The Marriage Decree

Chapter 144: It's His Style to Cause Havoc

As promised, on the day Hermione is to be discharged, Draco takes Sarah to collect her daughter. As soon as Hermione's medication had arrived, Healer Heath gave her strict orders to rest for a minimum of three days. Then he discharges her into the care of her husband and mother.

Hermione thanks her healer before leaving for home, where Sarah announces that she has packed her night bag and will spend the night looking after her grandson, so they can get a good night's sleep. After a cup of tea and cuddling Scorpius, the tired parents head straight to bed, where they remain until Sarah wakes them up for dinner at seven o'clock.

While sleeping, Sarah had taken Scorpius for a walk down by the river, and Mitty had cooked them a lasagna. When they've finished eating, Draco helps his wife back up to bed, as she is still exhausted, and then helps Sarah wash up, bathe Scorpius and put him to bed. Sarah sleeps in the spare room beside Scorpius, offering to get up at night if her grandson wakes up. Although Scorpius sleeps through the night now, the thought still counts.

The following day, when Sarah is ready to leave for home, Hermione and Draco hug her tightly, grateful for her staying the night with Scorpius. She shrugs, claiming to have just wanted some Scorpius and Nana time. After dropping Sarah off at home, the family of three lounges on their couch beneath a large blanket, big enough for them all, and watch a few films to pass the day.

By Sunday night, Hermione is thoroughly bored and eager to return to work, guilty that her students' education has been interrupted because of her. However, when she brings up her wishes to return to work with Draco, he quickly refuses, reminding her that she was ordered to rest for three days. Hermione couldn't argue and knew it was a long shot to ask.

When Draco returns to work on Monday, Hermione stays home with Scorpius. Draco wanted to take their son back to nursery, but Hermione had missed holding her son and cuddling him while she was ill. She promises they'll have a lazy day reading, watching films and napping. She hadn't realised how much she had put her son through the past five days and how much attention he craved from her, so she was glad Draco made her stay off work.

However, Hermione is up at six o'clock, ready to return to Hogwarts and teach. She dresses in her favourite robes, cooks breakfast for her family and awards them with breakfast in bed. Scorpius enjoys snuggling up to his father as they share slices of toast and dippy egg. At seven o'clock, Hermione takes Scorpius to nursery, promising to meet Draco at their rooms in the castle. Although, it is much simpler to apparate to the gates of Hogwarts and walk across the grounds.

As she comes into view of Hagrid's hut, she receives an excited wave from the man sitting eating breakfast with an old Fang chewing on a bit of sausage that dropped from the plate. Hermione returns his wave, glad to be back.

Over the nearby mountains of the Scottish Highlands soars a large owl, its grey wings stretched to over five metres as it swiftly dives down into a valley. In some cultures, the mysterious bird is known as 'The Phantom of the North' due in part to its apparent ability to change direction so quickly it gives the impression of a ghost flying through walls. Smoothly, the owl pulls up its beak before reaching the ground and soars over the gates of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

From outside the castle, it may appear that all students have already settled back into school routine: waking up, eating breakfast, classes with a lunch break, then studying before dinner and hanging in the common room before bed. They had only been back at school three weeks, and it probably felt like they'd never left. Four years' worth of students could remember the chaos of the Harry Potter Hogwarts years, where it seemed like something new and exciting was happening every day. Still, nothing exciting had happened at Hogwarts since the announcement of The Marriage Decree two years ago. In fact, Hogwarts had become rather boring for drama and gossip.