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Summary: This is all Blaise Zabini's fault! And now Draco is stuck in a stupid grocery story with a stupid bushy haired know-it-all because of a stupid thunderstorm and because of a stupid lovesick Zabini and his silly little schemes. Written for HP Drizzle 2016.

Silly Little Schemes

Blaise was always coming up with strange things to do, but this one had surpassed them all.

"I don't think we can do this, Blaise."

"Why not Draco? How hard can it be?"

"I don't know mate, taking care of a five year old for a whole day without magic and without house elves seems impossible to me. I can barely take care of him with magic, you know Astoria was always better at it than me," said Draco. "And besides, why are you suddenly so interested in doing things the Muggle way?"

Draco had an idea as to why Blaise had got a sudden bout of love for all things Muggle. In fact he was fairly sure that this all was part of Blaise's elaborate scheme to impress his new Muggleborn fling, Alicia.

"Y-you know we should, er, learn about Muggles. Yes, get to know them better, reform ourselves," said Blaise.

"Nonsense!" scoffed Draco.

"Oh alright," sighed Blaise, "I really need to impress Alicia. I want her to see I am serious about our relationship."

"You are?" asked Draco, surprised.

The Blaise he knew never stayed with one woman for more than a month.

"I am. She's special, mate," replied Blaise.

"Are you planning to get hitched?" asked Draco. "You know that's a single way journey to hell."

"Not for everyone, you just had a bad stroke of luck with Astoria."

"Maybe you're right," grimaced Draco.

Draco and Astoria had divorced a month ago. His relationship with Astoria had always been complicated but in the last few years they fought more than they talked. He didn't blame her but he was sure he didn't want to go through that again with any woman.

"Alright then," said Draco, "let's do it. You'll owe me. You can pay me with your soul, or maybe your grandfather's priceless broom collection."

The next day Draco was up bright and early despite the rainy weather, he helped Scorpius get ready, he got ready himself and walked down to Blaise's apartment down the street, and all of this without any magic. He was proud of himself.

When they reached Blaise had prepared breakfast, of which only a fourth was edible and he had forgotten the most important item, milk. Now Scorpius couldn't live without milk, so Draco decided to venture out and go to a nearby Muggle shop to buy some. Scorpius, of course, tagged along. He had become a little clingy since the divorce.

Draco was perturbed when he first entered the store, there were so many things, half of which he didn't even recognize. How did milk look like when you bought it? It was always in a jug on the table. He started looking around for a milk filled jug but Scorpius spotted the toy section and wouldn't stop crying until he took him there.

By now rain was steadily falling outside, looks like they were going to be stuck here for a while, seeing as Draco couldn't apparate in front of the Muggles. Suddenly a deafening clap of thunder sounded and the lights went out. Scorpius cried out and ran up to Draco, who picked him up and turned around to leave when he bumped into something, or rather someone.

"What the hell?"

"Oh I'm sorry!" exclaimed a female voice. "Wait let me get my torch."

There were some rustling sounds, a muffled curse and then suddenly a blinding light was shone directly in his face.

"Argh what is that?" cried Draco, covering his eyes. "If you attack me you'll regret it!"

"Malfoy?"

Draco whipped his head towards the voice and saw Granger. Out of all the places in the world where she could be, she had to be here.

"What are you doing here?" they asked at the same time.

"I needed groceries, Malfoy. What did you think I was doing?"

"Stalking me maybe?" he shot back.

"Wha-me! Stalking you!" she spluttered.

"Yes," he replied, "I saw you lurking outside my office the other day."

"I wasn't lurking outside your office, I was waiting for Harry."

"Potter works on the other end of the floor, you know that very well."

"You are accusing me of stalking?" Granger said to him with narrowed eyes. "Care to explain what you were doing with a picture of me in your desk?"

"I don't have a picture of you! And what were you doing snooping around my desk?" he said angrily.

"I- I was looking for proof," she stuttered, "and I found it!"

"What proof?" he asked, puzzled.

"That you're my secret admirer."

Draco burst out laughing. "Are you absolutely bonkers Granger?"

"I'm serious!"

Draco stopped laughing and scowled at her. Why did he have to be stuck with an infuriating know-it-all? It was all Blaise Zabini's fault.

"I even have your notes with me," she continued. "Look."

Draco looked at the notes with the help of Granger's stupid light. They were indeed from his stationary and even the handwriting matched his but he had not written them. He told her so.

"Then where did they come from?" she asked, with one brow raised.

"I don't know," he replied honestly.

"Wait so you didn't send those stupid thorned roses either?"

"Why would I send you roses? That too ones with thorns," Draco said. "Someone must have played you. I got a stupid prank note too asking me to go to a restaurant to meet the woman of my dreams, I just threw it."

"I got that too!" exclaimed Hermione. "I thought it was some stupid advert."

They looked at each other with befuddled expressions. Just then, another round of thunder sounded and Scorpius started whimpering.

"Come on Scorp, there's nothing to be afraid of," Draco told him.

"He's a kid Malfoy, its normal for him to be scared of thunder," said Hermione.

She then picked Scorpius up and sat down on the floor, cuddling him. He seemed hesitant at first but slowly accepted the comfort she was providing.

"What are you doing Granger?" asked Draco.

"What you should be doing," she shot back, stunning him silent.

For about half an hour, till the rain stopped, they stayed like, with Scorpius on Hermione's lap and Draco rubbing his back, sitting beside them.

"What were you here for anyways?" Hermione finally asked Draco.

"I wanted to buy milk for Scorpius," Draco replied. "I couldn't find it though."

"Wait here, I'll get it for you," said Hermione, before carefully placing Scorpius on Draco's lap and walking away.

She came back after a few minutes and said, "All done. We can leave now."

"Don't we need to pay before taking that?" asked Draco.

"I already did," she replied.

"Wait let me get the money out. How much was it?" Draco asked.

"It's alright."

"Thank you."

"No problem."

"Right."

"Right then."

They stared at each other.

"I should leave," Hermione said finally, turning around awkwardly to walk away.

"Um hey, listen!" Draco called after her.

She turned around to look at him with her big brown eyes.

"We should, er, we should hang out sometime," he said. "Scorpius seems to like you."

"Um, sure."

"How about tomorrow?" Draco suggested.

"I'm free in the afternoon," she replied.

"Well, till tomorrow then," Draco said with a smile.

"See you," she smiled back shyly at him.

Draco returned to Blaise's with a goofy smile plastered on his face.

"What happened? What took you so long?" asked Blaise, worried.

"We got stuck in the shop because of the rain," Draco replied.

Blaise sighed and said, "Well today was a fail, most of the day is finished. We'll try this Muggle thing again tomorrow."

"Can't," said Draco.

"Why?"

"Scorpius and I are meeting Granger."

"Granger?" Blaise asked. "So it's a date?"

Draco just smiled and shrugged his shoulder.

Hours later when Draco had left and his girlfriend had returned home, Blaise Zabini flooed Ginny Potter.

He smirked when he saw her and said, "Tell him to pay up."

She shrieked and called Harry, "Harry, we won! You owe Blaise, Alicia and I 50 galleons."

"That's not possible!" exclaimed Harry

"Of course it is," said Alicia, joining in.

"You would have lost anyways, Potter," said Blaise. "You cheated."

"I just sent the roses to Hermione!" Harry exclaimed. "You people sent notes and dinner invitations. You all are clearly the bigger cheaters. You have even managed to make a Slytherin out of my wife!"

"She did that all by herself," Blaise said with a smirk. "Pay up Potter."

"I can't believe your stupid plan worked," Harry grumbled emptying his wallet into the hands of the annoying little twats.

A/N: Happy New Year! Hope 2017 treats you all well. Thanks to the mods of HP Drizzle for hosting such a wonderful fest. Go over to LiveJournal to read the other entries and show them some love! Reviews make this girl happy, so leave a little something something letting me know what you thought of it! And please let me know if you find any mistakes via review or PM.