Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and characters belong to JK Rowling. I own nothing.

AN: Thanks again for the reviews! I'm glad you're all enjoying the story and love your thoughts about what's going to happen. I still have absolutely no idea where it's going, but I'm always open to plot ideas!

Hermione Pov:

I step out of the fireplace, brushing soot from my purple sundress, and run a hand over my hair which I've pinned in an elegant side bun. Harry's sitting room hasn't changed much since the last time I was here. The only difference is the family photos covering the walls and James' toys scattered around.

I can hear lively chatter and smell delicious food cooking, so I head down the hallway and am greeted by the sight of a full kitchen. Molly, Fleur, and Ginny are slaving away over the stove and counter preparing enough food to feed an army. Harry, Bill, and Arthur are sitting at the small table swapping stories. George is crouched down on the floor entertaining James, Victoire, and Dominique with one of his new products that blows color changing smoke and whistles. James and Victoire sit in awe as he explains it, and little eighteen month old Dominique tries to catch the smoke.

"Knock knock" I say rapping my knuckles on the entryway to alert them to my presence. Everyone looks up and various voices shout out "Hermione" or "Mione" with big smiles. I've missed them so much.

Arthur, being the closest, greets me first and envelops me in his warm embrace. "So good to see you Hermione. It's been much too long." I hug all the men and pat the children on the head before making my way to the women. Ginny gives me a one armed hug, as she's got a knife she's been using to chop up vegetables in the other. Fleur greets me with a kiss on each cheek as is the customary greeting in France, and a "Good to 'ave you 'ere, 'Ermione." Lastly, I come to Molly who hugs me so fiercely I can scarcely breathe. She pulls back and looks at me, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "Oh, Hermione dear, welcome home! We've all missed you so much and I just want you to know you'll always be family, no matter what."

Judging by the look on her face, I can tell she knows my four year absence had to do with Ron. I couldn't bring myself to tell her and Arthur about the abuse from him and made Harry and Ginny swear to secrecy as well. But they, and the rest of the Wizarding World, had seen the papers the day I left him. His family knew Ron was out of control even before all of that came to light. Harry also informed me on one of his visits that Ron was continually getting into some kind of trouble and had turned his back on his family when they remained close to Harry even after he and Ron parted ways. I hated that for the Weasleys and never wanted to cause anymore pain than they already had. Ginny however, told me that Ron drove the wedge between himself and his family when he let the fame get to his head and became a drunk heartless bastard.

I give her another hug and say, "Thank you Molly. You have no idea how much that means to me." She smiles and turns her attention back to the stove. We hear a loud boom and see the men chuckling at the children. George's new product has turned from smoke to goo and spattered the three from head to toe. Victoire is covered in pink slime, James in green, and Dominique in purple. Sweet little Dominique, who hates getting dirty, begins to cry and Fleur picks her up while scolding George in French. She takes the kids upstairs to clean them up and Bill follows to help. I take over her spot in the kitchen next to Ginny, and begin stirring some kind of pudding.

"At least we're not the guinea pigs anymore" I joke remembering the times when Fred and George tested their products on us.

Ginny laughs and says, "Don't you know? That's the whole reason Harry and I decided to have kids."

Looking at all the food we're preparing, I sigh and say "I'm glad I'm getting to see everyone, but honestly, there's enough food here to end world hunger! We'll never get through all this."

"You know how mum gets" Ginny replies while putting together a salad. "And not everyone is here yet. We're still waiting on Blaise, Andromeda, Teddy, and the Malfoys."

I pause what I'm doing and glance at Ginny. "The Malfoys are coming?" My voice has gone up a few octaves, giving away my nervousness.

"Yes" she responds, then turns her body to face me completely. "Hermione, listen to me. I know Malfoy was the biggest prat in school and his family wasn't the nicest to you, or any of us in the past. But he and his mother have really changed, as have many former Slytherins. He's worked hard to better our community and has put more death eaters away than anyone else, including Harry. His mother donates hefty sums to charities and opens the manor up to all sorts of ministry functions. Not to mention the fact that she and Draco are doing a marvelous job of raising Scorpious. He's one of the sweetest kids I know and I'm glad James has a friend like him. They really are different now and if you give them a chance, you'll see" she finishes.

She'd mistaken my nervous tone to mean that I still thought of Malfoy as the arrogant little school boy. I knew he had changed. Last night after I came back to my parent's house, I sent an owl off to various papers asking for stories on the Malfoys. To say I was shocked to learn all the good things they'd done since the war would be an understatement. I couldn't believe it! There was even a picture in one paper of Harry, Malfoy, and Blaise Zabini in a pub with the headline, "The New 'Golden Trio?'" (My going to France was kept a secret by Harry and Kingsley at my request in case Ron ever tried to come looking for me.) Malfoy was probably the best lawyer the ministry had and was predicted to take over the entire law department very soon. He was determined, hard working, and very good looking as well, no longer the thin lanky boy from school. Witch Weekly even named him second most eligible bachelor, coming only behind Zabini, though I do wonder if it's because he has a child and Zabini doesn't.

The reason I'm nervous about seeing him again is because of my reaction to his question yesterday about whether or not I'd married Ron. After moving in with him and being confined to that apartment, people began to wonder where I was. Once Harry and Ron had their huge blowout ending their friendship, rumors began to fly. Papers made their own speculations, and Rita Skeeter wrote a particularly nasty piece saying I'd betrayed Harry and run off with Ron believing him to be more famous. She'd dubbed me a gold digging skank, and I'm sure anyone who read her article believed the worst of me. Harry denied these accusations as best he could, but by not being able to say where I was and people noticing we were never together, there wasn't much he could do. I'd already left for France by then.

When Malfoy asked that, all these memories flew back to me and I completely froze up. My first thought was that he assumed the rumors to be true and was trying to get me to confirm it so he could judge me. I realized after I left and after reading about him that he probably didn't mean anything by it, and was only curious. I mean I haven't been around and everyone knew Ron and I began a relationship after Hogwarts, but very few knew about our breakup. And if I told Malfoy about it, he might ask why and I'm not ready to share that story with anyone.

Noticing that Ginny is still waiting for an answer, I nod and say "Of course, everyone deserves a second chance. And since they're now a huge part of your lives, I'm sure I'll be seeing a lot of them."

She smiles looking a little relieved. "You always did have a forgiving heart. Yes, they are a big part of our lives now, as well as Blaise."

"Talking about me Weaslette? Only good things I hope." We both turn to see Blaise Zabini approaching us with a bottle of very expensive looking champagne in hand. Ginny rolls her eyes and scoffs. "I was just telling Hermione how I wasn't sure if you'd fit through the fire place with an ego the size of yours. And when are you going to stop calling me Weaslette? I'm a Potter now" she says taking the champagne from him and setting it down on a nearby counter.

"Old habbits die hard" he replies good naturedly. Turning to me he takes my hand, kisses my knuckles, and says "Granger, it's lovely to see you. I apologize for not greeting you properly at the shop yesterday, but I was occupied with other matters as you know."

"Not a problem" I return. "It's wonderful to see you too Zabini, I'm glad you could make it."

He flashes a very alluring grin at me that I'm sure won him the title of 'Most Eligible Bachelor.' "Please, call me Blaise. And I would never pass up an opportunity to dine with such a beautiful lady."

Ginny snorts very unladylike and says, "Oh please, cut the charms Casanova. Your reputation precedes you even all the way from France."

"So that's where you've been all this time. Interesting" he says leisurely looking over me. Yes I knew all about Blaise Zabini and his trail of broken hearts. We could be friends, but I was going to have to make it clear that we would never cross a line more than that. I don't do one night stands. When his eyes come back to my face, he continues "Don't listen to anything the she devil says. She's jealous she doesn't get to come home to my amazing body and natural good looks."

"See, what'd I tell you Hermione? Biggest ego I've ever seen" Ginny laughs and continues her playful banter with Blaise. It reminds me of a similar conversation I'd had yesterday with another Slytherin.

Before Blaise can reply to her cracks, we hear James run down the hallway and shout, "Scorpious and Teddy are here!" The two boys come into the kitchen followed by Andromeda, then Narcissa and Draco Malfoy. Narcissa looks elegant and beautiful as always with satin midnight blue robes that I'm sure cost a fortune. Her hair is pinned neatly in a bun at the top of her head, and her wrists and fingers are adorned in jewels. She seems a little out of place compared to the rest of us. Even Malfoy is dressed in casual cargo shorts and a soft grey polo.

"Just in time too. Lunch is ready" Molly informs us. With a flick of her wand, the food is moved from the kitchen to the dining room table and we all seat ourselves around it. George sits on one side of me and Blaise moves to sit on the other, but as he pulls the chair back Scorpious clambers up into it instead. "I want to sit by Mione Uncle Blaise, you go sit somewhere else" Scorpious tells him haughtily. Everyone laughs and Blaise moves down the table towards Bill after throwing a "brat" at the young boy. Narcissa raises an eyebrow, clearly as shocked by her grandson's forwardness as I am, but he asks me to help him pile food on his plate, bringing my attention back to him.

Ginny and Harry are sitting directly across from me followed by Malfoy and his mother. I engage in conversation with them and George, as well as Scorpious who tells me animated stories about him and James. My godson is sitting on the other side of him, and they talk over each other excitedly trying to fill me in on what's been going on in their lives. It practically melts my heart. Halfway through lunch, I can feel Malfoy's eyes on me but I'm too shy to meet his gaze. I know at some point I'll have to speak to him, especially with his son being around me so much.

Once we all finish, the younger kids are put down for a nap, although James and Scorpious put up quite a fight. It takes both of their fathers giving them stern looks before they finally comply. The adults move to the sitting room with Teddy and Victoire joining us, seeing as they're too old for naps. Teddy entertains her by changing his hair any color she asks.

Fleur and I are discussing the French economy compared to Britain's. She is actually a very smart young woman and could do wonders in the business world, but she says someone has to stay home with the girls and teach them before they go off to Hogwarts. Many women cannot go out and work because of this and I wish there was something I could do to promote women working. I think if Molly could have worked outside of the home, her family wouldn't have struggled as much as they did. A few minutes after everyone has been chatting, Harry stands up and catches our attention.

"It's great that you're all here. Although we're very glad Hermione's back for good" he says looking over at me and smiling, "We also have another reason we wanted you all over today." Ginny stands to join Harry and takes his hand. They share a loving look before Harry turns to the rest of the room and says, "We're going to have another baby!"

"Oh, how wonderful!" Molly exclaims coming over to hug Ginny and Arthur claps Harry on the back. While we all give the couple our congratulations, Blaise disappears from the room and comes back with his bottle of champagne. "Now this calls for a celebration" he says pouring glasses and handing them out to all except Ginny. The women all gather around Ginny and ask how far along she is, what she'll do about work, and if they've picked out names. She answers that she's six weeks along, she'll stop playing as chaser but manage the team instead, and they haven't decided yet.

An hour later, Scorpious and James come down. They've caught a second wind and can hardly sit still, so we all migrate outside and the men minus Arthur begin a game of quidditch. The women settle in chairs on the back deck, and I find a bench a little ways away under the shade of a tall oak tree. Bill, George, and Blaise make up one team while Harry and Malfoy make up the other. Teddy, James, and Scorpious are on Harry's side, but their miniature brooms only fly a few feet off the ground.

I can't help but focus my attention on Malfoy. It's so strange to see him laughing and letting loose as well as being friendly with Harry. Looking at him now, you'd never think they once hated each other and you'd never believe he was once a death eater, although that decision was forced on him. He looks really good. He's got broad wide set shoulders and every time he leans over on his broom, his muscles flex. His platinum hair shines in the sun and his mercurial eyes dart around in search of the snitch. Every once in a while, he'll turn his intense gaze on me. It's the same way he stared at me at lunch and in the sitting room, and how he looked at me yesterday while talking to the aurors even though he thought I didn't notice. Why is he looking at me that way? I know I'm not very pretty, but is he scrutinizing me?

So wrapped up am I in my thoughts, I almost don't notice another figure sit down beside me. I look over and am shocked to see Narcissa sitting right next to me. "Miss Granger, I hope you don't mind me joining you?" she asks politely.

"Not at all Mrs. Malfoy."

"Please, call me Narcissa. May I call you Hermione?" I nod and she continues, "I wanted to thank you for yesterday at the joke shop. Teddy and Scorpious told me about the incident and how you took care of them and healed Draco."

"You don't have to thank me, I was glad I could help" I reply. I've never had a conversation with her before, but she's not at all stuck up and snooty as I'd presumed. She seems very pleasant.

"My grandson sure has taken a liking to you. He doesn't do that with very many people. You must have really left an impression on him" she says with a smile. I offer one of my own and we look up just in time to see Malfoy throw the quaffle to Scorpious, who scores a point for their team. Bill 'accidentally' moves to the side to make it easier for him.

Scorpious looks excitedly over at Narcissa and I and exclaims, "Nana, nana! Did you see? Mione, did you see? I scored!" I'm surprised he keeps addressing me. For all their talk about how he's a shy kid, he's sure been very open around me. "Way to go!" I call out and Narcissa claps for him.

"He reminds me so much of Draco as a boy" she comments.

"He's a wonderful child and very intelligent" I tell her. She nods. "Yes, sometimes it's hard to believe he'll only be three. Other times it feels like he should be a lot older." We watch the game for a minute more before Narcissa turns to me and says, "So Hermione, how did you enjoy Paris?"

I look at her in shock. "H…how did you know I was in Paris?"

Narcissa gives me a confused look. "We own a villa in France. I quite love shopping there and often stay for a few weeks at a time. You were in their papers quite often with all of your achievements and work for their ministry, and I read a few articles. Is something wrong?"

Of course the Malfoys owned property in France. They probably owned a villa in nearly every country. And I didn't even think about how often I was in the French papers. "No, not at all" I respond quickly. "It's just that very few people knew I was there. Even the Daily Prophet was clueless. I was just a little surprised is all."

Narcissa relaxes and says, "Well even if they did know and wrote an article, I wouldn't have known from them. We don't read that paper much you see." I remember from reading the articles last night, the Daily Prophet practically tore the Malfoys to shreds. They, mainly Skeeter, believed they got off too easily after the war and trashed their name as best they could. Seems we had that in common.

We discuss shops and fashion trends there and I learn that she designed a brand of clothes for one of the boutiques I loved to shop at when I lived there. We have a lot in common surprisingly and I really enjoy conversing with her. A little while later, Scorp zooms right up to us and jumps off his broom. "Look nana, look! Daddy caught the snitch and gave it to me!" he says showing her the tiny golden sphere.

"How wonderful" she praises him. He comes over and stands directly in front of me then. "Did you see me Mione? My team beat Uncle Blaise's and I scored five times!"

"You did so good, Scorpious" I say patting his back. He beams proudly and James joins us looking just as happy.

"Aunt Mione, I'm thirsty" he says with Scorpious throwing in a "Me too."

"Well, I think Grandma Molly made some lemonade. How about we go inside and get some?" I ask standing up. The boys nod and rush to the house with me following. I pour the three of us a glass, and we sit at the small table in the kitchen enjoying our refreshing beverage. The boys continue to talk about the game, but somehow the conversation turns from quidditch to animals in a few minutes.

"What's your favorite animal, Aunt Mione?" James asks me.

"Hmm…well, I guess mine is a lion" I answer him. He nods and says, "Yeah, that's a good animal."

"What's yours, Scorpious?" I ask turning to him. He thinks about it for a second then with a huge grin says, "Dragons!" I nod and James pipes up, "I like dragons too!"

"I love dragons. I wish I could have one for my birfday" Scorpious says wistfully with a dreamy look on his face.

"A dragon wouldn't fit in our house Scorp" says a deep voice from behind us. I jump a little and turn around to see Malfoy watching us from the doorway in amusement. How does he keep sneaking up on me like that? He says something to his son about returning the snitch to the kit while I take our glasses to the sink. I quickly rinse them out, and turn around to see Malfoy standing a few feet behind me. We're the only two in the kitchen now, and my heart is pounding.

"Hi" he says looking a little uncomfortable.

"Hi" I say back. There's an awkward silence that follows after that. I try to think of something to say, but Malfoy beats me to it.

"Listen Granger, I haven't seen you in years so I never got the chance to apologize for the way I treated you in school" he begins.

I wasn't expecting that. If there was any doubt in my mind that he'd changed, his apology just squashed it. "Don't worry about it Malfoy, we were kids" I say with a small smile.

"It's still no excuse. I just want you to know I don't think that way anymore. And I definitely don't raise Scorp to believe in those ideals" he continues. "Also, yesterday in the shop, I'm sorry if I off-"

"No, you didn't" I say cutting him off. "I apologize for my reaction. You didn't know. Ron and I dated for a little while after the war, but broke up. It, uh…didn't end on very good terms…completely destroyed our friendship…I haven't seen him in years." I don't know why I told him all that, but I couldn't seem to stop myself. Oh gods, he must think I'm the strangest person in the world right now.

He nods then says something that completely catches me off guard. "His loss. I always thought you were too good for him anyway." Did he just compliment me? I blush but manage a smile, which he returns. Then he clears his throat and says, "So, Blaise told me you've been in Paris all this time. How was it?"

"Great" I say finding my voice. "I loved working with their ministry. And Paris was absolutely beautiful."

"Yeah, I know. I haven't been there in a while, but I used to go every summer with mother when I was a kid" he tells me. "So, you're back for good?"

I nod. "Yes, I'll be starting tomorrow. I work in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Maybe I'll see you around?"

He flashes a roguish grin at me that makes my heart flutter. "Definitely. I'll be looking forward to it."

"Daddy!" Scorpious shouts as he barrels over to his father. "George said to ask you if I could have a weasel for a pet because you love weasels almost as much as you love ferrets!" he exclaims.

I bite my lip to avoid laughing out loud and glance at Malfoy. He's got a scowl on his face and his left eye twitches. He mutters something under his breath that sounds like "…kill that one-eared weasel…" but I'm not sure. He sees my questioning gaze and says, "Scorp's been wanting a pet for a while, but I don't think he's ready yet. And it doesn't help with Potter and the others making stupid suggestions" he grumbles the last part and I laugh.

"Mione, you should come to my party!" Scorp suddenly says. "It's on Friday at my nana's big house, and it's a swim party so you have to bring your bathing suit. Please?" he's got the most adorable puppy dog eyes as they look up at me filled with hope.

"You really should come Granger. Blaise and the Potters will be there as well as Bill, Fleur, and their kids." Malfoy adds. I've been back in England for one weekend, and already I've been invited to a Malfoy party, albeit a three year old's birthday party. This seems surreal, as I never thought I'd see the Malfoys again, but I'm glad I did. After all, I came back to have a fresh starts and erase the bad memories.

I smile and nod. "Sure, sounds like fun. I'll be there."

AN: I'm not really sure how I felt about this chapter, but it cleared the air between Hermione and Narcissa. Next chapter's the birthday party! Also, I know I've been able to update everyday, but don't get used to that. I've got papers to write and exams to study for, plus I've got to plan out what happens next. As always, hope you enjoyed!