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Muggle Things	By : RavieSnake Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Draco/Hermione Views: 54523 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 8
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the concepts or characters from it. I make no money from the writing of this story.

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"They've been gone nearly four hours," Hermione said anxiously, glancing at the grandfather clock in the corner of the room.

Ellen set the book she'd been reading since they had settled into the living room after their clothes exchange in her lap and looked up. "I'm sure they're fine. Your father never takes Claire out for less than an hour at a time."

Hermione closed the book in her own lap. "I still can't believe Dad took him for a drive. He wouldn't even let Ron touch her."

"Well…Draco's family now, is he not?" Ellen asked casually. "Is it so much of a surprise that we would treat him as such?"

Hermione didn't answer as she looked pensively down at her lap. Her mother considered her a moment.

"How long were you hoping to keep us ignorant of Draco's past?" she finally asked gently. Hermione shrugged.

"Indefinitely, I suppose," she answered with a quiet sigh. She looked up guiltily at her mother's silence. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just…"

"Didn't want to give us more reason to dislike him?" Ellen offered understandingly.

Hermione's fingers fidgeted with the book's binding. "Does it make me a terrible daughter if I say 'yes'?"

Ellen set aside her book and moved to sit beside her. "I'd never think you were a terrible daughter," she said lovingly, placing one of her hands over Hermione's. Hermione cast her gaze downward again.

"But that's just it, mum," she said. "I know that you and Dad, no matter how upset, would always support me in the end. But Draco…he's already been…well, let's just say he doesn't have quite the same level of familial support."

"And you were afraid of how he'd react if we'd condemned him for his past and he'd felt rejected by two sets of parents," Ellen summarized sagely, nodding.

Hermione nodded as well and inhaled deeply. "We had to flee England, mum," she confessed tremulously, her eyes beginning to well. "When…when news got out about our marriage…we received hate mail. Dangerous hate mail. Harry had to call in the Aurors."

She looked up and met her mother's concerned gaze. "The last thing Draco and I heard before we left was Harry trying to reassure us over the sounds of shouting and explosions from the ground floor of our house," she said, a tear spilling over to track down her cheek. Ellen reached up at once and brushed it away with her thumb and Hermione sniffled.

"It's going to be hard," Hermione went on, "so hard and he's already been through enough…I've been through enough. The thought of you or Dad not accepting him on top of it all..."

Ellen silently got up from the couch and went to a side table to retrieve a box of tissue. She brought it back to the couch and handed it to Hermione as she sat again. Hermione plucked two tissues out and dabbed at her face.

"Thanks," she whispered. Ellen sighed.

"Hermione," she started kindly, yet firmly, "I won't lie and say that reading that newspaper headline wasn't something of a nasty shock. But never once did it occur to me to condemn him. It was more the suddenness of it all that caught us off guard."

Hermione raised a skeptical brow at her and she smiled. "Honestly, my love," Ellen continued patiently, "While I confess that I'm a bit unsettled by the manner in which you were married, I'm not upset at either of you for choosing to remain together. And I don't fault him for his past. Draco looks at you with an adoration that cannot be faked. Whatever his previous behavior, he seems sincerely eager to make up for it now."

"And Dad feels that way as well?"

Ellen smiled wider. "If he didn't before, I'm sure he does now. You know how he has that way of wheedling the truth out of people when he wants it."

Hermione laughed as she wiped away the last of her tears. "Yes, I do," she replied. She sighed heavily as she turned her attention to the tissues she was now wadding up in her hands. "I don't even know how all of this happened so quickly. One day Draco's the bully from my past. The next he's making me blush with crude jokes. And then he's confessing his love as my husband. It almost doesn't seem real when I think about it."

"Love is mysterious," Ellen agreed, placing her hands to Hermione's head to turn it. She casually began pulling her hair back with her fingers.

"Love," Hermione whispered as her mother began plaiting her unruly curls.

Ellen smiled serenely. "The adoration is in your eyes too," she said softly.

Hermione bit her lip and started shredding the half-soggy tissue in her hands. "How on earth did I fall in love with Draco Malfoy?" she said, closing her eyes at the feel of her hair being tamed.

Ellen hummed in thought as she gently fussed with the curls. "Have you given any thought to whether or not you'll take his name?" she asked.

"Not yet," she answered. "There hasn't been any time to really. It's not yet been two full days since we learned that we'd been married."

"Do you want to have a reception to celebrate the marriage?" Ellen asked.

Hermione opened her eyes and blinked at the wall in thought. "I don't know about that either," she said after a moment. "There's quite a bit that we'll have to discuss."

"Well, you'll have plenty of time this afternoon. You'll have the whole place quiet and to yourselves. It will likely be a late night at the office for us to make up for taking the morning off."

"I'm sorry-" Hermione began, but her mother cut her off.

"Don't you be sorry," she said sternly. "We were happy to take the time off to be with you. In fact, we were delighted when we received your call. We truly have missed you."

Hermione smiled. "I've missed you too."

"It will really be wonderful having the two of you here for the next week or so," Ellen said as she braided. "We should all of us go out for dinner this weekend," she suggested pleasantly. "If it wouldn't interfere with any plans you and Draco have already made, of course."

"Dinner would be lovely," Hermione agreed. "And we really haven't any plans as of yet. Though, while I've got the time off from work, I'd really like to take advantage and help him experience as many things here as possible."

"Any ideas?" Ellen inquired with genuine interest.

Hermione shrugged. "He really enjoyed the speed and rush at Uncle Mark's…so I was thinking I might take him to an amusement park. He really loves films, so a trip to the cinema might be in order. And he's never seen the Reef, but, to be honest, I don't even know how well he can swim."

"Well, we've got the pool here," Ellen offered. "You're both welcome to it. It's not exactly swimming season, but the heater should keep the water pleasant enough."

"Did you forget where we live?" Hermione chuckled. "Twenty five degrees there would definitely be swimming weather."

Ellen laughed as well. "Yes, I suppose so. I forget sometimes how we've acclimated to the warmth here. Anymore, I can't manage to get myself into the water unless it's over thirty. Your father's the one that insists on keeping the pool open year-round."

"I like early morning swims," Gene's voice suddenly rang out. Both women visibly startled at the sound of his statement and whipped their faces around to see him and Draco standing in the kitchen holding several paper bags and drink cups.

"For heaven's sake," Ellen said with her hand to her chest, "you gave us a start."

"We didn't even hear you come in," Hermione agreed, as she got up and made her way to them.

Gene smiled and nodded to an impish looking Draco. "I told him to use one of those nifty silencing spells of yours," the older man confessed. "Wanted to make a grand entrance."

"For our surprise," Draco added.

"Well, I don't know about grand," Ellen frowned reproachfully, as she stood and joined them as well. "But it certainly was a surprise."

"Your surprise?" Hermione asked, quickly disregarding the topic of entry methods and her father's unexpected sanctioning of Draco's use of spells, as she met Draco's eyes with a look of anxiety.

But he beamed as he held up the weighted paper bags clutched in his left hand. "We brought lunch!"

"I can see that," Hermione couldn't help but smile back at his enthusiasm.

Ellen, however, frowned disapprovingly at the logo on the bags they were holding. "You took him out for fast food?"

"What?" Gene shrugged innocently. "I thought he'd enjoy the experience of the drive-through."

"Yes, because apparently you've not yet lived until you've ordered chips by shouting at a box on the side of the road," Draco drawled with a smirk.

"Shouting is right," Gene laughed, wiggling a finger in his ear. "I might've gone deaf if I'd let you carry on much longer."

"And you made him order!?" Ellen scolded, smacking her husband's upper arm.

"Well, I had to make sure it heard me," Draco said defensively, not taking notice of Ellen's indignation on his behalf.

"How else is he supposed to learn?" Gene answered Ellen, ignoring Draco. "Besides, he was quite excited to relay his success in doing so."

"You take him out for the least healthy food available?" she harrumphed, crossing her arms. "Coke, Gene? Really? You know what that stuff does to teeth. Why not just have him drink acid?"

"Acid?" Draco paled a little.

"He ordered it, not me!" Gene laughed at his wife.

"I'm sure," she said with a nod to his hand. "And I'm to believe he ordered the one you're holding as well?"

"There's nothing wrong with the occasional sugary beverage," Gene defended himself. "And you know it."

Draco was eyeing the drink cup in his hand with trepidation. "I ordered acid?"

"Look, now you've frightened him," Gene said. He lifted his own drink to his mouth and sipped from the straw. "You see…It's not going to harm you."

"Debatable," Ellen huffed but Draco was looking to Hermione who'd remained silent as she watched them all with something between shock and amusement. She smiled and reached forward to take the drink from his hand.

She took a sip and then grimaced slightly as she swallowed. "Just fine," she said with hand to her chest as she held the drink back to him.

"That wasn't very reassuring," Draco said wide-eyed.

"It's fine, really," Hermione insisted with a chuckle. "It's just been a while since I've had one-"

"I'm glad to hear it," Ellen interjected.

"-and the carbonation burns a little," Hermione finished.

"Burns?" Draco looked aghast and Hermione and Gene both laughed again.

"Drink it," Gene said, nodding to the cup authoritatively.

Draco looked back and forth between them all and then, hesitantly, put the straw in his mouth and sucked. He spluttered the moment the liquid hit his throat.

"Holy shit," he wheezed, shaking his head and holding the cup out away from himself. Hermione took it from him as he composed himself.

"Are you okay?" she asked, biting back a grin. Draco smacked his lips.

"Yeah," he answered, staring at the cup, "just a bit startled by the fizziness."

"Well, it is a fizzy drink," Hermione said, taking another sip for herself.

"Hey! Don't drink it all," Draco said, snatching it back. He took a huge gulp and this time sighed appreciatively after it went down. The other three stared at him.

"Like it then?" Gene smirked.

Draco nodded vigorously as he drank again. "It's like liquid sweets," he said, his eyes twinkling and fingers gripping the cup possessively.

"I'm afraid you may have just created a monster," Hermione said, looking to her father. He merely smirked wider.

"I expect you all to brush your teeth thoroughly after this," Ellen said, still frowning at the way Draco was guzzling the beverage.

"Why have you never offered me this before?" Draco demanded of Hermione between sips. "What other glorious Muggle concoctions have you been keeping from me?"

"Hey, now there's a question…" Gene playfully mused out loud at his wife's order. "Do wizards have a spell for teeth cleaning?"

"I've not been keeping anything from you," Hermione answered Draco. "And, dad, I've already told you we have dental care spells, but that brushing is more satisfying."

"Yes, but what do you call them?" her father asked, his face pulled into an exaggerated look of deep thought.

"Densanare," Draco answered Gene, straw still at his lips.

"Don't encourage him," Hermione warned. "Unless you want to spend the next hour discussing the merits of proper dental maintenance."

Ellen finally laughed and plucked the drink cup from Gene's hand before he could object. "Perhaps we ought to," she teased, looking up at him with a raised brow. "Dr. Granger here seems to have forgotten the essentials."

Gene's eyes darkened mischievously at her. "Who was it that graduated top of our class again, Dr. Granger?"

Ellen rolled her eyes at him, but kept her smile. "Oh don't you start with that," she said. "You only beat me because I let you copy my notes."

"Like mother like daughter?" Draco whispered at Hermione. She wrinkled her nose at him.

"Why don't we move to the table," Ellen suggested with a grin at them, "and see what other nutritious fare has been obtained for us."

"Yes, let's," Hermione agreed heartily, bumping shoulders with Draco as they all turned toward the table. "Everything okay?" she whispered into his ear when her parents went ahead of them. He merely nodded as he set the bags he was still holding and his drink upon the table before pulling out Hermione's chair for her. She gave him a look as she moved to sit but he'd already begun to take his own seat as the Grangers did the same.

As they each settled into place, Gene reached into the bags to pull out and place the various food items Draco had successfully ordered in the center of the table.

"Help yourselves," he said invitingly with a wave over the pile of paper and cardboard containers of sandwiches, burgers, and chips. Ellen and Hermione both gaped at the assortment.

"I didn't know what everyone liked," Draco said somewhat sheepishly, "so I ordered one of everything."

Gene rather unsuccessfully tried to stifle a laugh with a cough and Ellen tsked at him.

"That was very thoughtful of you," she said, turning from Gene to give Draco an appreciative nod. He nodded back and then followed Gene and Hermione's lead in picking out a container of food to try.

"So…" Ellen spoke up, looking between the two men after taking a small sandwich for herself, "besides your drive-through experience, how was the rest of your drive? You were gone for quite some time."

Gene smiled. "Claire was running like a dream. We took her all over the city. I think Draco appreciated the tour."

"I did," Draco agreed. "Your city is quite beautiful and appears to offer many activities I wouldn't mind exploring further. Gene was kind enough to point out the ones he thought would enhance my experience here."

Ellen hummed as she arranged her food. "You had a good time, then…?" she said, smiling first at Draco and then fixing her husband with a meaningful stare.

Hermione's hands slowed in their movements to open her food as she too carefully eyed her father and then Draco for their reactions to the statement.

Both men exchanged a brief glance before smiling back at their wives.

"It was a good learning experience," Draco said.

"For both of us," Gene added.

Hermione let out a breath that she'd been subconsciously holding and smiled around in relief at her family. Her expression turned almost bashful and she bit her lip when her eyes met Draco's and he winked at her. He nudged his foot against hers beneath the table and she nudged him right back as they both turned their attention to their lunches.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ginny cracked open the door to her husband's study and peered inside. "Harry…?" she called out gently at the sight of him with his head in his hands at his desk.

Harry looked up over the mountain of mail heaped before him on the desk. "Are you alright? Where's your mum?" he asked at once, his green eyes zeroing in on her belly. She smiled at him and slipped into the room.

"I'm perfectly fine," she answered. "Mum's sleeping."

"It's the middle of the night," he said in reprimand, "you ought to be in bed as well."

Ginny pulled at her dressing gown and waddled rather gracefully to his side. She looked down at him and ran a hand affectionately through his disheveled hair. "Pot, meet kettle," she grinned.

Harry sighed and closed his eyes at the feel of his wife's simple touches.

"What's wrong?" she asked him after a quiet moment. He sighed again.

"I don't know what to do," he said tiredly. He opened his eyes and looked to the pile of letters all addressed to Draco and Hermione. He reached for one that he'd set aside and held it up. "Tell me what to do," he nearly begged.

Ginny squinted through the candle light of the room at the elegant script written on the envelope and pursed her lips.

"Did she curse it?" she asked, lowering her hand from his hair to support her pregnant belly. Harry shook his head.

"Not that we could tell. None of these contain anything physically or magically harmful," he replied with a wave of his hand over the heap. "We destroyed the others."

"Then you need to send them," Ginny said decidedly.

"But who knows what these all say?" Harry wondered out loud. "I haven't cause to read them and there's a better than good chance that many are vile." He held Narcissa Malfoy's letter up a tad higher for emphasis.

"Hermione doesn't deserve this," he added, sending the letter back into the pile with rather malicious flick. "It's bad enough that they had to basically flee the country."

Ginny considered the giant mound of mail. "Hermione should have expected that this was going to happen," she said calmly. "And anyway, she's not exactly made of glass."

Harry's brows cocked upward. "Have you forgotten the past year and a half?"

"This has nothing to do with what happened with Ron," Ginny insisted firmly.

"She's not been herself since he left," Harry disagreed. "I mean, obviously she's still herself, but…I dunno. With Malfoy she seems herself again, you know? Godric's ghost if I understand what the hell she sees in that blond wanker, but he's made her happy somehow. I don't want any of this to ruin it for her."

Ginny frowned at the letters. "You still have to send them. It's their business and they deserve to make their own decision on whether or not to read it all. And you don't know that it's all bad. I imagine there are people who see them as a sign of the progress that's been made between the blood statuses since the war. If even one of these letters expresses that sentiment, you know that Hermione would easily forget all the rest."

Harry looked thoughtfully at the mess on his desk again. "You're right, of course," he said reluctantly, "but…would it be wrong to wait to send them until they return at least?"

"Send them now," she advised. "It'd be so much worse for them to spend their entire honeymoon in the dark about what's going on and then come home to this. Better for them to get them now so they have time to recover away from the chaos here if the responses are all nasty."

"I know of at least one response that's bound to be nasty," he said drearily.

Ginny's eyes darted back to the mail. "Did Ron send one?"

"I doubt he knows yet," Harry answered, shaking his head. "I'm sure we would've heard from him by now if he did."

"That's going to be a fun conversation," Ginny noted sarcastically.

Harry groaned and leaned toward her. He rested his forehead on her swollen middle and lightly gripped his hands to the side of it, parting her dressing gown. "Merlin, what a mess," he muttered as Ginny rubbed at his scalp again. He nuzzled his nose into the fabric of her night shirt just as baby James gave a kick. "I'm glad you agree," Harry whispered to his unborn son. "I forbid you to ever marry a Malfoy, do you understand? I forbid it."

Ginny chuckled and tugged at her husband's head to lift it. She gazed down at him. "Come to bed. You can worry about this in the morning."

Harry released an exhausted breath and then nodded in agreeance as he stood. He started to follow Ginny out when suddenly the letter pile exploded outward. A startled yelp and a very loud expletive was heard as Harry dived to shield Ginny.

"It was just Odin," Ginny puffed, hands splayed protectively over her belly, brow furrowed over her husband's shoulder. Harry turned to glare at the kneazle rolling around on the desk sending the remaining envelopes raining over the sides to the floor.

"I am so going to murder this damn cat," Harry growled, scowling at the wild-eyed Odin.

"You should've sent them with Hermione," Ginny said, the disapproval of his decision to not send the cats with their owner clear in her voice.

Harry glanced over to Crookshanks who was curled up and sleeping in an armchair in the corner of the room and huffed. "How was I supposed to know that Mrs. Figg was on holiday?" he bemoaned.

Ginny too looked at Crookshanks who was surrounded by a thick layer of shed orange fur on the upholstery and then back to Odin who had bounded into Harry's leather chair and was attempting to sharpen his claws on it.

"We are never getting a cat," she said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: I'm back! Sorry for the long delay in updating. Anyway it won't be nearly so long for the next chapter as it's almost done. And next chapter will have fluffs.

Thank you DaFossil, HG4eva, Trelweny, Severus1snape, Coranassa, cpetnm, colao, Missus_G, Tassana_Burrfoot, Victoria, poppycrxwn, Priscillaxx, ssdawning, and tsita for the stellar reviews! Thank you all so much for sticking with me!

Also: 25 Celsius = 77 Fahrenheit, 30 Celsius = 86 Fahrenheit
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