Hermione walked into the Leaky Cauldron and smiled. She loved coming here after a hard week's work. It was one of the simple pleasures she had and barely anyone knew about. She looked around the crowded pub and easily spotted Ginny and Pansy. They were in a booth along the left side wall of the pub. She made her way toward them and when she got to them they both looked up and smiled.
"Finally you're here! We've been waiting to order our drinks until you got here. Pansy insisted." Ginny said as she pointed toward her sister-in-law.
Pansy looked at Ginny and then turned toward Hermione. "Yes, I wanted to wait because I know you don't like us starting without you. Ginny, here, is just impatient."
Hermione smiled at the bickering and slid into the seat next to Ginny. Soon afterward, the waiter came to get their drink orders.
Ginny was the first to speak up. "I will take a Firewhiskey, please. Girls, what'll it be? I'm paying for the first round of drinks."
"I'll also take a Firewhiskey." Hermione said.
"Ok, what about you, Pansy?" Ginny asked.
Pansy smiled and looked at the waiter. "I'll have some sweet tea please." The waiter nodded and went to get their drinks.
Ginny and Hermione stared at her in shock with mouths wide open. "What is that about?" Both girls practically screamed making quite a few heads turn and look at them.
Pansy smiled. "What do you mean, 'what is that about'?" She asked innocently.
"Oh, you know exactly what we mean!" Ginny was still on the brink of losing her head over this. "You usually drink Firewhiskey and are plastered by the time we get you home to Ron on our girls' nights that we have once a month. So, what's up with it? Why did you order sweet tea instead of a bloody Firewhiskey?"
Pansy had a huge grin plastered across her face when she said, "Well, if you must know, Ginny, it looks like you'll be an aunt in a few months. Same to you, Hermione."
Both girls sat still for a minute and then the joyous squealing took place. "Oh my goodness, you're pregnant!"
Ginny took over talking to Pansy telling her what she should expect and everything. Hermione slowly got lost in the conversation and still was once the waiter came back with their drinks.
"Thanks." Hermione said as she took her drink and he sat the other drinks down in front of the animated girls.
"Ginny, you've told me enough already." Pansy said while laughing. "We've left poor Hermione out of the conversation long enough."
Both girls looked over at Hermione who sat looking into her Firewhiskey totally absorbed.
"Hermione?" Ginny asked timidly. Hermione looked up and realized the girls had stopped talking.
"Oh, sorry, I was just thinking over some things that I'll have to do Monday morning when I return to work." She said as she took another drink of her Firewhiskey.
Ginny laughed. "Come on, Hermione. It's the weekend! No need to think about work!" Hermione smiled as she watched her best friend trying to cheer her up.
Suddenly, both girls were interrupted as Pansy gasped in surprise.
Ginny looked worried. "Pans, what's wrong? What happened?"
"I cannot believe after 5 years I finally see them again!" Pansy said as she got up from the table and walked toward the two men that were walking toward the back of the pub. "Draco! Blaise!" She shouted and Ginny and Hermione's mouth dropped open as the two Slytherins turned at the sound of Pansy's voice.
He walked into the crowded pub and looked around. He didn't see Blaise anywhere so he decided to wait by the door for his best friend. As he watched all the people that were enjoying a Friday night drink, he caught sight of three women to the side of the pub.
Hmm, they look rather familiar. Especially that red head. Like he remembered her from Hogwarts. But I can't know them. Almost all of the girls I knew from Hogwarts have moved to a different city or country.
He kept looking at them until he felt a hand come down onto his shoulder and he jumped.
Blaise laughed. "Well, mate, what's got you so jumpy? It's like you've seen a ghost." He laughed again and then said, "Hey, there's a table open in the middle of the room. Let's go."
Draco grabbed him by the sleeve and pushed him toward the back left corner. "No way, mate. We are not sitting in the middle of the pub. We are going to sit in the back corner. It's quieter and we don't have to be bothered about girls trying to flirt with us nonstop."
"But I like it when the girls flirt with us." Blaise said as Draco continued to push him.
"Blaise! You're married for Merlin's sake! You can't…" He was cut off as they both heard squealing and their names being called.
They turned around to see an ecstatic Pansy Parkinson bounding toward them.
"Oh, bloody hell, not her!" Blaise said as she slammed into them both and gave them rather tight hugs.
"Hey, Pansy. Long time no see." Draco said as cheerfully as he could muster. He remembered the last time he had saw her was at her wedding to the Weasel. He had promised he would keep in touch but never had.
"Draco, oh my goodness, you are looking spectacular like usual. And Blaise, gracious, lovely seeing you again. Too bad you couldn't have made it to my wedding a few years back." Pansy smiled at the two of them. "Oh, you boys must come and sit with us. I got news to tell the two of you and it is just amazing!" She said as she grabbed them both and dragged them to where Hermione and Ginny were still staring with open mouths.
"Girls, you don't mind if they join us, do you?" Pansy had that pleading look in her eye that neither of them could turn down so they said, "Of course, they can."
"As long as the Ferret keeps his hands to himself unlike he did at your wedding." Hermione said as she eyed Draco.
Draco had his mouth wide open. "Holy shit! Granger! What the hell are you doing here with Pansy?"
Hermione scoffed at him. "For your information, she is married to one of my best friends."
Draco and Blaise sat down. "Hold on a second." Blaise said while shaking his head in confusion. "Pansy, who did you marry?"
"I married Ron Weasley." Pansy said while smiling away.
Blaise stared at her with an open mouth. "You married Ron Weasley. The Weasel? Really? Are you serious?"
Pansy just continued smiling at him and said, "Why yes, Blaise, I did marry Ron. And do not call him the Weasel. Besides, he is the father of our child."
Draco and Blaise both got choked on their drinks, which the waiter had brought to them just a minute before hand, as they stared at her in shock.
After a few minutes of awkward silence from both guys and the girls, Blaise finally spoke up, "So, let me get this straight, you married the Weasel a little over five years ago and now you're pregnant with his kid?"
Pansy nodded her head and took another sip of her sweet tea.
"Hmm, alright then so that is what happened to in your life since the War. What about you girls? Ginny?" Blaise spoke to her wanting to know what had happened in her life.
"Well, I married Harry and we've been married for about six years now and have two beautiful kids." Ginny said while smiling from ear to ear and taking a drink of her Firewhiskey.
"Ha! I knew it! I knew that Harry and Ginny would end up marrying each other!" Blaise exclaimed while looking at Draco. "You sir owe me 25 galleons. Come on, hand it over." Blaise smugly said.
Draco grumbled while reaching into his pocket and pulling out 25 galleons and handed them over to Blaise. "Ok, you were right about that one. But we don't know about Hermione." He looked over at her and saw that her, Ginny, and Pansy were staring at them in disbelief.
"You all seriously placed bets on who we would end up with?" Ginny asked. Draco and Blaise both just sort of shrugged and didn't answer. Draco was the first to speak up.
"So, Hermione, tell us what's been going on in your life." He said while sipping on his drink. Hermione looked at him with daggers in her eyes.
"For your information, I have a great job and a beautiful flat. And I have the best friends that I could ever ask for." Hermione smiled as she emptied her drink.
Draco smiled and looked at Blaise and said, "Well, mate, looks like you owe me the 30 galleons because I told you that she wouldn't be married by the time she's 25."
Blaise handed him the 30 galleons while all of the girls just sat there with mouths agape.
"You said that I wouldn't be married by the time I'm 25! What the hell? How could you have placed a bet on that! That is just about the lowest thing you all could possibly do! Even if you all are Slytherins!" She shrieked as she made her way past Ginny but stopped when she felt someone grab her arm. She turned on who it was and saw Draco holding onto her arm.
"Were Slytherins, Granger. Not are. We're not in school anymore." He said with a smirk that rivaled all others she had ever seen on his face.
"Leave me the bloody hell along, Draco Malfoy." She spat out before wrenching her arm out of his grasp and made for the door ready to get to her flat.