Author's Notes:
Here's Chapter 139 for you!
I hated writing this chapter, but I love how it turned out.
It's only half the planned chapter, so the next chapter will kind of be a part two to this one.
I hope the sprinkling of cute domesticity between Draco and Hermione will suffice until the next chapter, where they'll have some alone time without the family.
Love, DW
P.S. Enjoy x
The aeroplane rolls towards the runway ever so slowly, the pilots waiting for their turn to take off. Sat at the back, Draco's knuckles are white from gripping the armrests too tightly. His eyes flicker out of the window, watching the tiny people waving flags on the tarmac. Parallel to the runway, he watches another aeroplane take off and instantly regrets every decision that has led him to this moment. Why had he thought this was a good idea? It wasn't easy to get a muggle passport; forging a muggle birth certificate should have been the first clue this wasn't for him. His heart thumps against his rib cage as he attempts to find a reasonable excuse to allow him off the plane. His breathing picks up the pace along with the aeroplane as they drive onto the runway. It's now time to take off.
"I can't do this," he panics as the plane turns to face the correct direction and pauses.
"You're doing fine," Hermione gently pats his hand, although her voice clearly shows amusement. She's enjoying his terror.
On her lap, Scorpius fusses as he sucks on his fingers. Hermione gently bounces their son to calm him down, and the motion almost has the desired effect on Draco too. However, the engine begins whirring louder and louder as the aeroplane picks up pace. Suddenly, Draco is forced back into his seat from the speed, and he pinches his eyes closed, not wanting to watch as the ground leaves them.
"This is too fast," he mutters, peering through an eye out the window and instantly feeling his stomach drop and then flip as he watches the Earth tilt and the wheels leave the tarmac.
Quickly, he focuses his attention ahead of him, at the back of Grandad Tom's head. He stares with a terrifying sharp glare as the aeroplane tilts left and right to level itself out. Periodically, there's a loud beep, which Draco doesn't trust is a good sound.
"We're flying, Draco," Hermione taps his forearm, but her voice is muffled.
"What's happening to my ears?" he asks, and Hermione flinches away.
"It's just the change in pressure," Hermione explains, a little louder. "Try not to shout."
The beep sounds again. Then a woman's voice says, "Ladies and gentlemen, the seat belt sign is still on, so please remain seated with your seat belt fastened until the overhead sign has been switched off."
"You're allowed to take your seat belts off?" Draco is horrified at the thought of not being protected by the strap across his lap.
"Statistically speaking, you're safer in an aeroplane than a car," Hermione assures him, but his eyes widen.
"Why would you tell me that? You know how I feel about cars?" His voice turns high pitched in panic.
"Okay, you need to calm down; you're drawing people's attention. It's a two-hour flight. Take off is the worst part, and it's over. Try to relax." Hermione tells him as the overhead sign switches off.
"I'm not flying back," he warns, eyes sharp.
"Here, take your son," Hermione passes the still fussy Scorpius over, then stands up, squeezing past Chris, who's sat with Vivian.
Scorpius stares up at his father, then paws at his ears as he whines.
"I know, it feels weird, doesn't it? I'm sure it's alright once our ears adjust to this new pressure," Draco smiles at his son.
Chris leans across Hermione's empty seat, "It helps if you chew something." His father-in-law passes him a bag of low-sugar, chewable sweets.
"Thank you," he aggressively chews one until his ear sharply pops. He turns horrified to Chris. "My ear popped."
"That's good," Chris assures him. "Can you hear better?"
Draco realises that the loud sounds of the engines and passengers are much clearer. He nods, "Thanks, Chris."
"No problem, I'd give Scorpius a pacifier too. Do you have one?"
"Yes, in his bag." Draco cautiously unbuckles his belt and stands to reach up into the overhead bins to collect Scorpius' bag.
As soon as Scorpius receives his pacifier, he calms down, snuggling against his father's chest and playing with Draco's fingers. Draco feels calmer, watching Scorpius's tiny fingers grip his wedding ring, spinning it around.
When Hermione returns, she smiles at the scene, "Glad to see your doing better."
"Yeah, sorry for being a mess earlier," Draco apologises.
"It's fine," Hermione kisses his cheek. "The children are fine, by the way," she grins.
"Sophie's so busy with her book she barely noticed we're in the air."
"I get it; I'm a baby," he rolls his eyes.
"No, I'm just teasing. I know how upsetting you find all these muggle technologies." She gently strokes his arm, calming him even further. "We had to get up quite early this morning."
"I don't know why; our flight was at midday," Draco mumbles.
Hermione ignores him, "I'm going to nap for an hour." She tells him.
"You want to sleep?" he asks in disbelief.
"You should try it too," Hermione rests her head on his shoulder.
Grandad Tom leans over within half an hour, taking his great-grandson, Scorpius, into his arms as Hermione and Draco nap together.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please return to your seat and fasten your seat belts. We are beginning our descent to Reus Airport in Tarragona," the flight attendant's voice informs them, waking Draco and Hermione.
"What's happening?" Draco glances around.
"They're preparing to land," Hermione tells him.
His eyes widen as his hands grip the armrest again, "It's not as bad as take off, right?"
Hermione sighs, taking her son back from her grandfather, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think it's best if you apparate home. I don't think I can put up with you and planes again." She cradles Scorpius, holding his pacifier in place as the aeroplane descends.
Draco feels pale and weak when the wheels bounce as they touch down on the tarmac. He stumbles down the steps, following behind Hermione and his in-laws into the airport, waiting by the conveyor belt for their suitcases. He doesn't remember how long their luggage took to arrive or how long they rode the coach to the hotel resort. Still, Hermione sits him on a couch and gives him a bottle of water while she goes to check them in, leaving Scorpius in his pushchair sitting beside his father.
Sarah and Chris had booked four rooms for the family. When Hermione collects their key, they promise to meet the rest of their family down by the pool bar in two hours to officially begin their holiday.
Draco inspects the bedroom and bathroom in their room, impressed by the cleanliness and safety net barrier the hotel had placed around one of the double beds for Scorpius. Once they've unpacked their clothes into the provided wardrobes and drawers, they take turns to shower and change into lightweight garments, perfect for the Spanish sun.
As arranged, their large family meets at the pool bar two hours later, everyone dressed in flowing dresses or shorts and t-shirts. Grandad Tom and Grandma Betty, having only themselves to look after, had arrived first and enjoyed a glasses of sangria as they spoke with the bar manager. After a quick drink, they head out of the resort to walk to the nearest beach, ten minutes away from their hotel.
Grandma Betty and Grandad Tom lead the family, holding hands with Craig, swinging him back and forth, while Lauren runs around in her new summer dress and sandals. Chris pushes Vivian and Evelyn in a twin pushchair, with Sarah and Sophie walking beside them. Hermione and Draco fall behind with David, Scorpius strapped to his linen-clad chest.
"I heard you struggled on the plane," David grins at Draco.
"Yeah, yeah, what did you expect? I can barely handle the car," Draco shrugs, already over the teasing.
"Wow, look at that sand," David raises his sunglasses atop his head. "Nothing like the pebble shores of Brighton," he chuckles.
Draco takes Hermione's hand as they walk down the beach towards the sea. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"
Hermione nods in awe at the clear ocean, gently washing up the sand before the tide pulls the water back out. The cloudless skies allow the full warmth of the bright sun to reach her bare arms, and she's glad she applied sun cream before they left their room. "Shall we go paddling?" She asks, already removing her sandals and hitching up the hem of her dress.
Draco unfastens Scorpius from his chest carrier and then kicks off the flip-flops Hermione had forced him to wear. Apparently, he couldn't wear socks to the beach. Carefully, he places Scorpius' bare feet into the warm Mediterranean Sea. As soon as the warm water laps at his ankles, Scorpius begins kicking and giggling as the water splashes around him.
Grinning, Draco looks to his wife, making sure she's experiencing Scorpius's first paddle. He finds her snapping a picture of them. "Do you have to take a picture of everything?" He asks, pushing his hair out of his face. "I wasn't ready."
"You weren't the focus of this picture, Draco, don't worry." Hermione aims the next shot at her husband, who lifts his son up onto his hip and smiles for the picture. "Perfect," she gushes, staring at the still image on the back of her camera.
"They grow up too fast," David comments, standing behind Hermione. "I wish I'd had someone there to take pictures of Sophie and me when she was a baby," he sadly admits.
"Better late than never," Hermione tells her uncle.
Sophie is playing tide jump nearby, so Hermione zooms in, snapping a picture as she's in the air, happiness clear on her face.
"Go join her," Hermione urges her uncle.
David removes his sandals and then joins his daughter in her game, laughing when he accidentally lands in the tide, splashing them. Hermione takes a few pictures, happy to document the moment for her uncle.
"Hermione," her Grandad walks up to her, his straw fedora dipped to block the sun from his eyes. "I want you to make sure you're in front of that camera as well as behind it. Let me get some pictures of you and your family."
Passing the camera over to her grandad, Hermione joins Draco in the sea, taking one of Scorpius' hands as their son stands. They smile at her grandad as he takes a few pictures, just as Scorpius begins bending his knees in an attempt to jump in the sea.
Afterwards, her grandad hangs the camera around his neck, "Enjoy the moment," he tells them before walking back towards his wife.
The family of three do just that, experiencing their son's first time at the beach, laughing along with Scorpius, who seems to be having the time of his life. At one point, the boy falls back, sitting in the ocean in his shorts and t-shirt.
Hermione coos, "Oh no," and reaches to pick him up, but Draco holds her hands back.
"Look at him; he loves the water," he tells her.
Scorpius's fingers are trying to catch the white foam of the tide as it washes in around his hips. When he thinks he's caught it, he opens his fist only to find his hand empty. His wide eyes of confusion amuse his parents as they lift him out of the water, ready to join the rest of their family.
"We should head back to the hotel for dinner. They said it opens at six o'clock, but the entertainment begins at seven. We should be there for the opening if we want a table together," Sarah announces.
None of them has eaten since the flight, where they had a few snacks but nothing of substance, so they slip into their shoes and walk back to the hotel. The maitre d' shows them to a table reserved especially for their large family, thanks to the bar manager Tom and Betty had been talking to earlier. They go in groups to get their plate of food, laid out in a buffet style, with platters of food that everyone can help themselves with a serving spoon. Since most of the hotel's residents are British, a lot of the food is British. There's also a large selection of Spanish cuisine for those who want a taste of national and local dishes.
Draco serves himself a small selection of many different Spanish dishes, wanting to try everything, but particularly enjoys the paella and escalivada. The rest of the adults enjoy trying the new Spanish food, but one look at the paella from the children sends them over to the British chicken nuggets and chips with garlic bread. Everyone does enjoy the Tarta de Santiago for dessert, along with some ice cream.
Gathering around a couple of tables near the stage, they await the nighttime entertainment. Chris and Sarah order drinks for everyone from the bar, and Lauren and Craig run off to the play park with a few other children, already making friends. Sophie sits on the outskirts of their group, reading her book. The babies lie in their buggies, slowly drifting off to sleep.
Since Hermione and Draco are yet to tell Hermione's family that they're pregnant, when Sarah places two glasses of sangria in front of them, Hermione pretends to sip. Draco periodically swaps their drinks, so it looks like they're both slowly sipping.
At seven o'clock, two entertainers named Sally and Kelly enter the stage, beckoning all the children to gather at the front of the dance floor for the kids' disco. Lauren and Craig, along with the rest of the children at the play park, swarm onto the dance floor, ready to copy the dance moves of the entertainers. After the disco, the children are all danced out and sent back to their parents, where they all collapse onto a chair with exhaustion. Draco suddenly understands the point of the kids' disco - to tire the children out, so they don't become disruptive during the main entertainment.
Next up on stage is the head entertainer, who Draco had seen standing chatting at the bar during the kids' disco, sipping at his pint while awaiting his cue. He enters the stage with vast energy and loud music, trying to hype up the crowd. The holidaymakers who have been at the hotel for a few days already clap and cheer used to this man's antics. Draco watches intently, unprepared for whatever is about to happen.
"I'm so glad many of you decided to return after that disastrous talent competition yesterday; if you're new here, be glad you missed it. I'm Jonas, the head entertainer, and tonight we're going to keep everything simple with a games night," Jonas introduces himself and the entertainment for this evening. "If you want to volunteer, write your name on a piece of paper provided by my lovely assistants, and place it in my hat at the front of the stage."
Draco leans to see the hat, only to find a comically large bowler hat at the front of the stage.
"By the end of the night, one volunteer will win family tickets to PortAventura Theme Park. The games will begin in fifteen minutes." Jonas then exits the stage.
"Is anyone going to volunteer?" Sarah asks.
"Might as well; we're here to have fun." Tom beckons over one of the assistants. "Anyone else?"
"Put my name in, too," Chris agrees.
"Draco, do you want your name in?" Tom asks.
"No, I don't understand anything," Draco admits in a panic. The thought of standing on stage in front of a bunch of muggles and looking like an idiot for not knowing something they will find simple sounds like a nightmare.
Tom walks up to the front to deposit their names in the hat.
Fifteen minutes later, Jonas returns to the stage with his two assistants standing on either side of him.
"My fabulous assistants will draw ten names out of the hat; if your name is read out, please make your way to the stage," he explains, then begins drawing the names.
The first six people excitedly run up to the stage, waving to their families once they climb up and join the line of volunteer contestants. However, Draco's blood runs cold when the seventh name is called.
"Draco!" Jonas repeats down the microphone.
Tom jumps up and down, cheering and pointing at Draco so the assistants know who has been selected. Draco glares at his grandfather-in-law, feeling slighted.
"Come on up, Draco," Jonas calls him to the stage.
"Go on, Draco, you might enjoy it," Hermione urges him.
"I'm going to look like an idiot," Draco begs.
"So will everyone else, don't worry," she assures him.
Draco stands with a deep sigh, slowly walking to the stage, standing beside the previous contestant.
Once ten people are lined up, Jonas announces that the first game will be Pictionary, something Draco's never heard of before.
"You all know how to play, yes?" An assistant asks as she hands out marker pens.
Draco shakes his head as everyone else agrees.
"You'll have a minute to draw a picture of the word you are given; the audience has to guess within the minute. If they guess, you get the point; the person with the least points after three rounds is eliminated," she explains.
Draco nods, he's not much of a doodler, but he's sure at least Hermione will be able to guess what he's attempting to draw. They know each other rather well and are usually on the same wavelength. He has to wait for the six people ahead of him to go first before he is called up to the whiteboard.
"Hello, Draco, tell us, who are you on holiday with?" Jonas asks.
Draco glances across the audience to his family, "My son, wife, her parents, grandparents, uncle, siblings and cousins." He speaks into the microphone.
"So you're the big family taking up half the dining hall?" Jonas jokes. "Pick a word from this wellie boot." The man gestures to the large Wellington boot in front of the whiteboard.
Rummaging through the slips of paper, Draco pulls one out and opens it to read the word, 'Mermaid'. He sighs in relief as the timer begins. He quickly draws a mermaid from his memories of watching them swim past the Slytherin common room windows. After ten seconds, someone calls the correct answer out, so he gains a point.
By the end of the second round, six people have two points (including Draco), two have only one point, and two have none.
In the third round, Draco pulls the word 'helicopter', and he just stares at it, not having a clue. From his ancient Greek lessons with his father, he knows that helio means spiral and pteron means wing. So he draws an aeroplane with spiralled wings and hopes for the best. After no one guesses correctly, Jonas reads the word out to the audience, who all laugh at his drawing.
"Do you not know what a helicopter is?" Jonas teases.
"Evidently not," Draco gestures at his picture.
Draco isn't eliminated after Pictionary, so he goes into the next game with eight other volunteers. Jonas tells everyone that the next game is Simon Says, another game Draco doesn't know how to play. Thankfully the assistant explains to him that if Jonas says 'Simon says', he has to do the action; if Jonas doesn't say 'Simon says', he doesn't do the action. The instructions are clear enough. Draco is so focused that he doesn't even realise the game is over when Jonas asks them to sit back in line, and Draco remains standing. The audience gets a good chuckle out of it.
The group of volunteer contestants is narrowed down to four. Draco narrowly makes it into the penultimate game, determining the two final contestants. When the game of musical chairs is announced, Draco turns to the assistant that has been keeping him right through the whole competition. She explains the rules - when the music stops, find a chair; if you're the last one standing, you're eliminated - before Jonas starts the game.
Three chairs are placed in the middle of the stage, with cones in a metre circumference, creating the path they must take around the chairs when the music starts. Some upbeat muggle song starts playing, and Draco follows the three other contestants around the cones. He's trying his best to focus on the music and be ready to run for a chair. It doesn't help that he's drunk two glasses of sangria (his and Hermione's), so his reactions are slightly delayed when the music stops. He scrambles for the nearest chair, managing to sit on it before a woman, who is eliminated. Jonas thanks her for joining the games as she's sent off the stage. One chair is removed with three contestants left, and the music plays once more. Draco keeps his eyes focused on the chairs as he walks around the cones for what feels like ten minutes but must only be thirty seconds. When the music stop, Draco is unlucky because he's stood in the middle while the two other contestants are closer. But, one of the contestants dives at the white plastic chair, and the legs buckle beneath him, snapping off and sending the man to the ground. For breaking hotel property, the man is disqualified, taking Draco into the final game.
"Congratulations, Bryan and Draco, you've made it into the final," Jonas announces into his microphone, and their families cheer for them. The head entertainer walks to the front of the stage, "Ladies and Gentlemen, our final game of the night, to determine the winner is… Giant Jenga," he announces with a shout.
Draco turns to his assistant, "I've played this before." He remembers playing with Lauren and Craig during one of his early visits to Betty and Tom's house when he and Hermione had only been married a few weeks.
Jonas does some stand-up comedy to mixed reviews while the assistants set up the giant blocks, and then it's time for the game to begin. Jonas flips a coin, and Bryan calls heads. It lands heads up, so Bryan goes first, slowly removing a giant Jenga block and placing it on top. The game goes on for ten minutes, each person taking their time to pull a brick out until they can no longer reach the top, and the assistants bring out two step ladders for them to use. Unfortunately, as Draco pulls out his last brick, he missteps on the stepladder. He knocks the whole tower of Jenga bricks over as he waves his arms around to steady himself.
Bryan jumps up and down, cheering as Jonas holds his arm up, announcing him as the winner. Draco applauds the winner with a smile. He's had fun playing all these games and doesn't mind placing second.
"And our runner up is Draco!" Jonas gestures to him, and the audience claps for him. "Here's a coupon for a round of drinks for your entire family at the pool bar."
Draco accepts the coupon, shakes hands with Bryan, and then steps down to rejoin his family.
"Thanks, Tom," Draco claps him on the shoulder. "I actually had fun."
"You were amazing," Hermione wraps her arms around his neck in a hug. "Did you really have fun?"
"Yes, I did," he nods, sitting back down and pulling his wife down onto his lap. "What is a helicopter?" He whispers, not wanting to embarrass himself in front of the rest of his family.
But Hermione's head falls back in a laugh before burying herself in his shoulder, "I love you so much. Your drawing was hilarious," she giggles. "A helicopter is kind of like a car, without wheels, and with rotating blades sticking out the top, and it flies," she explains. "You'd hate it."
He still doesn't understand but decides not to push the topic further as the whole family decide to call it a night since they're still tired from the travel and a full day. Their rooms are on the same floor, spread out down the corridors. Half of them share the lift up to the fourth floor, half take the stairs, meeting outside the stair doors where they bid each other goodnight with hugs and cheek-kisses, agreeing to meet in the dining hall for breakfast.
Waking up on the first full day of their holiday, Hermione feels fully rested and at peace. Life felt good when away from Britain and the Ministry, specifically the Minister for Magic. She has very little to worry about besides how to sneak her drinks to Draco so her family doesn't discover their secret before they have a chance to tell them.
While Draco and Scorpius sleep, Hermione showers and dresses in her swimming costume and summer wrap dress. She's decent for breakfast but doesn't have to return to their room to change for a day by the pool. When she steps out of the bathroom, she finds Scorpius standing up on the bed, leaning on the barriers the hotel had provided, and Hermione's heart jumps. She rushes over, lifting him off the bed.
"Good morning," she presses a kiss on his cheeks, making him giggle. Then he tries to return the kisses but just rubs his wet mouth across his mother's face. Hermione chuckles, "I love you too."
After a quick bath for Scorpius, she sets him on her bed, wrapped in a towel. Hermione dries him off and then places him in fresh swimming nappy. She collects his swimming trunks and a button-up linen shirt to dress him in, then whispers quietly, "Where's daddy?"
Scorpius rolls over onto his stomach, then crawls the bed's length to his father, sitting beside Draco's head, then slaps his face with his chubby hand.
Draco sighs, leaning away from his son, "Morning Scorpius."
Scorpius laughs, clapping his hands.
"Come here," Draco wraps his son up in his arms, pulling him in for a big cuddle the whole time their son is smiling.
"We're meeting everyone in fifteen minutes," Hermione tells him. "Do you want a shower?"
"Yes," Draco sits up with Scorpius.
"I'm going to take Scorpius down to the playground. Lauren said they have a baby swing."
Draco nods, "I'll meet you down there when I'm done."
Hermione packs her beach bag with their towels, sun cream, and Scorpius' changing things. Then, she carries Scorpius down to the playground, where she finds her father with Evelyn and Vivian. The twins are dressed in matching dresses, Evelyn in yellow and Vivian in green, and are running around chasing each other. Hermione places her son into the baby swing, gently pushing him back and forth.
"I fount him stood up in bed this morning, again," Hermione tells her father. "He'll be taking his first steps any day now."
"Once he starts, he won't stop," her dad warns her. "Be glad you only have one."
Her heart flips, feeling like she's lying to her parents by not telling them they're expecting another child.
"Evelyn started at thirteen months, then forced Vivian a week later. You should have seen her dragging her sister up by the ponytail to get her to stand," her dad continues, watching his adopted daughters with soft eyes. Vivian finally catches her sister and then turns to run away, so Evelyn can chase her now.
When Draco arrives, they collect their children and walk past the pool's sun loungers towards the dining hall. Some sad soul had gotten up early to place towels out, claiming them before breakfast.
Hermione scoffs disapprovingly, "Have you seen these towels out already? I can't believe people actually wake up early on holiday to claim a lounger."
"Those are ours," her dad admits, pointing at the selection of eight loungers - four in the back row, four in the front.
"Dad!" Hermione complains. "It's not very fair on the rest of the hotel if we claim that many loungers."
"Hey, we're on holiday too. If others want a sun lounger in this prime location, they are welcome to get up early and claim them before me," her dad defends himself. "It's not like I got the younger kids any. I'm not greedy. Did you hear that Jonas last night? When he said we took up half the dining hall," he frowns, clearly annoyed by the comment.
In the dining hall, their family sits at their table for twelve. Sarah is already at the buffet with Lauren and Craig. They'd been too hungry to wait for their dad. Betty and Tom have full bowls of porridge in front of them, sticking to their usual breakfast routine. They take turns collecting their own plates of breakfast foods from around Europe. Scorpius messily feeds himself a cooled bowl of porridge with his hands, but he seems to enjoy himself.
At one point, Bryan (the winner from last night's games) walks over, clapping Draco on the back, "I hope to see you in the pool for water polo this afternoon." He nods before leaving with his girlfriend and two children.
"It looks like you've made a friend, Draco," Chris teases.
Draco turns to Hermione and quietly questions, "What is water polo?"
Unfortunately for him, his wife shakes her head, "Some sort of water sport."
After clearing their mountain of dishes to the cleaning station, they make their way out to their claimed sun loungers. Circling the pool, a few other groups set out their belongings for a day by the pool.
Lauren and Craig are eager to return to the playground, where they'd made numerous friends the previous day. However, Sarah and Chris hold them back until they've applied a healthy amount of sun cream to the bare parts of their skin. Sophie claims her lounger beneath a large sun umbrella and wastes no time lying down with her book. Betty and Tom take the two besides their granddaughter, with David taking the fourth in that back row. Then, in the front row, Chris and Sarah take the two loungers on the left, while Draco and Hermione take the two on the right. They push them together to make almost a double lounger, where they lay a towel across both and place Scorpius between them.
Despite the warm Spanish sun beating down on them, the morning breeze makes the pool unattractive this early in the day, so Hermione and Draco stay wrapped up and lie back to read. Scorpius, between them, is spinning the wheel on a toy car he had brought with him, giggling with amusement.
The cool temperature of the pool doesn't hold back Betty or Tom. Both swim a few lengths before the children of the resort jump in and start splashing around. Afterwards, they enjoy a float by the side of the pool, laughing together. It's a sweet sight, and Hermione takes their picture, evidence of their love after so many years of marriage.
The morning goes by slowly. Once Tom and Betty had returned from the pool, they'd dried off, gotten dressed and gone for a drink by the pool bar. They chat with another elder couple on holiday with their grandchildren. David had fallen asleep on his sun lounger - his hat balanced over his face to block out the sun. Sarah and Chris are over in the playground with the twins, keeping them occupied while Lauren and Craig run around with their friends.
At one point, Hermione chuckles at something in her book, and Draco glances over curiously, as he had just finished that book before their holiday.
"What's so funny?" Draco asks, and Hermione turns the books towards him.
It's the part of the book where the protagonist and her partner in crime are about to embark on a low-risk mission to steal back some jewellery. It's their first mission as a couple, and the woman voices her worry that the risk is higher now they are looking out for each other. Her boyfriend admits he has always looked out for her, and she asks what happens if one of them dies. The boyfriend laughs, reminding her they've been in far more dangerous situations; they weren't going to die. The woman asks how he can be so sure, and he tells her that they're careful, they're always careful. She nods and responds that there's always a risk, and she'll remember those words when he's dead. They grin at each other, share a kiss, and then split off for their mission.
Draco nods, "This moment comes back in a few chapters' time," he hints.
"Shush, no spoilers," she frowns, turning away from him.
Smiling, Draco sits up with Scorpius on his lap. Together they watch the people swimming in the pool. Draco ponders taking his son for a swim. Scorpius had enjoyed the ocean, so he should like the swimming pool too. His only concern is the number of people already in the pool, especially the group of children playing roughly, splashing the water and holding an inflatable ball under the water so it shoots up.
A sudden gasp from beside him draws Draco's attention back to his wife.
"You bastard," she hisses at him, sitting up and slamming her book closed. "It comes back in a few chapters," she mocks his voice. "He's dead."
Draco tries holding back his grin but shakes with laughter, "I'm sorry. It's obviously foreshadowing, though. I thought you would have assumed as much."
"Of course not!" She throws her towel at her husband, standing and taking her son as she storms off towards the playground.
Draco lies back down, still amused and sighs.
"What was that about?" David asks, having woken in Hermione's exit.
"I might have spoiled a twist in Hermione's book?" Draco turns to face his uncle-in-law.
David's eyes widen comically, "You're a brave man." The man stands, stretching his back as he yawns, "Is it lunchtime yet?"
Draco glances at the other hotel guests still chilling around the pool, "Not yet; it still seems quite busy around here."
"I'm going to see if the bar has any food; you want anything?" David asks.
"No, I'm good, thanks," Draco declines.
"Can I come?" Sophie stands, proving she's been listening the entire time, even though her eyes are still scanning the pages of her book.
"Sure, I'll get you a drink too," David agrees, happy for any conversation with his daughter at this point. Sophie had spent the previous day (at the airports and on the flight) and the whole of this morning with her head buried in her book.
Hermione walks over to her mum, still at the play park with the children. Lauren and Craig keep the twins occupied by pushing them on the baby swings. She doesn't get to see her family as much as she used to, despite being on parental leave, so she's been surprised by the children's growth, especially the twins.
"Have you been looking at nurseries yet?" Hermione asks her mum.
Her initial response is a deep sigh, "Childcare has been difficult, and we can't keep relying on your grandparents; that was why we took Lauren and Craig in the first place. We did find a private nursery near our practice. It's lovely: they had a chef to cook proper meals for lunch, a massive outdoor space - a luxury in London - and these cute floor beds for nap time, but the price was far too expensive. We could probably afford for one to attend, but not two. Now our expectations are too high," her mum explains.
Hermione nods understandingly. "Mum, if you need any help with the cost, we're more than happy to help. I make good money at Hogwarts, and I got that compensation from… the government… for my help. Let me help," she begs.
"No, Hermione, you've got your own family to think about now," her mum nods towards Scorpius. He's currently sitting in the sandpit, slapping his fists down on a sandcastle another child had made.
"You're still my family, and it's not like you expected to become parents of four more children after me. Everything is more expensive than when I was a child. I want to help you, and I wouldn't have offered if I weren't sure I could afford to help," Hermione takes her mum's hand.
Hermione's sure Draco would happily offer any amount of his generational wealth to his parents-in-law. However, she didn't want to make the offer without talking to him first.
"I'll think about it, but your dad won't allow it." her mum promises as another way to decline her offer.
Hermione rolls her eyes, "Let me talk to him. I'll convince him."
"You've always had him wrapped around your finger," her mum chuckles.
"Maybe we'll send Scorpius there too. In September, Draco and I are back at Hogwarts, and I know Molly and Hyperion have offered babysitting services. I just don't want to have to rely on them. It's a long workday." Hermione makes a note to discuss this prospect with Draco later.
At lunchtime, people retreat from the pool towards the dining hall, leaving the pool practically empty. As Hermione returns with her mum and the children, Draco holds his arms out for Scorpius.
"Shall we go for a swim?" He suggests.
Hermione tilts her head curiously, then shakes her head, "Sure, Scorpius will enjoy a dip."
Draco narrows his eyes, "What was that look?" He questions, having caught her expression.
"Nothing," she shrugs, unfastening her wrap dress since the sun is directly above them and keeping her warm.
Draco stares at her, waiting for her to confess, and finally, she sighs.
"I was just wondering, do you know how to swim?" she awkwardly asks, not wanting to embarrass him.
"Of course, I know how to swim," he scoffs, offended nonetheless.
"Sorry, I just don't know how you would learn in the wizarding world," she quickly admits.
A light pink blush spreads across Draco's cheekbones, clearly recalling his lessons with embarrassment.
Hermione grins, taking Draco's hand and pulling him towards her, "Tell me."
"No."
"Please," she begs. "There's obviously a story there."
"A story for another time," he promises.
Hermione accepts that answer, knowing she will hear about it shortly.
Draco picks their son up (in his flotation vest), carrying him towards the pool. Hermione rushes to collect her camera, not wanting to miss the photographic opportunity. She sits on the pool's edge, dipping her feet in the sun-warmed water. She watches as her husband carefully climbs down the ladder into the pool, slowly adjusting their son to the new environment. To be expected, Scorpius loves it. A gap-toothed grin instantly appears on his face as he slams his fist into the water. Draco treads water as he holds his son's head above the water level. Hermione snaps a few pictures of the father and son before replacing her camera in its case and joining them in the pool.
Gently, they glide Scorpius through the water towards the other, their son's eyes wide with joy as he reaches his arms out to be caught by his mum or dad. Draco takes his son into his arms, rocking him gently, before suddenly throwing him a foot in the air and catching him before he splashes down into the water.
Scorpius squeals with joy, and Hermione realises that this is a memory in the making for her. Scorpius won't remember this holiday, but she and Draco definitely will, and it will be a memory to cherish.
Eventually, their boy becomes tired, rubbing his eyes and yawning, so Hermione cuddles him to her chest. At the same time, Draco climbs out to collect their towels. He returns with his wrapped around his shoulders and holds Scorpius out. Hermione lifts him up, and Draco quickly wraps him up. Hermione climbs out and joins her husband and son on their double sun lounger, wrapped in their towels and huddled together.
When her grandparents return after enjoying lunch with their new friends (Glenda and Johnny), they inform them that they're going to take a nap up in their room, exhausted from the blazing sun, their morning swim and lunch. They offer to take the babies with them to rest on the spare bed in their room. Hermione doesn't turn down the offer for some child-free time and follows her grandparents up to lay Scorpius down for his nap. Evelyn and Vivian walk up, each holding one of their grandfather's hands, and when they become too tired, he takes one in each arm, carrying them into the room.
Hermione meets up with her parents, who have just finished lunch, returning to the pool area. Ahead, Lauren and Craig are lying on their parents' sun lounger, pretending to sleep so they can't be moved. One of the kids' disco entertainers walks up to them as they approach.
"Hi, I'm Kelly, one of the kids' entertainers. We have a kids club every day from one to five. You just need to sign them in at the door, and we keep them busy so you can relax," she explains.
Lauren jumps up from the lounger with pure excitement, "Can we go, please?" She begs.
"Do you want to go too, Craig?" She asks the shy boy, who nods his head.
Craig and Lauren couldn't be any different. While Craig is shy and nervous around new people, he is very observant and can see when someone is genuine. Lauren is confident and friendly but tends to take people at face value. They both bring the best out of the other. Lauren pushes her brother into situations where he can make friends and have fun. Craig pulls Lauren away from insincere people.
"What about you?" Kelly looks towards Sophie, book back in her hands after enjoying a burger at the pool bar with her dad.
Sophie looks over the top of her book, "No thanks."
"The kids club is for anyone aged four to fifteen," Kelly explains.
"I said no, I want to finish this book," she reiterates.
"I'll come to sign them in," Hermione's dad offers, moving the focus from Sophie.
Before asking, Kelly looks awkwardly between the children, Chris and Sarah, "We need a parent to sign them in.
Chris' expression hardens, "I'm their dad."
"Oh, sorry," Kelly apologises, leading the way to the kids club.
"Technically, he's our uncle," Craig quietly explains, picking up on Kelly's confusion. "Yeah, but he and our aunt adopted our sisters and us because our old mum went to prison," Lauren adds, not understanding how a stranger might find that awkward.
"Oh, that's nice," Kelly comments, her eyes wide.
Chris just laughs, "Kids, eh?" He shrugs.
After relaxing in the sun for a while, Draco and Hermione's attention is drawn by Jonas. Today, he's dressed in a floral pair of swimming trunks and a red tank top as he steps onto the stage.
"Quick announcement that our afternoon activities are beginning in ten minutes. Yoga will be on the grass by the playground, water polo will be in the top pool, and shuffleboard will be on the dance floor. Enjoy your afternoon." Jonas then walks off the stage and up to the top pool for water polo.
From across the bar, a voice calls, "Draco!"
Draco sits up from his sun lounger, glancing in the direction to find Bryan with his hands cupped around his mouth. Once he realises he's caught his attention, Bryan waves and then points towards the top pool, behind the main pool and fenced off.
"Your friend is calling you; go play," Hermione gently teases.
"I don't know how to play water polo," Draco huffs. "I've already embarrassed myself enough this holiday."
"Hardly any muggles know how to play water polo either. We're from Britain; the weather isn't exactly water polo temperatures," Hermione urges him to go have fun.
"Fine, what are you going to do?"
"I might go to the yoga with mum," Hermione shrugs, turning to face her mother, who sits up and agrees to go with her.
Draco stands, heading towards the top pool, where Bryan throws his arm over his shoulder.
"So, do you know how to play?" Bryan asks.
"No," Draco admits.
"Me neither," Bryan laughs. "Glad to be on the same page."
Draco smiles, feeling better that he isn't the only one.
When Hermione and her mum arrive for yoga, they find only one other person waiting. A tall blonde woman in her early thirties wearing a one-piece swim costume with an attached skirt.
"Hi, you're Draco's wife, right?" The woman asks after exchanging a polite smile.
"Yes, I am; how did you know?" Hermione wonders.
"I'm Bryan's girlfriend. He's obsessed with your husband and that helicopter drawing," she chuckles.
"I wouldn't let Draco know that; he's very embarrassed about it," Hermione admits. "I'm Hermione, so you don't have to keep calling me 'Draco's wife'."
"And I'm Lydia."
After shaking hands, Hermione introduces Lydia to her mum. Then, the yoga teacher arrives and instructs them to grab a mat and find a space.
An hour later, Hermione is stretched to within an inch of her life, but she also feels calm and relaxed, ready for a nap. She walks with Lydia up to the top pool, where their partners are in the middle of a match. They sit on the sidelines, cheering and chatting with each other. After the game, Draco and Bryan join them, dripping wet.
Bryan pulls his girlfriend into a wet hug, making her squeal.
"I see our missus have met," Bryan nods to Draco.
Draco nods, "How was yoga?"
"Wonderful, I'm starving, though," she admits, having missed lunch.
"The bar serves burgers; you should join us," Lydia suggests. "Our kids are in the kids club, so we've got a few more hours of free time."
Hermione glances at Draco, asking if he's okay with continuing this socialisation. He nods once, turning with a smile to the other couple.
"We should dry off first," Draco suggests.
The two couples meet at the pool bar half an hour later, dried and dressed. They order their own food and drinks and then talk about their lives, getting to know each other. Bryan is the owner of a plumbing business. Lydia runs a beauty school in the centre of London. Although, they live in Kent. Draco and Hermione tell them they're teachers in a private school and live in Wiltshire but commute into London to visit their family.
Afterwards, Hermione and Draco go to collect their son from her grandparents' room and take him back to their room to feed and bathe him. The parents take turns showering and then lounge on their bed to rest. They don't intend to fall asleep but are awoken by a banging at their door. Draco jerks awake, jumping up to answer the door still wrapped in his towel and his hair sticking up in all directions.
"Wow," David comments when he opens the door. "Did I wake you?"
"Yes," Draco confirms, trying to flatten his hair.
"It's dinner time; everyone's down in the dining hall," David explains.
"Sorry, we'll be down in ten minutes," Draco promises, closing the door as the man leaves.
"We're missing dinner," Draco announces, taking his wand out of his suitcase and fixing his hair.
Ten minutes later, they join their family at their large table, dressed appropriately and hair perfect. A few quips are thrown at them for being late, but it's dropped as everyone tucks into their food. Once finished, they head out to the seating area in front of the stage, ready for the nighttime entertainment. Like the previous night, the kids' disco kicks off the night, tiring all the children out before Jonas enters the stage, dressed in a purple suit, and announces that tonight is bingo night. Everyone can buy their cards from the bar.
Betty, an avid bingo player, goes to the bar, buying a set for each adult and the next round of drinks and a pitcher of sangria.
Hermione gets handed a glass of sangria, which she accepts with a smile, then places suspiciously close to Draco's glass. Her husband sighs deeply, mentally preparing himself to drink twice as much as he usually would.
Betty fans out the bingo cards for everyone to choose one at random.
"Are we splitting the prize if we win?" Chris asks, writing his name atop his card.
"I think we should just put any winnings towards the holiday. If we win big, we take the kids out for the day; if we win small, we spend it on drinks and food from the bar," Tom suggests, and the rest of the family nods and hums in agreement.
Draco leans over to his wife and quietly whispers, "How do I play bingo again?"
Hermione sighs, pressing a kiss to his cheek, "When a number is called, check your card; if you have it, cross it off. You need to get five in a row for a line, then all the numbers in a box for a full house."
"Thank you," he smiles sweetly, returning the kiss on her cheek.
Bingo begins at eight o'clock after Jonas' assistants roll a massive cage with balls inside and a large shelving unit onto the stage. Jonas spins the cage until a ball falls into the bowl beneath it, which he collects and reads out the number printed on the ball. An assistant then matches the number on the ball to the number on a shelf.
Draco isn't terrible at bingo, but he hasn't got the hang of it yet. He asks Hermione to remind him of the last number, as he's still trying to find it when the following number is called. There are seven games on each card, and by the fourth game, Draco has seen the pattern and is more confident. In the sixth game, his heart stops when he realises he needs only one number for the full house. Number seven. He keeps his card covered, so none of his family can see and listens carefully to Jonas as the following number is read.
"Seven and five, seventy-five."
Draco breaths heavily. "That was close," he mutters, staring intently at the number seven waiting to be crossed off on his card, trying to manifest the number on the next ball.
"On its own, number three."
A slow, shaky breath escapes Draco as he watches Hermione cross number three off her card.
"I only need two more," she quietly announces.
"Two fat ladies, eighty-eight."
Draco frowns, still confused by some of the calls Jonas uses to announce the numbers, but this seems familiar, as when he called twenty-two as 'two little ducks', a lot of older people - including Betty - started quacking.
"On its own, number seven," Jonas calls as Draco's thinking about two little ducks.
He jumps out of his chair, sending it falling backwards. On the stage, Jonas glances at him and smiles.
"Full house!" Draco calls, holding his card in the air.
"Draco! Congratulations. Bring your card to the front so we can check it's a legitimate win," Jonas instructs him.
After checking his card is correct, Jonas hands Draco his winnings in an envelope. While the balls are returned to the cage for the last bingo game, Jonas performs some more stand-up, with a few bingo specific jokes. Draco returns to his table, where his family cheers and pulls him into a hug.
"It's got to be beginners luck," Tom comments, patting him on the back.
"He didn't even know how to play," Betty admits, hugging him tightly.
"What a win!" David states.
"I know, 200€," Draco agrees. "We'll have to do something special for the children with all that."
"I know who's getting the next round in, too," Chris hints.
After the last game, in which none of them wins anything, Draco heads up to the bar and orders another round and a glass of fruit juice, which Hermione can probably pass off as sangria. He remembers he still has the coupon for a round of drinks from last night, so he uses that instead of his bingo winnings.
He winks to Hermione as he places her juice in front of her, then finishes off the last of her sangria, which he had been sipping throughout bingo. They spent a while after discussing fun outings they could take the children to with the winnings.
After listening to the adults talk about train rides to the old town and museum visits, Lauren eventually asks, "Can we go to the adventure park?"
The adults glance around the table at each other. It was just as much the children's holiday as their own, and if they wanted to go to a theme park instead of a museum, they'd make it happen. Especially since they could afford to with the winnings. The adults would have to visit the museums and old town on their own.
Lauren and Craig squeal with excitement as soon as they agree, then run away.
"Where are they going?" Sarah watches them run towards two children sitting on the dance floor, playing with a ball. "Oh, it's their friends from the kids club."
"I hope they're not bragging to them," Tom glances over as the four children run over to a table. "That's Glenda and Johnny," Tom realises. "They must be their grandchildren."
Hermione looks over to Lauren and Craig and laughs, "That's Bryan and Lydia too. Did we all separately make friends with the whole family?"
In the hotel's foyer, the two families meet by the couches for a good laugh at the coincidence. They plan to meet on Wednesday morning - two days - to travel to the adventure park together. After another drink together, they all go off their separate ways to their hotel rooms, ready to end the night.
In their own room, Draco collapses face-first into their bed.
"I don't know how much longer I can do this," he mutters into the covers, his head thumping with a brewing headache. "Can we just agree not to drink tomorrow?"
"We're going to the beach tomorrow, they'll be no drinks until at least dinner time," Hermione gently brushes his hair from his face. "I appreciate what you're doing. We'll tell them soon."
"Good," he mumbles, half-asleep from the gentle brushing of Hermione's fingers through his hair.
"You should get changed before you drift off," Hermione warns him, standing to change Scorpius into his pyjamas and brush their teeth.
As soon as their son's first tooth came through, Hermione called her parents for advice on the best toothbrush and toothpaste for babies. She'd never have heard its end if she hadn't asked for their advice.
When she lays Scorpius down in his bed, he shuffles down until just a tuft of his hair is visible beneath his blanket. Soon after, his soft snores can be heard as Hermione and Draco undress and climb into bed, cuddling up beside each other as they drop off to sleep.
Thank you for all your name considerations; you can still comment your suggestion for the new Malfoy baby, as I won't finalise the results until a chapter before their birth.
Thank you so much for reading.
Please FAVOURITE, FOLLOW and REVIEW.