Fourteen Thousand Galleons

Draco Malfoy's Bedroom

"Hermione, what the hell happened?" He's squatting next to her and he's got this look of concern on his face that's not helping her to feel any better. "Why did you explode Draco's kitchen?"

"I..." she gulps for air and shoves her fists into her eyes because she doesn't want to cry but it just pours out of her. "I have to make the children breakfast."

Harry gently holds her wrists and pulls her hands away from her eyes. He spares a second to inspect the scorched material of her jumper and the wild mane of hair around her head. His smile is small and encouraging, a kindness he's never lost from his youth. It causes her lower lip to tremble because she feels like a prize idiot while he's here being all Harry Potter, The Kindest Boy In The Land.

"I've never cooked with a magical stove," she gushes with quick breaths, attempting in vein to steady her emotions. "I didn't know. Why can't stoves just be sodding stoves? What's this super fancy pureblood monstrosity? I can't do this, Harry, I can't-"

Harry's here? Harry's here! Hermione's brown eyes are wide and the whites are tinged pink when she finally looks at him again, when she finally sees him. How -

"Harry!" She jumps up, nearly knocking Harry back as she's prone to do these days - which, of course wouldn't happen if he wasn't always so close to her. "Why are you here? If Malfoy sent you to check on me because he doesn't trust-"

Harry stands and puts his hands on her shoulders. Ducking his head down to peer into her eyes, he shakes his head and his raven hair swooshes messily above his glasses.

"No." He moves his hands gradually to her neck and wrestles with her wild curls until he's gently framing her jaw in his hands. "Draco didn't ask me to check on you. Rose floo'd-"

"The children!" She flings herself away from Harry, completely sidetracked and books it through various halls and rooms as she cries out for them. "God, what've I done? Why am I doing this? Kids! Rose? Shit."

"Shit." Hugo springs out of a door with a great big smile and his hands in the air as if to startle his mum.

It worked.

"Hell's bells!" Hermione shouts and jumps and presses a hand to her chest. "Hugo! Did you just use a naughty word? Why were you hiding in the closet?"

Hugo shrugs. "You said it first, mummy."

"We never say that word, okay?" Her breathing is slowing down as Hugo's head nods. "Wonderful, okay. Now where are Rose and Scorpius?"

Her son shrugs again but then he's grinning and pointing over Hermione's shoulder. "Harry! Mum, Harry's here! Can we play brooms, Harry?"

Hermione sighs as she feels Harry right at her back, so close. Her posture is rigid. This is too much. She's overwhelmed. Where are the children? She takes off down another hallway without acknowledging Harry, though she hears him speaking with Hugo as she rounds a corner and enters another room.

"We can play brooms at the weekend, buddy."

"Rose?"

The room she's in is dark, blackout curtains drawn around the room. She lights the tip of her wand. Draco's room. It's massive. There's a large bed and several windows covered by black curtains. A wooden wardrobe in the corner. Clothes everywhere; obviously Tink hasn't cleaned this room.

"I don't think she'd come in here." Harry's behind her again and light chills tingle up her spine. It's an odd feeling, like she's on the brink of something but she doesn't know what.

"Right. Let's keep looking." She tightens her grip on her wand and maneuvers around Harry as best as she can without running him over. "Rose?"

"Mum!" Rose darts to her and wraps her arms around Hermione's middle. "I thought you were dead."