Rewrite The Stars
December 28, 2010
The stars shone brightly as Draco sat in the bay window, twirling the engagement ring on his pinky finger. Ever since returning from Enchanted Tomes, he couldn’t get his mind off of the whole evening. Hermione had looked effortless in the kitchen, natural in her element, and it was… breathtaking. If he allowed himself to think it, the witch had been beautiful for quite some time. It was no secret that she was captivating, except to maybe her. But it wasn’t her looks that Draco was drawn to. Her heart exuded warmth and forgiveness, and it was Draco’s favorite thing about the woman.
In the same breath, his own heart ached as a flash of her face and the sadness etched upon it. Oliver Wood had completely screwed up, and once again, Hermione was caught in the fallout of someone else’s mess. Draco couldn’t help but think back to one of the few times they were alone together and how they had both opened up more than they thought possible over a bottle of Fairy Wine.
“Granger?” Draco questioned, an eyebrow raised at the curly-haired witch who had a sleepy Lily attached to her hip as she opened the door to Potter and Theo’s home. It wasn’t odd for her to be at the home of her best friend and his, but he hadn’t been expecting her to answer the door.
“Hi,” she replied, breathless but with a smile on her face. He could hear the chaos in the background, and he couldn’t help the small chuckle that fell from his lips as he shifted Scorpius in his arms. “I hope you weren’t expecting Theo. He was called away on some Department of Mysteries thing? I’m not quite sure. I know he consults with them from time to time. And it’s the full moon too, so Harry is with Sirius and Remus. I usually watch Teddy, but with Theo gone, I have the twins too.”
“Granger,” the wizard uttered her surname again and smirked, stepping towards her, causing her to step back and him to enter the home and close the door behind him. “You’re rambling.”
“It’s been a long night,” she laughed a little before kissing the top of Lily’s head.
“Three children by yourself?” he continued, setting Scorpius down so he could run off and find the others. Shedding his cloak and hanging it on the nearby hook, he turned back with a small smile that sent flutters straight to Hermione’s heart, not that she would admit it. “I know you’re a Gryffindor, but even that amount of bravery is unprecedented.”
“Is there something I can help you with Malfoy?” Hermione sighed. Draco noticed the small scrunch of her nose from annoyance. It was adorable.
“No, but I can help you.”
“You? Help me?” she laughed. “I know you’re great with Scorpius, but I wouldn’t ask anyone to step into this warzone.”
“I lived in the same house as Tom Riddle,” the blonde wizard smiled, taking Lily from her arms. “I think I’ll be just fine.”
One lively dinner and a bottle of Fairy Wine later, all four children were asleep while Draco and Hermione sat in front of the roaring fire with another bottle. The unlikely duo exchanged stories and laughter, falling into a sense of comfort as they bridged the tiny gap that still stood between them even after all the years they had known each other.
“I think Teddy has Scorpius convinced that he can be a Quidditch player,” Draco chuckled, leaning his head back against the padded cushion and staring at the enchanted ceiling. “You know… I once wanted to be a professional Quidditch player. Flying… It’s one of the only times I feel so free.”
“Well, you definitely have the build for it,” Hermione snorted into her drink. “Have you seen your thighs? Not to mention the muscles in your arms. Godric fucking Gryffindor don’t even GET me started on the muscles in your back.”
“Granger, have you been checking me out?” he smirked, his eyes hazy from the alcohol.
“I do have eyes, you know.”
“So do I. You’re too beautiful for a man like Wood.”
“What was Scorpius’s mum like? Your wife?” Hermione said, pouring more wine. Of all the conversations they had participated in with their friends in social situations, no one ever spoke of his late wife.
“Celene was… She was beautiful and kind. One of the most patient witches I had ever met,” he chuckled, a melancholic smile crossing his face. It was beautiful and yet so sad at the same time. “I met her in France after the war, and she, well, she helped me heal. I was a mess after the war. I couldn’t sleep, and couldn’t function most days. Mother was trying to tend to both Lucius and myself, but… he is her husband, and despite what many people think, they are soulmates and love each other implicitly. Even if my father almost got us all killed with his ridiculous lust for… well everything. She was a healer, my healer. I was addicted to Dreamless Sleep, and she noticed. She helped me seek out help, stood by me, and I fell in love and married her to prove it. She was my light in an abyss of darkness. Gods, Granger, I was a mess, but then Scorpius was born, and I just… I had purpose again. I see her in him all the time, her kindness, her naivety. It’s my favorite thing about him.”
“She sounds like a wonderful person,” the witch spoke, her free hand pulling at a string on her sweater. “You must have loved her very much.”
“I did. But I’ve learned I wasn’t in love with her. I didn’t realize there was a difference. It wasn’t until multiple conversations with my mind healer and mother that I understood. I loved Celene, and she was an important pillar in my life. She would have been a wonderful mother.”
“I tried to kill myself once,” Hermione whispered, her head resting on the strong shoulder of the wizard next to her. Nimble fingers were raking through her curls. The ease of the action had a warmth spreading through her body, causing a comfort that was far too familiar to the feeling of home than she was ready to admit.
“What?” Draco murmured, his body tensing slightly at the feel of her fingers tracing patterns along his forearm.
“I didn’t know how to cope anymore. I was drowning, and it felt like there was no way out of this dark abyss I had found myself in. I had brewed Draught of Living Death… and I was going to drink the entire vial.”
“But you didn’t…”
“Sirius found me,” she continued, taking another sip of her wine. “He pried it from my hands, and I fully expected him to scream at me until I had learned my lesson. But he just smiled sadly, took my hand, and led me out of the darkness.”
“I’ll need to send him a gift of sorts,” Draco murmured, resting his chin on the top of her head. Slowly he laced their fingers together, gently squeezing as his warm hand enveloped hers. “I’m glad you’re alive, Hermione…”
“Me too.”
There was a moment of silence between the two but no awkwardness. It was a comfortable moment, one that Draco hadn’t realized he had longed for.
“Hermione…”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t hex me, ok?”
“Why would I hex you?” she asked, turning her head up to look into the steel eyes of the wizard she had known since she was eleven years old but was really only just getting to see the real him.
Without a second thought, Draco leaned down, capturing her velvet lips in a searing kiss that lit his soul on fire. There was no hesitation as she kissed him back, her small hand reaching up to rest against the cool, soft skin of his cheek. The kiss lasted moments but felt like a lifetime.
“I… I’m sorry,” he stammered, shaking his head, burying the intrusive thoughts of the gold flecks in her eyes that made him feel alive.
“Draco-”
“I shouldn’t have done that,” he continued, running his fingers through his hair. “I know you’re with Oliver, and I just-”
“Draco, stop. Listen. We’ve had a lot of wine. It happened. It’s fine.”
“I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing to forgive. I kissed you back. Let’s just… forget it happened. Ok?”
“Right. Ok.”
December 29, 2010
“Hello, Scorp!” Sirius smiled from the curly-haired witch’s usual perch. Draco raised an eyebrow in confusion while his son visibly deflated. Sirius Black was not the face of the shop. He wasn’t the person that people came to see unless you were an unintelligent witch that someone thought could sway him back toward the female population. They, of course, were sadly mistaken. He was not supposed to be there, though. Where was the curly-haired witch Draco had spent the night thinking about?
“Where’s Miss Hermione?” Scorpius asked, his eyes wide as he approached the counter with his father. Sirius gasped, slapping his hand to his chest as his grey eyes twinkled with mirth.
“You wound me, Scorp!” the Marauder proclaimed, holding out a plate with a warm apple turnover on it. After only a moment's hesitation, the young boy took the plate.
“Thank you,” Scorpius murmured. “Is Miss Hermoine ok?”
“Hermione is fine, kiddo,” he reassured him with a soft smile. “Why don’t you go take that yummy turnover and find Remus? He’s going to be doing reading circle today.”
“Ok. Bye, Daddy,” Scorpius stated, running off to find Remus and Teddy.
“Where is Hermione?” Draco asked Sirius as the man slid his normal coffee in front of him with a bag of pastries. “Is she alright?”
“She’s fine,” he nodded. “Just like I told your son.”
“Black.”
“Malfoy,” Sirius smirked before his face smoothed out, and he looked at him seriously. “Hermione will be fine. She just needs some time.”
“Is she with Oliver?”
“Godric, no,” Sirius spat, taking the proffered Galleons from Draco and putting them in the drawer. Draco immediately missed the normal banter with Hermione about his change. He missed her smile in the morning and the way her laughter caused warmth to spread through his veins, warming him from the unending cold that would creep up on him still. The wizard could already tell he was not going to have a good day. “She’s just taking a break for a few days.”
“Granger doesn’t take breaks,” he shook his head, his arms crossed against his chest as he raised an eyebrow. Draco had the same Black blood running through his veins as Sirius did, and there was no telling just how long a standoff could last between the two. In a shocking twist, Sirius was the one to break first, a heavy high falling from his lips.
“She’s taking a break, Malfoy,” he stated, exhaustion seeping into his features. “Don’t you think after everything that has happened to her, that she deserves a break?”
She deserves the world.
“Right, of course,” Draco nodded. “Will you tell her I asked about her?”
“Why?” Sirius asked, an eyebrow raised as he looked him up and down, assessing the man.
“Because I care about her. We may have a complicated past, but we are older and well… she’s my friend. We tell each other things.”
“Like her almost potion accident?” Sirius stated, her eyes narrowing. “Moony told me you know about it. That she told you. Which means she trusts you because Harry doesn’t even know about that. So keep all of that in mind when I say this to you. I saw the look in her eyes, the look of despair, of someone who just wanted to end the pain. Oliver was a salve to that pain. Don’t get me wrong, she is loads better than she was before. But she’s still in pain, and now the scab has been ripped off again, and she’s dealing with it. That’s why the potions cupboard is warded, and the basement is locked by blood magic, so she can’t get into it. Harry is my godson, and Teddy is my pup, but Hermione is my family. My kid. Mine and Remus’s. I’m not going to let you cause her more pain.”
“I’m not trying to. I just want her to know that I’m here.”
“And maybe that is causing her more pain!” he sighed. “Open your eyes, kid. I know you are smart. You can’t tell me that you don’t see it.”
“See what?”
“She didn’t just lose Oliver,” he said. “She lost you, too. So no, Draco. I won’t tell her you asked about her. I won’t let her go any further down that path.”
“What path? What are you talking about, Black? Hermione and I are friends!”
“The path where she feels any hope that you have a sliver of the feelings she has for you.”
Draco was in a daze as he left the shop and headed to the Ministry, Sirius Black’s words replaying over and over in his head. Hermione had feelings for him? Draco had shut down any feelings that he might have had after the drunken kiss at their friend's house. She was with Oliver, and a few months later, he met Emma. They never spoke of the kiss, but Draco remembered every intimate detail of it. He remembered how soft her lips were and the taste of her. She tasted like sunshine, wine, a hint of their chocolate dessert, and heaven. He could still feel the weight of her hand resting against his cheek, the tender way she touched him, not as if he was glass but as if he was precious to her. But she had told him to forget it happened. She told him not to speak of it again.
The rest of the day he was distracted, stuck in his thoughts about the words Sirius had spoken and going over and over every action and conversation with Hermione. Potter had stolen both of his scones and called him out when he didn’t say anything. Tonks threatened to test him for the Imperius or Polyjuice because he didn’t tell yell at the Auror in training that screwed up the report he had been working on with tampered evidence. Eventually, he was sent home early and told to get himself right before he returned to the office after the Holidays.
That is how he found himself as the manor, peeling off his cloak and making his way through the redecorated halls to find his son and parents.
“Draco, darling, what a surprise,” Narcissa smiled. “You’re early. Scorpius is in the kitchen with Ruby helping her back biscuits.”
“Tonks sent me home early. Said I was distracted,” he spoke, twisting the signet ring on his finger.
“Draco?” Narcissa asked. “Is everything alright?”
“I… don’t know,” Draco admitted, taking a seat across from his parents. The relationship he had with the two of them had gone through many ups and downs over the years since the war. They were finally in a place, though, where he felt he could speak with them about what was happening in his life at the moment with Emma and Hermione. And so he did. He spilled the entire ordeal, from the drunken kiss with Hermione to the gingerbread scones she made and the swapped jewelry with Oliver Wood.
“Draco,” Lucius drawled, lacing his fingers together as he stared at his son. “Are you still planning to propose to Emma?”
“I… yes?” he said as more of a question than a statement. His thoughts had been all over the place since Sirius had thrown new information at him that morning.
“And do the two of you have a plan?” he continued.
“What do you mean?”
“Emma is a muggle,” Lucius stated and held up a hand. “Before you say another word, you know that I like Emma. But she is a muggle, and from what I understand, she isn’t comfortable with our world. What is the plan? What happens when Scorpius begins to have more accidental magic outbursts? She can avoid it for now, but not when you are living together. What happens if the two of you decide to have more children? The magical world can’t just be avoided.”
“I… I don’t know,” Draco admitted, slumping in his chair. There were so many questions that he hadn’t thought about answering. Even he couldn’t believe that his father was the one to remind him of all of them. He just wanted to give his son a mother. Every little boy needed a mother.
“Do you love her, my dragon?” Narcissa asked before taking a delicate sip of her tea. Draco watched her for a moment, taking in how his father watched her with love, tenderness, and devotion. Their love was something he had dreamed of emulating one day.
“I… of course. Of course, I love Emma. We’ve been together for over a year now.”
“But are you in love with her?” She needled, knowing eyes looking into his. It was the question of the century, wasn’t it? Was Draco in love with Emma? How can you be in love with someone and have such a disconnect of what the future looks like?
“Is it possible you could have feelings for another?” Lucius added, an eyebrow raised as he looked at his son.
Thoughts of story times, gingerbread scones, lavender shampoo, Fairy Wine, and refusal of tips came to mind. The memories of baking and a familiar weight on his shoulder caused a small smile to cross his face.
“Think about what you want your future to look like and what you see,” he finished, squeezing his wife’s soft hand.
“And if you happen to see a curly-haired witch, we would not be opposed,” Narcissa pointed out as Scorpius came barreling into the room with Ruby the house wolf.
Draco said his goodbyes, promising to think about what they had said before gathering his son and heading home. Quickly, he packed them both an overnight bag for their night with Emma. By the time they arrived at their destination, she had dinner waiting for them. Before Draco knew it, Scorpius was tucked into the guest room and sleeping. He didn’t want to admit it to himself as he entered the dining room but knew it was time to have an important conversation before he truly did propose marriage.
“Emma, can we talk for a moment?” Draco asked, taking her hand and leading her towards the chaise in his sitting room.
“Of course, Draco. Is everything alright?” she asked, tucking a stray hair behind her ear as she sat down. She was the epitome of grace and elegance, but all he could think about was how uncomfortable and stiff this was. It didn’t feel like baking scones in a kitchen. “Is it Scorpius again? I know he gets uncomfortable staying in London sometimes, but I promise he will get used to it. We can take him to Hyde Park tomorrow.”
“Emma, why don’t you ever want to stay with us?” he asked, deciding to start the conversation that he knew, in his gut, wasn’t going to go well.
“We’ve talked about this, darling,” she sighed, squeezing his hand. “I don’t have magic, and I’m not comfortable staying somewhere that magic is so… prominent. Not to mention, your elf, she’s disconcerting.”
“Olive?” he asked, his eyebrow rising. “She’s been with Scorpius and me since he was born.”
“And I can appreciate that but… I’m just not comfortable.”
He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. A small part of him had hoped she would surprise him. He wanted her heart to be open to his life and what all that would entail but it was becoming more and more clear that Emma wouldn’t be able to do that.
“What if we were engaged? If we were married and having children?” the blonde asked gently. “Our children would be magical. We would be immersed in magic.”
“Well, wasn’t your friend Hermione raised somewhere without magic? It’s possible, isn’t it?” she asked, her blue eyes blinking with curiosity.
“Emma, are you saying you won’t ever be comfortable living in Wizarding Britain with me?”
“I just assumed you and Scorpius would eventually move to London with me,” she stated. “I’m not going to give up my life completely, Draco, and my life is in London. If that isn’t something that you can see yourself doing…”
“Then maybe this isn’t what is best for both of us…” Draco finished, smiling sadly at her.
“I do love you, Draco,” she said sadly, squeezing his hand with hers.
“And I love you,” he nodded. “But not enough to give up magic and everything my life with Scorpius could be.”
“What is it you do want Draco? What do you really want?”
“I want… a partner that doesn’t have to be uncomfortable. I want to be able to share my whole self, my whole heart.”
“And you can’t do that with me?”
“Not if you aren’t comfortable with magic. I’ll always be keeping things from you. Scorpius is going to start having more accidental magic happen; any kids I had with you would, too. I want someone to go through that with.”
“She could…”
“What?” Draco asked, an eyebrow raised.
“I’m not blind, Draco,” she rolled her eyes, chuckling under her breath. “Anyone with eyes can see the spark between you and Hermione. Yes, I know you’re friends, but that doesn’t negate the fact that it’s there if the two of you choose to pursue it.”
“Emma, I’ve never-“
“I know,” she smiled, squeezing his hand. “I know you’ve never cheated on me. You are a good man, Draco, and an amazing father. And… I’m a great catch. We both deserve someone that we fit with.”
“You’ll find him one day,” he vowed, kissing her temple. “You will. I know it.”
“Oh, I know,” she smiled, patting his knee with her free hand. “Now. What are you going to do about Hermione?”
“Emma…”
“Draco,” the blonde laughed. “I meant what I said. It’s there if you choose to act. I think you should. Yes, she might have a boyfriend, but-“
“They broke up,” he interrupted sheepishly. “She found out that he’s a liar and a thief. She’s not ready for me to pursue anything with her.”
“I personally think I’m being very mature about the situation, but Draco… that’s such an excuse. You need to man up and go after her. If you truly want her, then make your move. Tell her what she means to you.”
“You truly are an amazing woman, Emma,” he chuckled, his silver eyes shining brightly. “Whoever you date next better treat you like the queen you are, or he will have to take it up with me.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”