Divorced Hermione

Hermione spent the next few days texting back and forth with Draco.

They had agreed that she would tell her children about him on the Wednesday and they would meet him on the weekend.

After spending Monday and Tuesday anxiously filling their time with fun activities, Hermione sat them down on Wednesday night and spoke with them.

“So I know you two are grow up enough to understand so I’m just going to tell you straight” she said across the dinner table.

“I don’t like the sound of this” Rose said, looking to Hugo.

“Yeah me neither” he added.

“Merlin, its nothing bad, just something you need to know. So, while you both have been spending time with your dad and at your Nans, I’ve spent time with some new friends…. One friend in particular, really” she said.

“You’re dating someone?” Rose asked.

“Well… Yes. Yes I am” Hermione answered.

“What’s his name?” Hugo asked.

“Draco”

“Draco? As in… The guy that dad told us about from your Hogwarts days?” Rose asked.

“What do you mean?” Hermione asked.

“Dad told us of this horrid boy at school who used to bully you” Hugo said.

“Well, I suppose he did, but that was a very long time ago and people can change. Draco was not a very nice boy, but he grew up to be a lovely man” Hermione said.

“Well, mum, as long as you’re happy, I’m happy” Rose said.

“I don’t know about this. I’ll have to think about it. If he was horrible to you as a teenager, why would he be any different now?” Hugo asked.

“Things were very different back then Hugo. It was hard to resist things you had been told your whole life, just as Draco had been. It wasn’t till he saw things differently that he was bale to realise how wrong he had been” Hermione said.

“Its ok mum, Hugo is just going by what dad says to us” Rose said.

“Well, what did your dad say to you?” she asked.

“He told us all about your boyfriend” Hugo said.

“What do you mean?” Hermione asked.

“Well, mum, we sort of knew something was up. You’ve been acting differently lately and then on Sunday when we were at Nans, dad came by and told us he’s engaged. I was worried about you, but he said that you’d be ok because you had a boyfriend too” Rose said.

“Dad said that pretty soon, you’re going to forget about us and you’ll be all about this new man. You’ll probably have another baby and once we’re at Hogwarts, it will be like we never existed” Hugo said.

“Oh, that’s silly. I’m sure your dad didn’t mean those things. You both are my number one priority. It doesn’t matter who comes in or out of my life, you two are always the first thing I think of in the morning and the last thing I think of at night” Hermione said, feeling rage build inside her at what Ron has said to the children.

“So you wont just abandon us for him?” Hugo asked.

“No way. Never” she said, reaching her hand across the table for his.

“The three of us are going to Hogwarts together in 2 and a half weeks. If I do see him, it will be during the times when you are both busy. That’s all. He is not my priority” Hermione said.

“Do you love him?” Rose asked.

This question threw Hermione. She knew she loved him, but was she ready to tell her children that? She knew that honest was the best way to go, especially with Rose. Rose seemed to just know things anyway, so she told them the truth.

“Yes, I do. I actually do. He’s lovely and treats me the way I feel like I ought to be treated” she said.

“Does he know?” Rose asked, smiling.

“Know what?” Hermione asked.

“Know you love him?” Rose said.

“Well, yes he does. And he told me he loves me too” Hermione said.

“So when do we meet him?” Hugo asked.

“When you feel ready to meet him. If you want to, we can organise for it to happen whenever you want. But if you’re not ready, then you don’t have to meet him at all” Hermione said.

“I want to meet him” Hugo said, crossing his arms and frowning in a way that very much reminded her of his father.

“Me too” said Rose, only, her demeanour was soft and happy.

“Great, well, this weekend, we can all go out for ice cream” Hermione said.

8888888888888

Saturday approached quickly, preceded by many conversations with both of the children about Draco. Hugo had come to terms with his mum being with someone other than his dad but was still not one hundred per cent convinced that Draco was not a death eater. He was truly Ron all over.

They caught the bus to the city and it was a short walk to the ice cream shop from the bus stop. Hermione didn’t normally use magical methods of travel with her children so the bus was something they were all used to. Draco had tried to convince her to let him pick them up but she thought it would be better to meet him there.

They walked into the shop and Draco was already there, dressed nicely, which made Hermione squirm. She walked to the table he was sitting at, followed by her children and greeted him with a kiss on the cheek. She so desperately wanted more, she wanted him to touch her, she wanted to feel his warm hands on her body, but she knew that if this was to work, especially with Hugo, it would have to be slow.

“Draco, this is Rose…”

“Lovely to meet you” Draco said, shaking her hand gently.

“And this is Hugo”

“Nice to meet you young man” Draco said, shaking Hugo’s hand in a more masculine manner. Huge seemed to appreciate it.

“Its lovely to meet the man who’s making our mum so happy. Isn’t it, Hugo?” Rose said, with an elbow into Hugo’s ribs.

“Yeah, sure” he said, eyeing off the ice cream display.

“Lets get some ice cream, shall we?” Hermione asked, feeling nervous as anything.

The children pressed their faces against the glass as they examined every flavour in turn. When Hugo couldn’t make up his mine, Hermione interjected.

“Hugo, just choose one and be done with it” she said.

“How about you have two scoops mate? My treat” Draco said.

Hermione looked to Draco and smiled. Tick. She thought. The way to Hugo’s heart is through his stomach for sure. He was Ron’s child after all.

Within ten minutes, the four of them had selected their flavours and their add ons, courtesy of Draco and his muggle credit card. The children were grinning from ear to ear as they slurped up their double scoop ice creams complete with toppings of lollies and treats.

They left the store and walked a very short distance to the park next door, which had a wooden table and chairs.

Hermione made certain to sit beside Draco, leaving Rose and Huge sitting next to each other across the table form them both. Hugo stared intently at Draco, in a manner that Hermione interpreted as confusion.

“So, Hogwarts is coming up. Are you both excited?” Draco asked.

“I am, I can’t wait to be able to use magic and learn how to do all the things that I see adults doing with their wands” Rose said.

“I want to fly. For real, not just hover on the stupid brooms at Nans house” Hugo said.

Hermione grinned. Another thing for Draco to talk with Hugo about. She was still hopeless at flying and rarely engaged in the topic.

“Well, you should both be rather happy because you can learn all of that and more in your first few days” Draco said. “I was already a pretty good flyer when I got to Hogwarts” he said.

“And a bit of a prat, I heard” Hugo said.

“Well, actually yes, I was. I was pretty nasty to a lot of people, but I think I’ve more than made up for it now” he said.

“So you admit to being a bully?” Rose asked.

“Of course. But its not till we can admit to the bad things we’ve done that we can begin to make amends and do things the right way. It took me a lot of years, but eventually I realised how horrible I was when I finally got into contact with your mum, I begged her to forgive me and she did” he said truthfully.

“Why don’t we change the topic?” Hermione asked.

“Its ok, they’re curious. It’s only natural, I’m sure their dad has told them to be weary of me and I don’t blame them. If they accepted me straight away I’d think something was wrong” he said.

“Well I don’t” Hugo said.

“Yet” said Rose. “I actually think you’re OK... so far” She added.

“Why don’t you tell them what broom you had in second year?” Hermione asked Draco.

“Well, in second year, my father bought the whole quidditch team Nimbus 2000s” he said with a chuckle.

“Nimbus 2000? That’s so old. How could you even be proud of that?” Hugo asked.

“Well, back then, the nimbus 2000 was the best broom out” Draco said.

“But the firebolt was though, wasn’t it?” Rose asked.

“Well, in third year, your uncle Harry had a firebolt. That was the fastest broom out at the time and is still pretty good now” Draco said.

“No way, the firebolt is nothing. Broomstick weekly says that The Cleansweep is making a comeback with the Cleansweep 2020 this year. Its meant to be faster than anything ever made” Hugo said.

“Well, back in our day, Cleansweep was an old slow broom” Draco said.

“They’ve changed owners. Its now owned by people who know what they’re doing. Not old farts who just put out a new broom every year that’s the same as the one before, just with a different name. This time, its better. Faster. Sleeker. I can’t wait till I can own one” Hugo said, getting excited.

“Yeah right mister, those things will cost a year’s wages. You can have a Nimbus when you’re actually allowed to have one for school” Hermione said.

“Mum.. they’re old” Hugo complained.

Draco just laughed.

“Let’s see how your first year is and we’ll see about getting you both something nice for second year” Draco said.

“So you’re sticking around are you?” Hugo asked.

“If that’s ok with you both” Draco said.

“I guess its ok. For now” Hugo said.

Rose just smiled, looking from Hugo to Hermione.

The group continued with their ice cream for a little while before anyone spoke again.

“Are you rich?” Rose asked Draco.

“Rose! You can’t ask that” Hermione admonished.

“Well, he just made out like he was going to buy us both a good broom after you said it’s a year’s wages. He must be rich” Rose said.

“Its ok. Curiosity is a big thing… My family had a lot of money and when my parents died, they left it to me. I don’t know what you mean by rich. If it means do I have a lot of money, the answer is yes, but there’s more to being rich than having a lot of money” Draco said.

“Like what?” Hugo asked.

“Like happiness, family, love. You three have all of that. You’ve had it your whole lives. To me, that is far greater than all the money in Gringotts” he said.

“So you aren’t happy?” Rose asked.

Hermione went to interject, but Draco smiled at her and continued.

“I wasn’t. For a long time, I was very unhappy and didn’t even know it. It wasn’t till I saw your mum again and she was nice to me that I realised I had spent a long time being miserable. Your mum makes me happy” he said.

“And you make her happy too. We’ve seen it. Even before we knew she had a boyfriend… And… I guess… if she makes you happy and you make her happy, then you’re ok by us” Hugo said.

Hermione got up and hugged both her children. She needed no words, but a group hug to show them what it meant for them to approve of her happiness with Draco.

“Ok mum, you’re suffocating us” Rose said.

Hermione let go and sat back on her side of the table beside Draco.

“Can we go play?” Rose asked.

“Sure, go run amok” Hermione said.

For the next hour, Rose and Hugo played while Hermione and Draco said talking. They spoke about the awkwardness Hermione felt, talking about his money. She didn’t want him for his money, and he knew that. The truth was, once he sold Malfoy Manor, he put the money into the Malfoy Vault at Gringotts and never looked at it again.

“Of course I will have to open it up again to buy a house some day, but I don’t really even need to access the money. Any transfers, the goblins handle, but those are rare. I make enough to live the life that I live now” he said.

“Well, of course you do. There’s no one like you in the world” she said.

“You were my only competition” he said, leaning over and kissing her.

“Ohh, that’s why you had me fired then?” she asked, poking him in the ribs.

“Well, that and I couldn’t fuck the brains out of my competition, could i?” he said.

Hermione blushed and looked around, “You can’t say that” she said.

“Why not?” he asked, kissing her neck below her ear.

“Because someone could hear you. We’re supposed to be having a nice day at the park” she said.

“You’re right, I’m sorry. I’ll fuck your brains out later” he said.

“Oh, you will, will you?” she asked.

“Well, I can come over now. They like me. I’m the rich guy who’s dating their mum” he said with a grin.

“Well then, you best be over at 9pm then” she said.

The banter continued until the children returned from the playground.

“Draco is going to come over later tonight. Is that ok with you both?” Hermione asked the children.

“Sure. Doesn’t bother me. He can stay as much as he likes. Vivienne lives at dads house and we didn’t get a say in it, so a few sleep overs isn’t going to matter to us” Rose said, having a big drink from her water bottle.

“Hugo?”

“Sure, I don’t care” he said.

“Well, it was lovely meeting you both, but I have to go and get some work done” Draco said, standing up from the table and stretching his long legs out.

“See ya Drake” Rose said.

“Yeah, bye” Hugo said.

Hermione stood and reached her arms around him. She felt awkward doing this in front of her children but she couldn’t resist.

“I’ll see you later” she whispered.

He kissed her quickly on the lips and they pulled away from one another.

“See you later” he said, waving as he turned to walk away.

Once he was out of earshot, Hermione spoke with her children.

“Be honest, how was that?” she asked.

“It was the best. So sweet. If you’re happy, I’m happy. As long as he doesn’t turn out to be a serial killer” Rose said.

“Hugo?” Hermione asked.

“He seems ok. He’s not a death eater anymore. I guess its good that you’re happy. You were never like that with dad” he said.

“No, me and your dad sort of fell out of love towards the end” she said.

“Will you fall out of love with Draco?” Rose asked.

“I hope not. As long as we talk about things and keep making each other happy then we’ll love each other for a long time, I hope” she said.

“Are you going to get married, like Dad and Vivienne?” Rose asked.

“Gosh Rose, I have no idea. We’ve only been together a few weeks” Hermione said, laughing.

“But you love him and want to be with him for a long time. Why not get married?” she asked.

“Because he might not want to marry me?” Hermione said, thinking about the glaringly obvious reason in her mind as to why he wouldn’t want to marry her – he wants a baby, she can’t give him one.

“We’re just taking things as they come, ok? Now… the bus comes in twenty minutes so let’s get ready to head off” she said.

_________________

The next week and a half went by quicker than Hermione had hoped. She spent the days with her children and every night, Draco would come over and they would have dinner together. Hermione made it clear to the kids as well as Draco that as soon as someone mentioned they weren’t ok with the arrangement, it would cease.

Rose and Hugo spent the last few days before school with Ron and his family, and travelled with them to collect their books and things from Diagon Alley.

After talking with a real estate agent, she had had an offer on the house immediately, and accepted it. She didn’t need the house just sitting there empty for most of the year and this way, it would be more acceptable around the muggle community that the children didn’t attend the local high school with their friends.

The day before they were due to leave for Hogwarts, Draco helped Hermione pack all the things she didn’t need into a storage container, shrink it and place it in the bottom of her trunk.

Hermione wandered around her house that was empty except for three trunks that sat in the living room. It was the first place she had owned by herself and it contained so many memories, despite only living there for a short time.

She was ready to leave. She was ready to take on this new adventure and see what life had in store for her.

She spent the night with Draco in the Penthouse Apartment at the Four Seasons and awoke the following day, feeling anxious but excited for the journey ahead.

She apparated alone to the outskirts of the castle and walked to the familiar entrance and through the corridors to meet with McGonagall. They discussed a three-year plan for Hermione to become headmistress and identified ways that Hermione could combine her parenting with her teaching and have time for Draco.

It was at this point where Hermione discovered that Draco had been offered the spot of Defensive Magic Professor. It had only been a few days in the works, and he had only accepted the previous day after wrapping up his other work commitments, but Hermione couldn’t believe that everything had fallen into place.

Their classrooms had been rearranged so that they were beside each other and the wall between their sleeping quarters had been removed to allow them to share the space.

When night-time fell, Hermione and Draco took their places at the Professors table where Neville also sat, having been made Herbology professor.

As the older students filed in, Hermione looked out to her nieces and nephews and smiled to them each, receiving smiles back. Even thought she was no longer their aunty by marriage, she had seen them grow up and didn’t have any intention of forgetting them.

She had tears in her eyes as the first years entered the hall, all looking afraid. Even Rose, who had been excited in the lead up to the day, was looking afraid.

The students were sorted quickly and as expected; Hermione’s children had both been placed in Gryffindor.

After dinner she wrote a quick note to Ron, letting him know that they had settled in well and sent it with the twins’ owl.

Overall, everything for Hermione had fallen into place. She laid beside Draco that night and smiled to herself.

This life was going to be a good one.