Author's Notes:
Here's Chapter 123 for you!
This chapter is nearly 2,000 words longer than my usual chapters. It's very description heavy so I added some extra cute domestic and lovey scenes in between these sections to make up for it. I usually try to write my chapters as a good mix of description and dialogue, this one is just a little different as Hermione and Draco move into, and decorate their new house.
Love DW
PS Enjoy x
"Take the next left," Draco instructs. "Then follow this road to Church Hill." He adds as they turn off the motorway onto a narrow country road entering the village of Donhead St. Mary.
He grips the overhead hand bar tightly, focusing on the directions David had printed off for them that morning when they had dropped Scorpius off at eight o'clock. Hermione's uncle agreed to babysit their son overnight, so the couple's move into their new house can be as stress-free as possible. They had stayed for breakfast before packing their shrunken belongings into the back of David's car and setting off on the hour and forty-seven-minute journey to their home.
This weekend's plan was for Draco and Hermione to spend the Friday decorating and moving their few pieces of furniture into the house. Then on Saturday morning, Hermione's parents would drive down with David, Sophie and Scorpius. At the same time, Hyperion and Alarte will drive up. Their family will then help them organise, and in some case build, the furniture they had spent the last week buying. Everything should arrive on Saturday morning, then they can spend the afternoon working, and the night relaxing with their family, who would stay the night before heading home Sunday morning.
"Where are we going when we reach Church Hill?" Hermione asks as a church spire appears through the trees lining the country road.
"Carry on until you see Berry Wood Lane, then turn left and follow to the gate of our driveway," Draco grins, glancing over at his wife.
There had been a knot in his stomach on New Year's Eve as the estate agent showed them around their new house. He had kept his eyes on Hermione, trying to read the micro-expressions that were flittering across her face. He needn't have worried though, she had fallen even more in love with the property, so much so that she signed the contract on the kitchen island. They had been given permission to move in the following Friday.
Hermione began to slow down as she indicated off the country road and drove up the short side road that led only to the simple black double gates to their property. Draco wove his wand in the direction of the gate, opening them as they approached. The gravel driveway up to the house itself was a hundred meters long, giving guests a view of their grounds, which at the moment comprised of a well-groomed lawn with a few trees and high hedges lining their property line.
"We should plant some tree along the driveway," Draco suggests.
Hermione doesn't answer, staring up at the large, stone house ahead of them in awe. It was only the second time she had seen their new home in person. Draco had asked the estate agent for a viewing three times before deciding it was the right house for his family, and then a further two times, once to sign his name on the contract, and again with Hermione.
The car comes to a stop at the top of their driveway. At the back of their property is a garage, which is why the front door was rarely used by the previous occupants, preferring to enter through the closest back door.
"I'm still struggling to believe we've gone and bought a house," Hermione mutters as she removes the keys from the ignition, but not making a move to exit the car.
"Are you okay?" Draco asks, resting his hand atop hers on her lap.
Hermione nods, "It's all quite overwhelming. Two weeks ago, I had no idea we would be here today." She admits, climbing out of the car.
Draco joins Hermione, taking her hand and dangling the keys to their house in front of her face. Her smile widens as she takes the proffered keys, and pulls him over to the front door.
Wrapping around the house, from the study window to the left side of the house is a porch, with steps leading up to the entrance, a stone portico protecting the front door from the harsh British weather.
Hermione unlocks the heavy wooden front door, pushing open into a large foyer facing the staircase up to the first floor. On the left wall is a large window overlooking the porch and a set of steps leading out to the back garden. She'd like to place a settee underneath, where guests can sit to remove their shoes upon entry. Beside the window is the door to the basement flat, that the previous family has used as the residence for their children's nanny. On the right wall of the entranceway is a blank wall that Hermione envisions placing a wide mirror.
"The house seems so old and eerie now that it's empty," Draco admits, walking into the large kitchen.
"It's certainly strange," she agrees, walking past him towards the first door leading off from the kitchen, which opens into their new study. The bay window at the other end of the room overlooks the porch. Once they had settled into the house, she wants to place a sofa in the bay window for them to relax with a book after work.
Through the second door off the kitchen is the dining room, with a built-in bar. The room itself will be large enough to host parties for their closest friends, or the entirety of either of their families, if they so wished to visit, just not at the same time.
A third door leads out back to a bathroom and utility room, where a door backs out to the garage and garden. The previous owners used this space for laundry. Since the room is hidden, they decided it would be the perfect place for a secret fireplace, where they could floo around the wizarding world, or accept visitors. Especially since they didn't need a washing machine and dryer to clean their clothes.
Behind the staircase up to the first floor is an arched walkway into the sizable living room, which will fit three of their four pre-ordered couches, facing the large fireplace. There would still be plenty of room for a bookshelf and an area for Scorpius to play with his toys as he gets older.
Back in the kitchen, beside the archway is another back door, although this one leads out to the main grounds of the garden. They plan to create a patio section, where they can host barbecues during the summer months, with play equipment for Scorpius and the children of their friends and family, and picnic benches. Hermione can almost see the summers they're going to enjoy in this house.
"We should check the basement first," Hermione suggests, as they find themselves back in the foyer.
Despite being windowless, the basement has an open living space with a small kitchenette. The back of the room has two doors to the small bathroom and bedroom. Hermione isn't sure what they would use this space for, since they had no need for a smaller kitchen at the moment, and they weren't planning on having any long-term guests. She supposes they will figure out some function for the basement later, perhaps storage for their Christmas decorations.
Back up on the ground floor, they head up the main staircase to the first-floor landing, where another large window overlooks the expanse of their grounds and for miles across the Wilshire countryside.
On either side of the staircase are narrow walkways opening onto the main corridor that stretches the length of the house. The rooms at the back of the property are the largest bedroom, with the master bedroom to the left of the staircase and the second largest to the right, where they will place the two single beds.
Eager to see their bedroom, they head there first.
"I love this room so much," Hermione grins, turning on the spot to take in the whole space, including their walk-in wardrobe, ensuite and the door to their private balcony.
Draco laughs, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her into a tight hug. She hugs him back, excitedly.
"I can't wait to get everything sorted, so we can start living the rest of our life." She tells him, pressing a quick kiss to his lips and moving away.
Draco catches her hand, pulling her back into a deeper kiss. "We have all the time in the world, Hermione, slow down." He reminds her, running his hands through her hair.
Hermione just smiles, letting her husband entice her into another kiss. They really do have all the time in the world, with no commitments until they go back to work in September, they can afford to take life slowly for now.
"Have I told you how much I love you recently?" She hums, resting her head on his chest as they sway in their embrace in the centre of their new bedroom.
"I can't quite recall," he smirks at her.
"Then I obviously haven't been saying it enough." She looks up into his eyes. "I love you," she grins.
"I know,"
"Really, Draco," Hermione pushes him away, slightly amused. They had watched Star Wars for the first time with her parents and the kids a few nights ago.
"I had the opportunity," he tries to defend himself, following as Hermione leaves, walking into the opposite room, at the front of the house, that will be Scorpius' bedroom.
They already had all of his furniture with him, and so his bedroom will be the only one complete by the end of the day, ready for them to welcome their son into their new home.
"I do not like these beige walls for Scorpius," Draco admits, scanning the room.
"Most of his furniture is a dark wood colour, perhaps a pale colour will work well. Something calming." Hermione ponders.
"Seafoam green?" Draco suggests.
Hermione turns to him, "Seafoam green?" she repeats. "What's wrong with a simple green, why does it have to be fancy?" She asks.
"It's like a pastel teal," Draco clarifies.
"So half-way between blue and green?"
"Closer to the green side of the scale," Draco corrects.
Hermione shakes her head, removing her wand from her pocket, picturing the colour in her mind, and casts a painting spell over the walls. Slowly, the seafoam green paint cascades down the wall, stopping as it reaches the skirting boards.
"Perfect," he grins. "Scorpius is going to love this room."
"Should we have been decorating as we walked through the house?" Hermione suggests. "It will save us some time this afternoon.
Draco agrees, "What about the carpet? The light grey is a nice colour, but it looks a little worse for wear."
"We can just clean it for now," Hermione casts the cleaning spell, followed by a drying charm, and the carpets suddenly look brand new. "Wow, these look great." She admits, impressed with the scope of the spells.
They decorate the other three bedrooms on the first floor the same, not having a use for them past guest rooms for visiting family and friends.
At that end of the corridor is the large family bathroom with both a bath and a separate shower. The tile was a simple white, which they cleaned, then agreed on a pale blue for the walls.
They return to their bedroom, where they spend the longest time trying to decide on the perfect colour, paint of various colours streaming down the walls as they change their mind. They finally agree on a pale chestnut accent wall, with a cream colour on the other walls.
At this end of the corridor is a door leading out to the family balcony, where they're going to place two benches that they had ordered. This far into the countryside, away from the lights of the nearest city, they would be able to stargaze on a night underneath a cosy blanket with a mug of hot chocolate.
There is another door at this end of the house, with stairs leading up to the attic living space with a bedroom and bathroom. They had bought a bed for the bedroom since Hermione's parents would use the attic when they visit, but other than that, they didn't know how to use the space.
Afterwards, they take a moment to stand by the attic window, staring out across the front of their property.
"It's past lunchtime," Draco comments. "Do you want to take a break and walk into the village for lunch?" He suggests.
"Sure, sounds like a plan." Hermione smiles, then frowns at the gates to their property. "Is there someone staring at us from the gate?" She asks, panic starting to settle in her stomach.
Draco focuses on the figure. "It looks like an old lady. She's probably a curious neighbour." He wraps his arm around Hermione's shoulder, hugging her close. "The only people who know where we live are our muggle families. We have nothing to worry about." He tries to assure her.
"Not yet, we're going to have to register our address for the floo network. If Vale is a mole within the Ministry, there's bound to be more." She breathes heavily.
"Hey, after we return from lunch, I'll set up all the wards," Draco tells her, knowing she'll feel safer with the protective ward guarding them.
Hermione nods, taking a deep breath to steady herself. "I'm hungry, let's go," she tries to smile.
Draco locks their front door behind them as they leave the house, stopping at the car to collect his jacket, for warmth and for the money he has in the pockets. Hand in hand, they walk down their driveway towards the gate, closing it behind them as they leave.
"Hello," a voice calls from beside their gate, where the old lady from before was stood, shielded by the tall bushes lining their property.
Hermione startles in shock, gripping onto Draco's hand tighter.
"Are your parents the new owners?" She asks.
Hermione and Draco glance at each other in confusion, their difference in completion and facial features should be enough to tell anyone they weren't blood-related.
"No, we're married," Draco awkwardly raises their entwined hands to show the wedding band on his left hand.
"Oh, dear, I really need to start wearing my spectacles. You look so young, and the previous occupants were a mixed family." She explains. "I wanted to ask when you thought you would be hiring landscaper to trim your hedges. You see they're hanging over the back of your property into the back of mine. It's rather unsightly." She complains.
"We've just moved in today. We have a long list of other things that are a higher priority than landscaping." Hermione explains.
"You have a responsibility as the new occupants to maintain your grounds, and I would appreciate you not getting snippy with me young lady. I am on the committee at the village hall." She informs them.
Hermione is about to snipe back at the woman when Draco interrupts.
"I don't know what that means." He admits, but before she can clarify, he adds, "As you can assume, moving is quite stressful, and we're rather hungry, so excuse us." He squeezes Hermione's hand as he guides her away from the old lady.
"Was she serious?" Hermione asks, glancing over her shoulder at their fuming neighbour.
"I'm sure if we ignore her, she'll leave us alone." He answers. "What's a village hall committee?" He asks as they walk down the narrow path beside the country road into town.
"Most villages and towns have these old buildings that were once meeting place for the community. Now they're used by specific groups for activities, like exercise classes, children's birthday parties, village fetes, boy scouts and girl guides. The committee's only responsibility is to organise who can use the village hall and when." She explains.
"So, she holds no authority," Draco clarifies, and Hermione laughs in agreement.
They come to the end of Berry Wood Lane, turning right onto Church Hill to head into the main village, walking past the Church that the street was named after.
"It really is beautiful around here," Draco comments as they quietly take in the nature surrounding them.
Hermione hums, "There's a sign there for a public footpath. Usually, there are pubs or cafés at the end of them for the tourists that come from the big cities to go walking in nature."
The road curves around a corner, and on the other side, as Hermione predicted, is a café with a few people wearing walking shoes with backpacks at their feet sitting at tables. As soon as they enter, they are greeted by a middle-aged woman behind the counter.
"Find yourself an empty table, and I'll be with you in a moment." She says in a west country accent.
They sit down at one of the few empty tables left and scan the limited menu.
"Are you fancying a sandwich or some soup?" Hermione's asks as those seem to be the only two options.
"You're not going to believe this, but I'm going to go for a cream of chicken soup." He states.
Hermione makes eye-contact with him over the menu, he's smirking at her. "You're right, I don't believe you. You haven't touched soup since the Summer of 1999's soup debacle." She reminds herself, amusedly.
"Can you blame me? I get nauseated just looking at soup. Our entire cupboards were filled with soup for months." He complains.
"I know," Hermione sighs. "And I never heard the end of it back then, either."
"Sorry, I just have some extreme opinions on soup." He half-jokes. "I'm actually going to have the turkey sandwich."
"Hi, guys," the woman greets them again. "My name is Sandy, are you ready to order some drinks?" She asks.
From the menu, they only served hot drinks or bottled of water, so they ordered a pot of tea between them. She leaves, returning a few minutes later with the pot of tea, two saucers and cups with a sugar bowl and a small jug of milk.
"You two don't look dressed for walking, are you just driving through?" Sandy asks them.
Draco wonders if everyone will be are this nosy on the ongoings of their village, or if they just happened to meet the only two.
"We've actually just moved to the area." Hermione answers. "We got hungry while moving in, so we came to check out the local area."
"Oh, you two must be the new residence of Berry Wood Lane." She states, nodding. "It was upsetting to see the Atwood's leave, but it's nice to meet you both. My husband and I live just behind your property with our three kids." She explains. "It's quite a big house for just the two of you." She mentions. She's finished serving them their drinks and is now stood at their table just chatting with them.
"We've got a son; he's staying with my uncle while we move in," Hermione tells her.
"Oh!" She exclaims, trying to hide her judgement. "How old is he?"
"Nearly four months," Hermione smiles.
"You should come to the baby-toddler groups at the village hall on Wednesday mornings. My mum's on the committee, I can ask her to add your name. Ah, sorry, I haven't even asked for your names." Sandy asks.
Hermione and Draco make eye contact briefly. They had heard villages were a small community, but what were the chances of the only two people they have met since moving in were mother and daughter.
"I'm Hermione, and this is my husband, Draco." Hermione introduces themselves.
"We think we just met your mother," Draco tells her.
"Really! A short woman, in her eighties, usually wearing a floral skirt with matching cardigan?" Sandy asks.
"Yes, that's her," Draco nods. "She was asking us when we're going to get a landscaper for our hedges." He adds.
Sandy sighs, "Honestly, pay no attention to her. She never even goes down that end of the garden. It's mine and my husband's house anyway." She turns to the archway behind the counter. "Hey, Dom, come meet our new neighbours." She calls to her husband.
A tall, bald man exits the back, wiping his hands on a tea towel then offering to shake both Hermione and Draco's hand in greeting.
"They've had a run-in with Mum," Sandy informs him.
"I'm sorry." He says, his eyes void of emotion after years of putting up with the woman himself. "Are you staying for lunch?" He asks.
"Yes, we're just about to order."
"And here's me chatting your ear off. What can I get you both?" She poises her pen on the notepad, scribbling their order down.
"I've got it, Sands," Dom tells her, returning back to the kitchen.
Sandy leaves to tidy a table of a couple that is leaving.
Hermione can tell that he found Sandy a little too enthusiastic and Dom a little lacklustre, so she leans over the table, beckoning him forward. "Don't worry, they're nice enough, but I don't see us socialising together often." She tells him.
Draco smiles softly as he leans back in his chair, grateful for Hermione's ability to read him so well.
Since Sandy is busy with a new customer, Dom brings their plate of sandwiches with a side salad out himself.
"Enjoy," he nods once then leaves.
Draco and Hermione do enjoy their lunch, as well as their simple conversations around decorating the ground floor when they return home. When they finish, Draco pays at the counter with Sandy.
"It was lovely, thank you," he compliments her as he hands over the money.
"Thank you, it's great to meet you. We'll see you soon."
"Before I go, I want to take Hermione out for dinner tonight, we don't have any food in the house yet, could you tell me how far away is the nearest pub?" Draco asks her.
"We don't have one in this village, but a twenty-five minutes' walk up the road is Donhead St. Andrew, and they've got a lovely pub," Sandy tell s him.
"Thanks," Draco catches up with Hermione outside.
The walk back to their house is uneventful. Thankfully Sandy's mum hasn't hung around, as they had half-expected. Draco turns back after opening the front door for Hermione to set up the wards for the house.
"I'll get started on the kitchen," Hermione says, leaving him to it.
While she is knowledgeable on protective wards, after living life on the run during the war, she didn't know as many as Draco, who had knowledge of ancient, pureblood wards. Hermione had asked him to place every ward he could think of over them, as long as none of them would accidentally harm a muggle or one of their friends or family.
In the kitchen, Hermione makes a start on cleaning the wooden floors and the half-tiled white walls before casting the painting spell. They had agreed on a pale yellow, something to brighten the large space and hopefully bring more light in from outside. It really is an impressive space. As she leans against the kitchen island, she pictures her and Draco preparing dinner together with Scorpius sitting in his highchair nearby. Then an image of an older Scorpius enters her mind, sat on the countertop, helping her to mix the cake batter or cookie dough, trying to sneak a lick of the spoon.
Leaving her son with Molly for the night was hard enough, but when Scorpius arrives with her family tomorrow, it will have been a whole day without seeing her baby. She realises there are no anti-technology wards here, unlike the Estate, so she takes her phone out and calls her uncle.
"Are you calling to check up on me already? It's not even three o'clock." David answers.
Hermione laughs, "I just miss him. How is he?"
"Well, as by your very clear instructions, he has had his lunchtime bottle and is currently enjoying his midday nap." David teases. "Sophie's watching him." He adds.
"Is she doing alright, having a baby in the house? I know they aren't her favourite." Hermione asks.
"She's doing fine, it's just for one day and night." He answers. "How's it going there?" He asks.
"We've decorated most of the house, then went out for lunch. Draco is setting up some magical wards now, it helps us to know when someone is on our property when they're not supposed to." Hermione explains.
"That's useful." He says, then through the phone, she hears Scorpius starting to cry.
"What's the matter?" She asks.
"One sec," David removes the phone from his ear. "Sophie, what's going on?" He calls through the house.
Hermione hears her uncle stand up and then start climbing the stairs.
"I was just looking at it," Sophie says defensively.
David sighs on the phone.
"Looking at what?" Hermione asks.
"Give it back to him, come on Sophie, you're eight years old, you should know better than to take things that aren't yours." David chides his daughter, his mobile phone forgotten in his hand.
"I said sorry," Sophie argues back.
"No, you didn't."
The phone line goes silent as David waits for Sophie to apologise when she doesn't, he sighs.
"Go to your room, I'll stay with Scorpius."
The door slams and Scorpius' whimpers turn into cries, which get louder as David picks the baby up, cradling him in his arms, close to his mobile.
"You still there, Hermione?" He sighs deeply.
"Yes, what was all that?" Hermione asks.
"Sophie took his stuffed fox," her uncle explains. "He really loves it, huh."
Her son's cries die down, calming her anxieties. "Yes, he likes rubbing his cheek on the soft fur as he's falling asleep." She smiles.
"Who are you talking to?" Draco asks from behind her, startling her.
"David," she answers.
"I'm sure Scorpius is fine, David will call us if he has any issues," Draco tells her.
"Exactly, now you two better get that house sorted for tomorrow," David tells her. "We're all excited to see this mansion."
"It's not a mansion," she rolls her eyes.
"Country house, manor, you get the idea, they're all the same." David jests.
"Okay, I'm going,"
"Bye, see you tomorrow," David signs off, hanging up from his end.
"Are you all done with the wards?" Hermione asks, pocketing her phone.
"I've done the house, but I'll have to set up the ground's wards on a night. We never know how many old ladies are hiding behind bushes." He jokes, eyes scanning the large space. "It looks sunny in here." He says approvingly. "Did you start anywhere else?"
"Not yet,"
"Where next?"
"The living room."
The couple had chosen a deep back, plush velvet couch in electric blue when they went shopping last week. The furniture shop had also sold them matching curtains, that were packed in one of their trunks. To complement the decor, they paint the fireplace wall in a matching electric blue, while the other three walls were a simple white, not to be too overwhelming.
Their planning in the café saves them time in painting the rest of the ground floor. By four o'clock, they are ready to move in their furniture. Starting with their own bedroom, they carry their furniture and trunks easily up to the master bedroom. There they enlarge them into their preferred layout and pack away their clothes and toiletries.
"I'm going to enjoy having an ensuite again," Draco comments.
"Okay, posh boy," Hermione shakes her head, wafting their bed covers up to air them.
From the positioning of their bed, they would be able to watch the sunrise on a morning as they laid snuggly under their covers, perhaps with a cup of tea to wake them up. Hermione finds herself looking forward to early mornings of waking up with Scorpius or when they go back to work when she has a view like this to enjoy.
Next, they move onto Scorpius bedroom, bringing all his furniture up from the car into his room. They place his cot in front of the window, which they had purchased blackout curtains in a pear green. Draco had read it was best for babies to sleep in total darkness as their eyes were sensitive at Scorpius' young age. In the furthest corner from the door, they position the rocking chair, throwing Scorpius' blanket over the back. Along the wall opposite the window, they place his chest of drawers and changing unit and are done.
The last pieces of furniture they owned were mostly for the living room, including their record player, records, and television, which they set up on an empty trunk until their furniture arrived the next day. All that's left is to place their many boxes of books in their new study, ready to arrange on the bookshelves that were also arriving tomorrow.
With nowhere to sit, they both lay down on the carpet in their living room. Draco set one of their records to play as they just enjoyed the moment.
"I thought it would take so much longer," Hermione mentions, her hand clasped with Draco's between them.
"I can't believe we're actually here," Draco mutters.
"What do you mean?" Hermione caresses the back of his hand.
"I'm just thinking about how we got here, and it's all very surreal. To think we've only been together nineteen-months, which in itself to strange to acknowledge, that I'm married to Hermione Granger," he laughs, turning on his side to face her.
Hermione brings the back of his hand up to kiss, encouraging him to continue.
"I'm constantly fighting an internal turmoil of hating the Minister for the position he put everyone in and being thankful that it brought us together. Now here I am, lying in our own house that we're going to raise our family in." He finishes.
"Here we are," Hermione gently corrects. "We might only have been together nineteen months, but I fell in love with you very quickly, and very hard." She leans closer, catching him unsuspectingly in a kiss. "I can't fathom a future without you in my life, Draco Malfoy." She admits, kissing him again. "We may not have found our way to each other without the Marriage Decree, but there's no need to be thankful to the Minister."
"Oh, I know, hence my internal turmoil."
Hermione lies back down, laughing at their strange set of circumstances. However, Draco is not ready to let her go and rolls over with her, smiling down at his wife. As the opening riff to Steve Harley's Make Me Smile begins to play, Hermione runs her fingers through her husband's ever-growing hair, removing the tie. He shakes his head, both in amusement at Hermione's apparent obsession with his hair, and to let his hair down. Her excited giggle is intoxicating. Lowering himself into a slow, passionate kiss, he feels the exhilaration of his love for her filling his chest.
"I love you," Hermione gasps, as they break apart.
"I don't believe for one moment that we wouldn't have gotten together without the decree," Draco states, resting his forehead against hers. "We're too evenly matched in everything we do; can you imagine us as professors? The discussions we would have had under the guise of an argument; the sexual tension would have been unbearable." He sighs, kissing the end of her nose sweetly.
"How would we have gotten together in this alternative universe?" Hermione asks, gently stroking his hair back.
Draco smiles, "After too many of these discussions in the staffroom, I would have asked you to my private rooms to continue, aside from our frustrated colleagues. I would order us tea and cake from the kitchens. Over time, these meetings would become more frequent and less about the discussions, until I would pluck up the courage to formally ask you out on an actual date. One thing would lead to another, and as you said, we would fall in love very quickly and very hard." He finishes.
"One thing would not lead to another on our first date," Hermione points out.
"It did, though, didn't it?" Draco thinks back to their first time.
"That wasn't our first date," she claims.
"It was our first official date, and I do believe I told everyone we met that day that it was our first date," Draco clarifies.
Hermione's face falls as realisations dawn on her. "I guess you're right."
"In this alternative scenario, we haven't been married for a month, so who knows what she'll do." Draco tries to cheer her up.
"If I agreed to your date after all these meetings, I'm sure I'm already falling for you," she assures him, bringing his face back down to meet hers.
Draco quickly pulls away, an idea forming on his face. He stands up, offering a hand to pull Hermione onto her feet. She doesn't know where this is going, so she follows along.
"Professor Granger," Draco starts, schooling his facial features into a serious expression. "Hermione," he softly says, attempting to hide his smiles. "Would you allow me to take you out for dinner this evening?" He asks.
Hermione laughs, realising that her husband is roll playing his alternative reality, and she is more than willing to play along. "Out, for dinner, are you sure you want to be seen in public with me? Anyone could see us; it would damage your pureblood reputation." She gently questions.
"Hermione," he breathes. "I want to be seen everywhere with you if you'll allow it. Worry not about my reputation as I lost that long ago and I only care about the opinions you hold about me." He answers.
"Merlin," Hermione mutters, taking a sharp intake of breath. "You're too good at luring me in, Draco."
"May I take that as a yes?" He asks. "To the date."
"Yes,"
Draco smiles, "The nearest pub is only a twenty-five-minute walk."
"Well, then you may walk me back to my private rooms. If the date goes well, Professor Malfoy, I might invite you in for a nightcap." She tempts him.
Draco looks surprised, "A nightcap, on the first date?"
"Draco!" Hermione complains, breaking the roleplay as she walks past him.
"I apologise," he grins, walking after her into the kitchen and wrapping his arms around her in a hug as she leans against the island counter.
"It's a good thing you're so handsome," she sighs overdramatically, hugging him back. "You can get the first drinks in." She kisses his cheek, collecting her jacket and heading towards the front door, leaving Draco chasing after her to recapture her hand.
The next morning, Hermione wakes to her mobile phone, ringing on her bedside table. She squints her eyes as the morning sun blares into her face. They must have forgotten to shut the curtains when they'd returned home last night. Understandably so as they had both had other things on their minds. Draco's head is submerged beneath the covers; she can feel his hair tickling her side, where his head is tucked.
"Will you get the phone?" He asks voice muffled.
Hermione reaches over, answering as she brings it to her ear.
"Hope we didn't wake you," her dad says as a greeting.
"Not at all," she yawns.
"We're half an hour away," he informs her.
"Half an hour!" She checks her watch. "It's only nine o'clock, I thought you were setting off at nine."
"We wanted to surprise you, so get up and get the kettle ready."
Hermione chuckles, not surprised her dad saw right through her lie about already being up. "Yeah, we'll see you in a bit." She hangs up.
"We need to get up?" Draco mutters, arms snaking their way around her waist, pulling her down under the covers to join him.
"Yes," She nods. "Did we unpack the kettle?" She asks.
"I don't think we did," he shakes his head. "And we don't have any milk or teabags for that matter." He adds.
"Will you go get some?" She asks sweetly, kissing his cheek.
Draco groans, stretching his limbs out. "Fine, it's a good thing I never got around to setting the ground wards up." He adds climbing out of bed.
Hermione joins him, throwing her dressing gown on. "I'll make us a quick breakfast for when you get back." She kisses him properly, on the mouth, as he pulls on a pair of jeans and a shirt, before heading into their ensuite for a shower.
Draco is only gone fifteen minutes, having disapparated to Diagon Alley to buy teabags, coffee, milk and sugar. When he returns, Hermione has a plate of dry toast waiting for him.
"I forgot that this is all we have," she laughs, chewing on her own slice.
Draco smiles, putting the shopping bag to the side to join his wife at the kitchen island. Her hair was thrown up in a towel from her shower, but she was wearing a loose pair of dungarees with a white shirt.
"Are you ready for a busy day?" He asks.
Hermione watches his eyes travel the length of her body. She nods, "I'm in my comfiest clothes."
Once they've finished their upsetting breakfast, they walk at a leisurely pace down their driveway to meet their family at the gate, which they open in preparation. There's a light frost on the grass, which Draco removes with a heating charm, and they lounge down on the now warm grass waiting.
Hermione's mum beeps the horn as they pull off the country road onto their driveway, stopping beside the couple to stare up at their magnificent house.
"Bloody hell, Hermione, this has got to be at least four times as big as the houses in London," her dad comments, climbing out of the passenger side and hugging his daughter. "It's amazing."
"Oh, my goodness!" Sophie's eyes light up as she runs around the back of the car. "It's massive." She stares longingly at the vast grounds.
"You can go on the grass, Sophie," Draco assures her.
Her face breaks into a smile as she races off onto the grass, running in zigzag patterns across the frost.
"She's been stuck in the car for nearly two hours," David explains as he too climbs out of the car with Scorpius in his arms.
"Hi, Baby," Hermione holds her arms out for her son. "I missed you so much, Scorpius," she presses soft kisses all over his face, making him giggle and squirm.
"I'm going to drive the car up," Sarah tells them.
"We'll meet you up there." Draco nods, closing an open door.
"Yes, there's your daddy," Hermione beams when her son's head turns to face the direction of the voice he heard.
"Hello, son," Draco takes him into his arms. "Welcome home." He strokes his son's hair, that was looking a little tangled. He could soon fix that in the house. "Let's show everyone around our new house."
The tour takes nearly an hour, despite the majority of the rooms being empty, they wanted to see everything. Afterwards, they all gather in the open kitchen for the promised cups of teas. The only seat available is Scorpius' highchair, which they positioned at the breakfast bar section of the kitchen island, bringing him to the centre of everyone's attention.
"You've got yourself a beautiful place," Hermione's mum states, her eyes a little watery. "It feels only yesterday you were Scorpius' age, and now here you are, with a baby of your own, moved into your own place, with your husband. I'm so proud of you," she pulls her daughter in for a hug.
"Mum! Thank you." She hugs her back, not wanting to let go.
Draco's phone rings, breaking the moment.
"It's Alarte," he says, stepping into the foyer to answer the call.
"Hey, so we're at this church, where do we go from here?" Alarte asks.
"Which church are you at?" He asks in return.
"I dunno, you said Church Hill, and here's a church on a hill."
"Turn left, then follow the road along until you reach the third turn off. The gate is already open, just drive straight up and park around the back." He instructs his cousin.
"Did you get that, dad?" He asks Hyperion.
"Yep, I heard it. See you soon, Draco." Hyperion calls down the phone line.
"We've just put the kettle on, do you want something to drink?" He asks, heading back into the kitchen.
"Dad will have a tea, and I'll have a coffee, two sugars, please?" Alarte orders.
"Right, see you in-"
"Holy fuck, Draco!" Alarte curses. "You live here?"
"Alarte!" Hyperion snaps at his son for swearing and being rude.
Draco laughs, "I assume you're here. I'll open the back door for you."
He refills the kettle, setting it to boil before going to unlock the back door through the soon-to-be floo room. By the time he steps out onto the small porch, Hyperion and Alarte are climbing out of their car.
"You didn't tell me you bought a bloody mansion," Alarte pulls him into a quick hug. "It's awesome."
"Thanks," Draco smiles at his cousin in amusement, before going to greet his uncle. "What do you think?" He asks nervously, valuing his uncle's opinion.
"It's certainly beautiful on the outside." He answers, hugging his nephew. "It's going to be an amazing place for your children to grow up."
Draco nods, "That's the plan. This house is it for us. We don't see ourselves moving again. Both our parents lived in the same house all our lives, and we want that for our children." He explains.
"You'll have to give us the tour." Hyperion collects a suitcase from the boot of his car.
"I'll show you to the spare room you'll be staying in tonight. The beds should be arriving around lunchtime. I hope you and Alarte don't mind sharing a double. We've given the two singles to Hermione's uncle and his daughter, Sophie." Draco explains, guiding him into the house.
"Not at all, I'm sure he'll complain, but we made do in the Lake District." He assures Draco.
Back in the kitchen, Alarte is helping Hermione make their drinks, being very specific about his coffee. Draco announces he's taking Hyperion up to the spare room to put his suitcase away and give him a quick tour of the house. Alarte quickly chases after them, not wanting to be left behind.
"How were grandma and grandad when you dropped all the kids off early this morning," Hermione asks.
"We called ahead, so your grandma was up making breakfast for them all." Her mum explains. "She's looking forward to having them back in her house for the night. I'm sure she's planned enough to keep them busy and tire them out."
Hermione remembers the multitude of activities her grandma came up with when she was growing up for her and her Aunt Louise, who had only been a year older than her. They were constantly baking, crafting with glue and glitter, making blanket forts, making up dances to old songs from the fifties and sixties that were regularly playing throughout the house.
She excuses herself for a moment to the living room, where she places a random record from their collection onto the player, and setting it to play loud enough for them to hear in the kitchen.
"When are you expecting the first delivery?" Hermione's dad asks when she returns.
"The couches, mattresses, dining table and chairs are arriving at lunchtime. Our flatpack furniture is arriving at one o'clock, and then our kitchenware is coming at four o'clock." She lists off.
David checks his watch. "We've got an hour; I'm going to go check out the back garden."
"It's more of field," her dad teases, following after David.
"Where's Sophie?" Hermione asks her mum, realising she hasn't seen her cousin around since they finished the tour.
"She'll be around." Her mum shrugs, finishing her tea.
As though on cue, Sophie screams then giggles as they hear running on the floor above, heading towards the stairs. Soon, Sophie appears in the kitchen, running towards the back door her dad just left out of, with a laughing Alarte chasing after her.
"She just scared the crap out of me," he shouts over his shoulder as he continues to give chase.
"What was that about?" Hermione asks Draco as he and Hyperion return form their tour.
"She was hiding behind the door of the bathroom," he explains.
"Alarte near enough jumped out of his skin," Hyperion chuckles., taking his cup of tea, now lukewarm and drinking half in one go. "It's a lovely place you two have here."
"Thank you, I love everything about this house, but it'll feel more like home when we get all the furniture into place," Hermione admits.
"What's happened to your old place?" Hyperion asks, picking Scorpius up out of his highchair for a cuddle.
"We haven't told the Ministry we've moved yet, so we've still got the keys. We'll hand the keys back in a week or so." Draco explains.
"This Ministry really does control all aspects of your life." Hermione's mum frowns. "Do you have to tell them where you've moved to?" She asks.
"There's no decree stating we have to inform them of our address, but if we want a floo network set up in the house, we'll have to add our address to the register. That's how they get around decreeing it since most wizarding families have a floo." Hermione answers.
"Are you going to get one?" Hyperion asks.
"We're going to have to get one. We live too far removed from the rest of the wizarding world and our friends." She sighs. "We seem to be on good terms with the Head of the Department of Registrations at the moment, and I do think we can trust him." She adds.
"He cares too much about his job to leak our information." Draco agrees.
"He's the man who officiated Scorpius' ceremony," Hermione adds.
"Ah yes, I remember him, a little unusual but he was polite." Her mum comments.
Alarte comes back into the house, giving Sophie a piggy-back ride, with David and Chris not far behind them.
"There's a lorry coming down your drive," Alarte tells them.
Hermione and Draco open their front door, stepping onto the porch to greet the delivery drivers. Hermione leads two delivery men, carrying a double-sized mattress, up the stairs to one of the spare bedrooms.
Draco and Hyperion carry another mattress up the stairs, discreetly casting a levitation charm over the object to make it easier. Hermione's dad and the other delivery man carry a single mattress each up, placing them in the bedroom Hermione instructed. She then shows the delivery drivers where he would like them to carry their four couches, three in the living room and on in the kitchen. The last piece of furniture is their large dining table, along with the eight chairs, which they arrange parallel to the large window overlooking their front garden.
"We have a place to sit now," Sophie exclaims, throwing herself down across the kitchen couch.
"We can take a rest before the next delivery." Hermione leads them into the living room, taking Scorpius from her mum to cuddle on the centre couch.
Draco sits alongside her, throwing an arm across the back of the couch, caressing her shoulder, as they are joined by the rest of their family.
"I love the colour," Sarah says, stroking the fabric of the couch she's sat on. "I said that when we saw the curtains, but I didn't realise they would match.
"We've tried to stick to a specific colour scheme in each room," Hermione tells her.
"It's worked lovely in here."
Not too long later, their second delivery, of flatpack furniture, including the bed frames, bookshelves, coffee table and benches, arrives. Once again, Hermione instructs the two delivery drivers where to place each package. When they've gone, the kettle is refilled, and more hot beverages are made in preparation for the next few hours of putting together the flatpack furniture.
They split off into groups, heading off to different rooms with tool kits to start. Hermione follows her dad into the living room to help him set up the coffee table, afterwards, they make a start on the wardrobes for the spare bedrooms. Draco and Alarte head into the study, where they start putting up the three bookshelves, then moving onto some of the garden benches on the porch out the front of the house. Hyperion, David and Hermione's mum, along with Sophie, work as a team to put up the bedframes, then helping to make the benches on the family porch.
They finish close to four, with no time for a break before their final delivery arrives with their fridge-freezer and microwave.
It's with a sigh of relief that they all relax onto the living room couches, tired after an afternoon of hard work and hungry for their well-earned dinner. Scorpius yawns in Hermione's arms, snuggling against her chest, and she contemplates putting him down for a nap so she can rest for a bit, but decides against it, instead, suggesting they all go for a walk and some fresh air.
Despite the groans, they all pull on their shoes and warm winter jackets in preparation. Hermione wraps Scorpius up, placing him into the carrier that Draco is wearing. They set off in their group, locking the gate behind them as they set off into the village.
Hermione retells the story of their nosy neighbour as they go about their journey, laughing the whole way. They walk past Sandy and Dom's café, discovering a small restaurant offering classically British meals. Hermione and Draco had already agreed to buy dinner for everyone as a 'thank you' for all their family's help. They had planned to get a takeaway and break in their new dining table. However, everyone was hungry now, and they were here.
"Shall we head in for dinner?" Hermione suggests. "Our treat." She adds.
"If you're sure?" Her dad asks.
"Of course, we want to try all the local establishments and get involved in the community." She assures them.
The restaurant owner is very welcoming to their party of eight, their first customers of the day. They order drinks first, not bothering to worry about ordering wine and beers as everyone is spending the night.
As Hermione expects, Draco orders the spaghetti Bolognese and places it in high regard. Scorpius does end up falling asleep during the meal, which Hermione doesn't mind as they enjoy their family time together. By seven o'clock, everyone is feeling exhausted. So Hermione pays the bill, chatting to the owner about the local area since they just moved.
Back at the house, Hermione takes Sophie and Scorpius upstairs to put the baby to bed. Once he's drifted off, Hermione grabs a blanket, taking Sophie out to sit on the new benches on the family balcony, wrapping themselves up.
"I really like your house," Sophie tells her.
"Thank you," Hermione pulls her cousin into a hug. "Draco and I were wondering if you'd like to come to stay with for a little break during the Easter holidays." She suggests.
"Really, that would be so cool, can we go to the beach?" She asks, staring up at the dark night sky, a few stars can be seen between the clouds.
"We definitely could; it's only an hour to the nearest beach," Hermione nods in agreement.
Sarah and Chris excuse themselves from the living room, ready to turn in for the night. They peer out onto the balcony to bid Hermione and Sophie goodnight. Half an hour later, David does the same, reminding Sophie not to stay up any later than nine o'clock.
At nine o'clock, Hermione walks Sophie to the room she's sharing with her dad, wishing Hyperion a goodnight on the way as Draco's uncle makes his way up the stairs. Hermione then joins Draco and Alarte back in the living room to find them both lying on opposite couches. Hermione lies down on the centre couch.
"Where have you been?" Draco asks her.
"I was hanging out with Sophie on the balcony. It's beautiful outside tonight." She comments.
"We should go up on the balcony," Alarte sits up.
Draco sighs, tiredly, not being bothered to move now he's in a horizontal position on the couch. He glances over to Hermione, who's already standing up, and sighs again, holding his hand out for his wife to help him up.
"Bring that bottle, Alarte," Draco tells his cousin, who had brought a bottle of some sort of spirit with him, hidden in his backpack.
"I'll grab some glasses," Hermione says as they walk through the kitchen.
She also collects a second blanket from their bedroom as she joins the two men on the balcony. She throws it to Alarte, passing him a glass before sitting beside her husband, who opens the blanket wide for her to join him in his warm embrace. They pour themselves drinks and talk and laugh the night away, enjoying each other's company.
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