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Following her divorce from Ron, Hermione had moved her little family to the Cotswold, the safety of the surrounding woods would protect her and her family from the media scrutiny following the divorce.
Especially because she had decided that Rose and Hugo would go to a muggle primary school. She’d have enough time to teach her kids magic on the weekends. However, she wanted her kids to know how muggles lived. She had lovely memories from her childhood, playing with friends in the streets before her whole world changed on her eleventh birthday, and she wanted the same for her kids.
Every day she would rush out of work and wait on the playground of the Victorian building surrounded by oak trees. She waited patiently to see her kids run out of the building at the sound of the bell. Eager to envelop them into her arms.
It seemed like just a normal day. However, just before the bell rang someone sat next to her on the bench. When Hermione looked over, she couldn’t believe her eyes, Draco Malfoy casually sat next to her like it was completely normal.
“What are you doing here?” Hermione asked incredulously.
“I’m waiting for my son to be done with his day of school,” Malfoy said as if it was normal, a pureblood wizard waiting for his pureblood son to be done with his day at a muggle primary school.
But before Hermione could ask any further questions the bell rang, the large Oakwood doors opened, and the excited screams of children enveloped them.
That was when her routine changed, for the next couple of weeks, she sat next to Malfoy waiting for their children to finish school. Nothing exchanged between the two of them but cordial greetings.
Apart from their very first meeting, Malfoy had always already sat at the bench whenever Hermione arrived from the ministry. Out of curiosity, she started leaving work earlier, wanting to know how early he arrived at the school. However, it didn’t matter how early she was there he always already was there on the bench waiting for his son.
“Why?” Hermione asked him one day.
“Why what, Granger?” He responded.
“Why is your son attending a muggle primary school?” She sprang the question on him.
“Why are your children attending a muggle primary school?” He countered.
“Have you seen what Skeeter has been writing about me and my family since the divorce?” Hermione said, astonished someone didn’t know about the onslaught the gossip reporter was publishing in the newspaper for months now.
“I’ve tried to not read page 6 of the Prophet ever since my trial, but I’m sure they’ve covered my wife’s death greatly,” Malfoy said.
“That’s still not an answer to my question, Malfoy,” Hermione stated.
“You didn’t answer mine either,” Malfoy quipped, the usual snark that tainted his voice in the past now missing.
“Well, I don’t want my children to only know the magical world. I just want them to be normal for some part of their lives, they will forever be the children of two/thirds of the Golden Trio once they arrive at Hogwarts. And now even more I’m a bit under scrutiny as of this summer.” Hermione didn’t know why she spilt the beans; this explanation was way too elaborate for the reluctant acquaintance that was Draco Malfoy.
“So, what’s your answer?” Hermione quickly added, having him answer would maybe soften the blow of how much personal info she had given up.
Malfoy took a deep breath before he started speaking. “As you might’ve known, I’ve been persona non grata ever since Shacklebolts sentenced me to two years.” It was true even after his release Hermione hadn’t really seen him at any of the social events, honestly, she hadn’t seen him since she testified on his behalf during his trial. “And following Astoria’s death, Scorpius just grew quieter. Whatever I tried; it just didn’t help. That’s when the family healer suggested he could benefit from meeting kids his own age.” Malfoy took another deep breath, seemingly mustering the courage to continue. “I couldn’t let him suffer under the scrutiny of my actions, I deserve the rude remarks and nasty looks. He’s just a kid, he can’t help it I’m his father. The only option where he’d not be judged for my actions was a muggle school, I hope to build up his courage and confidence, so he’ll be okay to attend Hogwarts in a couple of years.”
The story broke Hermione’s heart, Malfoy might’ve been a little shit when he was younger, but he cared for his son. She couldn’t help but agree with him that Scorpius shouldn’t suffer for the action’s his father had made when he was a teenager or the lineage he was born into. That was why the next words slipped from her mouth.
“If you want, and Scorpius is okay with it. He can come over and have a play date with my kids, I’m sure Rose can’t wait to show off her magical skills to a new person, Hugo and her cousins are already quite fed up with her.” Hermione laughed.
“I think I might just hold you up on that one,” Malfoy answered.
The first playdate between Scorpius and the Granger-Weasley children happened the next week. Malfoy stayed the whole time, Scorpius anxious eyes kept him seated in the old chair of Hermione’s little cottage.
“You know we could also plan a playdate at our home,” Malfoy said when once again the living room of the cottage seemed too small for the children running around in it. “If you’re comfortable with that of course,” he quickly added.
“It’s fine Malfoy, I can handle it,” Hermione said.
Playdates shifted to the Manor; Scorpius had a room specially made for playing in. There even was a whole kid-size quidditch pitch indoors. Every week Hugo and Rose would head off to the Manor. More often than not Hermione would join them, first, she told herself it was because she liked to spend as much time as possible with her children. Soon she came to understand it was as much that as it was, she liked spending time with Draco. His questions seemed were a challenge to answer and sparring with him verbally while their children were gleefully playing together had solved many work problems she was hopelessly stuck on.
That’s how they got here now, still waiting for their children on that oakwood bench in the Cotswold. However, now a tiny little baby girl with platinum blonde curls was seated on Draco’s lap, bouncing up and down excitedly.
“Lyra, just a little bit longer, it’s Scorpius and Rose’s last day before they’ll head off to Hogwarts,” Draco talked to the little girl.
It had stayed their tradition even though they got together, and their families seemed to have blended seamlessly, they still both sat on the oakwood bench to pick up their children from the small primary school in the Cotswold.