I had a bit of trouble getting into the story at first, but I swear I have no idea how this suddenly turned into a huge 7k monster. Hope you enjoy it!

Hermione moaned in annoyance as she threw an arm over her closed eyes in an attempt to block the light coming in from the window; it was a rather sunny day in Perthshire, Scotland. Just as she was about to fall asleep again, she felt the mattress slightly sink under the weight of the small figure beside her.

A small boy rubbed his eyes and yawned as he rose to his feet, he looked around and a broad grin lightened up his face followed by a playful giggle as he threw himself down at the other adult figure lying still on the bed.

"Wake up, daddy! It's time to wake up!" Draco Malfoy groaned loudly and rolled over to his side, eyes still closed.

"Why don't you go and wake up mummy first, mate?" He mumbled.

"There's no need for that, mummy's awake," Hermione said, rolling over to face her son and ruffled his hair. "Good morning, little man." Her eyes drifted off to her sleeping husband and a mischievous smirk appeared on her face as an idea popped into her mind. "Scorp, why is daddy still sleeping? I think we might need to wake him up again."

Hermione and Scorp went straight to tickling Draco's belly. His eyes shot wide open, an uncontrollable laughter erupted from his throat, and his body began writhing. "No-st-stop it," was all he managed to blurt out while his hands were desperately trying to get ahold of the attackers' arms – unsuccessfully.

Hermione eventually stopped; she smiled broadly at the scene before her. Scorpius looked just like his father, straight platinum blond hair, grey eyes and sharp features. Also, he acted a lot like his father; he was basically Draco's carbon copy.

Hermione's mind went back to that night when she found Draco sitting in front of the fireplace with concern plastered all over his face, jaw tightly clenched, and brows furrowed.

"Draco?" He jumped at the sound of her voice. He attempted a smile, but it never reached his eyes, and that's how she knew something was wrong. "What is it?" Hermione asked in a low voice. Slowly, she walked up to him as she ran her hands across her very pregnant belly.

His eyes wouldn't meet hers; instead, he looked down and spoke in a low raspy voice, "I don't know if I can do this, the baby... I don't know how to – to be a good parent. I just– I don't know about this anymore." He dragged his long fingers through his hair and Hermione knew there was something more going on; there was a reason behind this feeling, so she let him find the words to describe it. "Hermione, I've done so many bad things in my life, I made all the wrong choices, I hurt you," his eyes finally found hers and she saw the storm that were his grey eyes, "I – you and this baby are the best things that could've happened to me but I feel like I'm just going to screw it all up."

"Oh, Draco." Hermione's welled up; she took both of Draco's hands and pulled him in. "Listen to me," she cupped his face, running her thumbs along his cheekbones, "yes, you've made many wrong choices, but you've made up for them. But you're not the only one that has made the wrong choices, and we will keep on making wrong choices because we're human. What matters is what you do to fix them." She planted a soft kiss on his forehead. "This is also my first time having a child. I have no idea how to do any of this, but together we will find a way to sort this whole thing out. We're in this together."

She wished she could go back to that moment and show him this very scene before her to ease his worries. He had been an amazing father ever since day one.

"Okay Scorp, I think that's enough," she said snickering. "Why don't you go check if breakfast is ready"

Yes, mummy." He dashed out of the room and down the stairs to the kitchen where Trixie, their house-elf –or as Hermione called her since she hated the alternative, their "helper"– was most likely up and cooking a delicious breakfast.

"You've got to love that boy." Hermione said as she placed a tender kiss on Draco's cheek.

Draco pulled her arm and in a swift movement trapped Hermione under him, propping himself up on his forearms, and his trademark smirk curving his lips. "You planned the whole attack, didn't you, Granger?"

"Perhaps I did, Malfoy." Hermione bit her lower lip knowing it drove Draco crazy.

And she was right; his eyes darkened and his lips pressed against hers. He caressed her cheek and Hermione locked her hands behind his neck, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss. "Damn you, woman."

Hermione tugged at the hem of Draco's shirt and swiftly pulled it up and over his head. His lips moved down her neck, leaving a trail of wet kisses. One of his hands was starting to wander around the waistline of Hermione's short while the other was reaching for his wand to put a silencing spell on when a gasp made both Draco and Hermione practically fly off the bed.

Narcissa Malfoy stood at the door, eyes covered and crimson red cheeks. "Oh my goodness! I talked to Scorp downstairs and he told me you were awake."

"Narcissa!" The colour in Hermione's cheeks burned bright red. "I'm so sorry! We were just– we were about to go downstairs as well."

Draco pulled his shirt over his head and watched as his wife got up to her feet and frantically fixed her hair and clothes, quite the amusing scene.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck." Hermione muttered under her breath in an almost inaudible voice.

"Mother, we weren't expecting you today. Perhaps you'd like to wait for us downstairs while we finish our little business here." He suggested.

"Actually, I'm here for a matter of great importance, son."

"So I suppose it can't wait?" Draco pushed.

"No."

He sighed in defeat, "Fine. Oh and, it's okay, you can look now."

Narcissa slowly uncovered her eyes and Hermione was quick to greet her. After a million apologies followed by her mother-in-law's assurance that it was no big deal, Hermione suggested for breakfast outdoors.

"Actually, I just had breakfast with Lucius, my dear. I just came to tell you and Draco about this really big event I'll be hosting–"

"That was the 'matter of great importance', mother?" Draco asked, "You host events all the time, why would it be of 'great importance'?" Hermione shot a warning look at him even though she kind of agreed with him.

"Because it is a Hogwarts reunion." Draco was about to start protesting but stopped at once as she held up a finger. "It's been years since the battle," her semblance darkened at the mention of the event and Hermione could feel Draco's uneasiness. "And you two haven't been seen for almost four years ever since you came to live here in Scotland. Do your friends even know about Scorpius?"

That last part hit Hermione. Hard. Ginny had been the only one she'd told about Scorpius and there was a reason for it. The day she'd told Harry and Ron about her relationship with Draco, things hadn't turned out the way she'd planned; they didn't approve, and she really couldn't blame them. Despite Draco aiding them a few times during the war, they weren't convinced that he had changed for the better, and they didn't think he deserved a woman like Hermione. Ron didn't talk to her for a little over a month, and even though she was on speaking terms with Harry, he was cold to her. They eventually got over it and were able to sort of move on from that, but it was only the calm before the storm.

But all that went to hell when she broke the news about the engagement. It fell short to say both her friends were pissed off. Ginny had to basically drag Harry and Ron's arse down to the wedding where yet another argument took place later that night. Hermione learned that they had only "accepted" her relationship with Draco because they were sure it wouldn't last since she'd soon realized that the man she married was still an "evil arrogant git" and leave him.

Harry and Ron stormed out and Hermione snuck out to the bathroom followed by Ginny who comforted Hermione for a while until she convinced her to go back outside and enjoy her special night. With a flick of Ginny's wand Hermione's make-up and hair were back on point.

Draco and Ginny had been Hermione's strongest support system during those hard times before the Golden Trio was able to work things out. However, the topic of her relationship with their – or at least her former enemy turned into a taboo.

Feelings and conflicts in Hermione's life had been wrapping around her like a cage that shrunk by the minute, leaving her with a claustrophobic feeling; a feeling of wanting to get out, to run away somewhere she could breathe again. Constantly having to hide from the constant target on her from the media. She was a war heroine and "the brains" of the Golden Trio after all. It all became too much. Hence them moving to Scotland where life was more peaceful. Monthly letters came in from the Weasleys and the Potters but she had to admit she had put some distance between herself and everyone back in England.

And that's why Hermione had never said anything to neither Ron nor Harry about Scorpius, she was scared – terrified of what they might think. She couldn't lose them. But there was the voice in the back of her head reminding her that she couldn't live her whole life hiding and trying to make other people happy even if she wasn't.

"Hermione, love?" Draco's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "You alright there?" His hand went to rest at the small of her back.

"Yes, sorry." She forced a smile out and looked up to Narcissa, feeling Draco's eyes glued on her, clouded with concern. "Narcissa, I think a reunion is a great idea. We've all drifted apart these last few years, and it would be nice to see some familiar faces."

Narcissa noticed Hermione's uneasiness. "Hermione, my dear," she took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "My intention was never to upset you, and while I agree with you about it being nice to see familiar faces, it wouldn't be that good of an idea if it causes you pain." She seemed to be searching for the right words to use next. "It has been a while since you last saw them, and many things have changed."

Hermione's eyes softened. "It's fine, Narcissa." She gave the woman a warm reassuring smile. "When will this reunion take place?"

"I'll send you all the details in a letter tomorrow. It's going to be amazing!" She went on about all the arrangements, the fancy food, extravagant décor, and other things Hermione no longer heard since her mind had drifted off again.

The rest of the day Hermione had been rather absent; her eyes were empty most of the time while her mind was busy elsewhere, her brows knitted together as her wheels were turning. Draco was worried about this whole thing; he couldn't stand Hermione being like that over those two twats.

-/-

A blank piece of parchment stared dauntingly at Hermione. The quill rested in her hand ready to start scribbling. She had been thinking about this whole ordeal and decided it was time to stop hiding. The party Narcissa had planned was meant to be a happy event for friends that had grown up together to reunite and share an evening together as they used to. She wouldn't want to ruin it by having yet another fight with her friends, and for that, she needed to tell them everything. Kids were invited to the party as well so either way they would find out about Scorpius. Harry and Ginny had a child of their own, as did Ron and his wife Lavender; she smiled at the image in her head of the three kids playing together.

"Aren't you coming to bed?" Draco whispered huskily in her ear. He pushed her hair back and began leaving a trail of kisses along her bare shoulder and neck. "I tucked the Scorp in already and put up a silencing charm. Want to finish what we started earlier?"

As much as she'd loved to, she had to finish these letters and send them at once. The faster they got the news, the more time they would have to let it all sink in.

She got up, cupped his face, and pressed her lips against his. She let it go on for a while, enjoying the taste of him, the warmth of his hands on her hips, and the way his body pressed up against hers. Eventually, she had to pull back otherwise, she would lose herself in him, and would be unable to stop.

"Not tonight. I have to get this all off my chest before your mum's party. And," she looked at the floor for a moment, "I can't keep hiding from them... I can't lose my best friends. But, this is my life now, you and Scorp, and if they can't accept that then the door's open."

Draco smiled warmly at her. "You are bloody amazing you know that?"

"Yeah, I do." She said smugly and Draco laughed.

"Cocky, aren't we, Granger?"

"What can I say? I learned from the best, Malfoy."

"Well, I am the best."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Arse."

"Twit"

"Love you."

"Love you more."

Hermione was about to lean in for another kiss when Scorp came into their room, hair tousled and rubbing his eyes.

"What's wrong, my love?" She walked up to him and knelt before him.

"Can't sleep, mummy." He held his Teddy Bear close to his chest.

"Would you like to hear a bedtime story, mate?" Draco offered as he picked the little boy up in his arms.

Scorp's eyes lightened up at the sound of that. "Yes! I want the one of 'Salzar' Slytherin."

"Love, wouldn't you like to hear about Godric Gryffindor?" Hermione suggested, eyes locked on Draco's as she smirked. "He was the bravest of them all!"

"No, daddy says 'Salzar' is the bravest."

"Oh, does he now?" Hermione arched her brows and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yes, mummy. I want to be in Slytherin!" Draco gave her a smug smirk before making his way to Scorp's bedroom. Hermione simply rolled her eyes at him and sighed.

She sat back down and tried to focus again on what she was doing before her boys came in and derailed her train of thought. After pondering for a while, Hermione decided it was best to start with the easy letter.

Dear Harry,

-/-

Draco knocked twice on the bathroom door. "Granger, will you just come out already? You've been there for ages."

"Coming!" A few seconds later the lock clicked and the door swung open. Hermione walked past him, a towel wrapped tightly around her body and another around her damp hair. "Ugh. Have you seen my wand?" She frantically strode around the room rambling on about how she needed it to dry her hair to make it look less like a bird's nest.

Draco had an amused look on his face as he walked over to the drawer where his wife's wand rested – at plain sight, and handed it to her. "Hey, listen to me," He stopped her on her tracks, placing a hand on her shoulder as the other rested on her neck, his thumb circling her jawline. "Calm down. Everything is going to be just fine."

"I feel like this is going to turn into a complete and utter mess."

Ever since she sent those letters –about a week and a half ago– she would glance at the window every now and then, hoping to spot Pecker carrying their replies. The bloody letters never came.

"Granger, stop it." He lifted her chin to meet her gaze. "As much as it pains me to say this, they're not that stupid – okay maybe they are, but not when it comes to you. They'll come around trust me. Plus, if that pair of tossers do or say anything to hurt you, I'll gladly hex the hell out of them."

Chuckling, she stood on her tiptoes to press a soft kiss to the corner of Draco's mouth. "Thank you." Her eyes widened the moment she saw the time on the clock. "Merlin, look at the time! I need to get that son of yours to take a bath."

"Good luck with that." He scoffed, and closed the bathroom door behind him. Later, she heard the sound of water running.

She let her damp hair out of the towel and waved her wand, muttering a couple of spells under her breath. Seconds later, her hair was dry and untangled, and Hermione tied it up in a ponytail. Changing into more comfortable clothes, she prepared herself to go face the challenge that was trying to get a four-year-old in the shower.

"Scorp! Time to get a bath." She yelled, and instantly heard his footsteps running away from her. Giggling, she ran after him. "I'm coming for you!"

She playfully chased him around for some good five minutes. "Ha! Got you. Now, let's go." Hermione picked him up in her arms. Pouting, Scorp folded his little arms and frowned.

"But mummy," he moaned, "I don't want to take a bath!"

"But we're going to a party, darling, don't you want to look even more handsome?"

"But I am very handsome now." 'Like father like son.' Hermione thought.

"You are, my love, but this is a special party. Many of mummy and daddy's friends are going, you know? Don't you want to impress them with how good you look?"

Scorp's brows furrowed as he pondered the thought. "Fine," he agreed, "I'll take a bath. But only one."

Hermione laughed and promised him it was only going to be one bath, at least for today.

Bath time, fortunately, went pretty smoothly. After Hermione dried and combed Scorp's hair, Trixie came in with a small black tux. This party –like most of Narcissa's events– was a Black Tie event. Something, she though, would not sound very appealing to Scorpius. Hermione could already picture him complaining about the bowtie while tugging at it.

As soon as Scorp laid eyes on it his eyes widened in excitement. "That's just like the one daddy wears!"

Hermione was taken aback by her son's excitement over the attire but didn't complain. "Indeed it is, now you'll look just like your dad." And he did look just like Draco.

Right on cue, Draco came in, fidgeting with his cufflinks. Hermione bit her lower lip at the sight of her husband all dressed up.

"Enjoying the view, Granger?" He raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Oh, shut up." But a light blush was already creeping up her cheeks.

"Look, daddy! I'm dressed like you."

Draco knelt down before his son. His eyes analyzed Scorp from head to toe before narrowing, his head tilted to the side, and he scratched his chin.

"Hermione, I think this little man just stole my spot as the most dashing man alive." He stated and gave his son –who looked so incredibly proud of himself– a broad smile.

Hermione laughed. "Well it was about time you realized that!" Draco simply rolled his eyes. "Well, I'll leave you boys be. Mummy needs to go get ready."

Hermione let out a long sigh as she walked into the master bedroom. She undressed, leaving only her underwear on as she stepped into the large dressing room. Draco had a rather serious obsession with buying clothes; he had insisted on buying a house with a big dressing room only to cast an extension charm on it to make it a few inches larger. When she'd finished hanging and putting away her clothes, there was still a large vacant space, which later on both Narcissa and Draco had gladly filled with more clothes than she could ever use.

She slipped into a grey off-shoulder floor length dress and matched it with a pair of silver heels. After many wand flicks, she found the right hair up do. She finished the look with a silver necklace with a small emerald heart-shaped pendant and a pair of earrings to match; gifts from her parents for her sixteenth birthday.

She took one last look at herself in the mirror, and taking a deep breath she made her way out of the room, down the hallway, and down the stairs. Draco and Scorpius turned their heads at the sound of her heels clicking down the stairs; they were waiting for her by the fireplace. Both their jaws dropped at the sight of her and she was unable to contain her smile.

"Mommy, you look like a princess." Hermione thanked her son and kissed his forehead.

"Enjoying the view, Malfoy?" Hermione enquired, a brow raised suggestively.

Draco's mouth was agape as he looked at the beautiful woman before him, who happened to be his wife. The dress she was wearing hugged her body in all the right places and thoughts he should really leave for later roamed his mind.

"Well, you do look quite ravishing in that dress, Mrs. Malfoy. Shall we?" He offered her an arm she gladly took while her free hand took Scorp's.

-/-

"Clearly, this is my mother's doing."

Draco was right; the venue alone was one of the fanciest places for wizards in London. Charms and protection spells were able to disguise the whole building and garden areas surrounding it, along with any wizard who stepped into a certain perimeter. The Malfoys walked through a path framed by exotic magical glowing flowers. Floating paper lanterns hovered above them. White marble fountains and moving golden statues gave the place its finishing touches. Up in the sky, fireworks were constantly going off. The whole place looked... Well, magical.

It was the first party with kids allowed that Scorp had attended to so his eyes were all over the place, marveled at the decorations extravaganza. And to think the actual big thing awaited them inside the Victorian building.

Draco was handing over their invitations when his mother made her way to greet them, followed by her husband.

"Darlings, I'm glad you could make it." She stacked her hands over her chest and proudly admired his son's family. "Aw, you all look wonderful." Her eyes welled up and Draco pulled her in for a hug.

Lucius Malfoy had a proud look on his face as well as he greeted his son and grandson. Finally, he turned to Hermione and smiled. "You look lovely, Hermione."

"Why thank you, Mr. Malfoy." Never in a million years would she have imagined this would be her life in the future. The family standing in front of her had come a long way since those dark days; they had really made an effort to change their ways, it hadn't been easy and, it took a few years but eventually they had come around and turned into a family that accepted her and took her in. Hermione had grown on them and so did Scorpius when he came into this world.

"Wow mother, quite the party you are throwing tonight." Draco said as he looked around.

"Well, tonight had to be special, and you don't want to miss any of it, so off you go. Enjoy yourselves!" She ushered them inside where they, once again, stood dumbfounded at the sight of the room.

The ceiling had been enchanted to look like the one at Hogwarts: a clear starry nighttime sky. Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin hangings were held aloft from the ceiling, along with two hangings with the Hogwarts crest on them. Candles hovered above the round tables located around the room.

The orchestra was playing the same songs that had played the night of the Yule Ball, as well as songs the school choir had sung. Some students who had been part of the choir were joining the orchestra during these songs to sing them. The whole place looked a lot like the Great Hall back at Hogwarts. A feeling of nostalgia and longing engulfed Hermione and memories flooded her mind as her eyes found the Hogwarts castle replica –in a smaller scale of course– set in the center of the hall.

Familiar faces surrounded Draco and Hermione, most of those faces married and with small kids. Old friends walked up to greet them with astonished looks on their faces at the sight of them holding hands, and their eyes widened, even more, when they saw Scorp.

"Auntie Ginny!" Scorpius screamed and ran up to his favorite ginger.

As soon as Ginny saw him, she knelt down and opened her arms widely. Hermione smiled but that smile quickly faded as soon as she saw the other people Ginny was with. She took in a shaky breath, preparing herself for what was about to come.

"Draco Malfoy." A voice called behind them, shaking her out of her thoughts. Hermione was unsure about whether it had been a question or a statement, but she was almost certain of whom that annoying voice belonged to. She turned around, coming face to face with Pansy Parkinson. "Long time no see." Who also happened to be ignoring her presence completely.

"Pansy," Draco greeted her, and made no attempt to hide his displeasure, "indeed."

"I must say you look rather striking tonight." She said in a honeyed voice that made every hair on Hermione's nape stand on edge.

Hermione cleared her throat and crossed her arms over her chest. "Evening, Pansy."

"Oh, Granger," Pansy laid eyes on her only for a few seconds, eyeing her from head to toe before going back to her main target, "didn't see you there."

Pushing her shoulders back, as a wave of confidence ran through her body, Hermione slightly lifted her chin and curved her mouth into a smug smirk. "It's actually Malfoy now. Hermione Malfoy."

Draco hugged Hermione's waist to pull her closer to him.

"We got married five years ago," she continued, "and over there is our son, Scorpius." She pointed to where Scorp was, cheerfully talking to Ginny. "I heard your fiancé –or ex – fiancé for that matter, called off your engagement, is that true? I read it on Witch Weekly, so I was hesitant to rely on it, but now that you're here I can ask you firsthand."

Draco coughed and covered his mouth with his hand in an attempt to hide the grin spreading across his face, and suppress the laugh that threatened to burst out. A flustered Pansy Parkinson glared at Hermione who haughtily held her gaze waiting for Pansy's answer.

Hermione savored the range of emotion crossing Pansy's face, making sure she memorized every single second of this moment that she never ever wanted to forget.

Pansy seemed to have lost her ability to communicate; she simply balled her fists and clenched her jaw while her cheeks burned crimson red.

"Well, we'd love to stay and chat, but our friends are waiting for us. Oh and, I truly am sorry about your engagement." Hermione said in the sweetest voice she could manage. Her fingers intertwined with Draco's as they walked away.

"So," Hermione said after taking a deep breath, "how was my impression of a mean arrogant sardonic bitch?"

"You gave quite the blinding performance. I didn't know you had it in you, Granger – bloody hell! Sorry, sorry, sorry, I meant Malfoy. Please don't kill me." He teased, Hermione elbowed him in the ribs but a smile was tugging at her lips.

"She's the only one who's not allowed to call me that, but you have my permission." She said, cupping his face, and pulling him down for a kiss.

"Hey," Draco slowly pulled away, "I believe there are some people you need to go say hello to."

Her eyes found her friends, who were completely oblivious to her gaze. She felt her lungs compressing and turning to stone, making it difficult to breathe. Heart pounding against her chest and knees going weak. Her mind ran wild, showing her a thousand ways in which this could go wrong. Everything stopped and went quiet the moment Draco's hand took hers.

"I'll hold your hand the entire time, I promise. Hermione, you can do this; you're the brightest witch of your age, for Merlin's sake! And you're a bloody war heroine, and most importantly," he smirked, "you're a Malfoy."

Hermione smiled at the last part – the man knew exactly how to distract her mind and make her smile. She took a deep breath. "Okay, I'm ready. Let's go."

All she could hear was her heart pounding a mile per hour against her ribcage as if it was trying to break free. 'One foot after the other, Hermione. You're okay." Draco's hand was holding her steady, like an anchor.

Ginny spotted them and a smile lightened her face, she beckoned them with her free hand while the other held Scorp's. A bunch of prying eyes turned to fixate on them as they approached the circle.

"Hello, Hermione." Said Luna in her ever so dreamy voice, and Hermione was so thankful for her for breaking the ice she could snog her. "Oh, hi there, Draco."

"Hey, Luna." Hermione greeted her shyly.

"How have you been, Luna?" Draco asked, and they engaged in their own conversation, leaving a thick award silence hanging between Hermione and the rest. She squeezed Draco's hand, and he squeezed it back.

"So," Ginny interjected, "everyone loved your boy, Hermione. Right laddie?" She glanced down at Scorp who nodded eagerly.

"He's definitely Draco's clone." Lavender said laughing, which definitely lightened the mood.

"But he's definitely got his mum's wits." Neville winked at Hermione.

Scorp ran to Hermione, who picked him up in her arms. "Didn't I tell you that boys who take a bath impress others?" she asked him.

"Trouble with bath time, eh? I've seen that somewhere else, right darling?" Ginny turned to ask Harry who wouldn't meet Hermione's eyes.

"Yeah." He muttered, shoved his hands in his pockets, and went back to being silent.

Ginny smiled apologetically at Hermione and tried to ease the tension by starting a conversation about something else – Hermione, however, was no longer listening to her. Tears were stinging her eyes, threatening to roll down her cheeks. Draco noticed this and he gave her hand a squeeze; she squeezed back. Neither Harry nor Ron looked at her or Draco.

At some point, Ron said something to Harry's ear. He nodded once before they were off to Merlin knows where. The crowd quickly swallowed them and they were out of sight. Suddenly, she found herself letting go of Draco's hand and following her friends. Ginny's hand on his chest stopped Draco on his tracks when he attempted to follow Hermione.

"Draco," Ginny began but he nodded understandingly.

"Daddy, where's mommy going?" Scorp asked.

"She had to take care of something important, mate. But she'll come back in a while."

"In the meantime," Ginny interjected, "why don't you come with me and I'll introduce you to some friends for you to hang out with, how would you like that?" She took Scorp's hand and led him where the kids were playing. Ginny gave Draco one last reassuring smile before disappearing in the crowd.

-/-

It didn't take long for Hermione to find Harry and Ron; they were out into the garden, leaning against the wall talking. The night was a chilly one; Hermione ran her hands up and down the goose bumps on her arms. Hermione's coat was back at the reception but she sensed that adrenaline was soon going to be enough to keep her warm. Her friends stiffened the moment they noticed her walking quickly toward them.

"Bloody hell." She heard Ron muttering under his breath.

The three of them stood awkwardly in silence for a while, until Hermione decided to break the ice. "So, did you receive my letters?" She mentally berated herself for sounding so naively hopeful.

"We did." Harry said and Ron only nodded.

"So... what do you guys think?" Neither of them said anything and Hermione was growing impatient by the second. "None of you are going to say anything?" No answer. She took a deep breath. "We're bloody adults, for Merlin's sake! Grow up and just say something! Anything! Any of you!" her eyes darted between the two guys in front of her.

Ron's cheeks were bright red and his arms folded over his chest; he was going to be the one to break first. And Hermione's gut told her it wouldn't be something she was going to enjoy hearing.

"Well, what do you want us to say, Hermione?! You married him; you had a kid with him! After everything he did to you; the teasing, the taunting, have you forgotten that already!" He stared her down. "You didn't care about anything else but your own happiness! Hermione," his voice broke and his eyes looked at the floor for a moment before meeting hers again, "his kind killed my brother."

"His kind?"

"Bloody Death Eaters, you know he is–"

"Was. And for the record, this party was organised by Draco's mother, you know, his kind." Hermione interrupted him.

"One never stops being a Death Eater, Hermione. And," he struggled with finding an excuse, "I had no idea his mother had planned this whole thing."

"The war has been over for years, Ronald. And the Dark Mark fades, Draco's is almost gone." Ron rolled his eyes. "I'm so sorry about what happened to Fred, he didn't deserve it – more than half of the ones who were killed during the war didn't deserve it. But you can't blame Draco; he never wanted to be a Death Eater. He had no choice... his whole family was into that, and family comes first. And they would've killed him had he refused."

"So what! I'd rather die – I'd rather die than become one of them."

"You'd leave your family?" Hermione's eyes were shimmering and her cheeks flustered, as they always did when she argued. "If they were all Death Eaters, would you have rather died and left them at Voldemort's mercy?" Her voice had been rising gradually until she was yelling at his face, a few students were beginning to stare, and so she lowered her voice again. "Then you would've been no better than me. Caring about nothing else but your happiness, right?"

Ron looked down at the ground, but Hermione wasn't done yet. Her eyes were burning with the same fire her heart was.

"I am happy, doesn't that matter? We are – or at least I think we are friends, and friends are meant to support each other. We're supposed to encourage each other, cheer each other up, and trust each other. Can't you trust my word that Draco has changed? Would I say that I am happy if he hadn't changed at all? He's the father of my child, and I love him. Isn't that enough for you?"

She suddenly became aware of the hot tears running down her cheeks, and so she wiped them off quickly, collecting herself.

"Hermione," Harry spoke up for the first time, "you know I don't like him, and I don't even know how to begin trying to like him, but if all of what you're saying is true... Then, I trust he won't hurt you. I'll... trust him. I suppose we need to start somewhere, don't we?"

Hermione's lower lip quivered as she nodded eagerly. She wanted to run to him and hug him but there was still something in his eyes, like a thin coat of ice instead of a warm invitation.

Ron sighed and ran his fingers through his ginger locks. "You know I don't like him either, but perhaps it's time to bury the hatchet. He'd be a really sick twisted bastard if all of this was somehow a plan to hurt you, and I guess... I don't think he's that sick and twisted."

Hermione smiled warmly at him. As expected, the adrenaline rush was keeping her from being cold, still, her knees were shaking and her fingers fidgeting with her dress.

"It did kind of hurt, though," Harry admitted, "not knowing you had a kid... but I get why you didn't tell us anything. And, we must be really bad friends if we pushed you to those lengths, you know... moving away," Hermione opened her mouth to object but Harry put up a finger, "we know you moved away because you felt like you couldn't be happy back in England, because of us." Harry locked eyes with hers and could see how much the situation pained him. "We should've never left you alone, Hermione. You never left us alone."

"We don't want to miss anything else from your life." Ron added. "Please forgive us, Hermione. We were total wankers."

And Hermione didn't care if their eyes seemed inviting or not but she threw her arms around them in a very tight hug. Tears were now freely running down her cheeks, and her shoulders were shaking. After a while of being like that, she pulled away with the biggest grin on her face, loose strands of brown hair falling out of her intricate bun, but she didn't care. Her friends were back.

"You know, Hermione, your son is a bloody spitfire. He's definitely got your wits" Ron said laughing.

"Yeah but he's like a mini-Malfoy, he's got the attitude and all." Harry added.

Hermione attempted to glare at them, but it didn't come out as planned... She'd ended up laughing.

"He's brilliant. Can't want to start having some Qudditch matches, you know." Ron said and both his eyes and Harry's lightened up like they always did when talking about the magical sport.

"Scorp's not getting on a broom until he's 12." Hermione stated. Harry and Ron exchanged a quick look and burst out laughing. "I'm serious."

"Hermione, if Malfoy hasn't gotten him on a broom already, either one of us is going to any day." Ron warned her. "James and Rose have already tried–"

Harry elbowed him in the ribs and muttered in an almost inaudible voice, "shut it." But Hermione heard it loud and clear.

"I– well, they didn't... actually fly, you know – we just, you know – sat them on top... or the broom." Hermione's brows arched as Ron stammered, and Harry shot him deadly glares. "Please don't tell my sister or Lav anything about this, will you?" He pleaded and looked at her with his best attempt at innocent eyes.

Hermione smiled and shook her head in disbelief. Merlin, she'd missed them. "Fine. Just be careful. Now, let's get back to the party."

-/-

When they came back, their friends were already sitting down at the table. Hermione sat down in the seat Draco had saved for her, right beside him and Ron and Harry sat down next to her. Hermione smiled when she caught both of her friends greeting Draco with a quick nod and half a smile.

"Took you long enough." Ginny teased but she couldn't have been happier that they had worked things out.

"We thought you were burying their dead arses after hexing the hell outta them." Neville said to Hermione and everyone laughed.

"So, are things between the Golden Trio smooth again?" Asked Dean.

Hermione glanced at her best friends before nodding, "I think they are."

Of course, there were still things they needed to talk about and coming to terms with all the things that had changed for them wasn't going to be easy, but now they weren't reluctant to try and work things out.

Draco leaned in and whispered into her ear, "See, my love? I knew you could do this." Hermione grinned and he pulled back, not before pressing a kiss to her temple.

Suddenly, a small arm reached in between Draco and Hermione, trying to snatch some food from the tray on the table. The same happened to Ron and Ginny. Harry arched a brow at the sound of giggles, and in a swift movement he caught one of the little thieves and sat him on his lap.

Hermione was in awe at the resemblance between the boy and Harry. 'That must be James,' she thought. Scorp emerged from under the table with a little redhead girl beside him; Rose. They were all giggling, and the corners of their mouths were smeared with something that appeared to be chocolate.

Harry tickled his son's belly, while Rose ran to her mother and asked for a bite of the English muffin she was having. Scorp ran to Hermione and Draco, the latter sat him on his lap and ask him how did he like his new friends.

"We were playing tag and I won!" He boasted.

"Why of course you did! You're a Malfoy after all." Draco proudly said but Hermione slapped his shoulder. "What? He is a Malfoy, and he looks just like me so you can't pull the 'another guy knocked me up' card."

Hermione sighed in defeat. "Just be nice, Draco. Please."

He kissed her cheek making Scorp cover his eyes and protested, "Ew. Stop it, daddy, that is yucky!" Hermione laughed.

James and Rose were calling him, and so Scorp quickly jumped off Draco's lap and ran to meet them.

"Be careful!" Hermione said but they were obviously not going to listen to her.

The rest of the evening went pretty well. Everyone at the table seemed eager to know what they had been up to over in Scotland. Draco, Harry, and Ron still threw some snarky comments at each other but they were doing their best to be nice to each other. Harry had even managed to have a civilized conversation with Draco about changes in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, in which both of them worked, Ron worked there as well but he was having a harder time trying to be nice to Draco.

At the end of the party, as they were all saying their goodbyes, Hermione promised her friends she'd visit them more often, and Scorpius was thrilled to hear that, even more so now that he – well, all the kids learned they were 'cousins'.

"Promise me you'll write every week." Hermione pleaded and both Ron and Harry rolled their eyes.

"Yeah, of course. I'll write to you every single day." Harry teased.

"You know I don't write." Ron said.

Hermione glared at them but gave them each a tight hug.

Draco picked Scorp up in his arms. The little boy rested his head on the curve of Draco's neck and instantly fell asleep. Narcissa took them to the fireplace to Floo them back home. Everything was okay now.

A massive thank you to geekchic244 (on Wattpad) for sending me this lovely prompt, I hope it met your expectations! As for myself, I am quite happy with how this one-shot turned out. I know it wasn't all Dramione, and at some point, it got pretty angsty, but I Draco and Hermione's relationship would have affected Hermione's friendship with Harry and Ron in some ways, and I just couldn't leave that part unsolved. I just hope it wasn't too angsty.