Hermione beamed upon returning to The Burrow. She was still in a slight daze after her encounter with Draco, and so it was no surprise that she did not notice her fuming ex-husband grasping the wrist of a guilty looking Teddy until Ron stepped in front of her.
"What the hell is this?" he asked angrily, picking Teddy up. Hermione's face fell at the sight of Teddy's hair; it looked just like Draco's. She drew in a sharp breath. "Well? He came running in saying that you were talking to someone who looked like this!" He gave Teddy a light shake on the last word.
"Ron, just put Teddy down. Please," Hermione said quietly, hoping not to draw attention to them. Everyone else was scattered about the house but she knew that if they heard raised voices they would come running. "Put him down and I'll explain everything."
"No!" Ron yelled and she flinched. Not because of fear, but because she could now hear footsteps rushing to where they were standing. Within moments they had an audience of Harry, Ginny, Charlie, Bill and George, all of whom were looking at the trio. Ron turned to face Harry, Teddy still in his arms. "Look at this!" Ron thrust Teddy into Harry's arms and everyone's eyes widened slightly. Hermione wanted to sink into the ground.
"What's this, Ted?" Harry asked quietly, ruffling his godson's hair gently. "You've never made your hair like this before."
"That's because he had never seen anyone with hair like that until today!" Ron snapped and Harry shot him a warning look.
"What happened, Teddy?" Harry questioned the boy who shifted uncomfortably. "You won't be in any trouble, I promise."
Teddy looked up at Harry with large blue eyes which had thankfully changed from Draco's eye colour and opened his mouth to begin. "I was with Hermione and she said her friend was outside and she went to see them and I went with her and her friend looked like this." The little boy sucked in a deep breath when he had finished, changing his eye colour to grey and keeping his hair blonde. Hermione wished she could disappear.
"Hermione?" Harry was looking at her now. She envied how calm and collected he was. "Who is your friend?"
"Draco," she squeaked out quietly, so quietly that she had to repeat herself. "Draco. Draco Malfoy."
The reaction was instantaneous. Harry visibly stiffened and Ginny's hand found its way to his forearm to calm her husband. Ron was looking smug, but his face was still red. Charlie had paled and Hermione could tell he was putting two and two together. George and Bill were both tense and Hermione could see a shine of sadness in George's eyes.
"Oh? And why would that be?" Harry's voice was strained and he had tightened his grip on Teddy who was trying to escape from his hold. "Why would Malfoy be here?"
"He came to visit me and to wish me a happy Christmas," Hermione said truthfully. At this point, lying would only make things worse. "Harry, let Teddy go. You're hurting him."
Harry let Teddy slide from his grip. "How could you just take him out there to meet Malfoy?" Harry was losing control. His voice was rising and his cheeks were coloured. "He could have hurt him, Hermione! He could have hurt you!"
"He isn't like that anymore, Harry. He's changed," Hermione's voice was in grave danger of rising and she knew that she would come out victorious in this argument if she lost control, but she did not want to win this argument; simply make the others see where she was coming from. "You don't even know him."
"We know that he's a Death Eater!" Ron exploded and Hermione flinched again, this time from fear.
"Oh shut it, Ron. Let Hermione explain," Ginny said, clearly the calmest of them all. Ron opened his mouth to protest but his younger sister raised a brow in his direction and he closed it immediately. "How about we go and have some lunch and when we're all fed and watered we can actually have a rational discussion about it all?"
"I have no idea what all this ruckus is about but I'm going to agree with you, Ginny," Molly's impatient voice sounded from the doorway. "Lunch is ready, so come on!"
The seven who were standing in the front room shuffled into the kitchen where the table was groaning beneath the weight of the food. Molly had, as usual, outdone herself, but Hermione could only nibble on a bread roll. She was at the end of the table with Ginny on her left, all the while receiving glares from Ron and strange looks from the other Weasleys.
After fifteen minutes she politely excused herself and returned to the guest room, grabbing her bag and carefully repacking. She was planning to explain herself and then depart, not wanting to be the cause of awkward tension any longer. With a flick of her wand the bag zipped close, albeit with some trouble from overstuffing, and Hermione sat on her bed with her head in her hands. This was such a mess.
"Moping isn't going to do you any good, you know," Ginny pointed out, closing the door behind her. Hermione looked up at the intrusion with tired eyes.
"Probably not, but I can avoid the interrogation for a little while longer if I mope," Hermione combated.
"Point taken," Ginny said. "But they're going to come looking for you and you're going to have to answer their questions. You may as well get it over with."
"They're not exactly going to take it well though, are they? Ron is already furious, Charlie is putting everything together, and Harry is still so fucking paranoid," Hermione sighed. "Not that I care what Ronald thinks."
"Nor do I," Ginny agreed. "But I do care what Harry thinks, and of course he's paranoid. Teddy is his godson and you're his best friend. He'll do anything to protect you, Hermione, and the thought of either one of you getting hurt is his worst nightmare."
"I suppose," Hermione frowned. "I guess I'll go and talk to them all, but after that's done I'm going to my parents' house. I don't really want to hang around here for much longer."
"Fair enough," Ginny conceded. "They said they were going to be in the living room to wait for you. Shall we?"
Hermione nodded and accompanied Ginny to the living room. As soon as she stepped in she felt the air grow tense. Had the seats always been arranged in such a way that they would form a semi-circle around anyone in her position? She seated herself in the last remaining armchair, looking around at the others who seemed to be bursting with questions. Harry seemed to have calmed down but Ron was still red in the face. Charlie seemed paler than usual beneath his vast number of freckles.
"Why was Malfoy here?" Harry broke the silence, leaning forward slightly.
"As I said before, Draco came to wish me a happy Christmas," Hermione repeated. "We're friends. That's what friends do."
"Why did you take Teddy out there with you?" Harry questioned. She was glad she had never been on the wrong side of him when it came to his job. His piercing green eyes were intense behind his glasses.
"Teddy is Draco's second cousin, and I thought that Draco might want to meet him," Hermione said. "He was in no danger. I would never put Teddy in any danger."
"Why are you so sure he's a good guy?" Ron butted in angrily and Hermione felt her cheeks colour.
"Why are you so sure he's a bad guy, Ronald?" Hermione asked angrily. "You're still blinded by childhood prejudices. Yes, he was a total ass when we were in school, but you haven't spoken to him since you were seventeen."
"He let the Death Eaters into Hogwarts," Ron argued. "He nearly killed Dumbledore."
"Nearly, Ronald. He nearly killed Dumbledore. You said it yourself that he couldn't go through with it," Hermione retorted. "He was sixteen and terrified of being killed himself, and even though he was being threatened with his own torture and death, he still didn't go through with it."
"Hermione, he still could have hurt you," Harry said quietly and her gaze fell upon him. His eyes were sad now, worried for her safety. "I know that you don't think he would have, but I don't want to take any chances."
"Harry, I'm not a child," Hermione said, her voice almost whiny. "I know how to look after myself."
"I know you do, but I still worry," Harry frowned, leaning back.
"We all worry," Bill corrected Harry. "There are still people loyal to Voldemort out there, Hermione."
"And seeing as the Malfoy family were the closest family to Voldemort, we have the right to be worried," Charlie added hastily. "We all care about you, and we don't want to see you getting hurt."
"I'm not going to get hurt," Hermione said wearily. "I trust Narcissa entirely, and I trust Draco."
Ron snorted. "He's a Slytherin! They don't change."
"For fuck's sake, Ron. Shut up," Ginny snapped, tossing her hair over her shoulder and glaring at her brother. Ron flushed instantly and crossed his arms, pouting like a child. "Hermione, we all know that you are well acquainted with the Malfoy family, and I have no problem with that."
"Thank you," Hermione muttered quietly.
"That being said, I'm sure we would all prefer you to remain cautious around them, particularly when Lucius Malfoy is concerned. We know you went to his birthday party two nights ago, and we know that you came out of there safely, but he has a dark past," Ginny frowned. "As well as that, maybe it isn't the best idea to take Teddy out to meet Draco without letting us know first. We worry about him enough."
"Fine. I'll watch myself when I'm around the Malfoys," Hermione said and she couldn't keep the bitterness out of her tone. She knew Ginny was just trying to keep the peace, but Hermione knew what she was doing. "I admit not telling anybody when I went to take Teddy to meet Draco was a bit cautious of me, but they're family. Teddy doesn't have much family left. He should be able to know what family he has left."
"We're his family!" Ron bellowed. "He doesn't need Draco fucking Malfoy! He has all of us!"
"Ron," Harry said warningly and Ron quieted, his face still a rather unbecoming shade of red. "Hermione's right. Teddy doesn't have much family left. He has Andromeda, and that's it for his blood relations. Granted, the rest of us are like family to him, but maybe it's time he got to know his real family."
"Exactly," Hermione said smugly.
"However, I don't think introducing him to Malfoy first of all is the smartest idea, Besides, Andromeda should have a say in all of this, and seeing as she is on holidays, I feel we should wait until she gets back before suggesting it," Harry stated.
"Fine," Hermione said with a resigned sigh. She was still receiving filthy looks from Ron and Charlie looked as though she had stolen his puppy.
"I'm still not happy with how easily you've come to trust Malfoy, Hermione," Harry said and any relief she had felt from Harry's supposed acceptance faded.
"Then it's a bloody good thing that I don't need your blessing to become friends with people," she snapped, standing up and striding to her room, returning after a moment with her bag slung over her shoulder. "I'm going to visit my parents for the rest of the week."
Harry and Charlie got up to protest her leaving but by that point she was already out the front door, traipsing through the snow until she reached the boundaries of the property. She heard them calling after her but she was far too angry to turn and listen to whatever they had to say. She pulled out her wand and spun on the spot, appearing in her parent's backyard. She let out a relieved sigh and walked around to the front of the house.
Jean and Timothy Granger lived in a picturesque house in Surrey. The house was small and the one Hermione had grown up in, with blue weatherboard and a lovely white trim on the windows and guttering. Jean Granger's hobby, when she was not at work, was tending to her garden and as a result the house was surrounded by beautiful landscaping when it was not blanketed with snow. Hermione smiled at the memories that this house held as she walked up the front path.
The door opened after a single knock and Hermione was barrelled over by her enthusiastic mother who embraced her fully. Hermione hugged back tightly. She didn't realize how much she missed her parents until she was away with them for a long time.
"Come in, darling. You must be freezing. Your father has a fire going," Jean said happily, ushering her daughter in. Jean stepped back and looked over Hermione, nodding approvingly. "You're looking wonderful, sweetheart. A new man in your life, perhaps?"
"Mum!" Hermione cried, but she was smiling. She could smell her mother's Christmas cookies and she felt like a child. "Can I have a cookie?"
Jean laughed. "Of course! Timothy, Hermione's here," Jean took Hermione's back and hurried it to her old bedroom where she stayed when she spent the night. "The cookies are in the kitchen, dear."
Hermione thanked her mother and entered the bright kitchen where there was a large tray of the cooling treats.
"Hello, cupcake!" Timothy was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper. His reading glasses were perched on the bridge of his nose and he looked at her with cheerful brown eyes. "How are you, Hermione? We haven't seen you around here for a while." Timothy stood and hugged his daughter.
"I'm good, dad," she replied. "Sorry I haven't been here lately. I've been working and life has been a little bit crazy lately."
"If it's anything to do with boys then I don't want to hear it," Timothy said. "You're far too young to be dating," he joked.
"We'll just ignore the fact I've already been married," Hermione smiled and Timothy laughed heartily.
"What are you two chortling about in here?" Jean entered the kitchen, untying the apron she had wrapped around herself. Jean was a cheerful looking woman with laughter lines and slightly greying brown hair, the same colour and texture of Hermione's. "Sit, Hermione. I'll get us all some tea."
Ten minutes later the family had moved to the living room with cups of tea and biscuits. There was a blazing fire and Jean had put on a record of Christmas carols. Hermione loved the simplicity of the situation. There was nothing at all out of the ordinary – no magic, no strange occurrences and no absurd number of people. The three of them were talking about their respective occupations when conversation finally lulled.
"Hermione, I've been meaning to ask you why you're here," Jean said, pouring more tea for everyone. "Not that I don't love having you hear, dear, but I thought you were going to be spending this Christmas at The Burrow."
Hermione cringed. This was the topic she had been hoping to avoid. "We had a bit of a disagreement," she said, dodging the heart of the argument.
"You had an argument with all of them?" Timothy asked sceptically.
"Of course not, and I never said it was an argument, Dad. Simply a bit of a disagreement," Hermione shrugged. "It's no big deal. I haven't seen you guys in a while, anyway, and it's much more peaceful here."
"We're happy to have you here," Jean said truthfully. "Unfortunately your father and I are going to a dental convention in Wales tomorrow, so we won't be around for the next week or so. You're welcome to stay here whilst we're away, of course."
"Thanks, Mum," Hermione smiled. "I'll stay the night and see you off in the morning. I'll decide what to do from there."
Jean and Timothy both agreed that this was the best idea and the three of them reverted back into easy conversation, neither of Hermione's parents pressing her for details regarding her 'disagreement'.
Hermione woke the next morning in a state of extreme comfort when it was still dark outside. She could hear her parents going about their morning routine in the kitchen and after ten minutes of relaxing she decided to join them.
The house was already lovely and warm so Hermione had no qualms about leaving the sanctuary that was her bed. It was only a single bed but it had been her bed since she was six. She had never slept as well in another bed. A look at the clock on her bedside table told her it was half past six meaning her parents would be leaving in half an hour. She had decided to spend the next few days at her parent's house. It would be less likely that she would encounter anyone she knew if she stayed there and at this point she wanted some peace and quiet.
"Good morning, cupcake," Timothy smiled when she shuffled into the kitchen. He handed her a cup of tea and carried his own breakfast to the table where Jean was finishing off the last of her toast.
"Have you decided what you plan on doing after we leave, dear?" Jean asked, standing and clearing up her plate.
"I'm going to apparate home and grab some more clothes and Altheda and then I think I'll spend a few more days here. I really like the peace and quiet," she smiled. "Is that alright with you guys?"
"That sounds fine," Jean agreed. "Just make sure the house isn't in a state of ruins when we return."
"Mum, I've been living alone for a fair while now and my house hasn't burnt down yet," Hermione laughed. "It'll be fine."
"Just make sure of that," Jean's eyes twinkled. "Now, Timothy, get out. Hermione and I need to have some girl time before we leave."
"I certainly do not need to be here when you have your 'girl time'. I'll go and finish packing," Timothy cleared his plates and exited hurriedly under the stern gaze of Jean.
"What's wrong, Hermione? And don't even think about lying to me, young lady," Jean said.
"Nothing's wrong, Mum," Hermione replied. Truthfully there was nothing wrong, but a few things weren't quite right.
"Then what about what I said yesterday? You're looking positively radiant, dear," Jean pointed out. "There must be a reason. A boy?"
Hermione laughed at that. Whatever he was to her, Draco certainly wasn't a boy. "I don't quite know, and at the moment I don't really want to find out. I just want to relax for a few days and live like I used to. The wizarding world is so stressful and busy."
"Alright, darling," Jean said slowly. "When you are ready to talk about it, come straight to me. I may be old, but I'm not daft."
"I never said you were either, Mum," Hermione smiled. "Now, your cab will be here soon, and I'm sure you don't want to miss your flight."
After a quick hug Jean went to finish packing and Hermione sat at the table, nursing the last of her tea. She truly was looking forward to living like a muggle again, even if it was just for a few days.
A/N: Just a quick chapter for you all. I figure that, if I plan my time accordingly, I can manage at least two chapters a week, though I'm not sure that will happen every week.
Anyhow, I figured I should put in a reaction to Teddy's appearance and flesh it all out a little bit more, so here you go!
Also, the Christmas I gave Hermione is similar to the ones I used to spend with my family. It was always loud and busy with more food than we could handle, and my cousins and I would wake everyone up at some ungodly hour so we could open our presents. As well as this, I always imagined Hermione's parents to be very loving, happy people who dote upon their daughter. I still get confused when I read stories where Hermione has horrid parents, but hey, this is just my interpretation!
I hope you all enjoyed it and please review!