Hermione was going to be sick. Not the ideal way to reintroduce yourself to someone you haven’t seen in the best part of a decade, admittedly, but she wasn’t sure her stomach cared all that much about appearances with the way it was churning. It felt impossibly strange to be waiting for Draco when she’d gotten used to him existing only in words. She’d mentally separated him from the dick he’d been in school, and so she almost didn’t know who was about to walk through the door of the tiny random Ministry office she’d been deposited in.
An embarrassing amount of time had been spent that morning fussing over what to wear, but in the end, she’d just thrown on some jeans and a t-shirt because this was just Draco. He wouldn’t care what she was wearing. She doubted he’d even remember much of today, if he was as tired as she was expecting him to be. She felt like she knew him like the back of her hand, and yet, in other ways, she knew almost nothing about him at all. She was very much looking forward to finding out everything she didn’t know. She wanted to sit and talk to him for days. Letting him have time to rest once he was home would require serious restraint on her part.
The balloon that Theo forced her to bring was bobbing gently, the metallic letters glinting in the artificial light. ‘Welcome home Blondie’ was the most tame Hermione could get her friend to make the message, and several more colourful versions were discarded in the bin in her flat. Their flat? She suppressed the girly squeal that threatened to escape her. Gods, she was a fully grown woman for Circe’s sake. She should get a grip.
There was a knock at the door.
“Hermione Granger?” A woman with dark black hair asked, poking her head around the door, reading off a list in her hands. She then scoffed slightly and glanced up. “Sorry, obviously I know who you are. Are you receiving Draco Malfoy today?”
“Yes.” She nodded, not really able to form any more words than that.
“Excellent. There will be some paperwork to fill out that will arrive at your house in the next few days or so. Just send that back whenever you can, there’s really no rush.” She explained. She then turned around and spoke to someone in the hall. “You can head in now. I wish you all the best, Mr Malfoy.”
If the auror said anything else, Hermione didn’t hear it. Brown met grey and she couldn’t help but beam at the man. She probably looked insane. She didn’t care.
“You didn’t mention this in your letters, you know.” He said as the auror left, closing the door behind her. Draco took one of her hands in his almost reverently, as if he couldn’t believe that she was real. His hair was long and matted, and he had a scratchy looking beard that spoke of years of neglect.
“Mention what?” She frowned.
“How beautiful you are.” He smirked, and she barked out a laugh that was a little too loud. She all but dragged the man to her, throwing her arms around his neck and holding him in the way she’d been dreaming about for far too long. “You smell so good.” He muttered into her hair and she laughed again.
“You really don’t.” She replied. She pulled back and smiled. “Home?”
He let out a shaky breath and smiled at his feet. “Home.” He nodded.
“Oh, Theo got you a balloon.” She added before they moved towards the floo.
“Of course he did.” Draco grinned up at it. “He promised he would.”
“Did he?”
He nodded. “The day I left, he promised he’d welcome me home with a balloon.”
Hermione blinked, finding that tears were gathering. “Blimey. Don’t start me off already, I’ll never stop.”
He smiled as he grabbed her hand, the balloon in his other. “Home.” He said, guiding her into the floo.
She called out her address and squeezed his hand gently, betraying the excitement she was miserably failing to hide from him as they disappeared in the green flames.
Callie was patrolling the living room as they stepped through onto the red rug. She’d always been wickedly intelligent, perhaps even more so than Crookshanks was, and so as Draco spotted her, she ran to him immediately. Hermione was crying before he picked her up, but it only got worse once he started talking again. She assumed the tears would be a permanent look for her over the next week or so.
“Gods, I missed you, Cal. You knew who to trust, though, didn’t you? You knew where we’d end up.” He mumbled into her fur as he fussed her ears. Hermione realised she was openly gaping at them but she was struggling to make her feet obey her. She just wanted to stand and watch.
“What did you want to do first? Shower, or eat? Or just sleep?” She said after a moment. It came out entirely more awkwardly than she wanted and she tried not to cringe. She reached for the balloon, largely for something to occupy her hands with. She plonked the weight down on the coffee table so it could bob up and down in peace.
Draco gently placed down the cat and went to reply before the large pile of gifts on the dining table caught his eye. “The hell is all that?”
She smiled. “Everyone wanted to get you some bits. Seeing as you don’t have anything.”
He wandered over to it and picked up the present closest to him, smiling down at it incredulously. The majority of the pile was wrapped in the same dark blue paper, and he looked at Hermione with a wry smile. “My mother?”
She snorted and shook her head. “Harry.”
He blinked. “You’re joking?”
“I’m not. He’s the boy-who-shopped.” She grinned.
“But…for me?” He frowned, looking genuinely confused.
“Of course. You’re family, Draco.”
He almost looked like he’d been slapped as he dragged his eyes up to meet hers.
“Say that again?” He whispered. She moved closer and smiled.
“Draco.”
“Fuck, I don’t deserve you.”
Hermione shrugged. “I’m not sure I care whether you do or not. I told you. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Hermione…” He said, tears forming in his eyes. She pulled him into another hug.
“I’m not going anywhere.” She repeated as he dampened the crown of her head. As he stood up straight, she saw just how exhausted he was. “I’m going to make this decision for you. You’re going to shower, then you’re going to sleep. You can eat whenever you wake up. Ok?”
“Sounds good, Granger.” He agreed. The similarity to the way Scorpius acted when he was tired was striking in that moment and she smiled fondly up at him before leading him to her bedroom. Their bedroom. Second squeal successfully quashed.
After his shower, Draco became even more tired, and was no longer hiding it as he had been in the Ministry. Hermione supposed that meant he felt safe with her, and it warmed her heart. She said nothing as he incendio’d the tracksuit he had been given to go home in, and simply hopped into bed.
“You’ll stay?” He asked once he was in clean clothes and smelling much better than he did before. His hair was still long, but she figured there was plenty of time to fix that.
“Of course.” She said.
“But like…in the same bed?”
She smirked. “Well I’m not going to lie on the floor, am I?”
“This is what my life is now, huh.” He muttered to himself as he got into the bed and dragged her to him, arms wrapping as tightly as they could around whatever parts of her he could reach. “Lucky fucking bastard.”
Hermione nox’d the lights and grinned into the dark.
***
In the end, Draco had slept for almost an entire day. When Hermione had tried to sneak out, he’d reached for her, and so she’d grabbed a book and read, leaning against the headboard. He was always touching her somehow, even whilst asleep, and so she couldn’t bring herself to leave him for long.
Once he was awake, and had wolfed down the lunch she put together, she gave him a tour of the flat. Her study was of particular interest to him, as he lingered in there.
“You need to get a hobby.” Draco said, gaping around the messy room. It had become ‘Draco Malfoy headquarters’ ever since she’d started writing to him and looking into his case with the Wizengamot. Papers were everywhere, across her desk, the floor, even pinned to the walls.
“I had one. It was writing to you.” She replied.
“This is insane, though, Hermione. I mean, were you not doing enough for me already?” He asked as he flipped through the stacks.
“What the Ministry did to you was wrong, Draco. I was looking into it before Astoria named me as Scorp’s guardian.”
“Seriously?” He turned and raised his eyebrow.
“Of course I was. They let you think they weren’t going to put you or Narcissa in Azkaban, they let you live your lives for those three years, you went through with your marriage contract thinking you had time, and then they changed their minds based on almost nothing. Some bullshit ‘new evidence’ they pulled out of nowhere. It was unbelievably cruel to do that to you. I’m still convinced it was in aid of Kingsley’s reelection campaign. They needed the votes of the people that thought everyone marked should have been imprisoned. Apparently, we have no interest in context or nuance as a society anymore.” Hermione huffed. “I picked apart their cases, all of the evidence they used to put you both in there. That’s how I got Narcissa out on house arrest earlier. I’m sorry I couldn’t manage that for you. I did try-”
“Hermione.” He interrupted her. “There is nothing you need to apologise to me for. Not ever. You upended your life for me. You didn’t need to try and do more, not when I’m guilty of a lot of the things they said I did.”
“I just wanted you back sooner. For Scorpius at the start, but for myself later on.”
He smiled sadly, and pulled her into a hug. Their thousandth since he’d been back. It was probably more than that, if she was honest. “It’s done now. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”
“That’s my line.” She smiled up at him.
He shrugged. “It’s a good line. But on my original point, you do need a hobby.”
“I could take up watercolours?”
“Could get my mother to teach you.” She rolled her eyes, and held him a little tighter. “Is that what I think it is?” He asked, observing something over the top of her head. She turned around and saw the box that had caught his eye.
She hummed. “It is.” He unwrapped his arms from around her waist and disappeared out into the hall. He returned with his own box, and she smiled. “It’ll take forever to order them.”
“I’d like to, though. I will be doing my absolute best to forget Azkaban and everything that happened there, apart from this. These letters brought me you. They’re important.” He said.
“Your last letter.” She worried her lip slightly, wondering whether to ask or not. “Did you-”
“If you’re about to ask if I meant it, Granger, I’m going to lose it.”
She huffed. “Well we always danced around stuff like that. With the banned topics, you know? I didn’t know what we were going to be when you were back. I know we have to consider Scorp and he is the priority, but I guess I just didn’t-”
He interrupted her - again, she noted absently - by pulling her to him and firmly planting his lips on hers. She kissed him back because of course she did, what else was she meant to do? Her brain had gone and maybe the rest of the world had gone with it. All that existed was them, and she found she didn’t mind it being like that.
“I’m going to need you to stop interrupting me eventually.” She whispered.
“I will always stop you from going on long tirades about things that are ridiculous or wrong. I won’t apologise for that.” He replied. “I love you, Hermione, but you’re right, we do need to work this out first. I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything, but I also don’t know you. Not really. That’s ok, though, we have time.”
“I lo-” She started, but he clapped a hand over her mouth. She huffed at being interrupted yet again , but to his credit, he did at least look guilty about it.
“Sorry. But I want you to be sure before you say it.” He said. She rolled her eyes and pulled his hand away.
“Why do you get to be sure and I don’t?”
“I think it might kill me if you say it now and then take it back later.” He replied quietly, looking down at his feet.
“Draco, look at me.” She said. He met her eyes, and she saw genuine fear there. “I love you. I am sure, and I will not take that back. That will not change. We have time to work out what we are, but I know for certain that you, me, and Scorp will always be something. You don’t need to be scared of me.”
“You don’t know how much power you have over me. I’m not used to being vulnerable like that.” He replied.
“I’m not going to hurt you, I promise. I really don’t think I could, not now. Scorpius is my entire life, and you are his father. You’re a package deal, I know that. It would kill me if I did anything to you.”
“Sorry. I’m sorry, I just- This is a lot.” He stammered, and she nodded.
“I know. It’s ok. We have time, Draco. I’m not going anywhere.” She pulled him back into a hug.
“You should get that on a t-shirt. Would save us time.” He muttered into her hair. She chuckled lightly.
“I’ll look into it.”
***
“And then this is Brian.” Scorpius held up a decrepit looking rabbit, continuing his incredibly thorough tour of his bedroom.
“What happened to Brian?” Draco asked. He was kneeling in the middle of the room as his son walked around and grabbed every single one of his toys to show him. Hermione was leaning on the door frame, enjoying the view immensely. He’d shaved his beard and asked her to help him cut his hair the previous day. He said he looked too much like his father. She couldn’t really blame him for not wanting to stay like that for too long.
“Oh, he wanted to go to space so I threw him out of the window to see if he’d fly.” Scorp replied nonchalantly. “Brian didn’t make a good astronaut.”
“Poor Brian.” He muttered, throwing a glance at Hermione, who simply smiled in response.
“He’s not my favourite though. This one is my favourite.” Scorp grinned as he shoved the green dragon into Draco’s face.
“Excellent taste. Your genes are showing after all.” Draco replied, and Scorp nodded excitedly.
“Mia gave him to me when I first came to live here all the time. Because he’s a dragon like you are.”
“That was very kind of her.” He eyed her again, and Hermione resisted the urge to melt into a puddle under the heat of his gaze.
“What’s his name, Scorp?” She asked.
“Buckbeak.” Scorp chirped happily. Draco blinked.
“Well, you can’t win them all.” He mumbled as she bit her lip to keep from laughing. Hermione had suggested the name largely out of spite if she was honest, but she had to humble the man occasionally. His ego was vast and potentially boundless. She saw it as her solemn duty to bring him back down to earth, in much the same way Brian had after his ill-fated trip to the moon.
“Come on. We’re heading to Pansy’s soon for your dad’s party.” She said, holding out her hand. She needn’t have bothered, as Draco immediately picked Scorp up. She raised an eyebrow. “Are you ever going to let him walk again?”
“Maybe one day I’ll think about it.” He replied, kissing her on the temple as he passed, before taking his son into the bathroom. She knew he was making up for lost time, but she was growing concerned about Scorp being a little too pampered. She was going to have to be ‘bad cop’ for a while, she presumed. If that was as much as she had to sacrifice in return for having Draco home, then she’d take it. The change in Scorpius as soon as he saw his father again was astounding. One minute, he’d been reserved, refusing food, refusing to speak even, and the next, he was back to the happy, inquisitive boy he’d been before. Gods, she might even get a full night's sleep. That in itself was enough to start her off crying again.
“I thought he stayed with Pans sometimes?” Draco reappeared behind her. “He said you gave him that dragon when he came to live here full time?” Hermione moved slightly so she could keep half an eye on Scorp washing his face in the sink before answering.
“After the Ministry visit…” She eyed him and he nodded. “We all thought it would be better if he had more stability, one place to call home, you know? I think Pans wanted more alone time with Neville anyway. They already have your mother around, even if Parkinson House is as big as it is. Scorp is naturally inquisitive. It was just better to have him here.”
“That’ll make more sense to him anyway, I suppose. Being with you and me all the time.” He replied.
“What do you mean?” Hermione frowned.
“Because we’re… you know.” He waggled a finger between them. “His parents.”
“Is that what we are?” She raised an eyebrow. He huffed.
“Yes, Granger. I’m his dad, and you’re his-”
“We don’t use that word.” She cut him off in mild panic.
“Ginevra told me he says it sometimes.” He countered. Hermione closed her eyes and took a steadying breath.
“I’ll murder her.”
“Why? It’s what you are, isn’t it? If it makes you uncomfortable then obviously I won’t use it, but I don’t want you to feel like you’re just his official legal guardian. That feels too cold to me. Too removed.”
“That’s not my problem. I just don’t want to replace Astoria in his head. It doesn’t feel fair.” She replied, and he sighed.
“Hermione, Astoria didn’t give two shits about him.” He replied softly, glancing into the bathroom to make sure Scorpius wasn’t listening. “I want him to know about his birth mother, yes, but, even if she’d lived, she wouldn’t have loved him like you do. She didn’t care about him in the slightest. He doesn’t need to cling to the memory of her, he needs to see the wonderful person he has in front of him now. That wonderful person who, in my opinion, deserves a title.” He smiled.
She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. “What if I let him down?” She asked.
Draco scoffed. “I really don’t think you’re capable of that. You aren’t your parents, Hermione, just as I’m trying not to be mine. We’re going to be better. He’s going to know that we’re proud of him.” She sniffed, not wanting to cry, and nodded. “Are you going to be Mum now?” He asked with a fond smile. She continued to nod.
“If he wants me to be.”
“I’m not a betting man, but I think my money would be safe if I were to say that he does.” He replied.
“Please don’t get into betting. You’re too cocky.” She said, wiping her face. He chuckled, and went back into the bathroom.
***
“I think I might throw up.” He muttered as the three of them stood at the floo. Hermione snorted.
“That’s how I felt when I was waiting in the Ministry for you.”
“What if…what if there isn’t a place for me anymore? I know that’s stupid but-”
She cut him off. “It’s not stupid, Draco, but it is wrong . There is absolutely a place for you here. Everyone wants to see you. Everyone. I mean that.”
“We always left a chair for you, Daddy.” Scorp piped up. “In between me and Mia, because everyone else sits with their mummy and daddy like that. Apart from Theo and George. Theo told me he wants to be the best uncle instead of the best daddy because it’s not as much effort.”
Hermione snorted for a second time as Draco smiled down at his son. “Theo says lots of things, buddy. You should ignore him most of the time.”
Scorp nodded. “I know. Pansy told me that ages and ages ago.”
“She’s a smart one.” He said.
“How about we go and see her?” Hermione prompted, and he took a deep breath.
“I will not cry.” He announced as they stood in the floo.
“Well we both know that isn’t true.” She shot back flatly as the flames transported them.
Hermione had gotten used to Parkinson House over the years. The high vaulted ceiling, the stupidly large chandelier that hung in the entrance hall, the portraits of Pansy’s ancestors on the wall leading up the stairs (ancestors that had, incidentally, been silenced due to one too many comments aimed at Hermione in particular). Their shoes clicked on the freshly polished marble, and Hermione saw that Narcissa had made the effort to arrange some of her and Neville’s flowers. Vases were on every available surface, and she smiled, wondering if that was the result of Narcissa’s nervous anticipation.
Hermione just about managed to lift Scorpius out of the way as Theo charged in and threw himself at Draco, his arms going around his neck.
“I have been annoying the hell out of everyone waiting for you, you giant blonde bastard.” He said, his voice muffled as he’d shoved his face into Draco’s neck.
“You annoy everyone anyway. You can’t make it my fault.” Draco replied with a wide smile. Theo pulled back and beamed at him.
“First things first, did Mi deliver my balloon? I gave her strict instructions.”
“I did receive my balloon, Theo, yes.”
“Excellent, excellent. I knew I could trust her with such an important task. She’s a keeper, that one.” He smirked.
“More than aware, mate.” Draco said.
“Come on. Everyone’s outside. They have more self restraint than I do.” Theo nodded his head towards the large glass double doors that led out to the grounds. He then turned to Scorp. “How is my favourite Malfoy today?”
“Good.” Scorp smiled. “I got to show Daddy all of my toys.”
“Oh, fascinating stuff, Scorpy. Did you acquaint him with Buckbeak?” Theo asked with a mischievous smile.
“They’ll be best friends before the week is out, I’m sure.” Hermione replied.
“Terrible, both of you.” Draco shook his head, but smiled all the same. “Is it this way?” He pointed to the doors. Hermione nodded.
She heard, rather than saw, Narcissa reuniting with her son. The usually refined woman almost screamed, and Hermione glanced at Theo.
“She got a bit worked up about today. You’ve seen the panic florals?” He waved a vague hand around. Hermione huffed a soft laugh and nodded. “You ok?” He asked.
“More than.” She replied.
“Into the future we go then, Granger.” He offered her his arm, and the three of them went outside to see Narcissa cradling her son like a child, as if he wasn’t nearly a foot taller than her.
“Oh, my dragon. I missed you.” Narcissa gushed as she held Draco closely.
“I missed you too, Mother.” He mumbled.
Hermione placed Scorpius down and smiled. “How about you go and play with Al for a bit, Scorp?” She suggested. The boy nodded and ran off across the grass in search of his best friend. As she stood up, she saw Pansy all but climbing Draco, and blinked away yet more tears.
“You are so pregnant, P.” He smirked. Pansy swatted him in the arm, but had a rare smile on her face all the same.
“I would never have forgiven you if you’d missed me suffering like this.”
“As if I’d ever dare.” He replied, pulling her into another hug. Hermione had officially lost count of how many of those she’d witnessed, and there was still a decent queue of people waiting to get their hands on the blonde wizard. She wandered over to Neville, who wrapped a strong arm around her shoulders and smiled down at her.
“You should cry, Hermione. I’ve got you.” He said softly, and she let her tears fall for once. “You’ve waited long enough.” He added as she wrapped her arms around his waist.
“Granger, get your paws off my man. You’ve got your own now.” Pansy exclaimed across the garden, and everyone burst into watery laughter.
“Harry.” Draco said, holding out his hand. Harry shook it, and smiled, although it was really more of a bemused smirk.
“Draco.” He replied. A moment passed before they both grimaced. “I hate it.” Harry shook his head. “I’m never saying that again, Malfoy.”
“I don’t think everything needs to change, Potter.” Draco said in agreement.
“Daddy! You should meet Albus!” Scorpius called, and the awkwardness dissipated as the attention moved to the children. Hermione didn’t miss the friendly smile Harry and Draco shared though.
***
“We could have got sponsored by whoever makes these for tonight.” Harry said as he sidled up to her, holding up yet another empty box of tissues. “I think we’ve single handedly gotten through a couple forests worth.”
Hermione shot him a withering look, but smiled all the same. “You think you’re so funny.”
“I’m hilarious, there’s no need to pretend otherwise.” He shot back. “He’s thanked me maybe five times for all the stuff I sent over. Did I break him?” He nodded towards Draco. Theo was wrapped around him like an invasive ivy species, and they were both laughing as they spoke to Neville and Daphne. The others were sitting around the gardens, watching the children running around on the lawn, sneaking not-so-subtle glances at Draco every now and then, as if they couldn’t really believe he was there. Hermione couldn’t blame them, she’d done enough of that herself of late.
“You made him cry.” She replied. “You can’t tell him I told you, though. He made me promise.” She smiled at her friend, who slapped a hand over his heart.
“I solemnly swear.” He said. “I guess I just wanted him to feel welcome. He’s missed so much that he shouldn't have. That was part of the reason I left the Ministry in the end, there’s still so much corruption. If I’d missed that much of James, Al, or Lily’s lives, I think it would have destroyed me.”
“It means a lot that you’re willing to try with him, Harry.”
Harry shrugged. “He’s family now. It’s as simple as that.”
“You just want someone to be competitive about quidditch with.” She grinned.
“You see right through me, as always, Mione.” He smirked as he slung an arm over her shoulder and pulled her close. “How long until you’re officially a Malfoy?” He asked after a moment.
“He had an owl from Narcissa and was super weird about me not seeing what she said. I think they’re going to the vaults this week.” She replied.
Harry snorted. “Better start to practise your surprised face, then.”
“I’ll deserve an Oscar by the time he asks.”
“If it’s not this year, I’ll eat my broom.” Ginny said, appearing at her shoulder. “That is one smitten ferret.”
“Please don’t be weird about this, Gin.”
“Weird? Me? I don’t know the meaning of the word.” She grinned.
“I’m happy for you.” Harry interjected. “You’ve waited a long time for this.”
She looked across at him. “They’re family now. As simple as that.”
“Would anyone have a problem if I performed the ‘welcome back’ ballad I wrote now?” Theo declared. “It’s some of my best work.”
“I will get down on my knees and beg you not to.” Draco replied immediately as everyone else fell about laughing.
“I thought it was only Mi that you got on your knees for.” George frowned, tapping his chin sarcastically.
“He’s only been back a few days, my love. Give the boy a chance.” Theo waggled his eyebrows.
“I didn’t miss this.” Draco said flatly.
“Yes, you did.” Blaise called across to them. Theo pointed at him appreciatively as everyone continued to laugh.
“Yeah, I really did.” Draco relented with a particularly sappy smile by his standards.
***
“My dragon, how on earth did you know it would be twins?” Narcissa asked as they walked up the long driveway. Pansy had given birth a few days earlier, on Draco’s birthday as she had apparently promised. Scorp was on Draco’s hip, as had become the norm, and Hermione was on his other side.
“When we were fourteen, Scarlett Lympsham brewed a fertility potion in the slytherin common room. Snape told her she’d get detention if she couldn’t do it correctly, so she practised as much as she could. That time, she got the temperature all wrong and it boiled over. She used Pansy’s scarf to mop up the overflow. There wasn’t a stain showing, so Pans carried on wearing the scarf. I figured it might have affected things.” He explained.
“You’re such a slytherin.” Hermione muttered. He simply smiled at her in a way that was definitely smug. She knew he wouldn’t be able to help himself.
They arrived at the grand double doors and Pipsy appeared.
“Mr Draco! Pipsy has been ever so impatient to be seeing you.” She chirped. “Is today the day, Miss Hermione?”
“It is, Pipsy.” Hermione nodded.
The elf sucked in a breath. “Well, if Pipsy can be helping in any way, Miss will be letting Pipsy know. Pipsy is not wanting anyone to be being upset.”
“We will call if we need you, Pipsy.” Narcissa replied, and the elf nodded, throwing a worried glance in Hermione’s direction before disappearing with a pop.
“Why is Pipsy sad?” Scorpius asked with wide eyes.
“She isn’t sad, buddy. She’s just worried about us. Lots of things happened in this house.” Draco explained. “That’s why we’re all coming back here together, so we can look after each other.”
“This house belongs to me, Scorpius. It’s where I raised your father.” Narcissa said. “Do you remember what we said to you about the war?”
Scorpius nodded. “You had to be around bad people.”
“Well, those bad people took over the house. Hermione came here with Harry to try and help us, but we didn’t want her help back then. She got hurt instead.” Narcissa continued. Scorp’s head whirled around.
“You were hurt here, Mummy?” He asked. Then he blinked. “I mean, Mum. I mean-”
“Scorp, you can call her mummy if you want to.” Draco reassured him.
“I can?”
“Of course.” Hermione nodded. Narcissa made a noise that could almost have been described as a squeak, and turned away, her hand going to her eyes. “We’re a family, Scorpius. It’s entirely up to you what you call me, ok?”
“I’d like you to be Mummy.” He replied immediately.
“Well, that’s that then.” Draco smiled, ruffling his son’s hair and tossing Hermione a look that absolutely said ‘I told you so’. She huffed, before answering Scorp’s question.
“I was hurt here, Scorp, but it’s ok now. We’re all coming back here together, now it’s safe and all the bad people have gone, to prove that they don’t get to affect us anymore. This is our house, and we shouldn’t have to be scared of it.” She gently brushed his hair out of his eyes as he digested the information.
“You mean we need to be brave?” He blinked up at her after a moment. She smiled.
“We need to be very brave.”
“I’ll be the bravest!” He declared proudly, and Draco badly stifled his huff.
“You’re turning him into a gryffindor.” He grumbled. Hermione grinned.
“Guess you’ll have to try for a slytherin with our daughter.” She replied airily, before waving her hand and opening the doors. She strode inside Malfoy Manor, leaving the three Malfoy’s out on the doorstep, the two older ones spluttering.
“Granger, I swear to Merlin.” He called after her. She simply chuckled as she looked up at the ornate ceiling, daring the future to come and get her. She was more than ready for it. After all, she was going nowhere.