Sixty
On Christmas Eve, Hermione and the children flooed to Place Cachée, meeting Malfoy and Scorpius there, and then making their way to Disneyland Paris. The two pure-bloods were immediately overwhelmed. Malfoy had worn chinos and jersey, with a woollen coat over top, but he looked frankly ridiculous anyway – wide-eyed and staring despite his best efforts. Hermione and the children had been several times before over the past few years and for her at least, it had lost a little of its shine. But seeing it through Malfoy and Scorpius's eyes, it seemed bustling and impressive again. So many people – so much colour. So much larger than life scenery, bright and shining. It was like Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade mashed together and intensified tenfold. In a way, Hermione imagined it was like when she'd seen Diagon Alley for the first time. Magical.
"Come on," she said, smiling at them both and taking Malfoy's hand. He started in surprise and looked down at their joined hands, and then smiled and squeezed her hand slightly, before rearranging them so her arm linked through his. Escorting her, old-fashioned and sweet. "Let's go to Big Thunder Mountain first."
She led Malfoy down Main Street, following behind the children. Rose had the park map up on her phone and was showing it to Scorpius as she led the way, Hugo trotting alongside the older two, chatting to them although Hermione couldn't hear what he was saying. Probably something overexcited and ridiculous. Scorpius smiled at him though, and said something in answer, more patient than Rose. The three of them looked very sweet in their winter gear. Blond, red, and brown hair – easy to find in a crowd as long as they stuck together. They strolled past the arcades, restaurants, and attractions, Malfoy taking in everything with sharp eyes.
"Hurry up, Mum! The website I looked at said we should try to get to Big Thunder Mountain as early as possible!" Rose called, picking up the pace, and Hermione grinned. Rose tended toward organisation it seemed, because she'd spent last night poring over websites looking at park itineraries and had sent Hermione a link to one she wanted to roughly follow. She quickened her pace, Malfoy striding along easily with his longer legs, his hand warm on hers.
"This is ridiculous," he said as he looked around the park, as they approached Frontierland. "Salazar's sake, there's so many people. I thought London was busy, but this is insane." He lowered his voice unnecessarily as they passed by clusters of people, many of them in Disney merchandise, particularly mouse ears. "There must be thousands of Muggles, just here today. It's so much bigger than the Quidditch World Cup, even."
"Oh yes. But don't worry, I'll protect you," Hermione teased as they walked past Legends of the Wild West, and he shot her a flat, unimpressed look.
"I'm hardly shaking in my shoes, Granger."
"Just wait 'til we get to Big Thunder Mountain," she said, looking forward to his reaction, and wondering if he'd hate the Muggle contraption.
She should've known – he had been a Seeker, after all. He loved it. Possibly more than Scorpius even, although he didn't make a sound – unlike the children who whooped and shrieked as they hit certain drops, or whipped around sharp corners. He just grinned, gleeful and slightly manic, shooting her occasional glances. At one point he leaned over toward her in the near dark and shouted, "This is fantastic!" – grinning madly still while they hurtled past a faux explosion, the track shaking beneath them. Hermione gave him a tight-lipped smile, and held on for dear life. It was not one of her favourite rides.
She was a little wobbly when they got off the ride, and he gave her an amused look as he steadied her. "Not as good as a broomstick," he pronounced as they followed the children, who were already dashing off toward Adventureland and Pirates of the Caribbean, "but very different to what I expected."
He liked Pirates of the Caribbean too, which was far more Hermione's sort of thing. She preferred the less jarring water rides at theme parks. After that, they wandered through La Cabane des Robinson, and Le Passage Enchanté d'Aladdin at a sedate pace, and then lost the children for a while – Malfoy quietly panicking as Hermione called Rose. They arranged to meet outside the Cable Car Bake Shop in two hours.
"Don't spend too much of the money I gave you. And look after Hugo! And Scorpius! He's not used to Muggle places like this," she told Rose firmly over the phone as Malfoy watched her, as worried as a mother duck who'd mislaid a duckling in a pond full of eels. He's fine, she mouthed at him, and while he relaxed a little, his expression was not entirely reassured. It was strange seeing him like this, in full concerned father mode, and rather sweet – even if his concern was unnecessary.
"I will, Mum," Rose said, all impatient teenage attitude. "God. I'm hardly going to abandon them to be kidnapped by some predator," she said, and then hung up with a quick goodbye, eager to go and have fun. If Hermione's suspicions were correct, her daughter had probably given them the slip on purpose; she'd been complaining about how slow they were being for the past twenty minutes. Hermione slid her phone away and patted Malfoy on the arm.
"They'll be fine, Malfoy. It's Disneyland. It's designed with children in mind. Besides, Rose will look after them both. Although honestly I'm sure Hugo and Scorpius could survive the non-existent dangers of the park perfectly well." She smiled, swaying forward and leaning into him as she draped her arms over his shoulders. "And it means we get a little alone time."
"Hm." He returned her smile, brushing a bit of hair that had escaped her braid back off her face and bending to kiss her, quick and sweet. "Well, I like the sound of that."
Malfoy's worry at least partially assuaged, they wandered through the park at an easy stroll, taking their time and sneaking occasional kisses, like teenagers themselves. Freed of the children, Hermione felt light and happy and rather childish herself, rugged up in her warm clothes – she'd pulled out her mittens, scarf, and hat – and she thought her attitude infected Malfoy. And when Rose sent her a photo of the three of them posing on the suspension bridge on Adventure Isle, Malfoy seemed to lose the last of his concern for his son. Hugo was in between the older two, pretending to fall off the bridge like an idiot, although he was in no danger. Scorpius was beaming ear to ear at the left of the photo, his cheeks pink, as Rose – her hair gleaming like fire and her grin just as broad as Scorpius's – reached out past Hugo and made bunny ears behind the blond.
"God, look at them," Hermione said fondly. "They're having great fun, see?"
Malfoy was silent, and when Hermione looked up she saw his eyes were shining over-bright and soft with emotion, his jaw tight. "Sorry," he said for some reason, as though he had to apologise for being vaguely emotional, and then swallowed hard and cleared his throat. And then he was composed again. "He's so happy. They all are."
"Yeah," Hermione said, linking her arm through Malfoy's, and laying her cheek against his upper arm, one-handedly sending him the photo. He kissed the top of her head.
"Come on, Granger. Lead on, because I'm lost."
They managed to get a booth at the Cable Car Bake Shop on Main Street, about twenty minutes before the children were due to meet them. They sat opposite each other, feet bumped together under the table. They ordered coffee and Golden Gate Cheesecakes, both of which ended up being quite nice, if criminally expensive. Like everything else at Disneyland, Hermione thought with an inward wince. She'd spent far too much on this trip, even with Malfoy insisting on going halves.
"So, are you having fun?" She gave him a bright look.
"Surprisingly, yes. I thought I'd hate this, but it's rather…nice. I liked the rides. They were very inventive, for not having magic. Although I'd prefer it if there were fewer people."
"Agreed. It is very crowded. And it could be cheaper," she added, poking at her cheesecake. It was fine, but not worth the price. She met his eyes. "Draco Malfoy at Disneyland. With Hermione Granger. Merlin, twelve-year-old you would've never believed it. Or been horrified."
"I would've pretended to hate the idea," he said. "But I think at least a small part of me would've liked it. Not so much being with you – sorry, Granger. I was a bigoted little shit – but the idea of being somewhere fun, with someone I loved. My best friend." Oh. Her heart panged. Malfoy looked down at his cheesecake, a flush creeping over his cheeks, as though he were embarrassed by the admission. She wanted to tell him he was her best friend too, now. She was still very close to Harry and Ginny of course, but they were more like family than friends, really. "I missed out on that, as a child. I never had real friends. Just useful acquaintances." He looked wistful. "Maybe I would've been a different person if I'd had a proper friend."
"But I like who you are," Hermione said, her feet encircling one of his ankles, trapping his leg.
"Now," he pointed out.
"Well, yes. But you wouldn't be who you are now, if not for who you were then."
"I suppose." He shoved his empty cheesecake plate aside, his expression making it clear he was unconvinced.
"You're my best friend too, you know," she said at last, feeling like a child as she met Malfoy's eyes, sliding her hand out across the table. He smiled faintly, sitting forward and taking her hand in his two, playing with her fingers.
"Should we get friendship bracelets?" he asked with a hint of sarcasm, and Hermione laughed.
"Maybe we should," she said. "They probably have friendship bracelets in one of the shops here. Or matching BFF Mickey ears." She wasn't at all sure that they did, but he didn't know that. She raised a brow hopefully.
"Over my dead body am I wearing those ridiculous ears, Granger," he said, slightly horrified, as he tapped the back of her hand – still caught in the grasp of his two, which were large and warm, with long, elegant fingers. "No. I have to draw the line somewhere, and it's at those ears."
"So a bracelet would be okay then?"
He opened his mouth to retort, and then shut it again and gave her a look. Flat, unimpressed, and slightly amused. That'd be a no on the bracelet then, Hermione thought, grinning.
"So," she began instead, changing the topic while Malfoy idly waggled her thumb, as though her hand was a curious gadget he was examining. "How are things going with the Scorpius and Albus situation?"
"Ugh. Don't remind me. I honestly don't know." He grimaced, letting go of her hand to rub at his jaw. His frown lingered. "I gave him a talk – using a lot of what you said – and he just looked like he wanted to disapparate on the spot."
"Do you think any of it sank in?"
"Probably not. Or maybe. Who knows." He looked tired suddenly, and Hermione regretted asking him. "He just kept nodding and agreeing before I'd even finished speaking, and I hate to admit I got frustrated. I told him that I expect him to behave maturely, which means not getting halfway to shagging in the bloody dungeons, when he and his boyfriend were both well under-age." He sighed. "I probably should've put it less bluntly."
"Well, you were likely more patient than me," Hermione said encouragingly. "But I guess you have to pick your battles. He already knows they shouldn't have been doing that. And you can't stop him when he's away at school. If he gets caught again…well, that's on him. You've done all you can."
"I plan on bribery," he said, the corner of his mouth tipping up in a rueful smile. "Before he goes back to Hogwarts I'll tell him that if Albus's parents are amenable, I'm happy to allow them to see each other in the holidays. But only so long as they behave well at school. If they don't, there will be no contact at all during the holidays."
"Oh, very good. Carrot and stick," Hermione said admiringly. They talked for a while about Scorpius and Albus, discussing tactics as though it were a military exercise, to a degree that Hermione found mildly amusing. She had to admit that she was glad it wasn't Rose. It seemed her daughter's fledgling relationship with Michel was fairly mild, because she hadn't seemed at all upset by not seeing the boy over the holidays, and when Hermione had mentioned arranging a date for them, she'd shrugged and said, "Eh, I'll see him at school. Don't bother." It was a relief to know Rose wasn't as infatuated as Scorpius was. But Albus was a lovely boy.
"It's rather sweet, really," Hermione said as they stood to leave the shop and wait for the children outside. Malfoy huffed disparagingly.
"There's nothing sweet about what they might've done if they hadn't been caught, Granger," he said grimly as she wrapped her scarf around her neck, and they headed out into the sunny winter weather. Hermione made a face as she thought about that, and shuddered. Reminded of that, she was very glad it wasn't Rose who was head over heels for a boy.
"Okay, not so sweet anymore," she said, grimacing as she yanked her mittens on, wishing she could use a warming charm. "Oh look. Speak of the devil." He looked at her bewildered, obviously not knowing the phrase, and so she pointed with one mittened hand.
The three children were hurrying down the street a few hundred metres away, flushed and breathless, Hugo clutching an enormous stick of fairy floss. Rose waved, and Hugo bounded ahead of the other two by a few paces, raising both arms in the air and bouncing in circles, obviously experiencing a severe sugar rush. He nearly fell into some poor passer-by as he spun and Scorpius rushed forward and steadied him, clamping both hands on his shoulders and marching him forward towards them. Hugo stuck his arms out like some zombie, or robot, and Hermione snorted as he marched stiff-legged toward them in Scorpius's stabilising grip. Rose rolled her eyes at her brother and Scorpius looked bemused as he let go of Hugo, who kept up his march until his fairy floss nearly fell off the stick and he flailed to save it.
"Huh," Malfoy said, watching the three of them as if he didn't quite know what to make of it. Hermione slid her arm around his waist, leaning into him, and in turn he snugged his arm around her shoulders. The wool of his coat was soft against her cheek, and she felt blissfully happy. "Yeah," he said. "This is definitely nice. Thanks, Granger."
They fed the children lunch, and then it was off to Peter Pan's Flight in Fantasyland, where they were lucky enough to have only a twenty minute wait. Hermione enjoyed the ride; far more sedate than Big Thunder Mountain, they sat in a 'galleon' hanging from an overhead rail, flying smoothly over a magical landscape. Malfoy was unimpressed, but Scorpius seemed to enjoy it, as he had everything, much like Hugo. Whereas Rose seemed to be enjoying being the tour guide – she led them on to Alice's Curious Labyrinth, where Malfoy found his way with an unerring, almost eerie ease directly to the Queens of Hearts Castle. They enjoyed the view over Fantasyland for all of two minutes before Rose was chivvying them on.
"Come on, I want to get to the dragon under Cinderella's castle before the parade starts, and we're running out of time!" she exclaimed like the White Rabbit, and rushed them on to La Tanière du Dragon.
"I feel like I'm the child here," Hermione said drily to Malfoy as they traipsed after Rose. She put on a moping tone. "My legs are getting sore. I'm tired. I'm hungry. Carry me." She pouted up at Malfoy, her arm hooked through his, and he laughed.
"You are not cute, Granger," he said, but she was fairly certain he was lying. And then Hugo slipped a sticky hand into hers, and they walked along all interlinked as Rose and Scorpius hurried ahead, and it was lovely.
They got to see the parade after the dragon, and of course there was another dragon in the parade – breathing fire – and Malfoy snorted at it. "Sometimes you just need the real thing," he said, as they watched it go past. "A Hungarian Horntail would blow their minds." He nodded at the assorted Muggles, and Hermione had to grin, and agree.
"It would be impressive. But imagine the health and safety issues. It could never be done," she pointed out pragmatically, and he rolled his eyes, muttering something under his breath.
After the parade they went to Hyperspace Mountain, emerging when the sun was nearly set to head across the park back to Frontierland and board the Thunder Mesa Riverboats, lights glittering everywhere. Hermione and Malfoy leaned over the railing of the top deck together as though it were the balcony at the Folly, watching the last dwindling rays of the sunset. And also, keeping an eye on the children – who had stayed down on the bottom deck by silent, unanimous decision. Hermione thought perhaps they were trying to give their parents a romantic moment. They'd succeeded, she thought. It was icy chill, and she leaned against Malfoy, stealing his warmth. His arm slid around her, and they stared out at the lit-up park. It was perfect.
"Thank you," she said to him, in echo of the thanks he'd given her earlier.
"For what?" he asked, puzzled, looking down at her.
"For everything. For being there after what happened with Usbourne. For sending me flowers months ago, and inviting me to lunch. For relentlessly pursuing me." She said the last with a wry smile, and he made a soft, amused sound.
"Hardly relentless, Granger. You were an easy pull."
"Oh my God! You git!" She laughed even as she shoved him indignantly, hard enough to jostle him, and he laughed too and tugged her into his embrace, kissing her forehead. And then when she looked up at him, her mouth open to protest, he kissed that too. For a moment everything melted away. The park, the children, the biting wind – it was just Malfoy's mouth hot and demanding in hers, and she made a small, needy sound and laid her mittened hands on his shoulders, pushing into the kiss, arousal swelling in her like the tide coming in.
And then – "Mu-um, gross!" Hugo called up, and Hermione yanked back from Malfoy like she'd been magnetically repelled, her cheeks flaming as she looked down at her son, who Rose was now bickering with.
"– ruining their moment!" she caught from Rose, as Scorpius stood by helplessly. Malfoy snorted, and Hermione leaned over the railing, calling down to Rose that it was fine, honestly.
They didn't recapture the moment, but the rest of the boat ride was nice anyway. By the time they got back to Place Cachée to floo home it was full dark, and the children were all tired and flagging, dragging their feet. Hermione was exhausted herself – actually sleepy, eyelids drooping. She tucked the children into bed after they'd brushed their teeth and then fell into bed herself.
I wish you were here, she texted Malfoy.
[Me too]
[Love you, Granger. Sweet dreams.]
But she was already asleep, phone lying on the bed, having slid out of her lax hand. She didn't see the second text until Christmas morning, when she woke at six to the jangle of her phone alarm and had to hunt over the bed covers to silence it.