place that felt more like home than anywhere else ever had.
Narcissa had informed Hermione that Draco and Rose wanted to stay at the hospital with Scorpius. It had come as no surprise to either woman that Draco was staying at the hospital; it was clear to both of them that he thought the world of his child. What had come as a surprise was the hissy fit that Rose had thrown when Narcissa had tried to take the young girl home.
"Rose, come on. It is getting late, we should get home." Narcissa turned, heading to the door. She paused, whispering something to her son before kissing his head. Rose remained exactly where she was.
"Rose?" Narcissa tried again. The girl glared at her, challenging her to make her leave. Narcissa made to grab the girl, but Rose moved away. Draco lifted his head up, looking at Rose.
He held his arm out, and the young girl instantly ran over and climbed onto his lap. She looked up at Narcissa, a look of satisfaction on her face.
"Draco?" Narcissa questioned. She was wondering why Rose was so close to him at the moment, and realised that she would be having a conversation with the mother of the child sometime soon.
"Leave her; she can stay if she wants." Draco said softly as Rose snuggled into his neck, resting her head on his shoulder. Narcissa had no choice but to just leave Rose behind, questioning only what she would tell the mother of the young girl.
A knock at the door made Hermione jump up, bringing her out of her reverie instantly. She found herself hoping that at the door were Draco, Rose and possibly Scorpius. But the person standing on the other side of the door was not who she was wanting.
"Where is my darling Draco?" The woman at the door squealed, her high pitched voice filling the air. Hermione couldn't help but wonder, 'darling Draco?' as she looked at the woman who stood in the doorway. Her hair, some colour in between brown and blonde, was styled perfectly so it fell down to her shoulders before curling into neat, wide curls. Her clothes were the latest fashions from Paris and fitted her tiny figure perfectly. The expressionless face with a bit too much makeup framing a pair of dull green eyes looked up at Hermione, a sneer forming upon noticing her.
"Who are you?" The woman asked rather rudely. Hermione resisted the urge to snap back.
"Draco isn't here." Three words, all Hermione allowed herself to say. She found herself wondering what relationship this stuck up woman had with Draco. Was she his friend? Or his girlfriend? He hadn't mentioned that he had a girlfriend, but then, he didn't really need to tell her everything, and it could have slipped his mind.
"When will he be back?" Again, the woman was looking at her nails.
"I don't know."
"How is my son?" Son? Her son? Then Hermione realised who she was.
"Scorpius' mother." The other woman, Astoria, looked up at Hermione, nodding sarcastically. Hermione frowned, not having realised that she had actually spoken out loud.
"Well done, how is my son?" Hermione had no idea what to say, she had no real idea what to say to Draco's ex-wife. And on top of that she had no real idea how Astoria's son actually was. Hermione looked at the other woman, then she realised that Astoria still hadn't shown any concern on her face, it was as if she didn't really care, as if she was just acting.
Draco stirred as he heard a voice. Multiple voices to be exact. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, but figured he must have some time in the early morning.
"I can't wait to go home. I don't like this place."
Draco smiled as he heard his son speaking. Then his eyes shot open. Scorpius is awake?
"Daddy!" Scorpius cried out as he jumped off his bed and into his father's arms. Draco nearly cried he was so happy and relieved. He held the embrace for a few minutes before pulling away, holding his son at arm's length. There appeared to be nothing wrong; the child looked as good as he had a few days previous.
The door opened and Healer Gray walked in, a piece of parchment in his hands. He made it all the way to the edge of the bed, pulling his wand out as he was walking, and was halfway through a spell before he realised the person he was supposed to be checking wasn't in his bed. Surprised, he moved over to where Scorpius sat with his father, redoing the spell as he frowned.
"Is there something wrong?" Draco asked, hoping nothing was wrong and that he could go home. Personally, he preferred having a Healer come to the house if he or anyone needed one, and he had a Healer he trusted to do a good job. But he knew that she wouldn't have quite known how to deal with the dangerous spell.
"Well, no. That is why I am worried." Puzzled, Gray looked down at his parchment.
Draco held his hand out, asking for the parchment. It was handed to him, and he scanned it over. "Nothing wrong? Nothing at all?"
"That appears to be the case. It appears that about an hour ago, your son woke up in perfect health, from a coma, induced by an incredibly dangerous and powerful spell."
"Well, that is good. Can I take him home?"
Healer Gray paused for a moment. He had wanted more time to study the boy; more time to work out why this young child survived something so horrific without anything happening, save for a very long sleep. But looking at the older Malfoy he could easily see the man planned on taking his children home, with or without permission.
"There are some forms you will need to fill out. And I daresay you will be contacted by someone about this case." With that, Draco looked at him, questioning him. "Well, we will need to know how it came to a situation that ended with a young child being hit with a dangerous spell."
Draco frowned at the last statement. He had no intentions of telling anyone what happened. He had taken care of the situation; he didn't need any nosey people poking their noses into places where they shouldn't be. Especially because Draco retaliated. And not with any spell, with a spell considered to be dark which would affect Ron for the rest of his life. But, that is what happens when I'm taught magic by Aunt Bella and then you attack someone I love.
"Owl me the forms." Draco stated, standing up. Healer Gray began to protest, but before he could say anything clearly, Draco and children had left the room, heading for an apparation point.
The familiar sensation of being pulled and stretched ended as soon as Draco's feet hit the ground. He pushed the gates open and smiled as Rose and Scorpius raced each other up the path, clearly unaffected by apparating. Draco however, wasn't as lucky as the feeling of nausea ran through his stomach. He was sure that if he had have eaten something that morning he would have thrown it up. As it was he just ended up nauseas and tired, mostly from lack of sleep the previous night.
Heading up the path, he noticed the children had stopped part way up. A person stood at his front door, a person he hadn't seen in a long time. As if sensing his presence, the women at the door looked over at him, with Hermione giving him a small, grateful smile as Astoria stepped away from her.
"Draco darling!" She called, her red lips smiling but her eyes showing no emotion at all. Draco winced as she spoke, her voice echoing through his head. Great, just what I needed; a headache.
He walked over, the children following him silently, as if they could sense the tension in the air. He glared at his ex wife, wondering what she wanted. Money was his best guess.
"Astoria." His voice was cold, his face showed nothing but disgust. Gently he gave the kids a slight push in the direction of the door, sending Hermione a smile as she guided them in and shut the door.
"Drakey, what happened? I heard that Scorpy was in the hospital in a coma." She dabbed at the corner of her eyes, as if to clear away tears. Draco winced, once at 'Drakey', once at 'Scorpy' and again as she wiped her crocodile tears.
"Clearly you are mistaken. He is fine." He kept his voice low and cold. He found himself feeling glad that he had managed to divorce her and move on with his life. Sure, she managed to produce a great child, but Draco was willing to bet it was a fluke.
"Nuh uh." She insisted, sounding very much like a spoiled child.
Draco ran his hand through his blond hair, willing himself to keep his temper. "Is there anything else?"
He frowned as she walked over to where he stood. He had deliberately kept a distance between them, but she had closed the gap. She raised her hand up, and ran it across his cheek softly. Draco pulled away quickly.
Unknown to him, Hermione had chosen that moment to walk past the window. She had seen Astoria stroking his cheek, but Hermione pulled away from the window with her hopes crushed before Draco had pulled away.
"Is there anything else, Astoria?" He ground his teeth together and forced the words out. She had no right to waltz back into his life and pretend they were in love. They never were, it was an arranged marriage, one Draco wished he had a say in.
"Darling..." She nearly whispered, attempting to sound seductive. "Get that Nanny to take those kids out and let's go inside. Maybe have some fun like we used to..."
Draco nearly gagged, but chose to comment about the bit that confused him. "I don't have a Nanny."
"Sure you do. The woman who answered the door." Astoria waved her hand about absently.
"Hermione?" He looked at the window automatically, and could just make out her shape as she stood in the far end of the room.
"Sure, her." Again, she waved her hand around. Draco found himself picturing a fish out of waters; her hand was flipping around like one.
"She is not a nanny. I do not have a nanny for my children." He then stopped, realising he had included Rose in that statement. She wasn't really his child, but then he realised Astoria did not realise Rose wasn't his.
"You have moved on from me?" Astoria clutched her hands together, faking shock and sadness.
"I believe you left me for another man, a wealthier man, as soon as my father was out of the picture. I have full rights to move on." He sneered at her.
"But...Draco, our love is eternal. It wasn't until we were apart that I realised this." She dabbed at crocodile tears once more.
"We have no love." His icy voice scared her.
"Of course we do. Don't be silly." Her voice was light and teasing, but her face bared no emotions.
"We don't have any love. We never did. Now, if you could get off my property before I have to force you off." She reached out her hand again, but this time she did not stoke his cheek.
The second her hand made contact with his face he regretted not getting rid of her sooner. His face stung and he had gotten a killer headache from talking to his ex. He really wished he could retaliate, but he swore never to his women and children, never to be like his father.
"Astoria. Get. Off. My. Property." He forced the words out through his clenched jaw, his stormy eyes blazing in fury. He looked into her dull green eyes that reminded him of a plant that needed water and sunlight because it was dying. He didn't even notice he was using Legilimency until he saw her thoughts.
"You want custody of Scorpius so I have to pay you money? What, did all your stupid boyfriends see you for the money hungry bitch you are?" He spat his words out. Her eyes mirrored the fury in his eyes. He found himself laughing. "Finally you show a bit of emotion. You don't care for my son. You don't care for anyone but yourself. Get the hell of my property. You don't belong here; you have no place in my life, or in Scor's life. Don't think you can come around with your legs held open in hopes I will open my arms and welcome you back into my life and into my bed. I won't. I can do a hell of a lot better than you Greengrass."
"Draco..." She began, crying for real this time. She had no idea he could read her mind. Her plan was found out, and she was left with no one to be with and no one to supply her with the lavish lifestyle she was used to. Her own family had deserted her after she left Draco for a much older and wealthier man and since then she had to jump from man to man to keep herself in money.
"Get." She turned, running gracefully in her six inch heels. She sobbed helplessly as she came to a stop halfway down the path. She breathed in and out, finding her calm centre.
"Mark my words Malfoy. You will want me back. You will want me so bad you will be on your knees begging for me." She turned her back, raised her nose in the air and walked out; trying to retain what little dignity she had left.
Draco snorted at her words. Wanting her? As if. He turned and headed up the stairs, flicking his wand so the gate hit Astoria's tiny ass as she left. Her squeal told him he was right on the mark.
He pushed the door open, finding himself incredibly dizzy as he did so. Hermione caught him before he fell over. She helped him up the stairs, smiling the whole time. She had heard his big speech, he wasn't quiet about it, and she was happy knowing he didn't care at all for his ex.
"Get changed." She threw something at him and left the room. Catching his pyjamas, he slowly changed into them, wishing for something to stop the dizziness and the nausea.
As if on cue she walked in, potions in hand. He downed them quickly, and allowed her to guide to his bed. The potions had worked, but he was still very tired. He tried to resist as soon as she pulled the cover back.
"Go to bed." She looked so stern he couldn't help but laugh.
"Only if you join me." She shook her head, laughing and headed to the door. She slipped out and shut the door, sighing softly. He hadn't had a shirt on, and she had seen the marks all over his chest and back, marring his perfect skin. She shook away tears as she thought of him being abused. She wondered what had happened, but decided not to push the issue. Instead she focused on trying to work out her feelings for the handsome blond. After all, it seemed as if everything had changed.