Chapter 9
The cold of the early morning settled into his joints. There had been a time where getting up at the hour had repulsed him to the core, but now he found himself wide awake at an hour reserved only for old people and toddlers, though he'd never admit to fitting into the latter category.
Leo was, of course, chattering away and shoveling brightly colored breakfast cereal into his face at top speed.
"Where are we going to so early anyway, Grandad?"
"Florist. I want to surprise your grandmother when she wakes up." Draco responded, finishing off his tea and morning scowl at the Prophet.
"Could have them delivered. Nana says you need your glasses when we go out!"
Draco pointedly stuffed them into his pocket. "The shop is Muggle, they won't deliver here. Besides, I want to see them for myself. "
They walked to the end of the Manor's property, Leo chatting all the while in a stream of consciousness. Draco scooped the flailing tot up to Apparate them to his protest.
"I'm old enough to side allonngg."
"No. You'll splinch yourself."
"Maybe they'll replace half of me with a robot!"
They appeared silently in the alley of a sleepy village. Draco checked both sides before emerging from the shadow, as somethings were just ingrained into a soul after so much time.
The florist was open, and after carefully inspecting several bouquets and Leo accidentally destroying 3 of them, they paid and left before the rambunctious child could do any more damage.
In the gardens of the manor, Leo finally fell quiet, calmed by the serenity of the greenery.
"I want to give her one." Draco picked out one flower for him. As the gazebo came into sight, the familiar bushy hair, escaping a braid from the night before caught his eye. A giant tome and a teacup floated next to her as she marked her place to greet them.
Leo ran up first, waving the flower in her face but Hermione returning all the enthusiasm in kind. Then to Draco and the rest of the flowers.
"Hhmmm...it's not our anniversary, it's not a birthday…" she touched the flowers thoughtfully. "Okay, I admit it, I forgot, what's today?"
"Oh how they fall, Granger actually admitting defeat. First date." He smirked as she swatted him on the arm. "I've never forgotten it for a moment, even after all this time.