Quarrels & Loves

The Brunch Bunch

Summary: Draco attends a Weasley brunch for the first time and if he's honest, he didn't expect his very small, distant cousin to be the highlight. Of course, Hermione defending his honour while Ron Weasley was covered in jelly was pretty great, but Teddy won overall.

Draco really should not have been as nervous as he was. He'd had a week to worry and vent to Hermione, so he should have had it over with by now. However, standing in the living room of Hermione's flat that was basically his now, he couldn't help but feel jittery again. It did not help when Hermione tried to helpfully tell him to relax.

"It's just the Weasleys," she said, probably to reassure him. The statement did precisely the opposite.

"My family has openly despised them for the last several decades," Draco reminded her drily. Hermione pursed her lips and glanced up at him, fixing a stray hair that he'd purposely left for her to move. He rather liked her touching his hair, but he'd never admit such a thing out loud.

"Harry and I will be there," she said, her voice hopeful.

Rather than remind her that they were the reason he was being forced to brunch, he gave her a small smile and nodded. His friendship with Harry Potter was best described as conventional, though that was mainly because Draco refused to call it anything else. The fact that Harry regularly joined him and Blaise for drinks after work had nothing to do with their conventional friendship. It was simply a courtesy after a long day at work.

"I can't promise I'll enjoy myself," Draco told her, lacing his fingers through hers. No, it was not a nervous tick.

"Well, I can't promise that all Weasleys will love you."

She didn't give him time to process her words before she apparated them to just outside of what she often called the Burrow. Draco's head spun and as soon as he could see straight enough to, he glared at her.

"Warn me next time," he grumbled. Hermione just grinned and kissed his cheek.

"Remember, no matter what they say, I love you," she said, grinnly cheekily at him. He smiled back at her and pressed his lips to hers firmly before she could pull away.

"I love you too," he murmured. He brushed a soft kiss to the side of her head and said, "Even though you forced me to this brunch."

That caused Hermione to pull away and throw open the front door, pulling Draco inside by the hand he still hadn't let go of.

He was immediately overwhelmed by many things. First, the noise as what had to be a hundred Weasleys chattered at ridiculous sound levels from all around the house. Second, the smell of food hit him like a brick wall. The house smelled both sweet and savory all at once and Draco wasn't sure why he liked it. A woman—Mrs. Weasley, he presumed—was stirring something in the kitchen and shouting for someone named Teddy to stop getting into the sweets.

"—out you get!" she yelled, pushing a blue-haired boy out of the kitchen.

The boy, Teddy, stopped abruptly at the sight of Draco and Hermione. He stared up at them with wide eyes and licked his chocolate covered fingers. Mrs. Weasley glanced them over and opened her mouth, but someone in the kitchen that Draco couldn't see called her away before she could say a word.

"Auntie Mione!" Teddy yelled, barreling toward them both a second later.

Hermione stumbled back as the child collided with her legs and on instinct, Draco reached out to steady her. When Hermione righted herself, she was holding a squirming blue-haired child and Draco couldn't help but stare. What else was he supposed to do with such a thing so close to him?