A return to the Ministry
The crisp autumn air swirled fallen leaves around Hermione’s ankles as she stood at the doorstep to the Burrow, a knot of anxiety tightening in her stomach. Three months, three months since Rose had been born, since her world entirely changed and three months since she’d last stepped foot inside the Ministry of Magic. She hadn’t anticipated taking so long off work, but she hadn’t felt ready to face the public after the news had broken of her and Ron’s divorce.
The media as always had been ugly, accusing Hermione of having an affair, that the baby wasn’t really Ron’s because she didn’t’ have the signature red hair of a Weasley. It had been hard, but unfortunately, she was used to the lies that poured from Rita Skeeters charmed quill. It was so typical that despite Ron being the one to cheat on her, she was the one getting the heat from the public, who loved to jump on the idea of the ‘golden girl’ not quite being so golden.
Rose, nestled snugly in her arms, gurgled happily, oblivious to her mother’s nerves, she raised a hand knocking on the door, and not a second later was greeted by the warming embrace of Molly Weasley. Molly still looked the same as she had when Hermione met her aged 12 fresh from her first year at Hogwarts, the same kind smile and tired eyes of a busy mother. “Hermione, and my gorgeous baby Rose! Come in out of the cold sweet girls. Why didn’t you just use the floo?”
Hermione stepped inside, welcomed by the familiar scent of bread baking and Weasley magic washing over her, offering a sense of comfort she craved. “Oh Rosie isn’t a big fan of it, and I didn’t want her being unsettled before I dropped her off.” Molly nodded, “of course, Percy hated the floo until he was fourteen you know, made him sick as a dog everytime he used it”.
Molly directed Hermione to her favourite armchair by the fire where she had spent many a summer pouring over her Hogwarts books, eager to learn more. “Have a seat dear, and give me that beautiful little baby” Molly smiled, holding her arms to take Rose. “She’s getting so big, and of course the absolute double of her mother but her eyes are all Ron.” The witches smiled at each other, but Hermione tensed at the mention of Ron “she smiles just like him too” she replied softly, and felt Molly’s hand on her shoulder “I’ll not forgive him you know sweetheart for what he did to you, and I’m very proud of you for putting you and Rose first. I just need you to know that, he might be my son but you my dear are still and always will be my daughter.” Molly tilted Hermione’s chin up so she could look her in the eye, both their eyes glassy with unshed tears. “I know Molly, and I appreciate it” Hermione reached over to squeeze Mollys hand, she hadn’t realised how much she needed that approval from Molly, but it healed a small part of her that was worried that being divorced from Ron would mean losing his family too, who had become her own after the war.
“Are you sure you’re alright with this, Molly?” Hermione asked again, her voice laced with uncertainty, “I know it’s a lot to ask”. Molly waved a dismissive hand, “don’t be silly dear, I’m thrilled to have Rose for the day. Beside’s the house has been far too quiet since Ginny moved out and I’m looking forward to the company.”
Molly picked Rose up, giving her a gentle cuddle as she flicked her wand in the direction of the kitchen, a cup of tea and a slice of her famous treacle tart appearing in front of Hermione, “some breakfast before you head off dear, start the day on a good note”, Molly smiled at Hermione, as she cooed at Rose who was now awake and wriggling in her arms. The treacle tart was too good to refuse, and Hermione suspected that she wouldn’t get away with refusing it anyway. As they chattered back and forth about Rose’s schedule for the day, and Hermione made sure everything was there, her heart racing as the clock reached 8.30am, “I best be heading Molly” she leaned down to Rose who was playing happily on the floor “Be good for grandma, Rosie” she whispered, kissing her daughter’s forehead “mummy will be back soon”.
As she stepped out of the fireplace in the Atrium, the usual hustle and bustle seemed louder, the famous chaos that she was used to. She took a deep breath, steeling herself for the day ahead. It was time to put on her ‘Department Head” hat and face the challenges that awaited her. But as she walked towards her office, she couldn’t help but think about Rose and her little giggles this morning as they both got ready, her heart hurt missing her.
As she rounded the corner, deep in her own thoughts, a flash of platinum blonde hair caught her eye. Draco Malfoy, leaving against a pillar, was engaged in a heated conversation with a harried-looking wizard from the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Hermione’s heart skipped a beat, she hadn’t seen him since he stopped by after she left the manor, returning home. She had thought about owling him several times, but what would she even say? She had sent a thank you note to him for his assistance in delivering Rose, and a box of what Theo assured her was his favourite mints.
For a moment, she felt a weird excitement in her stomach, it was ridiculous, this was Draco Malfoy for god sake, she wasn’t excited to see him, clearly her trauma of birth had bonded her to him, that’s all it was. She shook her head but there was no denying the warmth that spread through her at the sight of him, a warmth that had nothing to do with the heating charms at the Ministry. He looked up, his grey eyes meeting hers across the crowded space, a flicker of recognition across his face before he smiled at her, softening his usually sharp features. He was dressed in wizarding robes today, a deep green with his dragonskin boots shining from beneath them, she couldn’t help but appreciate how good he looked. Hermione watched as he excused himself from his conversation with a curt nod and strode towards her.
“Granger”, he said, his voice a welcome balm in the middle of the Ministry cacophony “it’s good to see you back” she smiled back at him “I hope the department hasn't gone to ruin with Theo in charge” she laughed a little at this, and her heart fluttered at the smirk on his face. “How is Rose?” he asked, she could feel the unsureness in his voice as he asked the question. “She's doing well”, Hermione said, her face lighttight up. “Growing like a weed, Molly said it’s the Weasley genes.” Malfoy chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that sent shivers down her spine. “I can imagine, Theo said she’s already ready for crawling?” Hermione startled, the thought that Theo and Malfoy were discussing Rose surprising her, “Oh yes, she’s a determined little one, she’ll be on the go sooner rather than later I think”.
They fell into step beside each other, walking towards Hermione’s office. They talked about Rose, about work, about Theo’s latest dating disasters. “Are you free for a coffee later?” Malfoy asked “I heard that you’re a fan of a certain chocolate croissant and I believe the coffee shop below has had some delivered fresh in this morning” Malfoy raised an eyebrow at her as she flushed red “Actually, I am free” trying to maintain a casual tone while her heartbeat louder against her chest. “Good,” Malfoy said, a hint of a smile on his lips “I’ll meet you here at one?” “Perfect, I’ll see you then”, Hermione replied, her smile widening.
Malfoy nodded, his gaze lingering on hers for a second too long “good”, he said again, his voice low and with a final nod, he turned and walked away, leaving Hermione feeling out of sorts. As she turned to go into the office, the door opened to reveal Theo Nott “Good morning sunshine” he smiled, pulling her in for a hug, her heart swelled seeing him there “Theodore, I hope my department is all in one piece” she raised an eyebrow, a smirk on her lips “oh its gone to shit darling, I sacked everyone and implemented naked Thursdays. Though seeing old Higgins strolling around with his balls out might make me take it back” he pulled a face and she laughed. As she stepped into her office, the familiar scent of parchment and ink grounding her, Hermione felt a surge of anticipation, a coffee date with Draco Malfoy, what was she thinking. As she sat down at her desk, pulling the paperwork towards her, she shook her thoughts of all things Malfoy and caught up on the work she had missed.
The morning had passed her by quickly, and she was exhausted with the sheer amount of reports she had to read, though she had Theo for company as he chatted incessantly while she read, getting her up to speed with the office gossip. Glancing at the clock, she realised it was nearly 1pm, when she heard a knock at the door.
Theo stood swinging the door open “Ms Grangers office, how can I help” he smiled sweetly, pausing when he realised who it was “Oh it’s just you Draco, how can I help?” he stepped aside. Draco tentatively stepped into the doorway “ready to go?” he smiled at her, and she stood, catching the shocked look at Theo’s face “where are we going?” he asked. Draco and Hermione both laughed, before Draco answered “you are going nowhere Nott, me and Hermione are off to see a wizard about some chocolate croissants but if you’re a good boy, I’ll bring you one back” he rolled his eyes as Theo pouted.
The coffee shop at the Ministry was the perfect place to stay away from prying eyes of the media, making it an ideal spot for conversations you didn’t want heard with it’s private booths, charmed so no one can overhear. Draco chose a table by the window, overlooking the small courtyard where a few harried-looking witches were discussing love potions. A waiter arrived to take their order, Hermione requesting an americano with an extra shot, and Draco surprising her by ordering the same and two chocolate croissants.
Hermione sipped at her coffee, her gaze flicking towards Draco. He looked surprisingly relaxed; his usual coldness replaced by an easy charm that she found quite disarming. “This is nice” she said, and broke off a piece of her croissant, popping it into her mouth with a quiet little moan “I forgot how good these were”, Draco shifted in his seat as he cleared his throat “quite, I’m a fan of them myself”.
“How have you been” he asked her, and she shrugged, unsure how to answer such a big question “I’m doing okay, It’s been a crazy whirlwind these last three months, between the divorce and adapting to being a mother, let alone a single mother at that”. Draco sat back, sipping his coffee. “Has the Weasel been civil at least, I heard him and Brown made it official, I’m sure that can’t have been easy”. Hermione felt the prick of tears in her eyes, “yes, it was a bit of a blow, but thankfully I’ve not had to see her, and well, she got what she wanted in the end didn’t she. Ron comes to see Rose as much as he can, but we’ve had to set boundaries in place so he doesn’t just arrive when he feels like it”.
Draco nodded at her as she spoke, listening to her intently as he drank “For the record, I think he's a dickhead. But then we both know my feelings on Weasley” he smirked, and sat his cup down, leaning towards her. Hermione laughed, “yes we’re all very aware about your dislike of the Weasley family, but you know, Rose is a Weasley and you seem to like her just fine” she smiled, and he laughed lowly, “yeah but she’s all Granger, and I find myself fond of Grangers” he replied, and she blushed.
There was something about Draco, his quiet attentiveness, his unexpected vulnerability, that made her feel safe and seen. They talked over the next hour, conversation flowing effortlessly as Draco caught her up on his time working at Hogwarts as part of his community service and his commitment to help the Auror department capture Death-Eaters that were still missing. The subtle reminder of the war still there, and the repercussions that followed him.
As time passed, Hermione realised that Draco wasn’t just being friendly. There was something more happening here, he kept leaning over to touch her hand gently, finding any moment to look at her, his eyes slipping from her eyes to her lips, he leaned in a little too close, his voice dropping to a husky murmur when he spoke her name and what surprised her most was finding herself responding the same. It was as she laughed hard at Draco regaling her with a story about Theo getting stuck in the lift with Higgins while she had been away, that a shadow fell over their table.
“Hermione?”, the familiar voice, laced with disbelief and anger, sent a shiver down her spine. She looked up to see Ron standing beside their table, his face flushed, his fists clenched. “Why are you having coffee with Malfoy?” Hermione felt a wave of irritation wash over her “Ronald, what are you doing here?” “I could ask you the same question,” he retorted, his voice rising. “I’m catching up with a friend” she said, her voice carefully neutral, she didn’t want a scene, especially here at the Ministry on her first day back.
“Catching up?” Ron scoffed, his eyes narrowing, “What do you and a death eater possibly have to catch up on?” Draco, who had been silent until now, spoke up, his voice cool and measured “Weasley, I suggest you lower your voice.” Ron rounded on him, his anger flaring. “Stay out of this Malfoy,” he snarled, “This is between me and my wife”. “Ex-wife actually” Hermione interjected, her voice firm “This has nothing to do with you, we’re divorced remember. I can have coffee with whoever I please.”
“But Malfoy?” Ron sputtered, his face red with anger and frustration, “Yes Malfoy,” Hermione said, her voice rising. “You might remember he helped deliver your daughter, when you were busy fucking Lavender Brown and he’s a friend” Ron flinched, his anger momentarily deflated. He looked from Hermione to Draco and back again, confusion crossing his face.
Hermione signed, her patience wearing thin. “Ron, please. Just go, you’re meant to be home with your daughter right now, instead of berating me for my choice of friends. I’ll be there shortly to pick her up.” He hesitated for a moment, his gaze lingering on her face, before he turned and walked away.
“I apologise for that” she said, turning to Draco, who was watching her with an unreadable expression. “No need to apologise,” he said, his voice surprisingly gentle. “I can appreciate he was surprised, and well, he’s clearly still in love with you.”
Hermione snorted, “I can assure you, that the feeling is definitely not mutual if that’s the case” she said dismissing his words. Draco leaned forward, his gaze intense. “So things are definitely over between the two of you? Hermione nodded “absolutely, the divorce was final as of last week and rumour has it, he’s planning to ask Lavender to marry him as he's entirely incapable of being on his own” she rolled her eyes at this. “The only reason Ron is in my life at all is because of Rose.” Draco nodded, “as a father should be”. Draco glanced at his watch, “shit, I’ve got a meeting with Minerva at Hogwarts that I really can’t miss”, he leaned down and kissed her softly on the cheek “coffee again sometime?”, he handed her a bagged up croissant “for Theo, lest he not forgive us for leaving him out of this.” Hermione laughed, taking the bag from him, “same time next week? I’m doing a phased return from maternity so I’m only here twice a week”, Draco nodded his approval “next Monday then” and took his leave, glancing behind him and winking.