Chapter Text
POV Draco
He hadn’t thought it through. He hadn’t thought it through at all, and he already regretted it bitterly.
What on earth had possessed him to ask Hermione to have lunch with him? In the middle of the week? In London? And to meet her at the Ministry, of all places? The Ministry, where he hadn’t set foot since his trial? The last place anyone would expect him to show up for his first public reappearance in almost a decade?
He felt sick. Every organ in his body was clenched, and it wasn’t because of the returning ocular migraine he’d woken up with, nor the potions he’d taken with his morning tea to try to ease it. All he wanted was to send Hermione an owl and cancel everything like a coward. He definitely wasn’t ready for this.
But he had no choice. He couldn’t go back on the invitation. He’d wanted to behave like a decent wizard for once and prove to Hermione she didn’t need to wallow over her lost love? Well, maybe he was paying for that burst of pride in a terrifying way, but he refused to show as much cowardice as the idiot and unfaithful one who was the cause of all his problems… of all their problems.
She trusted him enough to show up at his place in a moment of distress and vulnerability that had genuinely moved him, and he had to be worthy of that trust – even if he didn’t understand that very Gryffindor tendency to spill one’s misery to anyone standing close enough. His very Slytherin sense of privacy had always spared him from Parkinson’s emotional outbursts, thank Salazar.
He checked his reflection one last time in the full-length mirror. Grey linen trousers, black leather loafers, and a light white shirt. Perfectly inconspicuous among Muggles. His wizarding cloak would be enough to hide the outfit in Magical London.
He exhaled sharply and turned away from the mirror.
“Wish me luck. If I don’t make it back alive from that hell, there’ll be no one left to guarantee your double rations.”
Crookshanks licked his lips and flicked his tail, as if confirming Draco had every reason to return alive from this ordeal.
Draco summoned a Frisky Feline treat and handed it to the cat like an offering meant to ward off bad omens. Then he left the bedroom after giving the animal one last scratch under the chin.
Stunned, Draco noticed that Hermione was already waiting in front of the Ministry entrance. He looked at her, bewildered, and mentally slapped himself for noticing how interesting her new wardrobe was – the light summer dress ending just above her knees, paired with thin-heeled sandals, offered a spectacular view of her legs, which he had never noticed were so shapely and slender.
He cleared his throat and forced his gaze upward, refusing to let it linger on the delicate neckline of the lovely bodice. No mental battle had ever been so hard to fight inside Draco’s head. Suddenly, he felt far too warm.
“I thought you’d prefer to avoid the bustling atrium, so I waited here to spare you as many curious stares as possible,” she explained, blushing slightly – and he didn’t understand why he found that charming.
He pulled himself together immediately and thanked her for the thought. He was so relieved he almost… well, nothing. He shook his head to refocus and, after checking the area to make sure no curious Muggles were looking, removed his wizarding cloak, shrank it with a flick of his wand, and tucked it in his pocket. Then he rolled up his sleeves to the elbow, he was definitely too warm.
“If you’re ready, we can go. I’d rather not linger around here too long, to be honest,” he admitted with an apologetic smile.
She nodded and followed him onto Whitehall in silence.
“Where are you taking me?” she finally dared ask when she noticed him cross Trafalgar Square like someone who knew the place perfectly. “I thought your invitation only covered the general idea of lunch, without knowing where we’d actually eat.”
“You’re surprised I know a few places in Muggle London, aren’t you?” he asked with a knowing smirk that made her blush again.
He realised he enjoyed provoking that reaction a little too much.
“Well… yes, actually,” Hermione admitted, slightly flustered.
“I sometimes meet Pansy for lunch, and you can imagine we avoid being seen in Diagon Alley. She’s the one who showed me a couple of nice places.”
“And we’re going to one of them, I suppose?” Hermione asked as they turned onto Charing Cross Road.
He had definitely piqued her interest and he liked that.
“After you left yesterday, I sent her an owl to book us a table at Quo Vadis.”
Hermione turned to him wide-eyed.
“You told Pansy we are meeting up?”
Draco burst into genuine laughter, throwing his head back. Hermione, too busy staring at his face and his open expression, almost got her heel stuck between two uneven paving stones and stumbled. She caught herself just in time on Draco’s arm.
“I simply told her I needed a table for two,” he clarified while gently guiding her hand to wrap it around his bare forearm as if it were perfectly natural. “I’ll deal with the interrogation later,” he added with another smile.
They finished the walk in a silence that felt anything but heavy. Hermione seemed deep in thought, focused on the pavement. Draco, meanwhile, wondered when Hermione’s physical proximity had become so endurable that he felt this comfortable around her.
“I have to admit, you keep surprising me,” Hermione said while twirling her fork in her plate of tagliatelle.
Draco laughed. He was quite proud of himself. Quo Vadis was one of Pansy’s favourite Muggle restaurants, she had even been a member of their private club for over a year. That was why he’d asked her to make the reservation. Thanks to her, they had access to the private, intimate lounge.
His goal was achieved, he had surprised Hermione enough to bring back her smile. She seemed to enjoy the art-deco vibe and stained-glass windows, and she was so busy asking him questions about his habits in Muggle London that she forgot her troubles. Good.
“Don’t get your hopes up. It’s not like we suddenly began strolling around London overnight… It took me longer than her to accept living surrounded by Muggles. It’s been a long road for me. You can imagine why.”
Hermione nodded seriously, watching him intently, her mouth half full.
He had never noticed that a tiny dimple appeared on her left cheek every time she chewed.
“Anyway, I’m still not fully comfortable in the capital, but I’m doing better and better. Still, it’s the first time I’ve found a restaurant alone,” he added with some pride. “It’s also the first time I’m not sweating bullets while crossing that damned square. Why is there always so much traffic in this damned city?” he grumbled for effect.
Hermione chuckled softly, visibly amused by his candour.
“You’re doing great,” she reassured him with an indulgent smile. “I was talking with Ginny the other day, actually. She still struggles to believe me when I tell her how much you’ve changed. She’s convinced I’m exaggerating.”
Draco narrowed his eyes slightly and gave her a predatory smirk.
“Yes… apparently you’ve been talking about me a lot lately.”
Hermione froze mid-gesture, her fork suspended halfway, mouth open, eyes wide like a mooncalf caught in wand light. The sight made him laugh internally. He would replay that moment with delight in the future.
“H-how… what do you mean?”
“Let’s say I have my informants,” Draco replied with an enigmatic tone. “A little sprite whispered to me that your inner circle hears quite a lot about your neighbour these days.”
Hermione put her fork down and straightened, eyes suddenly sharp. Draco held her gaze, smiling, refusing to blink or look away. The game entertained him immensely. After a full minute, she finally understood.
“So you met Teddy, didn’t you?”
“Well done, Granger, ten points to Gryffindor. Even Trelawney herself wouldn’t have done better.”
Hermione rolled her eyes, reminding him she hadn’t predicted anything, considering the meeting was already in the past. For a brief instant, Draco felt thrown back more than a decade, sitting in front of Miss-Know-It-All in class. The contrast between those two worlds made his head spin, and something must have shifted in his expression because Hermione’s brow furrowed slightly as she watched him.
“Are you all right?” she asked, pouring him a glass of water.
Draco said nothing and downed it in one go.
“How did that meeting go?”
He took a moment to gather himself before answering.
“In short, he has decided I’m not completely stupid. I suppose I should be flattered.”
Hermione let out another small laugh that made him smile in return. He liked this new power he’d gained. All his life he had enjoyed irritating her and making her explode in seconds – but making her laugh was something else entirely. Far more satisfying, because it was the opposite of what anyone would have expected between them just a few weeks earlier.
She was still laughing – Draco had forgotten why – when the waiter brought their coffee. He no longer wanted to leave. He didn’t want to escort her back to the Ministry, to risk running into other wizards, to burst the bubble they were in. He did his best to prolong the moment.
It wasn’t a date, but it was almost better, because neither of them had to try to impress the other or avoid displeasing them.
Draco couldn’t risk anything in that regard – he had already done everything that could have possibly displeased Hermione, and more.
He was discovering the pleasure of a friendly outing outside of the narrow circle of people who had known him while he still wore lace-trimmed robes before his first toy broom.
But they eventually had to vacate the room.
“I’ve eaten too much,” Hermione announced, placing both hands on her stomach as she stood. “Or I’ve laughed too much. Or both. In any case, I’ll never make it back to the Ministry on foot…”
Draco saw the exact moment an idea popped into her overactive mind, and when her eyes sparkled with mischief, he knew instantly he would hate it.
“I know! Let’s take the Tube back!”
Draco’s eyes widened, and he was fairly certain he now looked like the mooncalf in wandlight.
“You can’t be serious…”
“Oh, I’m completely serious!” she declared, excited.
He could tell she was making a monumental effort to avoid bouncing in place in the middle of the private lounge. It was both adorable and infuriating.
He knew he still had years of punishment to endure for his past mistakes, but if Merlin had the slightest shred of mercy left…
“I’m sure you’ve never taken the Tube! You’ll see, it’s a quintessential London experience!”
“I can’t imagine why you’d think that, given how much I adore crowds, smells, heat, and physical proximity with strangers…” Draco muttered dryly while sliding a few banknotes to the waiter.
Hermione brushed aside his comment with a flick of her wrist, picked up the bills from the server’s hand, and insisted on paying half the lunch.
Draco was ready to protest that he had invited her but closed his mouth at once. With her, it was useless. He exchanged a helpless look with the man, who shrugged back. Draco rolled his eyes, sighed, and followed Hermione out as she thanked every staff member cheerfully. After all, that was what mattered.
“Remind me never to follow your ridiculous ideas again,” Draco hissed into Hermione’s ear, both hands gripping the Tube’s rail for dear life. “And to think I spent years believing you were dragged into those harebrained schemes by the two idiots… I think I had a better time with Potter in the Forbidden Forest.”
“Harry will be thrilled to know you cherish the memory of your first date together,” Hermione replied sweetly, giving him an exaggeratedly tender smile.
She had lifted her head to deliver the line while looking him straight in the eyes, clearly intending to tease him. She didn’t seem to realise how close they were in that blasted train car and ended up mere centimetres from his nose. She practically had to squint to maintain eye contact, which made him grin instantly. He thoroughly enjoyed seeing her so flustered.
“Mrs Potter will be very disappointed to learn that even Chang wasn’t the first in her dear husband’s heart,” he whispered just loud enough for her to hear. “But what can we do?”
A sudden jolt sent Hermione stumbling backward, forcing her to step away. She avoided his eyes for a few seconds, and he couldn’t tell if it was because of the comment about Potter, or their earlier proximity. A portly man squeezed into the space between them, and when she finally met Draco’s gaze again, she gave him such an apologetic, desperate look after glancing at their new neighbour that Draco burst into laughter.
“You’ll pay for that later, trust me,” he promised.
“No way!”
“Yes, really, I’m telling you!”
“You’re kidding? The old neighbour at the end of the street? That’s her granddaughter?”
“Mrs Tattletale, yes. I told you the other evening when we came back from the pub. But you must have been distracted and didn’t pick up on it.”
“But you know she came to talk to me on the very first day I moved in?”
“That doesn’t surprise me at all.”
They had now left the Charing Cross tube station, and without thinking about it, Hermione had taken Draco’s arm again. He wasn’t unhappy to have exchanged the city’s unbreathable air for the foul smell of human flesh marinating in the underground tunnels.
“Actually, you’re the first person she talked to me about,” Hermione continued after a short silence. “I remember it clearly, she advised me to go ask for help from ‘the well-built young man, rather handsome and, I must say, quite helpful,’” she added, her voice wobbling as she imitated the woman perfectly.
“That’s absolutely me, yes. She still has very good eyesight.”
Hermione rolled her eyes, though he could see she was more amused than annoyed.
“And she never found out you were involved with Rose?” she asked after a moment of reflection.
Draco shook his head.
“I don’t think she knows much about how Rose lives her life. Even though she’s very… liberated, she’s rather discreet about her private life and her relationships. I never knew who she was seeing when she wasn’t with me, for example.”
“And that didn’t bother you?” Hermione asked, genuinely curious, without the slightest trace of judgement.
Draco lifted his free shoulder.
“No. She was never my girlfriend, after all; we were clear about that from the start. She did whatever she wanted on her side, just like I did whatever I wanted on mine. We didn’t plan in advance whether we’d see each other again or not; it just happened whenever the opportunity came up and we both happened to feel like it, that’s all.”
Hermione stared at him for a few seconds, her expression unreadable.
“But if it worked so well, why stop everything now?”
Draco felt heat rise along his neck and spread across his face. He hadn’t expected the conversation to shift that way, and he suddenly found himself off-guard.
“She… she felt we’d reached the end of our… whatever you want to call it. She suggested we stay just friends. That works for me too.”
Hermione said nothing and looked away after scrutinising him for a few seconds longer. He didn’t like it when she examined him like that. She was far too perceptive.
Fortunately, they finally reached the employee entrance of the Ministry. Instinctively, Hermione let go of his arm, and Draco slid his hand into his pocket to take out his wizard’s cloak and restore it to its original size. He had to try twice because of a sudden, slight trembling, before putting it on and gripping the fabric tightly to hide the spasms in his hands.
They stood facing each other and a brief silence passed between them. He hoped she hadn’t noticed. He wouldn’t have known how to explain it.
“Thank you, Draco. I have to say, this really did me a lot of good…” She hesitated before continuing. “I’m slowly realising everything that was wrong in my relationship. All these years, I’ve had highs and lows, phases of intense stress, anxiety, or low spirits… not once did he make any kind of gesture like this to support me or offer his presence just because, simply to comfort me. I’d never realised before how alone I’d been for so long.”
Draco frowned. No way he was letting her leave like that after all his efforts to make her smile.
“You shouldn’t compare the situations. Your relationship was dysfunctional, but no other will look anything like that one – thank Merlin,” he scoffed sarcastically. “Now that you can move on and leave it behind, you’ll be able to relearn how to do what makes you happy whenever you feel like it, without waiting for someone’s permission who doesn’t want the same things out of life.”
“That’s what I’m trying to do,” Hermione replied, somewhat reassured. “Some days are harder than others, but it seems I’m well surrounded after all,” she added with a knowing look that made something jump in Draco’s stomach – or slightly lower. “I know it’s going to be all right now.”
While Draco was trying to decide how best to say goodbye in front of her workplace, she started speaking again.
“And what if we did it again next week? This time, I’ll take you to discover another restaurant, another type of food. How does that sound?” she asked hopefully.
Faced with her enthusiastic, almost pleading expression, Draco couldn’t refuse. He accepted warmly, then urged her to go inside quickly before anyone noticed them together. She left with a wide smile, leaving him on the pavement. He remained there, thoughtful, for a few more moments, and when he finally came back to his senses and started walking away, he could have sworn he saw a flash of red hair under a hooded cloak turn the corner of the street.
POV Hermione
“James, we mustn’t forget that…”
“…that Auntie Mione isn’t our friend,” James recited, standing up very straight.
Teddy, standing beside him, faced Ginny in the same way. She smiled and kissed both boys on the forehead.
“Are you sure it’ll be alright?” she asked, biting her lip.
Hermione placed a hand on Teddy’s shoulder and gave James a big smile.
“It’s not the first time I’ve looked after them, Ginny.”
“I know, but…”
It was the first time she had looked after them since her breakup.
“Enjoy your evening,” Hermione ordered. “They’ll be very well-behaved, I’m sure of it.”
Ginny stepped back into the fireplace and grabbed some Floo powder.
“Thank you, Hermione,” she said sincerely. “Behave yourselves, boys! We’ll come and get you tomorrow.”
“Kisses!” the children shouted in unison.
When Ginny disappeared, James and Teddy jumped on Hermione and hugged her tightly.
She had to admit she had missed this. She often looked after the children when she was still with Ron, even though he usually slipped away early in the evening. He must not have liked children as much as she did.
But she was delighted to get back into her habits, and she was already looking forward to the good times she was going to spend with them.
“I really missed pyjama parties,” James confessed.
“Me too,” Teddy added. “So Hermione, what are we having for dinner tonight?”
Hermione led them into the kitchen, where she had already set out a few things on the table.
“Tonight, we’re making burgers!” she exclaimed, and James let out a cry of joy.
“With chips?” Teddy asked, his eyes shining.
Hermione chuckled and took out the meat she had put in the fridge earlier.
“Teddy, you’re going to help me wash the lettuce and the tomatoes. And you, James, set the plates and the glasses.”
She opened the French windows to air the room while the meat was cooking. Crookshanks slipped outside, and Hermione smiled as she watched him sneak into the neighbouring garden.
She shaped the burgers and started cooking them in a frying pan.
“Your flowers are pretty,” Teddy remarked, and the tip of his hair, which had the same texture and colour as Hermione’s, turned the same white as her gardenias.
“Thank you, my neighbour gave them to me,” she said, unable to stop herself from smiling.
Teddy let out a cry of surprise, and James and Hermione looked at him, confused.
“Oh yeah,” he said, impressed. “So he’s not stupid at all, then.”
“Who are you talking about?” James asked curiously.
“Well, Draco,” he replied, as if it were obvious.
Hermione almost burned herself and turned to look at the child who was carefully washing the tomatoes. Her cheeks flushed pink, but that was probably just because of the heat from the pan.
“You…”
She certainly hadn’t expected that. Draco hadn’t mentioned that he had told Teddy she was his neighbour. She bit the inside of her cheeks, remembering his smug expression when he had asked why she talked about him so much.
“I know him too,” James cut in, eager to take part. “Auntie was really angry with Dad because of him.”
Hermione chuckled and turned the meat in the pan.
“Draco isn’t stupid, indeed.”
“Yeah, he chose the flowers well!”
“What did you think of him?” she asked, hiding her curiosity as best she could.
She really wanted to know what opinion he had of him. Draco hadn’t gone into much detail with her.
“I’m really happy to have a new cousin,” he replied with a shrug.
The sound of breaking glass rang out, making them all jump.
“Oops.”
“Alright, nobody move,” Hermione ordered, pulling out her wand.
She repaired the glass James had just dropped on the floor and checked that he wasn’t hurt.
“Sorry,” he murmured, looking very serious.
“It’s alright,” she reassured him, stroking his cheek. “We can move on to phase two!”
“What’s phase two?”
“Assembling the burgers!”
Teddy and James were sitting on her sofa, playing with their Chocolate Frog cards. After phase three, eating the burgers, they had all settled into the living room. Unfortunately, she didn’t have a television yet. Usually, she made popcorn during pyjama parties and they all watched a film together.
She watched the boys playing quietly, and it made her melt.
“What if we played hide-and-seek?” she suggested, closing her book.
“Oh yeah!” James exclaimed, jumping up. “Can we go upstairs too?”
Hermione went to put her book back on the bookshelf and nodded.
“Yes. And it’ll be a chance for you to discover the upstairs. Who’s starting?”
“Me,” Teddy volunteered, raising his hand. “I’ll count to twenty!”
He turned towards the wall and covered his eyes with his hands. He started counting out loud, and James and Hermione exchanged a conspiratorial look before going off to find hiding places.
She heard James go upstairs. She looked around, then headed for the cupboard under the stairs, the only place she could think of.
She heard Teddy shout “TWENTY” and his footsteps echoed through the house. She waited, her ear pressed against the door. Just as she had expected, the cupboard door flew open and Teddy burst out laughing.
“It’s way too easy with you, Hermione!”
He ran upstairs. Only a few seconds later, she heard James shout, then both boys came back down.
“Your turn, Auntie,” James said very seriously. “You lost first!”
Hermione sighed, looking at them teasingly, then went over to the wall and started counting. She heard them running behind her. When she finished, she turned around and went straight upstairs. She had heard one of them go up.
She searched her bedroom, under the bed, then in her wardrobe. She was heading towards the guest room she had prepared for the children when she heard a small giggle coming from the bathroom.
She stepped inside and turned on the light before noticing a shadow behind the shower curtain. She pulled it aside and saw James kneeling there, one hand over his mouth.
“Found you!”
“Oh no! Give me a second chance, I laughed!”
“No,” she replied. “Help me find Teddy, it’s almost time to put on pyjamas.”
He put on a sulky expression but nodded and followed her. She went back downstairs to look for him, and after long minutes, Teddy was still nowhere to be found.
“James?” she called out. “Did you find him?”
James came downstairs and shook his head.
“He always finds the best hiding places,” he sulked, crossing his arms awkwardly in front of him.
“You’ll find better ones next time,” she said with a smile. “Teddy,” she called louder, “you’ve won!”
“Yeah, you’ve won,” James repeated.
But there was no answer.
“Teddy?”
Hermione frowned and kept searching through the living room, but she couldn’t find the little boy. Despite herself, she felt her heart start to race.
“Auntie?” James murmured.
Hermione gave him a small smile so as not to worry him, but she didn’t understand.
“He must be happy he found the best hiding place,” she explained. “Let’s keep calling him until he answers.”
James nodded and started calling him from every room. Hermione grabbed her wand.
“Homenum Revelio.”
Her breath caught when the spell revealed only James’s presence. Waves of heat washed over her, but she refused to give in to panic. She hadn’t heard the door slam. Teddy couldn’t have left the house.
She absolutely had to stay calm so as not to frighten James. She was going to find him. But when James came back to her, his face alarmed, she swallowed hard.
If he wasn’t in the house, then he had to be outside.
“James, come with me,” she decided as she stepped out of the house, and he followed closely behind.
When Draco opened the door, he hadn’t expected to see her, and Hermione gave in to panic. If Teddy wasn’t with Draco, where was he? What if he had been taken without her noticing? She hadn’t put up any magical protections yet and—
Draco said something she didn’t hear, and her hands started to tremble. She felt James’s small hand clutch her T-shirt, and she tried to catch her breath.
“Teddy isn’t with you?” she whispered hoarsely.
“Why would he be with me?” he asked, puzzled.
Hermione felt tears rise as her heart pounded wildly. The corners of her lips pulled downward, even though she tried to control them. Draco opened the door wider and invited her in, but she shook her head.
“I have to find him,” she gasped. “Can you keep James?”
James looked at her, frightened, as she gently pushed him towards Draco. She turned around, ready to run down the street, when he grabbed her hand.
“Hermione, calm down.”
Her wand slipped from her fingers, and she bent down to pick it up.
“But Teddy…”
“Calm down. You can’t think straight.”
He pulled her inside, and James clung to her T-shirt once again. She collapsed into the armchair, and the little boy gently wiped her tears while holding her hand tightly.
“What happened?” Draco asked, wand in hand.
“We were playing hide-and-seek, but Teddy disappeared,” James said in a small voice.
He seemed impressed by Draco, but he did his best to stand proudly beside Hermione.
“I don’t understand,” she murmured, shaken. “He…”
Through the French windows, she caught sight of Crookshanks running through the garden, and her heart skipped a beat.
Right there, in front of the fence, Teddy was lying on his stomach in the grass, kicking his feet in the air while counting pebbles.
Hermione jumped to her feet and rushed outside, Draco close behind.
“Teddy!” she cried.
The child startled and stood up, a wide smile on his face.
“I…”
He stopped, and his smile turned into a worried grimace when he saw Hermione’s expression.
“…won.”
She rushed towards him and dropped to her knees in front of him. She wrapped her arms around him. Her relief was so overwhelming she could have cried with happiness.
“Never do that to me again,” she breathed into his blue hair.
She pulled back, examined his face, and wiped the dirt from his cheek. She saw his eyes start to shine and his expression crumple. His hair shifted from blue to brown and returned to the curly texture it had when he arrived at her house.
“Sorry,” he murmured. “I saw Crookshanks and I followed him.”
“What on earth made you go into the neighbour’s garden?” she scolded, even though she was terribly relieved.
“But you said your neighbour was Draco…”
“Even if my neighbour were Harry, you had no right to leave the house.”
“But…” he protested, starting to sniffle, “I just—”
“What you did was serious, Teddy,” Draco added from behind Hermione.
Teddy began to cry silently, his cheeks red.
“Don’t tell Grandma,” he begged so softly that Hermione barely heard him.
She pulled him into her arms again and let out a slow breath. Everything was fine. Teddy hadn’t disappeared.
“That hiding place was really rubbish,” James declared.
“We should go back inside,” Draco suggested. “It’s getting colder.”
Draco went in first, and James followed close behind. Hermione took Teddy’s hand and led him with her.
“You really are a little Potter,” Draco remarked, glancing at James beside him.
James inhaled and puffed out his chest.
“Yes. And you’re the one who gave Mione the scones.”
“You remember that?” she asked, as Draco raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah,” James said. “They were really good.”
“Do you want some tea?” Draco asked, turning to Hermione.
“I don’t want to bother you,” she replied, blushing.
She felt truly uncomfortable about having shown up unannounced in such a panicked state.
“Of course you’re bothering me,” he said, rolling his eyes.
Hermione tensed, then gave a small smile when she saw Draco shake his head, as if she had just said something absurd.
“Teddy and mini-Potter, come help me,” he said, disappearing into the kitchen.
Hermione let out a long breath and stepped forward to the doorway. Draco was watching the boys arrange biscuits on a plate while he quickly made tea with his wand. Teddy whispered something to him, and Draco gave him a sideways smile.
“And the vase too,” he added, adopting a smug tone. “I’m the one who found it.”
Hermione’s stomach tightened slightly, and she went back into the living room and sat down to wait for them. James arrived quickly with the plate.
“Can I have one, Mione? Pwease.”
“Only one. Normally, you should already be asleep by now.”
Draco handed her a cup, and she thanked him silently.
“So, Teddy,” he went on. “You couldn’t think of a better idea than going into my garden without warning?”
“I was in the kitchen at first, I was going to hide in a cupboard,” he muttered. “But I saw Crookshanks in the garden and I went outside. The door was open. I thought it was a brilliant hiding place.”
“I thought I only had Crookshanks’s little escapades to keep an eye on,” Hermione sighed, “but now I have to watch over little boys too.”
James burst out laughing, his mouth full of biscuit.
“Either way, don’t do it again,” Draco insisted. “You scared us.”
“Even you?” Teddy asked, surprised.
“I didn’t expect to see Hermione in tears, telling me that my cousin had vanished.”
Teddy lowered his head, and his hair turned blond, the same shade as Draco’s.
“Sorry, Hermione,” he apologised softly, keeping his head down.
Hermione lifted his chin. For a moment, she felt as though she were looking at a miniature version of herself, but with Draco’s hair. The thought unsettled her more than she would have liked, and she pulled him into her arms to hide her discomfort.
Draco cleared his throat, and she looked up at him. He seemed unsettled and avoided her gaze.
“We can still play again, right?” James asked solemnly. “Teddy cheated today.”
Hermione sighed, then let out a small laugh.
“Please don’t ever mention hide-and-seek to me again.”
When Ginny appeared, Hermione was sitting with James and Teddy in the kitchen, having breakfast.
“Good morning,” she greeted cheerfully. “Did you have a good evening?”
“Mum!” James cried, jumping up to throw himself into her arms.
“If you really want to know,” she went on, “the evening was excellent. So, what did you do?”
“Teddy did something really bad,” he whispered, and Ginny frowned. “But I was super well-behaved, I promise!”
Teddy lowered his head, thoroughly ashamed, and Hermione stroked his hair.
“Nothing serious,” she reassured her friend. “He won’t do it again.”
Ginny nodded and told the boys to go and get their things ready. They both ran upstairs.
“So, how did it go?” she asked.
“Teddy disappeared during a game of hide-and-seek. I thought it was serious, especially since even the Revealing Charm didn’t detect him.”
Ginny sat down beside her and motioned for her to continue.
“In the rush and panic, I went to Draco’s place to leave James there. I thought I was going to spend the whole evening searching for Teddy around the neighbourhood.”
“Wait. You left James at Malfoy’s?”
Hermione looked up and saw that Ginny was angry.
“I was scared, and I couldn’t think of a better solution than—”
“A Patronus, maybe?” Ginny cut in.
“What’s gotten into you?” Hermione asked, confused.
“I don’t like the idea of you leaving my son with Malfoy.”
“I was alone,” she protested. “And he’s the only nearby person I trust.”
“But I don’t trust him,” Ginny shouted.
“Well, I do!” Hermione snapped, her cheeks flushing.
A heavy silence filled the room, and Ginny looked at her, completely lost.
“But… you trust me, don’t you?” Hermione went on. “I would never leave James with just anyone in an absolute emergency.”
“Yes, but—”
“And I didn’t even have to. Teddy was in his garden.”
Ginny leaned on the table and ran a hand through her hair.
“You really trust him?” she finally asked after a few seconds.
Hermione nodded. She wanted to mention the lunch she had shared with him, but she stopped herself. She liked keeping that just between herself and Draco for now.
“I’m glad he’s my neighbour. We were lucky he was there last night.”
Ginny took a deep breath and nodded.
“Listen. I’d still prefer it if you told me in case of a problem. Even if it ruins my evening. You know I would have come to help you.”
“Yes… I know.”
“The fact that you turned to Malfoy first stings a little,” she added with a crooked smile. “I really should see that one again.”
Hermione tucked a curl behind her ear and lowered her eyes, slightly embarrassed. She found it hard to imagine her friend and Draco in the same room.
“I’m sorry I shouted,” Ginny said.
Hermione was about to reply when the boys burst back in, shouting about which one of them had packed his bag the fastest.
When her house fell silent again, Hermione sank onto her sofa. She went over the events of the previous evening and thanked Merlin that nothing serious had happened to Teddy.
She got up to fetch a glass of water and caught sight, through the window, of Crookshanks perched on the fence and Draco standing just beside him. She abandoned the glass and stepped out into her garden.
“Hey,” she said, to let him know she was there.
“Neighbour,” he greeted her with a sideways smile before turning serious again. “Are you feeling better?”
“Yes. I wanted to thank you for yesterday. Without you, I probably would have earned the reputation of the neighbourhood’s crazy neighbour.”
“Isn’t that a label you already have?” he asked curiously.
She laughed softly and regretted how much the fence separated them. She could have smacked his shoulder in retaliation.
She pointed at the small parcel tucked under his arm.
“What are you doing?”
“I got this this morning,” he explained, shaking the box. “I was about to deal with it when the parasite came to say hello.”
Hermione thought she saw Neville’s name on the parcel, but fatigue must have been playing tricks on her.
She watched Crookshanks rub affectionately against Draco’s hand, and she started twisting her fingers together.
“I… I’m celebrating my birthday in two weeks,” she blurted out, her heart racing. “Would you… like to come?”
She waited for his answer, breathless. When he didn’t reply right away, she almost took it back. Then she lifted her chin and crossed her arms.
“So?”
Draco chuckled softly and shook his head.
“If someone had told me one day I’d be invited to a Gryffindor’s birthday, I wouldn’t have believed it.”
Hermione watched the teasing glint in his eyes, and a strange but pleasant flutter spread through her stomach.
“I’d be delighted, Hermione.”