Work Text:
Disclaimer: Harry Potter, names, and places are copyright JK Rowling. No profit is being made from this fanfiction.
Pairing: Draco/Hermione
Summary: Hermione takes her husband and children to see the Muggle Christmas Parade. Dramione holiday one shot.
Setting: Hermione and Draco met again after the war when they went back to Hogwarts to take full advantage of their seventh year and became friends. They started dating and later got married. Scorpius is featured as their son, who is six years old, and a little girl named Capella who is three years old. This can be considered a year later sequel to my other one shot "Mall Santa", since I wanted to include Capella this time.
x-x-x-x-x
Christmas Parade
"Daddy!" a six-year-old Scorpius said. "I dropped my hot cocoa and it spilt everywhere!"
Draco sighed, picking up the paper cup and disposing of it in the nearby rubbish bin. Not even magic would have fixed this, not that it would have mattered anyway since they were surrounded by Muggles. He passed his half empty cup to his son. There was no way he was going back in that cafe; it was jam-packed with Muggles.
"You can have the rest of mine," he said as Scorpius gratefully took it with a 'thanks'. "Careful! It's still hot," he warned as his Scorpius blew on the hot beverage before taking a sip.
The blond-haired wizard looked around for any signs of his wife and daughter but didn't see them. "Now where is your mother? She said she'd meet us here after she made a phone call."
Scorpius looked around also. "I don't see them! Oh – wait – look, daddy! There's mummy!"
Draco turned his gaze to see his wife pushing through the crowd and they started walking to her to meet her half way.
"'Ella!" Scorpius beamed up at his three-year-old sister, who's medium length blond curls were peaking out from under her hat.
"Scorpie!" she beamed back and he wrinkled his nose at his nickname.
Scorpius took Capella's hand when Hermione placed her down, like the good and responsible older brother that he was. He watched as his parents drew closer and made a face when he saw them kissing each other on the lips, making Capella giggle.
Draco placed a hand on his wife's waist as they walked behind the kids. "Tell me again why we've come to see a Muggle Parade."
"Because it's fun for our children," she replied. "And it's part of my childhood traditions that I want to share you guys."
He rolled his eyes. "Right. Because Muggle traditions have turned out to be such a positive experience with our children. Remember what happened last week when Capella met the 'Mall Santa' for the first time? She cried."
"Plenty of children cry," Hermione pointed out. "Next year, she'll understand better. Besides, I was just talking on the phone with Harry and he said he's here with Ginny and the kids, but I don't know where they are exactly, so keep an eye out."
"Weasley didn't bring along his brood?"
"Not that I know of," she shook her head and shot her husband a look when she heard his 'Thank Merlin!' before turning back to her children. "Hey! You two stay close!" she said when she noticed them getting ahead of them.
Scorpius stopped Capella to wait until their parents caught up. "When does the parade start?" he asked.
"Soon, dear," Hermione replied. She stumbled slightly when someone hit her from behind.
"I'm sorry!" came a feminine voice. "Oh, well if it isn't Bush Gardens! Though I suppose your hair isn't as bushy as it was before," the woman eyed Hermione critically.
Hermione looked up and instantly her eyes narrowed. The woman was tall with dark eyes and shoulder-length hair. It was Marnie Wilson, a girl Hermione had known that lived in her Muggle neighborhood and had always picked on her whenever they saw each other in the past.
"Wilson," Hermione tightly greeted.
"McDougall now, dear," Marie replied, holding out a boney hand for Hermione to see her wedding band and impressive diamond. "I'm married," she smirked.
'Again?' Hermione wondered. She knew of Marie's previous four marriages from her mother, who was acquaintances with Marie's mother.
"What brings you here?" Marnie broke through Hermione's thoughts. She was looking around, bored.
"I'm here to see the parade with my family," Hermione replied shortly. She glanced from the corner of her eye to see that Draco was holding the childrens' hands and eying Marnie with disdain.
"Oh? I don't see Alice or Richard anywhere," Marie looked around for any sign of Hermione's parents. "I haven't seen them in a long time!"
"I'm not here with my parents," Hermione said, gesturing to Draco, Scorpius, and Capella as they came closer. "I'm here with my husband and children."
"Who's this, mummy?" Scorpius asked when he came up and held on to one of Hermione's pant legs, looking up at the other woman.
"An old...acquaintance of mine," Hermione said.
Draco picked Capella up and wrapped his other arm around his wife.
"Husband?" Marnie's eyes widened in shock. "You? And Children?"
"Yes, and you are?" Draco asked, looking down his nose at her.
"Marie," she replied, eying him up and down appreciatively. "Marnie McDougall."
"A pleasure, I'm sure," he replied, disinterested. "Shouldn't we be going, love?" he glanced down at Hermione.
"Right," Hermione nodded and took her son's hand. "Well, Marnie it was a ...pleasure to see you again, Happy Christmas."
Marie didn't say anything, instead she flipped her hair over her shoulder and walked away.
Draco watched as she walked away. "Who knew there was a Muggle version of Pansy Parkinson? They even have the same pug nose," he chuckled then tapped his daughter's nose, making Capella giggle.
Up ahead, the parade was starting and they hurried through the crowd to find a good spot to watch. Scorpius grinned widely when he saw his best friend nearby with his family.
"Albus!" he called, waving a hand.
Albus Potter grinned and an hurried over, followed by James and Lily. Draco placed Capella down so that she could greet Lily.
"About time you found us," Hermione said to her best friend.
"Yeah, sorry. It's a big crowd," Harry replied and nodded his head to Draco in greeting.
"We saw you earlier actually," Ginny said. "Talking with another woman."
"At first we thought it was Pansy Parkinson," Harry said. "But then realized that she wouldn't be seen in Muggle London."
"No," Hermione said. "That was just a childhood neighbor of mine. Unfortunately, our parents know each other, so I still see her every now and then. However, I've been away from the Muggle world for awhile."
"She looked rather nasty," Ginny said.
Hermione nodded. "Oh, yes, she certainly is. I never got along well with her. She's hated me ever since I accidentally turned her doll into a tarantula when we were about six and I hadn't realized it was my magic that did it."
The others laughed.
"Gosh, Hermione, how many childhood enemies did you have?" Ginny laughed.
"Not that many, but enough," Hermione shrugged.
"A tarantula? What kind of dark thoughts were you having at that time?" Draco teased his wife.
Hermione shrugged. "All I know is that she was being a little prat at the time and bragging about this limited edition doll she got and I didn't like it."
"I wish I would have thought about that when I was six," Draco said wistfully. "Just think, I could have gotten rid of Parkinson back then. Turning her toys into insects, could you imagine?"
Hermione giggled. "But you seemed to have enjoyed her attention back in school."
"Oh, Please," he rolled his eyes. "It was all about image back then. You see, I needed a girl to fawn over me so that the rest would follow her example."
Harry shook his head and laughed, glancing over at the children who were enjoying the parade. He saw James reach forward and accept some candy canes from a girl dressed as an elf, and then passing them around to his siblings, as well as Scorpius and Capella.
"Well, it seems you showed her up anyway," Ginny said. "I saw the way she was eying Malfoy."
Hermione smirked. "Indeed."
"Look, daddy!" Capella came forward, looking up at Draco. "James gave me the cherry candy cane! Can you open it?"
"What do you say?" Draco asked.
"Please?"
Draco took the candy cane from his daughter and easily unwrapped the plastic. Hermione swatted his arm when he took a bite from it before handing it to Capella who whined, but remembered to say 'thank you'.
"Stop teasing her," Hermione chided.
"Just teaching her to share," he smirked.
"Well you're suppose to ask first."
"That lesson will come next," he replied when Capella grumbled and went back over to her brother again, looking back at her father with a pout once more before turning back to the parade with excitement.
Draco chuckled and wrapped an arm around his wife, kissing her hair before watching as the parade went by. Between the outcome of the war and marrying Hermione and having children with her, his views on Muggles had changed a lot over the years. That didn't mean he was fond of Muggles, it was far from it, but he tolerated them enough. Seeing the joy and lights reflecting in his family's eyes, he smiled. Tolerating Muggles and Muggle traditions were worth it to make them happy.
x-x-x-x-x