Author's Notes:
Here's Chapter 142 for you!
Happy NaNoWriMo!
It is National Novel Writing Month. I am currently at 41k words. This chapter was supposed to be another of Sophie's POV, with her experiencing her first weekend and classes. However, I wanted to move the story ahead. Instead, I might upload that chapter later as a stand-alone story separate from The Marriage Decree.
Anyway, I'm going to spend the weekend taking part in a writing marathon to get as many words down as possible and win NaNoWriMo!
Love, DW
P.S. Enjoy x
Despite spending many days during the summer at Hogwarts, stepping back inside the castle on the first of September is truly special. The whole school is decorated to welcome new and old students; the staff are excited to begin the new year and are dressed in their finest robes. Hermione and Draco made their way to the staff room, wanting to catch up with their colleagues before their meetings began. However, as soon as they pushed the door open, Minerva beckoned them to follow her to her office.
Exchanging worried glances, they feared their Headmistress had discovered they were expecting another child. Although, as soon as they sat opposite Minerva McGonagall, she smiled at them.
"Don't worry; I'm offering you a promotion." She laughs, then clarifies, "I know this is unexpected and rather early in your careers, but I believe you're both ready. It's also a strategic move on my part. I've contacted Elias Woodward within the new Department for Educational Standards. He's informed me of some areas they will be looking into when conducting their inspections."
"Has the DES been officially announced yet?" Hermione asks, wondering how she could have missed that news.
"I'm told the Minister will make the announcement on Monday," Minerva answers. "Minister Shacklebolt wants to see pure teaching, house unity and student progression. I'll go into all that during this morning's meeting, but I've made some plans to express the importance of house unity. I wish to make the two of you head of your respective houses," she states.
"Head of Gryffindor?" Hermione asks to clarify.
"Of course. I never expected to still be Headmistress after three years, but no one else wanted the position. To ensure impartiality, I need to step down as Head of Gryffindor. Then, with Horace finally retiring after keeping his promise to Albus for five years, I need to replace him. You're a natural choice, Draco," Minerva continues.
"I'm not sure I'm the right person for this role," he admits.
"You're perfect for the role," Minerva assures him. "You've come a long way these past three years, and I want our Slytherin students to recognise that you are now what we expect from the Slytherin house. Respect and understanding for the other houses and other students, no matter their background."
Draco nods, feeling a little lost. He never expected this and thought Pansy would make a better Head of Slytherin than him. Still, he has to admit that he has made more strides to better himself and is proud of how far he has come. Surely he'll be able to instil these behaviours into his students too.
"Okay, I accept."
"Great, Hermione, what do you think?"
"I'd love to," she begins. "The main thing is that we're expecting another child."
Minerva stares at them for a long moment before smiling, "Well, congratulations to both of you. The offer still stands as other staff can cover during your parental leave.
"I just don't think we're a great decision if you want to appease the Minister. He's already concerned that we're inexperienced and influencing the students; becoming the head of our houses isn't going to help," Hermione obviously mentions.
"I have full confidence in my teaching staff, and I hired my professors based on those who showed the right attitude as students themselves. My five newest professors, who were apprentices, have excellent knowledge and passion for their subjects. Suppose the Minister disapproves of my decisions as Headmistress. In that case, he can have me replaced. I'll assure him no one will volunteer for the job," Minerva explains, having prepared an answer to this question as she's expecting the inspectors to ask as such.
"I'm willing to give the position a chance," Draco agrees. "I will have to be harsh to get the older students to comply with our new expectations.
"I fully support your direction."
"I'll accept too." Hermione grins, excitement building as her need to constantly excel is validated.
After the banquet, Hermione and Draco part ways in the foyer so they can formally introduce themselves as the head of their houses.
Hermione finds herself pacing back and forth before the portrait of the Fat Lady, preparing herself.
"It's not like you to forget the password," the Fat Lady claims. "What is the matter?"
"I'm not sure what to say when I step inside; I knew most of the students myself when I was a student. They respect me as a professor, but I don't know if they will in this position," she admits.
"I've heard them talking; they're excited to have the famous ''Hermione Granger' as their Head of Gryffindor," the portrait promises.
"I don't know if I can live up to their expectations."
"Only one way to find out…."
Hermione gives the password, and the framed portrait swings open to reveal the Gryffindor common room crowded with students. As she steps inside, the room erupts with applause and chanting.
"Granger! Granger!"
A smile beams across Hermione's face as she urges them to quieten down so she can speak. "Thank you so much for your support. I was nervous about accepting the post of Head of Gryffindor; it was only two years ago that I was a student here. I wasn't sure how everyone would react to the transition. For our first years, I'm Professor Granger, Head of Gryffindor and transfiguration professor. My only house rules are following the school rules, being respectful of curfew and being polite to the other houses. If you follow my house rules, I may be lenient regarding Quidditch parties."
The students cheer at the mention of Quidditch, and Hermione rolls her eyes, knowing she will have to attend every match.
"I hope you have an exciting weekend catching up with your friends before we get back to class. I'm sure there's already a welcome back party planned, so I'll leave you to it," Hermione announces. "Please don't stay up too late," she adds, although everyone in the room (herself included) knows she isn't serious.
In the corridor, Hermione walks down to the dungeon, waiting outside the stretch of a stone wall - where she knows to find the entrance to the Slytherin common room - for Draco to finish his introduction. Due to her polyjuice potion mishap, she's never stepped foot inside the Slytherin common room. Draco has described it to her many times, and it sounds cosy. Perhaps he can give her a private tour at Christmas when fewer students are around.
Inside the Slytherin common room, Draco stands on the steps leading down from the entrance to the living space. Upon entering, he had ordered the six Slytherin prefects to gather all the students before him. It had taken them five minutes, but Draco hadn't rushed them, waiting patiently for everyone to crowd together. He noticed the small first-years looked nervous. He would instil his expectations firmly into them, then show a softer side to himself during their first class.
"First-years, I'm sure you've already heard many rumours about me." Draco stares at each of the nine faces before him. "They're all true. As a student, I used my family's name to get away with as much rule-breaking as possible. After the Dark Lord's return, I became a Death Eater, helped him bring Death Eaters into Hogwarts, and helped murder Albus Dumbledore."
The common room is deathly silent, listening to their professor confess to what had for years been rumoured.
"I hated the other houses since I was a child before I boarded the Hogwarts Express. My father ingrained that hatred and prejudice into me. Then I came to Hogwarts to find the other houses hated us too. They isolated us, which we deserved. For too long, Slytherin has been the 'evil house', and as your head of Slytherin house, I'm here to tell you that it ends now." Draco turns his glare to the older students - who would be more likely to disrespect him. "We have lived with the prejudices of Salazar Slytherin for over a thousand years. How have we not evolved past this?" He pauses to allow them time to ponder before stating, "My rules are simple: I will not tolerate any prejudice within Slytherin house. You will be punished harshly. Slytherins are ambitious, determined and resourceful; those are the qualities worth celebrating. And I can guarantee that until we have sorted ourselves out, we will not be winning the house cup or Quidditch cup."
"What?" Elijah Craven, the sixth-year prefect and head of the Quidditch team, blurts out.
"If I need to conveniently give the team detention on training nights, so be it. If I need to take house points away for a shove in the corridor, so be it. If I have to reduce your curfew because another professor informs me you aren't meeting my expectations, so be it. Understand?" Draco asks the room full of gobsmacked students.
"Yes, sir," mumbles around the room.
Although, Draco notices one prefect not joining in. "Tobias Broadmoor, do you not agree with my expectations?"
"I do, sir," Broadmoor agrees, standing tall.
Draco smirks, knowing that answer is bullshit. He knows Tobias Broadmoor well. "If I have to remove prefects from their positions for not following my rules, so be it," he adds, staring pointedly at Broadmoor.
Before him, a first-year girl with shoulder-length blonde hair raises her hand.
"Yes, Miss Elwyn?"
"I don't think my mother will appreciate me acting in this new manner. I have a certain reputation to uphold, and I don't wish to be receiving any howlers from her," Mary Elwyn explains.
A few other students, throughout the year groups, hum in agreement.
"Your parents do not scare me; I shared my Manor with the Dark Lord," Draco states. "If your parents have an issue with my rules, they can send their howlers to me, and I will respond accordingly, but there will be no exceptions to following my rules."
When no other students raise their hands to ask questions, Draco takes that as confirmation that they all understand what is expected of them now.
"I will be in my classroom most nights after dinner; if you have any worries or wish to speak to me privately, come find me. For now, I'll bid you good night." Draco scans the common room once more before taking his leave.
The stone wall peels apart as he nears the entrance. Stepping out into the dungeon corridor, he's surprised to find Hermione waiting for him.
"How did it go?"
"He is the worst Head of Slytherin in Hogwarts history," a portrait of a centuries-old Slytherin student claims.
"I made myself clear. We'll see how the first few weeks go." Draco shrugs. "Perhaps we'll end up in negative points for the first time in history, or maybe we'll win the house cup."
Since they knew it would be a late night, Hermione had asked her uncle David to collect Scorpius from his new nursery. After visiting the private nursery the day after their holidays, they enrolled their son straight away, having been thoroughly impressed. A week later, Scorpius started with Evelyn and Vivian. Hermione had struggled to hand her son over to the nursery nurse, but when they picked him up at the end of his first day, the nursery handed them a journal with pictures and notes about all the activities Scorpius had taken part in. Their son had been happy, making it easy to drop him off the next day.
Arriving at David's house, they knock on his front door and wait.
"I don't think he's in," Draco mentions, peering through the door's frosted glass into the darkened hallway.
"I can see the light through the gap in the living room curtains." Hermione knocks again, louder.
When there's still no answer, Hermione tries the door to find it unlocked. As they enter, they are met by the blaring music of ABBA. As they enter the living room, the song ends, then begins again in repeat.
"Schoolbag in hand, she leaves home in the early morning, waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile. I watch her go with a surge of that well-known sadness, and I have to sit down for a while," ABBA sings.
David is sleeping in his armchair with Scorpius napping in his arms.
"David!" Hermione calls his name.
His eyes snap open in shock, also waking Scorpius with a start. David fumbles for the remote, pausing the song.
"Sorry, I didn't hear you come in." David stands, rocking his great-nephew.
"I'm not surprised," Hermione says. "Are you alright?"
"Not really; I hated this morning, watching her ride off to school, knowing she's going to be fine without me while I'm a mess," he sighs, cuddling Scorpius.
"She's fine because you raised her to be independent, responsible and conscientious," Draco says, trying to help him feel better.
"Thanks, Draco." David chuckles, knowing exactly what he's doing. "Here you go, Scorpius." He passes the toddler to his father.
Draco welcomes his son in a hug. Today was the longest day Scorpius had had at nursery, having stayed for his dinner before David picked him up at six o'clock. Draco had missed him all day.
"How was pick up?" Hermione asks her uncle.
When they enrolled Scorpius, they needed to fill out a form for every person who might collect Scorpius. They included a photograph of the person so the nursery staff could ensure each child went home with the right person. Hermione added her parents, Grandma Betty and Grandad Tom, and Uncle David.
"An absolute nightmare," David sighs, leading them into the kitchen, filling the kettle and setting it to boil. "They said I didn't look anything like the man in the picture."
"What?" Hermione frowns. "That's the most recent picture I had."
"I saw the picture. It was from holiday when I had a nice tan, and I wasn't wearing my glasses," David explains. "I had to call Sarah to leave work early and come collect the girls and Scorpius together. It took half an hour for her to arrive."
"I'm sorry," Hermione sighs. "I'll take a new picture in on Monday."
Draco and Hermione sit at the kitchen table while David makes them a hot drink. As soon as he sits opposite them, he stares at them expectantly.
"So, tell me all about this ceremony thing?" David asks.
"Her name was called first, Adair," Draco begins.
"She looked so nervous but walked up on stage with her head held high," Hermione adds proudly.
"It was the longest hatstall I've ever witnessed," Draco comments.
"And mine took a while," Hermione interrupts.
"What's a hatstall?"
"When the Sorting Hat takes longer than two minutes to sort a student," Draco clarifies.
"Sophie's took at least five minutes," Hermione mentions.
"Where was she sorted?" David asks, on the edge of his seat.
Hermione grins, "Ravenclaw, just as she wanted.
"She basically ran down the aisle to the Ravenclaw table," Draco says.
David smiles sadly, "When she sets her mind to something, she doesn't settle for anything less."
"I noticed she spent much of the banquet talking to the prefects," Draco tells him.
"What about Elizabeth?" David asks, hoping his daughter isn't alone in the Ravenclaw house.
"She got Ravenclaw too." Hermione nods, "As did Florian, her cousin."
"Their fathers took me to the Leaky Cauldron afterwards. Elizabeth's dad realised how close our daughters are and wanted to get to know me. They were both nice people, so I'm glad she's made some good friends," David says.
"They're a great family. Elizabeth's mother is high up in the Minister, head of her own department, which usually I wouldn't celebrate. However, I've heard from a good source that she doesn't let the Minister step all over her," Hermione says.
"Don't forget, Sophie's made a third friend too," Draco reminds his wife as he bounces their son on his lap.
"Really?" David asks, impressed.
"Yes, that was a surprise. A boy named Gaius. His family have been Slytherins for generations, but he was sorted into Ravenclaw too. Sophie hugged him when he reached their table," Hermione remembers.
"They must have met on the train and made quite the impression on each other," Draco suggests. "His brother is quite the troublemaker. I'll need to keep an eye on him," he adds.
David smiles into his cup of tea, "She sounds happy. I'm glad."
"We've got our timetables, and she has both of us on Monday. I'm definitely looking forward to teaching her," Hermione admits.
"Will you be at the castle over the weekend?" David asks.
"I'm going to go in the morning to keep an eye on my house," Draco mentions. "I want them to know I'm serious about my expectations, and I'll be watching them."
"If you get a chance, could you pass a letter to Sophie?" David places an envelope addressed to Sophie on the table.
"She doesn't want the other students to know she's related to us, but I'll try," Draco promises, his son tucking himself under his arm, yawning.
"We should get Scorpius home," Hermione announces, finishing her tea.
"Of course, thank you for visiting," David stands, clearing the cups into the sink.
Draco pockets David's letter for Sophie, trying to plan a way to pass it along without alerting other students to their relationship.
Hermione hugs her uncle, thanking him again for collecting Scorpius, despite his troubles, and promises to text him with updates on how Sophie is getting on at Hogwarts.
Scorpius' first birthday falls on the first Thursday of the new school year, but luckily, Hermione has two free periods first thing. Usually, she would use her free periods to mark homework and amend lesson plans depending on how her students received the topic.
Today, after Draco floos to their rooms at Hogwarts for breakfast, Hermione and Mitty make pancakes for Scorpius' birthday. The toddler sits in his high chair, feeding himself a banana while he waits.
Scorpius has never had pancakes before, but after his first bite of the syrupy crepe, he reaches out for the fork, wanting more. Hermione hands over the fork, and Scorpius struggles to independently feed himself and soon throws the fork on the floor in favour of using his hands to tear the pancakes into bite-size pieces.
"Scorpius need a bath," Mitty mentions after washing up the mixing bowl and cutlery.
"I'll give him on before taking him to my grandparents," Hermione agreed.
Hermione didn't like the idea of her son spending his first birthday at nursery, away from his family. Instead, she had called her Grandma Betty and asked if she would look after Scorpius for the day, and she had gladly agreed.
Needing to be at work by ten o'clock, Hermione bathed her son and dressed him in a nice outfit before leaving the house. They walk down the drive to the gate to their grounds, where the ward end; Hermione apparates to an alleyway behind her grandparents' house.
Her Grandma Betty opens the front door with her arms wide open to accept her great-grandson. "Happy birthday, Scorpius." She hugs him tightly, making the toddler squeal. "I have a surprise for you," she whispers loudly to Scorpius, taking him into the living room and leaving Hermione to follow them.
On the floor is a pile of presents, as well as Evelyn and Vivian.
"What's all this?" Hermione asks, surprised.
"After you called the other day, I called Sarah and asked if the girls could come here too. We're going to have a little party," Grandma Betty admits.
"Grandma, you didn't have to do all this. How many presents did you buy him?" Hermione asks.
"They're not all for him. We got the girls one each, so they don't get upset. They don't understand birthdays at this age," Grandma Betty explains. "Don't worry, we're not spoiling him."
Hermione scans the room, decorated with balloons, streamers and a banner with Scorpius' name printed across. She thinks her son is already being spoilt but doesn't comment.
"Thank you for looking after him today. We'll be round to pick him up around half-four," Hermione reminds her grandma.
"Yes, we'll see you then." Grandma Betty places Scorpius on the rug to play with Evelyn and Vivian.
Leaving her grandparents' house, Hermione feels guilty for not being with her son on his first birthday. It helps knowing he's going to have a lovely day with his great-grandparents' and, later, will have an amazing night with friends after work.
Apparating to Diagon Alley, Hermione floos from the Leaky Cauldron to her room at Hogwarts. Draco sits at his desk, scribbling notes down as he prepares for his next class, when Hermione comes up behind him and hugs him.
"Hello," he smiles, turning his head to kiss his cheek. "How is our birthday boy?"
"He loves pancakes." Hermione smiles. "We got to my grandparents' house to find the living room decorated, a pile of presents and Evelyn and Vivian. My grandma has organised a little party for him, which is nice, but she's spoiling him."
"It's in her right as a grandparent," Draco laughs, standing to hug her properly. "Scorpius is lucky to have so many grandparents and great-grandparents that love him."
Hermione smiles sadly, knowing Draco never grew up with much family and the family he did have never explicitly showed how much they loved him.
"We're also lucky to have so many friends who want to spend their Thursday night at a one-year-old's birthday party," Hermione jokes.
"They've got children themselves."
As the students' break ends, they kiss each other goodbye, promising to meet each other in the hall for lunch.
Draco doesn't have far to go to his potion classroom in the dungeons and arrives just before his fifth-year students of Slytherins and Hufflepuffs. He's been keeping a close eye on Tobias Broadmoor after hearing he had been rather unpleasant to Sophie and her friends on the train. Sophie had begged him not to make it obvious she and her friends had been the ones to inform him. Therefore, Draco needed another reason to remove his prefect responsibilities. He already had another fifth-year in mind to take over, one who had shown some personal growth in the past year.
However, the fifth-year class goes fine, despite none of them being able to identify the mystery potion on the chalkboard. Draco simply sets the question as homework to find the potion by the next class.
The first-year Ravenclaws and Slytherins fall quiet as the fifth-year students rush past, needing to make it to their next lesson.
"You may enter," Draco calls to his first-year class.
In the potions classroom, there are four rows of four tables. Usually, the houses would take up half the classroom, separating each other from the other house. However, he's noticed that the first-years spread out across the classroom. Sophie sits with Florian at the front, but Aaron Austen and Mary Elwyn are behind them. Elizabeth and Gaius are sat on the other side of the room beside Beatrice Tarquin and Nathanial Tennison.
"Please open your books to chapter one and take out your parchment and quills," Draco announces.
"Are we finally going to learn something?" Andrew Darnton (a Slytherin) asks.
"You have been learning this whole week," Draco reminds him.
"Not proper learning," Darnton claims.
"You've learnt the correct methods of preparing ingredients for potions," Draco stares.
"Yeah, just because we haven't looked in a textbook yet, doesn't mean we haven't learnt anything," Aaron Austen calls over to his housemate.
Draco taps the chalkboard to gain their attention, then begins writing their first topic down for them to copy onto their note parchment.
"Have any of you already read up on this topic?" Draco asks, expecting a few students to raise their hands, but is met by twelve hands waving at him. "I'm impressed, although you weren't required to read anything before we started. We will be starting from page one for those of you who haven't cracked the spine on your books yet," he jokes.
The lesson went smoothly, with those students who had read ahead answering most of the questions he asked. Perhaps it will motivate the rest of the class to read ahead, too, since he gave out a lot of points for correct answers.
At the end of the class, Draco notices Sophie is taking her time to pack away, so he assumes she wants to talk to him once all the other students have left. With it being lunchtime, it doesn't take long for the students to clear out, leaving him and Sophie alone.
"We have a study group," she mentions, sitting on her desk and swinging her legs.
"Who does?"
"Some of us first-years. After we got house points from Professor McGonagall for our Scavenger Hunt, we got together to plan ways to earn more points. Four Slytherins agreed because it'll help with your house rules or something," Sophie admits. "I think by Christmas, everyone will forget why we formed the study group, and we'll just be friends," she adds hopefully.
"It sounds like something I would have been interested in," Draco says, packing students' work into his bag to mark later. "How does it work?"
"We meet in the library every day after class until dinner and study. We split into different groups depending on what classes we wanted to study. Maybe you could come in one night and hand out points," she suggests.
Draco stops, turning to face her, "Is this why you stayed back? I won't show you preferential treatment just because we're related."
"No, I just thought if the Slytherins earned points for it, they're more likely to stick around our group," Sophie clarifies. "Mary's worried about what her mum will say if she finds out because they're pureblood."
Draco sighs, "I need you to understand that you can't ask me for things like this, but I approve of the study group.
"Okay, sorry for crossing the line," Sophie apologises, then fidgets with something behind her back. "I made this for Scorpius. I know it's his birthday today, and he's too young to understand or remember. It's silly, really-"
"What is it, Sophie?" Draco interrupts.
Sophie holds out a handmade card. On the front, she's attempted to draw Hogwarts castle, and Sophie is waving in one of the windows.
"I got the card from Joseph Hill; he's a muggleborn in Gryffindor. He likes drawing and brought some supplies from home. Then I asked Lawrence Knoll in seventh-year to charm me to wave," Sophie explains, looking at her shoes in embarrassment. "It's not very good. I'm not much of an artist."
"It's great," Draco smiles. "Scorpius will love it, thank you."
"Okay, I'm going to lunch," Sophie grabs her bag and races from the room, probably still a little embarrassed from her card.
In the hall, Draco sits beside Hermione and hands Sophie his card over.
"What's this?" She asks, scanning the picture on the front before opening the card. "Oh, that's so sweet of her."
Hermione searches for her cousin up and down the Ravenclaw table, finally finding her with a large group of first-years. Sophie glances up, catching Hermione staring at her, so she smiles at the young girl, hoping she understands her thanks for the card.
Sophie returns the smile before turning back to her friends.
"Only two more hours left," Draco comments, tucking into his lunch.
Pansy leans across, "I've got a meeting with a few seventh-years after class, but Ron should meet you there on time."
"I doubt it," Hermione teases.
"Me too, but we can only hope," Pansy laughs.
Draco tells his wife and friend about the study group Sophie had discussed.
"She's not used to being part of a class. At primary school, she was kind of left alone, and now she's made friends in her house and the others; I don't blame her for wanting them to stick together," Hermione mentions.
"I hope it works out for her," Pansy says. "If you had told me in seventh-year that one of my best friends would be Hermione Granger, Gryffindor princess, I would have cursed you."
"I wish you wouldn't call me that. I don't even know where it came from." Hermione frowns.
"Probably Maddox," Draco suggests.
After lunch, the last two lessons of the day go past rather quickly for Hermione and Draco, and before they know it, they're meeting in their room so they can floo to the Leaky Cauldron. From there, they can apparate to behind her grandparents' house to collect their son. Hermione is apprehensive about knocking on their door, worried about the state she will find Scorpius.
Their living room is full of popped balloons, wrapping paper and boxes from the presents they'd bought Scorpius. However, the three toddlers look happy and seem to have had a fun day.
Grandad Tom picks his great-grandson up, lifting him upside down to show Hermione and Draco their son's feet.
"The lad needed a proper pair of shoes, or he'll end up walking funky," Grandad Tom explains his reasoning behind buying Scorpius a pair of brown leather shoes. "They're a bit big, but if he wears two pairs of socks, they'll last him longer."
"You didn't have to buy him anything," Hermione tells him.
"Nonsense, Scorpius is my first great-grandchild. I'm going to spoil him, and there's nothing you can do about that," her grandad declares, handing the boy in question over to Draco.
Draco turns his son the right way up, not that Scorpius minds, having been giggling the whole time. "Don't you look handsome!" He coos, kissing his son's head.
"What else did you buy him?" Hermione sighs, sitting on the couch as she scans the toys littering the living room.
"Some toys, some clothes," her grandad shrugs as her grandma joins them with Vivian in her arms.
"We had a good sort out of the toys here and gave a lot to the charity shops. His new toys can stay here, don't worry!" Grandma Betty smiles. "Where's his hat?" She frowns, looking around the room.
That's the second time today her grandma's told her not to worry, and it's not working.
"What hat?"
"We got him a proper London man's flat cap," Grandad Tom laughs. "He looks like a proper Londoner."
"I hate to say it, Grandad, but he's not from London," Hermione reminds him. "We live in Wiltshire."
"It doesn't matter where you live; his family is from London," Grandad Tom firmly states.
"Here it is!" Grandma Betty places the flat cap upon Scorpius' mop of hair.
Hermione remembers a year ago when she first got to hold her son. Draco had been upset their son didn't have his blond hair, but over the year, Scorpius' hair had lightened considerably to a light brown, almost dirt blond colour. His curls remained intact, although Hermione worried his first haircut might disrupt the curl pattern, which is why she had put it off for so long.
"Thank you for today," Hermione tells her grandparents, hugging them both. "We should get going. We're meeting some friends who have children for a play date."
"That will be fun," Grandma Betty says.
"I think Mum and Dad are bringing all the children over on Saturday, so we'll see you then, too," Hermione adds.
Outside, the family of three apparate home so Hermione and Draco can change out of their work robes and into their casual clothes. They plan to meet their friends at a nearby muggle park, where they can visit the aviary, the pond and then the play park. For a treat, they'll also take the children to the cafe for ice cream. Hermione remembers to grab her camera just as they're about to leave.
At five o'clock, they apparate to the park, finding Harry and Ginny already waiting by a bench with Teddy, James and Albus. Hermione rushes to hug her friends and peer into the pushchair at the five-week-old baby Albus.
"Scorpius!" Teddy cheers, reaching up to touch the boy on Draco's hip. "Happy birthday Scorpius."
Draco places Scorpius on his feet to be at the same level as Teddy.
"Can Scorpius walk now?" Teddy asks, looking up at Draco.
"Not really, but he's very close," Draco informs the boy.
"Cool."
"Sorpus, hold hands," James orders, grabbing the younger boy's hand, but Scorpius snatches it back.
Instead, Scorpius keeps a tight hold of his father's hands and begins to walk towards where Harry, Ginny and his mother are catching up.
"Whoa, look at Scorpius go!" Ginny grins.
"I know, he's trying so hard," Hermione proudly says, picking her son up to sit on her lap once he reaches her.
The next to arrive is Blaise, with Pandora walking beside him, holding his forefinger tightly. The young girl is dressed in a pair of dungarees with a pink tutu and a pair of welly boots.
"Let me guess, Miss Pandora dressed herself today?" Draco jokes, smiling at his goddaughter.
"Yes," she giggles, spinning around.
"Beautiful." Draco smiles.
"Yes, she's a style icon," Blaise agrees.
Draco knows Blaise cares very much about how he presents himself, so it's probably hurting him to be seen with his daughter in such a state of dress. Draco also knows Blaise loves his daughter more than anything else, so he'll put his need to be dressed perfectly aside if his daughter is happy.
"We're just waiting for Ron and the twins," Hermione states. "Pansy's got a quick meeting after work."
"We'll be waiting a while then," Harry jokes.
Most of them know by now that Ron isn't the most punctual person in their friend group, and if he's ever on time, it's because Pansy told him an earlier time.
Ron finally arrives with Philip and Phoebe at twenty-past five, only twenty minutes late. But by the stressed look on his face, he's had trouble getting the children ready that afternoon.
"I picked them up from Mum, and they were covered in mud. We had to do a quick bath time and find new party clothes to wear," Ron sighs, adjusting the straps on his backpack, full of spare clothes and snacks for the twins.
"You've done well on your own," Blaise comments.
"I'm their father; I know how to sort them out," Ron retaliates.
"It was a compliment, Ronald," Blaise sighs.
"Whatever, Pansy said she'll catch up," Ron tells them.
"Great, shall we visit the aviary first? Scorpius loves the birds," Hermione says.
As the six adults set off with seven children between them, they look like quite the picture. Teddy, James, Pandora, Philip and Phoebe hold hands in a long line and race ahead, giggling as they go. Hermione focuses the camera, snapping a picture of the adorable group of five. Between Blaise and Draco, Scorpius walks in his new shoes, holding each of their hands for support. The adults chat, catching up on the walk through the park, until James, in the middle of the line, trips up and bring the other four children down with him.
"I knew this would happen," Ron groans, rushing to pick up his crying son.
James lies on his front, laughing despite grazing his hands, chin and knees. Teddy inspects his scuffed knees, and upon deciding they look fine, he begins to run in circles to ensure they still work as fast as they used to. Phoebe stands straight away, rubbing her grazed hands on her top, then tries to hold Teddy's hand again.
"Dada!" Pandora screams, tears streaming down her face.
Blaise kneels beside her, "Are you hurt?"
"No!" Pandora wails, lifting her skirt up.
Blaise checks her tutu to find a rip in the fabric where she'd fallen.
"It's okay; we'll fix it when we get home," Blaise assures her.
"Well, she's certainly your daughter, isn't she," Draco chuckles.
"That's true!" Blaise beams, helping Pandora to her feet.
They set off again; the children walk independently, having been told not to hold hands. Although Philip still cries, Ron carries him the rest of the way to the aviary.
"It's just the shock, Ron," Ginny tells her brother upon seeing the concerned look on his face. "He's fine."
In the first enclosure, the children discover chickens, ducks and geese wandering around. Philip seems to cheer up when he spies an egg hidden beneath a hen house and starts shouting, "Egg! Egg!" Ron lets Philip back down to walk with his friends.
In the next enclosure are an array of parrots, lovebirds and budgies. Scorpius reaches up to see closer, so Hermione lifts him into her arms, handing her camera to Draco to snap a few pictures if it takes his fancy.
"Ba," Scorpius says, sticking his finger through the gaps in the cage.
"Yes, birds," Hermione confirms, removing his finger and giving the top a little kiss. "You don't want the bird to nibble your finger," she jokes.
Scorpius laughs, sticking his finger in his mouth as he says, "Nomnomnom."
Hermione beams proudly at her son, hugging him tightly, "Such a clever boy."
"I think you're reading a bit too much into that 'ba'," Pansy states behind them.
"You finally made it then," Hermione says, hugging her friend.
"Yeah, how late was my husband?" She asks, kissing Ron on the cheek.
"Just twenty minutes," Blaise answers.
Pansy laughs, kneeling to greet her children, "Now, what's happened here?" She turns her daughter's hands over to inspect her grazes.
Sniffling as he runs over, Philip cries, "'All over."
"Oh dear, you fell over," Pansy sighs, kissing their scuffed hands. "All better?"
Philip wraps his hands around her neck, nodding his head but wanting more comfort, so Pansy picks him up.
After being told that parrots can talk, Teddy and James spend fifteen minutes trying to get the African Grey, named Alfie, to say 'Hello'. Much to their disappointment, they are unsuccessful, but as the group walk away, Alfie rings a bell for them, and the boys cheer.
Down by the pond, they find more ducks,, geese, and a pair of swans. On the decking at one end of the pond is an old man with a cart on wheels. As they reach him, they discover he's selling bird seeds to feed the pond life. After listening to the old man tell her about the dangers of feeding the duck bread, Hermione buys enough bags for each of the toddlers and hands them out. As the group of friends stroll around the pond, they stop by the benches overlooking the pond to feed the birds. Hermione takes the opportunity to take multiple pictures of all the children feeding the animals.
Scorpius holds on tightly to his father's hand while grabbing tiny fistfuls of the seeds to scatter into the pond. Upon seeing the group, the ducks and geese swarm towards them. Some even fly atop the water to ensure they get a peck of seeds. The swans seem to be keeping their distance, too dignified to fight for food.
"It land on his back," Teddy laughs, after throwing a handful at one duck that hadn't been able to get any of James' throw.
"Me too," James copies his older brother-of-sorts.
Philip pinches some seeds from the bag his mother is holding, then delicately sprinkles it into the pond, not daring to step too close for fear of falling in. With not much to go between the ducks and geese, a few start pecking each others' wings.
Philip recoils, shouting "No!" at the birds.
"They're hungry, give them more," Pansy instructs her son.
"Me." Phoebe races over to the pond, and Ron chases after her before she takes a dive. He catches her as she empties her entire bag of seeds into the pond. Phoebe then turns to her mother with a massive grin, looking for praise.
"Well done, Phoebe." Pansy returns the smile, and as soon as her daughter turns around, she looks down at her son. "Let go feed the swans, Philip." Pansy winks, leading her son further around the pond.
Having forgotten about her ripped tutu skirt, Pandora is sitting on the edge of the pond, dangling her feet a few inches above the water. A brave goose swims up to her and honks, so she sprinkles a few seeds in front of it.
"Good girl," Pandora states, reminiscent of how her mother praises her. "More?" Pandora asks, leaning further to sprinkle more seeds into the water.
Blaise squats behind her, keeping a tight hold of her dungarees strap. "There's no stopping her when it comes to animals," he mentions with a fond smile.
After the birds have been fed to the various bird life on the pond, they continue around the pond until they reach a path leading up to the play park. As they approach, they notice a few older children running around, screaming and shouting, while their parents sit on a bench chatting. Thankfully, the toddler area is fenced off from the older section, so they don't have to risk their toddlers being knocked to the ground by a ten-year-old.
Draco takes Scorpius straight over to the swings since the child loves playing on the ones in their garden at home. Scorpius recognises them instantly and begins kicking his legs excitedly. Hermione and Draco take turns pushing their son, who refuses to be removed from the swing seat.
Teddy, James and Phoebe race each other up the ramp to the platform. Then, through the metal tunnel and down the slide, which is wide enough for them to sit beside each other. Teddy, being three years old and the oldest of the children, makes sure to wait at each section for James and then Phoebe, who, at eighteen months, struggles to keep up with the boys.
Philip is mesmerised by the roundabout, sitting on the bench as his father gently spins him around. The boy closes his eyes and holds his head back, feeling the wind hit his face and through his hair as he giggles.
Pandora starts off on the swings beside Scorpius but becomes bored after a few minutes. So Blaise takes her over to the slide. However, she has no interest in repeatedly racing the others up and down, so Pandora takes herself over to some tactile boards, running her hand over all the spinning, sliding and popping parts.
Twenty minutes into their playtime, Ginny walks over to where Hermione is still pushing Scorpius on the swing.
"Do you mind keeping an eye on Teddy and James while we change Albus?" Ginny asks her.
"Sure, that's fine," Hermione agrees, her eye finding the two boys still running their route up the ramp to the slide.
Although, as soon as their parents leave, they decide now is the perfect time to run towards the three-metre high climbing frame and attempt to race each other to the top. Discretely, Hermione wandlessly casts a cushioning charm on the ground beneath them, so they won't hurt themselves if they fall.
Teddy wins the race due to his long, three-year-old legs, but James reaches him not long after, his determination pushing him to finish. Teddy congratulates him with a high five, and Hermione's heart skips a beat as James loses balance, but Teddy grips hold of his arm until the younger boy can grab hold of the ropes again. They slowly make their way down to the ground just as Harry and Ginny return, carrying six ice creams.
"What's all this?" Hermione asks. She had planned to buy all the children ice cream after they finished playing.
"Just a little treat for Scorpius' birthday," Harry explains.
"Also, the cafe manager wouldn't let us use the bathroom without buying something," Ginny adds. "Even to change Albus." She shakes her head in frustration.
"KIDS!" Harry calls, gaining all their children's attention. "We've got ice cream."
Teddy and James start chanting, "Ice cream, ice cream," as they run towards Harry.
Draco lifts Scorpius out of the swing and carries him over to Harry.
"You didn't need to do this," Draco says, taking a cone for Scorpius. "We invited everyone; we were going to buy them."
Harry shrugs awkwardly, "It's fine."
"Well, thank you," Draco replies, not pushing the discussion further.
The children huddle together on a patch of grass across the path from the play park, silently enjoying their treat. In the rare silence, Hermione and Draco catch up with what their friends had gotten up to over August. The last time they had been together as a group was Harry's birthday, which ended with the abrupt arrival of Albus Severus Potter.
"I can't believe Albus is five weeks old already!" Hermione exclaims, peering into the baby's pram to find him staring back, curious wide green eyes taking in the trees and skies above him.
"I know; it's gone by so quickly." Ginny smiles.
"Look at those eyes," Hermione comments. "Just like his father." She smiles at her friend.
"And grandmother," Harry adds with a soft smile.
"How is Albus? Is he gaining enough weight? Are you getting enough sleep?" Hermione asks, having missed talking to her friend over the past few weeks.
However, when Harry and Ginny exchange a worried glance, Hermione becomes curious.
"Do you think he's a strange baby?" Ginny asks, looking at her son in his pram.
"What does that even mean?" Pansy barks a laugh.
"He's nothing like James," Ginny admits.
"You shouldn't compare them," Hermione says.
"I know, but James was a normal baby, like his cousins? He cried when he needed feeding or changing, and when he woke up, he'd make these whining noises, he loved to be held and cuddled, but Albus does none of that. He doesn't cry much, and when I check on him, I usually find him already awake, and he just stares at me. It's like there's no recognition there," Ginny clarifies.
"We've taken him to our healer. We were worried Albus had poor eyesight, but he's perfectly healthy," Harry adds, anticipating the group's next question.
"Maybe there's just not much going on up there," Ron shrugs, taking a bite from his son's cone now that Philip has had enough.
"You dick!" Ginny throws one of Albus' soft toys at her brother. "That's your nephew you're talking about."
"Maybe Albus is more of a Ronald than a Percy," Blaise suggests.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron frowns.
"I don't mean any offence. We all know Percy is the most academic Weasley, but you have other qualities, Ron. You're a… um… great husband and father," Blaise backtracks.
Pansy rolls her eyes, "Don't listen to Blaise. Albus is probably just a curious baby; maybe get more of those dangle things above them in their cot."
"A mobile," Hermione says.
"Yeah, one of those."
"Makes sense; Albus is just bored," Ron laughs.
Ginny picks her youngest son out of his pram, cradling him in her arms so he can look around. Albus' eyes look around, taking in the faces surrounding him. Being only five weeks old, he can't see very far. First, he looks at his father, staring quite intently for a baby, before his eye finds Hermione's face. Hermione's only seen Albus a few times, so he quickly moves on to Draco, who he's never met, and then back to his father, where his eyes stay transfixed, watching his dad.
"He's interested in you, Harry. He can't stop staring," Hermione chuckles.
"Come here." Harry opens his arms for his son, and Ginny passes him along.
Albus continues to stare up at his dad while he's held. Harry softly brushes the baby's face with his finger, and Albus blinks but, other than that, has no reaction.
"I admit, he's a little strange," Pansy begins. "But I still think he's just curious."
Behind them is a wooded area of evergreen trees and thick bushes with various berries scattered within the foliage. The children are finishing their ice creams when a crack echoes from the thicket. Without a word, Harry passes Albus back to Ginny, jumps to his feet, and wanders at the ready. Hermione pulls Scorpius into her embrace, ready to disapparate away at a moment's notice. Her other hand reaches out to grasp Draco's wrist, wanting to keep him near. Similarly, Pansy grabs the hands of her twins while Ron takes Teddy and James' hands since they're close to him than their parents. Blaise is halfway to his feet, Pandora thrown over his shoulder when an auror steps out of the woods.
"Auror Bevan," Harry addresses his colleague by name to prove he's not a threat. "What is the meaning of this? We are in the muggle world."
"I know. I'm really sorry about this." Auror Bevan has the decency to look embarrassed as he approaches them, replacing his wand in his cloak. "Our wards told us there was a meeting of more than seven in this area."
Harry pockets his wand with frustration, "As you can see, seven adults here with our children are enjoying a birthday party."
Auror Bevan's eyes quickly count the adults in the group. "The wards don't make mistakes, so I'm going to have to do a perimeter sweep. Again, I apologise for the inconvenience."
Harry returns to the group shaking his head, "It won't take him long, then he'll leave."
"I've had enough of this; it's clear we're being targeted by Shacklebolt for our perceived crimes against him." Draco shakes his head, returning his own wand to his jacket pocket.
"Well, we did and still are committing those perceived crimes," Hermione reminds him.
"But we didn't start committing treason until after he accused us," Draco clarifies. "It doesn't matter; he has no proof, so he's still targeting us."
"There's nothing we can do, though," Harry forcibly states. "We've got a plan, and we need to stick to it. I'm working alongside him now; I can't risk making any mistakes."
"Of course, I wasn't suggesting we do anything." Draco frowns. "In case you forgot, we are the ones working with MACUSA to bring him down. If anything goes wrong, we get sent to Azkaban and our children are raised without parents for twenty years," he reminds Harry. "We're all taking risks."
"Did you say - children?" Blaise asks, eyes wide and excitable.
"Hypothetical children," Draco tries to lead his best friend away from his conclusion.
From the woods, a flash of green, a creak and a heavy thud force their attention back to where Auror Bevan had disappeared. An eerie silence falls upon the group before the rustling of branches moving reaches them.
In an instance, Harry is on his feet, wand raised and running towards the woods. Ginny freezes, watching her husband enter danger until Hermione shakes her shoulder.
"To the Burrow," Hermione orders. "Ron's got the boys, go!"
Three cracks of apparation echo behind them as Blaise, Ron and Pansy leave the park, long forgotten ice creams discarded on the grass where they'd been sitting. Thankfully, Ginny listens and disappears.
Hermione reaches once more for Draco's hand, but he pulls away.
"No, you aren't staying," Hermione warns him, reaching once again.
"I can't leave Harry alone. If that auror's dead, then he shouldn't be alone." Draco pulls his wand out.
"It's his job," Hermione reminds him in a panic. "Don't risk your life when there's already a trained auror investigating," she begs him.
Draco shakes his head, "Go to the Burrow, Hermione," he tells her, then breaks into a run.
Hermione groans in frustration. However much she wants to chase her husband, and force him to leave with her, her son and baby are a priority, so she apparates to the Burrow.
Draco reaches the woods a minute after Harry. He can't find him anywhere due to the thickness of the evergreens blocking out most of the sunlight. He dares not risk lighting his wand, so he creeps slowly and silently through the woods.
About fifty metres ahead of him, Draco sees a flash of red, illuminating Harry's face and the masked face of a Death Eater. Anger courses through Draco with every beat of his heart as he races towards them as fast as he can. Having not played Quidditch competitively since his sixth year, Draco's stamina has decreased, but his adrenaline pushes him forward, and before he knows what he's doing, he's tackled the Death Eater to the woodland floor and pinned them down.
"Fucking hell, Draco!" Harry gasps, pulling him off the Death Eater and turning them over so he can bind their arms. "What was that?"
"I told you I've had enough of this," Draco says, dusting himself down. "If it's not the Minister sending people to watch us, it's the new Dark Lord. I want this over."
"Well, thanks to you, we've just caught another one." Harry claps Draco on the back. "I should get them to holding."
"What about that auror?" Draco asks, scanning the area but unable to see his body.
"He's alive," Harry claims. "Seems the killing curse missed him and hit a tree. A branch snapped off and knocked him unconscious. I managed to wake him, and he apparated himself to St Mungo's. He had quite the head wound."
"He's lucky," Draco sighs. "Although probably shouldn't have apparated himself."
"I had more pressing matters," Harry states. "I'll need to inform Shacklebolt about this," he mentions, preparing to apparate with his prisoner.
"Wait, I want to know which bastard thought it was a good idea to invade my son's birthday party." Draco walks up to the Death Eater, who begins to struggle away, but Harry holds him tight. As soon as Draco removes the mask, he stumbles back in shock.
"You know him?" Harry asks, staring at the young boy. "Wait, I recognise him too. You were a Quidditch player, a few years below us."
"His name is Toby Lennox," Draco snarls, his fist clenched as he actively focuses on not punching his former student. "How long have you been a Death Eater, Lennox?" Draco growls.
Toby Lennox continues to struggle against Harry's grasp, but it's no use; Harry's much stronger than the skinny boy. "Eighteen months," he finally admits.
"Why did you join?" Harry questions.
"I have no family and no friends. They made it sound like we'd be a community, looking out for each other. They lied, and now I'm stuck. The only way out is death or Azkaban," Toby Lennox admits.
"I have no pity for you, Lennox. No one joins the Death Eaters because they're lonely; you join because you have a specific type of anger within. You lived through the war, you knew the type of horror we wreaked, and you still decided to join." Draco shacks his head. "That's why you have no friends," he argues with the boy.
"I have nothing more to say," Lennox snaps.
"Take him away," Draco dismisses Harry, who stares back at him, amused.
"Right," Harry laughs. "I'll see you late," he apparates to the Ministry.
Draco takes a deep breath to calm down, then walks out of the woods back to the patch of grass where just ten minutes ago, everything had been fine, and they'd been celebrating his son's first birthday. At least Scorpius wouldn't remember it.
He spends a few minutes picking up the abandoned ice-cream cones, a few children's coats, Albus' soft toy, and Albus' pram, which he folds up before apparating to the Burrow.
As he's walking up the garden path, carrying everyone's discarded items, Hermione bursts out the kitchen door and runs into his arms. Draco drops everything in his arms to embrace his wife.
"It was Lennox. Toby Lennox was hiding in the woods. He's a Death Eater," Draco whispers.
Hermione leans out of their hug, "He only graduated last year. How did he get caught up in this mess?"
Draco shakes his head, "He joined while he was still a student. He told me he wanted to find a community, but it didn't turn out as he expected."
Hermione sighs, resting her head against his chest, "What an idiot! At least he's gone."
"Yes, Harry's taken him to the holding cells, then he's going to inform the Minister," Draco explains. "How many people are inside?"
"Molly, Ginny, Ron and Pansy, then us. We can stay until Harry returns or Arthur," Hermione tells him.
Inside the Burrow, Molly is rushing around the kitchen, making dinner for everyone to keep herself busy. As they enter, Ginny jumps to her feet expectantly, looking disappointed when she sees Draco.
Not wanting to prolong the worry, Draco announces, "There was a Death Eater in the woods watching us. The auror found him and got attacked, but he's alive and at St Mungo's. Harry's taking the Death Eater to the Ministry and will inform the Minister."
Ginny sighs in relief, dropping back down onto the bench at the kitchen table.
"Oh, great news!" Molly claps her hands. "You all must stay for dinner."
"We'd love to, Molly, but there will be too many of us," Hermione reminds her.
"Oh, Godric," she sighs. "I don't know how I'm going to manage Christmas without my whole family," she sobs, returning to cooking dinner.
"Hey, Pansy, the Death Eater was Toby Lennox," Draco states.
"Lennox," she repeats in disbelief. "The Ravenclaw boy that graduated two summers ago?"
"Yeah, he was quite the bastard, whining on about how the Death Eaters lied to him," Draco laughs out of anger.
"Oh wow," Pansy sarcastically replies. "Who would have thought the Death Eaters would lie? They seem like such a trustworthy group." She rolls her eyes.
"I thought you'd enjoy that." Draco smiles. "Anyway, we should get going before Percy and Arthur return." He checks his watch and wonders how it's only been ninety minutes since they arrived at the park for his son's birthday.
Hermione hugs Ginny tightly, "Keep us updated with any news. Harry's got my phone number."
"Yeah, I'll tell him to call you when we get home. It doesn't work here for some reason." Ginny hugs her back, sniffling.
"I collected the things we left," Draco remembers to mention. "They're by the door."
"Thanks, Draco." Ginny sends him a smile.
Draco collects his son from the large crib Molly keeps in the kitchen for all the babies that visit the Burrow. Scorpius must have been exhausted because he's drifted off, face pressed into the wooden bars. Although, there isn't much room for him to stretch out with Albus beside him and Philip and Phoebe curled up at the other end. Draco carefully picks him up, holding him close to his chest, so he doesn't wake up as they leave. Once out of the Burrow's wards, they apparate home and slowly walk down their driveway.
"Why is it always us?" Hermione sighs sleepily.
"You know why," Draco mutters, not wanting to wake their son up. "We made a point of publicly standing up against the Minister. The new Dark Lord and his Death Eaters are also against the Minister, so it shouldn't surprise us that they're keeping a close eye on us to try and figure out what we're planning so they can join in."
Hermione glances up at her husband, "Should we step down? There are plenty of people who can work with MACUSA."
Draco shakes his head, "We started this. We need to finish it. I understand it's dangerous, and we're risking our family, but MACUSA wanted us because you're one of the Golden Trio, and I was a Death Eater. They won't want anyone else and think about the look on Shacklebolt's face when he's removed from office because of us," he laughs.
Hermione chuckles, "You're right. When the Minister realises that we are behind his downfall, that look will be worth everything."
"For now, we need to be satisfied that another Death Eater has been arrested. For all the complaining we do about him, the Minister does sentence every Death Eater sternly," Draco points out.
Inside their house, they find a pile of presents on the living room rug, which surprises them. They'd helped Scorpius open his few presents off them this morning before Draco left for work.
"Mitty!" Draco calls, and when she pops in front of them, he asks, "Where did these come from?"
"Friends send them," Mitty answers. "That one Mitty gift for Scorpius."
"Oh, Mitty, you didn't need to get him anything. You do enough for Scorpius," Hermione tells her.
"Mitty love Scorpius," she states. "Mitty make Scorpius gift."
Hermione picks up the crudely wrapped present from Mitty and opens it to reveal a red and green crocheted blanket.
"Mitty choose Hermione and Draco colours. Mitty can make blanket bigger next birthday," she explains.
"What a great idea!" Hermione grins down at the house-elf. "It's such a thoughtful gift."
Mitty blushes slightly, "Thank you, Hermione."
It's only seven o'clock, but since Scorpius is still asleep after his long, eventful day, they put him straight to bed with his new blanket. He doesn't wake up even as they change him out of his clothes into a new pair of pyjamas and tuck him into bed.
Afterwards, Draco and Hermione place some leftover curry in the oven to reheat and then collapse on the couch to eat. Today should have been a day where they focused entirely on their son's first birthday, but his party turned into a nightmare. Once they've finished their dinner, Hermione 'accios' a few photo albums from the bookshelves behind the couch. Together, they flick through the first year of Scorpius' life in pictures, reminiscing on the moments they've forgotten and laughing at the expressions their son pulls. Unlike Albus, Scorpius has always been an expressive baby, letting his parents know immediately what he thinks about everything. Hermione can't wait to add the pictures she took this afternoon to their most recent album.
Yawning as he places the albums back on the shelf, Draco then holds his hand out to help his wife up off the couch. Once they're stood, he embraces her in his arms and kisses the top of her head, then her forehead and cheek.
"There's always Saturday," Hermione sighs. "Hopefully, we'll be left alone at our families' houses."
Draco kisses her lips, "I'll protect you."
Hermione laughs, "I'm never in doubt that you will always protect us, which is why I was so scared this afternoon. I fear that I will lose you in this fight if this isn't over soon." She buries her face in his chest to hide her tears.
Stroking her hair, Draco's at a loss for words. He can't promise to stop fighting because they both know neither side will stop until it's over. He will do everything in his power to keep his family safe, and if that means risking his life, he will die willingly.
Hermione must understand his silence as her soft cry turns into a sob.
"I'm sorry," he apologises, his own tears spilling down his face into her hair,
"I know."
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