A Second Chance

Meeting for the First Time

"Here are your keys." The gawking receptionist handed them their keys. She pulled out a piece of white paper. "This is the itinerary." She handed the paper to Hermione.

"Thank you." She politely told the startstrucked girl.

Once everyone was in the lift, she glanced down to read the itinerary that her grandparents had come up with. "It appears we are to have dinner in the ballroom, later today."

"Does that mean I'll get to see you in a dress." Draco's warm breath teased against her ear.

She frowned at his teasing. "No."

Her mum laughed. "I think I might wear one. It is a ballroom after all." Hermione caught the hopeful look that Scorpius sent an oblivious Rose.

The lift came to a stop and opened with a ding. Hermione exited first, followed by Draco, Rose, Narcissa, then everyone else.

"I agree with Jean, it is a ballroom so we should dress accordingly."

"When do you ever wear anything that is not considered a ballgown." Draco told his mother. Hermione could practically hear the sneer that he didn't show. Narcissa raised the decorative fan that she carried and smacked him with at the same time that Molly smacked him in the back. "Ow!"

"You should be more respectful to your mother." Molly paraded an angry finger at him.

Narcissa snatched a key from Hermione and wrapped her arm into Molly's. "I say we head to my room to freshen up. Show everyone what real ladies look like."

A horrified expression crossed over Molly's face. "I...don't think that's necessary." She tried to wave Narcissa off.

"Don't be silly." Narcissa grabbed the other keys and handed one to Draco, Arthur, George, and her father. "You boys try to go and make yourselves presentable. Especially you, buffoon." George's face turned a bright scarlet but before he could snark back, Narcissa had already grabbed a hold of Hermione and ushered Angelina, Jean and Rose to follow them to the room that she had claimed.

Within twenty minutes, all six ladies were dressed for a ball. Narcissa was the only one who had wanted to wear a gown but she wouldn't take no for an answer and so, all of them wore gowns with their hair and makeup done. Rose wore a simple long-sleeve red gown that looked gorgeous on her. Molly was dressed in brown while Angelina wore a deep purple. Her mum was dressed in a simple white and blue floral summer dress. Narcissa, as always was dressed in black while Hermione was dressed in a pale green gown that resembled Rose's.

Narcissa opened her fan to accentuate her smile. "We look lovely and ready to draw envious eyes."

The six walked out of the room and toward the lift with Narcissa in the lead. They met the guys on the main floor. Draco gave everyone an appreciated smile and hugged his mother before he offered his arm to Hermione. "You look almost as lovely as you did on our wedding day."

"Thank you. So do you." He had listened to his mother and now wore a suit. They all did. It seemed as if the guys were equally afraid of Narcissa as the ladies were.

They came to a stop in front of large silver doors. The handles were withering snakes made of iron, another Slytherin flare. When the doors opened, the chatter inside of the ballroom became quiet.

"Jean, darling!" An older woman with long, white curly hair joined them. Hermione glanced around to the gathered family that she hadn't seen since the war, it was just as she feared. Her group was the only ones dressed up, everyone else wore jeans and simple tee-shirts.

"Mum!" Her mum returned her grandmother's hug. "It's been a while." Her parents had been unable to attend the reunion last year simply because Hermione was marrying Draco during the time that the reunion was taking place.

Her grandmother turned to look at Hermione. "Hermione?" When she nodded, her grandmother embraced her in a hug. "I missed you, my darling granddaughter."

"I missed you too."

Her grandfather hobbled over then. "You going to introduce us?" He asked with a smile, his dark brown eyes sparkling.

Hermione patted Draco's hand which still held her arm. "This is Draco." With her free hand she waved Rose and Scorpius over. "These are our children, Rose and Scorpius." She didn't need to explain that they weren't siblings by blood, she had already explained to her grandparents their family situation in a letter that she had written to them after the wedding to explain why she didn't show up for the reunion. "This is my mother and father-in-law, Molly and Arthur, from my first marriage with Ron. This is my brother-in-law and his wife, George and Angelina." Before Hermione could introduce Narcissa, the woman gracefully walked to the front and offered her hand and a charming smile.

"I am Narcissa Malfoy, the current mother-in-law. I'm sorry that my husband couldn't be here to meet everyone, he was held up with business." In truth, Lucious wasn't allowed out of the wizarding world, though he did technically have business with Harry and the Ministry later in the week.

The rest of her family looked toward Narcissa with bemused expressions. Her muggle family probably assumed that she was descended from wealth with the way she looked and acted, which, they wouldn't be wrong. Even after the war, the Malfoys were still one of the richest wizarding families out there.

A stomach rumbled from behind her. "Can we eat yet?" Arthur asked while looking at the table spread with food. Molly smacked him in the arm. At least he wasn't asking her muggle family a bunch of questions.

"Of course." Her grandmother chuckled before she grabbed hold of her husband's hand to help him back to the table.