One year ago:

Knock. Knock.

"I'll get it!" Rose ran into the living room to open the door. Hermione wondered who it could have been. Ron had a key, even though he always lost it, Harry, Ginny and the rest of their family usually apparated in after sending a letter informing Hermione and Ron that they were visiting. Her parents were away on a vacation so she knew it wasn't them.

Harry walked into the kitchen. His green eyes were red and puffy and his jet black hair was tousled. Hermione put a hand on her daughter's back. "Rose, darling, why don't you go upstairs for a little bit while I talk to uncle Harry." Rose ran up the stairs without asking any questions, probably picking up on Harry's current mood.

Hermione gestured Harry to the couch. She sat down and waited for him. He hesitated before taking a seat beside her. The fight that he had with Ginny or one of his kids must have been horrendous for him to act like that.  Harry hesitantly put a hand on her leg. "Hermione, I know today was your vacation, and I'm really glad that it was."

"Liked not having the boss there, huh?" She teased. Hermione ran the ministry and with Ron's insisting, she decided to take the day off to recharge.

Harry didn't laugh. He looked into her eyes with his sad, green eyes. "There was an attack." Hermione's heart dropped. Dread filled her, not wanting to hear his next words. "Ron didn't..."

"No!" She shook her head, not wanting to hear what Harry had to tell her. "No, no, no!"

.........

Present day:

Hermione stood on the platform as she watched Rose leave for the new school year. "Hermione." Harry and Ginny came over to her. "Do you want to get some tea?"

Hermione shook her head. "The two of you have work today." They both worked for the Ministry of Magic. Harry was now the head minister after Hermione retired a few months back. After losing Ron, she couldn't risk putting herself in danger anymore. A frown tugged on her friend's lips. "It's okay, I won't fall apart." She reassured them. It had been exactly one year and three weeks since Ron passed, she couldn't have anyone babying her or she would break.

After she said her goodbyes, she apparated to Diagon Alley. She wanted to get a start on Christmas shopping in case she forgot. After an hour of walking around aimlessly, the sky opened up. Rain poured down around her. The rain reminded her of Ron. With tears running down her face, she ran into an alley and sunk down onto the ground, letting the tears run freely.

"Mrs. Weasley?" Hands grabbed her shoulders, pulling her to a warm body. The feel of the apparating surrounded her. They landed in a large room out of the rain. Her mysterious companion lifted his wand and a fire began to roar in the fireplace not far from where they were crouched on the floor.

A hand hesitantly patted her back. "It's alright. Let it all out." Her companion shifted her into a more comfortable position. "I know it's hard. It took me a few years after Astoria passed away. You just have to find something to live for."

"Draco?" Hermione looked up to find the blonde boy staring down at her. His grey eyes were filled with understanding. "What did you have to live for?" She felt a tear slide down her cheek.

Draco glanced over her shoulder, looking at something that she couldn't see. "Scorpius." Was all he said.

Scorpius. His son. An image of a smiling Rose flashed in her head. She wiped away the tears. "Thank you, Draco."

Draco chuckled and looked back down at her. A playfulness sparkled in his grey eyes. "You never called me by my first name even after all the years we've worked together." His tone was light and joking.

She cracked a small smile. "You never gave me any reason to adress you as anything else."

Draco pulled away from her and stood up. "I feel like having some tea, care to join me?" He held out a hand for her.

Hermione felt her nose crinkle. "Are you colluding with Harry and Ginny? They asked me the same thing this morning."

A disgusted look crossed his face before it disappeared. It looks like old habits die hard. Draco finally shrugged, dropping his hand back to his side. "I just felt like having tea. You can either join me...or not." He shrugged for a second time before turning around. Hermione watched as Draco disappeared into another room.

She looked into the fireplace, watching as the flames crackled and hissed. The orange glow of the flames casted shadows onto the white walls. Licking her lips, she found that they were dry. Maybe she should take him up on that tea.

Pushing herself off of the floor, she headed toward the room where Draco had disappeared to earlier. The room was a kitchen and a magnificent one at that. It had grand countertops and the walls were painted in light shades of violet instead of white. "I didn't think you liked color."

A faint smile appeared on Draco's lips as he fixed tea the muggle way. "If it was up to me, all the walls would be white but Astoria loved color. The kitchen was her domain, it was her favorite room in the whole house." He chuckled as some distant memory played in his mind.

Hermione wished she had a favorite room in her and Ron's house. She was always so busy with work that she hardly saw him. Even though they worked together, she wanted to keep things professional. She didn't want anyone acuse her of having favorites or not being fair to the other employees. "It must have been nice, having her around."

He chuckled, "Yeah." He turned toward her and his voice was suddenly serious. "It must have been hard on you, being the boss and all." Hermione's eyes widened with the fact that he had picked up on her thoughts. "Don't look so surprised. We did go to school together and we did work together for a time. I know you and I know the way you think." He handed her a cup of tea. The small china cup had violet flowers painted around the rim; they must have been Astoria's.

"You don't know me." She muttered as she took a sip of her tea.

"Mrs. Weasley, what are you doing here?" Draco looked at her with genuine confusion in his grey eyes.

"Please, call me Hermione." She looked around the small hallway, seeing that all of the doors were shut. "I'm looking for Harry, or Ginny. I was hoping to grab at least one to join me for lunch and maybe some quick shopping in Diagon Alley."

Draco gave a small, reserved smile. "They're both out for business." Hermione's lips tugged downward at the thought of her friends being out. "It's my lunchtime, I can join you if you'd like?" His voice was unsure.

Did Hermione want Draco to join her? She still didn't know him well enough to consider him a friend but he was kind to her the other day. "Yeah, I would like that." She couldn't believe how true her words really were. Once she had uttered them, she knew that she had meant them. His grey eyes lightened to a greyish-silver and his lips flickered into a brief smile. He held out his arm for her. She placed her hand into the crook of his elbow and they were apparated to Diagon Alley.

"Where would you like to eat?" Draco dropped his arm that held Hermione's. Diagon Alley was dusted in a thin layer of snow. It wasn't supposed to snow for another few weeks.

"A new shop opened up and I heard they have a spearmint flavored tea." She was excited to try the new flavor, though she knew it couldn't be as good as spearmint toothpaste.

A chuckle drew her attention out of her thoughts. She looked over to find Draco covering his mouth, trying to pretend to be covering a cough instead of laughter. Hermione's nose wrinkled and her hand moved of it's own accord to pinch his arm. "Hey! What was that for?" Draco glared ar her but she could see the teasing look that his eyes held.

She walked away, shrugging her shoulders. "Thought it would help with your...cough." She shot him her own teasing look from over her shoulder. She heard him snicker and had the feeling that he was shaking his head.

The little shop was busy with only one table free when they arrived. Hermione ordered a spearmint tea while Draco ordered a rose tea. "What?" He asked when he saw her looking at him questionably.

"Rose?" She couldn't help the disbelief that laced her voice.

Draco shrugged as he took the tea into his hands. "It's my mother's favorite. She used to make it quite frequently when I was growing up." They made their way to the empty table and claimed it before anyone else could. They lapsed into silence as they sipped their tea. Hermione was stunned to find that the tea tasted exquisite. She now had two favorite spearmint flavored items. "So...what were you planning on shopping for?" Draco began slowly.

Hermione cleared her throat and sat the teacup back onto the table, the greenish-brown liquid rippling slightly. "I thought I would get a headstart on Christmas shopping since I forgot last year."

Draco gave a sympathetic yet relieved smile. "I had the small fear that you needed input on something for you."

"Something for me?"

Draco took a hesitant sip of his tea before answering. "Something for your single life." His grey eyes shone silver at his teasing.

Hermione's cheeks instantly heated up. She was secretly glad that he decided to tease her instead of trying to play sympathetic. She lightly kicked his foot underneath the table. "I certainly do not need your input nor would I want it." She was laughing by the time that she finished. She was pleasantly surprised when he joined in on her laughter.

Once their laughter died down, Draco stared at her with a small smile. "I could actually use your help with picking a present." Hermione cocked an eyebrow, silently asking him to continue. "Scorpius asked me to help him pick a present for Rose."

"Ooh, he still has a crush on her?" Draco nodded. Hermione actually really liked the boy. Despite being a Slytherin, he was quiet, friendly, and extremely brave when it came to helping his friends, he was more like a Gryffindor than a Slytherin. She was pretty sure that Rose was developing a little crush herself not that she would ever admit it. Hermione sighed. It was a little unfortunate that her daughter took after her more than she did her father.

Draco mistook the meaning behind her sigh. "That's fine. You really don't have to. I'm sure you wouldn't want someone like Scorpius with your daughter."

Hermione became concerned with the direction that Draco's thoughts were heading. She shook her head, laughing. "I would love to have Rose with someone like your son." She admitted truthfully. The tension in Draco's shoulders lifted slightly. "If I tell you the reason for my sigh, you have to promise not to tell anyone." Draco nodded for her to proceed. "That also includes Scorpius." She warned him.

"I know what a promise is. I swear, I won't tell anyone." Hermione stifled a laugh when he crossed his heart. It seemed he was gaining a lot of knowledge on muggles in his job.

Hermione looked around them to make sure that no-one was eavesdropping. She leaned over the table and waved her hand for him to do the same. He hesitantly leaned forward. She cupped her hands around her mouth before whispering her, well, Rose's secret. "Rose is developing a crush on Scorpius." She leaned back into her seat, watching as Draco did the same. "Unfortunately, she is my daughter, which means she would never admit it. I'll help you pick a gift and hopefully one of these days," Hermione rolled her eyes. "More likely, years, she'll accept him. Right now, she's just too embarrassed to admit it."

Draco cracked a relieved smile. "That's good to hear. I was afraid that he would have to suffer a heartbreak."

His words held so much love in them. "You really care for your son."

Draco looked taken back by her statement. He looked away from her for a second, his fingers drumming against his teacup. "He doesn't have the love of a mother. I'm terrified that I will turn into my father." He finally looked into her eyes and gave her a small smile. "Hearing you say that means a lot to me." Hermione was taken back from his honesty. Not knowing what to say, she turned back to her tea only to find it empty. Draco finished the last drink of his then they left the shop.

As they were walking down the streets, an item in one of the windows caught her attention. Going inside the shop she headed straight for the gold charm bracelet. The description card described it as being a charmed charm bracelet. The wearer could shrink down an object and attach it to the bracelet like a charm. It was beautiful and had a practical use. "I think this would be a perfect gift." She looked down at the price tag. "Nevermind."

"What is it?" Draco leaned over her shoulder to peer at the bracelet on display. "Looking for Mrs. Potter?"

Hermione started to shake her head but thought better of it with how close he was standing to her. She would have hate to accidentally smack him in the face with her hair. "For Rose, actually. I was thinking it would be the perfect gift for Scorpius to give her but it's too expensive."

She felt a hot breath tickle her ear when Draco let out a chuckle. "Did you forget who you are with. That price is nothing. I'm actually afraid that it might not be enough to buy her a plain bracelet. It would be nice to have some charms already on it for her."

Hermione had, in fact, already forgotten the background of the man beside her. The way he talked and acted was completely different from how he used to be. She suddenly became aware of just how rich Mr. Malfoy was. "What would be some good items to attach to it?" His question pulled her out of her thoughts.

She leaned away from him so that she could look him in the eyes. Those grey eyes were the same as back then but also not the same. They seemed less guarded and not as fearful as they had been back in school. She tugged a strand of hair behind an ear. "I think maybe a book. Rose inherited my love for reading." Her lips broke into a smile. "I know just the book."

After they had purchased the bracelet and the book that Rose had been asking for, for her personal collection, Draco's lunch break was over. They parted ways. Instead of staying in Diagon Alley, Hermione decided to head home to relax and to warm up. She may not have gotten the things that she had come to do but she had fun.

Draco left his office for his lunch break. Standing out in the hallway with her back turned toward him was Mrs. Weasley. He mentally chided himself for using her married name. She had told him time and time again to call her by her first name, something that he admittedly take time to get used to.

"If you're looking for the Potters, they've already left for their break." He hated that his voice sounded so curt and slightly rude, she was supposed to be a friend, wasn't she? Was speaking to her in a friendly tone going to be just as hard as calling her by her name?

Hermione spun around, her brown curls whipped around in the air, nearly hitting her in the face. A soft smile painted itself across her lips when she saw him. "Everything's so confusing since they changed offices and no, I was looking for you, actually. I enjoyed our time together last time and was hoping that we could do it again." The soft smile disappeared when she shook her head. "Nevermind, you're probably busy." She turned to leave but Draco stopped her by touching her hand. Astoria had informed him that girls liked to be stopped with a touch and not just a comment sometimes, though, that could have just been Astoria's personal view.

Hermione turned to stare at him with astonished brown eyes. He quickly removed his hand. "Sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck. It was unfortunate that besides Astoria, Scorpius, and the occasional Potter, now that their sons were friends, that he never really conversed with people, his parents not included. "I was just taking my lunch break," He tried instead. "I wouldn't mind the company. We are...friends...after all." He wanted to curse at himself or facepalm himself for sounding so hesitant and unsure even though he was completely unsure of himself and his standing with this woman.

Her brown eyes lit up and a smile appeared. "We are friends, aren't we." She put her arm out for him to take. "Where to, today?"

He smiled at her question. "I was thinking about a trip down memory lane." He spoke before he realized the implications of his words. Memory lane for the two of them wasn't a very pleasant one. Hermione's smiled flickered for a second but still remained on her face. He quickly apparated them away before he could ruin their steadily growing friendship. With a pop, they landed on a snow covered ground.

"Hogsmead?" Hermione took in her surroundings in disbelief. "I haven't been here in ages. I remember that Harry used to make us tag along just to spy on you."

"What?" Draco remembered the three of them being at the Three Broomsticks a few times while he was there but he had never realized that they were following him. "Potter must have had it pretty hard for me, huh?" He said instead, not wanting her to know how astonished he was at her revelation.

She looked at him with a sparkle in her brown eyes. "You really had know idea?" Her amusement was clear. How the hell did she know that! She shook her head at his silence. "That is the one thing from Hogwarts that you still do. When you're shocked or baffled by something or someone, you make a snide remark or a joke. I much prefer the joking than the snide remarks." She admitted with a laugh. He laughed right along with her, glad that someone saw right through him, even if he was a little annoyed to be caught so easily.

Bushy brown hair caught his attention. He quickly grabbed Hermione and pulled her to a nearby alleyway. She tried to pull his hand away but he silenced her with a finger to his lips. "Rose is all by herself?" His voice came out as a question. Hermione stopped struggling and peered out from behind his shoulder. She watched as her daughter stopped at the entrance to the Three Broomsticks and looked around before she entered. Draco let go of her and leaned away. "She's acting like she's walking into a secret meeting." He mused out loud.

Hermione snorted. "Who would she meet....Scorpius?" At her confusion, Draco turned back to the scene, easily spotting the white hair of his son. Scorpius stopped in front of the entrance to the Three Broomsticks before casting cautious glances over his shoulder. Once he was satisfied, he disappeared into the tavern. "What was all that about?" She asked in a contemplative manner, her brain probably coming up with a million theories and ideas.

Draco arched an eyebrow at her and smiled mischievously. "There's only one way to find out." He grabbed her hand before pulling her along with him.

It was rather quiet inside the usually busy tavern. Rose and Scorpius were nowhere to be seen. "We need to get out of here before they see us." Hermione whispered.

Draco shot her a bemused look. He figured if anyone would spy on their children then it would be Hermione. He was starting to think that Potter was the fun one. "Aren't you the least bit curious?"

"Insanely. But when they catch us, they'll lose all their trust in us." It didn't go unnoticed to Draco that she used the word when instead of if. She also had a point. Even though he loved his dad, he had hated it when his father interfered, it made him not trust him as much. He also really didn't want that to happen with Scorpius. He would be devastated if his son stopped trusting him or worse, grew to hate him. He knew he was dramatizing the situation and Astoria would have probably laughed at him if she were still alive, but he couldn't risk it. Taking Hermione's arm, he apparated the two of them to Diagon Alley.