A Second Look - A Dramione Story

Chapter 25

Warning: This is not my story. It is from RiverWriter on ao3.

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Hermione stormed away from her confrontation with Draco and entered her office. She carefully set Scorpius on the floor with his bag next to him and pulled out her wand to erect a series of security charms. This floor was locked down, but she didn't feel like she could be too careful with the baby's safety.

Not to mention, if she locked herself in she might just be less tempted to do something really stupid like hunt down the queen and berate her in front of Parliament for crimes heretofore unknown while she was already acting like an idiot. Because she couldn't believe what she'd just done.

However, she'd barely begun to cast when there was a rapid knock at the door.

"Come in!" She called.

Her first godchild opened the door and snuck in through the smallest gap he could have possibly made to squeeze himself between the door and the doorframe. He looked at her, obviously somewhat tentative and her heart sank. Teddy was such a sensitive child, but they were very close, she hated that she might have scared him with her vitriol; or that he might be frightened by the night's events in any way. He had more reason than most to be.

"Can I sit in here with you?" He asked.

"Of course, love," she waved him forward. "I'm sorry you had to see that, I shouldn't have yelled like that."

She blew out a breath as her actions sunk in. Merlin, she'd called Draco a Death Eater in front of Teddy! She hadn't meant it as an condemnation, but Teddy was probably too young to quite understand what he'd just witnessed.

He closed the door behind him and fully entered the room.

She picked up Scorpius and made her way to the sofa in the corner of her office, motioning for Teddy to join her.

"You know Draco is a good man, right?" She asked as he sat down beside her. "We just had a disagreement, and it's been a difficult night. But still, I shouldn't have lost my temper and shouted at him like that."

He shrugged again. "You're not supposed to hit people, I'd get in trouble if I did."

"Well, that's true," she conceded.

"Even if Mr. Ron isn't very nice," he continued and she had to keep herself from smiling. Teddy was not Ron's biggest fan, which she felt slightly guilty about because she knew it was at least partly due to the tension between Ron and herself. But then again Ron should be nicer.

There was a pause. "Do people really want to put Draco in jail...because of the war." He cut her eyes in her direction and she could see the concern in them.

Hermione took a deep, shuddering breath, she was frightened enough for her own part, she hadn't meant to scare Teddy. And he already knew far too much for his mere eight years.

"Some people believe he's dangerous, so yes, they think he belongs in jail. But they have no reason to send him there. And like I said, he's a good man, he won't do anything to get himself sent there even if he was a little...reckless tonight."

He nodded, scuffing the toe of his shoe against the carpet. "It's stupid though," he cut his eyes to her again waiting to be scolded for his choice of words. "I'm sorry but it is. I like Draco and he has a kid," he placed his hand on Scorpius' back, "you shouldn't take parents from their kids."

Hermione's eyes fell shut. This child had been through too much.

"Nobody is going to take Draco from Scorpius," it was a stupid, reckless promise to make, but she knew that she'd sacrifice her own life to keep it.