And So I'll Wait

Hermione sighed, shaking her head in defeat. Of course, it wouldn’t be so simple.

“Well, I guess I have a little more waiting to do. You all head inside, there’s no sense in you waiting here with me.”
“It’s bloody ridiculous! Of course you’re family, Hermione!” Ginny raged. Because of Harry and Malfoy’s positions, and the dangerous mission they’d just returned from, their room had the highest of security measures. That meant immediate family only, which did not technically include Hermione, and so the nurses were not allowing her in.
“Look, I’d rather they be overly cautious, Gin. Go and see Harry, I’ll work something out.” She wafted her hands, gesturing for them to head to the ward without her.
“The board will be hearing about this.” Narcissa pointed at the nurse on reception, her tone icy. It took her right back to school, with Malfoy announcing that ‘his father would be hearing about this’, and she smiled despite herself. The apple really didn’t fall far from the tree. Narcissa’s expression softened as she turned to Hermione, squeezing her hand gently.
“We’ll let them know you’re here.”
“Thank you.” She smiled, and went to sit in one of the waiting room chairs as Ron pushed Ginny down the corridor before his sister tried to hex the receptionist. James and Albus followed them, but not before glancing back at Hermione sadly. She’d gotten close to the boys over the last few years, and it was strange to see them leave without her. She could only assume they felt the same.
“But Dad will want to see you too, Mione.” Scorpius said, pulling on her arm.
“It’s just the rules, Scorp, I can’t go in with you. It’s to keep your dad safe, and that’s the most important thing, right?”
“I don’t like it.” He said, shaking his head. Hermione sighed, pulling the boy into an embrace.
“Me neither, but it’s how it has to be. Now, you go with your grandma and see your dad, ok? I’ll be out here the whole time, I’m not going anywhere.”
Narcissa offered her hand to Scorpius and he took it begrudgingly, not looking away from Hermione as they walked through the double doors that led to the ward.
“I am really sorry there’s nothing I can do, Miss Granger.” The receptionist said to her, and Hermione nodded. Of course, she knew who she was. She sighed.
“It’s alright, you’re just doing your job. As I said, I would rather you be overly cautious, I do appreciate it. It’s just the people in that room are my family, blood has very little to do with it.”
“I can see that. Those boys adore you, that much is obvious. I really wish I could let you in, but I can’t bend the rules for anyone, even you.”
Hermione just smiled in response, drawing her knees to her chest. It felt strange to know that Harry and Malfoy were only a few rooms away from her. She wondered what would change now. She’d promised to care for the kids whilst they were away, and now they were back, she wasn’t sure how she’d adjust to her house being so empty again. It had been packed with people for a very long time now, and sooner rather than later, it would be back to just her. She wiped away the tears that had escaped, not wanting to cry again. She’d done more than enough of that lately.
A short while later, Daphne and Theo arrived, both doing a double take at seeing Hermione curled up in the waiting room.

“Why are you out here, Granger?” Theo asked, and Hermione sighed.
“I’m not immediate family, so they can’t let me in. New security measures.”
Her friend was enraged. “What?! That’s bullshit, of course you’re family. Who won’t let you in?” He whirled on the receptionist, who was cowering slightly behind the desk.
“Theo, leave it. It’s for everyone’s safety, it’s not her fault. I’ll see them at some point.” That was starting to feel like it wasn’t the truth, the longer she sat alone in the waiting room. “You two should go in, he’ll be pleased to see you. Scorp’s in there too.”
Daphne nodded, eyes full of sympathy. “I’m so sorry, Hermione. I’ll send them your love, let them know you’re still out here.”
“Thank you, Daphne.” She smiled at the witch, who pulled a furious Theo along with her.
“I’m not letting this slide, Granger! I’ll get you in this room, even if I have to confund the whole bloody hospital!” He shouted, before she lost sight of his curly hair as Daphne dragged him through the double doors. The receptionist winced guiltily, shuffling the paperwork on her desk.

She’d only just closed her eyes, intending on getting some sleep, when she heard it. When she heard him.

“No! If you can let Theo in, you can let her in. I’m not waiting in there anymore when she’s out here on her own.”
“Mr Malfoy, please, you aren’t well enough to leave your bed yet.” Somebody pleaded, sounding harried, as if they were struggling to keep up.
Hermione met the receptionist’s eyes, who smiled at her, clearly finding the situation incredibly endearing.
“As if I give a flying fuck. If you wanted me to stay in bed, you shouldn’t have locked Granger away from me.”
She melted a bit at the sound of her name. It felt like decades since she’d heard it said like that. In that tone, from that mouth.
The doors flew open, and she shot out of her seat. Draco Malfoy was covered in bruises, his left arm was bandaged, and he was more unkempt than she’d ever seen him with his hair flopping messily over his eyes, but she didn’t see any of that. Not once they’d locked eyes.
Within seconds, she was in his arms. She’d started crying again, but she couldn’t care less. She was in his arms.
“Fuck, I missed you.” He mumbled into her hair, pressing kisses to the crown of her head. Her face was in his chest, and she breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of the man. “I will never forgive them for letting in Theo and not you.”
“He’s your son’s uncle, Malfoy.” She smiled, and he groaned.
“Please don’t tell me you’ve befriended him whilst I’ve been gone.”
She chuckled, and pulled back to see his face. “He runs my shop.”
“Oh, Merlin’s fucking beard, he doesn’t, does he? Have you missed me so much that it’s pickled your giant brain?”
“It’s certainly looking that way, isn’t it? Four bloody years, Draco Malfoy.”
“I know, I know. I’m sorry it took so long.” He pulled her back into another hug, and she heard the receptionist mumble something about how cute they were. “Hey Granger? Can we have that conversation now? I might actually die if I have to wait much longer for you.”
“I’m sorry, you’ll have to repeat that, I can’t possibly have just heard you suggest it’s been you waiting for me.”
He pulled back, but didn’t remove his hands from her upper arms. “Do you honestly want to debate semantics, or can I kiss you now?”
“You know how much I love debating semantics.” She smirked, and he mumbled something under his breath before capturing her lips with his. She heard the receptionist squeal, and the nurse that had been trying to persuade him to return to his room huffed, but none of that mattered. They both smiled into the kiss, his hands buried in her hair. She fisted his t-shirt, pulling him closer.
“Do you think I count as family yet?” She whispered, and he snorted lightly. They laughed together, and the sound of the double doors opening caught their attention.
“Did you ask her, Dad?” Scorpius said, running to his side. Malfoy ruffled his hair, and smiled at Hermione.
“Why don’t you ask her, Scorp?” She furrowed her brows, but he gave nothing away.
“Mione, I was wondering if you would maybe, um, want to be my Mum?” She gasped, crouching down immediately to see the boy face to face.
“I think I’ve been your mum for a while now, Scorp.”
“I think so, too.” He nodded, and she pulled him into a hug, glancing up at Malfoy, who was beaming proudly at the both of them.
Malfoy turned to the receptionist. “I’ll be taking my family back to my room now, is that alright?”
She nodded enthusiastically, beaming at Hermione. The nurse stood, scowled at the three of them, and led them through the double doors.

As she entered the room, she immediately met bright green eyes.

“Harry!” She flung herself at him, and he gripped her tightly.
“Bloody hell, Mione, I missed you.” He mumbled, overtaken by her hair. “I was about to come find you myself, I couldn’t believe they wouldn’t let you in. You've been my family for longer than anyone else.” He pulled back and grinned cheekily. “I guess you’re gonna be a Malfoy now though, right?” They both laughed, as she glanced around at Malfoy himself, who simply shrugged and looked exceptionally pleased with himself as he hopped back into bed. Theo snorted as he helped Scorpius up onto the bed.
Ron slung his arms around Hermione and Harry, pulling them close, and she fought the urge to cry again. In obliviating her parents, she’d thought she’d lost the only family she’d ever have. Looking around the room now, she realised that couldn’t be further from the truth.

~

A few weeks later, on a sunny Saturday afternoon, she stood in her shop, beaming as Theo signed the paperwork.

“I still can’t believe you’d do this, Granger.” He shook his head, passing her the quill. She signed her name quickly, and held out her hand.
“Congratulations, business partner.” He laughed, shaking her hand. She’d decided fairly early on that Theo was more than just an employee. He certainly didn’t need the money, not with the Nott vaults bursting at the seams, but he continued to work hard for the simple reason that he was passionate about it. It hadn’t been a difficult decision on Hermione’s part to give him 50% ownership of the shop, and when she’d told him, for the first time since she’d known him, potentially for the first time in his entire life, Theodore Nott was lost for words.
“Well, I think this calls for celebration. How about we see what Potter’s up to?” He said with an air of nonchalance.
“Harry? Why would we- What’s going on, Theo?”
“Oh, I don’t know, Granger. Nothing particularly interesting, I’m sure. Why don’t we pop through the floo and find out?” He smirked, and she narrowed her eyes at him, taking his proffered arm all the same.
She was met with a grinning Malfoy as they stepped into Harry’s kitchen.

“I’ll be taking her, thank you Theo.”
“No problem, mate.” He winked at Hermione, and disappeared into the other room.
“What’s going on?” She asked, and he smiled.
“Well, my dearest Granger, in the weeks since I’ve been back, I’ve been hearing a few stories about you and what you’ve got up to in the last four years, and there were a few people that wanted to say thank you.” He led her through the door, and she was met with cheers and the smiling faces of her friends and family.
“What is this?” She laughed, and Malfoy shook his head.
“When we went away, it was always only meant to be for a year. That year became four, and not once did you complain or be anything less than a complete paragon of strength and compassion for everyone around you, not just the boys. The more I’ve heard, the more I’ve panicked about how the hell I am ever supposed to make this up to, because Merlin’s beard, Granger, you have looked after every single person in this room without question completely on your own for far too long, and we couldn’t let that pass unnoticed.” Before she could reply, Ginny wheeled forwards slightly out of the crowd.
“I completely shut down on you, Hermione, I let my grief get the better of me. Not once did you let me go, you brought me into your home and you cared for me as if you didn’t see another option, even with everything else you had going on. You cannot possibly understand how much that means to me. You held my hand when we found out about Ron, when I lost hope at ever getting Harry back, through the early days when I hated the sight of my wheelchair and was a horrible cow to you, you never faltered. You were a gods damn badass before, but now? Merlin Hermione, I can’t believe how much we underestimated you.” Ginny said, tears brimming in her eyes. Hermione dropped Malfoy’s hand and embraced her friend. “Oh, and before you answer and say that it was just what you had to do or something just as humble, don’t. I’m not allowing you to do that today, I want you to bask in our admiration, Hermione Granger.” Hermione laughed, and agreed, although they knew she was lying.
“You, my dear, are one of a kind. We are so lucky to know you and have you care about us as fiercely as you do. Before Ronald woke up, you know I was a complete wreck, but you visited every single day, speaking to the healers when I couldn’t manage it. Sidelining your own feelings, you’ve been doing all of the heavy lifting on your own this whole time, and we would not have made it through without you. I want you to know that what those nurses said at the hospital is absolutely not the truth. You are our family, you always have been, and you are the glue that holds all of us together. I am so terribly grateful for you, dear.” Molly smiled as she sobbed, Hermione pressing a comforting hand to her arm.
She took a deep breath, and wiped her eyes. “I hope you aren’t all going to do a speech, I don’t think I could handle it.” They all laughed, and Harry stepped forward.
“Just one more, Mione, don’t worry. I want to say thank you, even if those words don’t feel like nearly enough. I mean, first off, you invented a whole new method of communication just so we could keep in touch with our kids, even if they ended up being blocked by- er, well, I can’t tell you by who, but I guess that isn’t important. The job ended up being far more complex than we first thought, and a hell of a lot more dangerous. When Ron was hit, we didn’t know if he was alive or not, and the realisation set in that we might not make it home. I know I can speak for Malfoy when I say that knowing our sons were with you? We knew they’d be ok, more than ok. We knew with absolute certainty that you’d always take care of them, if we made it back or not, and I don’t really know how I can repay you for that. I’ll just say that I love you, Mione, you absolutely are my family, and you always will be. Thank you for taking such good care of Gin, James, and Al whilst I was gone, it means everything to me.”
As she was wrapped in yet another hug, she felt incredibly lucky to feel so loved. It had been a long four years, but they were all back together, where they belonged, and it all felt so right.
She blew out a long breath. “Blimey.” She fanned her face, and Harry chuckled as he joined his wife. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to say much without crying again, so I’ll just say this. These four years have been hard, some of the hardest of my life, but what I have found with Scorp, James, and Al is so special, and I wouldn’t change that for anything. That being said, neither of you are going away for that long again, absolutely not.” Everyone laughed, and Malfoy took her hand again, squeezing lightly. “I would do anything for my family, and my family is all of you, so there’s your answer. I love all of you dearly, and I’m so glad we’re all back together again.”
“Enough of this soppy stuff, I was promised firewhiskey!” Theo shouted, and everyone laughed as they dispersed, most of them out into the garden. Hermione chuckled, before Malfoy pulled her into a sweet kiss.
“I love you, you know.” He said.
“I do know. I love you too.”
“Oh, excellent. Because I am never letting you go ever again, so it would’ve been awkward if you didn’t.”
“Four years without you was more than enough, Malfoy.” She rolled her eyes, and he fixed her with a look.
“You reckon we can graduate to first names now?”
“Oh, we’re that serious are we?” She raised an eyebrow.
“I’d like to think so, Hermione.” Merlin, it did something to her hearing him use her first name. She could melt into a puddle on the floor if she allowed herself to.
“I suppose I’d be amenable to that then, Draco.” He clearly had a similar reaction as his eyes grew dark.
“Mum? Dad? Can I go flying with the others?” Scorpius interrupted, bounding in from the garden.
“Of course, Scorp. We’ll be out in a second, alright?” Hermione replied, smiling after the blonde boy.
“You know, I am a big fan of ‘Hermione’, but I reckon ‘Mum’ suits you better.” Malfoy murmured in her ear.
“Have you gone soft on me, Draco Malfoy?” She turned to him, smirking.
He held his hands up in resignation. “You’ve turned me into the most saccharine man alive, Granger, it’s entirely your own fault.”
“I guess I can work with that if I really have to. Now, your son has been taught to play quidditch by two Weasleys, I imagine you’re rather keen on rectifying a few things there.”
“Our.” He replied, and she looked at him, not understanding his meaning.
“What?”
“Our son.” He grinned, and she softened at the sight.
“You’re going to kill me if you keep saying things like that.”
“I make no apologies. I love you, Hermione.” He planted a firm kiss on the crown of her head, and she beamed.
“I love you too, Draco.” They simply smiled at each other for a moment, before Malfoy snapped out of it.
“Right then, you say our son has been taught to play quidditch by the Weasleys? You’re right, that is certainly something that needs fixing.”
“I taught him to fly in the first place, so he could definitely use your input.” She grimaced, and he chuckled.
“Salazar, it’s a miracle he can get off the ground at all then. Come on, I haven’t got long to steer him back towards being a slytherin.” He pushed her towards the garden, and she rolled her eyes.
“That boy is absolutely not a slytherin, you’re delusional.”
“We’ll just have to wait and see. If not, I guess I’ll just have to try again with our next one.” He grinned at her wolfishly, before disappearing outside.
“Well, Lady Malfoy, it seems as though you’re going to be quite busy in the not-so-distant future. You want me to mind the shop?” Theo sidled up to her, sipping on his glass of firewhiskey with an amused grin.
“Shut up, Theo.” She smiled, and dragged him outside so they could join the rest of their family.