On a slightly rainy morning, Draco finds himself preparing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cut into dinosaur shapes whose extra pieces Draco will have to eat, for Scorpius' play date with the older Potter child. He is also brewing a big pot of coffee as well; he thinks he will need it. He is actually happy that Scorpius seems to be making a friend, because honestly he really needs one, but he isn't so sure if James Potter is the right choice. To be fair, Draco has not given his son many options throughout the years, trying to protect him from everything and everyone, he just has a feeling that the young Potter will be a bad influence on his angel of a child, who just comes running into the kitchen. Scorpius got almost too excited when Granger confirmed that the Potter children, despite their father's muggle upbringing, don't have much idea about muggle culture; that means not only Scorpius gets to introduce a potential mischief maker to the joys of a roundabout but also to his extensive collection of Pokemon cards. It is also a confirmed information that James has never heard of Pokemon and that fact baffled Scorpius too much, and putting the irony aside, Draco loves how he has spent last night trying to pick some of his cards to give to James. Even though he appreciates his son's selflessness, he bought some packs for James to open and save Scorpius the agony.
Scorpius helps him back their food into a backpack Draco has gotten used to carrying around, gives him a few small toys to carry as well except the cards. He seemingly doesn't trust his father with his special cargo. Draco puts on his jacket, grabs his keys but turns back to do a quick sweep over the apartment to check if everything's in place. Once he makes sure that the heat, which he hadn't turned on, is really off, he goes back to find the door ajar and Scorpius in their front lawn, talking to Mrs. Ellsworth. With him in his green raincoat and wellies and her in a bold, pink floral jacket, they make quite the pair. By the time Draco locks the door with the key and a covert non-verbal spell and walks towards them, Scorpius has told her all about his new friend, so he feels free to join their conversation. "Sorry Mrs Ellsworth, but I guess you will cease to be his favourite eccentric in a short while, he has found a more agile alternative." She returns his smirk with a rude gesture, but Draco is pretty sure he saw her smile a bit. Scorpius looks confused, but he still gives her a big hug and reassurance with "don't listen to daddy Sophia, you are my favourite eggs and trick." She laughs heartily and returns his hug with a kiss atop his head and sends them on their way before lighting a cigarette.
Scorpius' silly streak continues on their way to the predetermined playground. He jumps into puddles, splashes, and runs circles around him. Draco has never seen him act this childlike and carefree. He might look exactly like him, but Scorpius, fortunately or unfortunately he hasn't decided yet, got his mother's free spirit. Draco would have never dared to run around, play in the dirt and get his immaculate clothes dirty; despite their love and affection, the Malfoys were the epitome of social etiquette, and quite frankly killjoys. He had never been to a playground until he took Scorpius one day, and he spent an hour swinging, until Scorpius fell asleep in his arms. So he does kinda get why his son is that excited to share one of the coolest parts of childhood with a potential friend.
When they arrive at the playground, there is only a teenager walking her dog. Scorpius' disappointment is apparent but Draco takes the opportunity to secretly cast a few spells that will keep Scorpius dry and warm, and sends him off to swing a bit before his friend arrives. He, on the other hand, finds the best bench that overlooks the whole area, casts a few charms on it as well and sits down to wait. He doesn't have to wait long before he hears Scorpius shout "James" and promptly jumps off the swing to run to his friend. James Potter comes in with his hair already in disarray, jacket unzipped and mismatched, awfully coloured, seemingly handmade socks. Granger, at least, has the sense to wear her wellies, but it's clear she has imperviused them both. When Scorpius reaches them, he gives James a hug, Granger a wave before dragging James off towards the roundabout. Granger approaches him and sits down. "Looks like an unruly Potter is always the first choice when it comes to Malfoy men." Draco gives her a mock pitying look. "I wouldn't take it personally Granger, everyone prefers the bad boys."
"Well, since I don't have another Potter with me to entice you, you're going to have to make do with the alternative: a marginally less cool good girl." Draco doesn't know if it's the words or the way she says it, but he feels like there is no air left in this goddamned park. It feels like Hermione Granger, the biggest swot ever to grace Hogwarts, calling herself a good girl in a public playground should definitely be illegal. He doesn't have an answer to that, so he just awkwardly shrugs, trying to keep a nonchalant and cool exterior. They watch the kids for a while quietly, she seems content to just be there. He decides to do something with his hands, else he knows he is going to ask something stupid just to fill the silence, so he takes out the coffee and two mugs. She seems surprised by his uncharacteristically large flask, but he pays her no mind and offers her a cup. He has also brought cream and sugar for her, because he likes his coffee black as hell and strong as death and of course he is not being dramatic. She doesn't make a move towards the coffee. He takes a big sip with a roll of his eyes and says "I would never poison my own coffee Granger." That prompts her to put both cream and sugar in hers and give him a tentative smile. "Sorry Malfoy, nothing against your coffee. You caught me off guard, that's all." He can see that; he also would have never pictured himself serving one Hermione Granger coffee in a muggle playground. But that is exactly how they spend the next hour or so, talking about their lives over coffee. He tells her how he manages his work and Scorpius balance and she tells him about the perils of being a writer. While all Draco seems to be doing is to sign documents and read over contracts all day long, she gets to go on field trips with Longbottom and Lovegood, to find inspiration for a new piece. She seems to lead a more exciting and free life, and it makes him feel like a boring lawyer.
After an hour or so, the boys come running back to them to get something to eat. Draco is not surprised; they have been running around non-stop like a dog chasing a squirrel and he wonders if they are actually after a squirrel. Scorpius plops down next to him to rummage his backpack for the sandwiches. He shows them to James with pride, but Granger stops him. "You know I've also brought some snacks." Draco can imagine her packing apples and sugar free oatmeal raisin cookies for the kids. This time, it is her turn to surprise him. With a mischievous smile, she puts her whole arm into her tiny bag and searches for a bit. James seems used to it, but Scorpius is watching her every move with fascination. "Aha," exclaims Granger before she takes out a container filled with all sorts of muggle sweets and candies. James gives a delighted little yell and digs in, showing his favourites to Scorpius, who has not tried half of what she has to offer. He looks at her accusingly. "What?" she asks unfazed, "I am not the one who has to put them to bed, I can enable them once in a while." Draco cannot argue with that; that is exactly what Blaise does when he is left alone with Scorpius more than five minutes. He guesses he also would want to get back at Potter in any way, simply for existing.
Scorpius decides to kickstart James' initiation to Pokemon, so takes out the cards he'd selected for him. He tries to explain the concept, but it proves very confusing to mini Potter without proper visual support, even so he likes the artwork of the cards and the cute creatures. Draco takes out the packs he'd bought for James as well and the look Scorpius gives him is worth the trip to muggle London. Scorpius helps James open the packs and explains him the Pokemons and their attributes. It must be a universal child thing, but by the time James opens the third pack, he is halfway in love with the concept and can name a few. "That's very nice of you," cuts in Granger. He has almost forgotten that she was there with them, his focus solely on his son. "I did it because I wanted to give him something his father has no clue about."
"You don't have to keep up your heartless Slytherin act around me. I have seen you with your son. It is okay to be nice, you know." He does know, but nice doesn't seem to protect you when you have a certain reputation. "Why did Potter let him meet us?" Draco asks finally. He has been asking himself the same question over and over. Potter had no reason to trust him and if the roles were reversed, he is not sure if he'd have sent his child to play with his old enemy's son. He knows Granger is more than capable of handling herself should anything happen, but still it is more trust and open-mindedness than he is used to. "He saw that James really wanted it. Simple as that. Isn't that what you're also doing? Sitting here with me just because Scorpius really wanted to play with James?" Draco finds, he cannot argue with that either. "And I thought it was a good idea for James to be around a child who isn't a Weasley, and I might be partial to Scorpius because he is a fan, but he seems to be such a nice little boy. James can use a friend like him, even at his age. Harry trusts my judgement; as long as I am the one bringing James, he will have no issues with it." He doesn't know when Potter's gotten so wise, though he must be used to trusting Granger at this point. "I would like that. I mean, I would like it if you'd occasionally bring James around for play-dates."
"I would like that, too. Maybe we can take them to a museum. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I have a feeling Scorpius might like to see dinosaurs." He laughs at that. "You have no idea Granger. He can give you a run for your money in a museum."
"I am wounded if you think I can't handle a few questions about dinosaurs. I'll have you know, I used to visit the Natural History Museum with my parents quite a lot when I was a child." This is the first time she's ever mentioned her parents, and knowing what he does, he decides to let that slide without further questioning. "Still, my money is on Scorpius."
"Well, prepare to lose insignificant amount of money Malfoy, because I am taking your bet and I never lose."
"Oh, it's on Granger and you should also know I play dirty." Granger gives him a disapproving look and turns to watch the kids. They spend more than an hour watching them play, giving each other random anecdotes about each boy. Draco learns that she is the godmother of both of the Potter boys and he can only guess who their godfather must be. He tells her that Blaise is Scorpius' godfather and by default Daphne is his godmother, though she isn't as involved as Granger seems to be. "Why not Pansy? I thought you two were close?" asks Granger, quite tactlessly he might add, but he is amused. "Astoria wasn't keen on making my infamous ex the godmother of her firstborn. She was never close with Pansy either, so when she asked if she could at least pick the godmother I couldn't really say no. I picked his name and the godfather, so that seemed like a rather fair tradeoff." He can see that she has a million questions to ask, but she refrains. "At first I thought Scorpius was such an odd name, but I think it really suits him. Nicely done, Malfoy." She gives him one of her signature genuine smiles and he can't help but feel proud, and cosy inside.
They sit there, casually chatting and munching on dino-sandwiches until the boys are too tired to continue their shenanigans. They tell the kids about their new arrangement to their delight, Granger even promises to help James write Scorpius letters. Scorpius does not forget to give her a big hug and the boys take their sweet time to hug each other and say their goodbyes. And Draco has to admit that a Malfoy-Potter duo does sound rather cool.