Brown-Eyed Muse √

Chapter Five

Hermione Granger

Once I'm seated on the couch across from Draco, he closes his eyes and rests his forehead on the palm of his hand. "Why are you even here?" he asks. "Why aren't you with your perfect husband?" You know, the one you chose over me, he seems to silently add.

"Because he's not my husband anymore." Draco opens his eyes and glances over at me, surprise playing over his face. "Well, not exactly," I add. "We had an argument, and I wanted a divorce, but then with the kids and all...I just decided that I needed some space. And I didn't know of anywhere else to stay."

"And you assumed that I'd let you stay here?" Draco asks. But the question doesn't have its normal bite, he just sounds tired.

"Well...not exactly. I hoped you would."

He stays silent.

"Look, Draco, I understand that you just lost your wife." He buries his face in his hands, probably thinking don't remind me. "And I know that nobody can ever replace her. I'm not here to do that, but I figured that you might need a bit of help taking care of Scorpius. I can watch him for a few days while you get some rest and Ron cools down. Then we can all get this mess sorted out."

Draco still doesn't answer.

Scorpius walks into the room just then. "Dad, can she please stay? It's too quiet in here. It's lonely." My mood lowers tor the poor child.

And for his poor father.

Draco finally moves, sighing and laying his head against the back of the couch. "Sure. Fine. Whatever."

Scorpius' face brightens, and a smile spreads across it. I smile back at him, already feeling like I might be able to accept him as a third child.

As soon as Scorpius leaves the room and I hear him racing up the stairs, Draco sits up and looks at me. "But you can't stay here for long. I still have a life, you know, and you can't just come into my house and take over."

"You let me in," I point out calmly.

He doesn't argue.

Scorpius comes back down with a box. "Hermione, can you play Exploding Snap with me?"

"Yes, of course!" I say, going over to him and taking a seat at the table in the dining room. He opens it up and takes out all the pieces.

"Hermione," Draco says. I look up. He's standing at the foot of the stairs, one hand rested on the banister. "I- I'm glad you're here."

My face- and heart -warm.

He continues, "You know...for Scorpius. It might be good for him to be happy for once."

"It'd be good for you, too," I say playfully. Inside, my stomach is performing a dance of joy.

He still doesn't argue, only making his way up the stairs.

***

Later, after a heated match of Exploding Snap- which I lost -it is time for Scorpius to go to bed.

When I tell him this, his hands fall to his sides. "Can't we play again? Don't you want a rematch so you can beat me?" His voice is on the edge of a whine, almost a complaint.

"Tomorrow, Scorpius," I promise him. "For now, go upstairs and get ready. I'll tuck you in." I'm not sure if he'll like this or not, but I know my kids do. And Scorpius heads back up the stairs with enthusiasm, so I'm assuming he's okay with it.

I scoop all of the Exploding Snap pieces back into the box and leave it on the table, assuming that Scorpius will want to play it again soon. I'm about to follow in his path up the stairs when I notice the pictures on the dining room walls.

I didn't see them when I had come into the house, as the room had been too dark. But now the pictures leap out at me in bright and vibrant color.

The first one is of a little baby with a thin layer of blond hair in his head. He's smiling, which is odd for a child so very young, and is held by a dark haired woman. Astoria.

She smiles at the camera as well, no lines of worry or stress creasing her face. At least, not yet.

Draco has an arm around her shoulders, and while he's not outright smiling, I see his lips curving upwards as he looks right at the camera.

Right at me.

In the next pictures, I can picture myself with Ron. They're of Draco and Astoria's wedding, and I see myself laughing from Ron's arms. I expect to feel a twinge of guilt at leaving him, but find none deep down. My stomach is an endless pit of hate and rage.

Feeling like I'm intruding on Draco's privacy, I head up the ling wooden staircase. The upstairs is dark, so I mutter "Lumos" under my breath. I find a door marked Scorpius and knock on it.

"Come in," his voice rings out from behind the door. I push the door open, trying to be quiet about it, in case Draco's asleep. I dim the spell a bit so as to not hurt the child's eyes.

Once the door is closed behind me, Scorpius climbs into the bed, closing his eyes. I tuck the sheet in around him, fluffing up his pillow. He smiles sleepily.

Lastly, I plant a kiss on his forehead. "Goodnight, Scorpius," I murmur.

At first I think he's already asleep, as his breathing has evened out and he's quiet. But then he says, "Goodnight, Mum."

I freeze.

I'm about to correct him, but his chest is rising and falling in such a perfect rhythm that I know he's asleep.

"Goodnight Scorpius," I say softly again as I leave.

At the very end of the hall is a room with a set of double doors. I see light trickling out from underneath them and know that Draco's in there, awake.

I knock on the door.