Draco awoke the next morning to find his parents in the dining room with Scorpius, eating breakfast as his son regales them with stories of all the things he and the Weasley and Potter children did the night before. The morning before, he had sat down with Scorpius and explained to him that he and Hermione were dating and that she would be around more often and that they would spend a lot of time with her when they could. He asked his son if he would be okay with that and Scorpius told him he would like to see Miss Hermione again soon.
Hermione's patronus arrived just after Scorpius's statement and he smiled at his son, telling him they could go see her right away. He was a little worried that Scorpius would get overwhelmed by all the new people but his son seemed to flourish under the careful attention all the other children showed. When the children had convinced Scorpius to play with them, his son had the biggest smile Draco had ever seen on his face and he knew this would be a good thing for the two of them.
"Good morning, Mother, Father. You're here early." Draco said as he took his seat at the head of the table.
"You told us the signing ceremony would take place at noon. We thought we might take you, Hermione, and her parents out for lunch afterward." Narcissa says with a smile on her face.
"About that…she was adopted by Arthur and Molly Weasley after the war," Draco says unsure of how they would feel about that.
Lucius nods, "Hermione told us about that when I was released from Azkaban. Severus and I joined her and your mother for tea one day and she told us all about it after I apologized to her for my… ill-intent towards her. It was quite an emotional day for all of us."
Draco digests this information while he takes a bite of his breakfast, before nodding, "I'm sure it was quite emotional. Was that the first time you had seen Uncle Severus since the war?"
Lucius nods, "Yes, speaking of your godfather, he'll be here for the signing ceremony as well. He wrote a letter mentioning that Hermione had invited him and that he had accepted."
Draco grins, "Well, that was kind of her. I haven't seen him in a few months. He really does enjoy his solitude. Reclusivity seems to suit him."
Lucius nods and Narcissa smiles, "He does indeed. Though, he did write asking after you and Scorpius a few weeks ago. I'm sure he'll be happy to see you both."
After breakfast has ended, Draco takes Scorpius back to his room and calls for Brix, asking her kindly to bathe Scorpius and get him ready to attend the signing ceremony. Brix, of course, agrees with enthusiasm and takes the squirming child from his father, disappearing into the adjoining bathroom. Draco leaves the room with butterflies starting to mount in his stomach as he heads to his own suite to take a quick shower and dress for the day in a tailored, heather gray muggle suit and his finest pair of dragonhide dress shoes.
Once dressed, Draco returns to Scorpius' room where he finds Brix has wrapped his son in a large towel like a Mexican burrito to keep him from running around naked. Draco chuckles and finds Brix in Scorpius' walk-in wardrobe. She turns to him and appraises his clothes before nodding and turning back to the clothes in her hand. She puts a few things back and grabs others, nodding and muttering to herself. The elf leaves the closet and magically dresses Scorpius so he can't run away; a habit the boy has picked up over the last year, one that his father also had as a toddler. Draco grins at his son's outfit, a pair of light gray trousers, a dark blue dress shirt, and blue suede slipper shoes. She's practically matched them up.
Picking up his son, he heads back down the stairs and joins his parents in his office. They've seated themselves on the couch in front of the fireplace and are quietly conversing. Handing Scorpius over to his mother, who sets him between her and Lucius, Draco watches them continue to talk about whatever they had been discussing whilst also making sure to keep Scorpius safely ensconced between them. He offers them a drink but they both decline so he takes his seat behind the ornate cherry wood desk and takes care of some outstanding paperwork to keep himself busy until everyone arrives.
After half an hour, he checks the time - 11:15 AM. He rolls his eyes with a sigh and returns to his proposal for the Ministry (to add a small petting zoo to the school as a sort of introduction to magical creatures). With plans now in place for Hermione to move in at some point, the idea of having a unicorn herd on the grounds struck him in the wee hours of the morning the previous week. A witch of her talents could create a whole breeding program and the kids would love to see baby unicorns.
At 11:30 the office door is opened by Brix and Theo is admitted into the room in his charcoal business robes with his muggle briefcase. Five minutes later, Uncle Severus is shown in as well. Severus is wearing his usual 'all black' but the perpetual scowl and hatred for the world in general from years ago is absent. Draco sets his work aside to greet them both. Theo hugs him (he always was the most touchy-feely Slytherin) and asks if he can clear off his desk for the ceremony. When Draco agrees, Theo gets to work clearing the desk of its minimal clutter and Draco finally turns to Severus.
"I'm glad you're here, Uncle. I wasn't aware that Hermione had invited you." Draco says with a smile.
Severus nods, "Yes, she and I have become rather good friends over the years, although our friendship is mostly maintained via owl. She also knows I am your godfather. She wrote to me last week and wanted to keep my attendance a surprise."
Lucius shrugs at the slightly accusatory look Severus gives him when he says that it was meant to be a surprise. Draco grins, "Regardless, I am glad to see you, Uncle."
Severus nods and pats Draco on the shoulder before moving to join Narcissa and Lucius with Scorpius. He greets Scorpius the way he would an adult and Draco shakes his head with a small laugh.
Another few minutes pass, and Draco checks the time again. 11:40 AM. He feels the butterflies in his stomach getting antsy but pushes the feeling away as he walks around the office. In an effort to breathe a little easier, he opens the French doors leading into the rose garden and lets the late summer breeze, richly scented by the surrounding blooms, in. Patience has never been a virtue he could comply with easily but in an attempt, he steps out into the garden and takes a deep breath.
Hermione awoke that morning just after 10:30 and rushed to get ready. She was supposed to meet Molly and Arthur at the Burrow an hour later and then head to the Manor. She showered quickly and dressed, choosing a navy knee-length dress with lace overlay and long lace bell sleeves. Navy heels completed her outfit before she applied her everyday makeup. Leaving her hair loose, it cascades down her back in slightly tousled waves so she adds her mother's hair clip with tiny, decorative blue roses, to keep the flyaway strands out of her face. Once she's ready, she glances at her watch - 11:25 and quickly grabs her wand, sliding it into her wrist holster and apparating directly to the Burrow instead of using the floo; showing up at the Manor with soot on her dress was out of the question. When she walks through the familiar old farm door and into the cozy living room, it's to find Harry and Ginny waiting for her with Molly and Arthur.
"What on earth are you two doing here?" Hermione smiled at the pleasant surprise.
"What kind of best friends would we be if we didn't come to your signing ceremony?" Ginny asks, smiling brightly and hugging her close.
"Ron and Parvati wanted to come, but Lavender, Rose, and Hugo are all sick and they didn't want to leave them with a sitter," Harry says, hugging her as well.
"That's alright. I'll send them a note later. I hope the children are alright." Hermione says after they released her.
Molly and Arthur both hug her as well and Arthur asks her again if this is what she really wants. When she adamantly tells them that she truly and completely does want it, that she's happy with her choice, Arthur nods and ushers everyone out of the front door towards the apparition point. Molly and Arthur side along with her, and Harry and Ginny meet them at the front gates.
"Come on, let's go turn you into a Malfoy." Harry grins as they begin the walk down the pathway to the front door, feeling more like her brother than at any other point in their history, which was saying something.
"Harry!" She exclaims with an amused sort of exasperation and a slap to his chest. "This is only the contract signing. It is not the wedding."
Harry chuckles, "I know, I know. I'm just still in shock about this whole thing. You're marrying Malfoy. I have to keep saying it because it feels like you're making it up."
"Well, I'm not making it up. I'm marrying Draco, he's marrying me." She states with determination.
"And then you're going to have lots of sex and babies," Ginny adds, excitedly.
"Ginevra!" Molly scolds her daughter.
Ginny rolls her eyes. "Give over mum. We all know Hermione's only marrying Malfoy to get in his pants. She's had a thing for him for years. Just think of all the extra grandchildren."
"Giiiiiiin," Hermione whines whilst the rest of the party just grins at her as she blushes.
Soon enough, the group of five is led through the front hall towards Draco's office by Brix. The elf ushers them in, announcing them one by one to the room. Hermione doesn't see Draco when she walks in but smiles when she sees him heading towards everyone from the garden through a pair of French doors that she hadn't noticed before.
"Well, I'm glad to see everyone is here. Let's get started…" Theo says from his place at Draco's desk, "If you would all stand around the desk, with Draco and Hermione in the center and make a semi-circle."
Everyone moves to stand like Theo requested, but Hermione makes one small change, taking Scorpius and having Draco hold him, with a smile and the simple explanation of, "I'm gaining a family, not just a man."
Narcissa, Ginny, and Molly all seemed to tear up at this and there's a sweet, emotional "awww" sound coming from their direction; Draco smiles at his future bride wondering how he got so damn lucky. Scorpius waves at her sweetly and she waves back with a smile.
"Now, Draco and Hermione are not officially becoming engaged or married today, however, this contract is a precursor for those arrangements to come to pass in the future; a promise of sorts to fulfill the terms of a future marriage. I will explain everything in the contract and if you both agree once I'm finished you will both say, 'I Do' and be given a variation of the blood quill and sign." Theo says as he looks at both Draco and Hermione. They look far more in love with each other than he had imagined they'd be at this stage of their relationship.
He smiles and slowly begins going over the contract. He mentions the courting period of three months, the stipulation that if they do not want to continue the relationship they can call things off at the end of the three months, the possibility of going to fertility doctors if natural conception does not work, the trust vaults for heirs and the traditional courtship rules. Finally, he finishes reading the contract.
The Weasleys and Malfoys both look pleased with how thoroughly it's been constructed as they watch the young couple nodding along with Theo's statements. Ginny and Harry are nodding along too and neither seem to have any objections. Though it was always possible that they did have objections but didn't want to be on Hermione's bad side. As he reaches the 'promises' section of the ceremony, Theo mentally reflects that it's been one of the easiest and most pleasant marriage contracts he'd had the opportunity to write.
"Do you, Hermione Granger, accept the terms of this marriage contract and agree to follow the courtship rules laid out by the Cultural and Traditional Ways of Pureblood Society?" He asks.
Hermione smiles, "I do."
"And do you, Draco Malfoy, accept the terms of this marriage contract and agree to follow the courtship rules laid out by the Cultural and Traditional Ways of Pureblood Society?"
Draco nods, "I do."
Theo can't help the smile that crosses his face at the expression on his best friend's features. There was a time when he wasn't sure Draco would ever move on, after Astoria's passing. This was a good match though. Hermione had grown into a good woman and a talented witch; she'd be good for him and for Scorpius. The blood quill materializes in his hand and he says the penultimate line of the ceremony… "Then you may both sign the contract."
He hands the quill to Hermione, who takes it gingerly and signs at the bottom of the document with a flourish, before handing the quill over to Draco. He, in turn, hands Scorpius to her. She takes her future step-son in her arms and holds him on her hip as Draco signs the contract beside her signature.
"You may seal this promise with a kiss if you'd like," Theo says.
Hermione blushes and Draco smirks before kissing her gently. The contract rolls itself up and glows gold to show that it has been sealed and a moment later, Hermione and Draco pull away from each other. Everyone laughs as Scorpius points at his own cheek and demands she give him a kiss too. She laughs and kisses his cheek with a loud 'mwah' sound making him laugh and hug her around the neck. Draco smiles softly at his son, ruffling his hair a bit.
"Well, the contract is signed so I am no longer needed. Draco, see you on Friday for cards. Granger, lovely to see you again. Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Severus, Harry, Ginny." Theo nods at each person, "I'll deliver the contract directly to the Ministry and I hope you all have a lovely afternoon."
Draco walks Theo out, and a few minutes later returns.
"He's going to send a note when it's been delivered," Draco says.
Lucius and Narcissa are conversing with Molly and Arthur whilst Harry and Ginny talk to Severus. Hermione can't help smiling from her spot on the long, smooth green leather sofa where she's entertaining Scorpius with animal noises.
"Well, I think this requires a celebration. Let's all go out for lunch." Narcissa smiles at the group.
The group of ten agree to meet at an upscale restaurant in Muggle London which Hermione suggests but Lucius and Narcissa are already familiar with. Hermione brings Molly and Arthur - who have never been there - via side-along apparition and by the time they arrive, Narcissa and Lucius have already secured a table at Claridge's under the name 'Granger', as suggested by the only Granger of their party. Severus, Harry, Ginny, and Draco arrive with Scorpius a few moments after and they all enjoy a beautiful lunch at the famous Gordon Ramsay restaurant, discussing a myriad of topics. Lucius and Arthur discuss the Ministry with Severus interjecting occasionally. Hermione and Draco talk to Severus about his business. Narcissa and Molly discuss wedding ideas and grandchildren. Ginny and Harry observe Hermione and Draco interacting with each other and how they interact with Scorpius. They are in agreement that this relationship started in a strange way but that it works.
During dessert, they are approached by an older blonde man in a chef's coat.
"Hermione Granger? Is that you?" The man asks.
Hermione glances up and smiles brightly, as she stands, "Yes, Chef. It's lovely to see you again."
The chef smiles, pulling her into a hug, "How are your parents?"
Hermione smiles at him, "They're well. Still enjoying Australia, as far as I've heard. I believe they decided to extend their sabbatical. With Louis continuing to do so well taking care of the office and the patients, they decided they would take more time for themselves."
"Well, I'm glad they're taking a break, they deserve it. I'm covering your lunch, so don't even think about paying. Your parents were good dentists and even better friends to Tana and me, and you were the best babysitter on our date nights. Louis is doing a wonderful job, too, the children think he's hilarious." The man grins at her.
Hermione laughs, "I appreciate that very much, Chef. And mum and dad will be glad to hear that Louis is getting such wonderful reviews."
They discuss his family for a few minutes before he excuses himself and wishes Hermione and her guests a good afternoon before making his way back to the kitchen.
Hermione reclaims her seat and the others look to her for some kind of explanation.
"I'm so sorry, I should have made introductions!" She exclaims, embarrassed.
"Who was that, Miss Hermione?" Scorpius asks from his spot on his grandfather's lap.
"That was Chef Gordan Ramsay. This is one of his restaurants. He and my parents were friends and I used to watch his children when he and his wife went on double dates with my parents, actually his youngest daughter, Tilly, is one of my godchildren.." Hermione explained to the little boy. Scorpius nods and goes back to eating his dessert and Hermione returns the chocolatey smile he gives her.
"Why did you tell him your parents are doing well? And who is Louis?" Draco asks her in a whisper.
"He's a muggle. He wouldn't understand if I said I hadn't seen them in twelve years. We were a very close family. And Louis is my stepbrother. My father had him with his first wife before she passed away. He's a few years older than me and he and I run my parents' dental office. He agreed with my idea to obliviate them and send them away during the war. He was away in America for school when I started at Hogwarts and agreed to stay away as long as he could. You'll meet him eventually." She replies in an equally quiet voice. Draco nods, squeezing her hand gently and she gives him a small smile before turning back to her dessert.
At the end of lunch, Harry pulls the couple aside and tells them he's happy for them and that Ron is as well. He also informs Draco that if he hurts Hermione, that between himself, Ron, and the rest of the male Weasleys, no one would ever find the body. Hermione rolls her eyes at this and shakes her head but Severus gives Potter an approving look before throwing a pointed look at his godson. Ginny notices the entire exchange and smirks before telling Draco that all of the men combined can't hold a candle to what she and her mother would do and that it's the Weasley women that he should really worry about if he hurts Hermione. Draco gulps dramatically before nodding vigorously because he knows Ginny Potter is much scarier than her brothers, and only surpassed by Hermione. As for Molly… well, he only had to remember the demise of his Aunt Bellatrix. He shudders.
Narcissa, Lucius, and Severus leave together. Molly and Narcissa agree to owl when they can to continue discussing wedding ideas. Draco rolls his eyes and insists that they should wait until they're actually engaged. Hermione just laughs and tells him to leave them alone and let them have their fun.
Once everyone else has left, Hermione goes home to change, before joining Draco and Scorpius at the Manor for the afternoon. When she arrives, Draco is waiting for her in the front hall and leads her up the staircase to the palatial family wing on the east side of the estate. Scorpius is playing in a large playpen filled with toys and she smiles at him as he clutches a toy dragon and weaves it through the air, 'making it fly'.
Draco lowers himself onto the loveseat in front of the fireplace, stretching out his long legs, and Hermione joins him, sitting so that they can keep an eye on Scorpius while they talk. After a while of discussing Draco's plans for the petting zoo, Brix brings some refreshments for them and they enjoy the tea and biscuits, which Scorpius insists on dunking in Hermione's cup. Their conversation turns to books and school. They talk for hours before Draco realizes that it's Scorpius' bedtime and excuses himself to take the boy to bed. Hermione peruses the bookshelves beside the fireplace while he's gone and selects a book on Greek mythology. Taking a seat again she flips through the pages, with a smile, thinking back to when her mother would read the same book to her when she was a child.
This is how Draco finds her twenty minutes later.
"What are you reading?" He asks, sitting down across from her.
"A book of Greek mythology. My mum had the same book when I was young. She would read them to me before bed." Hermione smiles, looking up at him, "I was actually named after the daughter of King Menelaus and Helen of Troy."
Draco grins, "It's a beautiful name, for a beautiful woman."
Hermione blushes, "Thank you."
Draco grins, "Theo sent a note." He holds the note out to her and she takes it from him.
"Signed, sealed, and delivered. -Theo"
She laughs, and hands the note back to him, "You're mine."
He smirks and takes the book from her, setting it to the side, before scooping her up in his arms and kissing her soundly. "Aaaaaaaaaaall mine." He adds when they briefly break for an oxygen intake.
They spend an unexamined amount of time snogging; his hands entangled in her hair and her hands running up and down his arms. Slowly, they come back to themselves and separate, smiling at each other like giddy teenagers and regaining their breath; their foreheads pressed together.
Hermione slowly realizes she's straddling Draco's lap and can feel just how turned on he's become. She can't help herself at the opportunity and grinds down against him, making him groan deeply.
"Fuck me." She huffs in exclamation of how quickly their physical relationship has suddenly escalated.
"You know I would, but we can't. We agreed to follow the pureblood courtship rules. Which means we have to wait until marriage." Draco breathes, as she kisses his throat.
"Bloody stupid pureblood rules," she growls.
Draco chuckles, "They're not stupid, love."
Hermione scowls, "Oh, yes they are. Your stupid rules are very annoying."
"They're your rules too, you know. Seeing as you were adopted by purebloods." Draco smirks.
She hits him on the shoulder and pouts. "I suppose I'll just have to get myself off when I get home."
He gapes at her, and she removes herself from his lap with a smirk, settling against the side of the couch opposite from him.
"Did we just have our first fight, love?" Draco asks, almost astonished.
Hermione chuckles, "No, you'll know without a doubt when we have our first fight, darling."
Another hour passes as they discuss Greek mythology whilst Draco struggles to deflate his arousal and not think about what Hermione plans to do when she gets home. She takes her leave not long before midnight, confirming she should get some sleep at least as she has work the next morning. Draco walks her down to the front gates, where he holds her in a hug for a long moment before pressing a kiss to her forehead and bidding her goodnight.
In bed that night, after reaching a rushed climax to thoughts of her "getting herself off", he sleeps soundly… happily and dreams of a life with Hermione Granger.