Author's Note: Hey everyone! I'm posting a day early because I finished the chapter early and my beta sent it back to me early! YAY! Also, I rushed this chapter because I have a lot to do this week in order to prepare for vacation. I am leaving for vacation this weekend, so I will be without my computer, meaning no writing. I won't get to update again until after I return, so make sure to savor this chapter! In the meantime, why not check out my beta's (StoneFeather30135) fic! Happy reading!
Disclaimer: All this wonderfulness belongs to the fantastic J.K. Rowling…well, except the plot.
Letting It All Go
Chapter Five: Somebody that I used to Know
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over.
But had me believing it was always something that I'd done"—Gotye
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hermione was currently sitting at the kitchen counter staring into her now cold, cup of coffee. Usually she was a tea person, but she hadn't gotten much sleep again last night. So now she had two days of nearly sleepless nights under belt. Yes, coffee was needed. She swirled the last dregs of her coffee as she thought; the rain was pounding on the windows and it helped to calm her frazzled nerves. It had been raining since the middle of the night, but it was a good thing, it had been really dry these past few weeks, and the rain was welcome.
The clock on the mantel in the living room chimed and Hermione sighed; getting to her feet to pour the cold coffee down the drain. It was very quiet in the apartment today, but after a night like last night, she wasn't surprised. She picked the dish rag up and wiped off the counter before folding it and replacing it on the sink. It was now two in the afternoon; the children should be back soon, and hopefully Draco would be awake soon as well. She walked over to the doorway and listened down the hall; all was quiet still, meaning he was still asleep. She should probably wake him. He'd wanted to be awake when Scorpius arrived.
She smoothed her hands down over her jeans and straightened her white knit t-shirt before heading to his door. She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and reached for the doorknob. Leaning forward, she listened through the door; still silent. She cringed at the thought of what she might find inside, remembering what had happened the night before…
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hermione hadn't been asleep very long when she'd been shaken awake by Rose. It took her a moment to realize what was happening and then her daughter's face took form in front of her face. She struggled to sit up, shaking off the sleep that was still clinging to her mind. She clicked on the bedside lamp and pushed the hair off her face.
"What's wrong, Rose? Is Hugo alright?"
"Yes, he's still asleep. I went downstairs to get a glass of water and I heard Mr. Malfoy talking in his room…I think he was asleep, but I didn't go in. I came right up here."
Hermione's heart dropped as she pushed the covers aside and crawled out of bed. He must be having nightmares again. He'd told her that when he has the nightmares, he talks in his sleep. This wasn't a good sign. Their discussion had obviously hit a nerve; even if it had been his idea to talk about Astoria in the first place. She slid her feet into her house shoes and grabbed her robe from the back of her chair. She put it on and turned to her daughter.
Rose was standing with her hands twisted together. She looked concerned and scared at the same time and Hermione went over and placed her hands on her shoulders, "Rose, darling, why don't you go back into your bedroom and shut the door. I will take care of Mr. Malfoy. Just go back to sleep." She turned her daughter towards the door and gave her a gentle push through it. Hermione followed and waited for Rose to be safely locked up in her room, before wandlessly casting silencing charms on both her children's bedroom doors. If anything were to happen she didn't want her kids to hear it.
With a sigh of knowing that her children would be safe, she ventured downstairs and stood in front of Draco's door; her study door. It seemed as if everything was quiet inside, but to be sure, she eased open the door and took a look around. The bed was a mess; it was as if someone had been thrashing about it and then thrown the covers away in a hurry to get out. This was not good. Where was he? She hoped that he hadn't left the flat.
She stepped back out of the room, wand at the ready, and headed down towards the kitchen. There was a light on in the living room and she couldn't remember if she'd turned it out or not. She hoped he was just having a restless night. Stepping into the kitchen she held herself upright; it was a mess. There were streaks of blood on her formerly clean kitchen counters and a few specks on the wall. What the hell had he done? Walking swiftly through the room she made quick assessment of the situation; one of her small kitchen knives was missing from the block and with the blood spattered everywhere, she could deduce that he was cutting himself…or worse.
She hoped it wasn't worse.
Swallowing the bile that had risen to the back of her throat, Hermione made her way to the living room…oh Merlin, her beautiful white living room…how would she get the blood out? If the sticky red substance in the kitchen had been any indication, it made her heart race just to think of how much of it could be in there. And what if Draco wasn't just cutting himself? What if he'd gone all the way? She shuddered to imagine anything of the sort.
She leaned into the room and breathed a sigh of relief, he wasn't in there. But where could he be? She whirled around at the thud in the dining room. He must be in there, but why? She crept back through the kitchen and then across the hall towards the dining room. Now that she was closer, she could smell the fresh air from outside tinged with that unmistakable sent of rain; a storm was coming.
She leaned back against the wall of the hallway and pulled her wand up in front of her closing her eyes with a deep breath. A silent prayer to Merlin for him not to be lying dead on the floor, whispered across her lips, and then she eased around the doorway. The breath came whooshing out of her mouth at the relief she felt. Draco wasn't dead…he was sitting on the balcony outside. The knife lay forgotten on the dining room table. Hermione picked it up and twirled it around in her hand. It had bloodstains upon it, but it was near dry. With a tap of her wand she sent in flying back to the kitchen…just to be safe.
Stepping up to the open doorway, she cleared her throat, tucking her wand behind her. There was no need to alarm him, she simply wanted to make sure he was alright and get him back to bed. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and she could have sworn she saw a streak of lightning to the east. Draco turned his head to look at her. He didn't say anything, and he didn't have to; Hermione could see the anguish etched into his features. Her heart skipped a beat and she swallowed hard, again.
Hermione shivered when the wind blew against her small frame, but she stepped out onto the balcony. She didn't know what to say, and he was still staring at her. She took in his distressed form; his sleeves were rolled up and there were fresh cut marks up and down both of his arms. Some even had blood dripping from them still. None of the cut marks looked life threatening however. Feeling slightly more hopeful, Hermione walked gradually over to the other chair and sat down. She stared out over the rooftops of Diagon Alley and watched lightning strike in the distance. The thunder rumbled her to the core.
"A storm is coming," she whispered.
"I didn't mean to startle Rose."
"I know…"
"Will she tell the Weasel?"
Hermione closed her eyes and let the terror wash over her, "Merlin, I hope not." When she opened her eyes she noticed he was looking at her.
"I should leave."
She shook her head, "No, no…it will be alright. I'll talk to her. She doesn't have to know what happened here tonight."
"I meant I should leave…here."
She whipped herself around in her chair to face him, "You are not saying what I think you're saying."
He nodded.
"I thought we've been over this?"
Draco scratched his chin and let his arms fall back down onto his lap. Sitting in silence for a moment, he threw his head back and cackled, "Look at me, Granger. I'm a mess. I can't do this anymore. Any time I talk about…or even think about, Astoria…I lose it." The last part was said in almost a whisper. Hermione watched as he pushed himself up from the chair. He rolled his sleeves down and only in a few spots did the redness seep through. He stepped up to the railing and looked down at the empty street below. She wasn't sure if she should stand up and join him or stay in her chair. She did lean forward however, so that she'd be able to hear him more clearly.
"Come here, Granger."
She blinked at his back, but did as he asked. She stood next to him, placing her hands on the railing…not only to mimic what he was doing, but also to help steady herself. She realized that her heart was beating very quickly, and her breathing was erratic. Turning her head away from his, she hoped he didn't notice the effect the situation was having on her. She wasn't quite sure how to react to his bluntness.
"What am I doing here, standing with you?"
He let his head fall forward; his hair shielding his face, but she saw the tear slide down his cheek, linger a moment on his chin, and then fall to the street below. He was crying, silently, and it broke her heart a little to see him so devastated. She'd seen him cry before, but somehow, this was different. He just seemed so, sad…but at the same time, he looked so alive. It was as if he thrived off of this sadness. She remembered hearing about people becoming addicted to their sadness. She hoped he would not be one of those people.
"I guess I just needed someone to be with me right now."
"Okay."
They stood there and listened to the thunder and watched the lightning for a while. Neither moved, and Hermione barely breathed; afraid that she might disrupt the situation even further. After a few more minutes, she heard Draco take a deep breath. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her away from the ledge, causing her to let go of the railing. She stumbled back towards the chair, but didn't sit down.
Hermione watched in horror as Draco swiftly climbed atop the railing. The wind was raging at this point and his hair whipped about his face. Hermione felt a raindrop hit her cheek and she brushed it away and she lunged forward. With one last look over his shoulder at her, Draco threw himself from the ledge. Hermione screamed and flung herself at him, but his shirt was just out of reach. With a quickness she hadn't needed since the war, she withdrew her wand and pointed it at his falling body, "Wingardium Leviosa," she screamed and held onto her wand with both hands. She'd never levitated a body before; especially not one that was falling through the air at an alarming rate.
She felt the instant the spell took hold of his body, jerking her towards the railing, and she risked a glance down…praying it had been before he'd hit the street. Grimacing as she held the spell, she looked down and sobbed in relief that his body was floating just a few feet from the ground. She couldn't tell if he was conscious or not, but began to lift him upwards anyway. She was sweating from the effort when she finally guided his body back on the balcony. As soon as he landed in a crumpled heap on the floor, she released the spell and fell to her knees, no longer able to control her sobs.
The storm crashed upon them then. Rain began driving in buckets from the sky, instantly soaking her through her pajamas. Thunder pounded so hard it rattled her ribs and the lightning flashed so brightly the entire balcony was enveloped in light. Her tears mingled with the rain and fell through her fingertips onto the concrete floor.
She cried until her body was shaking from the effort. She didn't stop until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up she was surprised to see that it was Draco. He was sitting next to her, his back against the railing. His hand was shaking, or was that her? She didn't know, but upon seeing his calm face, she composed herself a bit. Her tears became ones of anger and then she did the only thing she could think of, she pulled her hand back and punched him in the shoulder hard enough to break her knuckles.
"You, fucking, asshole." She was seething as she clutched her bruised hand. Fumbling around on the ground for her wand, she healed herself before standing up and backing away from Draco. She was breathing so hard she was sure she could be hyperventilating. He just sat there staring back at her, his arms stained red, his chest moving in and out, and his eyes like ice.
Draco dropped his face so she couldn't see it anymore and she felt her anger slip away immediately. He looked so, broken. Stumbling back over to him, she dropped to her knees once more. She used her wand to heal his cuts; she didn't want him bleeding anymore. The red was making her crazy. She needed a drink.
After she had him all cleaned up she helped him to his feet. He swayed a bit, but didn't resist. Together they walked back into the flat and she led him back to his room. They were both soaking wet and the house was pitch black…the storm must have knocked out the power. Luckily, the lightning helped them find their way. She deposited him on his bed and then turned to rummage through his bags for some dry clothes. She thrust them at him and managed to breathe, "Here, put these on before you catch cold."
Hermione turned around and crossed her arms over her chest as he undressed and then put the new clothes on. She was in shock; her body was still quaking and she felt like ice. When she heard the bed creak under his weight she turned back around, letting her arms fall back to her sides. She stood there staring down at him; his eyes bored into hers own.
"What the bloody hell were you thinking?"
"You should have let me fall."
She threw her hands into the air, "Are you mental? Why the fuck would I let you fall?"
He shrugged.
"I am your healer…I am here to protect you, to heal you, Malfoy! I'm not here to allow you to hurt yourself!"
When he just stared back up at her she continued her rant, "I am going to talk to Rose tomorrow morning. She's going to invite Scorpius here."
At the mention of his son's name, Draco visibly twitched and Hermione smirked, "Ah, yes, Malfoy, your son, Scorpius. Remember him? Yes, I thought so. You are going to promise me, right here and now, that you will never ever try to kill yourself again. Ever. You have a son, and yes, you lost the love of your life, but you still have a part of her…in him. You are all he has left, what would happen if he lost both his parents? What then Malfoy?"
Draco took a shuddering breath and nodded, "I understand. I love my son. I promise, Hermione."
Hermione blinked, "What? What did you call me?"
"Hermione."
She slid to her knees, for a third time this night, and placed her hand on his knee. He peeked through his wet hair, his icy gaze looking at her intently, and she felt a shiver go down her spine, "Why?"
He lifted his hand and placed it on hers, "Because, after a night such as this…we cannot simply go on calling each other by our last names, can we?"
She shook her head, causing her tangled wet hair to whip back and forth, "No I suppose not…but you do, you promise not to try to kill yourself anymore?"
She heard him swallow, "Yes. I promise. For Scorpius."
She sat with him until the storm calmed and then helped him lay back in the bed. She picked up his wet clothes from the floor and turned to the door. He was already asleep, but just to be on the safe side she went over the bathroom across the hall and grabbed a bottle of dreamless sleep potion. Going back to him she tilted his head back and let a few drops slide from the bottle and into his mouth. He needed to sleep…without the nightmares. Tonight had been too much, and if he woke again, she didn't know what would happen.
Closing the door behind her she sighed, now she had the task of cleaning up the mess he made.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Hand still on the doorknob, Hermione took a deep breath and twisted it. Draco was still asleep; covers twisted around his legs. He might have had a dreamless sleep, but it was obvious it was restful. She walked into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. For the first time she was able to really look at him. He had crow's feet by his eyes and a few lines on his forehead. Parts of his blond hair, had strands of gray speckled through it. There were purple circles under his eyes. He was much too thin for a man of his age, and his nails were jagged where they gripped the blanket; most likely from being bitten constantly.
Hermione rubbed her eyes, she had a lot of work to do, but hopefully seeing Scorpius would help his dilemma. She removed her hands from her eyes and startled; Draco's eye were open and he was watching her.
"What are you doing, Hermione?"
Still feeling strange hearing her name come from her mouth, she stood up from the bed and stepped away, "I was just coming to wake you up. Scorpius will be here soon. Rose and Hugo went to wait for him at the Leaky Cauldron. He's flooing here."
Draco sat up and swung his legs out of the bed, placing his feet on the floor. She watched as he stretched and then turned his attention back to her, "Did she tell him what happened?"
"No. I didn't tell her either. I only told her that you were having a bad night and that you didn't mean to startle her. No one knows what happened…but I do think you should tell your son at some point. You shouldn't hide things from him any longer. I don't agree with Narcissa keeping him hidden away."
"You're right, as usual."
She scoffed at him, "Get dressed, Draco. I'll go make tea." She shook her head at him as she left the room. Heading to the kitchen, she began the process of making tea. Once she filled the kettle and placed it on the stove to boil, she found a nice platter and began placing cookies she'd baked earlier on it. She was sure the children would want a snack before dinner. Just as the kettle began to whistle, Draco walked into the room and plopped down on a chair. He looked like hell, but definitely better than last night.
He'd showered because his hair was wet, Hermione observed as she began placing tea bags in mugs and filling them with the hot water. He had also shaved and put on fresh clothes. He was wearing light blue jeans and a navy blue button up shirt. He looked alright she thought. She was just about to tell him how nice he looked when the front door opened in the other room. They heard the chatter of the teenagers and both glanced at each other. They hadn't discussed how they would handle this situation yet.
Shrugging, Draco hurriedly exited the room just before Rose, Hugo, and Scorpius walked in laughing. They stopped and stared at Hermione who was holding the empty kettle in the air. She cleared her throat and replaced the kettle on the stove, then turned to smile at their guest, "Scorpius, how nice to finally meet you! Welcome to my home!" She walked over and took both his hands in her own as a warm greeting.
Scorpius smiled at her, and Merlin be damned, he had Draco's smile…and eyes, not to mention, he pretty much was the spitting image if him all around. It was eerie, but in a good way. She released his hands and he spread them wide, "This is a really nice place you have here Ms. Granger. Thank you for having Rose invite me over. It was really nice of you."
"Oh, you're welcome, dear." She turned and picked up the tray of cookies, "Shall we all head into the living room for some tea and cookies?"
Everyone nodded and she handed the tray to her son before gesturing to her daughter to help her with the mugs. Scorpius reached to help to, but stepped back with a confused look on his face, "Ms. Granger, there's an extra mug here…what do you want to me to do with it?"
She hesitated and opened her mouth to speak, but Draco chose that moment to enter the kitchen, "That would be my mug, Scorpius."
Everyone in the room turned and stared at Draco who stood in the doorway from the hall. Scorpius set the mug down and walked over to his father never tearing his eyes from Draco's face. When they stood in front of each other, Scorpius whispered, "Father, what are you doing here?"
Draco lifted his chin, "It's a long story, really."
Scorpius turned and looked at Rose, "Did you know he would be here?"
She nodded with a small smile and the boy turned back to his father. Hermione wondered if they were always this stiff with one another, or if it had just been a long time for them. She raised her eyebrow at Draco, hoping he would get the message and relax with his son. The boy was obviously surprised to see him and afraid of why he was there.
Draco caught her eye and then gazed back at his son. He slowly opened his arms and then wrapped them around the boy in front of him. Scorpius seemed a bit reluctant at first, but then he wrapped his arms around his dad as well. It was very strange to see Draco hugging someone, because she was still wrapping her mind around the fact that Draco had such strong emotions in the first place.
When they let go of each other, Scorpius laughed, a bit embarrassed at the show of affection he just experienced in front of his friends. In a way to diffuse the situation, Hermione clapped her hands together and smiled brightly, "Alright then, let's have our tea before it gets cold."
The group made their way into the living room and the kids sat on the floor while Draco and Hermione took up places on the couch. Hugo immediately began eating some of the cookies and this caused Rose and Scorpius to laugh hysterically. Hugo grinned, mouth full of cookie, but when he caught his mother's eye, he promptly shut his mouth. Rose prodded him with her elbow, and Scorpius laughed again. It was refreshing to see that her children were friends with a Malfoy. Times were so different from when she and Draco had gone to Hogwarts.
Scorpius let a smile grace his face, "Hugo is known for his eating habits at school. Rose and I tease him all the time about it. He was eating at the Leaky Cauldron when I arrived!"
"Hugo, you'll spoil your dinner." Hermione chastised her son with a smile upon her lips. He swatted his hand at her playfully.
Hermione turned her attention to Scorpius, "Are you excited to return to Hogwarts for your last year?"
He sipped his tea, "Oh, of course, Ms. Granger. I'll be Head Boy. It's going to be a great year."
Draco leaned forward, "You're Head Boy this year. Congratulations, son. I am very proud of you."
Scorpius tilted his head, "I thought you knew already. Grandmother sent you a letter."
"I haven't gotten any letter from your grandmother in quite some time."
"She told me she sent it."
"Scorpius, I want to be honest with you. I have been staying here with Hermione for almost a month now."
"Why?"
"It just happens that she is my Psyche Healer. She felt it would be best for me to stay here rather than at the Manor or at the hospital for treatment. The Manor is still under construction, from the fire, anyway. I've had some setbacks, and that is why you were asked to visit. You are part of my treatment, son. We've been apart for too long. There are many things you do not know, but that I will tell you later when we have time alone."
Scorpius nodded as he took everything in. Hermione watched a myriad of emotions flutter through his eyes: anger, sadness, acceptance, curiosity. He sat up and crossed his left ankle over the right one and shrugged. "I suspected that Grandmother was not telling me everything, but I never thought that she would keep things from me. So, let me guess, father, you've tried to off yourself again? That is why you're here, right?"
"Yes, Scorpius, I have tried to kill myself a few times since the last I saw you. Your Grandmother was trying to protect you—''
"I do not need protected. I am of age."
"Yes, yes, I know that, but I believe she will always think of you as her grandbaby."
"That's ridiculous. I should have been home all summer; helping you."
"What's done is done. We have a few days time before you return to Hogwarts. We will make the most of it, understand?"
"Yes father."
No one knew exactly what to do after that so they all finished their tea in silence. Once everyone had sat there for long enough, Hermione suggested that Rose and Hugo go upstairs and find something to keep them busy while she began dinner. This would give Draco and Scorpius some time alone. Draco looked at her with grateful eyes as she shoved her children out of the room and turned to give him a small smile as she entered the kitchen.
Hermione sighed as the sound of quiet discussion began in the living room. She was glad that the two were reconnecting. After months of not being able to talk to one another, she knew that they needed this reunion more than anything. They both lost someone all those months ago. They both lost the person closest to them, really.
Blocking out any more thoughts, Hermione got started on dinner.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A few hours later, the five sat down to a dinner of lasagna and salad. They discussed the upcoming school year merrily now that all the bad blood was behind Scorpius and Draco. Rose and Scorpius explained in detail their plans for the Prefects, which caused Hugo to groan unhappily about all the rules they had to follow as Prefects. Hermione and Draco both agreed that there were a lot of rules, but one could still have fun. Besides, Hugo was going to be the playing on the Gryffindor Quidditch team; he'd be having plenty of fun.
Dinner was going smoothly until Hugo asked what Hogwarts was like back when they were students there. Draco said it was great up until the sixth year when it all went to shit for him due to the fact that he had a task from Voldemort to complete. He explained how he never rested much and that he was always on edge. Hermione had to agree that he was even more difficult to deal with during that year. He denied he was ever difficult to deal with…and that, well that was when the argument began.
They had just finished eating when Hermione snapped, "How can you deny that you weren't difficult to deal with, Draco?"
Draco sipped his water, "Come off it, Hermione, that's such old news."
She placed her hands flat on the table and leaned forward to glare into his icy gray eyes. She was starting to crack, she knew that, but it had been a good two days without a drink and she was starting to lose it just a little bit. So this is why she decided to start a full out argument in front of their children.
"I will not come off it. Does your son even know how you acted back in school?"
Draco threw down his napkin with a smirk, "If it's a fight you want, Granger, then, sure, let's do this. No, I never really talked about the past with Scorpius. It's not something I ever cared to share with anyone."
"What the bloody hell are you talking about, Malfoy?" If he was going to slip back into old ways, she would too.
"I didn't want Scorpius growing up with the misdeeds of my past weighing down on his shoulders."
Hermione pushed her chair away from the table, "So, you are telling me that he knows not of how you treated muggleborns or how you tormented so many people, including Harry Potter?"
Scorpius chimed in, "You tormented Harry Potter?"
Hugo and Rose, having heard the stories from the past gave each other a knowing look and began to clear the table. They knew how heated their mother could be over the subject of pureblood/halfblood/muggleborn status. She'd worked in the Ministry for years in order to secure rights for those of non pure blood families, after all.
"Scorpius, maybe it's best you help your friends clear the table." Draco prompted his son. With a roll of his eyes, he too got up and began to clear dishes.
Hermione was hell bent on keeping the conversation where it was so she carried on, "You insulted us from the very beginning, Malfoy. Making fun of Harry, degrading Ronald about his family, and then there was me. Who can ever forget the countless times you felt the need to bring my blood status into question? I will never forget the first time you said it—''
"Don't do this, Granger."
"I will always remember the first day you called me a, a mudblood."
Rose gasped and dropped a glass. It shattered on the floor as Scorpius turned slowly to face his father. Draco had one hand holding his face the other tapping his fingers loudly upon the table. Scorpius handed Hugo the stack of dishes he held and walked back to the table.
"I cannot believe you called this lovely woman a—I won't even say it, but I cannot believe she's letting you stay in her home after all that."
Hermione turned her attention to the young man while waving her wand to clean up the shattered glass, "Now, Scorpius, it was a long time ago, and I don't hold it against him, really, but for him to go all this time hiding behind a fake account of the past, I can't really ignore that. We both hated each other back then. He hated me for being muggleborn, and I hated him for tormenting my friends."
"But I just don't understand it. I thought he got along with everyone…"
"Don't be silly, son; I do not get along with everyone."
"Well, that's what I thought, father. All this time I looked up to you as some sort of great person, when in reality, you're just like your father—a liar."
"I am not my father." Draco stood from the table and faced his son who was glaring at him with his hands on his hips. "My father was a coward, a criminal, and a heathen. He looked up to a bloody idiot with delusional intentions, and when it was obvious the war wouldn't end the way the Dark Lord wanted, he ran away from it all, taking my mother and I with him. I am not him."
Scorpius snorted, "You're not a coward huh? Then why every time you get scared of living without mum, you go and try to kill yourself? Explain that, father, because to me that makes you a coward." He turned away from his father and walked over to Rose, "I'm out of here." He pushed past Hugo and they all stared at the empty doorway until they heard the door slam.
Rose and Hugo looked to their mother for what to do next, but she was in shock. What had she done? She swallowed and stood up from the table, "Children, go and find Scorpius. He can't have gone too far. Calm him down, get some ice cream, and then bring him back here. I'm sorry," she finished turning to Draco, "I didn't really mean for this to happen, Draco."
Draco didn't respond until Rose and Hugo had left the room. He plopped back into his chair and stared at his empty glass. She picked it up and looked at it more closely. When he'd finished detailing the glass, he placed it back down and looked towards Hermione, "I suppose you'll be drinking tonight?"
Grimacing, Hermione joined him back at the table. She crossed her right leg over her left and covered her face with her hands. She nodded and heard Draco grunt in acknowledgement. She removed her hands and lifted her face to look at him. He looked positively livid, there was actually some color is his face for once. She hadn't seen him look this way since back at Hogwarts. It gave her a thrill up her spine, but she didn't know why, so she suppressed it hoping he wouldn't notice.
"Yes, I will most likely be drinking tonight, but not until the children are all back here, safe sound, and asleep."
"I will be joining you."
Hermione nodded, "Alright."
"Good."
Hermione and Draco sat there staring at each other, just waiting for the children to return. The table remained covered with the remains of their dinner. Draco tapped his fingers upon the table and Hermione clasped her hands together in her lap. Why did things always have to be so screwed up between the two of them?
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
A/N: Please Review! I look forward to seeing what you think!