Cursed Marriage

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/42472944.

Rating: Explicit
Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: F/M
Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Relationship: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Characters: Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley,
Theodore Nott, Gregory Goyle, Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson, Ron
Weasley, Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa Black Malfoy, Luna Lovegood,
Daphne Greengrass, Neville Longbottom, Cormac McLaggen, Lavender
Brown, Seamus Finnigan, Hermione Granger's Mother, Hermione
Granger's Father
Additional Tags: marriage law, Forced Marriage, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue |
EWE, Post-Hogwarts, Quidditch Player Draco Malfoy, Healer Hermione
Granger, Enemies to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Draco smokes just to annoy
Hermione, Hurt/Comfort, Alcohol, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder -
PTSD, Forced Proximity, Jealous Draco Malfoy, Possessive Draco
Malfoy, Semi-Public Sex, Denial of Feelings, Sexual Content, Explicit
Language, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dual POV, No Beta We Die Like
Sirius
Language: English
Series: Part 1 of Cursed
Collections: Dramione fics written by BlueZeldana
Stats: Published: 2022-10-18 Completed: 2024-12-30 Words: 94,247 Chapters:
25/25
 Cursed Marriage
by BlueZeldana

Summary

The Wizengamot had just passed a new Marriage Law that forced all the young wizards and
witches to get married. They needed to ensure that the Wizarding World didn't disappear.

Draco couldn't find a woman who wanted to be his wife, so he had to accept the person
chosen for him by the Ministry.
The only problem was that he didn't want to. Not once he knew who she was.

You can read the Spanish version here.

PLEASE, don't post my fics on Goodreads/Storygraph and don't repost them to other
platforms

Notes

[EDITED - 24/01/2025]
If you have downloaded the fic before this date, I recommend downloading this improved
version.

This idea has been in my mind for more than a year and I really hope you enjoy it!

English is not my first language and all mistakes are mine.

Approved translations:
- Translation into Italian: Cursed Marriage by persefoneb

No new translations will be approved (explained below)

 The Letter
Chapter Notes

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See the end of the chapter for more notes

Amazing art by SaffronGin

Cursed Marriage
 Chapter 1: The Letter

October 2nd, 2005

A storm was raging outside the manor. Thick rain fell over the grounds and dark grey clouds
covered the sky.

It was the perfect representation of his mood.

Draco had woken up early that morning. His stomach churned at the idea of food so he hadn’t
left his bedroom.

He was pacing, his hands fisted behind his back and his jaw working.

Another bolt of lightning illuminated the sky, catching his attention, and Draco walked over
to the window. Maybe the owl wouldn’t make it.

He muttered a curse under his breath and resumed his pacing.

Today was the day he had been dreading for weeks. The letter from the Ministry would come
and tell him the person they had chosen as his future wife, according to the affinity tests he
had been forced to do.

A Healer had made him drink a few drops of Veritasesum and then had asked him hundreds
of questions about himself, his life, what he liked, what he hated… and Draco had tried to
resist, but the words had rolled off his tongue without his permission.

That bloody Healer knew more about him than his own parents.

He went to his desk and scoffed at the front page of the Daily Prophet.

The stupid Marriage Law had been passed almost two months earlier. Every witch and
wizard over twenty-five years of age had to marry before the year ended and produce a child
in two years. No exceptions.

His family's money wouldn’t save him this time.

Draco, in desperation, had tried to convince Daphne to marry him before the Wizengamot
enacted the law. But his friend didn’t want to be in a loveless marriage. She already was in
love, and she and Blaise Zabini had eloped in July.

They were now husband and wife. Bastards.

His other friends Theo, Greg, and Pansy were in the same position as him.

Though none of them had tried to kill Dumbledore, or had a Dark Mark on his forearm, or
had cast an Unforgivable Curse on two innocent people, one of them a student. Apart from all
the things he had done the Wizengamot didn't know.
Draco sighed, sitting down on the edge of his bed and hiding his face in his hands to collect
his thoughts.

He was doomed.

Every witch in England hated him and his family. Nothing good could come out of this.

He just had to accept he would never be happy again. His life would be miserable from now
on.

Draco snorted. That was an easy thing to do.

He knew his parents had always wanted to arrange a marriage for him, and this forced
marriage was something similar.

The only little, tiny difference was that he would be bound to his new wife by magic. He
couldn’t cheat on her, or he risked his own life.

Fucking Ministry of fucking Magic. They had thought about everything.

Draco straightened his back and squared his shoulders.

He was a Malfoy. He could endure it.

A tapping noise on his window made him flinch. He stood up, letting the Ministry owl get
inside.

Draco held his breath when the wet bird glared at him, let the letter fall to the ground and
flew out again.

He grabbed the yellow envelope with trembling hands.

The moment had come and panicking wouldn’t help. Draco lifted his Occlumency walls,
pushing his feelings to the corner of his mind.

His hands stopped shaking instantly.

He paused next to the door and looked in the mirror one last time, checking that his
unreadable mask was in place. He nodded at himself and stormed out of his room.

His heart was pounding painfully in his chest as he descended the stairs.

“Mother, Father. It’s here,” he announced as he entered the living room.

Both his parents jumped to their feet at his words.

“Have you opened it?” Narcissa asked, her voice almost a whisper.

Draco shook his head.

“I didn’t want to do it alone.”

There were two glasses of Firewhisky on the table. Lucius took both of them and offered one
to his son. Draco accepted the drink, finishing it in one gulp and wrinkling his nose as the
honey liquid burned his throat.

Liquid courage. He needed it.

Lucius took a sip of the other and Narcissa stole the glass from him, taking two large gulps.

His mother vanished the glasses and looked him in the eye.

“We’re ready when you are, Draco.”

Draco snorted. He would never be ready for this.

His gaze fell to the envelope and he broke the seal of the letter, taking the parchment out and
unfolding it.

He took his time reading it, and his face lost its colour once he found the name.

The parchment fell to the marble floor, a loud gasp coming from his lips and echoing around
the room.

“No.”

Draco shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Who is it?”

He glanced at his mother, her face white as a sheet. His gaze fell on his father.

“The emergency portkey.”

Lucius frowned.

“Why do you want it?"

“The portkey, Father,” Draco hissed, his body shaking as he flicked his wand. “I won’t marry
her.”

A black suitcase materialised at his feet.

“Who is it, Draco?”

Both men ignored Narcissa’s question.

Lucius walked to the fireplace and opened a silver chest. He returned to their side and stared
at his son with a blank expression.

“The Ministry will find you, Draco. You can’t hide from them.”

An old key fell on Draco’s palm.

“I have to try,” he muttered angrily, tapping the portkey with the tip of his wand and picking
up his suitcase. “I can’t stay here and let them ruin my life.”

The key glowed blue and, with a soft pop, Draco was gone.

Narcissa wiped a few tears away with the back of her hand. She crouched down and picked
up the parchment, opening it with trembling fingers.

The name of the witch was in the middle of the letter, written in cursive.

Hermione Jean Granger

She shared a shocked look with her husband, clutching the parchment to her chest and letting
out a shuddering breath.

“Let’s hope that they don’t find him, Lucius.”

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

October 9th, 2005

Draco Lucius Malfoy

Hermione read the letter for the tenth time with a furrowed brow. Out of all the wizards from
Britain, she had to get the worst option.

She glared down at the following line.

Very high compatibility level: 92%

That was a good joke. A prejudiced prick like Malfoy couldn’t have anything in common
with her.

Hermione snorted and folded the parchment, looking around the empty room. She was the
only one left.

Half of the people expected to marry had to be there that morning, where they would meet
their future partner and choose a date for the wedding. But she hadn’t seen a platinum blond
head among the wizards.

Where the hell was Malfoy?

The door opened and Harry stepped out, his Auror cloak fluttering behind him.

“They can’t find him.”

His words took a little to sink in.

“What?”

“Malfoy,” Harry clarified with a half smile. “He’s not here.”

“Well, yeah.” Hermione pointed at the twenty-one empty chairs in the room. “I know that.”

“No.” He sat down next to her and sighed. “He’s not in Britain.”

Her heart skipped a beat.

Hermione stared down at his wedding band as she chewed on her lower lip.

“Did he leave the country?”

Harry rubbed his forehead and glanced at her.

“Two Aurors are interrogating his parents right now.” His lips curled upward and he patted
her knee. “I think he fled to avoid marrying you.”

Hermione couldn’t help the big smile that spread across her face.

“So I don’t have to marry him?”

“Not for now, no.” Harry’s smile faded. “They may find him, though.”

“And if they don’t?”

He rested his head on the wall and stared at the ceiling.

“Then you’ll have to wait until next September.” Harry closed his eyes, letting out a long
sigh. “You’ll be free for another year.”

Hermione jumped to her feet.

“Harry, this is the best thing I’ve ever heard!”

She pointed her hands to the ceiling and spun around as she giggled.

She wouldn’t have to marry someone who hated her. Hermione had spent months trying to
find a way of stopping the Wizengamot from approving the Marriage Law but to no avail.

It was legal, it had been done before, and it was necessary. That was the excuse Kingsley kept
repeating every time she went to his office to argue about it with him.

The Wizarding population had suffered a great loss after the war and the Ministry had
decided to step in.

Harry furrowed his brow, watching her dance in happiness.

“Don’t celebrate so soon.”

“I’ll have a year to find a suitable partner before the Ministry chooses him for me.” Hermione
shrugged, panting softly once she sat down at his side. “That’s very good news.”

“You knew about the Law,” Harry reminded her. “And you had eight months.”
She scowled at him.

“I couldn’t focus on finding a boyfriend with Ron proposing every two days.”

Harry pressed his lips together and rubbed the back of his neck.

“He’s still mad you said no.”

Thank Merlin Ron’s turn to choose a date was the following week. Hermione wasn’t ready to
bear his reproach.

“We wouldn’t be happy together, Harry.”

Her friend ran a hand through his black hair, ruffling it even more.

“I know.”

She leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Both Ginny and Harry had spent the
last week planning with her how to endure a marriage with Malfoy, and all of them were
exhausted.

“It’s been a tough week. Go home and relax.” Harry kissed her forehead and stood up. “We
will visit you tonight.”

“I’ll have a lasagna ready.” Hermione got to her feet and nodded. “Tell Ginny to bring
something sparkling. I’m in the mood for wine.”

His lips twisted into a grimace.

“Five Aurors are already in France looking for him, Hermione.”

“Why France?” She asked with worried eyes.

“The Malfoys have a residence in the north of the country,” Harry explained in a whisper.
“He may be hiding there.”

Hermione scoffed.

“We both know he is not that stupid.”

Harry sighed and took a step back.

“Don’t get your hopes too high,” he said as he opened the door. “I’ll keep you informed.”

She smiled at him.

“Thanks, Harry. See you later.”

She waited for a while, taking deep breaths and calming herself.
 Hermione stepped out of the room and nodded to the Aurors keeping watch in the corridor.
She rode the lift to the Atrium and waited until one of the fireplaces was free.

The flames licked her skin as she stepped inside, whispering the address of her new flat.
Crookshanks meowed at her in greeting and she smiled, petting his back.

Hermione entered the kitchen, pouring a glass of water from the tap. She went back to the
living room and stared out of the window.

The soft breeze was blowing the leaves on the branches of the trees as the sun came down,
colouring the sky with a rubescent glow.

It was a beautiful day, though she still felt something squeezing her heart. The same thing she
felt since she had read his name in that letter.

Hermione imagined a future with him, a life filled with hatred and sorrow. They would be
miserable together and she couldn’t endure that.

Her eyes burned as she thought about the two-children requirement.

Fuck. She couldn’t bring a child into that. It would be cruel to grow up with parents who
loathed each other.

Hermione swallowed hard.

She wasn’t ready to be a mother. Not yet.

“Don’t let them catch you, Malfoy.” She blinked away the tears, gripping the windowsill
tighter and glancing up at the purple clouds. “Please.”

Chapter End Notes

Let me know what you think!

Where to find me:

- Twitter
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gift for my birthday and I couldn't love it more

Thank you, my dear Saff. I love you!
❤️
Oct 2024 update: Have you seen the art by SaffronGin? They're so talented! It was a
 Black Tea
Chapter Notes

If you see a typo or a grammar mistake and want to tell me where it is so I can fix it,
please do. English is not my first language and I will appreciate your help.

If you don't like the plot, the personality of the characters, or my writing style, the back
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I only accept 'constructive criticism' from my fandom friends and my beta (whenever I
have one, which is not the case here)

November 7th, 2005

Draco smiled, watching the small clouds crossing Lyon's blue sky as he took another sip of
his coffee.

It had been hard, but he was slowly getting used to not using his wand. He had to remind
himself several times a day that he was surrounded by Muggles, and he couldn't risk breaking
the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy.

The magical authorities in France didn't know he was in the country, and he wasn't about to
let them find out because of a stupid mistake.

His father's portkey had taken him straight to the family mansion near Caen, but Draco hadn't
stayed there long. He suspected it would be the first place the Ministry would look for him
when they realised he had escaped.

He gathered up all the Muggle money he could find scattered around the three safes in the
house and, after shrinking his suitcase to the size of a coin and hiding it in his pocket, he
walked out into the gardens and through the metal gate, dressed in a black coat and jeans.

He looked like a bloody Muggle.

It wasn't long before he was surrounded by them as soon as he reached the outskirts of the
city. Draco disguised his displeasure as he made his way through the streets filled with people
talking too loudly and walking too fast.

More than once he had used his father's enchanted cars to get around London, but he didn't
understand how the signs nailed to the pavement directed the traffic.

He resigned himself to watching the Muggles, mimicking what they did and taking note of
when they crossed the streets as he followed the directions he had written down on a sheet of
paper. He needed to get to the train station as soon as possible.

Draco sighed in relief at the sight of the white-walled building and, once inside, read the
screens displaying the names of dozens of French cities and a few German ones.

Germany was not an option. The Malfoy family was known there too.

The best thing to do was to head south.

Draco bought a ticket to Paris, watching his surroundings for anyone suspicious who might
be a British Auror waiting for a good opportunity to stop him without drawing attention to
themselves.

He managed to get on the train without seeing anything unusual and walked down to the end,
sitting down in a carriage that was still empty. Draco leaned his head against the glass and
sighed through his nose, squinting his eyes as he watched the Muggles walking along the
platform.

Hours later he arrived in the nation's capital and stayed in one of the best Muggle hotels he
could find for several days.

It was nice to be in a city he already knew, though he needed to keep moving. The French
Ministry of Magic was based under the Seine River, and it wouldn't be long before they
found out that Draco Malfoy had fled England and was a wanted man.

He continued down the country, spending the night in a couple of random cities until he
reached Lyon. There was no magical community there and it would be safer, so Draco
decided to stay a few days.

That was several weeks ago. After a little confundus, a very kind Muggle offered to rent his
flat for a small fee, and he found several restaurants that lived up to his expectations in the
same neighbourhood.

The café where he was at the moment was only a few feet away, and on the corner was a
bookshop where he had already spent hundreds of euros.

He had even needed to buy another suitcase where he now kept all his books and some food.
Draco found it fun to read the fantasy stories that Muggles wrote, imagining a world where
magic was real. Some of those books were so close to reality that they made his hair stand on
end. Either the writers had a great imagination, or they had seen something they shouldn't
have.

Draco stirred his coffee and took another sip, smirking when the waitress gave him a
sideways glance as she passed him.

She was a girl about his age, blonde and very attractive. Too bad she was a Muggle.

However, after four weeks without human contact, Draco was considering making an
exception.
No one needed to know.

He watched her as she served the other tables and it didn't take him long to catch her eye. The
girl approached, holding the tray against her chest, and pointed to his table with a jerk of her
chin.

"Why do you always sit in the same place?"

Draco narrowed his eyes suspiciously. He always ordered his coffee in French but she had
just spoken to him in English.

"How do you know I speak English?"

She shrugged.

"I've seen you reading books in that language."

He couldn't help but grin. That Muggle with such an adorable accent had been watching him,
just as he imagined.

"Because I have the best view from here," he murmured, waggling his eyebrows.

And so it was. From that table, he could see the inside of the café and the whole street.
Although he had relaxed a bit, Draco was still alert to anything strange that might happen
around him.

That week he had decided that he would leave for Italy in a couple of days. Better to put
more distance between himself and England.

His ultimate goal was to get to some faraway country like Russia or Finland, where his
platinum blond hair wouldn't attract too much attention and he could integrate into the
magical community without fear of being discovered.

But Draco wasn't planning on getting on one of those metal machines that flew through the
sky. He wasn't that desperate. Travelling by train was safer, and even pleasant once he had
become accustomed to the hustle and bustle of Muggle cities.

The girl blushed and took a step closer to him.

"What is your name?"

"Draco," he replied, his eyes sweeping over her curves and his smirk widening. "And yours?"

He didn't care much about her name. Only if she was willing to spend a night with him.

"What a funny name," she commented with a giggle. "I'm Nicolle."

Draco rested his chin on his hand.

"Tell me, Nicolle," he repeated her name in a husky voice, looking up at her through his
lashes. "What are you doing later?"

His oldest trick, and one that usually worked. Nicole's blush spread down to her neck.

"I don't have any plans," she admitted quietly.

Draco leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I live quite close to this café," he commented, nodding towards the end of the street. "Would
you like to come to my flat?"

She chewed on her lip as she looked back and forth between the bar and his face.

"I'd love to," Nicolle replied, smiling again. "I'm off in half an hour."

"I'll wait for you."

The girl nodded, sighing as she picked up his empty cup.

"Would you like another coffee?"

He shook his head.

"I'd prefer tea. Black."

Nicolle glanced at him one last time before turning away.

"I'll be right back."

Draco squared his shoulders and pulled a book from the inside pocket of his jacket, setting it
down on the table. He had to admit that the Muggles had a great idea in making them small
enough to carry around easily.

Though they wouldn't need any of that if they could do magic.

He opened it to the page he had left the night before. He would use that half hour to find out
how Sam and Frodo got out of the mess they were in.

Draco frowned as he read, turning the pages silently while the coffee shop emptied.

Gandalf's character reminded him of Dumbledore.

He mumbled a thank you when Nicolle set a cup of tea on his table, unable to tear his eyes
away from the book.

He should investigate whether Tolkien had really been a Muggle. He knew too much about
the properties of magic.

The minutes passed quickly and, before he knew it, she was back at his table. Nicolle had
taken off her uniform and wore a knee-length floral dress under her coat.
Draco stood up, leaving a few coins on the table and waving goodbye to the owner before
walking out the door with Nicolle.

She cleared her throat, pulling a piece of paper from her handbag and extending it towards
him.

"This is my number."

Draco held it between his fingers, staring down at the written numbers with a furrowed brow.

What the hell? He didn't have one of those devices that Muggles used to communicate, and
he didn't know how to use them.

He folded it up, putting it in his pocket. He didn't plan on seeing her again so it didn't matter.

"Thank you."

He would move up the trip to Italy and leave as soon as he woke up the next day. He didn't
want to have to explain himself to this Muggle.

Draco noticed that she was wringing her hands and moved closer to her, bumping his
shoulder against hers gently.

"Are you all right?"

She let out a nervous giggle and shook her long blonde hair, letting it fall down her back.

"Yes, I..." Nicolle sighed, clutching her handbag tightly and looking him in the eye. "I've
never done this before. You're a stranger."

Draco arched his brow and gave her a small, reassuring smile.

"You've been seeing me every day for weeks now."

"But we haven't spoken until today," she insisted, lowering her gaze. "Even though I noticed
you from day one," she added in a whisper.

His smile curved to the side. He knew.

Draco stopped when they reached the front door of his building and pulled the keys out of his
pocket.

"It's here."

The two of them stepped into the hallway and neither spoke again until the lift opened. Draco
stepped into her space once they were inside, placing an arm on either side of her body and
trapping her against the mirror.

"I noticed you too," he whispered, leaning in and brushing his lips with hers.

Another lie. He was too preoccupied to think about girls or sex when he got to Lyon.
She let out a shaky breath and closed her green eyes, grabbing the collar of his jacket and
standing on her tiptoes.

All the confirmation he needed.

Draco bit down on her bottom lip, tracing it with the tip of his tongue and smirking when
Nicolle parted them, ready to receive his kisses.

Too easy.

He kissed her slowly and deeply, giving her a small taste of what he planned to do with her
that night. He didn't pull away until the lift stopped when it reached the ninth floor, tucking a
lock of hair behind her ear and letting her step out first.

Something twitched in his crotch as he followed her down the hall. It had been too long since
the last time.

Draco grabbed her wrist, pulling her to the right and guiding her to the door of his flat.

Nicolle was more nervous. She watched him as he opened the door, twisting a strand of hair
between her fingers.

"Don't worry," Draco whispered, wrapping an arm around her waist. "We won't do anything
you don't want to do."

He kissed her again, closing the door with his foot and moving down the dark hallway with
her in his arms.

Nicolle laughed when her coat fell to the floor. His jacket was next.

They walked into the living room still laughing as he nibbled on her earlobe. They had to go
through that room to get to the bedroom.

Three people were waiting for him there, dressed in black robes. All the blood drained from
his face at the sight of them and he felt his heart stop.

"I'm afraid the fun is over, Mr Malfoy," the only woman announced, standing up and drawing
her wand.

Draco muttered a curse and let his wand fall into the palm of his hand. He had it hidden in the
sleeve of his shirt.

He thought of the forest on the other side of the city that he had wandered through more than
once. If he apparated there he would throw them off for a while, and it would give him time
to catch the last train to Milan.

There was no time to get his suitcases. He would buy more clothes once he was in Italy.

He flicked his wand once. And again.

Nothing.

"We've erected an anti-apparition ward around the building. No use trying to escape."

Draco grunted, pointing it at the older man who was grinning as if this was all extremely
funny.

He remembered his face. He was probably enjoying screwing the Malfoy family once more.

"I'm not going back to England," he hissed through his teeth.

Golden sparks flew from his wand. The other two Aurors pointed their wands at him as well,
and Nicolle stepped back as pale as a ghost.

"What's going on?"

The woman sighed, shaking her head.

"This girl is innocent. Obliviate her and send her home, Jack," she ordered.

One of the men circled the room, his dark eyes always fixed on Draco, and arrived at
Nicolle's side.

Draco felt a moment of panic at seeing him so close to her. He could have used the Muggle as
a shield to get out of there, but one last look at her terrified face put that idea out of his mind.

Jack grabbed her arm and pulled Nicolle back, getting her out of the room.

"It's okay, we're cops. Come with me."

"I've never heard the word obliviate before. What does it mean?"

Their voices faded as soon as they left the flat. Draco squared his jaw and glared at the two
Aurors with a dark expression.

He was trapped.

"You have two options, Mr Malfoy. Give yourself up without resistance or we take you back
the hard way."

Draco stepped back when they advanced towards him and his wand quivered in his hand,
shooting out more sparks.

"I don't want to marry her."

"Disobeying the Law carries a prison sentence in Azkaban," the other man reminded him,
smirking again. "The letter you received explained everything in detail."

Draco knew that. It was the reason why he had fled the country. He glanced between the two
Aurors, who were in position and ready to defend themselves in case of attack.
He couldn't win.

He clenched his teeth hard and snorted through his nose, dropping his wand to the ground.
The Aurors relaxed instantly.

"Good choice," the woman said, tucking Draco's wand into the pocket of her robes.

He gave her a sneer, snarling when the Auror called Jack came back in and clasped his hands
behind his back.

"I doubt it very much."

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

St. Mungo's was very quiet that night.

Hermione sighed, tucking her wand into the pocket of her lime green robes and brushing
aside the curls that fell down either side of her face.

That woman had been unlucky enough to be bitten by a vampire while searching for
Belladonna in the depths of a Welsh forest, but Hermione had managed to stabilise her and in
a few hours she would regain her lost blood.

She wiped the sweat from her brow with her arm and cast a diagnostic charm again,
confirming that her red blood cell count was slowly rising.

She had been very lucky, though. Not everyone who suffered a vampire attack lived to tell the
tale.

A ball of light appeared around the corner and Hermione looked up. Her body froze when she
saw a blue stag approaching her, and her blood turned to ice inside her veins as she heard
Harry's voice announcing the last thing she wanted to hear.

"They've found him, Hermione. They've caught Malfoy."

 Probation
Chapter Notes

I still can't believe how many of you are interested in this fic. thank you so much!!

November 9th, 2005

Hermione stepped out of the lift, her eyes scanning the first floor of the Ministry of Magic.

Dozens of memorandum flew around the ceiling while the workers rushed to their offices,
muttering words under their breath and holding stacks of parchments in their hands.

She walked straight to the golden door down the corridor and opened it. The Minister's
secretary was behind her desk, her glasses on and a quill between her fingers.

The old woman narrowed her eyes at the sight of Hermione.

"Here again, Miss Granger?" she asked in a neutral tone, pursing her lips.

Hermione placed a hand on her desk.

"I need to talk to the Minister."

"He's busy right now." Katherine frowned, resting her back on the chair.

Hermione drummed her fingers on the mahogany table, staring down at her with a straight
face.

"Tell him that Hermione Granger is here."

Katherine rolled her eyes and took out her wand, muttering the Patronus spell. A silver bird
floated around her, awaiting her instructions.

"Hermione Granger is here and she wants to talk to you immediately."

The bird flew away, going through the door at the other side of the room. Ten seconds later a
lynx came out of there, jumping on Katherine's table and speaking with Kingsley's voice.

"Send her in."

The woman glanced at Hermione, who gave her a smug smile. She walked over to the
Minister's office door and knocked twice.

"Come in."
Kingsley was standing in a corner with a big old book in his hands. He smiled sweetly at her.

"Hi, Hermione."

"Good morning." Her gaze roamed over his face and her brow furrowed when she noticed the
dark marks under his eyes. "You look tired."

He sat on his chair, gesturing for her to do the same.

"I can't sleep with everything that's going on." Kingsley leaned his elbows on the table, a
pained expression on his face. "I don't like seeing people unhappy."

"It's not your fault, Kingsley."

"I should have done something more." He shook his head, rubbing his face with his hands. "I
should…"

"There was nothing you could do to avoid this," interrupted Hermione in a soft voice. "And
you know I don't blame you."

A mug of hot coffee levitated to her side and she took it with a grateful smile on her face.
Kingsley took a sip of his mug and set it on the table.

He felt terribly guilty since the law had been passed by the Wizengamot members. Only
Kingsley and three other wizards had voted against it.

The man smiled sadly at her.

"What can I do for you today, Hermione?"

Hermione made fists on her lap, controlling the anger she felt running through her veins.

It was not his fault.

"Harry told me that he's back."

Kingsley nodded, his expression growing severe.

"Malfoy is locked up in the Ministry cells," he informed her. "We will offer him an agreement
to avoid Azkaban."

Hermione felt a tiny pang of pity inside her heart.

"He may be a git but he doesn't deserve a life sentence." She crossed her arms over her chest
and sighed deeply. "What now?"

"An owl will let you know when you have to come here and choose the date." He checked
something on the parchment and looked back at her. "Probably tomorrow morning."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"I'll ask Luna to cover my shift again."

She left her empty mug on the table.

"This is not over yet." Hermione squared her shoulders, her face darkening with each word
that rolled off her tongue. "This law will be history before the two years are over."

Kingsley put a finger to his lips.

"Be careful," he warned her in a low voice. "Don't let anyone hear you talking like that."

Hermione stood up.

"I won't." She held the knob, looking back at him with a half-smile as she opened the door.
"See you tomorrow, Kingsley."

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

November 10th, 2005

Just as Kingsley said, an owl had come to her flat with a letter from the Ministry. She and
Malfoy were expected on the first floor at ten in the morning to pick a date for their wedding.

That word made her stomach churn.

She was going to be Malfoy's wife. There was no way around it.

Hermione took a deep breath, running her fingers through her cat's orange fur as she chewed
on her lower lip.

Once the hands on the clock said she only had a few minutes left, she let out a shuddering
breath and closed her eyes.

She could do this.

Hermione let her mind go blank, as she had been practising since the end of the war. She
pushed her thoughts to the back of her mind and inhaled sharply, opening her eyes.

It was time.

She rubbed Crookshank's ear one last time and got to her feet, grabbing a handful of Floo
powder and tossing it into her fireplace.

The green flames roared in her ears as she stepped inside, appearing at the Ministry Atrium a
few seconds later.

Hermione avoided the curious looks of the wizards and witches as she walked to the lifts.
She'd never understand how Harry could stand to work there and have hundreds of eyes on
him all the time.
The golden grilles opened and she stepped out with a sigh, her hands fisted at her sides as she
approached the golden door again.

Everyone fell silent when she opened it.

The Minister's secretary was nowhere to be seen. Instead, five Aurors were leaning against
the walls with their gazes fixed on the person seated across from the Minister.

Hermione didn't let her eyes fall on him. She smiled sweetly at Harry, glad to have him there,
and looked at Kingsley.

"Hi, Hermione. We were just explaining Mister Malfoy his probation conditions."

She saw Malfoy's dark expression from the corner of her eye as she walked over to the table,
sitting on the only empty chair next to him. His body tensed and Hermione ignored him.

"Probation conditions?" She repeated with a frown.

Kingsley sighed, rubbing his forehead.

"He left the country to avoid the new Law and should be sent straight to Azkaban until the
day of the wedding," he replied as he glanced at Malfoy, whose face was a mask. "However, I
know how difficult this is for all of you so I'm setting him free. I won't be this understanding
if he tries to escape again, though."

Malfoy narrowed his eyes.

"Obviously."

"I'm glad we agree on that." Kingsley looked between the two of them and Harry shifted
uncomfortably at his side. "Are you two ready to choose a date?"

The Occlumency was not enough. Her blood was burning and she could barely control
herself.

Hermione shook her head, lifting her chin and looking the Minister in the eye.

"Leave us alone."

Kingsley frowned.

"But…"

"Leave us," she insisted through gritted teeth, folding her arms. "I need a minute with him."

Kingsley exchanged a glance with the Aurors and nodded. He stood up, gathering the papers
Malfoy had just signed and holding them to his chest.

With a last warning glance at her, he opened the door and the Aurors followed him.
"I'm staying, Hermione," Harry announced once they left the room, looking between her and
Malfoy with a worried expression. "Please, let me stay."

Hermione waited until the door clicked closed, scowling at her best friend as she heard
Malfoy stand up.

"I won't kill him," she assured him in a low, threatening voice that said the opposite.

A loud snort at the other side of the office made her clench her jaw and look at him for the
first time.

"As if you could," Malfoy snarled, his lips curling into a sneer.

Hermione walked over to him, her curls sparkling with uncontrolled magic, and he took a
step back. His back hit the wall as she got closer, her hands trembling in anger.

"You had one thing to do," she hissed, punching him hard in the chest. "Just one!"

He froze momentarily, staring down at her with wide eyes as she punched him again.

"What the fuck, Granger?" Malfoy shoved her aside, a look of disgust plastered on his face.
"Don't touch me!"

Hermione was having none of it. He was going to hear her whether he wanted to or not.

"You only had to remain hidden, Malfoy." She clenched her hands, glaring up at him with all
her might. "And you let them find you! You and your stupid arse couldn't stay away from the
fancy restaurants for a few months. That was too much to ask!"

Malfoy glanced at Harry with a shocked expression. Her friend just shrugged, wand in hand.

He then looked back at her and his nostrils flared.

"This is not my fucking fault," he hissed angrily, stepping away from her. "You should have
escaped too."

"I can't." Hermione shook her head, tears filling her eyes. "Not after all I've done for this
country. I refuse!"

Harry walked towards her and placed his arm around her.

"Breathe, Hermione. Just breathe."

She looked up at him and nodded, focusing on how the air entered and left her lungs.

Malfoy remained silent while she calmed herself. Once her hands stopped shaking Harry
searched her gaze and she nodded.

He opened the door and Kingsley entered the office, the other Aurors behind him. Hermione
sat down next to Malfoy again and clenched her jaw.
"Ready to choose now?"

She spoke before he could say a word.

"Thirty-first of December."

The last possible day. Kingsley hid a smile.

"Just as I imagined." He pushed the parchment towards them and waited until both of them
had signed it. "You and Malfoy are engaged now. Congratulations."

Her left eye twitched. Malfoy snorted loudly at her side.

"You can go home now, Mister Malfoy," Kingsley added, lifting his brow. "And don't do
anything stupid."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Minister."

Kingsley ignored his snarky reply and stood up, patting Hermione's shoulder before he left
the office again.

She had less than two months. Fifty-one days.

Malfoy stood up and Hermione looked up at him with a frown.

"I won't live in your manor."

His sneer was back on his face.

"My parents wouldn't let someone like you set foot in our ancestral home."

Harry stepped closer, shooting him a warning look, and Malfoy worked his jaw as he looked
back at her.

"Any suggestion?" He asked through gritted teeth.

Hermione shrugged, averting her gaze to the ceiling.

"I have a flat."

Malfoy scoffed.

"I'd rather choose another place. A neutral ground." He ran his tongue over his teeth and
folded his arms. "I bought a flat in southern London a few years ago. And it has three rooms."

Hermione laughed, her eyes meeting his again.

"How is that neutral ground?"

"I've never lived there before."

Well, that was a good option. She didn't want him in her home either.

"Okay," she accepted with a nod and stood up. "Get your flat ready, then. I don't want to think
about this again until the end of December."

Malfoy chuckled darkly.

"I can't believe how lucky I am," he muttered, his icy eyes glaring at her.

Hermione met his sharp gaze, golden sparks of magic crackling around her fingers.

She had never lost control like this. Not since she received her Hogwarts letter.

"See you in hell, Malfoy."

"You mean our wedding?" He sneered, his deep voice full of venom. "Cannot wait."

Her feet moved on their own accord, taking her closer to him.

"I loathe you so much." She jabbed a finger into his chest, her brown eyes filled with hatred.
"And I won't let you ruin my life."

His gaze burned her as he took a deep breath, making fists at his sides.

For a second, Hermione thought that he was going to hit her. But Malfoy just stepped closer,
looking down his nose at her.

"Don't. Fucking. Touch. Me."

Hermione pulled away as if he was the most disgusting thing she had ever seen. She looked
back at Harry, who was waiting for her by the door.

"I will find a way out of this," she announced, stepping out of the office.

She needed a cup of tea. Or a glass of wine.

Her eyes burned as she walked to the lifts. She needed Ginny or she would drown in self-pity
that afternoon.

Thank Merlin her parents didn't remember they had a daughter or everything would be even
worse. Her mother would never let her marry the boy who tormented her during her school
years.

Hermione blinked back the tears, stepping into the first fireplace she found and muttering her
address. Ginny was the first thing she saw once she appeared in her living room.

A sob burst from her and her friend ran to her, wrapping her in a tight embrace.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione," Ginny whispered, holding her as she sobbed against her chest. "I'm
very sorry."
She kept her arms around her until Hermione exhaled loudly.

"I brought wine."

Hermione lifted her head, sniffling and wiping her tears away with the back of her hand.

"White?"

Ginny smirked.

"And sparkling."

A watery smile spread across Hermione's face.

"You know me so well, Ginny."

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

Once Granger left, Potter sighed heavily and Draco glanced at him, the last words she had
said spinning around his head.

"Is she serious?"

"If someone can do it, it's Hermione." He rubbed his scar, shrugging one of his shoulders.
"But the Wizengamot won't change its mind. The risk of all the magical population
disappearing in thirty years is too high."

"And they think mixing purebloods and Mudbloods is a great idea?" Draco snarled, his lips
curling. "All the children will be squibs."

Potter's eyes flashed.

"Careful, Malfoy." His voice was low and threatening. "Don't insult my friend again."

Draco glared harder and Potter took a step closer, looking him in the eye.

"If you try to hurt her…"

"I fucking can't." He laughed half-heartedly. "Our lives will be bound together. Hurting her
will be like hurting myself."

Potter looked him up and down and sighed.

"I'll never understand how you can have so much in common with her." He shook his head
and opened the door to follow Granger. "See you at the wedding."

Draco stood in the middle of the empty office as his breathing returned to normal.

His fucking wedding. He was going to marry Hermione Granger.

And he had to agree with Potter on something. He couldn't understand the compatibility level
the Ministry said that Granger and he shared.

It had to be a joke.
 Awake
Chapter Notes

If you like a fic, please don't forget to leave kudos after you've read it.
Comments are even better. A nice comment can be what pushes an author to start a new
fic, or to finish the one they haven't updated in a while.
Don't forget to give fanfic authors love and support! Let them know they're appreciated
in this community we all share.

(I'm also a reader and I'm trying to be better at this. Now I always make sure I've left
kudos and at least one comment on every fic I read)

See the end of the chapter for more notes

November 10th, 2005

Draco made a stop in Diagon Alley to buy a headache potion, drinking it once he left the
apothecary.

He paused when he saw a window display he had never noticed before and stepped into the
shop, walking out a few minutes later with a pack of menthol cigarettes in his pocket.

Draco felt a pinch in his arm every time he used the Floo or apparated, which made him grit
his teeth. There was a trace on him to ensure he didn't leave the country again.

Fucking Ministry.

He retraced his steps and went back to the Leaky Cauldron, which was almost empty.

His parents were waiting for him once he stepped out of the manor's fireplace. Narcissa rose
from her seat and ran to him, taking one of his hands in hers.

"We were worried about you," she murmured, her blue eyes taking in his pale face and
exhausted expression. "How are you, darling?"

"Tired." Draco sighed, looking around the room to avoid his mother's worried gaze. "I barely
slept these two days."

The Ministry cells were a fucking nightmare with hard mattresses that smelled like hell, and
the guards never stopped jabbering. Not even at night.

Lucius pursed his lips and stood up, his silver cane in his hand.
"I told you they would find you," he reprimanded as he walked over to him, his long blond
hair falling down his back.

Draco shot him a glare.

"I had to try."

His father stood at his side and nodded, his face an unreadable mask.

"Go to your room and rest. We'll talk later," he added, patting his arm.

Narcissa squeezed his hand and let him go.

"We missed you, son."

Draco looked between them and turned around, climbing the stairs to his room and ignoring
the portraits' questions regarding his whereabouts for the last month.

He had missed his mother more than he wanted to admit.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

He woke up a few hours later when his dormitory door was flung open.

"We heard that you're an engaged man now!"

His three best friends entered his bedroom and Theo opened the curtains with a wave of his
hand.

"Fucking hell," Draco snarled, sitting up and rubbing his face. "I thought it was just a
nightmare."

"I'm afraid not, my dear friend." Theo chuckled, pushing him aside and lying beside him.
"You're well and truly fucked."

Draco glowered at him and pushed him back. Pansy sighed, sitting on the other side of his
bed.

"I wish it was."

Draco glanced at her. She had her lips pressed into a thin line and her green eyes were watery.

He swallowed hard. He had never seen Pansy on the verge of tears before, not even when her
father was sent to Azkaban.

"You have lost a lot of fun around here while you were gone, mate," Theo drawled, patting
Pansy's thigh as she wiped away her tears. "Our matches are a joke."

Draco looked between the two of them.

"Who did you two get?"

"Loony Lovegood," Theo replied, wrinkling his nose as he spoke. "And Pansy got
Longbottom."

Draco's eyes widened and he looked back at her. Pansy's expression had turned dark.

Her match was almost as bad as his.

"Fuck."

"Indeed." She sneered, averting her gaze to the window. "That sums it up quite well. We're all
fucked."

Draco looked at his other friend, who was leaning against the wall.

"At least one of us is happy."

Blaise gave him a tight smile.

"Already back from Greece?" Draco questioned as he got out of bed and stepped into his
dressing room.

He yanked off his pyjama top and heard his reply.

"We came back weeks ago."

Draco bit the inside of his cheek and stepped out, walking over to him.

"I'm happy for you, Blaise," he murmured, punching his arm. "And for Daphne. Where is she
now?"

His friend scanned his face, looking for something he wouldn't find.

"She didn't know if you would want to see her."

Draco scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"I'm not mad at her," he affirmed in a low voice as he approached the armchair where he had
left his jacket.

And it was true. Had he been in love, he would have done the same thing.

Pansy sniffled, crossing her legs as she inspected her fingernails.

"Why didn't you ask me to marry you?"

"Really, Pansy?" Draco turned to her with a raised brow. "We'd rip each other heads in a
week."

A twisted smile spread across her face.

"I guess you're right." She giggled, letting her head fall on the pillow and sighing.
Draco shook his head.

"Married." He picked up his jacket and scowled at it with all his might. "I'll be married in a
month. And to her."

Granger's face popped into his mind and he felt his blood burn.

She would never be good enough. Not for him.

"It could be worse," Theo murmured under his breath.

"Who?" Draco shot him a glare, a muscle twitching in his jaw. "Who could be worse than
Granger?"

His friend pursed his lips in thought.

"The Weasley girl?"

Draco rolled his eyes and reached into his jacket pocket.

"She's been married to Potter for a while."

"Thank Merlin for small mercies." Theo sighed dramatically, staring up at the ceiling with his
hands behind his head. "I'd rather marry a lunatic than a Weasley."

Draco chuckled under his breath. He turned to his friends with the pack of cigarettes in his
hand.

"When?"

They all knew what he was asking about.

"The last day of December." Theo grimaced, rubbing his eyes.

Pansy nodded.

"Me too."

Draco snorted. Every couple he knew had chosen the same date.

"The Ministry will host a lot of weddings that day." He shuddered, remembering how angry
Granger was the day they had chosen that date for themselves. "Fuck them."

"What are we going to do, Draco?" Pansy questioned as she nibbled on her lower lip.

There was nothing they could do. The Ministry got them all by the balls.

"I don't know." Draco shrugged, avoiding her sad eyes. "We have no other option."

She balled her fists.

"I don't want to be Longbottom's wife."

He winced and pulled a cigarette out of the pack, lighting the tip with his wand. Pansy
wrinkled her nose at him.

"Since when do you smoke?"

He blew the smoke out through his nose.

"Since I'm fucked up."

Theo gave a bitter laugh. She clicked her tongue in disgust and waved her wand, vanishing
the smoke from the room.

"Gross."

Draco grinned and opened the balcony, sitting down on the stone railing and slowly exhaling
the smoke.

"I hope Granger hates it as much as you."

Theo walked over to him and took another cigarette, sitting across from him.

"So… a Muggle girl, huh?"

Draco ran his free hand through his hair as he took another draw and exhaled through his
nose, turning his face to him.

"How the fuck do you know that?"

"The Aurors talk, mate." Theo wiggled his eyebrows. "And you know I'm shagging one of
them."

Draco winced, turning his face and staring into the distance.

"You should stop now."

Theo nodded with a sigh.

"Kate told me it's over," he replied, rubbing his chin. "She doesn't want to have sex with an
engaged man."

Draco looked back at him and watched his bored expression. He couldn't fool him, no matter
how hard he tried.

"I know you liked her," he whispered, lighting his friend's cigarette with his wand.

Theo shrugged and crossed his ankles in front of him before taking a draw.

"It was just sex."

Pansy let out a long sigh and stood up.

"My mother says that I should give this a try," she grumbled, pacing around the room as her
three friends stared at her. "That maybe I'll change my mind once I know him."

Draco snorted and looked up at the clouds. He wouldn't change his mind in a million years.

Granger and he were not meant for each other, no matter what a stupid compatibility test said.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

November 25th, 2005

Hermione stepped out of St Mungo's fireplace and waved at the receptionist, climbing the
stairs to the first floor.

She left her handbag in her office and grabbed her wand, walking down the main corridor
dressed in her lime green Healer robes.

Padma was already in the room with their new patient. The man's wounds were slowly
healing, though he would have those scars for the rest of his life.

Luckily, he had been able to escape before the wolf bit him.

Padma looked up at her with a smile.

"How are you feeling today, Hermione?" She asked as she spread a few drops of dittany on
the patient's back.

Hermione stepped closer and avoided Cormac's sharp gaze. He was a Healer in training and
Padma was his mentor, so he followed her everywhere.

He had asked for another mentor the day he was accepted at the hospital, and Hermione had
refused. She didn't want his prying eyes and lust-filled gaze following her all day.

"Better." She sighed and lowered her voice. "But I still think it's just a nightmare."

Cormac snorted at the other side of the bed.

Hermione glared at him while she helped Padma put a bandage around the patient's body.

"Don't laugh at me," she hissed, pulling out her wand and pointing it at the man's head.
"Rennervate."

The man gasped, opening his eyes wide.

"Does it hurt?" Padma asked with concern.

She and Hermione let out a sigh of relief when he shook his head. He had been in pain for
several days after the attack.
Cormac moved closer to them, stepping into Hermione's space while Padma asked more
questions to the man.

"You should have accepted my offer," he whispered in her ear, making her flinch. "Am I not
better than Malfoy?"

Hermione put some distance between them and looked up at him. She still remembered the
way Cormac had touched her at Slughorn's party, and how he had tried to kiss her several
times since he started working at St Mungo's.

He had even proposed a month before the law was passed. Just like Ron.

Was he better than Malfoy?

She snorted through her nose. Probably not.

"I need a coffee." She glanced at Padma, ignoring Cormac's glare. "See you two later."

Hermione left the room with pursed lips and turned left, nodding at the Healers that were in
the corridor.

In three months his training would be over and she and Padma would be able to work
together without him watching her every move.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

The green flames warmed her skin as she stepped out of Harry's fireplace.

Hermione followed the noises and entered the kitchen. Her two best friends were already
there, making dinner.

They ate together every Thursday night, though the reunions had stopped when she rejected
Ron's proposal for the tenth time. Their evening meals returned after the Ministry assigned
them their future partners and Ron accepted that she didn't want to be his wife.

"Hi, Harry." She smiled, kissing his cheek and turning to her other friend. "Ron."

Ron shrugged, taking a sip from his butterbeer mug and leaning his hip against the counter.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Still mad at me, I see."

His blue eyes narrowed.

"You screwed up my life."

"Hey." Harry turned around and pointed at him with a wooden spoon. "It's not her fault."
Ron snorted angrily and Hermione waved her wand, levitating three plates to the table. Ginny
was playing in the Irish league that month and wouldn't be able to join them.

"I don't love you, Ron. Not that way." She smiled sadly at him. "And you don't love me
either."

Ron sighed deeply and took a seat, burying his face in his hands.

"I know, Hermione. I know."

She didn't like to see him that way.

"Have you talked to Lavender?"

Ron winced at his fiancee's name.

"Not yet." He took another sip, placing the mug next to his plate. "She sent me a letter last
week."

Harry sat down at his side, leaving the pot in the centre of the table. Hermione stared at Ron
as he served the food.

"You should reply."

His hard eyes landed on her face.

"Are you replying to Malfoy's letters?"

His voice was almost a snarl. Hermione let out a harsh breath and shook her head.

"He doesn't write," she admitted quietly.

It had been two weeks since she saw Malfoy, and she hadn't heard anything from him.

She didn't care, though. They had nothing to talk about, and she wouldn't move into his flat
until the day of the wedding.

"This sucks." Ron rubbed his forehead and sighed. "We should do something, Harry."

Harry made a face.

"We can't." He tugged at his shirt collar, glancing between the two of them. "I can't do
anything. I feel helpless."

Hermione gave him a tiny smile.

"I'm on it." Her smile widened when she saw their surprised expressions. "And I wanted to
take some books from the Black library to my flat, Harry."

"You can take all the books you want." He waved a hand and gave her a half-shrug. "But I
think there's no way out of this."
 "We'll see."

Ron took the last spoonful of his stew and leaned back on his chair.

"At least you married your teenage crush before everything went to hell."

Hermione couldn't help but smile. Harry and Ginny were very happy together.

"Yeah, I'm a lucky guy," Harry admitted, crossing his arms over his chest. "But I'm worried
about you two."

Hermione set her palms down flat on the table and stood up.

"Lavender is still in love with Ron," she murmured, patting Ron's shoulder when he snorted
in disbelief. "And I can handle Malfoy. We'll be okay, Harry."

Harry gave her a mischievous grin.

"I know you can."

Half an hour later she was back in her flat. Hermione went to her bedroom and changed into
something more comfortable, leaving her work clothes in the wardrobe.

Crookshanks was lying on the bed and his yellow eyes followed her around the room. He
jumped down and followed her to the living room, curling up on the sofa while she made
herself a mug of hot chocolate.

Hermione rubbed his ear and smiled when he closed his eyes and purred. She stood at the
window, looking up at the dark sky as she chewed on her lower lip.

"Four more weeks," she whispered, taking a sip of the sweet drink and suppressing a shudder.
"Just four more weeks of freedom."

The cat meowed indignantly.

"Oh no, my friend." Hermione looked back at him, giggling softly. "You are coming with
me."

Chapter End Notes

Get ready! We are going to a wedding in the next chapter

 Five Weddings
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

December 20th, 2005

Hermione waved to Padma and stepped out of the room, ignoring Cormac’s gaze.

Another hard day at St Mungo’s. She was exhausted and needed a drink.

And to avoid him at all costs.

Fortunately, she had already made plans with Ginny and Harry that night. Ron was getting
sulkier as the month drew to a close and now he only left the Burrow to go to Weasleys’
Wizard Wheezes.

She went to her office and was about to close the door and change her clothes when a
familiar voice made her pause.

“Hermione!”

Hermione opened the door wide with a warm smile. Luna paused under the doorframe,
panting for air.

“Hi, Luna.” She peered down the corridor, her brow furrowing in concern. “Why were you
running? Do we have an emergency?” She asked, taking out her wand.

Luna worked with the long-term residents on the fourth floor, and it was unusual to see her
wandering the first floor.

Her friend shook her head and took a step closer.

“We just received this letter.” Luna brushed her blonde curls away from her face and
extended a piece of parchment to her. “From Australia.”

Hermione’s heart sank.

Her parents lived there, and they’d been having memory problems recently. What she did to
their brains when she erased their memories was still affecting them.

The Healers from St. Gosford had been trying to stabilise their minds for a couple of months.

She tried to swallow the lump in her throat and clasped her hands together, squeezing her
fingers until it hurt. She couldn’t take more bad news.

“What is it?”
Luna gave her a reassuring smile and took one of her hands in hers.

“You know the new therapy the Healers wanted to try on your parents?”

Hermione nodded, tugging at her bottom lip with her teeth.

For more than seven years those Healers had been working with them, trying to find a way to
retrieve their memories and ease the symptoms of migraine Jane and Peter Granger suffered
each month.

Hermione wanted to treat them herself, but she needed to learn everything she could about
mind healing first. And she wasn’t ready yet.

The Australian Healers from the Mind Ward were more qualified than her. For now.

Luna’s blue eyes twinkled.

“It worked.”

Her breath hitched.

What?

“They’ll be transferred here in a few days,” Luna added softly, stroking Hermione’s knuckles
with her thumb. “Until they recover completely. But the Healers say they remember you
now.”

Hermione felt a wave of happiness wash over her, but her blood suddenly turned to ice.

“Oh, no.”

Luna blinked in confusion.

“Are you not happy?”

“I’m very happy, Luna,” Hermione whispered, closing the door and facing her friend. “But…
the wedding.”

Luna pursed her lips. She also had to marry a pureblood prick.

“How am I going to tell my parents that I’m marrying the guy who bullied me at Hogwarts?”
Hermione mumbled, covering her face with her hands and groaning.

Luna hummed as her gaze roamed around her office.

“A little lie can be our best friend sometimes.” She gave her a sad smile. “I told my father
Theodore Nott and I were friends in Hogwarts.”

Hermione looked back at her, leaning her hip against her desk.
“I don’t want him to worry about me.” Luna sighed, refolding the letter. “And I know you
feel the same way about your parents.”

Hermione crossed her arms over her chest.

“A little lie,” she repeated, considering the idea.

She would see them before that nefarious day, and they’d be thrilled to know that their
daughter was getting married in a few days.

A prejudiced eighteen-year-old boy could have changed his mind after seven years. They
didn’t need to know what an idiot Malfoy still was.

But she would need his cooperation if she wanted that lie to work. At least until the Marriage
Law was repealed and they could get a divorce.

Because Hermione wasn’t going to stop until that day came.

“You have time to think about it,” Luna murmured as she braided her long hair. “They’ll be
here until mid-January. Their brains are still processing everything.”

Hermione stared at the blonde braid for three heartbeats.

“Luna,” she whispered, looking up at her friend’s face. “My parents are coming back.”

Luna’s grin widened and she approached her. Hermione hugged her tight, a big smile
spreading across her face.

“My parents are coming back!”

They both laughed as Hermione spun them around the office. It was the best news she had
heard since Harry told her he was going to propose to Ginny.

“I’m so happy for you, Hermione.” Luna beamed at her once they pulled away. “You deserve
this.”

She blinked back her tears and gave her a watery smile.

“I still can't believe it’s true.”

“Go home and relax.” Luna pointed to the coat rack with her gaze. “I’ll let you know when
they arrive here so you can visit them. Probably this Friday.”

Hermione squeezed her hand one last time and stepped back. She took her handbag and they
both left her office together.

“Thank you.” Hermione paused at the staircase. “See you tomorrow.”

Luna waved at her and she went down the stairs, her heart fluttering happily in her chest.

She couldn’t wait to tell Harry.

 ━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

December 30th, 2005

The green flames surrounded him as he stepped out of the fireplace of his flat. Draco had
been living there for a few days, moving most of his things from the manor to the place he
would have to share with Granger very soon.

Just thinking about it gave him a headache. Living with her would be hell.

Theo, Greg, and Pansy looked up at the sight of him. His friends had been visiting him every
day, choosing the best colours for the furniture and the things he needed to buy.

Draco just didn’t fucking care. He had no interest in making the flat cosy, not when she
would live there too.

But Theo and Pansy loved decorating too much for their own good. And Greg loved drinking
Draco's Italian red wine as he watched them work.

He left his Nimbus 2010 propped against the wall and turned to his friends, who were
watching him eagerly.

Draco straightened his new dark grey robes, pointing to the falcon-head emblem on his chest.

“You three are looking at the new Falmouth Falcons’ Seeker.”

Pansy smiled proudly, Greg tilted his head back and laughed, and Theo jumped to his feet.

“Wow.” He walked over to him and looked down at the emblem in awe, marvelling at its
silver gleam. “Well done, mate. That’s amazing!”

Draco grinned, spreading the huge flag the captain had given to him once he was selected. It
had the motto written at the bottom.

Let us win, but if we cannot win, let us break a few heads

Theo’s lips curled into a smirk as he read it.

“It really is the perfect team for you.”

“You should put that in Granger’s room,” commented Pansy, crossing her legs and leaning
back on the black armchair she had bought for him two days before. “I’ve heard that she
hates Quidditch.”

Draco chuckled under his breath, pouring some water into a glass and drinking it in one gulp.

“A permanent sticking charm would do the trick,” Pansy continued in a low voice, staring
down at her perfectly manicured hands.

Draco arched an eyebrow and gave her a twisted grin.

“And they say I’m the worst of us all.”

“Whoever said that hasn’t met Pansy.”

Minsy appeared in the room with a crack, leaving a tray full of food on the dinner table and
bowing at them before snapping her fingers and disappearing.

The four of them sat down and ate while Draco told them how his third tryout had gone.

He had been determined to gain a place in one of the Quidditch teams that played in the
British and Irish Quidditch League since he had returned from France. The Wigtown
Wanderers and the Tutshill Tornados had announced that they wanted to think about it before
they decided which Seeker was better for them, but the Falmouth Falcons had affirmed they
wanted him in the team once they saw him fly across their stadium.

“We should have a drink,” Theo drawled, stretching out his legs under the table. “To
celebrate.”

“Celebrate what?” Draco flicked his wand and vanished the empty tray. “My new job, or that
we will be married by this time tomorrow?”

Theo blinked up at him, amusement flashing in his eyes.

“Both things.”

Draco got to his feet, sneering down at his friend. They both had been drinking and smoking
nonstop for the last weeks but he was done with that.

He wouldn’t let his imminent wedding with Granger ruin his life.

“I’ve been talking to Finnigan,” Greg blurted out suddenly as his cheeks turned red. “And we
had breakfast together this morning.”

Pansy, Theo, and Draco fell silent, staring at him with wide eyes.

Seamus Finnigan was Greg’s match, and same-sex couples were not required to get married.
They couldn’t produce children on their own so the Ministry let them choose.

Accepting the selected partner was encouraged, though. Many orphan kids lost their families
in the war and were still waiting for adoption, and any over twenty-five-year-old woman who
had already had her two required children could volunteer as a surrogate.

The more babies, the better. That was the only thing the fucking Wizengamot cared about.

“What for?” asked Pansy with a frown.

“We’ve decided to give it a try,” Greg admitted, wringing his hands nervously with his gaze
fixed on the table. “The compatibility level must mean something, and ours is quite high.”

“How high?”
“Eighty-three per cent.”

Draco scoffed. He hadn’t told his friends his compatibility level with Granger, but he knew it
was the highest of them all.

Pansy and Theo were both close to eighty per cent. And they were ignoring their future
partners just like him.

She nudged Theo in the ribs and he closed his mouth, swallowing hard.

“Well, another reason to drink.”

Draco rolled his eyes and plopped down in the armchair, sighing heavily through his nose.

Pansy still had questions.

“Do you like him?"

“He’s nice.” A little smile tugged at the corner of Greg’s lips as he nodded.

“I can’t remember him,” Theo murmured with a shrug. “Will you be there tomorrow, then?”

“Yes.” Greg gave him a tight smile. “We both didn’t have any luck dating and this might be a
good chance to meet someone I’m compatible with.”

“You have never wanted to date, Greg,” Pansy reminded him with a sad smile. “Not since
Crabbe’s death.”

“I think I’m ready now,” he stated, rubbing the back of his neck. “I want to try to be happy.”

Theo wrinkled his nose.

“What a lucky bastard you are,” he snarled, shaking his head angrily. “We don’t have a
choice as you do.”

Greg shrugged and Pansy rested her head on her arms. Theo pressed his lips together as he
watched them.

“I want to be gay, too.”

“You already tried, Theodore,” she replied, snorting loudly at his side. “Men are not your
thing.”

“No.” Theo clicked his tongue in annoyance. “What a pity.”

He took a new bottle of wine in his hand and waved his wand, uncorking it. Draco glared at
him from his seat.

“I don’t want to drink.”

“It’s our last day as free men, mate.” Theo glanced at him as he filled his glass. “Just one
drink.”

“I got practice tomorrow.” Draco placed his ankle on his knee, staring up at the ceiling with a
dark expression. “Before the fucking wedding.”

Theo stood up and grinned.

“I’ll brew some sober-up potion while you take a shower.”

“Don’t mess up my studio.”

Theo left the room, Draco following in his footsteps as he muttered something about
hangovers. Pansy filled two of the glasses and walked over to the sofa, sitting next to Greg
and giving one to him.

“Have you talked to Longbottom?”

She took a sip and shook her head.

“It’ll be okay, Pansy.” Greg squeezed her knee. “He is a good guy.”

“That’s the problem, Greg,” Pansy muttered, her green eyes narrowing as she stirred her glass
of wine. “I don’t like good guys.”

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

December 31st, 2005

Hermione was the last one to arrive.

The ten couples were already there, most of them with grimaces on their faces as they waited
for their turn.

She smiled at Neville, who was standing next to Pansy Parkinson and her mother. The
Slytherin girl was as pale as a ghost.

Ron and Lavender were in the other corner of the room, Theodore Nott and Luna at their
side. Her eyes widened when she saw Seamus seated next to Gregory Goyle, both of them
chatting softly and smiling at each other.

They probably were the only ones who wanted to be there.

Finally, her gaze landed on the Malfoys. The three of them were wearing dressing robes and
stood out from the rest of the families gathered there.

Malfoy was the first to notice her. He looked down at her Muggle jeans with a sneer as she
approached them, his grey eyes travelling up to her face.

“Well, if it isn’t my beautiful future wife.”

“Draco,” Narcissa hissed, squeezing his arm. “Enough.”

He tensed and shot a glare at his mother.

“I’m not interested in your sarcasm, Malfoy,” Hermione said, standing next to him with her
chin up. “I just want this to be over.”

He glanced at her, his brow furrowing.

“Where are your things?”

Hermione patted her purple beaded handbag.

“I have everything I need in here.”

“And your Muggle parents?” He looked around the room, arching one of his dark eyebrows.
“Were they not allowed to set foot in the Ministry?”

She made fists, her hands trembling in anger.

What a stupid twat.

“They couldn't come today,” she muttered through her teeth. “Not that it’s any business of
yours.”

She saw a vein throbbing in his neck from the corner of her eye. Malfoy was about to reply
when a Ministry worker stepped out of the main door.

“Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger.”

Hermione sighed in relief when Harry and Ginny entered the room with flushed faces. They
were always late.

She followed the Malfoys, smiling at Ginny when she wrapped her arm around hers.

She wouldn’t be alone in the ceremony.

Kingsley and two Wizengamot Members were waiting behind an ancient stone altar, all of
them wearing dressing robes too.

Hermione took a deep breath and sat down next to Malfoy in front of them. Ginny, Harry, and
Malfoy’s parents took the other seats.

The oldest man started to talk about marriage, love, and new chances. Hermione switched off
her brain.

She didn’t care about all that shit. Not when she hadn’t chosen to get married.

She and Malfoy followed the wizard’s instructions during the ritual, standing up and putting
on their rings.
 They held hands when he told them to and Hermione gasped as his hands grabbed hers. He
was warm and his skin was soft to the touch.

She looked up at him and noticed his blank expression. He was occluding too.

The man waved his wand and a golden ribbon of light curled around their hands and
forearms.

“You may kiss now.”

Hermione turned her head sharply to Kingsley.

“It’s the only way to seal the bond,” he whispered to her with an apologetic smile.

She looked back at Malfoy and saw a muscle twitch in his jaw.

He had to kiss the Mudblood he hated so much in front of his parents.

Hermione gave him an evil smile and took a step closer. Malfoy narrowed his eyes, his
shoulders tensing.

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the lips just for a second, watching his reaction.

He pulled away sharply from her, releasing her hands once the magical ribbon disappeared.
They both turned to the altar and she saw Malfoy wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Congratulations.” The old man gave them a fake smile. “You two are already married.”

Chapter End Notes

It's done, guys!! Muahaha

 The Flat
Chapter Notes

I've added new tags. Check them, please!

Hermione turned her back to her stupid new husband and walked over to where Harry and
Ginny were standing. They both enveloped her in a hug.

"You'll be okay," Harry whispered, resting his chin on her head and sighing. "It'll be fine."

Hermione didn't reply. No matter how much her friend repeated it, it didn't mean it was true.

"The only way this is going to be fine is if Hermione ignores him and stays away from him,"
Ginny hissed, shooting a hateful glare towards the corner where the Malfoy family stood.
"Did you see the way he wiped his mouth? He's such an idiot."

"I'd expect nothing less from him," Hermione commented, pulling away and giving them a
small smile. "This law will be history before I have to touch him again."

The thought of it gave her shivers. Ginny grimaced and squeezed her arm before releasing
her.

"What are you going to do now?"

Hermione chewed on her bottom lip and turned her head once they were out of the room.
Malfoy was saying goodbye to his parents.

"I want to stay to support Neville and Luna," she murmured, glancing between her two
friends and frowning at how pale Neville looked.

Ginny was about to reply when a voice interrupted her.

"Granger." Malfoy stopped beside her with his hands in his suit pockets. "I'm going in there
with Pansy, and then with Theo as well," he announced, acting as if Harry and Ginny were
invisible. "He doesn't have anyone."

She pursed her lips. They'd both had the same idea.

"I'm staying too."

Malfoy nodded and slowly walked away to where Parkinson and her mother were.
"Ron looks like he's about to throw up," Harry whispered, pointing to the corner of the room
with his gaze.

Ginny twisted her lips.

"Let's go to my brother." She held her friend's hand one last time before stepping back. "We'll
talk later, Hermione."

Hermione crossed the room to stand next to Neville. She ignored Parkinson, who kept
muttering insults under her breath while Malfoy tried to calm her down, and nudged her
friend.

"Relax," she whispered, taking his hand and resting her head on his shoulder. "You're not
alone."

His grandmother had died a few months earlier, and his parents would never get out of St.
Mungo's. Neville had no family left to support him.

He squeezed her hand and gave her a grateful smile.

"Thank you, Hermione."

Just then the same Ministry worker came through the door again.

"Pansy Parkinson and Neville Longbottom."

Parkinson snorted at the sound of her name and grabbed her mother's arm. They both entered
the room accompanied by Malfoy.

"It's time." Neville sighed, lowering his gaze to the floor and shaking his head. "I wish she
didn't hate me that much."

Hermione smiled sadly. Parkinson had been cruel at Hogwarts to all of them, Neville
included, but he wasn't capable of holding a grudge.

"She doesn't know you," she replied, walking beside him without letting go of his hand. "If
she did, she couldn't hate you."

And Hermione would make her life a living hell if she dared to insult her friend again.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

An hour later the five weddings were over.

Ron had left for the Burrow with a grim look on his face and a very smiling Lavender
hanging on his arm. He was the last Weasley to get married and his parents and siblings were
waiting for them there to celebrate.

Neville had also left right after the ceremony with a very pissed-off Parkinson following in
his footsteps. They were both going to live in the manor that belonged to the Longbottom
family and that he had shared with his grandmother all his life.

Seamus and Goyle were the only ones who left the room smiling and holding hands. They
invited them all to visit their new home to celebrate that weekend and said their goodbyes
before walking away to the lifts. Seamus' parents were also waiting to meet their son's new
husband.

Luna and Hermione were the only ones still at the Ministry. She accompanied her friend to
the Atrium, ignoring the whispers of Malfoy and Nott behind their backs.

Hermione rolled her eyes at their complaints. It seemed Theodore wasn't happy with the
partner chosen for him either.

They both stopped once they reached the first fireplace.

"Send me an owl if you need anything," Hermione asked, watching her friend's face with
concern. "Or a Patronus if it's urgent."

"I'll be fine." Luna nodded, averting her blue eyes to where the two Slytherins stood.
"Theodore doesn't scare me."

Hermione leaned closer and lowered her voice.

"We both know you don't like manors."

Luna's face lost a little colour. She swallowed and shrugged.

"It's not Malfoy Manor," she muttered, twisting her blonde braid between her fingers. "If it's
too much, I'll tell him."

Hermione folded her arms, frowning as Nott patted Malfoy's shoulder and stepped into the
fireplace without looking at Luna. She moved to his side, holding the arm he was offering
her, and green flames instantly surrounded them.

Malfoy took a step forward when they both disappeared. Hermione glanced sideways at him,
wrinkling her nose as she touched his shoulder.

The less contact, the better.

She paid attention to the address Malfoy said, closing her eyes as the flames rose and
engulfed them. A few seconds later her feet touched solid ground again.

He jerked away from her, stepping onto a large grey rug in front of the fireplace.

Hermione did the same as she looked around the room where they had appeared. It was a
large living room, two sofas and a rectangular table with six chairs around it. There were
paintings by artists she didn't know and one of the walls was a wooden shelf filled with books
that went all the way to the ceiling.
She approached them as if drawn by a magnet, smiling once she noticed that they were
arranged in alphabetical order.

Malfoy cleared his throat, opening a door when he saw he had her attention.

"Follow me."

He stepped out into the hallway and she walked after him, keeping her distance.

She snorted through her nose as she noticed that the entire flat was decorated like a Muggle
magazine. He'd probably spent a fortune on the furniture.

"That's my room, and that's my studio," Malfoy said, pointing to two of the doors and turning
to face her. "You can't go in there," he added, narrowing his eyes.

Hermione clicked her tongue reluctantly.

"I wasn't planning on it."

"Yours is the one at the back," he muttered, pointing to the last door with his thumb and
walking past her as he gave her a scornful look. "I need a drink."

She didn't move until she heard the roar of flames.

Hermione opened the door he had pointed to and gasped. That bedroom was twice the size of
the one she had in her flat.

She set her handbag on the white-sheeted bed and looked around. A desk, several empty
bookshelves, an armchair by the only window, and another door leading to a small private
bathroom.

After a sigh, she pulled out her wand and placed all the clothes she had brought with her in
the wardrobe at the foot of the bed. She levitated her books to the shelves and left the rest of
her things on the desk to be put away later.

Hermione clenched her teeth, trying to hold back the urge to cry. She had been occluding to
hide her feelings for weeks, and she felt something explode inside her at the sight of herself
within those four walls.

She collapsed onto the mattress, sinking her face into the pillow and choking back her sobs.

There was nothing she could do to stop it. She had just married Draco Malfoy.

And worst of all, her parents wanted to meet him as soon as they were discharged. They
didn't remember anything about the boy who had constantly made fun of their daughter for
years, and they had believed everything Hermione had told them.

Jane and Peter couldn't be happier. They had regained some of their memories, and their
daughter had just married a man who was madly in love with her.
Hermione shook her head and more tears fell down her cheeks, wetting the pillow.

She shouldn't have lied to them. She now had to break their hearts and tell them the truth.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

"We've been here for a while," Draco commented, swirling the remaining golden liquid at the
bottom of his glass. "Where is she?"

Theo shrugged.

"I neither know nor care."

They each lay in one of the armchairs in the sitting room situated in the right wing of Nott
Manor, their heads resting on one arm and their feet dangling off the other.

Theo took a drag of his cigarette, letting the smoke out and watching it fade into the air.

Draco downed the last of his whisky in one gulp.

"We're fucked."

"I know," Theo protested, biting the inside of his cheek and still staring up at the ceiling. "I
don't need you to remind me."

Draco wrinkled his nose, lighting another cigarette with the tip of his wand.

"Shut up," he snarled, clutching it between his fingers and tilting his head back. "Maybe
Granger will find a loophole in the law and free us all from this nightmare."

Theo propped himself up on his elbows, sitting up.

"Is she studying the law?" He asked, surprised.

Draco stared at him in silence as Theo waved his wand and the bottle of whisky levitated to
refill their glasses.

"I think so," he replied, blowing smoke out of his nose. "At least that's what she said the first
day I saw her at the Ministry."

Theo's lips curved.

"You remind me of a dragon when you do that," he said, laughing softly.

Draco raised his brow, running his tongue over his teeth. His friend was already drunk.

"You shouldn't get your hopes up," Theo added, dropping his head back onto the arm of the
chair.

He furrowed his brow.

"Why?"

Theo grimaced as he stood up and moved towards a bookshelf, vanishing what was left of his
cigarette before touching the books. He ran his forefinger along the spines of several of them,
reading the titles carefully until he came to a dark red one.

"It's all here," he muttered, stepping closer to Draco and dropping the book on his belly. "This
has been done before. Twice."

Draco hissed, moving to a sitting position. He rested the book in his lap and opened it,
turning the pages as he exhaled the smoke slowly.

"Fuck."

He rubbed his face with his hands, dropping the cigarette without noticing. Theo cursed
under his breath and vanished the stub before it grazed the rug.

Marriage laws were much older and more complicated than Draco had imagined.

"I don't think Granger can do anything against a law that was written by Merlin himself,"
Theo said when he saw his frustration, sinking his back into the armchair and taking a large
gulp of whisky.

Draco ran a hand through his hair, brushing it back, and sighed wearily.

"I should get some sleep," he announced, frowning as he staggered to his feet. "I have
training tomorrow."

He glanced sideways at the coffee table, raising an eyebrow at the empty bottle.

Had they really drunk that much?

"I've got a few sobering potions in the kitchen." Theo stood up, letting out a laugh after he
tripped over the rug. "I'll give you one."

Draco followed him down the hallways of the manor with his hands in his pockets.

"We can't keep drinking like this, Theo."

"I know."

His friend turned to the right, tapping his wand against the portraits of his ancestors as they
walked and chuckling when they insulted him.

Draco heard something strange and stopped abruptly.

"What was that?"

Theo turned around with a confused look on his face.

"What is it?"
Draco put a finger to his lips and they both fell silent. There was something that sounded like
a whimper quite close.

The two followed the sound with their wands in their hands, exchanging a glance as they
reached the main living room.

Draco knew that Theo hadn't been in there for years. It was where his father used to have
meetings with the rest of the Death Eaters, and where he had punished him hundreds of times
when he was a little kid, forbidding them to play together.

Theo let out a long sigh and opened the door. A small figure was lying on the floor, curled up
in a fetal position and letting out small moans every few seconds.

Draco felt his blood run cold at the sight of her blonde hair sprawled on the floor. He had
seen her like that before.

Theo walked over to her.

"Oi," he muttered, bending down and shaking her shoulder hard when she didn't respond.
"Hey, Lovegood. Lovegood?"

Draco advanced to them with his fists clenched. Lovegood's eyes were closed and her cheeks
were streaked with tears.

"What's wrong with her?"

Theo shook her again, gripping her shoulders tightly.

"I have no idea." He sat down on the floor, looking around for an explanation of what was
happening.

Draco did the same. There was nothing strange in that room, and it had been years since the
Aurors had destroyed all the dark objects their families kept in their manors.

His eyes widened when Theo pushed her curls away from her face and he saw how pale she
was.

"She looks like she's having a fit," Draco murmured, leaning down and touching her cheek.

Her skin was cold.

"Shit," Theo cursed, casting a warming charm on her and glancing at his friend with
frightened eyes. "Granger is a Healer, isn't she?"

Draco nodded.

"I think she is."

"Go get her," Theo demanded, nudging him with his arm. "Run!"
Draco hissed a curse through his teeth, resting his hand on the wall when everything started
to spin. He clenched his jaw and walked as fast as he could to the fireplace in the foyer.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

Once he stepped through the flames, Draco discovered that his flat was silent and completely
dark. He flicked his wand, turning on all the lights, and made a short stop in his studio to grab
a much-needed potion.

He drank it all down before pausing at the door at the end of the hallway. Draco closed his
eyes, snorting softly, and knocked twice.

"Granger."

Silence. The potion was taking effect quickly, and his nerves were getting worse as the
alcohol wore off his body.

He still sometimes had nightmares about the sobbing sounds he had heard coming from the
dungeons of his manor for months. Draco had visited her whenever he was alone, bringing
her food, but Lovegood's terrified face would haunt him for the rest of his life.

"Granger, answer me," he growled, knocking louder again.

"Don't come in."

Draco rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Your friend is not feeling well."

He heard footsteps on the other side and the door opened. Granger leaned out, running her
hand over her cheeks and looking up at him with glassy eyes.

"What friend?"

Draco decided to ignore that she had been crying as well and folded his arms.

"Lovegood."

Granger gasped. She went back into her room and hurried out with her handbag slung over
her shoulder and her wand in her hand.

He followed her to the fireplace.

"Take me to her," she demanded, stopping in front of the flames.

Only Theo's closest friends were allowed inside Nott Manor. Draco twisted his lips, grabbing
her arm and pulling her along until they were both inside the fireplace.

A moment later they emerged into the foyer. He walked briskly down the hallways without
letting go of her arm, stepping aside once they reached the room where he had left Theo.
He was still sitting on the floor. Lovegood's head was resting on his shoulder and Theo was
whispering something in her ear as he ran his hand through her tangled curls over and over.

"Luna!"

Granger ran to them, dropping to her knees beside her friend's body. She touched her
forehead with the palm of her hand and sighed in relief.

"She's warming up," she murmured, opening her handbag and pulling out a small vial. "Not
leaving her on the floor was a good idea."

"I'm not a monster," Theo replied angrily, holding Lovegood's chin as Granger opened her
mouth and let a few drops of the potion fall on her tongue. "What the hell is wrong with her?
Lovegood was shaking and she fainted as soon as I lifted her a bit."

Draco leaned his back against the wall, keeping his distance as Granger muttered spells under
her breath.

She set the wand down and clasped her friend's hands in hers.

"She's been having panic attacks ever since..." Granger looked up, staring into Draco's face.
"Since she was locked in his dungeons."

His stomach shrunk.

"Fucking hell," Draco muttered, dropping his head back to hit the wall.

"She'll need a calming potion as soon as she opens her eyes," Granger added softly, stroking
Lovegood's cheek.

Theo twisted his lips.

"I don't have any of that here."

She opened her handbag again and pulled out another vial filled with blue liquid.

"Luna." Granger patted her cheek gently, smiling when her friend squeezed her eyes shut.
"It's Hermione, I'm here. Open your eyes, come on."

Lovegood's eyes fluttered open and she looked at Granger with a confused expression.

She held out the vial and Lovegood opened her mouth, drinking the potion until there wasn't
a drop left.

Granger helped her sit up.

"Breathe," she whispered, smiling when the colour began to return to her face. "That's good.
Keep doing that."
Lovegood took a deep breath, releasing the air very slowly with her eyes fixed on Granger.
She still looked frightened.

"You're safe. No one is going to hurt you," Granger murmured, running her thumbs over her
knuckles again and again.

Lovegood let out a shaky sigh.

"Hermione."

She squeezed her hand.

"I'm here."

Lovegood nodded and a small smile spread across her face. Her gaze dropped to the arms
wrapped around her and she lifted her head, holding her breath once she saw Theo.

He stared at her wordlessly.

"Thank you," Lovegood whispered, rising to her feet with their help.

Theo ran a hand through his hair, tousling his dark curls.

"Don't ever scare me like that again," he demanded, releasing her and stepping back. "Why
didn't you tell me that manors terrify you?"

Lovegood shrugged, leaning against her friend's shoulder.

"I want to get over it," she replied, looking away from him and nibbling on her lower lip. "I
thought being in a different one wouldn't be scary, and at first it was fine, but..." Her eyes
roamed the room and her body shuddered. Granger wrapped an arm around her waist. "That
brought back bad memories," she added in a whisper, pointing to one of the doors with her
chin.

Draco swallowed once he realised she meant the one that led downstairs. The old dungeons,
converted into wine cellars after the death of Theo's father.

Theo clicked his tongue, walking after them as they left the room.

"We'll move into one of my flats tomorrow."

"No." Lovegood turned her head and looked him in the eye. "I want to try to get over it. I
have to."

Theo waited until all four had left and closed the door, sealing it with his wand.

"Don't go back in there," he asked in a raspy voice.

Lovegood nodded.
"I was just exploring," she confessed, glancing at the pictures hanging in the hallways as she
walked beside Granger. "This house is gigantic, and I didn't get to see much of Draco's while
I was locked in there."

Draco tensed at the sound of his name.

"Are you alright now?" Granger asked as they entered the foyer.

"I think I have some sleeping potions left," Theo commented, glancing sideways at Draco.
"I'll get one."

Lovegood gave him a small smile.

"Thank you, Theodore."

Theo disappeared down another hallway and Granger hugged her.

"See you tomorrow," she murmured, kissing her cheek. "Let me know if you need me."

Draco walked over to the fireplace, glancing back and arching an eyebrow.

"I'll be more careful," Lovegood promised, breaking the hug with a smile. "Don't worry."

Granger nodded, approaching Draco once Theo returned with a vial in his hand.

They both walked back into the fireplace together, letting the green flames engulf them.
Granger wrinkled her nose as soon as they were back in his flat, turning away from him.

"What a great wedding night," Draco commented sarcastically.

She shot him a glare.

"I wouldn't touch you for all the gold in the world."

He chuckled under his breath.

"And what makes you think I would?" He asked, grimacing in disgust while he looked her up
and down.

"Fuck you, Malfoy," Granger hissed with clenched fists.

She turned away without another word and walked down the hall, slamming the door after
entering her room.

Draco relaxed his posture once he was alone.

"Minsy."

A small female elf appeared at his side.

"Master Draco?"
"Please prepare some supper while I take a shower."

"Of course, Master."

Draco followed her into the kitchen, picking up a glass and filling it with water with his
wand. He drank the contents in small sips as the elf levitated a large piece of meat into the
oven.

"It's only been a few hours and I can't take it anymore," he drawled, frowning and setting the
empty glass down on the table before heading out into the hallway. "This is going to be a
fucking torture."
 The Attack of the Pixies
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes

January 1st, 2006

Hermione opened her eyes the next morning and smiled at the sight of Crookshanks lying
beside her.

As soon as Malfoy had left and she had managed to calm down, she went back to her flat to
pick up her cat and bring him to the new room they were both going to share.

Hermione stroked his ears and got up, walking to the bathroom. She glanced sideways at the
huge bathtub but decided to ignore it and stepped into the shower. The hot water cleared her
mind and helped her concentrate as she let her mind go blank.

She wouldn't let Malfoy's words get to her again.

Hermione wrinkled her nose when she remembered that she hadn't even celebrated the New
Year. Harry and Ginny had invited her to a small party they'd thrown at Grimmauld Place, but
she hadn't felt like celebrating anything.

After Luna's panic attack, all she'd wanted to do was lie down and rest so that she could do
something useful at work the next day. She was on duty at St. Mungo's.

She came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel and got dressed, drying and defining her
curls with a few flicks of her wand as she looked at herself in the mirror next to her
wardrobe. Hermione tied them into a high bun, leaving some loose on either side of her face,
and left her room.

Nothing would spoil her day. Not even the idiot she was forced to live with.

Her good mood collapsed when she walked into the kitchen to find Malfoy leaning on the
counter, sipping a cup of coffee while a small elf left a huge, freshly prepared breakfast on
the table.

Hermione stopped abruptly in the doorway. She looked at Malfoy and her eyes narrowed into
a glare.

"What is this?"

He took another sip from his cup without looking at her and sat down at the table.

"I suppose you know what a house elf is, Granger," Malfoy muttered, setting his coffee aside
and picking up his cutlery. "Her name is Minsy," he continued, pointing his chin at the elf.

She smiled and bowed her head, looking up at her with her big green eyes.
"Happy New Year, Miss."

Hermione felt her blood boil.

"I will not have slaves in my house, Malfoy," she spat hatefully, moving towards the table
and standing beside him.

He shot her a look of contempt.

"This is not your house."

"I live here now," Hermione murmured, barely controlling her fury. "Unfortunately."

Malfoy wrinkled his nose and looked down at the elf.

"Go back home, Minsy. Don't worry about it."

The creature bowed again and snapped her fingers, disappearing with a soft pop.

"Haven't you noticed her clothes?" Malfoy snarled, glaring at her again. "The elves who serve
my family are not bloody slaves, Granger."

Hermione folded her arms, her posture relaxing slightly at his words.

"Since when?"

"Since the war ended." He narrowed his grey eyes, his lips pursed as he stared up at her. "You
must treat Minsy with the respect she deserves."

A laugh escaped her throat.

"It's funny to hear you talk about respect." Hermione turned her back on him and walked over
to the counter. "What a hypocrite."

There was a Muggle-looking coffee pot in the corner. Hermione clenched her teeth when she
noticed there were only a few drops of coffee left in it.

Malfoy had only made it for himself.

"Nice talking to you, as usual," he muttered sarcastically, wiping his lips with a napkin and
standing up. "I'm off."

He waved his wand, vanishing the remnants of his breakfast, and left the kitchen. Hermione
glanced at the kitchen cupboards and decided she would investigate them later.

It was getting late and she didn't have enough time to make herself breakfast. A visit to the
hospital cafeteria would do.

She followed Malfoy down the hallway in silence and snorted when she saw his broom
sitting by the fireplace.
"Is that what you do? Play Quidditch with your friends?" Hermione chuckled, shaking her
head. "I thought you'd have grown up, but I can see you haven't."

Malfoy squared his shoulders and turned to her with a blank expression, placing the broom
over his shoulder.

Oh, so he was occluding as well.

"I'm a professional player, Mudblood," he hissed, his words coated in venom. "You should
think before you speak."

After so many years, hearing that word again was like being slapped in the face. Hermione
pulled her wand out of her pocket and pointed it between his eyes.

"Call me that again."

Malfoy watched her face for a moment and stepped back, grabbing a handful of Floo powder.

"Don't piss me off and I won't have to."

He disappeared into the green flames before Hermione could reply.

Hermione walked over to the fireplace and leaned her forehead against the cold stone,
catching her breath and releasing it very slowly as she tried to calm herself.

"Happy New Year to you too," she grunted under her breath, sighing heavily. "God, I hate
him."

No one could make her as angry as Malfoy. That idiot had a special gift.

Hermione closed her eyes, pushing all the hatred she felt towards him and the situation they
were in into the corner of her mind. When she opened them again, there was no trace of the
anger she felt on her face.

She took a deep breath and retraced her steps. Leaving without her handbag was not an
option.

Crookshanks was still lying on the mattress when she entered her bedroom. Hermione gave
him a small smile as she picked up her beaded bag and put her wand inside.

"I'll be back in the afternoon, Crooks. Don't leave this room."

Hermione opened the door and paused before she left, looking back at Crookshanks as she
chewed on her bottom lip.

Surely a snob like him hated cats.

A wicked grin curved her lips as she left the room, leaving the door ajar.

"On second thought, go out and do what you want. Fuck Malfoy."
She went back into the living room and snickered, thinking of the look on his pointy face
when he returned to find her cat wandering around the flat.

Hermione stepped into the fireplace and let the green flames engulf her. She wanted to make
a stop before heading to St. Mungo's.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

The entrance hall of a large mansion greeted her. Hermione shook out her coat as she looked
around.

"Neville?"

She frowned, walking over to one of the open windows and smiling once she saw her friend
waving at her from the garden.

"I'm here, Hermione!"

She walked over to one of the doors, opened it and stepped outside.

Longbottom Manor was one of her favourite places. It had a small library on the ground floor
where Neville had let her study late into the night when she started working as a Healer, and
the garden was filled with plants from all over the world, both magical and Muggle.

Neville stood by the door of the greenhouse, laying his gloves on a box and wiping the sweat
from his brow with his arm.

"I see you're still tending your grandmother's plants," Hermione murmured as she
approached.

Neville nodded and combed back the damp locks that fell across his forehead.

"It's the one thing she asked of me before she died," he replied, letting out a sigh. "That and
not to sell the manor."

Hermione peered into the greenhouse, smiling at the sight of butterflies fluttering among the
plants.

"I'm sure she'd be proud," she commented, wrapping an arm around his waist to greet him.
"I've never seen the garden look so beautiful as it does now."

Neville kissed her temple and shrugged.

"I've always been good with plants," he said, lowering his gaze to hide his blush. "Happy
New Year, by the way. We missed you at Harry's last night."

Hermione nodded, knowing that Harry wouldn't have survived the Triwizard Tournament
without his help. Neville had always been brilliant in his own way.
"Happy New Year to you, too. How are you doing with Parkinson?" She asked quietly,
leaning her back against the glass wall of the greenhouse.

Any trace of joy disappeared from her friend's face.

"I haven't seen her since the wedding," Neville muttered under his breath, looking away and
shaking the dirt off his shoes. "I don't think she leaves her room while she's here."

Hermione twisted her lips, looking up at the front of the manor. She thought she caught a
glimpse of something in one of the first-floor windows.

"She didn't insult you?"

Neville shook his head.

"No. She doesn't talk to me, Hermione."

She snorted and squeezed her friend's shoulder. The bloody Marriage Law was going to make
everyone's lives miserable.

"I suppose that's better than nothing," she replied, trying to cheer him up.

Her friend grimaced and cocked his head to the side.

"I don't understand how this is going to work," he murmured sadly, slumping his shoulders.
"It's impossible."

Hermione didn't like seeing him so depressed. Neville had always been the most cheerful of
them all.

"Nothing is impossible." She bumped her shoulder against his, giving him an encouraging
smile. "Maybe it doesn't have to work, though."

Neville looked her in the eye, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you still determined to find a way to end the Law?"

"There has to be something. There's always something."

That made him smile.

"I admire your tenacity, Hermione."

She pressed her lips together in annoyance. She seemed to be the only one who wasn't
resigned to accepting the stupid Law.

Neville pulled out his wand and flicked it, cleaning the sweat from his face.

"I'll go ask her if she wants a tour of the manor before I go to the Ministry," he added, closing
the door to the greenhouse and running his fingertips over one of the roses on the rose bush
that grew beside it, wrapping itself around the wall and covering the front of it with flowers.
"I don't think it's as big as her family's, but it might cheer her up."

Hermione blinked, turning her attention back to the first-floor window that had caught her
eye earlier. Pansy was staring down at them and went back to hiding behind a curtain once
she noticed Hermione had spotted her.

She decided not to discuss it with her friend and walked with him into the manor, smiling
when he opened a small box and pulled out his Auror badge. Neville had been the last to pass
the exam because of his fear of hurting others while training, but he had been part of Harry's
team for several years now.

"See you tonight?"

Neville turned to her as he placed it in the lapel of his black robes and nodded.

"I hope Ron has better news than we do."

Hermione burst out laughing.

"You know how dramatic he is, so don't get your hopes up."

They both laughed and she waved goodbye, turning back to the fireplace as he walked away
in the direction of the stairs.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

Hermione appeared in the hospital foyer. She dodged around the people waiting to be treated
and nodded to the receptionist, who looked very overwhelmed.

Why were so many people there?

She walked up the stairs to her office, leaving her coat on a hanger and putting on her lime
green robe. Once dressed, Hermione came back out with her wand in her pocket and went
back down to the first floor, meeting Luna.

Her blonde friend turned at the sound of her footsteps and gave her a soft smile.

"How are you, Luna?"

"I'm okay," she replied, waiting for her to reach her side before walking on. "The bed I've
slept in is very comfortable."

Hermione sighed in relief. She had been worried that the nightmares would come back to
haunt her friend, but it seemed that the potion Nott gave her had taken effect.

"Don't you think it would be a good idea to listen to Nott and move somewhere else?"

Luna shook her head vigorously and her long braid fell over her shoulder.
"I have to get over my fears, Hermione," she murmured as they walked down the corridor to
the potions cupboard, her blue eyes boring into hers. "I can't live in fear for the rest of my
life."

Hermione couldn't help but smile.

"You're very brave," she acknowledged softly, dodging another patient running down the
corridor with a bandaged hand.

Luna shrugged, playing it down.

"Do you want to say hello to your parents?"

Hermione felt her heart drop to her feet. She still hadn't thought about what she was going to
say to them, or how she would explain all the lies she'd told them.

"Not today. I'll go see them tomorrow." She looked down the corridor, frowning at the sight
of another person with a bandaged forearm. "What's going on?"

"Someone opened a cage full of pixies in Diagon Alley and they've bitten dozens of people,"
Luna commented with a musical giggle, waving her hand. "It's no big deal, don't worry."

Hermione arched an eyebrow as a boy of about eight years ran past them, chased by his
mother and a Healer.

"Padma will be waiting for me to go over the progress of the patient who was attacked by a
werewolf together," she murmured, looking back at her friend.

Luna widened her smile.

"I hope this year will be very special for you, Hermione."

"Thank you." Hermione grabbed one of her hands and smiled back at her. "I wish the same
for you."

"It's off to a great start for me," Luna continued dreamily, her gaze lost in the distance.
"Theodore came to my room this morning with a tray full of food and didn't let me out of bed
until I had eaten half of it."

Something stirred inside Hermione. The image of Nott holding Luna in his arms had stuck in
her retinas.

Perhaps not all Slytherins were as cold and selfish as she thought.

"I'm glad he's treating you well," she commented, releasing her hand and walking away. "See
you later, Luna."

Hermione turned the corner and walked around the first floor until she reached her patient's
room. She opened the door and entered, expecting to be greeted by the warm smile of her
coworker.
But another disappointment awaited her. Cormac was standing over the patient, staring at the
information from the diagnostic spell hovering over his head. The man was still in a deep
sleep thanks to the potions he took every night.

Hermione clenched her jaw without pausing and approached the bed.

"Where's Padma?"

Cormac gave her a sidelong glance.

"She was needed in the Emergency Room," he murmured, rounding the bed to stand beside
her and shoving his hands into his pockets. "She asked me to come with you."

"Great," Hermione grunted wearily.

Between the two of them, they tended to the patient's wounds again and this time they didn't
bandage them. They were almost healed.

After waking him up and giving him a pain potion, they both went out into the corridor
towards the next patient on her list.

A hand grabbed her arm, stopping her advance. Hermione found her back against the corridor
wall and Cormac's face just inches away. His gaze dropped to her lips and she saw him smirk.

"Happy New Year, Granger."

She hissed, jerking away from him, but Cormac held her tighter. Hermione shot him a dark
look, reaching into her pocket and grabbing her wand.

"Let go of me," she demanded quietly, glaring up at him.

He narrowed his eyes.

"Why do you refuse to admit that there is something between us?"

"Because there isn't," Hermione hissed, wishing someone would appear in the corridor and
interrupt them. "You're imagining things."

Cormac raised his brow.

"I still remember when I went with you to that little Slughorn party," he whispered, running
his tongue over his teeth. "I saw in your eyes how much you wanted me."

Hermione snorted, rolling her eyes. The same thing again.

"And I can still see it," Cormac added, leaning towards her.

Hermione pulled out her wand, placing the tip under his chin and pressing it threateningly
against his skin. He held his breath, his eyes widening.

"Let go of me, Mclaggen," she repeated, drilling him with her gaze. "Now."
Cormac stepped back and released her arm. Hermione ran her fingers over her wrist, hoping
no marks were on it. He'd gripped her too tightly to keep her from pulling away.

"What are you playing at?" She asked, raising her left hand to show him the ring she'd been
wearing for less than a day. "I'm married now."

"To someone you have no feelings for," Cormac replied with a shrug. "I don't care."

Hermione closed her eyes and filled her lungs with air, trying to calm her urge to punch the
smile off his face.

"I could die if I cheated on him," she said, wrinkling her nose while she looked him up and
down. "I'd never consider doing it with you, though."

Cormac chuckled under his breath.

"Do you really believe the nonsense the Ministry says?" He ran a hand through his blond hair
and looked at her again with a mocking glint in his eyes. "That's just a story to make sure the
married couples are faithful."

Hermione bit the inside of her cheek while her wand vibrated in her fingers. It also was sick
of Cormac's nonsense.

"I don't have any women waiting for me at home," he added, arching an eyebrow and giving
her one of those smiles he reserved only for her. "And I have a few months of freedom left
that we could use."

Cormac hadn't yet turned twenty-five when the Law was passed in early August, so he
wouldn't be obliged to marry until next September.

Hermione stepped to the side and put more distance between them.

"Not in your wildest dreams," she snarled, feeling her mood worsen. "Leave me alone for
once."

Cormac folded his arms, a smug smile still playing on his lips.

"We both know you'll admit the truth eventually, Hermione."

She decided it was best to ignore him, so she turned and walked down the corridor knowing
he wouldn't dare follow her.

Hermione hated it when he called her by her name.

"I'm surrounded by idiots," she muttered angrily as she made her way up the stairs to the
second floor.

This time Cormac had crossed the line. If he touched her again, she would see to it that he
would never be given the title of Healer.
Chapter End Notes

The real fun starts in the next chapter. I hope you're as excited as I am!
 The Incident
Chapter Notes

I have little time to write, but I finished another chapter! Enjoy

January 3rd, 2006

Draco opened the door to the changing room, where most of his teammates were already
changing clothes. He preferred to arrive wearing his Quidditch uniform.

Eric, the Falcons' captain, smirked when he saw him enter.

"Malfoy!" He exclaimed, walking up to him and patting him on the shoulder.

"Congratulations, man!"

Draco frowned in confusion.

"My girlfriend showed me the article in the Prophet yesterday," Eric continued, glancing
down at the ring on Draco's left hand before looking him in the eye again. "You should have
told us!"

The bloody wedding. Draco squared his jaw and tried to smile.

"You have the most famous Muggleborn in Britain for a wife," Eric said, clapping him on the
shoulder while he chuckled. "You're very lucky."

Draco hummed, his tongue poking at his cheek.

"Oh, you have no idea."

The captain didn't detect the sarcasm in his voice and smiled again while he reached into his
locker for something.

"This is for her," Eric said, holding out a silver piece of paper with Granger's full name
written on it in black letters. "All our partners receive a VIP pass for the season. I'm sure
Hermione can't wait to come and watch you play."

Draco clenched his teeth and tucked the pass into his trouser pocket.

"She's got a busy schedule, as you can imagine."

"I want you to introduce me to her one day," Eric murmured, raising his brow before turning
to the others. "Are you guys ready?"
After a murmur of assent from the rest of the players, the captain opened the door leading
into the pitch and waved his wand, leaving the room first with a large wooden box floating
behind him.

Draco waited until everyone had followed him and hopped onto his Nimbus 2010, stroking
the dark green stick with his fingertips.

The broom shot off as soon as he leaned forward. Draco zig-zagged his way up until he was
level with the stadium towers, stopping short. He closed his eyes, breathing in deeply as the
morning breeze ruffled his hair.

The best thing about Quidditch was the feeling of freedom that came over him every time he
was on his broom.

"The snitch is loose!"

Draco looked down towards the side of the pitch, where Eric had just released the small
golden ball. He tilted his broom to the left, flying in circles around the centre as he waited for
the snitch to disappear before he started looking for it.

The Beaters stood at the bottom of the pitch, grinning as they twirled the bats. Eric released
the two bludgers and they both took up their positions, following the movement of the balls
with their gazes.

His first match as part of the team was only a week away, and Draco was eager to show the
world how fast he could catch the snitch.

After the war he had continued to practice on the grounds of his manor every week,
sometimes accompanied by Greg and Blaise, and Draco was sure that he was playing much
better now than when he was part of the Slytherin team.

Draco spun on his axis, scanning the pitch with his eyes. There was no sign of the snitch.

His thoughts flew back to a few hours earlier when Granger had disappeared into the flames
of the fireplace with her lime-green robes on. He'd barely seen her since he'd insulted her on
New Year's Day. It seemed like she was trying to avoid him.

They had gone from fighting every time they crossed paths to ignoring each other completely.

Draco leaned back, letting go of his broom handle and using his thighs to move through the
air.

The days were less tiring if he didn't have an argument waiting for him when he got home. If
Granger didn't speak to him, so much the better.

Suddenly, the sun came out from behind the clouds and blinded him. Draco shut his eyes
tightly, cursing between his teeth.

"Watch out!"
"Malfoy, move!"

Draco grabbed onto his broom, opening his eyes just in time to see one of the Beaters
speeding towards him. The blow knocked the wind out of him and he heard a crack in his
chest before he fell into the void and everything went black.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

The first thing he saw when he regained consciousness was the worried face of his teammate,
Aaron Walker.

"You're finally awake, Malfoy."

Draco grimaced, trying to move. Aaron helped him sit up on the mattress and placed a pillow
behind his back so he could lean against it.

"Are we at St. Mungo's?" He asked hoarsely, looking around.

The white-walled room made his hair stand on end.

"I still don't understand why you didn't move away," Aaron commented, clicking his tongue
and shaking his head.

Draco glanced sideways at him. His teammate had a split lip, several bruises on the side of
his face, and was holding his right hand very carefully against his chest.

He pushed all the pain he was feeling to the corner of his mind and relaxed his expression.

"I was distracted," he admitted quietly, averting his gaze to the back of the room.

He heard Aaron's indignant gasp.

"You can't get distracted in the middle of a game!"

"I know," Draco hissed, clenching his fists at the twinge of pain he felt in his side when he
turned to him. "Believe me, it won't happen again."

Aaron furrowed his brow, watching him with interest.

"What's wrong with you?"

"I don't like hospitals," Draco muttered, wrinkling his nose. "Nor Healers."

His teammate was about to answer when the door to the room opened and a white-robed man
entered, his eyes fixed on the papers in his hand.

"Good morning," he murmured, leaving them at the foot of the mattress and looking up. He
pursed his lips once he saw who was sitting on the bed, controlling his reaction. "Malfoy."

Draco narrowed his eyes.

"McLaggen."

Mclaggen twisted his face, glancing back and forth between him and Aaron.

"I didn't know you were one of the patients," he commented, pulling his wand from his
pocket and giving him a sly grin. "Well, who wants to start?"

Draco stared at the tip of his wand and bit the inside of his cheek, looking Mclaggen in the
eye with a defiant expression.

"No."

"No?"

"I want another Healer," Draco demanded in a cold voice. "I don't trust you."

Mclagguen folded his arms.

"I assure you I'm a great professional, Malfoy."

Draco snorted through his nose. As if someone would believe that.

"Of course. That's why you're still in training," he drawled, arching an eyebrow when
McLaggen tensed up. "I want Granger. Find her."

At least he knew she wouldn't take the opportunity to incapacitate him for several days.
Granger probably was the most professional Healer in the entire hospital.

Mclaggen looked him up and down with contempt.

"I'll let her know her husband is around," he spat as he took a step back.

Draco let out a sigh of relief once he left the room. Aaron was still standing beside him,
looking even more serious than before.

Mclaggen hadn't made a good impression on him either.

"You know that idiot?"

"We met at Hogwarts," Draco explained, biting his tongue at another sting that was more
painful than the last. He was sure he'd broken more than one rib. "I'd have to be mad to let
someone like him treat my wounds."

They both exchanged a glance and laughed. Draco hissed at the pain it caused him and
pressed a hand to his chest, trying to slow his breathing.

A minute later the door opened again.

"Good morning."

Draco held his breath at the sight of Granger. Her face was completely expressionless.
She paused at the foot of the bed, pulling her wand from the pocket of her green robes and
waving it in his direction. The diagnostic spell swept over his body and the results appeared
above him, some areas of his body marked with colours and symbols Draco couldn't
understand.

"Internal bleeding and two broken ribs," Granger murmured flatly, pulling a small vial from
her pocket and levitating it towards him. "Drink this."

Draco stared at her. She didn't even blink as she waited for him to obey, her brown eyes fixed
on a point behind his shoulder.

Granger wouldn't dare poison him with a witness present, right?

Sighing through his nose, Draco uncapped the vial and downed the contents in one gulp,
grimacing at the bitter taste of the anti-haemorrhagic potion.

Granger took two more steps to stand beside him once he set the empty vial down on the
sheets, vanishing his shirt with a wave of her wand.

"Don't move."

She muttered words so low Draco couldn't hear them, tracing the left side of his chest with
the tip of her wand. He gritted his teeth when he felt his skin burn and sighed in relief as soon
as she pulled her wand away.

"Now the ribs," Granger commented, looking him in the eye for a second before lowering her
gaze to his side.

He knew that vacant expression all too well. He had seen it many times on the other side of
the mirror.

Granger was occluding. Hard.

She placed her wand on his skin and Draco's breath hitched when he guessed what she was
going to do. Was she planning to set his bones properly without giving him something for the
pain?

Confirming his suspicions, Granger flicked her wand sharply and his ribs creaked as they
snapped back into place.

Draco swallowed a cry, leaning forward and muttering several curses under his breath. He
continued to breathe heavily through his nose until the pain subsided enough to let him think.

She set another vial on the small table beside him.

"Drink two sips if you want the bones to heal properly."

Draco shot her a dark glare and picked up the vial with his other hand, keeping his left arm
against his ribs as he drank.
It still hurt.

Granger took one last look at the diagnostic spell and vanished it.

"You have a few minor cuts and scrapes left. You can go now."

She turned to Aaron, whose tanned skin had turned a bit pale. He swallowed and exchanged a
frightened glance with Draco, looking back at Granger and taking a step back.

"Aaron Walker. Nice to meet you, Healer Granger."

Granger nodded, raising her wand again.

"Hi, Aaron." She waved it and another diagnostic spell floated in front of his teammate.
Granger furrowed her brow as she read the results, pulling a vial full of blue liquid from her
pocket. "Dislocated shoulder and two broken fingers," she announced, stepping closer until
she was standing in front of him. "Drink this."

Aaron took the potion and looked at her again as he uncapped it.

"What is it?"

"It's for the pain."

Draco narrowed his eyes.

Granger waited until the vial was empty and placed the wand over his left shoulder.

"Don't move."

A crackle later Aaron sighed and smiled as he rolled his shoulder to check that everything
was okay.

"Thank you."

Granger nodded and fixed his fingers too. Then she pulled a small jar from her pocket,
squeezing a few drops of pasty cream onto her fingers and taking another step forward. She
smeared the ointment over the bruises on Aaron's face and dabbed some more on his lower
lip.

Draco felt another pang in his chest, though he knew it wasn't his ribs this time.

"Let your skin absorb it and you'll be as good as new tomorrow," Granger said, cleaning her
hand with a wave of her wand and tucking the jar into her pocket. "You can go now."

Aaron nodded with a soft smile.

"Thank you again."

She turned and left the room without another word. Draco worked his jaw, his gaze still fixed
on the doorway Granger had disappeared through.
Aaron was the first to break the silence.

"Is that your wife?"

Draco gave him a sidelong glance, nodding his head slightly.

"She's... cold," Aaron added in a whisper, crossing his arms over his chest with a confused
expression. "And very distant. Especially with you."

Draco rose from the bed carefully, still holding his side.

"That's what happens when you occlude too much," he rasped, turning back to the door with
a frown.

They both left the room and walked slowly down the stairs, saying their goodbyes before
using the fireplace in the reception area to return to their homes.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

Draco was sitting on one of the sofas in the living room of Nott Manor and a mirror was
floating in front of his face as he applied a bluish cream to the cuts on his cheek.

If Granger thought he didn't keep his own ointments in his studio, she was in for a surprise
when she saw him again.

Theo clicked his tongue once he finished telling him what had happened that morning at
training, taking a drag of his cigarette.

"That's not cool, mate. I hope you don't have any trouble with the team owner."

Draco waved the mirror away and shrugged, leaving the ointment on the table.

"Everyone has an accident now and then," he commented, lighting a cigarette with the tip of
his wand.

Theo smiled when Draco blew the smoke out of his nose.

"Yes, but not everyone falls from so high," his friend replied, leaning forward and resting his
elbows on his knees. "What the hell were you thinking?"

Draco twisted his face and took another drag on his cigarette.

"Granger," Theo answered for him, shaking his head as he chuckled. "Fuck that."

Draco shot him a death glare, exhaling the smoke slowly.

"She's avoiding me, which I'm glad about," he muttered, leaning his head against the back of
the sofa. "But I didn't like what I saw at the hospital this morning."

Theo's face darkened. He didn't like St. Mungo's either.

"What did you see?"

Draco lifted his chin and blew the smoke towards the ceiling.

"Granger is an Occlumens as well."

His friend relaxed again, vanishing the remains of his cigarette with his wand.

"Like two peas in a pot, I suppose."

"Shut up," Draco snarled, making a face. Granger and he had nothing in common. "She
occludes too hard."

"Maybe that's the only way she can stand you."

Draco twisted his lips and glanced sideways at his friend, who had a smirk on his face.

"You're very funny today, Theo."

His friend propped his feet up on the low table on the carpet.

"It wouldn't hurt you to be a little nicer to her," he said, raising an eyebrow and watching
Draco finish his cigarette. "I'm starting to like Lovegood."

Draco exhaled the smoke through his nose.

"What about the whole lunatic thing?"

Theo shook his head.

"She's not insane, she's just different," he commented quietly. "And too brave for her own
good."

Draco snorted and rolled his eyes.

"She's determined to get back into that room," Theo mumbled, sighing wearily. "She should
have been a Gryffindor."

At that moment the flames in the fireplace rose, turning green, and Lovegood emerged
between them.

"Hello, Draco," she greeted cheerfully, glancing between them. "Theodore."

Draco ignored the unpleasant shiver that ran down his spine every time Lovegood said his
given name. It reminded him too much of the visits he had paid her while she was locked in
the dungeons of his manor.

Theo gave her a small smile, watching her as she walked over and took a seat beside him.

"Just Theo is fine."

Lovegood smiled back at him, cocking her head as Draco took one last drag of his cigarette
before vanishing what was left.

"Smoking is bad for your lungs," she said, looking around with a dreamy expression. "Smoke
kills the Nargles, though. I haven't found any in this house yet."

Draco bit his lip to keep from smiling. She was as weird as ever.

"Once we can't breathe properly, we'll come looking for you to heal us," he drawled,
waggling his eyebrows.

Lovegood laughed.

"It doesn't work like that," she replied, shaking her head. Lovegood locked her blue eyes on
his and pursed her lips. "Hermione hates the smell of tobacco."

This time Draco let the smile spread across his face.

"I thought so."

Theo rolled his eyes.

"Are you hungry?" He asked, standing up and glancing down at Lovegood. "Do you want me
to fix you something?"

She got to her feet as well.

"I can do that."

"I was thinking of making something Italian tonight," Theo added, rubbing his chin with his
hand.

Lovegood's face lit up.

"We could make risotto," she suggested, taking off her green robe and draping it over the arm
of the sofa. "I have my mother's recipe in my room."

Draco wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"I'm leaving," he announced, checking his face for any traces of cream before standing up.

Lovegood waved her hand as he approached the fireplace, throwing a handful of Floo powder
onto the flames.

A few seconds later he appeared in his flat.

Draco raised an eyebrow at the sight of an orange cat lying on top of his sofa. The animal
wagged his tail at the sight of him, lifting his head as he approached and letting him rub his
ears.

He had been finding him there every afternoon.

Draco stepped out into the hallway, walking to the last door and knocking twice.

"Granger."

Silence. He expected nothing less.

"Granger." He knocked again, snorting when he didn't hear an answer. "Can I come in?"

Draco opened the door slowly, peeking his head in a little before entering. She was sitting on
her bed with a book in her lap and had reached for her wand, but didn't look up from the
pages.

"Go away, Malfoy."

Draco narrowed his eyes when he detected the same coldness in her voice as that morning.
He ignored her and took two more steps, leaving the door ajar behind him.

"I'm not here to fight."

She gripped her wand tighter.

"I don't care."

Draco looked around the room. It was still pretty much the same, though there was a small
bed that seemed very comfortable in one corner and a sandbox in another. The desk was
cluttered with folders and various law books, and her Healer's robe hung on one of the
hangers.

"It's dangerous, you know," he murmured, folding his arms and looking back at her. "To
occlude like that."

Granger turned a page as if she didn't hear him.

"You should stop," Draco insisted in a deep voice, drumming his fingers on his forearm.

That got her attention. Granger looked away from the book and into his eyes.

"Why?"

"My aunt used to do the same thing." Draco took a step closer to the bed, leaning his shoulder
against one of the wooden posts and shoving his hands into his pockets. "She pushed her
emotions to the back of her mind so they wouldn't affect her."

Granger swallowed hard. She knew what aunt he was talking about.

"Until one day she couldn't find any of those emotions when she looked for them." He stared
at her, watching her face lose its colour. "That's why she lost her mind."

Granger let the air out of her lungs very slowly and her eyes sparkled, full of life again.
Draco gave her a crooked smile.
"Much better."

"I didn't know you were such an expert in Occlumency," Granger commented, glancing down
at her book.

He shrugged one of his shoulders.

"I've had years of practice."

And he had been trained by Severus and his aunt until they both died.

Granger resumed reading, ignoring his presence. The room was silent for a few seconds until
he spoke again.

"I shouldn't have said that word. I was angry."

She didn't react.

Draco clenched his fists, cursing himself inwardly. He shouldn't feel guilty.

"I won't say it again, Granger."

She looked him in the eye again.

"Okay."

Draco nodded, straightening his back. He looked down at the floor when he felt something
between his legs and noticed that the cat had followed him and was circling his feet, curling
his tail around his left calf.

Granger was watching him with a serious face when he looked up again.

"I thought you'd complain when you saw Crooks in your flat."

Draco bent down and stroked the cat's head one more time before moving away towards the
door.

"It's your pet." He grabbed the knob and looked back. "I expected him to show up here
sooner or later."

He thought he saw the ghost of a smile cross Granger's face.

"Good night."

"Good night, Malfoy."

Draco closed the door softly after he left, leaning his back against it and huffing loudly. It
was the first time they'd had a civil conversation since they'd seen each other again at the
Ministry.
After a final sigh, he ran a hand through his hair and went into the kitchen in search of the
dinner Minsy would have left for him.

He hoped Granger didn't think he was going to be nice to her now. This had just been an
exception.
 Celebration

January 7th, 2006

Hermione got out of the shower wrapped up in a white towel with her damp curls falling
down her shoulders. After a sigh, she stood in front of the mirror and dried them with her
wand, holding them in a high bun.

Wearing her hair down was not wise for a healer like her, and she had gotten used to tying it
up every morning.

After getting dressed and leaving the dry towel by the sink, she made sure Crookshanks had
food and water before leaving her room.

Hermione raised her brow when she reached the kitchen and found it empty. Malfoy had
already left.

It was the first time in a week that she was alone in his flat. She walked over to the long grey
marble countertop, looking carefully at all the appliances placed on it.

Hermione blinked, noticing that all of them were Muggles. She picked up the toaster and
looked at it carefully, frowning as she held it in her hands.

She could feel the magic flowing beneath her fingertips. Someone had enchanted it to work
without electricity.

A glance confirmed to her that Malfoy had done the same to every appliance in the kitchen.
Hermione shared a confused look with her pet, who had followed her and jumped on top of
one of the chairs.

Why did Malfoy have Muggle items? Had he bought them?

Those were questions she suspected she would never get the answer to.

She shrugged and made some tea, leaving the kitchen as she took small sips of the hot
beverage.

Hermione chewed on her bottom lip, walking over to the living room wall that was covered
in books. She had wanted to leaf through them since the first day, though not when Malfoy
was around.

The lower shelves were filled with books on Quidditch, Transfiguration, Charms and spells
of all kinds. There were even a couple about dark magic that she remembered seeing in the
Restricted Section of the Hogwarts library.

Hermione held back the urge to touch them and looked up to the next shelf. Theory of Magic,
Magical Wars, Alchemy, a couple of dictionaries on Runes...
A gasp escaped her throat when her gaze reached the top shelf. She stood on her tiptoes and
grabbed one of the books, staring down at the cover with her mouth open.

Since when did Malfoy read Muggle books?

Hermione put The Return of the King back on the shelf and shook her head. Try as she might,
she couldn't understand it.

How could he buy books and objects created by people he considered inferior?

Hermione shrugged on her jacket and threw a handful of Floo powder into the fireplace,
muttering the name of the magical hospital before she stepped into the flames.

It was Saturday, her day off, and she wanted to spend the morning with her parents. She
walked past the reception desk, which was more crowded than usual, and strolled down the
white corridors with a smile on her face as she greeted her fellow Healers.

Hermione climbed the stairs to the fourth floor and stopped in front of the door to the long-
term patients' ward, taking a deep breath before opening it.

Luna was sitting on one of the sofas next to Alice Longbottom, Neville's mother. Frank stood
by the window, staring outside with vacant eyes.

He never spoke and avoided other people, tolerating only his wife's presence. Alice
sometimes looked at the Healers and said a few words, though they didn't always make sense.

Luna's smile widened as she approached.

"Hello, Hermione," she greeted cheerfully, gently patting the space beside her so that she
could sit next to her. "The Healers are treating your parents right now, but they'll be done
soon," she added, pointing to one of the doors on the other side of the huge room.

"I'll wait here with you," Hermione murmured, turning her attention to the woman who
looked so similar to one of her best friends. "Hello, Alice."

Alice looked up into her eyes and smiled, looking back down at the small cube-shaped puzzle
she held in her hands. The woman turned one of the pieces and Luna grinned when it clicked.

"She solved the one you gave her back in October in just a week. Since then, I've been
bringing more for her and raising the difficulty bit by bit."

A warm feeling spread through Hermione's chest at the sight of Alice's smile.

"Still no change in her brain activity, right?"

Luna shook her head, accepting the already-resolved cube the woman offered her before
getting up and walking over to her husband.

"These toys make her happy," Luna commented, nudging gently Hermione's shoulder with
her own. "You had a brilliant idea."
Hermione shrugged, hiding a small blush. She didn't work with the patients on that floor, but
ever since she'd joined the hospital she was always thinking of new ways to help them.

The books about healing she had devoured while searching for Horcruxes with Harry and
Ron had awakened a vocation she didn't know she had, and Hermione had sent her CV to St.
Mungo's as soon as she finished her eighth year at Hogwarts.

Within three days she had received a positive answer and a week later she began her training.

"My grandfather loved puzzles. He kept asking for more even when his memory started to
fail," Hermione replied while she stared at the Longbottoms with a sad smile. "I thought
maybe she'd like them too."

"I notice she's happier, and now she looks us in the eye when we talk to her." Luna's smile
twisted down when Alice placed her hand on her husband's shoulder and he didn't react.
"Frank still doesn't respond to any stimulus, though."

"He never strays far from her." Hermione followed both patients with her gaze as they
walked towards the music area, Frank only a few steps behind Alice. "That means he can
recognise her."

Luna nodded, running her fingers through her long braid.

"I know they'll always be here, but at least I can make sure they have the best life possible
and cheer Neville up when he comes to visit."

Hermione felt a lump in her throat at the thought of her friend. Before she could answer, the
front door burst open and another patient walked in, smiling brightly at the sight of them.

"Oh, my best fans!" Gilderoy Lockhart advanced towards them, pulling out two photos from
inside the folder he always carried with him and extending them towards them. "Here, I've
just signed them."

Hermione and Luna accepted the autographs, returning his smile.

"Thank you, Gilderoy."

He winked at them and walked away in search of the other Healer in the room.

"And how is he?" Hermione asked once their old professor was far enough away to hear her.

"He's as cheerful as ever," Luna replied, folding the photo in half and tucking it into the
pocket of her robes.

Hermione pursed her lips.

"Sometimes I feel bad when I see him... until I remember that Harry and Ron might have
ended up like this because of him," she muttered, squinting in the direction of the armchair
where Lockhart had just sat.
The man pulled a pen from his pocket and opened the folder, signing another photo.

"He was desperate." Luna sighed, staring at Hermione with her big blue eyes. "Desperate
people often do crazy things."

Hermione grabbed one of her hands and squeezed it. Even though it had been almost eight
years, her friend still felt guilty for what her father had done during the war.

Harry, and Ron, and she had accepted Xenophilius' apology after Voldemort's defeat and held
no grudges against him. They understood that he had been willing to do anything to save his
daughter's life, even hand them over to the Death Eaters.

Luna continued to watch her face closely and furrowed her brow.

"You're worried."

Hermione nodded, releasing her hand and leaning back against the sofa.

"They're going to ask me about Malfoy again." She folded her hands in her lap, looking down
at her nails as guilt crept over her at the thought of the lies she'd told her parents. "They want
to meet him as soon as they're discharged."

Luna folded her arms and cocked her head to one side.

"And what are you going to do?"

"I have to tell them the truth," Hermione admitted with a long sigh, avoiding her friend's
questioning gaze. "But I'm afraid they'll start to distrust me when they find out I lied to
them."

"Maybe you could ask Draco to play along and pretend everything's fine between you two."

Hermione turned her head too quickly, scowling at her friend.

"Malfoy would never do me a favour."

Luna shrugged.

"You won't know unless you ask him," she murmured with a raised brow.

Hermione snorted and shook her head.

"I'll think about it, Luna," she accepted through her teeth, knowing that she would never ask
Malfoy for anything.

Not in a million years.

"Theo is a lot nicer than I thought he'd be," Luna commented, turning the pieces of the cube
in her lap until it was back to its original position and setting it down on the table. "And
Draco is always kind to me."
That got Hermione's attention.

"Do you see him a lot?"

"Rare is the afternoon that I don't find him chatting with Theo when I return to the manor,"
her friend said, laughing softly with her gaze drifting off into infinity. "They're very close
friends."

Hermione ran her hand over her face, pushing back the curls that had escaped from her bun.

If Nott wasn't as stupid as she imagined... maybe Malfoy had changed over the years, too.

It had been four days since he'd given her advice on Occlumency, just after she'd made him
suffer more pain than necessary while treating his wounds. Maybe he wasn't the same prat
who lived in her memories.

Hermione shook her head vigorously again, snorting at her own thoughts. Malfoy was still
the same smug, prejudiced git he'd always been, and asking him for a favour would be a big
mistake on her part.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

Draco looked up when Granger emerged from the flames of the fireplace. She gave him a
sidelong glance and moved towards the hall.

They had barely exchanged a word since the day he had his Quidditch accident.

He held up the parchment in his left hand, speaking before she disappeared in the direction of
her room.

"This letter just arrived."

Granger turned to him, her eyes widening at the sight of the envelope.

"And you opened it?"

"It's addressed to both of us," Draco drawled, narrowing his eyes at the accusation he had
heard in her voice.

He could be a lot of things, but he wasn't nosy.

She retraced her steps, picking up the parchment and sighing as she read it.

"Seamus and Goyle's party." Granger grimaced, handing the letter back to him and shaking
her head. "I didn't remember that it was today."

Draco watched her silently while she rubbed her temple in frustration.

"Will you go?" She asked, looking back up at him.

"Of course," he said, folding the parchment and putting it back in the envelope bearing the
Goyle family seal. "I'm not leaving Greg alone with all those Gryffindors."

She arched an eyebrow and placed her hands on her hips.

"I thought you and your friends were the dangerous ones."

Draco clicked his tongue and stood up.

"I'm not going to answer that," he muttered, walking past her and avoiding her gaze as he
untied the cloak of his Quidditch uniform. "I need a shower."

He locked himself in his room, hearing Granger's footsteps on the other side of the door as
she strode down the hall. He pulled one of his robes from the dresser and laid it on his
comfortable green-sheeted bed.

After a quick shower, he dried his blond hair using his wand and brushed it to the side,
smirking at himself in the mirror. It had been far too long since he had dressed up for an
event, and he couldn't wait to see Potter and Weasley's faces when they discovered that he
and all his friends were wearing robes.

Draco made sure the packet of cigarettes was inside his jacket pocket and grabbed the bottle
of wine he had bought the night before, leaving his room and returning to the living room.

Granger's ginger pet wagged his tail when he saw him enter, running towards him.

"I don't want you to get hair all over me," Draco growled, lifting his foot to stop him from
rubbing against his trousers.

The cat hissed and clambered somewhat awkwardly up the sofa, sitting right where he had
been just before.

Draco ran his tongue over his teeth, closing one of the buttons on his jacket as he stared at the
cat that was always chasing him around the flat when his owner wasn't there.

He turned his head when he heard footsteps approaching and all the air left his lungs the
moment Granger stepped through the doorway.

Draco swallowed, looking down at the clearly Muggle red dress that clung to her body like a
second skin and left very little to the imagination. Her hair was down and her long mane fell
neatly down her back, the curls bouncing with her every step.

She even wore heels.

He couldn't remember seeing her so dressed up since the Yule Ball in fourth year, when that
idiot Krum had chosen her as his partner.

Draco squared his jaw, feeling his hatred for her increase. If she thought she was going to get
his attention by dressing like that, she was sorely mistaken.
Though perhaps it wasn't his attention that Granger was seeking. The thought infuriated him
even more.

Granger approached the sofa without noticing his piercing gaze on her and stroked her pet's
ears. He used those seconds to raise the shields of his mind and wipe the surprise from his
face.

"I'll be back in a few hours, Crooks," Granger murmured, smiling at the cat before turning
towards the fireplace.

She stopped in her tracks and Draco held back the urge to smirk when her eyes widened,
darting appreciatively down his body before returning to his face. He shot her a cold glare
that she ignored, her gaze remaining fixed on the bottle in his hand.

"Are you bringing a gift?"

Draco arched an eyebrow.

"Aren't you?"

Granger wrinkled her nose, moving closer until she was standing beside him by the fireplace.
He watched her read the name of the wine on the label before grabbing a handful of Floo
powder.

"It's for Greg," Draco informed, clutching the bottle of wine to his chest and letting the
mockery roll off his tongue. "Giving it to one of you would be a waste of money."

He could no longer contain his grin when his comment had the desired effect. Granger
twisted her lips and gave him a look of contempt.

"Fuck you, Malfoy," she hissed, tossing the powder into the embers and disappearing in a
swirl of green flames.

He chuckled and followed her, appearing in the entrance hall of the new house that Greg and
Finnigan now shared on the outskirts of London.

There was music, but no voices. They were the first to arrive.

The Irishman was hugging Granger with a big smile that faded once he saw him.

"Malfoy," he greeted, holding out a hand.

Draco bit the inside of his cheek and after a resigned sigh shook it.

"Finnigan." He nodded in greeting, handing him the bottle of wine and looking around.
"Where's Greg?"

"In the kitchen," he said, pointing to the door at the end of the hallway.
Draco glanced sideways at Granger one last time and walked away in search of his friend,
leaving her alone with hers.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

Hermione relaxed her posture once Malfoy's figure disappeared when he entered the kitchen.
Her anger faded into the background the moment she looked back at Seamus and saw his
smile.

"You look very happy."

He shrugged and his cheeks reddened.

"It's been an amazing week," her friend replied, scratching the back of his neck and gesturing
for her to follow him. "We've been busy decorating and buying furniture, but it finally feels
like home."

Hermione followed him upstairs, chatting with him while he showed her every room in the
house.

"It's all looking very nice."

"Pansy and Theo have been a great help," Seamus commented, closing the bathroom door
and walking down the stairs beside her. "Did you know that they've set up a decorating shop
together in Diagon Alley?"

She shook her head and followed him into the living room, looking at the small wooden
porch behind the windows overlooking the garden.

The house reminded her very much of her parents' house, which had been under new
ownership for years. She would have to help them find a new home once they were
discharged from St. Mungo's.

"How are you, Hermione?" Seamus' voice interrupted her thoughts and she snapped back to
reality, blinking a couple of times. "How are you doing with Malfoy?"

Her face darkened when she thought about the conversation they'd had before they arrived at
the party.

"It could be worse," she replied, shrugging and smiling when Goyle entered with several
trays of food floating behind him. She looked away the moment Malfoy followed him and
sighed. "We avoid each other as much as we can."

The roar of flames filled the air and shortly after Ron entered with Lavender on his arm. They
both grimaced at the sight of the two Slytherins by the dining table.

"I'm not sure if this was a good idea," Seamus muttered nervously, clasping his hands behind
his back.

The smile returned to Hermione's face when she saw Harry and Ginny enter.
"We're adults now, Seamus," she said, squeezing his shoulder with a reassuring smile. "We're
all here to support you two and we're not going to start arguing like we did at school."

Seamus looked at her with doubt shining in his blue eyes and walked over to greet the rest of
his guests. She did the same and before long her bad mood was gone. Ginny's banter
lightened the mood while the Slytherins stood apart, talking quietly amongst themselves.

Noticing that she was thirsty, Hermione walked over to the table and contemplated the drinks,
trying to decide which one she fancied the most.

One of the bottles of wine rose into the air and filled two glasses. Malfoy took both and held
one out in her direction.

"Taste it, Granger," he asked with a smirk on his face. "I want to know if you can appreciate
it."

Hermione pursed her lips and accepted the glass, suppressing the urge to throw it in his face.
She raised the glass to her mouth, pausing before she drank.

"I hope I won't die poisoned."

Malfoy rolled his eyes.

"Believe me, if I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't use such expensive wine."

"For your information, it's one of my favourite red wines." Hermione tapped the glass with
the tip of her forefinger, sniffing and lifting her chin. "Although it tastes worse when I know
you bought it."

Malfoy's surprised face almost made her laugh.

"Do you know about wine?"

"I spent many summers in France." Hermione raised her brow and took another sip. "I might
even know more than you."

Malfoy snorted in disbelief.

"I doubt it, Granger." He shook his head, half-laughing, and walked away to the corner where
Parkinson and Nott stood.

Hermione shot a hateful glare to his back and walked over to Harry and Ginny, who were
chatting with Luna.

She wasn't about to let Malfoy spoil her evening.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

Hermione let out a long sigh, leaning her arms on the wooden railing of the porch. She hadn't
enjoyed being in a crowded room since the war, and there were too many people in the room
at the moment for her.

She looked up at the sky, where the setting sun tinged the clouds with warm colours, and
turned her head when the door creaked behind her.

Of course, it had to be him.

"You again," Hermione grunted under her breath, returning her gaze to the clouds.

She heard his footsteps and saw Malfoy leaning against one of the wooden pillars with his
arms crossed.

"I needed some air," he replied quietly, running a hand through his hair and averting his gaze
to the horizon. "It's overwhelming to be surrounded by so many people."

Hermione clenched and unclenched her fists, ignoring him as he pulled something out of his
pocket. She saw a cloud of smoke billowing out and looked up at him, grimacing when she
discovered he was smoking.

"That's disgusting, Malfoy. And bad for your health."

He arched an eyebrow and gave her a crooked grin, exhaling the smoke in her direction.
Hermione rolled her eyes and rested her chin on one of her hands.

"Very mature of you."

She heard him laugh beside her.

"Sometimes I wonder why it's so much fun to make you angry."

"Because you're an idiot."

Malfoy chuckled, taking another drag on his cigarette.

"You like to piss me off too, Granger," he drawled, blowing the smoke out into the garden
and glancing sideways at her as he leaned his right arm on the railing. "You should admit it."

Hermione ignored him and enjoyed the view. She could feel the winter air on her fingertips,
but not on the rest of her body.

The protective wards of the house kept the cold at bay.

"Did you find anything?"

Hermione frowned at the question, turning her head towards Malfoy. He was watching her
warily, probably expecting a bad answer.

"Not yet," she confessed, slumping her shoulders as she remembered the dozens of law books
still waiting on her bookshelf. "I have little time to spare, as you may have noticed."
Malfoy was silent for a moment, vanishing the remains of his cigarette with a flick of his
wand.

"We have an entire wing of the manor's library devoted to magical laws," he commented,
leaning his head against the pillar and raising his brow when her eyes connected with his
again. "Maybe one of those books has the information you're looking for."

Hermione blinked in confusion.

"Would you give me one of your books?"

"It would be a loan," Malfoy clarified seriously, twirling the ring on his left hand as he spoke.
"I want this law annulled as much as you do, Granger."

Hermione nodded, still surprised by the offer.

"Thank you."

Malfoy turned away from the pillar, shoving his hands into his pockets and walking towards
the door.

Just then Hermione remembered Luna's words.

Desperate people often do crazy things. And she was beginning to be.

"Malfoy, wait."

He paused at the sound of her voice, turning back to her and looking into her eyes.

"I have a favour to ask." Hermione swallowed, deciding that now was a good time to try her
luck. "And I hope you'll listen to me before you say no."

She bit her lip nervously when Malfoy cocked his head with interest, waiting for her to
continue.

"My parents have just regained their memories, although there are quite a few things they
haven't managed to remember." Hermione sighed, wrapping her arms around herself. "I don't
want to make them suffer any more with this whole law thing, so I told them that you and I
were friends at Hogwarts and that we've decided to get married."

Any trace of mockery disappeared from Malfoy's face.

"Did your parents lose their memory?" He asked, furrowing his brow. "Why?"

Hermione averted her gaze to the floor.

"I obliviated them after Dumbledore's death and sent them to live on another continent," she
explained, feeling a pang of pain at the memory of her parents' blank expression that
morning. "It was the best way to keep them safe."
A strange gleam appeared in Malfoy's eyes. He finally knew why they hadn't attended the
wedding at the Ministry.

"And now they remember you."

Hermione nodded, squaring her shoulders. If he dared to make any unkind remarks about her
parents she would hex him so hard that he would need a few weeks to recover.

Malfoy ran his tongue over his teeth, not taking his eyes off her face.

"What exactly do you want from me, Granger?" He asked, watching her warily.

Hermione lifted her chin and held his gaze.

"They want to meet you, and I don't think I can put it off much longer." She folded her arms,
her fingers tugging at the metal chain of the handbag where she carried her wand. "Do you
think you'd be able to pretend we're a normal couple in front of them until I can convince the
Wizengamot to repeal the marriage law?"

Malfoy rubbed his chin, his eyes flickering between hers as he considered her question.

"I could do that," he replied after a minute, giving her a smile that made her hair stand on
end. "But I want something in return."
 The Agreement

Panic made her stomach cringe. If Malfoy wanted something from her, it couldn't be anything
good.

Hermione took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eyes.

"What do you want?"

Malfoy arched an eyebrow, the smile still on his lips.

"My parents won't leave me alone," he began, averting his gaze to the garden as his
expression twisted into a grimace. "They think I should try to get along with you in case the
law still stands in two years."

Hermione blanched when she imagined that possibility.

"That's the same face I make every time I read one of their letters," Malfoy continued,
chuckling and shaking his head. "Azkaban doesn't sound so bad after all, does it?"

Spending the rest of her life locked up as a criminal was something she would never accept.
Anything was better than that, even spending the remaining years of her life next to Malfoy.

Hermione narrowed her eyes.

"I won't end up in prison because of you." Her frown relaxed when an image of him locked in
one of those cells popped into her mind. "Although it would be fun to see you behind bars."

Despite everything he'd done in the past, Hermione knew he didn't deserve it either. But that
was something she would never admit in front of Malfoy.

He gave her a cold look that seemed to want to freeze her heart.

"Charming, as usual," he replied, pure sarcasm dripping from his voice.

Hermione gave him a smirk. They may be married, but Malfoy shouldn't forget they were
still enemies.

She would never trust a snake like him.

Malfoy closed his eyes for a few seconds, and when he opened them again the light in them
was gone. He was using Occlumency.

Hermione decided to do the same and sent all the contempt she felt for him to the corner of
her mind. It was the only way to continue the conversation, and she really needed him to
accept her proposal.
He leaned his back against the front of the house, cocking his head to the side as he watched
her carefully.

"If you want my help, Granger, you'll have to do the same for me."

She blinked.

"What do you mean?"

"You have to convince my parents that we're trying." Malfoy raised his brow as if it was
obvious and she was just an idiot. "I want them to think you're falling in love with me. It's the
only way they'll leave me alone."

Hermione couldn't help but wrinkle her nose in disgust. No one in their right mind would
believe something like that.

Although Malfoy's parents didn't know her... so maybe it could work.

He folded his arms, amused at her reaction.

"Do you think you can do that?"

Hermione shrugged.

"I don't know."

"Think about it." Malfoy glanced at her one last time before opening the door leading to the
living room. "You know where to find me."

He walked back into the house and left her alone on the porch.

"Unfortunately," she muttered under her breath.

Hermione stood there for a few more minutes, watching the last rays of the sunset, and
retraced her steps once the sun was hidden behind the mountains.

The radio was still playing inside the house now shared by Seamus and Goyle.

All the guests were in the living room and the atmosphere seemed calmer than before. Harry
approached her as soon as he saw her, placing an arm around her shoulders and glancing
sideways at the corner where Malfoy was chatting with his friends.

"Everything okay?"

Hermione nodded.

"Don't worry, Harry." She leaned her head on his shoulder, sighing at the familiar smell of her
best friend. "I told you Malfoy is no problem for me."

Her body relaxed instantly and Hermione let Harry lead her over to the high table where
Ginny and Neville were leaning.
"The only thing I'm worried about is that you'll end up killing each other," her friend admitted
softly, releasing her shoulders.

She pressed her lips together to keep from smiling.

"Lucky for you, we can't."

Harry rolled his eyes, taking a swig from his wine glass and turning when Ginny asked him a
question. Hermione averted her gaze to Neville, finding his hazel eyes fixed on the group of
Slytherins across the room.

As if she could feel both of their gazes, Parkinson pinned her green eyes on Neville's face and
then Hermione's, wrinkling her nose and turning her head back to Nott.

Neville turned away with a small blush covering his cheeks, shaking his head sadly.
Hermione walked over to him, surprised to realise that he and Malfoy were about the same
height.

Why hadn't she noticed it before?

"How are you?" She asked, smiling and accepting the glass he held out to her.

Neville shrugged, trying to smile.

"I'm okay," he assured her, grabbing one of the appetizers on the table and eating it in one
bite. "Better."

Hermione looked sideways at the woman who had been his wife for a few days, twisting her
lips.

"She's not being cruel to you, is she?"

Neville shook his head, the corner of his lips twitching.

"A few days ago she spoke to me for the first time since the wedding," he said, looking back
at the group of Slytherins and scratching his chin. "She's still angry, but she knows this isn't
my fault."

"The only one to blame here is the Wizengamot." Hermione tapped her forefinger against the
rim of her glass, clicking her tongue when Malfoy ran his hand through his hair while
laughing loudly. "And Malfoy for being the worst fugitive ever."

Neville chuckled, finishing what was left in his glass in one gulp and setting it aside. She
sighed when he looked back at that group with a serious expression.

"Nott is nice and Luna's over there," Hermione whispered, nudging him softly and pointing at
their mutual friend with her gaze. "Go there with them."

Neville seemed to hesitate, but finally straightened his back and picked up a glass of white
wine, walking over to where Luna was. Once he got there he placed his hand on Parkinson's
shoulder, who looked up at him in surprise. She accepted the glass of wine and Hermione
frowned at the sight of her pink cheeks.

He joined the conversation Luna, Nott, and Goyle were having. Parkinson said something in
Malfoy's ear, who stared at Neville with a confused expression and shrugged one of his
shoulders.

Hermione sighed in relief. It seemed that none of the Slytherins were planning on being rude
that day.

The visit to her parents had left her exhausted and it was already dark, so it was a good time
to leave. She said goodbye to Ginny, Harry, and Seamus, walking out into the hall as she felt
a cold stare upon her.

Hermione stopped abruptly when she saw Ron and Lavender come out of the kitchen. They
had both been missing for quite some time and were smiling.

Ron furrowed his brow at the sight of her and Lavender gripped his arm tighter.

"Are you leaving already?"

She nodded.

"I'm tired. It's been a long day."

"How's it going with Malfoy, Hermione?" Lavender interrupted, asking the question
Hermione had been waiting for since she'd seen them arrive. "I don't know what I'd do if I'd
been paired with him," she added, glancing at Ron with a sweet smile.

Hermione thought about how little the two of them had shared the same air during that week.
Only in the afternoons, and most of the time Malfoy would leave for Nott Manor as soon as
he saw her.

"We barely see each other," she admitted with a shrug. "It's almost like living alone."

Lavender nodded, not very convinced.

"Good." Ron reached over, squeezing her shoulder and looking her in the eye. "Stay away
from the ferret. I don't trust him."

Hermione rolled her eyes and stepped back, moving away from the alcohol she could smell
on his breath. She waved goodbye to them both and tossed a handful of Floo powder onto the
fireplace, smiling when she found Crookshanks lying on top of the black armchair, which
was Malfoy's favourite.

"At least I have you," she murmured, stroking the cat's back.

Her cat closed his eyes and purred as if in agreement.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━
January 20th, 2006

Time seemed to pass faster when he and Granger weren't arguing, so Draco chose to ignore
her while he waited for her decision.

It had been a week since he had stopped by the manor in Wiltshire, although he had received
a couple of owls from his mother. Narcissa kept insisting that the right thing to do was for
him to introduce her to her new daughter-in-law formally, and she assured him that Lucius
agreed.

The union between the two of them was a reality and it was best for everyone to accept it and
move on. If Granger was to be the mother of his children, something Draco avoided thinking
about, he should try to have a good relationship with her and make the most of their
marriage.

An unhappy life was not something Narcissa wanted for him, and she didn't plan to give up
until she could get Draco to change his attitude and give the Muggleborn he was now living
with a real chance.

He just wanted his parents to stop bothering him, and for that, he needed Granger to accept
the deal.

Pretending to be happy together couldn't be as difficult as Pansy thought. None of his friends
agreed with his plan, but that didn't matter to Draco.

The Prophet had announced on Monday that the parents of the war heroine Hermione
Granger had been released from St. Mungo's, so he expected her to mention her request again
that same week.

As if he had called out to her with his mind, Granger entered the room and approached the
armchair where he was sitting, stopping a short distance away.

Draco closed the book he had been reading all afternoon and looked up.

"Granger."

She had let her hair down, as she did every day when she came back from the hospital, and
her curls fell messily down her back.

"I've thought about it." Granger stared at him with her arms crossed. "And I'll take the deal."

Draco ran his tongue over his teeth as his gaze darted down and up her body without him
being able to help it. The red dress she wore to Greg's party had appeared more than once in
his dreams, though that was something he wouldn't admit even on his deathbed.

He turned the book over, tracing the spine with his fingers as the image of her bare legs and
blood-coloured lips invaded his mind.

Damn it.
Granger was attractive, there was no point in denying it. She usually hid her body under
robes and oversized jumpers, but he'd seen what lay beneath all those layers that day. Her
eyes framed by long lashes and the long curls of the same colour that fell down both sides of
her face must have taken the breath away from more than one of her patients.

Draco decided to ignore the pang he felt in his stomach at the thought, not wanting to know
what it meant. It was normal that he couldn't help but think of her that way after going so
long without satisfying his carnal needs.

There was nothing to be ashamed of and, from the looks of it, he wasn't the only one who felt
that way. Granger's lips were pressed so tightly together that they formed a thin line and,
when he looked back into her eyes, he found her gaze fixed on his hands, which were still on
the book.

Draco gently tapped the spine with his ring, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from
laughing when the sound startled her.

"Do you think you can fool my mother?"

She nodded, placing her hands on her hips and raising her brow.

"And will you be able to pretend that you've chosen this life for yourself in front of my
parents?" asked Granger, who seemed to be amused by his self-confidence. "Can you control
the disgust I can see on your face every time you look at me?"

Draco raised an eyebrow, the corners of his lips twitching. Those words confirmed she hadn't
noticed the way he was looking at her only seconds before.

He was sure he could pretend to be the perfect husband any father would wish for his
daughter.

Growing up in a pureblood family had trained him for something like that. Draco knew how
to behave in any situation, no matter what he was really feeling inside. And Occlumency
helped, too.

"I can be quite the gentleman when I want to be," he replied, setting the book down on the
small table and standing up.

Granger olled her eyes, snorting inelegantly.

"I find that hard to believe."

His occluding walls slammed into place. He tried not to rise to the bait and keep his mouth
shut as she watched him, deep in thought.

Draco needed to distract himself with something so he wouldn't reply to that.

"These are the books I told you about," he murmured, pulling three thick tomes off the shelf
with a wave of his wand and levitating them toward her. "I want them back when you're done
with them."
Her face softened.

"Thank you."

Granger raised a hand to take them but paused just before her fingers brushed against them,
glancing sideways at him.

"You can touch them, Granger," he assured her, holding back his amusement. "The books
from the Malfoy library have no curses against Muggles."

She chewed on her lower lip and held the three books carefully, pressing two of them to her
chest while she read the back cover of the third.

"I don't suppose any of my ancestors thought there was any risk of someone like you
touching them," Draco added under his breath.

She set the books down on the dining room table and shot him a hateful look.

"I'm not a Muggle."

Draco shrugged, placing the book he had been reading on the second shelf on the wall.

Theo would probably be as bored as he was, waiting for him to come to visit him to share a
cigarette and some embarrassing anecdotes.

"If you hate them so much, why do you have books written by them?"

Draco turned with a frown and saw that Granger had the same expression on her face. She
pointed to the bookshelf and snorted.

"Almost everything in the kitchen is Muggle too," she said, pointing behind her back and
glaring at him. "You're a hypocrite, Malfoy."

He slowly filled his lungs, concentrating on how the air was coming out of his nose and
keeping his feelings at bay. It wasn't a good idea to get mad at her at that moment, even
though she was making it very difficult for him.

"I never said I hated them," he muttered angrily, taking a step towards her.

Granger stared at him in disbelief.

"They disgust you."

He shook his head, taking another step closer and smirking when she tensed up.

"I didn't say that either."

"You said it a hundred times at school."

"It may come as a surprise to you, but I don't think the same way I did when I was twelve,"
Draco replied in a mocking voice. "And spending a month living among them has changed
my perspective on Muggles."

Granger crossed her arms over her chest, tapping her foot nervously on the floor.

"And what excuse do you have for when I kissed you?" She asked with a victorious gleam in
her eyes. "We all saw what you did."

Draco smiled half-heartedly.

"Before I got caught in Lyon I was about to shag a Muggle, Granger."

He couldn't remember her name anymore, but he hadn't forgotten the frustration and fear he
felt when he found those three Aurors in his flat.

"I know," she admitted, grimacing in disgust. "Harry told me."

Draco straightened up completely, looking down his nose at her. He was almost a head taller
than her, and if he took another step, her curls would brush his chin.

"Muggles don't disgust me," he drawled, giving her that sneer he knew she found annoying.
"But you do."

He wasn't sure if he had gotten his face to show what he wanted it to. He'd never been this
close to her before and the floral scent wafting from her hair was distracting.

Granger didn't react and he noticed that her eyes lacked the sparkle they normally had. She,
too, was occluding.

"I'm glad to hear you're no longer as intolerant as your family."

Draco took a few steps back, putting distance between them and sighing through his nose.

"My parents have also changed." He shoved his hands in his pockets, walking toward the
fireplace and dodging her accusing gaze. "Having a fanatic living under your roof and
watching his giant snake devour people at your dining room table would be an eye-opener for
anyone."

He saw Granger pale out of the corner of his eye.

"Did Voldemort do that?"

He laughed darkly.

"And so much worse," he murmured, looking around for the cloth bag where he kept the Floo
powder.

It was on the other side of the fireplace again, as every time she used it.

"So... When will I have the pleasure of meeting your parents?" Draco asked, turning to
Granger with a bored expression.
She tangled a finger in one of her curls, plopping down on the sofa and smiling when her pet
jumped onto her lap.

"They've just been discharged," she said, stroking the cat's back absently. "Does Saturday
work for you?"

Draco leaned his arm on the mantelpiece.

"I have a game in the morning, but I'm available for dinner."

The first match had lasted nearly three hours and he had managed to catch the snitch before
his opponent, though the other team's Seeker almost got to it first.

Granger licked her lips and narrowed her eyes at him.

"You'll have to be nice to them."

Draco rolled his eyes and rubbed his face, exasperated.

"Easy, Granger." He scowled at her again, tired of her warnings. "I've already told you that I
can behave."

She watched him for almost a minute in silence. Just when he was about to grab the bag of
Floo powder and leave, he heard her voice.

"Prove it to me."

Draco arched an eyebrow in her direction and motioned for her to stand up from the sofa with
a wave of his hand. Once she did, he moved closer until he caught her scent again and waited
for her to offer a hand for him to shake.

"I'm Jane Granger."

He caught her fingers between his own, raising her hand to his lips.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs Granger." He kissed her knuckles and held her gaze, smirking at her
gasp of surprise. "Gran-Hermione has told me so much about you."

She swallowed and pulled her arm back. Draco released her hand and watched her as she sat
back down.

"Good." Granger cleared her throat and nodded. "Quite believable."

A crooked smile spread across Draco's face when he noticed she was still staring, as if
waiting for him to wipe his mouth like on their wedding day at the Ministry.

He licked his lips, raising his brow when she blinked in confusion.

Her reaction had been too funny and he couldn't wait to tell Theo about it. It wasn't every day
that someone managed to surprise Hermione Granger.
"You'll have to call me Draco in front of my parents."

She nodded again and Draco turned to the fireplace.

"Theo will be waiting for me," he announced, tossing a handful of purple powder onto the
hearth and stepping into the green flames without looking back. "See you tomorrow,
Granger."

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

January 24th, 2006

Draco's cry of joy echoed through the stadium when the fingers of his left hand closed around
the small golden ball.

Flashes of reporters blinded him as he descended, flying over his team's stands. He waved the
snitch and smiled when he saw the happy faces of his friends.

They had all come to watch him play as in the previous match, though this time Lovegood
had come with Theo. She had a silver ribbon wrapped around her long blonde braid and they
were both wearing a cap with the Falcons emblem on them.

The couple and Greg shot him big smiles, clapping their hands, and Pansy shouted his name
as she waved. Blaise and Daphne whistled in his direction, making him blush.

Draco smiled once more looking at the cameras and returned to the top of the stadium,
joining the rest of his team who were flying around it to celebrate the crushing victory. 130 to
350, which wasn't too surprising considering they had played against the Chudley Cannons.

The orange team's players were already on the ground, leaving the stadium with their heads
down as they ignored the booing of the crowd.

Draco patted Aaron's back when he reached over to hug him, averting his gaze to the sunset
behind the lake.

It was almost time to officially meet Granger's parents.

 The Grangers
Chapter Notes

I'm back! Thank you so much for waiting

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Draco shook his shoulders once he stepped out of the fireplace, placing his Nimbus against
the wall and running a hand through his hair to push the damp strands back.

The smell of sweat made him wrinkle his nose. He needed a shower.

As he turned he saw Granger by the window, taking small sips from a cup of tea with her
gaze lost in infinity. Her long curls were loose again, falling down her back and reaching her
waist.

There were dark circles under her eyes and she looked exhausted. She needed to sleep more.

Draco cleared his throat, pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind.

"Granger."

"Malfoy." She faced him and her eyes dropped for a second to the buttons of the protective
waistcoat Draco was unbuttoning, instantly returning to his face. "How was the match?"

His fingers paused and his eyebrows drew together.

"Since when do you care?"

Granger pursed her lips.

"Tonight we're going to pretend to get along." She walked over to the coffee table and set the
empty cup on it, turning back to him with her arms crossed. "We could start now."

Draco watched her silently for a moment, his gaze wandering over her brown eyes as he
poked at his cheek with his tongue.

Perhaps it wasn't a bad idea to practise before they had her Muggle parents in front of them.

"We won, Granger." He conjured a glass with his wand, filling it with water and sighing after
taking a large gulp. "We actually beat them," he added with a crooked grin, chuckling under
his breath.

She tilted her head to one side, the tension on her shoulders easing.
"What team played against yours?"

Draco finished unbuttoning his waistcoat and took it off, placing it on the back of the black
armchair.

"The Chudley Cannons," he replied, pulling off his gloves with his teeth and dropping them
onto the waistcoat.

There was a small blush on her cheeks when he looked back at Granger. He was wondering
what it would mean when she made a quiet comment that made his blood boil.

"That's Ron's favourite team."

Of course. Her bloody ex.

Draco clenched his fists, feeling a pang of jealousy that he didn't want to acknowledge. He
would never understand why Granger had given someone like the Weasel a chance.

"Well, Weasley should find himself a less pathetic team."

His voice was so acidic that Granger raised her brow. He looked away and walked in the
direction of the hall.

"I need a shower."

With a flick of his wand, his uniform floated after him, landing on the bed once he was in his
room. Draco dropped the rest of his clothes on the floor and walked naked into the bathroom.

He rested his forehead on the cream-coloured tiles, his mind going blank while the warm
water ran down his back.

What did he care if Granger still had feelings for that loser? She didn't interest him at all.

He was physically attracted to her, true, but there was nothing else.

Draco leaned his head back, closing his eyes and letting the water wash away his thoughts.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop one last question from floating through his
mind.

Why hadn't Granger married Weasley before the law was passed?

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

Hermione looked at herself again in the mirror next to the bookshelf, checking that her face
no longer reflected the tiredness she felt. After spending all night and most of the day reading
the books Malfoy had given her, she still hadn't managed to find anything useful.

It was like being trapped in a well that seemed to have no way out.

Hermione pocketed her wand and turned when she heard footsteps down the hall.
Malfoy re-entered the room dressed in Muggle clothes with several damp strands of blond
hair falling across his forehead. Hermione blinked and bit her tongue to keep from
commenting on his clothes.

Would he have bought them when he fled to France?

"Ready?"

Malfoy nodded, buttoning the sleeves of his shirt and grabbing a jacket from the rack by the
door.

She held her breath when he approached. His cologne smelled quite good.

"Malfoy, my parents... they don't remember much about my years at Hogwarts." Hermione
laced her fingers together as she spoke, curling them when his cold gaze fell to her hands.
"They don't know who you are."

He looked back into her eyes with a confused expression.

"You used to tell them about me?"

"I mentioned more than once the blond idiot who liked to insult me every time we crossed
paths," she said in a dry voice, rolling her eyes when his face hardened. "It's a good thing
they don't remember your name."

He made no comment and held out his arm, waiting for her to grab it.

Hermione hesitated.

"They're not quite used to magic yet, so don't pull out your wand unless necessary-"

"I'll be nice, Granger," Malfoy interrupted, glancing sideways at her and snorting wearily.
"Stop worrying."

As if it was that easy.

Hermione strengthened the walls in her mind just enough to keep her worry at bay and
sighed, linking her arm with his.

"I'll try."

She barely had time to see the surprise on his face before they disapparated with a small
crack. They both reappeared in an alleyway a moment later and Malfoy released her arm,
looking around with a frown.

"Where are we?"

"This is the closest apparition point to my flat," she explained, moving towards the main
street without looking back. "It's where my parents are living at the moment."
Malfoy soon caught up with her, walking beside her and eyeing the Muggle cars parked next
to the pavement with a curious gaze.

"Why aren't they living in their house?" He asked in a whisper, lowering his head until his
breath brushed the skin of her neck.

Hermione held back a shiver and clenched her jaw, avoiding his gaze.

"They sold it when they left for Australia."

She tried to ignore the lump that had formed in her throat at the mention of the country where
her parents had lived for years without knowing they had a daughter.

Malfoy straightened his back again and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"I thought your flat would be connected to the Floo Network."

Hermione's left eye twitched. This nice Malfoy asking so many questions was getting on her
nerves.

"And it is, but I don't want us to scare them by appearing in the fireplace." She gave him a
meaningful look when she stopped in front of her building, waiting to see the understanding
in his eyes before opening the metal door. "We'd better ring the bell."

He followed her and stepped into the lift behind her. Once the doors closed, Malfoy stepped
over and placed his hand on her back.

Hermione stiffened and her head snapped in his direction, looking up at him with a furrowed
brow. He was staring at her with a bored expression.

"You can't just jump every time I touch you, Granger," Malfoy muttered, pressing his palm to
her back again. "Your parents will notice that there's something weird going on."

Hermione returned her gaze to the lift doors and pressed her lips together until they formed a
thin line. The idiot was right.

Her heart dropped to her feet when they opened and she saw the door to her flat at the end of
the hall. The idea of her parents meeting him was terrifying, there were too many things that
could go very wrong.

What if he lost his temper and insulted them? What if they realised it was all a big lie and
discovered that Malfoy and she hated each other?

Malfoy grabbed her arm, pulling at it before she could ring the bell. His grey eyes kept
roaming over her face as if he could see the panic Hermione was feeling at the moment.

She gritted her teeth, checking that the walls she had erected around her feelings were still in
place, but it was too late.

"Can you trust me, Granger?" He asked, snorting at her look of disbelief. "For a few hours?"
"Can you?" She retorted, holding his gaze defiantly.

Malfoy took a moment to reply and finally sighed.

"I think I can."

His answer left her speechless. Hermione nodded and took a deep breath, shuddering when
the doorbell rang.

It wasn't long before they heard footsteps on the other side of the door, which burst open.

"Hermione!"

She smiled when she found herself wrapped in her mother's warm embrace, and her heart
fluttered at the sight of her father's smile as he leaned against the hallway wall.

"Hi, mum." Hermione kissed her mother's cheek and stepped back, clearing her throat and
pointing at Malfoy with her gaze. "This is Draco."

Malfoy removed his hand from her back and took her mother's, kissing her knuckles.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Granger."

Just as they had practised a few days before.

"How formal," Jane commented with a nervous chuckle, stepping aside to let them pass.
"Welcome, Draco. We've been looking forward to meeting you."

Her father held out his hand to Malfoy.

"Mr Granger," he greeted, shaking it firmly. "I'm glad you're feeling better now."

Hermione knew she was staring at Malfoy with her mouth open, but she couldn't help herself.
It seemed as if she had stepped through the doorway into an alternate reality.

"Call me Peter," said her father, entering the room with Malfoy at his side. "Hermione has
told us a lot about you."

Jane grabbed her arm once they were alone in the hallway.

"He's very handsome, honey," her mother whispered excitedly.

Hermione forced a smile.

"I know."

The food was already on the table and a few unpacked boxes were placed next to the
fireplace. It hadn't been long since her parents had received all their belongings via Floo,
courtesy of the Australian Ministry of Magic.
"You can call me Jane," her mother added, giving Malfoy a sincere smile. "Mrs Granger
makes me feel older."

"Jane, then." He nodded and folded his hands behind his back. "How are you feeling about
being back in England?"

"We're still getting used to being back here," Peter replied, running a hand through his short
curls almost identical to Hermione's. "We've gone so many years without our daughter that
it's all rather strange."

Hermione's eyes began to sting and she blinked, trying to hold back tears.

"Honey, stop." Her mother hugged her and shook her head. "Don't be sad. You know it's all
right now."

"But it was because of me, and..."

"That's in the past now," Jane assured her, holding her face in her hands and looking into her
eyes. "Now we can only look to the future."

Hermione sniffled and nodded, squeezing her mother in her arms before releasing her. She
still found it hard to believe that this was real, that they were there and finally recognised her.

Her parents moved towards the table and she shot a defiant look at Malfoy.

His expression was serious and a muscle in his jaw twitched while he stared at her with the
same intensity. He did not comment as they followed her parents into the dining room, and
Hermione felt the gentle pressure of his hand on her lower back.

"I hope you like stew, Draco," Jane said with a big smile.

Malfoy nodded, looking appreciatively at the food. He pulled one of the chairs aside and
looked at Hermione with an arched eyebrow.

She was so surprised that she didn't know how to react. Wordlessly, she walked over and let
him help her sit down.

Malfoy sat down next to her soon after, placing the napkin on his lap.

"It smells good, Jane."

"Oh no." Her mother laughed, shaking her head. "The chef here is my husband. I'm a
complete disaster in the kitchen."

Hermione hid a smile behind her glass of wine when she saw the confused expression that
crossed Malfoy's face.

"Tell us, Draco." Jane clasped her hands together on the table, focusing her attention on them
again. "How did you meet Hermione?"
Shit.

Hermione looked sideways at him, a bit scared, and noticed that Malfoy was occluding again.

"She explained that you two were at Hogwarts together, though you weren't close friends,"
her father commented, sitting back down after the plates had been served.

Malfoy made a strange sound with his throat and Hermione coughed.

"We didn't get along." Malfoy tasted the stew, licking his lips before continuing. "But I guess
that all changed as we got older and got to know each other better outside of school."

He exchanged a look with Hermione that she couldn't interpret.

"You're into that broomstick sport, aren't you?"

Malfoy glanced at her father again.

"I'm a Quidditch player. Seeker," he confirmed, nodding before taking a sip of wine.

"Ah, so you're the one trying to catch the golden ball," her mother stated cheerfully.

"Snitch," Hermione corrected.

Jane shrugged.

"Being able to fly sounds like fun."

"I got on a broom for the first time when I was five and I haven't stopped since that day," said
Malfoy, who had almost finished his plate. "I'm lucky I get paid to do that now."

The feeling of being in a parallel reality was still strong. Hermione blinked, returning to the
present.

"Draco was quite good at Hogwarts," she admitted, staring at him with a raised brow. "Not as
good as Harry, though."

His nostrils flared and she saw a spark of anger in his grey irises that quickly disappeared.
Malfoy rolled his eyes, swirling his wine glass.

"Potter has always had too much luck."

Her parents laughed and Hermione sighed in relief. Everything was going well.

"And what do you think of our Hermione being a Healer?" Peter asked suddenly, pointing his
spoon at Malfoy. "I always thought she'd end up working for your magical government."

Malfoy shrugged one of his shoulders, wiping his lips with his napkin and setting it down
next to his empty plate.
"The Ministry doesn't deserve to have a mind as brilliant as hers working behind a desk," he
stated, with such conviction that Hermione knew she was blushing. "Gr-Hermione would get
tired of that."

Malfoy glanced at her, giving her a crooked grin that made her hair stand on end.

Was it really that easy for him to lie?

"Healing magic is fascinating, mum. There's always more to learn and it allows me to help
others," Hermione said, reaching out for a piece of bread. "I love my job."

"I'm sure you wanted to learn as much as you could to help us get our memories back," her
father murmured.

The lump in her throat reappeared and Hermione swallowed hard.

"That was my goal, yes."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore," Peter replied, taking one of her hands
and squeezing it lovingly as he smiled. "We're here and we're not going anywhere."

Hermione blinked several times and noticed out of the corner of her eye that Malfoy was
watching her thoughtfully.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

Jane and Peter were in the kitchen, which had left her alone with Malfoy momentarily.

He was pacing the living room, gazing intently at each of the pictures her parents had placed
on the furniture and walls.

Hermione was leaning against the wall while she watched him, keeping her distance. Malfoy
picked up one of the pictures and she moved closer.

It was her favourite, a wonderful sunset on a beach in the south of France.

"Photography is one of my father's hobbies."

"I see." Malfoy put it back on the cabinet carefully, cocking his head and looking at the
another one. "They're quite good."

Before Hermione could think of an answer, Peter and Jane re-entered the room. She and
Malfoy were standing very close and her mother's eyes lit up, which made her nervous.

They had both taken too much of a liking to Malfoy.

"It's late, I think we should leave now." She placed her hand on Malfoy's forearm, who didn't
even blink at the contact. "Draco has to get up early to train with his team."

"Wait a minute!"
Hermione felt the blood drain from her face. Her father had pulled out his camera.

"Dad, don't..."

"We missed your wedding, Hermione." Peter stood on one side of the room, pointing to the
stone fireplace with his chin. "At least we want to have a picture of you to put with the
others."

He looked at Malfoy, who nodded.

"Of course."

He gently pushed Hermione until they were both standing right where her father wanted them
and wrapped an arm around her waist. She held her breath.

"Relax, child," Peter protested, clicking his tongue. "You can be natural in front of us. There's
nothing to be ashamed of."

Hermione tucked an unruly curl behind her ear and gave him a nervous smile, the tension in
her body slowly fading. She'd never had Malfoy this close before.

Her father smiled once she calmed down and took pictures from various angles as her mother
watched them with a bright smile.

"They make a good couple, don't they, Jane?"

She nodded, winking at her, and Hermione held back the urge to roll her eyes.

Yes, they had definitely taken too much of a liking to Malfoy.

Just when Peter had put the camera down and Malfoy was starting to put some distance
between them, her mother's voice interrupted them.

"Now one kissing."

Her heart rose in her throat and she felt Malfoy stiffen beside her.

"I'll put it next to our wedding photo," Jane insisted, glancing between them with a pleading
expression.

Peter nodded and held up the camera again, waiting for them both to agree.

Hermione chewed on her bottom lip and looked up to find two grey eyes fixed on her.

They had not discussed the possibility of kissing, and she was sure Malfoy would refuse. She
could still remember how much he had disliked having to kiss her at the Ministry.

How was she going to explain to her parents that her new husband didn't want to kiss her in
front of them?
Malfoy looked into her eyes silently, squaring his jaw. He lifted his free hand, placing it on
her cheek, and lowered his head until their lips brushed.

Hermione was so surprised that she almost forgot to close her eyes.

She heard her father's camera click several times but all she could think about was how warm
his lips were, still pressed against hers, and how she hoped he couldn't hear the pounding of
her heart.

After what felt like minutes, but was probably only a few seconds, Malfoy broke the kiss. He
opened his eyes and locked them on hers again, not pulling away, as if searching for
something in her gaze.

There wasn't enough air in the room and Hermione felt a little dizzy.

Jane's excited squeak startled them both.

"Perfect. Thank you, Draco."

Malfoy finally looked away, pulling both hands away from her and taking a step back.
Hermione felt like she could breathe again.

"Anything for my beautiful wife's parents."

She narrowed her eyes, thankful that her parents didn't notice the sarcastic tone in his voice.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

Granger let go of his arm as soon as they were out of the fireplace, stepping to the side. Draco
ignored her and walked over to the cabinet where he kept the alcohol, pulling out one of the
bottles of Firewhisky and filling half of a glass.

She watched him from the corner of the room with wary eyes as he conjured a couple of ice
cubes into his glass and he clenched his jaw.

"What?"

Her expression was cold and calculating. She was occluding again.

"You're a really good liar."

His stomach clenched when he remembered all the times he had to lie in front of the Dark
Lord and his aunt to save his own life.

Too many times.

"I've had years of practice." Draco arched an eyebrow and turned his back to her, taking
another sip of whisky as he shrugged.
 The liquid burned down his throat and the tension he'd felt all night began to disappear.
Everything had gone well and Granger's parents suspected nothing. Now it was her turn to
hold up her end of the bargain.

"Let me know when you want to have dinner with your parents," Granger said, as if she knew
what was going through his mind. "Don't expect as stellar a performance as yours, though."

Draco finished his drink in one gulp and set the glass aside.

"They must think you're crazy about me, Granger," he murmured in an amused voice, pursing
his lips to keep from smiling. "You'll have to do as well as me."

She rolled her eyes and turned, walking out of the room while shaking her head.

Draco ran his thumb across his bottom lip, where he could still feel the ghost of the kiss
they'd shared in front of her parents. A kiss that had been very different from the one on their
wedding day.

He rubbed his face with one hand, snorting through his nose. He hoped the whisky would
help him fall asleep quickly because there were many things he didn't want to think about.

Like how easy it had been to pretend to care about Granger.

Chapter End Notes

And we have a second kiss!

 Longbottom Manor
Chapter Notes

Stradina Nascosta is a place similar to Diagon Alley in Florence (Italy) that I made up. It
also appears in my fic The Wrong Choice

See the end of the chapter for more notes

February 1st, 2006

Draco opened the letter, frowning while reading his mother's elegant handwriting.

Dear Draco,

Stradina Nascosta is still as wonderful as the last time we were here. This time, though, your
father and I have decided to do something new.

We visited a well-known street in town with the best Muggle shops and I bought several
dresses. I'll wear one for our Spring Ball, and I want to give another to Hermione whenever
we have lunch together so she can wear it that night. I think she may like the one I chose for
her.

We'll be back in two weeks, and I hope you'll finally bring her to the manor. No more excuses,
son.

She is your wife and we want to meet her officially. After all, she will be the mother of our
grandchildren, whether you like it or not.

Best regards,

Narcissa Malfoy

Draco clenched his fist, crumpling the parchment and tossing it into the embers left in the
fireplace.

The owl hooted by the window.

"You may go. I'm not going to reply," he hissed, giving her a dark look.

Artemis shook her head indignantly and spread her large white wings, flying off into the
distance without looking back. She spent so much time with Narcissa that they both had the
same temper.

His parents had decided to make a trip together, something that had been quite common
before the war began but that they had not dared to do after the Dark Lord's defeat.

They were currently in Florence, one of Narcissa's favourite cities. Although going into the
Muggle part of the city was something they had not done before.

The Ministry had tried them both after Draco's trial, and the three Malfoys had been spared
several years in Azkaban thanks to the testimony of the Golden Trio. In return, they had to
give a generous sum of money as compensation for Hogwarts' repairments. Nothing that they
couldn't afford.

The worst thing had been to stay still and do nothing while dozens of Aurors invaded their
ancestral manor in search of dark objects to destroy. But, just a few years later, his family's
fortune was back to what it had been before the Dark Lord had risen to power.

Lucius had insisted that Draco should be part of the family business for years but he had
preferred to wait. He wanted to do something different, something he would have chosen for
himself for once.

And being a professional Quidditch player was his childhood dream come true.

Draco glanced sideways at the fireplace, his jaw working as he watched the remains of his
mother's letter turn to ashes.

Children. With Granger.

He didn't even want to think about it.

He was about to close the window when he heard the screech of another owl. Draco cursed
under his breath and stepped aside to let the animal in.

The owl dropped the piece of parchment on the table, gave him a withering glare and flew
away.

He wrinkled his nose when he picked it up. He knew who the bird's owner was, too.

Draco,

Theo and Blaise have insisted that they want to see Longbottom Manor. Theo wants to see for
himself if it is bigger than his.

Join us. We'll eat here at half past twelve.

PS: Bring Granger

Pansy
Draco snorted, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. His best friends were too bloody nosy.

He sighed, running his hands through his hair and ruffling it as he peered out onto the
balcony. Thanks to the magic, neither the cold nor the heat could overcome the metal railing
and he could go out there whenever he wanted. Draco closed his eyes when he felt a gentle
breeze caress his face.

His flat was in a neighbourhood close to the River Thames and a large park he didn't know
the name of.

He had not dared to enter the Muggle streets after buying it, but all was different now. Draco
had lived pretending to be one of them for a month, learning many of their ways.

The park could be a good place to take walks and relax on rare days when the sun wasn't
hidden behind the clouds.

Draco twisted his lips when several raindrops fell on his forehead and looked up at the sky. It
would have to be another time.

He stepped back into the living room and closed the balcony doors with a flick of his wrist.

Granger had been locked in her room all morning, though her cat sat on the sofa watching his
every move.

Draco looked him in the eye, arching an eyebrow when the animal wagged his tail and fixed
his yellow irises on his. He was friendly enough but Draco could tell he still didn't trust him.

That ugly creature seemed to be smarter than any of the other cats Draco had met in his life.

He knew Granger had bought him before they started their third year at Hogwarts and even
then he looked quite old, so Crookshanks had to be ancient. Every morning he struggled to
climb onto the sofa, and he was almost always asleep.

Draco reached over, stroking his chin with his forefinger and smiling when the cat closed his
big eyes and purred.

"I remember you didn't get along with Weasley, but you don't seem to have a problem with
me," he muttered with a soft chuckle. "Clever cat."

Crookshanks meowed softly, hissing in protest when Draco stopped touching him. He
straightened up and stepped away to the hall.

"I'll get you some tuna later, but don't tell Granger," he promised before leaving the room.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

Hermione snorted wearily. She had been reading and rereading that book on the laws the
Wizengamot had passed over the past two centuries for four hours, to no avail.
She felt increasingly lost and discouraged. It had been a month since the wedding and she
hadn't managed to find a single mention of anything that might give her a glimmer of hope.

She still had plenty of time ahead of her, though the clock was ticking against her.

Two knocks on her bedroom door interrupted her thoughts.

"Granger."

Hermione averted her gaze to the door.

"What do you want?"

She grimaced at the harshness in her voice. Since dinner with her parents, Malfoy had been
behaving more civilised. He avoided arguments and addressed her politely, but Hermione
didn't find it so easy to be cordial.

She needed to occlude if she wanted to keep under control the temper that took hold of her
whenever Malfoy was around.

He took a few seconds to reply, probably biting his tongue to keep from snapping at her.

"Can I come in?"

Hermione sighed and picked up her wand, waving it in the direction of the door. It opened
softly and Malfoy stepped across the threshold, leaning his back against the wall and keeping
as much distance as possible.

His dark eyebrows drew together when he looked into her eyes.

"Haven't you been sleeping?"

Hermione blinked. Malfoy looked... worried?

She had barely closed her eyes for a couple of hours. She needed to spend time studying all
the information she had available on the law, and work didn't leave her many hours to do that.

She must have looked awful for him to notice.

"Not much," Hermione admitted, rubbing her left eye and returning her gaze to the book. "I
can't find anything useful."

Malfoy stared at her in silence as she read.

"I got a letter from Pansy," he said suddenly, startling her. "Blaise and Theo are having lunch
at Longbottom Manor with her."

Hermione chewed on her bottom lip.

She didn't understand why he was telling her that. He usually left with his friends without
informing her.
"I'm sure Luna will be there too, and your dear Longbottom," Malfoy added quietly with a
shrug.

Hermione glanced at him, surprised to hear him say her friend's name.

"Are you asking me to go?"

"I don't have to invite you." He rolled his eyes and let out a loud snort. "It's your friend's
house."

Hermione pondered for a moment. She was tired, but she knew spending some time with her
friends would change her mood.

"I suppose I could use some time to unwind."

Malfoy nodded.

"See you there," he said, closing the door as he left the room.

Hermione placed a bookmark in the book before closing it and sighed, stretching her arms.
She needed a hot shower.

She stepped into the bathroom and dropped her striped pyjamas to the floor, glancing
sideways at the huge bathtub that occupied the back of the room. She hadn't used it once yet.

Hermione shrugged, stepping away from the shower and turning on the bath tap. Instantly,
water began to pour out at the perfect temperature, filling her nostrils with a lavender scent
that made her gasp.

Slipping in, she closed her eyes and rested her head on the edge, relaxing against the white
marble as the warm water soothed her muscles.

Malfoy —or rather, his elves— had also used magic to improve the bathrooms.

Her eyes fluttered open and she straightened until she was sitting up. Hermione had almost
fallen asleep.

Cursing through her teeth, she finished washing up and wrapped her body in one of the
cotton bathrobes, leaving the room.

There was a small vial on top of her desk that hadn't been there before.

With a furrowed brow, Hermione stopped by the table and lifted it, eyeing the yellowish
liquid inside with suspicion. Sticked to it was a small piece of paper with a note.

For lack of sleep.

Hermione thought about what to do for a moment and finally decided to take a chance,
opening the vial and drinking the contents in one gulp. If Malfoy wanted to poison her, he
would have done it sooner.
As she dressed she began to feel the effect, and when she left her room Hermione had the
same energy as if she had slept for more than eight hours.

None of the elixirs she had tried was as effective, and Hermione could do with access to such
a potion for the long shifts at St. Mungo's. Would he be willing to give her the formula?

It was hard to admit, but Malfoy knew about potions.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

Hermione smiled when she emerged from the fireplace to find Neville waiting for her by the
main staircase. A very similar smile spread across her friend's face.

"You've come."

"Of course, Neville," she said, squeezing his shoulder and laughing. "I can't leave you alone
with all those Slytherins."

"They're not so bad. Nott's nice." Neville's grin widened. "Luna came too."

She looked around, frowning when she didn't hear their voices.

"Where are they?"

"In the greenhouse."

They both left the manor, walking down the small path that led to the glass building. There
were more people inside than Hermione expected, including a blonde girl with long, straight
hair that she hadn't seen since the Battle of Hogwarts.

"Oh, hello." The girl turned to her, taking several steps until she was standing close. "I don't
think we've ever been introduced, even though we shared some classes."

Hermione controlled her reaction. She didn't know Daphne Greengrass would be there too,
though it made sense. After all, she and Zabini had married the summer before.

"Hello, Greengrass."

Hermione offered her a hand and she accepted it.

"Call me Daphne," she replied, shaking it. "It's good to see you."

Hermione raised her brow in disbelief, though Daphne's green eyes seemed sincere.

It was the first time she had spoken to her, so Hermione would give her the benefit of the
doubt for the moment. Probably not all Slytherins were as idiots as the blond who was
strolling among the plants with Zabini while they talked in hushed tones.

Hermione gave Daphne a small smile and continued on her way to greet the others.
Luna came up to her, hopping up and down.

"Hermione." She caught her in a big hug, her sweet scent soothing her mind and helping her
stop thinking about law and courts. "I knew you'd come."

Hermione sighed, staring at her friend's face. There was no trace of the dark circles under her
eyes.

"How are you?"

"Quite happy, thank you for asking." Luna brushed the white petals of a moonseed with her
fingertips and they fluttered as soon as she touched them. "I've always liked it here."

It was something they had both agreed on since their first visit to Neville's home. The vast
mansion with rooms filled with antiques and decorated in warm colours made anyone feel
welcome.

The greenhouse was the most special place of all, where she could feel the magic floating in
the air and hear the rustling of the plants spread out in long rows that ran from one side to the
other. Some of them climbed up the glass walls, enveloping everything in a dim light that
made it seem even more magical.

Neville kept the more dangerous ones in another small greenhouse behind it, so they could
both wander among the plants and trees without fear of one of them being hostile.

Hermione heard someone calling her name and excused herself, promising to be right back.
Neville stood in the corner, gesturing for her to come closer and pointing to a pot where a
small bluish-stemmed plant was growing.

"This one is new," he explained, touching the tip of the largest leaf gently. "I planted it
yesterday."

Hermione leaned over to get a better look.

"What's it called?"

"Shrivelfig." Neville sprinkled some fertiliser around the plant, hiding a smile when its leaves
stretched out in thanks. "The fruits can be used to make Thunderbrew."

Hermione felt her heart shrink.

She had read about it while searching for Horcruxes with Ron and Harry. When someone
drank that potion, it created a storm around the drinker so powerful that it damaged their
enemies, knocking them into the air.

"We have no enemies now, Neville."

"I've always wanted to try it," her friend confessed, biting his lip and shrugging one of his
shoulders. "Maybe Malfoy would be willing to help me. I remember he was good at potions."
Hermione twisted her lips.

"Don't be so sure," she added through her teeth.

He set the bag of fertiliser down and cocked his head to one side.

"Still can't stand him?"

Hermione made a face.

"We've had a more... cordial relationship lately," she admitted, ignoring the shiver that ran
down her back. "But only because we barely talk and we're helping each other out."

"That's true." Neville sighed and rested a hand on her shoulder before looking into her eyes.
"When do you get to have lunch with his parents?"

"I'm not sure, but soon."

Hermione could see in his eyes what he was going to ask her.

"And will you have to go to his manor?" Neville squared his jaw, glancing between her eyes
with concern.

She tucked a curl behind her ear and shrugged.

"I think so."

His brow furrowed, but Hermione's gaze drifted to where Luna stood. The coloured
butterflies had come out of hiding and were flying towards her.

"Theo, look!" Luna pointed at them happily and Nott paused with his arms folded, following
her gaze. "They've lived here for years. Neville's grandmother brought them over from South
America."

He just smiled, laughing softly when one of them landed on Luna's outstretched hand.

"They're so pretty, aren't they?" She commented, watching the butterfly open and close its
yellow wings in fascination.

Nott kept his eyes on her face.

"Yes. Very beautiful."

When Luna looked up at him again he took a step closer, lowering his head and catching her
lips in a soft kiss.

Hermione gasped, bringing a hand to her mouth. Neville snapped his head in her direction.

"What's wrong?" He asked with a frown.

She shook her head, tugging at his shirt sleeve to make him bend down a little.
"Nott just kissed Luna," Hermione whispered in his ear.

His honey-coloured eyes widened like saucers and he glanced slyly back to where a very
flushed Luna was running a finger across her lips while Nott curled his arm around her waist,
saying something to her in a low voice.

It was the first time they had kissed. Luna had told her that they were getting along better and
better, but so far they had both kept their distance.

"Maybe the Ministry knows what they're doing," Neville commented as if to himself, his
brow arched and his arms crossed over his chest.

Hermione snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Statistically, one of the couples had to work," she muttered, wrinkling her nose and glancing
sideways towards where Malfoy was chatting with Parkinson, Zabini, and Daphne.

Neville followed her gaze and swallowed as he noticed the Slytherins.

"Let's go," he said, offering his arm to Hermione.

They both walked to the entrance and paused next to Parkinson.

"Your friends must be hungry," Neville murmured, giving her a sidelong glance.

She arched an eyebrow at him.

"They always are," Parkinson snarled, clicking her tongue when the three of her friends
laughed. "That's enough, let's all get out of here. Food is waiting for us in the main dining
room," she added, pushing them towards the exit.

Zabini opened the glass door, stepping aside to let Daphne out first. Malfoy came out after
them and Hermione sighed before following in his footsteps.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

Draco and the others waited in the foyer until they were all together, letting the hosts lead the
way to the dining room.

Blaise and Theo had spent over an hour touring the manor with Pansy before he had arrived,
and the latter had admitted under his breath that it seemed to be larger than his.

Granger was walking beside him as they entered the dining room. Without thinking, Draco
pushed one of the chairs aside, holding the back to help her sit down.

She froze, staring up at him.

"What are you doing?"

Draco blinked, paling once he realised what he'd just done.

 Fuck.

Their parents weren't there now. He didn't have to be a gentleman with her.

"Never mind." He looked away and rounded the table, sitting between Blaise and Theo with
his eyes fixed on the plate in front of him.

Draco could see Granger watching him out of the corner of his eye. And he didn't like that.

Theo had been very quiet since they had left the greenhouse. When the bottle of wine rose
into the air, pouring some into each of their glasses, Draco nudged him.

"What's wrong with you?"

He pursed his lips.

"Nothing."

Draco elbowed him in the ribs again, lifting his brow, and Theo snorted in resignation. They
both knew he wasn't going to stop until he told him.

"We kissed," his friend confessed in a whisper, pushing the curls that fell over his forehead
back.

"Fuck, Theo," Draco hissed, rolling his eyes when his friend looked over to the corner where
Luna sat. "You're falling for her. I can see it written all over your face."

Theo turned his head towards him, his face impassive.

"Is that a bad thing?" He asked, shooting him a challenging look.

His reaction surprised him. This was more serious than Draco had imagined.

"No," he said, sighing through his nose and trying hard not to look at the dark-curled girl
sitting across from him who had started appearing in his dreams, forcing him to take the
dreamless sleep potion every night before bed. "I suppose not."

Chapter End Notes

I hope you all enjoy the little bits of panville and lovenott as much as I do!
Kudos and comments feed my soul :)
 Bones and Flowers
Chapter Notes

This chapter is almost two times longer than usual. I hope the wait was worth it!

TRIGGER WARNING (SPOILER)

See the end of the chapter for more notes

February 13th, 2006

The corridors of the hospital were lonelier than usual that morning.

Hermione entered the cafeteria, pausing when she saw a group of Healers gathered around
the radio on one of the tables. Her stomach cringed when she remembered all the hours she,
Harry, and Ron had spent with a similar radio, listening to the voices of Fred, George, and
Lee announcing who had died or disappeared during the months of the war against
Voldemort.

She shook her head, trying not to think about Fred and how depressed George was, still
unable to accept his twin's absence.

"What happened?" She asked while ordering a cup of tea to go.

One of the oldest Healers in the hospital, Michael, folded his arms and glanced at her.

"They're going to disqualify Puddlemere United."

Hermione blinked in confusion.

"Who?"

Cormac snorted next to Michael and chuckled under his breath.

"Granger doesn't like Quidditch."

She narrowed her eyes. What an idiot.

"It's one of the teams that have won the most leagues, Hermione," Michael explained with a
grin, ignoring Cormac's comment. "And they're going to be disqualified for foul play. They
won't be able to play again until next year."

She didn't follow the sport much, but even Hermione knew that was a very unusual thing to
happen in Quidditch. Something very serious had to have caused it.

"What have they done?"

 ━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

A few minutes earlier...

The stadium erupted in screams when Draco dived for the snitch. He could swear he heard
Pansy shouting his name in the stands of his team.

Theo, Blaise, Greg, and she didn't miss any of his matches.

This one had already lasted more than two hours. The rival team was one of the best, and
both their Beaters and Chasers were trying very hard to score as many points as possible.

Even so, they were virtually tied. The Seeker who managed to catch the snitch would give his
team the victory, and that had to be him.

He had already circled the stadium hundreds of times in search of the golden ball, but every
time he managed to see it, a bludger would get in his way and Draco would lose track of it.

This time, though, he wouldn't let that happen.

The other Seeker shouted a curse and followed him at full speed, but Draco was faster. The
snitch fluttered in front of his broom, zig-zagging and trying to escape.

He wouldn't let it fly away from him.

Draco dodged one of the bludgers by turning his broom upside down and reached out with
his left hand. He could almost touch it with his fingertips.

Just a little more...

A piercing scream tore from his throat when the other bludger slammed into his arm,
shattering his bones. Draco cringed on the broom, biting his tongue to stop himself from
screaming in pain again.

The cheers from the stadium echoed around him as his blood pounded in his ears. The other
Seeker had just caught the snitch.

He grimaced at the sight of his hand hanging limp and pressed it to his chest, descending
towards the sand.

Eric, the captain, landed beside him a second later.

"Malfoy! Are you all right?"

"What do you think?" He snarled, hissing when he felt another stab of pain shoot up his arm.
"Shit, I think my wrist is broken."

The referee blew, signalling the end of the match.

"Come on." Aaron rounded his shoulders, holding Draco's broom with his other hand. "You'd
better get that treated sooner rather than later."

Eric pursed his lips.

"This is not the end. That referee is going to hear me," he said, stomping his foot on the
ground and taking flight again.

The pain was growing more and more intense. Draco closed his eyes and let Aaron guide him
as they walked through the corridors of the ground floor of the stadium, trying to contain the
terrible pain he was feeling in the corner of his mind.

His teammate opened a door and the Healer sitting on one of the gurneys jumped to his feet
at the sight of them.

Draco eyed him suspiciously. He looked like he was fresh out of Hogwarts.

"He's the one they've hired for the match," Aaron whispered in his ear.

The young man pointed his wand at the gurney, grinning when Draco sat on it with a wince.

"Malfoy, right?" He asked excitedly, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as his gaze
flickered between him and Aaron. "I've been following you since the season started. You're
the best Seeker in the league."

Draco rolled his eyes. Just what he needed at this moment, a fan unable to control himself.

"I'd rather talk about that later," he replied acidly, pointing to his injured arm with his gaze
and raising his brow.

The healer's cheeks flushed red.

"Oh, yes. Sorry." He cleared his throat and shook his head, his expression changing. "Let's
see what's wrong."

He waved his wand and cast a diagnostic spell on his arm.

Draco frowned. Granger's was more detailed.

"The bones in your wrist are completely shattered and you have three broken fingers as well,"
the Healer murmured, twisting his lips down.

Draco felt his heart drop to his feet.

"This is my good hand," he said, stretching it forward and hissing at the pain it caused. "Will
it go back to the way it was before?"

"It's hard to say." The Healer cocked his head, reading the data on the diagnostic spell again.
"I can mend the bones, but your movement may be somewhat limited."
That didn't sound good at all. Draco leaned back, clutching his injured arm to his chest
protectively and putting some distance between them.

"There is another option, but it would be rather more painful and complicated," the Healer
added quietly.

Draco didn't care. He needed his left hand to be fully functional again or his dream of being a
professional Quidditch player would be destroyed forever.

"What is it?"

"Removing all the bones and keeping the hand in the right position while they grow back," he
explained, scratching the back of his neck and sighing. "I've never done it, but I can try. It's
going to hurt like hell, though."

Draco glanced sideways at Aaron.

"Would you trust him?"

"I don't know what to tell you, Malfoy." His teammate muttered between his teeth, combing
his black hair back. "This guy doesn't look like he's been a Healer for long."

Just what Draco had thought when he'd first seen him.

"I think I'll go to St. Mungo's and get treated there," he announced, standing up with Aaron's
help. "It's nothing personal. My job depends on my hand working properly."

The look of relief that crossed the Healer's face confirmed that had been the right choice.

"I understand," the young man said with a nervous smile, stepping back to let them pass.
"Hold it tightly against your chest and try not to move it until someone sees you there. This
will ease the pain a little," the Healer added, muttering a few words and placing the tip of the
wand on his arm.

The pain eased slightly, just enough for Draco to breathe normally again. He and Aaron left
the infirmary and headed for the fireplace by the entrance to the changing rooms.

"Are you going to let her treat you?"

Draco bit the inside of his cheek as he pondered. He knew who his teammate was referring
to.

"She's the best in her field," he admitted, smirking at his concern and patting him on the
shoulder with his right hand. "That won't happen again, Aaron. Now we're getting along... a
little better."

His teammate didn't seem very convinced.

"If you say so." Aaron shrugged, stopping in front of the fireplace and grabbing a handful of
Floo powder. "Do you want me to come with you?"
Draco shook his head.

"I can go alone."

Aaron looked at him one last time and let out a long sigh, dropping the purple powder onto
the embers.

"I hope to see you in one piece again."

Draco's lips curved into a small smile as the green flames engulfed him. That guy only a
couple of years younger than him was a good friend.

The front desk of St. Mungo's appeared before his eyes as soon as he stepped out of the
fireplace. Draco walked over to it, making sure his hand didn't move.

"Mr Malfoy!" The receptionist greeted him with a big smile that disappeared once she
noticed his condition. "What happened to you?"

Draco ran his tongue over his lower lip, wondering what was the best way of explaining that
he didn't want to be seen by any other Healer. He wanted Hermione Granger.

Fuck it all.

"I need my wife."

The receptionist's eyes widened like saucers.

"I believe Miss Granger is busy right now." Her voice stuttered when she saw the look Draco
was giving her and she cleared her throat, rising from her chair to grab a piece of paper. "But
I'll tell her you're here and it's urgent."

She tapped it with her wand and the paper folded into a tiny bird that chirped before flying
away. Draco dropped into one of the waiting room chairs and wrinkled his nose.

His arm was starting to hurt again. That bloody stadium Healer was pitiful.

"Malfoy?"

Draco jumped at the sound of Granger's voice and the whiplash of fire that shot up his arm
knocked the wind out of him. His vision began to blur and he heard ringing in his ears.

"I think I'm going to faint," he announced in a whisper.

The last thing he saw before he closed his eyes was Granger's scowl while she pointed her
wand at him.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

Someone was tapping his cheek with a finger, but his eyelids were too heavy for him to react.
"Is it really hurting or is he faking it like when that hippogriff scratched him?"

Draco furrowed his brow. Whose voice was that?

The person next to him snorted through her nose, laughing softly.

"He passed out, Padma. I had to levitate him here."

"I can hardly believe it."

The blood began to burn inside his veins. Had Granger and her friend been laughing at him
while he was unconscious?

"Malfoy, hey." She touched his cheek again and Draco blinked, trying to focus his gaze.
"Look into my eyes."

Draco blinked again, watching Granger's face slowly take shape in front of him. She was
very close, sitting on the edge of the bed where he was lying and watching him warily.

"Call me if you need me, Hermione."

She nodded and the other Healer gave Draco a mocking glance before leaving the room.

"Drink it all." Granger lifted a vial filled with a viscous orange liquid until it brushed his lips,
smiling when he gulped it down. "Good."

She vanished the empty vial with a flick of her wand and pointed it at his shoulder. Draco
flinched.

"You had three broken fingers that I healed while you were unconscious, and your shoulder is
dislocated as well. It'll only hurt for a second," she warned, making several complicated
movements with her wand.

Draco felt another whiplash, but a moment later her spell slowly spread across his arm until it
numbed him completely.

"Fuck." He let his head fall back on the pillow and tried to roll his left shoulder, sighing when
he could do it without feeling pain. "Thank you."

Granger returned to reading the diagnostic spell, standing up and folding her arms.

"Why weren't you treated at the stadium? I know they bring Healers to all the competitions."

"I'm left-handed, Granger." Draco arched an eyebrow, pointing to his injured arm with his
chin. "I need my wrist to heal properly and I didn't trust that Healer."

She raised her brow in surprise.

"And you trust me?"

Draco looked between her eyes. This time Granger wasn't occluding.
It seemed she had begun to trust him, just a little. And he was willing to do the same so he
nodded.

A small smile spread across her face, but it disappeared so quickly that he thought he had
imagined it.

"I'm going to remove all the broken bones, Malfoy," she announced, casting another more
complicated diagnostic spell on his wrist and looking sideways at him. "Try not to move."

Draco swallowed and bobbed his head.

One by one, Granger carefully removed each piece of bone until there were none left. As
soon as she was done, she pulled another vial from her robe pocket and handed it to Draco.

"In one gulp." He gave her a questioning look that Granger understood. "It's Skele Gro."

Draco grimaced in disgust.

"I hate this bloody potion."

"You could try to improve it so it's not so disgusting," she suggested, pursing her lips to hide
a smile.

So she was amused by his pain. Granger was a bloody sadist.

Draco took a deep breath and downed it in two gulps, gritting his teeth to hold back the urge
to gag.

"You need to keep your arm in this position until tomorrow morning and a Healer should
check that everything is okay several times as they regrow, so you need to stay here
overnight," Granger explained as she conjured a sling on his arm to immobilise it. "It's the
only way to make sure your bones stay in place and regrow correctly."

Draco dropped his head back, trying to make himself more comfortable. The Quidditch
uniform wasn't the most appropriate thing to sleep in a hospital bed.

As if she could read his mind, Granger transformed it into pyjamas with a flick of her wand.
Draco narrowed his eyes in her direction.

"I liked that uniform, Granger."

She cocked her head to one side with a raised eyebrow.

"We both know you can return it to its original form."

She was right. Draco rolled his eyes before closing them in exhaustion.

"Did you give me something to sleep?"

"You need rest for the potion to take effect, Malfoy." Her footsteps trailed off towards the
door of the room. "I'll be back in a couple of hours."

Draco tried to open his eyes but failed. He was fast asleep a few seconds later.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

Granger's voice woke him.

"They're starting to grow," she said when his eyes blinked open, turning her attention back to
the spell she was using to track the development of his bones. "Does it hurt?"

Draco shook his head.

"It's bearable."

He blinked several times at the sudden blinding light and looked around. The other bed was
still empty.

Whatever Granger had given him was strong because Draco felt virtually no pain.
Regenerating bones was one of the most painful experiences one could go through, and he
hadn't woken up once since she left.

Granger nodded to herself, satisfied with the progress of his bones, and placed her wand in
her pocket.

Draco frowned when she opened the door.

"Will you be back in another two hours?"

His voice had sounded almost pleading. That damn potion was affecting him more than he
thought.

What the hell had Granger given him?

She turned to look him in the eye.

"My shift is over." Granger drummed her nails against the metal door, shrugging one
shoulder. "Padma will take care of you."

A very unpleasant shiver ran down his spine. Draco clenched his jaw hard.

"No."

She frowned.

"No?"

The dark look she was giving him made it clear she wasn't going to accept his refusal, so
Draco decided to explain.
"I don't like Healers and I don't know her, Granger. I can't trust her."

Her long sigh echoed off the walls of the room.

"Well, I don't know what you can do, Malfoy. I'm not spending the night here," she stated,
wrinkling her nose as she eyed the uncomfortable chair where the visitors sat.

"And why does it have to be here?"

Granger watched him in silence and finally snorted in resignation.

"You'll have to sign the voluntary discharge," she said, her eyes piercing his. "And you'll owe
me a very big favour."

Something told him that should scare him, but Draco couldn't find it in himself to care. He
gave her his best innocent smile as he slowly rose from the bed.

"Whatever you want."

She pondered his answer for a moment.

"The recipe for the potion you gave me that day."

"I can offer you something better," Draco proposed, pausing beside her. "Unlimited access to
all the potions in my studio."

That left her with her mouth hanging open. Granger shut it at his amused chuckle and went
out first when Draco held the door open with his right hand.

More than one person stared at him as they walked down the main corridor. Draco growled a
curse between his teeth when he remembered he was wearing pyjamas and pulled out his
wand, transforming them into a plain suit.

"Does that potion have a name?" She asked as they descended the stairs to the ground floor.

"Better than a nap," he murmured, his lip curling when she let out a laugh. "Theo chose it."

The green flames of the fireplace licked at his skin as he stepped through it after Granger,
appearing in the living room of his flat. She gestured to the sofa with a hand.

"You'll have to sleep here so I can make sure everything goes as planned."

Draco stared at her with a frown.

Did she really mean for him to sleep there?

"I'm forbidden to enter your room, remember?" Granger added with a mocking glint in her
eyes.

After running a hand through his hair, combing back the strands that fell over his forehead,
Draco shrugged.
"We'll make an exception for today." He approached his favourite armchair and stroked
Crookshanks' head, who was half asleep on it. "The sofa is too small for me."

Granger stood by the door to the hall, watching him with a strange expression.

"What?"

She shook her head, waiting for him to walk past her to follow.

"Nothing."

Was she so surprised to see that he didn't hate her stupid pet?

Draco opened his bedroom door and looked over his shoulder.

"I don't suppose I can shower, can I?"

"Not until tomorrow."

Shit. He'd been so nervous and sore at the hospital that he hadn't noticed the smell of sweat,
but now it bothered him.

Draco flicked his wand, changing out of his suit into one of the pyjamas from his dressing
room and then transforming them back into his Quidditch uniform.

Granger was pacing his room and walked over to the window with her hands behind her
back.

Once seated on the bed, Draco cast two refreshing spells on himself that left him less than
pleased with the result. He sniffed his armpit and grimaced, pushing the sheets aside.

"Careful, Malfoy." Granger helped him place the pillow against the headboard, making sure
that he was sitting up and his left arm was resting securely against his chest. "You'll have to
drink some more Skele Gro in two hours."

He shuddered at the memory of the taste of that potion, which made her smile.

"I'll leave the door to my room open." Granger trailed off towards the hall, turning to look at
him one last time over her shoulder. "Call me if you need anything," she added, leaving his
door half-open on her way out.

Draco rested his back against the pillow, sniffling loudly as he stared up at the ceiling.

The truce with Granger had lasted several weeks now and it was the weirdest thing that had
happened to him in a very long time. She had stopped going for his jugular with every little
misunderstanding and seemed to be less irascible whenever the two of them were in the flat.

He was finding it hard to accept that the insufferable know-it-all of his memories was not that
bad.
 ━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

February 14th, 2006

Draco was in the middle of a not-at-all-appropriate dream when Granger came back into his
room to wake him up. He jumped when she shook one of his shoulders gently, freezing when
he opened his eyes and found her face very close.

In the dream, she was about to...

Draco cursed inwardly, bending his knees so his erection wasn't so obvious, and accepted the
vial Granger held in her hand.

She left once he drank it, promising to return in about two hours. But he didn't manage to get
back to sleep.

If he closed his eyes, there was a good chance that she would reappear in his dreams, and he
couldn't risk it.

His heart skipped a beat when he heard a scream coming from down the hall. Draco sat up
with a jolt, feeling all the blood drain from his face.

A second, almost agonizing scream reached his ears. He lifted the sheets with a trembling
hand and grabbed his wand, walking briskly towards Granger's room.

Just as he suspected, she was having a nightmare.

A small moan of pain escaped her lips when Draco paused at the foot of her bed.

"No. I don't know anything, I swear!"

Draco closed his eyes tightly, occluding so as not to panic. Granger was dreaming of the day
she was tortured by his aunt.

That terrifying morning also appeared in his nightmares at least once a month.

Draco did his best and reached out with his right hand, patting her cheek to wake her up.

She whimpered again, shrinking in on herself. Draco shook her shoulder and squeezed it
gently.

"Granger."

Nothing. She was unresponsive.

She screamed again, as loud as if she was actually being tortured.

"Malfoy! Please, help me!"

Draco shook her hard, growing more and more desperate.

"It's not real, Granger! Open your eyes!"

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

Hermione stifled a sob, turning her head away from Bellatrix's evil grin as she plunged the
sharp dagger into her forearm.

Her tear-filled eyes met Malfoy's grey ones. He was standing beside his mother, watching
what was happening with an impassive expression.

Hermione looked down at his hands and he clenched his fists, trying to hide how much they
were shaking. Bellatrix buried the tip of her dagger deeper and Hermione screamed, feeling
excruciating pain shoot up her arm.

"Malfoy! Please, help me!"

She looked up at him again as the tears streamed down her face and felt her blood falling to
the marble floor. Malfoy hadn't even blinked.

Suddenly she heard his voice in her ear.

"It's not real, Granger! Open your eyes!"

Her eyes shot open and Hermione shrieked at the sight of him just a few inches away from
her. She pulled her wand from under her pillow in one swift movement and pointed it at his
head, gasping for air and holding back a sob.

Malfoy recoiled, holding up one of his hands.

"You were having a nightmare," he said, taking another step back and swallowing hard.
"That's why I came."

Oh.

She wasn't lying on the floor of his manor. Hermione was in the bed where she had slept for
several weeks, in the flat they shared. And the bones in Malfoy's left wrist were growing at
the moment.

Hermione pushed aside the curls that were stuck against her forehead and let out a shaky
breath.

"You shouldn't have gotten up."

"Would you rather I'd let you scream until your voice was raw?" He replied in a cold voice,
dodging her gaze. "I can't stand your screaming, Granger. It reminds me of..."

Hermione interrupted him. She knew what it reminded him of.

"Thank you for waking me up."

Malfoy glanced at her again, watching her carefully as she gathered her curls into a messy
bun and untangled the sheets from her legs.

"Were you dreaming about her?"

She nibbled on her lower lip and nodded.

"She's always in my nightmares."

Malfoy looked down at the floor when Hermione reached his side.

"She's in mine too."

The two of them went into his room and he sat back down on his bed, waiting patiently while
Hermione checked on his bones.

"We're almost done," she announced with a forced smile, setting her wand aside. "Your wrist
will be as good as new, Malfoy."

He smiled back at her and tilted his head, looking up at her through his lashes.

"I'll owe you more than one favour after this."

Hermione averted her gaze, hiding her blush as she shook her head and turned away from the
mattress.

His room was slightly larger than hers although it had the same layout. The huge canopied
bed in the centre, a desk in front of the window and various pieces of furniture spread out
neatly.

Though he seemed to have a dressing room as well as a private bathroom.

"I can never go back to sleep after a nightmare." Hermione rubbed her face, sighing heavily.
"I'll take this chance to keep reading your books."

It was four in the morning and there were still more than three hours before she had to start
getting ready. She needed coffee.

"Or you could stay here."

His words stopped in her tracks.

"What?"

Her heart pounded hard when she looked back down at the bed and saw him sitting there.
Malfoy patted the other side of the mattress with his hand and shrugged, playing it down.

Was he still under the effects of the muscle relaxant?

"This mattress is huge and you won't even notice I'm in it. This way you'll already be here to
check my wrist in two hours."
He had a point. Four people could probably sleep on that massive bed without touching each
other.

Hermione swallowed and retraced her steps. She was too tired to even consider how bad an
idea it was to sleep with Malfoy next to her.

She needed some more rest, and the only way to stop the nightmares from coming back to
haunt her was not sleeping alone.

"Okay."

As soon as she sat down on the mattress he waved his hand, turning off the lamps on the
bedside tables and plunging the room into complete darkness.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

"Malfoy."

His eyes snapped open. Granger was sitting next to him cross-legged on the mattress, looking
sleepy.

"I need to remove your sling," she continued in a raspy voice, motioning for him to turn his
torso slightly. "Your wrist is fine now."

The sling loosened, turning to smoke and leaving his arm free. Draco picked up his wand and
tried moving it between his fingers, smirking when he was able to twirl it as fast as usual.

Granger was undoubtedly one of the best healers at St. Mungo's, maybe even in the country.

"I recommend not playing Quidditch again for at least a week."

Although he had expected something like that, hearing it was like being kicked in the
stomach. A week without being able to train after losing such an important match.

Draco dug his teeth into his bottom lip, glancing sideways at her as she let her hair down and
walked towards the door.

"Granger, wait."

He reached her with only four steps and extended his newly healed arm towards another of
the doors in the hall, allowing her to open it and walk through first.

"This is my studio. On the shelves are written the names of each potion and what they are
used for."

There were at least sixty different potions, twenty of them his own creations. Granger walked
between the wooden shelves, pausing every now and then to read one of the labels.

"You can come in whenever you like," Draco added, crossing his arms over his chest as she
picked up one of the vials filled with the blue sleep-deprivation potion. "I hope that's
enough."

She was exhausted, and this time it was his fault. Granger turned her head in his direction and
nodded with a smile.

"It is. Thank you, Malfoy."

She grabbed a couple more potions and, after giving him one last nervous glance, left the
room.

He could see on her face that she, too, was uncomfortable with how different their
relationship was now. What Draco didn't know was if everything would go back to the way it
was once they got the law repealed and went their separate ways.

In the last few weeks, whenever he visited Theo, he borrowed one of the law books that were
gathering dust in his friend's library and spent at least an hour reading them before falling
asleep.

He couldn't let it all depend on Granger.

As if summoned by his thoughts, he found Theo leaning against the kitchen counter when he
went in to make himself a cup of tea. Draco rolled his eyes and dodged Crookshanks, who
was sniffing the intruder suspiciously, and tapped the teapot with his wand to fill it with hot
water.

"Granger just left and she was smiling for a change," Theo commented with mock
indifference, looking him up and down. "How are you?"

Several tea leaves and pieces of dried orange floated through the air, falling into the teapot.

"As good as new," Draco assured him, facing him with a crooked smile.

He flicked his wrist again and his grin widened. It was perfect.

"You should thank her, don't you think?" His friend suggested with an innocent expression.

His eyebrows drew together and Draco clicked his tongue impatiently.

"I've given her permission to enter my studio and use whatever she wants."

"I think Granger deserves more than that," Theo insisted with a raised brow, leaning on the
edge of the table and crossing his ankles. "Luna told me you passed out from the pain."

Of course. The whole bloody hospital had probably heard about it.

"And what do you suggest I do, Theodore?" Draco questioned, arching an eyebrow and
taking a sip from his mug.

His friend picked up the other one he'd left on the counter, tapping the ceramic rim with the
tip of his finger.
"I've seen her smelling the roses Longbottom has in his greenhouse more than once." His lips
parted in amusement when Draco's expression twisted. "I'd say Granger likes flowers."

He squared his jaw. Theo and his stupid ideas.

His eyes flew to the calendar hanging on the wall. Considering the date, it was something that
would make everyone at the hospital believe that his marriage to Granger wasn't a complete
disaster. The Ministry couldn't find out that they weren't even trying to make it work.

Furthermore, it would also help keep away a certain Healer's apprentice that Draco couldn't
stand.

"Roses," he repeated in a husky voice, rubbing his chin. "I think there are a few in the
gardens of Malfoy Manor."

Theo laughed and shook his head.

"Is there a flower that isn't?"

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

"They've brought these for you, Hermione."

She looked up from her next patient's chart, stopping when the receptionist called her name.
A bouquet of dark red flowers with a white ribbon tied around the stems was on the counter.

Hermione held her breath.

"Who is it from?"

Her heart was pounding fiercely in her chest.

He couldn't have sent them. It was impossible.

Or not?

"No note," Maggie replied with a shrug.

The bouquet levitated towards her and Hermione held it carefully, ducking her head and
closing her eyes as she buried her nose in the flowers. It was a type of rose she couldn't
remember the name of, but she knew they were famous for their large size.

She opened her eyes again and brushed the dark petals with her fingers while she searched
for a note among them. There was none.

Ignoring Maggie's knowing look, Hermione waved goodbye and continued walking towards
the stairs, taking the steps two at a time. She wanted to leave the bouquet in her office before
going to the first floor.

Cormac appeared on the other side of the corridor and raised his brow at the sight of her.
 "Why, Granger." He approached slowly, blocking her path so that she had to stop. "What's
with the flowers?"

Hermione snorted, holding his gaze.

"An anonymous admirer."

She pressed the flowers against her chest, lifting her chin defiantly as she reached into her
pocket and wrapped her fingers around the handle of her wand. If Cormac dared to touch her
again or say anything inappropriate, he would pay dearly.

His smile curled up and he leaned forward.

"They're from me," he whispered, so close that his breath brushed her neck and made her hair
stand on end. "I knew you'd like them."

Cormac stepped back, winked at her and walked away in the opposite direction without
looking back. Hermione blinked, unable to move.

Suddenly those flowers weren't so pretty anymore.

Chapter End Notes

An intense chapter! Enjoy the calm before the storm...

 The Two Dresses
Chapter Notes

Sorry for the wait! I haven't had a lot of time to write lately (holidays) and I've also been
struggling a lot with this chapter. Enjoy!

The sun's rays passed through the leaves of the trees, catching reflections of the small pond at
his feet. Draco raised his head and squinted when the light hit his face.

There wasn't a cloud in the sky that morning, a rare event in London. The Muggle
neighbourhood he had been walking through for over an hour did not look much like Lyon,
though it was just as pleasant.

Not being in the centre of the city, there wasn't too much traffic. And the park he could see
from his balcony was a quiet place to relax without feeling watched.

Draco sighed and got to his feet, smoothing his coat before following the dirt path to return to
the chaos of the city. He had found a bookshop just a few minutes away from his flat that he
would explore as soon as he finished The Return Of The King to buy more fantasy books,
and he had also visited a small pub at the end of the street.

He had never imagined he would feel as comfortable in the Muggle world as he did in the
magical one where he had grown up.

Draco walked back into his building, ensuring no passers-by were watching him before
opening the main door with a small flick of his wand. All ten floors were occupied by
witches and wizards, so it was safe to use magic inside.

He rode the lift to the top floor and waved his wand again, opening the door to the flat where
he had been living for six weeks.

With Granger.

And they were both still alive.

Draco clenched his teeth at the thought of her and shook his head, laying his coat on the
black armchair. He was trying not to think about how she had spent the entire night checking
on him to make sure his wrist was healing correctly, and that they had shared his bed after he
woke Granger up from her nightmare.

He grabbed a handful of Floo powder and threw it onto the embers, bursting through the
green flames. Theo was sitting on one of the windowsills when he appeared in the drawing
room of his manor and raised his brow in greeting.
“What's with the moodiness?”

Draco clicked his tongue in annoyance, walking towards him with his arms folded. His
friends knew him better than his own family.

“It's nothing.”

Theo rolled his eyes and snorted through his nose.

“Don't play me for a fool, Draco," he muttered under his breath, his gaze lost in the centuries-
old trees spread around the garden.

Draco sat down beside him and let out a long sigh.

“It's Granger.”

“What about her?” Theo asked, blowing away an unruly curl that fell over his eyes.

“I thought she'd send me an owl," Draco admitted quietly, shrugging one of his shoulders.
“You know, about the roses.”

“Did you write her a note?”

Draco shook his head, his lips pursed. His friend leaned his head against the window frame
and chuckled under his breath.

“I bet she doesn't even know they're from you.”

“And from whom else are they going to be?” Draco replied with narrowed eyes.

Was there someone who would send Granger flowers? And he didn't know about it?

Theo shrugged, still amused by his reaction.

“Don't ask me.”

Draco swallowed, feeling his stomach shrink.

It had only been a gesture that meant nothing. Why did it bother him so much?

The roar of flames startled them both.

“Hello," Luna greeted, coming out of the fireplace with a big smile and walking towards
them. “What are you two talking about?”

Theo's face lit up so brightly at the sight of her that Draco looked away, trying not to gag.

“The flowers Draco sent Granger this morning.”

The nausea disappeared and a surge of rage flooded his chest. Draco shot a dark glare at his
friend, holding back the urge to punch him.
“Oh... Was that you?” Luna asked, turning to him with her deep blue eyes wide.

Draco twisted his lips and nodded.

Why was she so surprised?

“Cormac has been telling everyone that they're his, though I don't think Hermione believed
it," she explained absently, shaking her head. “That guy wouldn't be able to think of such a
thing.”

Draco froze.

“What did you just say?” He hissed, his hands clenching into fists.

The rage he had felt before was nothing compared to the monster he could feel roaring inside
his chest, clamouring for revenge. Had that pathetic attempt of a human being taken credit for
his gift?

Draco had always hated him, but at that moment he was glad he didn't have Mclaggen close
because he could see himself strangling him. And he'd enjoy watching his face turn purple
while the git tried and failed to breathe.

“You're angry," Luna commented, interrupting the imaginary death taking place in his mind.

“Cormac?” Draco took a deep breath and stood up, pushing all that hatred aside so he
wouldn't lose control. “Cormac Mclaggen?”

“The same," she confirmed with a small smile, glancing back and forth between him and
Theo. “I think he was in your year.”

Theo got to his feet as well and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Breathe, Draco," he whispered, leaning into him. “You're turning red.”

Draco blinked, relaxing his posture when he noticed there was no trace of Luna's smile left
on her face. She looked worried now.

“That bloody idiot," he snarled through his teeth, squaring his jaw.

Theo pressed his lips together to keep from smiling.

“I hope your day went better than Draco's," he said, glancing sideways at Luna.

She leaned against the window and ran her fingers through the end of her long blonde braid.

“I can't complain.”

Theo pulled back and leaned towards her, taking one of her hands.

“I thought we could have dinner on the grounds tonight." He lifted her hand, kissing her
knuckles and looking into her eyes. “I know a spell to darken the surroundings and see the
stars.”

Luna blushed and gave him a wide smile.

“Sounds like a lot of fun. Besides, fairies like to come out after sunset and we might see some
if we sing a song they like.”

That was too much.

“It's disgusting to see you two so in love," Draco protested with a grimace. “I'm leaving.”

The flames of the fireplace rose, licking at his skin as he ducked into it.

“Don't kill anyone!” Theo shouted before he disappeared in a swirl of green smoke.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

Hermione sighed, setting her bag down on the sofa next to Crookshanks. That day had been
exhausting, especially having to dodge Cormac all morning.

Something told her he was lying, trying to use the flowers as a way of making her lower her
guard in his presence again. And that was never going to happen.

She'd decided to leave the bouquet in her office and wait a few days before getting rid of it.
Perhaps she could find out if Cormac was telling the truth.

Crookshanks purred when she rubbed his chin, closing his eyes.

Hermione frowned. Voices were coming from the kitchen and it was usually Malfoy who
visited his friends, not the other way around.

Her stomach rumbled, so she decided to peek out to get some food before locking herself in
her room and continuing to search for a glitch in the bloody Marriage Law.

What she saw when she approached the door left her speechless.

Malfoy had his back against the wall and his elf was sitting on the counter. And they were
both sharing a plate of food as they chatted.

“You have to tell Mother, Minsy. I'm sure she'll like the id-”

His words died in his throat when he looked towards the door and found her standing there
and watching them. Hermione cleared her throat.

“Hello.”

“Miss!” The elf jumped up with panicked eyes and looked sideways at Malfoy. “Minsy had
better leave now.”
“No, please don't go," Hermione begged, stepping into the kitchen. “I wanted to apologise for
what happened the day we met.”

Minsy's face relaxed and she jumped to the floor, smiling sheepishly.

“That's forgotten, Miss.”

Hermione crouched down in front of her and smiled back at her.

“Tell me, Minsy. Does the Malfoy family treat you well?”

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed how Malfoy tensed at the question.

“Always. They even give Minsy lots of money to buy nice dresses."

Minsy grabbed the hem of her light blue dress, lifting it and letting it fall back down over her
legs.

Hermione felt her heart sink. She had been completely wrong to judge Malfoy that day.

“Did you meet Dobby?” She asked quietly, gazing at the elf.

She lowered her ears and nodded.

“Master Lucius used to be in a bad mood and didn't treat Dobby well," she replied, glancing
sidelong at Malfoy before continuing. “When the Dark Lord came home everything got
worse and Mistress Narcissa freed Tippy and Minsy, making them promise to hide where no
one could find them.”

Hermione held her breath.

“Once the war was over, Minsy and Tippy went back home," the elf added, twisting one of
her ears nervously.

Hermione looked up at Malfoy's face, who was watching them silently. Noticing that he had
her attention, he crossed his ankles and raised his brow.

“They're siblings.”

Hermione blinked, looking back down at the elf.

“I'm glad you and your brother are happy and safe now, Minsy.”

The little creature stopped twisting her ear and lowered her gaze.

“Minsy is glad Miss is living here too, even if she never eats anything Minsy makes.”

Hermione frowned and straightened her back.

“I didn't know I could.”

The elf's eyes lit up.

“Minsy will be bringing more food from now on!” She squealed happily, turning to Malfoy.
“See you tomorrow, Master Draco.”

He nodded.

“Sleep well.”

Minsy snapped her fingers and disappeared, leaving them alone in the kitchen.

The atmosphere changed at that moment, becoming colder and more tense. Malfoy was still
leaning against the wall and his narrowed eyes were locked on her face.

Hermione resisted the urge to take a step back, making fists at her sides.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Malfoy squared his jaw.

“No reason.”

He pushed himself off the wall and walked past, dodging her gaze as he went through the
door. Hermione blinked, confused.

What the hell was wrong with him?

She walked out of the kitchen and followed him into the living room. He was standing in
front of the bookshelf, reading the titles of the books while his fingertips brushed the spines.

Hermione snorted and crossed her arms over her chest.

“I thought we were past the stage of ignoring and hating each other in silence, but I guess I
was wrong.”

Malfoy glanced over his shoulder and his eyes darkened. In four long strides, he crossed the
room and cornered Hermione before she could even think of turning away.

She flinched away and her back hit the wall. One of her hands moved to her pocket, where
she kept her wand, though she made no move to pull it out.

Her reaction was instinctive, but the nerves she felt had nothing to do with fear. Hermione
knew that Malfoy would never try to hurt her, no matter how angry he was. That revelation
made the blood drain from her face and his expression softened slightly, as if he regretted
scaring her.

Since when had she begun to trust him?

“Mclaggen?” Malfoy hissed through his teeth, his eyes filled with hatred. “Really?”

It took Hermione a few seconds to process what he had said.

“What?”

Malfoy clenched his jaw, their faces so close that his breath ruffled the curls that fell across
her forehead.

“How could you think that useless idiot would send you flowers?” He asked in a harsh voice,
exhaling with indignation.

It all suddenly made sense.

“You sent them," Hermione muttered in surprise.

He'd been the first person she'd thought of when she'd seen the roses, but Cormac had made
her doubt. Malfoy stepped back, putting more distance between them. His expression turned
cold and calculating.

Hermione knew he was occluding because she had seen that same expression reflected in the
mirror dozens of times.

“I won't make that mistake again," he said, giving her one last contemptuous look before
walking off in the direction of his bedroom.

Her stomach cramped at his words. It had been a long time since his voice was dripping with
venom when he addressed her, and hearing it again was like being back at Hogwarts.

“Malfoy, wait!”

He paused in the hall with his back to her.

“Why did you send them to me?” Hermione asked in a trembling voice.

And why was he so angry? Was he jealous?

“We're supposed to be happily married, right?” Malfoy asked mockingly, cocking his head.
He looked back at her and gave her a fake smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. “Any
husband would send his new wife flowers on Valentine's Day.”

The hint of sarcasm in his words was like being slapped in the face. Hermione furrowed her
brow and shook her head, unable to understand why she had expected a different answer.

“Oh. I see.”

She looked away and walked past him, intending to lock herself in her room until the sun
came up again. She heard Malfoy mutter a curse and he reached out, grabbing her arm and
stopping her from doing so.

Hermione looked him in the eye, letting the anger she felt show on her face. She was too tired
to take any more of his moodiness and cutting remarks.
“It's not just that," Malfoy confessed just as she was about to tug on him to let go. He ran his
free hand over his face, leaning against the door to his room and releasing her. “I wanted to
thank you for everything you did for me yesterday.”

Hermione pressed her lips together.

“You already thanked me by letting me into your studio.”

Malfoy shrugged and remained silent, his gaze wandering between her eyes as if he were
waiting for something.

Hermione decided to be clear. The last few weeks had been good and she wanted the cordial
atmosphere between them to continue.

“He's been trying to get my attention for months," she explained, rolling her eyes. “But he's
never been this nice to me before. I don't know why I even considered it a possibility.”

Malfoy swallowed hard and nodded before opening his door.

“Thank you," she added in a whisper. He paused before closing it and glanced at her again.
“They smell nice.”

This time, the smile that tugged at his lips was sincere.

“They're from Malfoy Manor," Malfoy replied, clearing his throat and scratching the bridge
of his nose. “My mother has a collection of flowers almost as large as Longbottom's."

Hermione tried hard not to grimace at the mention of Narcissa Malfoy. He had been
surprisingly kind to her parents and she intended to do the same when it was her turn.

Unless they dared to insult her, though she doubted that would happen after the way they had
acted during the wedding. She still remembered how that woman had scolded Malfoy as if he
were a small child when he had mocked her upon seeing her arrive.

“I guess I'll be seeing them soon.”

Malfoy nodded. He took a deep breath and his fingers drummed on the door surface
nervously.

“I'll send an owl to my parents tomorrow to find out what day works best for them.”

Hermione relaxed her stance, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. It seemed the
worst was over, and she could no longer find any trace of anger on his face.

“Let me know when they reply.”

Neither said anything for a heartbeat.

“There's food left if you're hungry," Malfoy commented, gesturing to the open kitchen door
with a jerk of his chin before he went into his room. “Good night, Granger.”
A small smile spread across Hermione's face.

“Good night.”

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

February 19th, 2006

Hermione closed her eyes when she felt the usual pressure around her body, and took a deep
breath once her feet returned to solid ground.

Birdsong startled her and she opened her eyes, looking around. She was not inside the manor
as she had expected. Malfoy squeezed the arm she had curled around his and Hermione
looked up, meeting his serious expression.

“I've asked Mother if we could eat outside.”

Hermione returned her gaze to the endless garden, smiling at the sight of a pair of white
peacocks pecking by a stone pond. Flowers of different sizes and shapes stood on either side
of a small path winding through the centre, and the sound of water could be heard in the
distance.

The anguish she had expected to feel on returning to this place was absent. She was
comfortable here, breathing in the fresh air and with Malfoy by her side.

Hermione almost laughed at her own thoughts.

“Thank you for that," she murmured, giving him a tiny smile.

Malfoy looked away.

“It's just common sense." He began to walk down the path with slow steps, keeping her hand
on his forearm and stopping every time one of the flowers caught Hermione's eye. “I didn't
think you'd feel like going back in there.”

She let out a loud snort.

“Not really.”

Malfoy paused as they emerged from the maze of flowers, his gaze fixed on the glassed-in
sunroom on one side of the manor.

“Granger, I know you don't think highly of my father, and you're not going to believe my
word." He met her gaze, his jaw tightening. “He's not the same as he was before. What
happened during the war changed us all.”

Hermione didn't know what to say so she just nodded. The glass door opened of its own
accord as they advanced towards it and they both stepped into the room.
Lucius and Narcissa were waiting by the long table that took up most of it. Dozens of plants
climbed up the glass walls to the ceiling, and several armchairs were arranged in a semicircle
around a small tea table.

“Draco, dear." Narcissa approached them, kissing her son's cheek before her piercing blue
eyes fell on his companion. “And Hermione Granger. We officially meet at last.”

She held out her hand and Hermione took it without hesitation.

“Pleasure.”

The woman took her hand in hers, squeezing it gently as she looked into her eyes.

“I hope you can give us a second chance like you did with Draco.”

Hermione swallowed and glanced sideways at Lucius, who stood behind his wife.

“I suppose we've all learned what's really important," she murmured, glancing back at
Narcissa with a forced smile.

“Exactly." She squeezed Hermione's hand once more before releasing it and placing her right
palm on Malfoy's shoulder. “And our son's happiness is all we care about, isn't it, Lucius?”

The man cleared his throat and took a step forward.

“Miss Granger," he murmured, bowing his head.

Hermione did the same.

“Mr Malfoy.”

“We're family now, dear," Narcissa said, extending a hand towards the table. “You can call us
by our names.”

Malfoy's hand appeared at the small of her back and guided her to one of the chairs, pulling it
aside so she could sit down. Hermione smiled and took a seat, clasping her hands in her lap
and ignoring her body's reaction when he sat down next to her.

“Then you can call me Hermione.”

Lucius and Narcissa sat across from them and the empty plates instantly were filled with
food.

“How are things between you two?” The elegant woman asked, arching an eyebrow and
taking a sip of wine. “I hope my son is treating you properly.”

Hermione clenched her teeth, remembering her role. They were there to convince Malfoy's
parents that they were both committed to their marriage, even if it had been forced.
“The first few weeks were a little awkward, but we decided to give this marriage a chance
and we're getting to know each other better," she said, picking up the fork furthest from her
plate and tasting one of the appetisers. “Draco can be charming when he wants to.”

She looked up at Malfoy, flashing him a smirk at the surprise that crossed his face when she
said his name so casually.

He raised a dark eyebrow in response.

“Draco is becoming quite the Quidditch star." Narcissa wiped her lips with her napkin and
smiled proudly.

“Right. We get dozens of letters from his female fans every week.”

Malfoy winced.

“I've told you a thousand times to burn them, Father.”

“And that’s what I do," Lucius replied, unfazed by the acid tone in his voice. “Have you been
to any of his matches?” He asked, turning his head towards Hermione.

Her soul dropped to her feet. His parents would find it strange that she hadn't been to see him
play. Not once.

“I haven't had time yet, but I hope to go once Draco recovers," she explained, setting her fork
down carefully on the table and giving Malfoy a sidelong glance. “It's been years since I've
seen him fly.”

Almost ten. During their sixth year, Malfoy hadn't attended any of the matches, which
puzzled Harry and worsened his obsession with him. The following year, Hermione didn't
show up at the castle until the final battle against Voldemort, and she doubted Quidditch had
been allowed.

Lucius snapped his fingers and the starters disappeared, making way for the first course.

“Draco told us you work at St. Mungo's," he murmured with fake interest, leaning his back
against his chair.

Hermione held back the shiver that went through her when two eyes similar to Malfoy’s
watched her intently.

“I specialise in curses and internal injuries, and I've been studying for two years for a
speciality in mind healing," she said after tasting the fish, which was also delicious. “Now
that my parents have their memories back, I think I'll take it a bit easier.”

Malfoy frowned and leaned down to speak in her ear.

“When did you have time to study?” He questioned in a whisper.

“In the evenings.”

They exchanged a glance and Malfoy sat back up with a furrowed brow, his attention focused
on his food. He was as meditative as when they had apparated to the grounds of his family
home.

“I was glad to hear that they are both well.” Hermione glanced at Narcissa, finding a warm
smile on the woman's face. “No child should ever lose their parents.”

She tried to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat, wondering if her words were
sincere.

“Thank you.”

Hermione lifted her glass of wine and took a small sip. Her eyes widened and she turned her
head towards Malfoy, who was hiding his crooked smirk behind his glass.

It was the same wine from Seamus and Goyle's party.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

After finishing their meal, both parents said their goodbyes and walked towards the door
leading to the manor. Malfoy brushed aside the curls that fell over her shoulder, sending a
shiver down her spine, and pointed to the glass one.

“Wait for me outside.”

“Why?” Hermione asked with a frown.

“My mother wants to give you a dress for the Spring Ball," he explained with his hands in his
pockets. “And it's in my room.”

Her breath hitched. She didn't know if she was ready to walk down those marble halls again.

“We don't want to disturb the elves, dear," Narcissa added with an apologetic smile. “They
deserve to rest after the feast they have prepared for us.”

Hermione nodded, surprised again at the woman's words.

“I agree.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lucius roll his eyes.

“I'll go with you," Hermione proposed, stepping forward.

If Luna was able to live in a mansion that terrified her, she could spend a few minutes inside
this one.

Malfoy's face hardened.

“No.”
She looked him in the eye, watching his throat bob as he swallowed. No one told Hermione
what she could or couldn't do, and she wouldn't allow it even in front of his parents.

“It's not a good idea," he added softly, holding her gaze.

“I'll be fine," Hermione insisted with her arms crossed, replying in the same tone so the other
occupants in the room wouldn't hear them. “If I feel unwell, I'll turn back.”

Malfoy narrowed his eyes before letting out a resigned sigh.

“You'd better not faint, Granger," he hissed, taking one of her hands and placing it around his
arm.

Lucius had done the same with Narcissa and they both went through the wooden door first,
walking down a hall filled with portraits that followed them with their eyes.

“You wouldn't recognise that room if you saw it," Malfoy muttered as they walked behind his
parents, leaning so close that his breath caressed the skin on her neck. “Mother refurbished
the whole house once the war ended.”

“I didn't like the air in this manor," Narcissa replied, having heard him despite the distance
between them. “It didn't feel like my home after... having Him here.”

They entered the foyer and Hermione discovered that Malfoy was right. Nothing she was
seeing resembled her memories of that horrible morning.

“I didn't remember it being so warm.”

“It wasn't before," Malfoy mumbled.

“You should bring her to have tea in the library solarium sometime, Draco," Narcissa
suggested, turning her head with a smile. “I think Hermione would like that.”

“Of course, Mother." Malfoy glanced sideways at her as they walked up the stairs. “As long
as she's comfortable.”

They reached the first floor and Lucius kissed his wife's hand before walking off towards the
west wing without looking back.

Narcissa continued ahead of them until she stopped in front of a wooden double door. Malfoy
released her arm and placed the palm of his left hand on the golden letters carved into the
dark wood. There was a creak and both doors opened inwards.

Hermione walked in after the two Malfoys and held back a snort of laughter. He turned
around with narrowed eyes, letting his mother approach the wardrobe in the corner.

“What?”

“I always imagined you'd have a big Slytherin flag in your room," she replied, pointing to the
green and silver duvet with a snake emblem that covered his bed. “It wasn’t far from the
truth.”

Malfoy tilted his head to the side and his eyes twinkled with amusement.

“Were you thinking of my room, Hermione?” He asked in a low and teasing voice, leaning
down until their arms brushed.

Hermione ignored the leap in her heart when her name rolled off his tongue and hummed.

“And how ugly it would be," she added mockingly, lifting her brow.

Malfoy wrinkled his nose and turned away.

“Well, you were clearly wrong.”

It was true. Except for the duvet, the décor matched the warmth of the rest of the house and
reminded her of the atmosphere in the flat they were sharing.

“I couldn't decide between these two." Narcissa waved her wand and two dresses levitated in
front of Hermione. “So I'll let you choose.”

She was speechless at the sight of them. Both were long and delicate, emerald and sapphire
respectively, and more daring than she would have expected coming from Narcissa.

“I haven't worn a dress like this in years," Hermione murmured, sliding her fingers through
the soft fabric as she tried to decide which one she liked best. “Not since the Triwizard
Tournament ball.”

She could feel Malfoy's gaze on the back of her neck and it was making her nervous. His
mother folded her arms, standing beside her and looking at the dresses.

“On second thought, you can have them both. They’ll look better on you.”

Hermione gasped and stared at her with wide eyes.

“It's too much.”

The woman shrugged, dismissing the thought with a wave of her hand.

“If you need them adjusted, Minsy is an expert." She stepped back and brushed her son's
cheek with a finger. “Draco will help you pick out the jewellery the week before the ball.”

Hermione tensed.

“Jewellery?”

“I'll take care of it, Mother," Malfoy agreed, still standing by the bed with his hands behind
his back.

“Lucius and I have an appointment with the Greengrasses," Narcissa announced before
turning towards the door. “I hope to see you again soon, Hermione.”
She nodded.

“I hope so too.”

They both remained silent until the door closed again.

“Jewellery?” Hermione repeated once they were alone, furrowing her brow.

His lips curled up.

“As my wife, it is tradition that you wear the family jewels to every formal ball you attend,"
Malfoy explained, chuckling at her panicked expression. “For now, the only one who
organises them is my mother. “

Hermione looked at the dresses again, chewing on her lower lip.

“Just the spring one?”

She heard Malfoy laugh behind her.

“I'm afraid not. The Christmas Ball is even worse.”

 The Turning Point
Chapter Notes

Another chapter is ready :)

February 24th, 2006

The sound of footsteps approaching down the hall interrupted their conversation. Draco
glanced sideways at Theo, who raised his brow and hid his grin behind his glass of
butterbeer.

They were both still amazed at how well Granger's first meeting with his parents had gone,
though what had puzzled Draco the most was that she had been able to walk back into the
manor without being affected in the slightest.

She was much braver than he had imagined.

Draco bit the inside of his cheek, squinting when Granger entered the room. He hated the
fascination he felt for her, which was growing stronger by the day. But he hated even more
that she seemed to feel nothing of the sort for him.

She was still cold and distant, polite whenever he was polite and always ready to reply to his
biting remarks.

Two days earlier Granger had mentioned that she didn't plan to wear any jewellery that
belonged to the Malfoys during the ball, which had ended in a rather heated argument. It
would be a scandal if she refused to do so, but in her opinion, wearing his family's
possessions was disrespectful to her origins.

Bollocks.

They hadn't spoken to each other since that afternoon.

“Granger." Theo raised his glass at the sight of her, crossing his feet and giving her a big
smile. “I heard you were the perfect daughter-in-law.”

Her brown eyes rested for a second on Draco's impassive face, drifting back to his best
friend. He bit harder into his cheek until he tasted his own blood.

“I'm not as good an actress as Malfoy, but I think I was acceptable.”

Draco drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair.

“You could have been better.”

“Would you really prefer it if she pretended to be like one of those boring pureblood girls
your parents would have chosen for you?” Theo questioned, turning to look at him in
disbelief.

The answer crossed his mind but didn't come out of his mouth.

No.

Draco looked up from his glass, fixing his eyes on Granger. Her face hardened.

“Don't worry," she said, her face hardening. “If all goes well, in a few months you'll be free
to marry a pureblood of your choice.”

Before he could think of a curt reply, Granger turned and disappeared again. Theo leaned his
head against the back of the sofa as they heard the door to her room close.

“You were going to say no, weren't you?“ He asked, sighing slowly through his nose. “That
you prefer her.”

Draco finished his glass in one gulp and jumped to his feet. He had to get out of there.

“I need some fresh air," he muttered through gritted teeth.

He set his wand down on the table and grabbed one of his coats, opening the door to his flat
and slamming it on his way out.

Theo shook his head, rubbing his face with his hand.

“This is not going to end well.”

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

Draco wasn't sure how many hours had passed. He'd visited the pub a couple of times since
he discovered it on his first walk through the Muggle neighbourhood where he lived, though
it was the first time he'd had more than one beer.

He liked the feeling of being anonymous. In the magical world, people either hated him or
loved him, but none of the Muggles around him knew his name. Most hadn't even looked at
him when he entered.

On that occasion, Draco had decided to sit at the bar and ask the bartender to refill his glass
every time he finished it, ignoring the bowl of nuts the man had placed next to his drink.

He needed to bury every single one of his stupid thoughts in the deepest corner of his mind
and never think about her again.

“Here you are." Draco jumped at the sound of Blaise's voice, who had just sat down next to
him and was giving him a thoughtful look. “We've had a hard time finding you.”
Theo appeared on the other side and rested an arm on the bar, his nose wrinkling in disgust.

“You smell terrible.”

Draco laughed half-heartedly.

“I hope so. I finished my last pack and that nice man gave me two of his cigarettes," he
commented, gesturing to the man sitting at the other end of the bar with a jerk of his chin.

Blaise glanced down at his nearly empty glass and folded his arms.

“How much have you had to drink?”

“I don't know, but you have to try this Muggle beer." Draco took the last sip of his drink and
smirked, lifting a hand to call the bartender. “It's much stronger than ours.”

“Keep your voice down," Blaise hissed, looking around nervously.

Theo shook his head toward the man, who rolled his eyes and continued talking to another of
his customers. His friend placed a hand on Draco's shoulder and shook him gently.

“What are you doing?”

Draco felt a wave of anger spreading through his chest at the question.

“I'm sick of it," he snarled, licking the drop of beer trapped at the corner of his lips. “Sick of
this bloody Ministry punishment.”

Blaise raised an eyebrow.

“Do you think it's a punishment?”

“Why else would they have chosen Granger for me?” Draco asked, running a hand through
his hair in frustration.

Theo exchanged a meaningful glance with Blaise.

Draco knew what they were trying and it wasn't going to work. He didn't want to leave.

“You're too tense, Draco," Theo said quietly.

“I fucking know that," he hissed angrily, slamming the bar with the palm of his hand. “And I
think I know what would help me feel better.”

His blurry eyes flew to the table where two girls were seated. Draco had noticed that one of
them kept staring at him despite being a little dizzy.

Theo snorted wearily and Blaise rolled his eyes in exasperation.

“Are you kidding?”

“It's been over two years, Blaise." Draco ran his thumb over his bottom lip, winking when the
girl blushed. “It's too long.”

Theo tapped his shoulder, breaking his eye contact with her.

“Stop talking nonsense and let's go home.”

“I was so close with that barmaid," Draco continued, clutching his glass in his hands and
ignoring his friends. “But the bloody Aurors had to interrupt us.”

“You can't," Blaise stated in a deep voice. “If the Ministry finds out…”

“No one has to find out," Draco replied, slurring his words.

Theo's fists were clenched. He seemed to be holding back the urge to shake him, or worse.

“Wouldn't it be better if you tried to accept what's happening to you, mate?”

Those feelings Draco didn't want to think about stirred in the back of his mind. He frowned
and concentrated on pushing them back until no trace of them was left, shaking his head.

“You're drunk," Blaise added with a sigh when Draco staggered off his stool. “This isn't a
good idea.”

Draco shifted his gaze between his two friends and a sly smile curved his lips.

“Watch me.”

He turned and strode purposefully towards the girls' table with his hands in his pockets,
cocking his head and smirking once he caught their attention.

“Draco!” Blaise hissed, trying not to be overheard by the rest of the Muggles.

“He's going to be slapped," Theo said.

“Maybe that's just what he needs.”

Draco ignored his friends' comments and fixed his gaze on his target, the prettiest of the two
who was staring at him with wide eyes and a slight blush on her cheeks. Surely he would
never dream of Granger again if he locked himself in the bathroom with that blonde and
pinned her against the wall, making her scream his name-

It was as if a dagger wreathed in flames stabbed him through his chest. Draco gasped, falling
to the floor when his knees gave out.

Theo and Blaise appeared at his side and held him.

“Shit. He's having trouble breathing," Blaise muttered, helping him sit up.

Draco placed a hand on his chest and tried to fill his lungs with air. The flames that were
writhing inside his chest suddenly faded and the pain he felt lessened, but it didn't go away.
“Let's go." Theo looked around, grimacing when he found many patrons staring at them.
“We're drawing too much attention to ourselves.”

They both pulled him along, helping him walk and stepping out of the pub. Once outside they
led him into a dark alleyway and Blaise took his leave, disapparating with a crack.

Draco looked up when Theo pulled out his wand, gazing at the nearly full moon rising in the
sky. It was already dusk.

His vision darkened and a few seconds later the living room of his flat appeared before his
eyes. Draco groaned, dropping onto the couch and covering his face with an arm.

He heard a soft purr next to him.

Opening one eye, he saw Theo's back disappearing down the hall. Draco turned his head
slightly, smiling when he found Granger's cat rubbing his head against his leg.

He stroked him with a hand, wrinkling his nose when several strands of coppery fur got
caught between his fingers. The animal had been losing a lot of hair lately.

“Drink this," Theo grunted, shaking a vial full of potion in front of his face. “And straight to
bed.“

Draco blinked in surprise. He hadn't realised his friend had come back in.

He picked up the uncapped vial and downed the contents in two gulps, sighing in relief once
his headache began to subside.

Theo pointed to the door leading to the hall and folded his arms, tapping his foot against the
wooden floor impatiently. It had been a long time since he'd seen him this angry.

Draco decided not to argue and stood up awkwardly, waving goodbye to him before leaving
the room.

A moment later he heard the roar of flames behind him, signalling his friend's departure.

Draco paused in front of his door, furrowing his brow when Crookshanks passed between his
feet. He followed the cat with his gaze and saw him enter Granger's room, which had its door
ajar.

He was about to turn the knob when he heard someone sniffling.

Was she crying?

Guilt formed a lump in his throat.

What if Granger had felt pain too? He wouldn't be able to sleep until he knew.

Draco rubbed his face and let out a long sigh. The alcohol had almost completely left his
body and he was thinking clearly again.
It was useless to keep denying that he cared about her, even if it was just a little. Granger had
healed his wounds more than once —though he preferred not to remember the first time—
and had spent an entire night making sure his wrist was perfect so that he wouldn't have to
give up his dream of being a Quidditch player.

Something he hadn't deserved after the way he'd treated her since the day they met again at
the Ministry.

Draco swallowed and strode down the hall, rapping his knuckles against the door twice
before opening it.

Crookshanks was curled up in Granger's lap. His yellow eyes locked on Draco, narrowing as
if the cat knew he was to blame for his owner feeling unwell.

Granger sniffled again and wiped a tear running down her cheek with the back of her hand.
Draco followed her gaze to the bedside table, where her white gold wedding ring lay.

“I thought it would stop hurting if I took it off," she whispered, still not looking him in the
eye.

The lump in his throat tightened.

“Did you feel it?”

Granger looked up, scanning his face with her glazed eyes before lowering them to the open
book resting on her pillow. She leaned her back against the headboard and nodded.

“I couldn't breathe." She cleared her throat when her voice trembled, running her fingers over
her pet's head absently. “I thought I was going to choke.”

Fuck.

She'd felt the same pain he had.

“I'm sorry.”

They stared at each other, both surprised by the words that had come out of his mouth.

Draco never imagined he'd apologise to the insufferable witch, but he was being sincere. He
was truly sorry for causing her pain.

His family had done that in the past too many times. Draco may have thought Granger was
inferior at the time, but after seeing her writhing on the floor of his manor, he knew she didn't
deserve to suffer like that.

Besides, over the years he had come to understand that if anyone was inferior it was him,
which made him hate her even more.

Granger closed her fingers around her wand and raised it. Draco gritted his teeth, expecting to
receive one of her hexes, and couldn't hold back a gasp of surprise when a bottle of wine
levitated past him.

She grabbed it with her free hand, muttering a cooling spell before uncorking it and taking
three long gulps straight from the bottle. She then placed it between her knees, returning to
stare at him with an impassive face.

There was no trace of her tears left.

“What have you done?”

A shiver ran down his spine at the coldness of her gaze. It had been weeks since he'd last seen
her occlude.

“Nothing.”

“You're lying," Granger accused with narrowed eyes.

His hands tightened into fists.

“I may be a lot of things, but I'm not a liar.”

Granger took another sip and lifted an eyebrow in disbelief.

“I haven't done anything, Granger," Draco insisted, trying not to let his temper take control of
his words. “But I've thought about it.”

Granger opened her mouth and hesitated, unable to respond for a few heartbeats.

“This was just because you thought about it?” She questioned incredulously, bringing her
hand to her chest and rubbing just below her neck.

Draco could still feel a small twinge of pain in that same spot. He nodded and squared his
jaw.

“What if you really did it?” Granger looked down at the label on the bottle, tracing it with her
fingertips as she waited for his answer.

He shrugged.

“I think I'd die before I could do anything.”

Granger nodded with pursed lips, closing her eyes and sighing. She said nothing when Draco
moved closer and sat on the edge of the bed, draping his arms over his knees.

Enough was enough.

“I can't go on like this, Granger," he murmured, tugging at his hair.

“I was just starting to trust you, you know?” She snorted and took another big swig from the
bottle, wincing as she swallowed. “Big mistake.”
Draco leaned back, resting his palms on the mattress and glancing sideways at Crookshanks,
who was purring softly between his owner's feet.

“We could try to stop being defensive around each other," Draco suggested, meeting her
gaze. “Bury the hatchet.”

Her surprised expression almost made him burst out laughing.

“Isn't that what Muggles say?” He asked, cocking his head.

Granger shook her head, twisting one of her curls around her finger and chewing on her
bottom lip.

“Do you think you would be able to do that?”

Draco dropped his head back onto the mattress and pondered the answer without taking his
eyes off her.

“We should stop fighting and join forces to take down the imbeciles who passed this law," he
spat, his lip curling with contempt at the thought of the Wizengamot members who went on
with their lives while they had ruined the lives of the entire young population of Britain.
“Stop treating each other like enemies.”

Granger stroked the back of her pet, who had fallen asleep, and held his gaze unblinkingly.

“It's not going to be easy for me to stop thinking you're plotting against me.”

“I can say the same thing," Draco admitted with a chuckle.

But if she was willing to try, so would he. He was tired of arguing and always being on
guard, waiting for her to say or do something that annoyed him before he counterattacked.

Granger sighed through her nose and nodded. He gave her a small smile and propped himself
up on his elbows, snatching the bottle of wine out of her hands and taking a swig.

“I've already drunk from that, Malfoy," she said with a furrowed brow.

Draco shrugged and took another swig. It was too sweet for his taste, but not bad.

“Don't I disgust you anymore?” Granger questioned, twisting her lips.

The ache in his chest was gone. Being close to her probably helped with that.

“No.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“What about Muggle germs?”

Draco snorted and handed the bottle back to her.

“I was living as one of them for weeks, Granger." He ran a hand through his hair, wincing
when his fingers tangled in a sticky lock. “Do you really think I still have the same beliefs as
before?”

Granger gave him a small smile.

“I think you need a shower, Malfoy," she commented, scrunching up her nose.

Draco sniffed at himself and grimaced in disgust.

Theo was right. He did smell worse than the Leaky Cauldron on New Year's Day.

“Always so honest," he muttered, standing up.

Granger laughed softly.

“It's something we have in common.”

Draco paused under the doorframe and looked over his shoulder.

“I'm not unfaithful either, Granger.”

“Technically, we are not together. It wouldn't be infidelity," she replied with a shrug.

Granger was pretending not to care, but she was no longer occluding and Draco could see in
her eyes what was going through her mind.

“This means we are." He lifted his left hand and pointed to his wedding ring. “And I don't
cheat.”

“But you wanted to.”

He couldn't deny that.

It was the first time he'd thought about something like this since the wedding. Draco had been
in such a bad mood that sex hadn't crossed his mind until he'd seen Granger in that red dress.

And he hadn't been able to get her out of his mind since.

“I was angry, and alcohol doesn't help," he admitted quietly, leaning his shoulder against the
doorframe and looking into her eyes. “It won't happen again.”

Granger's expression softened.

“You can expect the same from me," she assured him, reaching out and picking up her
wedding ring. “As long as the law stands.”

Draco ignored the small leap in his heart as he watched her put it back on.

“As long as the law stands," he repeated, shutting the door on his way out.
 ━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

Hermione sighed once she was alone, waiting until she heard Malfoy enter his room to get
up. She glanced sideways at the nearly empty bottle of wine on her desk and stepped out into
the hall.

Maybe she should drink one of Malfoy's sobering potions before bed.

She had been reading a book Harry had found in the Black Library when a sharp pain shot
through her chest and knocked the wind out of her. Hermione had realised at once that it had
something to do with Malfoy.

The pain subsided after a few seconds, though its echo remained throbbing behind her ribs.
Soon after, Malfoy had appeared in her room.

The urge to cast a curse on him that would leave him incapacitated for a few days had been
hard to contain, but Hermione decided to let him speak. And she was glad she had.

He didn't owe her anything. They weren't in a relationship, neither of them wanted to be
married to the other and it wasn't a real marriage. Although a small part of her had been hurt
to think that Malfoy was with another woman.

After clearing it all up and coming to the agreement she never thought they would, Hermione
felt much better. They were both adults and could go a few months without sex.

It was easy for her as she'd never been interested in intimacy without feelings and had only
slept with the guys she'd dated. Though whenever she had seen Malfoy wearing his
Quidditch uniform, something long dormant had awakened inside her.

Hermione shook her head as she filled a glass of water. The law would soon be history
because she wouldn't give up.

She had always been attracted to sporty boys. It was just that.

As if conjured from her thoughts, Malfoy walked into the kitchen. Several strands of blond
hair lay across his forehead, still damp, and he hadn't bothered to put on a shirt. Hermione
swallowed when she saw the scars on his chest and forced herself to look him in the eye.

Malfoy held out a piece of paper and a minty scent wafted up to her.

“Now that we're not enemies, I want you to have this," he murmured with an amused glint in
his eyes.

Hermione frowned when she saw her name written in cursive.

“A VIP pass?”

“I know you don't like Quidditch," Malfoy mused, shrugging and brushing his wet hair back.
“But I think your dear Potter would love it if you took him to one of the matches.”
“Just because I'm not a big fan doesn't mean I don't like it," Hermione replied, somewhat
indignant at his audacity in assuming he knew what she liked. “Maybe I'll go to the next
one.”

Malfoy chuckled under his breath and filled a glass of water, raising it to his lips.

“Can I ask you a favour?”

Hermione arched an eyebrow in question.

“Don't take Weasley.”

A burst of laughter bubbled up her throat without her permission. The pure hatred those two
families still had for each other after so many years was absurd to her.

“Don't you want to bury the hatchet with him as well?”

Malfoy shook his head and set the glass down in the sink.

“I'd rather hold it in my hand when the weasel is around.”

“You've hated each other since before you knew each other only because of your family
names.”

He flashed her a crooked smile.

“It's one of the few family traditions I like.”

Hermione rolled her eyes and snorted.

“You're both equally ridiculous.”

She walked past him and heard his voice when she was about to leave the kitchen.

“Granger.”

Hermione turned her head and looked at him.

“Why didn't you marry him?” Malfoy asked, crossing his arms over his chest. “You could
have avoided all of this.”

Hermione was about to say it was none of his business but bit her tongue when she noticed
his curious expression.

“I don't love him," she admitted with a sigh. “Not romantically.”

It would have been a much worse mistake than marrying Malfoy. Ron wouldn't have agreed
to a divorce and their friendship would have been broken forever.

Malfoy poked the inside of his cheek with his tongue and nodded.
“What about you?” The question Hermione had wanted to ask for a long time rolled off her
tongue and she cursed herself inwardly. “Why didn't you let your parents choose for you?”

If he could be curious, so could she.

Malfoy leaned his hip on the kitchen counter, taking a bite of the scone he had just taken out
of the cupboard and swallowing.

“I wanted to find a witch who wasn't interested in my money and date her for a couple of
years before I took the next step." He shrugged one of his shoulders, taking another bite and
lowering his gaze to his feet. “I wanted it to be my choice, for once.”

Hermione felt her heart shrink. She knew that Malfoy had always felt obliged to do and say
what his parents wanted, and she would never forget the way he had looked during the year
he had had to follow Voldemort's orders as well.

“I'm sorry it didn't work out that way.”

Malfoy looked up.

“We're going to get the law repealed, Granger." Something Hermione didn't understand
flashed in his grey eyes, and it made her heartbeat quicken. “Then I'll get to choose, and so
will you.”
 Caerphilly Catapults
Chapter Notes

😅😅
I know I said that the Spring Ball would happen in this chapter... but the characters ran
away from me

See the end of the chapter for more notes

March 7th, 2006

Hermione blinked when she stepped out of the fireplace, shaking her shoulders to rid herself
of the residual ash from the Floo. The living room was deserted.

"Harry?"

"We're in the kitchen!"

She left her handbag hanging on the coat rack and stepped out into the hallway, walking
towards the last door leading to the kitchen. As she passed the stairs, her eyes strayed to the
long, dark curtain that covered Walburga Black's portrait.

Once Harry began his Auror training alongside Neville, he officially moved to Grimmauld
Place. Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Luna helped him clean the house while he and Neville got
rid of all the dark objects that still lurked in some of the rooms, but none of them had
managed to find a way to rip that painting off the wall.

Ginny decided the best option was to get the biggest, heaviest curtain they could find and
stick it over the portrait with the same spell, silencing Sirius' mother's screams and insults
forever. That idea worked, although sometimes vibrations could be felt in the rooms closest
to the stairwell, especially when Hermione was visiting and talking loudly.

She pushed gently on the door and entered the kitchen. Ginny was levitating plates and
glasses towards the table while Harry took the food out of the oven.

"Hermione." Her friend turned his head as she entered the room and smiled at her. "You're
looking well."

"That's his way of saying you're glowing," Ginny commented, rolling her eyes and moving
closer to hug her. "It looks like your new arrangement with the ferret has done you good."

Hermione wrapped her arms around Ginny, inhaling the scent of flowers that she found
extremely comforting.
"I won't lie, it's a relief not to have to be on guard when he's around," she admitted, accepting
the glass of wine that had floated to her side.

Ginny snorted and tugged on her arm, pulling her over to the bench on one side of the table
and sitting down with her. Harry set the bowl down in the middle of the table and ran the
back of his hand across his forehead, pushing back the unruly locks that fell over his eyes.

Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"Where's Ron?"

The four of them usually had lunch together every Saturday at Harry's house, though her
escapades to Grimmauld Place had increased to three a week since her terrible wedding to
Malfoy.

Harry pushed his glasses up his nose and shrugged.

"He should be here soon. I think he's coming with Lavender today."

Both women made a face.

"Great," Ginny muttered sarcastically.

Hermione exchanged a knowing glance with her and they both hid a smile.

"How's it going?" She asked, taking a sip of Ginny's special homemade wine.

"Better than expected," her female friend replied, letting out a long sigh. "She's always
looking up to him and fawning over everything Ron does, just what my brother likes."

Hermione smiled, looking up when Harry sat down across from her. He was watching her
with an amused expression.

"You're glad you're not her, aren't you?"

This time, Hermione couldn't hold back her laughter.

"Is it that obvious?"

Harry lifted his brow and picked up one of the wine glasses that still had no owner, taking a
large sip and winking at Ginny. She shook her head and covered her eyes with one hand. It
was adorable to see her still blushing after almost eight years together.

"Before they get here, I wanted to tell you something, Harry." Hermione cleared her throat,
catching her friend's attention. "Malfoy gave me this a few days ago."

She reached into her pocket and laid the small rectangular piece of paper on the table,
running her forefinger along the rim of her glass as Harry clutched it in his hands.
"Oh... a VIP pass," he muttered, looking back up at her with an astonished expression. "I've
wanted one for years."

Ginny folded her arms.

"You know my team doesn't do that, Harry," she said, clicking her tongue impatiently. "Stop
complaining."

Harry made a funny face at her and Ginny pressed her lips together to keep from smiling.

"His team is playing against the Caerphilly Catapults next Saturday, and I thought you might
like to come with me," Hermione added quietly, picking up the pass again.

"Are you kidding? I'd love to and you know it." Harry's green eyes lit up and a big smile
spread across his face. "What time shall I pick you up?"

Hermione chuckled.

"One o'clock is fine," she proposed, glancing sideways at Ginny and waving the pass. "It says
here that I can bring two guests with me."

Ginny hummed.

"It'll be fun," she admitted with a smile that turned wicked. Her eyes narrowed
mischievously. "A great opportunity to see the strategies his team is using."

Hermione flicked her wrist at the bottle, which rose into the air and refilled their three
glasses. If Ron took much longer, he'd find them more cheerful than usual.

"When will your team play against them?"

"Early May, I think," Ginny replied, resting her chin on her hands and twisting her lips. "I'm
looking forward to beating Malfoy."

That was a match Hermione wanted to see as well. Ginny's team was known to be unbeatable
and they were at the top of the league.

Although Malfoy's was close behind.

The kitchen door burst open and Ron and Lavender stepped through it.

"Hermione!" Lavender grabbed Ron's hand as soon as she saw her, her smile not reaching her
eyes. "Did you come alone?"

Hermione nodded, greeting Ron with a smile and relaxing her shoulders when he returned it.
At last, it seemed that his hostility towards her had disappeared and he was ready for them to
be friends again.

"I see Malfoy every day," she commented, levitating the bottle again to fill the two remaining
empty glasses. "I like to have a bit of time to myself."
"Well, I never get tired of spending time with Ron," Lavender replied, looking at her husband
with dreamy eyes. "It's like when we were at Hogwarts, but now we don't have to hide in the
alcoves whenever we want to snog."

Ron's ears turned red and Harry sighed, standing up to divide the food among the five plates.

"Sit down, guys. The pasties are getting cold."

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

Hermione went through the green flames first, trying not to let her nerves get the better of
her.

After lunch with her friends, she had stopped by her old flat for tea with her parents and, as
usual, they had told her that they wanted to see where she lived now. Hermione had been
avoiding the subject for weeks but she had run out of excuses. Besides, they both wanted to
see Malfoy again.

The decision had been so sudden that she hadn't had time to let him know with an owl.

Hermione stood to the side, waiting for her parents to appear inside the fireplace. Malfoy
wasn't in the room.

"Wow." Her mother's eyes widened at the sight of the book-covered wall and she lifted her
brow in awe. "I didn't know Draco also liked to read."

"Yes, it's one of the things we have in common." Hermione pointed to the couch and waited
for them to sit down before turning away. "I'm going to get Draco, I'll be right back."

Her heart was pounding when she stepped out into the hall. She knocked twice on the door of
his studio and waited, wringing her hands.

Malfoy soon opened it, frowning at her expression. His eyes widened when he heard her
parents' voices coming from the living room.

"I'm sorry, Malfoy," Hermione murmured, wrinkling her nose at the strong smell coming
from the cauldron he was working on. "They've wanted to know where we live for a long
time, and today I couldn't refuse."

Malfoy watched her for a moment in silence, poking at his cheek with his tongue.

"It doesn't matter." He left the room and closed the door. "After all, my parents could stop by
at any moment."

Hermione stiffened.

"Really?"

Malfoy crossed his arms over his chest.

"It's unlikely, but I wouldn't wander around the flat naked when you're alone if I were you,"
he commented quietly as his lips curved into a crooked grin.

That was not what Hermione had expected to hear.

"I don't walk around the flat naked, Malfoy," she hissed with narrowed eyes.

Malfoy tugged at his bottom lip with his teeth and his gaze moved down her body, pausing on
her legs before returning to her face. He arched an eyebrow and shrugged.

"It was just a thought."

Hermione could feel her cheeks burning under his scrutiny. He had never done it like that
before, as if he was undressing her with his eyes and liking what he saw. Before she could
react, Malfoy had turned his back on her.

"Minsy."

The little elf appeared before them with a crack.

"Gr-Hermione's parents are here," Malfoy corrected himself, moving his gaze to the living
room door. Her parents were probably hearing his voice. "Could you prepare dinner for
everyone?"

The elf nodded enthusiastically.

"Oh, that's not necessary." Hermione shook her head, interrupting their conversation. "We
could order pizzas or something."

The elf's smile faded.

"Minsy loves to cook, and she'll be happy to," she mumbled, shooting Hermione a hard look.
The creature turned her head to Malfoy and blinked, her expression softening. "It'll be ready
in half an hour."

"Thank you." Malfoy crouched down and looked the elf in the eye. "Remember not to call me
Master Draco in front of them."

Minsy snapped her fingers and disappeared, leaving them alone in the hall. Malfoy glanced at
Hermione over his shoulder for a moment and walked down the hall, leaving her behind and
entering the living room.

Hermione was slow to react but arrived in time to see her mother blush while he kissed her
knuckles in greeting.

"Jane, Peter." Malfoy shook her father's hand and stepped back, placing his own behind his
back. "It's good to see you again."

Hermione was still surprised at how easy it was for him to play his role. He seemed the
perfect host, delighted to spend time with his in-laws.
"I'll show you the rest of the flat while Minsy prepares dinner," Malfoy suggested, smiling
and letting Jane and Peter step out into the hall first. He moved closer to Hermione, who was
standing by the door, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Can you open a bottle of wine,
love?" He asked in a raspy voice, his eyes flickering between hers.

Hermione flinched at the affectionate nickname coming from his lips.

What on earth?

Malfoy was smiling calmly as he waited for her answer, so she cleared her throat and nodded,
noticing out of the corner of her eye how her parents were watching them curiously.

"Of course."

He released her and followed them. Hermione heard her mother's question from the kitchen.

"Who's Minsy?"

"A house elf who works for me," Malfoy replied, as if it was the most normal thing in the
world and her parents knew what an elf was. "I'm sure Minsy will want to stay for dinner, so
you'll meet her later."

"Oh."

Hermione rolled her eyes and uncorked one of the bottles of white wine she had found next
to some Muggle beer cans she hadn't seen before. She filled two glasses for her parents and
went in search of them.

A bead of sweat trickled down her back when she found them in her room. What would her
parents think if they realised she and Malfoy didn't sleep in the same bed?

"...And this is the room Hermione uses for studying and reading," Draco was explaining,
looking down when Crookshanks curled his tail around his leg. "And where the cat stays."

Hermione sighed in relief. She had always liked to keep her things tidy and separate from
everyone else's, and her parents knew it. It was a credible enough explanation.

Jane and Peter nodded, accepting the glasses of wine their daughter was offering them with a
smile.

"Well." Her mother looked around when they entered Malfoy's studio, scanning the potion-
filled shelves with her gaze. "This flat is a lot bigger than Hermione's."

Malfoy glanced briefly at Hermione and turned to her mother.

"That's why we moved here."

Hermione bit down hard on her tongue to keep from snapping at him, forcing a smile when
her parents looked at her.
Bloody Malfoy was enjoying this.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

March 14th, 2006

The excited shouts of the crowd echoed through the huge stadium.

Hermione, Harry, and Ginny continued up the stairs to the VIP area. Most of the players were
already on their broomsticks, though only grey and green blurs could be seen speeding past.

"It's almost full and it's still half an hour before it starts," Hermione commented, opening the
buttons of her coat to let the winter air cool her down a little.

Climbing so many stairs was exhausting.

"Most people like to come early to watch the warm-up," Ginny explained, patting her
shoulder as she followed her. "Where are our seats?"

Hermione paused to look again at the tickets they'd received.

"They should be here somewhere."

"Is that Parkinson?" Harry asked, pointing to the top row.

Pansy Parkinson turned her head at the sound of her name, rolling her eyes at the sight of
them. Next to her were Zabini, Goyle, Nott, and Luna.

"Hermione, hello!" The last one greeted them with a bright smile when she saw them
approaching. "Is this your first time here?"

She nodded, indicating to Harry that the empty seats on the other side of Luna were theirs.
The VIP area was the only part of the stadium with a roof and was situated at the top,
providing the best views. All the seats were padded and there were two doors behind them,
probably the toilets.

"I come with Theo whenever I can." Luna's voice interrupted her thoughts. "It's fun, and it
reminds me of when we were at Hogwarts."

Hermione sat beside her and looked over to where the players were still warming up. She
heard Parkinson snort on the other side of Nott.

"We wouldn't have sat together then, Lovegood."

Luna shrugged.

"I wouldn't have minded."

Nott chuckled softly and took one of her hands in his, kissing her knuckles.
"I wish you had done it."

Hermione's stomach shrank when she realised that Nott had the same habit as Malfoy. Surely
it was a pureblood thing.

"Well, this reminds me of when we were invited to watch the World Cup final," Harry
muttered, giving her a meaningful look.

Hermione smiled. That experience they'd had thanks to the Weasleys had been one of the best
of her life, and the first time she'd seen Viktor Krum. If anyone had told her that a few
months later she would be dancing with him in the Great Hall, she would have never believed
it.

Parkinson jumped to her feet.

"Draco!" She shouted, waving her hand.

One of the silver team players stopped dead in the air and raised a hand, waving back at
Parkinson.

Surprise crossed his face when he saw Hermione standing there with his friends. Malfoy
tipped his broom and flew towards them, pausing only a short distance away.

"Potters." He bobbed his head in Ginny and Harry's direction as a greeting before looking
back at her. "I didn't know you were coming today."

She couldn't help but grin at his confused expression. He probably thought he'd never see her
show up at the stadium.

"I have to use the pass you gave me, right?"

Malfoy snorted loudly, leaning back on his broom.

"My teammates have been wanting to meet you for months, especially the captain," he
commented casually, running his fingers through his blond hair. "You can go to the locker
room after the game, if you like."

Hermione nodded. After seeing how much the VIP passes cost, she wanted to thank them for
giving her one for free.

"Go get them, Draco!" Luna shouted with a big grin.

His face softened when he looked at her friend and he gave her a small smile.

"Do what you do best," Blaise added mockingly.

Malfoy arched an eyebrow and his smile curved to one side.

"As always," he replied, turning around and flying towards the centre of the pitch.
The stadium was now full and the referee had come out onto the pitch. The players formed a
circle around him with their brooms and another of the referees walked up to stand directly
below them, opening a large wooden box.

The snitch flew out at full speed, disappearing into the distance. Two bludgers followed it and
each turned to one side of the pitch. The referee in the air blew his whistle and the one below
threw the quaffle upwards with all his might.

A player from the other team caught it in her right hand, starting the game.

Hermione was able to follow the game thanks to Harry and Ginny, who commented on every
play and saw every detail that her eyes were unable to follow.

Not even half an hour had passed when the snitch was first spotted. The Caerphilly Catapults
were leading by just ten points when several people screamed around them.

The two Seekers had dived, chasing a golden flash that zigzagged across the bottom of the
stadium.

Hermione held her breath when Malfoy leaned forward, stretching out an arm.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

Draco cursed under his breath when the other Seeker followed close behind, glued to his tail.

The sky was overcast with clouds, which didn't help in finding the golden glow of the snitch.
He had been circling the stadium and dodging bludgers for quite some time when he spotted
it floating a short distance above the ground.

Without hesitation he lunged for it, accelerating as much as his Nimbus would let him. The
snitch was moving fast from side to side but he kept his eyes on it, controlling the broom
with his hands while his gaze never left the golden ball.

He could hear his opponent's breath very close. He needed to catch it as soon as possible if he
wanted to win the match.

Draco decided to take a chance and leaned forward, resting his upper body on the broomstick
while he reached out.

The snitch spun unexpectedly but he managed to keep control and follow it. In one swift
movement, he had it back in front of him and his lips curled upwards when he felt his fingers
catch it. The referee's whistle announced the end of the match just when Draco straightened,
grinning and flying back up to where the rest of the players were.

He looked back to the stands where his friends were cheering, smiling and waving his left
hand. The small wings of the ball peeked out from between his fingers.

Potter, the Weasley girl, and Granger were watching him and clapping. He could see their
smiles from there.
His shoulder bumped into someone hard.

"What the hell are you doing?" snarled Thomas, one of the other team's Chasers. He shoved
him angrily and his lip curled into a sneer. "Are you looking for a fight?"

Draco narrowed his eyes but kept his distance.

"Hey, hey." Eric appeared between them with his arms outstretched. "Enough."

Thomas hissed an insult and flew away, landing on the side of the stadium. Eric gently
slapped Draco's arm.

"What was that?"

"Nothing important," he replied, massaging his shoulder and gritting his teeth when he felt a
twinge of pain. "I guess that guy's a sore loser."

Eric rolled his eyes and tugged on his arm, leading him over to where the rest of the team was
flying. They all circled the pitch together twice, waving to their fans while Draco flashed the
snitch.

Soon after, they dismounted their brooms and entered the stadium, walking down the corridor
towards the changing rooms.

Granger was waiting by the door and broke away from the wall when she saw them arrive.
Draco turned to his teammates and ran his tongue over his teeth, extending an arm towards
her.

"Guys, this is Hermione Granger."

"Granger!" Eric's face lit up and he paused in front of her, shaking her hand energetically.
"I've been looking forward to meeting you."

The rest of the players came over to greet her, and one of them held the locker room door for
her to enter. Eric showed her the lockers, indicating who each one belonged to while the rest
listened to the conversation attentively.

Aaron gave Granger a sidelong glance and entered the shower area after taking clothes and a
towel out of his locker. He didn't trust her since their encounter at St. Mungo's, and Draco
couldn't blame him.

She had been cold and cruel that day, something his friend hadn't forgotten.

Draco left his broom leaning against the wall and opened his locker, leaving his gloves
inside. He unbuttoned his cloak and winced as he took it off.

"What's wrong?"

Draco stiffened, turning to Granger. He hadn't heard her return to his side.
He looked around and saw that most of his teammates had gone into the showers, though a
few were sitting on the benches and watching Granger, murmuring amongst themselves. Two
of the Chasers were leaning against the wall and one of them swept his gaze over her,
muttering something to the other.

Draco pursed his lips.

"It's nothing," he said, looking back at Granger and pointing to his shoulder with a jerk of his
chin. "I bumped into another player and it hurts a bit."

Her brow furrowed.

"Let me see it."

Draco rolled his eyes and removed his sweaty shirt carefully, tossing it into his locker.

He had to bite his lip to keep from smirking when he turned to Granger. A faint blush
covered her cheeks, and she was trying too hard not to glance down at his chest.

She always blushed whenever she saw him shirtless.

Draco turned his body to the side and her expression changed, turning serious.

"It looks like a small bruise." Granger brushed her fingers gently over the area of his shoulder
where the skin was turning purple. She sighed and opened her handbag, pulling out a metal
jar. "Apply this ointment after you shower."

Draco accepted it, raising his brow.

"Do you always carry medicine with you?"

"All healers do," she replied with a shrug.

Two of his teammates came out, already dressed, and approached them, bombarding Granger
with questions about the Battle of Hogwarts. Draco grabbed his clean clothes and walked
towards the showers, trying to ignore how much it annoyed him that other men were showing
interest in Granger.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

The flames in the fireplace turned green and Pansy emerged among them, startling Draco and
his friends.

"Pansy?" Theo frowned at her watery green eyes. "What happened?"

She sniffled and ran to the sofa, collapsing into Theo's lap as she sobbed. Draco and Blaise
looked at each other, alarmed.

"I don't know what to do," Pansy choked through her tears, clutching Theo's jumper tightly
and sinking her face into it.
Draco set aside his half-full glass of beer and leaned towards her.

"What about?" He asked in a whisper, squeezing her shoulder in an attempt to calm her
down.

She shook her head.

"I thought this couldn't happen."

Theo exchanged a glance with Draco and stroked Pansy's short hair, combing it with his
fingers.

"You're worrying us, Pans."

"I've tried to resist, I really have," she continued, lifting her head and wiping away her tears
with the back of her hand. "But I-I'm starting to have feelings for Longbottom."

Pansy turned her head and looked Draco in the eye. He swallowed when he saw her
anguished expression. Blaise was staring at her with a frown on his face, as if he couldn't
understand what she was saying.

"And that's a bad thing because...?" he questioned, waiting for her to explain.

"It's terrifying!" Pansy shrieked, closing her eyes and covering her face with her hands. "I
don't want to fall for him, I can't. I won't make the same mistake as my mother."

Draco's blood froze at his best friend's words.

Her parents were very young when they married straight out of Hogwarts. Her mother Dahlia
was madly in love with Percival, her father, and gave up all her dreams to be with him.

She discovered Percival's dark side shortly after the wedding, though she wasn't able to stop
loving him and never considered leaving him. Pansy had grown up watching her mother
slowly wither away, losing the joy that had always characterised her.

Ever since Draco met her, Pansy swore that she would never marry for love. When the time
came, she would find someone suitable to continue her family's lineage with, no feelings
involved.

She and Draco had dated during their fourth year, though they broke up before the summer
when Pansy confessed that she preferred them to be just friends, a sentiment he shared.

She hadn't dated anyone else since. Occasionally she would meet a guy and have fun with
him for a while, but she never let it go any further.

"Longbottom isn't like your father, Pansy," Draco assured her in a deep voice, holding her
gaze.

Her face hardened.

 "I know that," she hissed, taking Draco's glass and downing the last of it in one gulp. She
sighed and swiped her hand over her mouth, wiping the remnants of beer from her lips and
looking at the glass curiously. "But I will not give him the power to destroy me. No fucking
way."

Draco caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned his head. Granger was
leaning against the doorframe with Crookshanks in her arms, watching them silently with a
thoughtful expression.

They stared at each other for a long moment until he looked away, clenching his fists.

Pansy was right. Letting your feelings control you was a big mistake.

A mistake he didn't intend to make either.

Chapter End Notes

The next chapter will be the Spring Ball. It will be an intense one so get ready!
 The Spring Ball
Chapter Notes

Thank you for your patience. This chapter is very important (it's my favourite) and I've
struggled so much writing it, even more knowing what's happening in our fandom right
now.

A friendly reminder: Buying or selling things related to fanfiction is ILLEGAL. You

can't buy a shirt with a quote from a dramione fic, or the bound fics some unscrupulous
people are selling on Etsy and Tiktok. J. K. Rowling could sue the authors of those fics
and destroy our fandom, just like what happened years ago with Anne Rice (if you don't
know the story, you should google her name. Anne didn't want people to write fics about
her books so she stalked and tried to sue every fanfic author until there was no one left)
If you love dramione like I do and appreciate all the fanfic authors who do this for free,
please, don't spend any money on those things.

Fanfic authors don't profit from their fics, and no one else should try to earn money with
them.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

March 23rd, 2006

Draco turned his head to the side, squinting against the annoying rays of sunlight streaming
through the window.

A glance at the clock hanging on the wall confirmed that it was already dawn. He snorted and
sat up on the mattress, running a hand over his face.

He had visited Theo the night before and the two of them had shared what was left of a bottle
of elven wine with Luna, who had arrived shortly from St. Mungo's.

There were only a few hours until the Spring Ball, and Draco didn't feel ready. He had been
avoiding Granger as much as he could for more than a week, unable to face the feelings that
stirred inside him every time he saw her.

Draco carded his fingers through his hair and got up, heading into the bathroom for a quick
shower.

His mother would have started preparations by now and she would be nervous. It would be
best to stop by the manor and offer his help before Narcissa drove the elves and his father
mad.
Draco emerged from his room a few minutes later, wearing Muggle clothes and with his hair
still damp. He'd never admit it, but the grey sweatpants he'd bought in Lyon were the most
comfortable thing he'd ever worn, and the white T-shirt he sometimes wore to train in the
manor grounds was no slouch.

He planned to check if there were any Muggle clothing shops in the neighbourhood the next
time he decided to go for a walk and buy some more.

Draco went into the kitchen and made himself some tea, placing two pieces of toast in the
muggle toaster he had magically modified and leaning his hip on the counter as he waited for
his breakfast to be ready. He had just lifted the mug to his lips when Granger's voice reached
him down the hall.

"Malfoy?"

Draco wrinkled his nose. He'd have to see her in a few hours anyway.

"Yes?"

"Can you come in here for a moment?"

So she still was in her room. Draco ran his tongue over his teeth and cast a stasis charm on
his breakfast, walking down the hall to her door.

What he saw when he entered Granger's room took his breath away. He stopped in his tracks,
blinking to confirm that he wasn't dreaming.

She had her back to him and was looking at herself in a full-length mirror she had conjured.

Granger was wearing a blue dress that fell to the floor and clung to her body like a second
skin. Her curls fell loosely down her back, and her legs were visible through the slit that
reached almost to her thigh.

At first glance, Draco had thought it was the same one she'd worn to the fourth-year ball
when he'd also been speechless at the sight of her. But, even though it was the same colour,
this dress was much more elegant and made for a grown woman's body.

Draco squared his jaw, cursing his mother inwardly.

Why did she have to choose such sexy dresses for Granger?

The witch in question turned her head and gave him a small smile when she noticed him
standing in the doorway. Her gaze swept down his body, taking in what he was wearing, and
a small blush covered her cheeks.

"I don't know which of the two dresses to wear, and I'd like your opinion." She turned back to
the mirror and adjusting her shoulder straps, her voice soft as she spoke. "I'm sure you've
been to a lot of balls like this one."

Draco cleared his throat when her eyes met his through the mirror, expecting an answer.
"Dozens," he replied, leaning his back on the wall and shrugging. "My mother loves them,
though this is the first one she's organised since the war."

Granger turned to him and gestured down her body.

"What do you think of this one?"

Draco bit the inside of his cheek.

"It looks good on you," he said, pursing his lips once she turned to look at herself in the
mirror deep in thought. "Muggles know what they're doing," he admitted under his breath.

Granger frowned at him.

"What?"

"Nothing." Draco shook his head and folded his arms, crossing his ankles as well.

She rolled her eyes and snorted.

"I'll try on the other one," she announced, taking off her silver heels and setting them aside
before heading to the bathroom. "Give me a second."

Draco looked up at the ceiling once he was alone, sighing through his nose. It wouldn't be
easy to spend the whole night with her on his arm and hold back the urge to reach out and
brush his fingers against her velvet skin.

His jaw nearly dropped to the floor when she stepped out of the bathroom wearing the other
dress his mother had given her. Draco regained his composure and focused on leaving his
mind blank, pushing all thoughts of Granger to the side.

She walked over to the mirror and slipped her heels back on. The dress had a back neckline
that went all the way down to the small of her back.

Draco clenched his fists when Granger pushed her curls to the side, draping them over one of
her shoulders, and turned to face him with a strange glint in her eyes.

"Well?"

He couldn't find his voice. Draco glanced down at the dark green dress that looked like it had
been made especially for her and hesitated.

"It's..." His voice sounded scratchy so he cleared his throat, looking up into her eyes. "It's
perfect."

Granger snorted.

"I knew you'd pick the Slytherin green dress," she muttered, shaking her head with a smirk on
her lips. "You're so predictable."
"You wanted my opinion, didn't you?" Draco protested, trying to contain his anger. He hated
being made fun of. "This one suits you better but wear whichever one you like best, Granger.
They're both fine."

"Okay." She turned her back on him, looking at herself in the mirror once more as she
chewed on her lower lip. "But I still have my doubts."

Draco rolled his eyes and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"You still have a few hours to decide."

Granger held her hair with both hands, trying to see how it would look if she wore it up, and
let her curls fall down her back again after a sigh.

His heart shrank as he watched her adjust her dress and turn to the side to get a better look.
Granger was probably more nervous than he was, this being her first time attending one of
the pureblood balls that had been going on for hundreds of years.

The shame Draco had felt for weeks whenever he looked at her formed a lump in his throat
that was impossible to swallow. Granger had been rude and cruel to him at first, but he hadn't
been any better.

And he was the one who had started insulting her the day they met at the Ministry to choose a
wedding day. Draco was furious after spending a few days locked up in the Wizengamot's
cells and vented all the venom and spite he had built up inside him on her.

Despite all that, Granger had slowly opened up, getting him to do the same, and had shown
him that she wasn't the insufferable girl he'd always thought her to be. However, she was still
a know-it-all willing to fight anything that stood in her way, even the Ministry of Magic
itself.

Draco couldn't help but admire her for how hard she was trying to find a way to repeal the
Marriage Law, and he had decided to help her. Every night he went through one of the books
of ancient magical law he had taken from his manor, and he had also convinced Theo not to
leave even one of his unread.

If there were any loopholes in the law, the three of them would find them.

Draco continued to watch her, thinking about how she had stayed up all night to make sure he
had no sequels from his accident. Granger still had dark circles under her eyes from spending
the nights devouring all the books McGonagall had sent her from the Hogwarts library. She
clearly wasn't getting enough rest.

The lump in his throat was about to choke him when he decided to do what he should have
done weeks earlier.

"Granger."

She looked up at the sound of her name, already sat on the edge of her bed and stowing her
heels in a cardboard box.
Draco pulled away from the wall and took his hands out of his pockets, clenching them until
his knuckles turned white. He occluded to push his emotions aside and held her gaze.

"I know you will never forgive me for all the things I've said to you since we first met, but I
want you to know that I don't think that way anymore," he murmured in a calm voice. A
surprised expression crossed her face. "And I apologise for making you feel inferior when we
were at school."

"You didn't make me feel inferior," she stated with narrowed eyes. "I never let your words
affect me."

"Still." Draco lowered his gaze to the floor and, after a long sigh, brought it back up to her
face. He wanted her to know he was being sincere. "I'm sorry."

Granger watched him silently and he held his breath as he waited for her response.

Her expression relaxed. She shoved the box back into her wardrobe and sat back down on the
bed.

"I know. I know you're not the same person anymore." Granger gave him a smile that didn't
quite reach her eyes and turned serious again. "I think I can forgive you, Malfoy. But not
yet."

A heavy weight lifted from his shoulders.

"That's more than I expected."

Granger nodded and cocked her head.

"Are you planning to apologise to Harry as well?"

"No way in hell," Draco snarled, his lips curving down into a sneer. "Potter nearly killed me.
The last thing he deserves is an apology."

"Fair enough," she agreed with a low chuckle. "Though Harry regrets using that curse on
you."

Draco clicked his tongue.

"We all regret a lot of things, Granger," he muttered, turning and walking out of the room.
"Don't move."

He had a very long list himself.

Draco went to his bedroom and opened the top drawer of his dresser, contemplating what was
inside for a moment before choosing one of the little boxes and returning to Granger's room.

Her brow furrowed at the sight of what he held in his hands.

"I told you I don't want to wear your-"

"At least try it on before you say no," Draco cut her off, stepping up behind her.

He set the velvet box on the table and pushed her hair to the side, his fingers brushing her
throat as he placed the necklace around it and closed the clasp. Her skin prickled at the
contact.

Only a Malfoy could take it off, though Granger didn't need to know that little detail. Draco
would put it back in the box at the end of the night.

"It looks perfect with this dress," he commented, stepping back and glancing at their
reflection in the mirror. The diamonds sparkled with her every movement. "It's a simple
necklace, nothing ostentatious."

Granger lifted a hand to brush it with her fingers.

"It's beautiful."

Her lips were pursed in thought, and Draco couldn't help but smirk at how much she liked it.

It wouldn't be easy for her to say no.

"Are these diamonds?" Granger asked, glancing sideways at him.

Draco arched an eyebrow.

"What do you think?"

She shook her head and sighed. Draco stepped closer until there was barely any distance
between them, leaning down to speak in her ear.

"I'd like you to wear it tonight, Granger."

She shot him a hateful glare through the mirror.

"Please?" He insisted in a whisper, staring back at her.

"Stop saying please and sorry. It makes my hair stand on end," she murmured, stepping to the
side and shuddering.

Draco snorted at her exaggeration.

"It's not that strange."

"Yes, it is," Granger contradicted him, folding her arms and leaning her hip on the edge of her
desk. "Is that why you apologised? Because you want me to agree to wear this?" She added
with a blank expression, toying with the necklace.

Draco gritted his teeth.

"No," he said, trying hard not to snap at her. "I've been wanting to apologise for quite some
time."
Of course she believed there was an obscure reason for his apology. Fuck it.

"You don't have to wear it if you don't want to, Granger," he added, turning on his heels and
walking towards the door. "Just think about it."

His mother would be expecting him. Draco grabbed a handful of Floo powder and stepped
into the fireplace, disappearing into the green flames and leaving his breakfast untouched.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

Hours later when Hermione walked into the living room she found Malfoy sitting on the
couch reading a book and glancing sideways at Crookshanks who was sleeping beside him.
His eyes lit up at the sight of her and a crooked smile spread across his face.

Hermione chose to ignore how nice he looked in the dark grey suit he was wearing. A small
handkerchief the same colour as her dress was peeking out of his jacket pocket.

"Wipe that smile of triumph off your face, Malfoy."

He chuckled, putting the book aside and standing up.

"I see that the green one won."

"Because it looks better on me," Hermione mumbled, blushing when she noticed he was
looking her up and down, still grinning. "You were right."

After pondering about it all day, Hermione had decided that this was the winning dress. It
was the prettiest, even if it pained her to admit it. She'd even pulled her hair up in a high bun
so that the V neckline was in full display.

Malfoy nibbled on his lip to keep from smirking when she shot him a dark look and offered
her his arm.

"Don't be nervous," he said as they stepped through the fireplace into the entrance hall of his
manor. "You're a Malfoy."

Hermione gritted her teeth.

"I'm not."

"You are, whether you like it or not," Malfoy replied, crouching down so that only she could
hear him as he led her through the halls. The guests were beginning to arrive and Narcissa
and Lucius were greeting them by another of the fireplaces. "You are part of this family and
this is your home now," he continued, straightening his back as they passed through the
ballroom doors. "Don't let anyone think otherwise."

Hermione couldn't help but pause and gasp.

The room was huge and tastefully decorated. Dozens of trays filled with drinks and food
floated around every corner, and bouquets of white, pink, and yellow flowers were scattered
across the tables. The centre of the chamber where the ball was to take place was empty, and
there was an orchestra playing classical music on the back wall.

She only reacted when Malfoy let go of her arm.

"Longbottom and Potter are waiting for you," he commented, pointing across the room with
his chin. "I'll see you later."

He took two flutes of champagne from one of the floating trays and held one out to her before
walking away towards the main doors. Hermione followed him with her gaze and saw that
Zabini, the two Greengrass sisters, and Parkinson had just arrived.

After taking a sip from her flute, she walked over to the high table where Neville was sitting
with a glass of Firewhiskey in his hands. Harry was a short distance away talking to another
Auror Hermione didn't know, and a little further away several members of the Wizengamot
were glancing at her from the corner of their eyes as they whispered.

Hermione clenched her jaw and sat down in the free chair next to her friend.

"Hermione, hello," Neville greeted with a smile. "You look very beautiful."

"Thank you." She smiled too, raising her brow as she looked down at his black suit. "You
don't look bad yourself. How are you?"

His smile faltered.

"I'm fine, I guess," he replied quietly, looking down at his half-empty glass.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, concerned at the sadness she could see on his face. "You
know you can trust me, Neville."

Her friend took a slow breath and sighed, turning the glass over in his hands.

"I think I'm falling in love, Hermione. And I'm really scared," he confessed, avoiding her
gaze.

"Oh." Hermione blinked in surprise and patted his shoulder. "That's good news, I think."

Neville turned his head towards her with a frown.

"How can you say that?"

She looked around, making sure there was no one they knew nearby, and leaned forward to
speak in his ear.

"Parkinson is also scared," Hermione said in a low voice, pressing her lips together to keep
from grinning. "And for the same reason you are."

His eyebrows disappeared behind his fringe.

"Do you think Pansy is also falling for me?" He asked, incredulous.

"I don't just think it. I know it," Hermione assured him, giving him a knowing smile. "But I
haven't told you anything."

Neville twisted his face, shaking his head and taking another sip of whisky.

"It's hard to believe you."

"Who wouldn't fall in love with a guy as charming as you?" She said, nudging him on the
ribs.

Her friend blushed and smiled shyly.

"I could say the same to you," Neville replied, waggling his eyebrows and hiding a grin
behind his glass.

Hermione shook her head and picked up another flute of champagne.

"My situation is very different."

"Are you sure? Because you have a very jealous husband watching your every move," her
friend murmured with a chuckle.

Hermione followed his gaze and found Malfoy across the room, sharing a black sofa with
Parkinson, Zabini, and Nott. And his grey eyes were locked on her.

Her whole body tensed. He had never looked at her that way before.

The music changed and all the wizards and witches spread out across the room. Narcissa and
Lucius walked to the centre holding hands and, after smiling politely at their guests, began to
dance.

Hermione was so enraptured watching them that she didn't notice Malfoy approaching until
he was standing beside her.

"Granger." His voice sounded so close that she jumped. "Will you come with me?"

Hermione looked at him, confused.

"Where to?"

Malfoy arched an eyebrow and averted his gaze to the centre of the room where his parents
were still dancing while everyone watched.

The blood drained from her face.

"No, no, no." Hermione shook her head and waved her hands. "No way."

Malfoy took another step towards her.

"My parents always open the ball, and many of the guests expect me to join them with my
wife," he murmured, giving her a meaningful look.

She felt a shiver run down her spine, like every time she heard him refer to her that way, and
shook her head again.

"I can't dance."

"I can." Malfoy gave her a crooked smile and took her hand, tugging gently. "Come with
me."

Hermione had no choice but to stand up and follow him to the dancing floor. His parents
smiled warmly at them and the guests applauded.

Malfoy took one of her hands, interlacing their fingers, and placed the other on her back.
Hermione held her breath when she felt his fingers against her skin.

"Relax your posture," Malfoy whispered, taking a step back and nudging her slightly so that
she took a step forward.

"Easy for you to say," Hermione muttered under her breath. "You're not going to make a fool
of yourself in front of hundreds of people."

"Neither are you." His hand flexed on her back and he looked her in the eye. "Just trust me
and follow my lead."

Hermione took a deep breath and let herself be led. They moved slowly around the room,
turning in circles as they followed the rhythm of the music.

The guests clapped again and more couples joined in the dance.

"It's not so difficult, is it?" Malfoy questioned in an amused voice, spinning her around and
placing his hand back on her skin.

"I suppose not, as long as your partner knows how to dance," she admitted with a laugh.
"Krum did the same thing at Hogwarts."

His face darkened and he didn't say another word as they continued to whirl around the room.

Hermione felt herself getting dizzy being surrounded by so many people.

"I think... I think I need to go to the loo," she said, clearing her throat and giving him an
apologetic smile as she let go of his hand. "I need to freshen up."

Malfoy nodded and pointed to the back door of the room, which was open.

"The nearest one is down that hall. The third door on the left."

Hermione turned on her heel and walked to where he had indicated, taking another flute of
champagne from one of the floating trays and downing it in one gulp.
Malfoy was confusing her more each day, and she was starting to feel things she didn't like.
She glanced back just before walking through the door and saw that he was watching her
with a possessive gleam in his eyes.

Hermione stepped out into the hall, shaking her head. She'd had too much to drink and had
probably imagined it.

She found the bathroom by the third door as Malfoy had said. Inside was Daphne's little
sister, Astoria, who gave her a forced smile before stepping out and leaving her alone.

Hermione walked over to one of the sinks, turning on the tap and placing her hands under the
running water. The coldness of it helped her calm down.

She ran a hand over the nape of her neck, cooling herself, and looked at her reflection in the
mirror. The diamonds hanging from her neck sparkled.

You're all right. It's going to be all right.

Hermione waited until her heartbeat returned to normal and stepped out of the lavatory. She
realised too late that there was someone else in the hall.

"Ah, Hermione." A man's figure stepped into her path. "I was looking for you."

She narrowed her eyes.

"Cormac," she greeted coldly.

"You look beautiful tonight," he commented, letting his lecherous gaze wander down her
body as his fingers curled around her left wrist. "Like a gift waiting to be opened."

Anger washed over her.

How dare he say such a thing?

"Let go of me," Hermione demanded with a serious face. "Now."

"There's no need to make such a fuss," he said, cocking his head to the side and moving
forward until he had her cornered against the wall. "We're just talking."

"I said let go," she repeated, tugging on her arm.

Cormac would be sorry he'd touched her by now if Hermione had her wand.

"If you were mine, I wouldn't let you go anywhere alone," the wizard murmured, ignoring her
attempts to set herself free and licking his lips. "You never know what might be lurking in the
shadows."

Hermione felt herself go pale. She tugged at her arm again but Cormac tightened his grip on
her wrist and gave her a twisted smile.
She closed her eyes and focused on finding her magical core. If she tried hard enough, she
could defend herself with wandless magic. She'd done it before.

Something moved at the end of the hall and Cormac's grip on her disappeared. Her eyes
snapped open and Hermione staggered when she lost her balance.

She heard Cormac groan in pain when his back hit the marble wall. Ropes were wrapped
around his arms and legs, pinning him against it.

Malfoy brushed past her without a second look and lunged at him.

"If you lay a finger on my wife again, you'll regret ever being born," he hissed, pointing his
wand at him.

"Are you threatening me, Malfoy?" Cormac snarled, trying to release one of his hands. "Have
you forgotten who I am?"

Malfoy's lips curved into a dark smile Hermione had never seen on his face before. He
flicked his wand and the ropes lengthened, wrapping around Cormac's torso and tightening
until he was struggling to fill his lungs with air.

"I know exactly who you are." He stepped back, piercing him with a look of contempt. "A
prick who doesn't understand the word no."

Malfoy averted his gaze to Hermione who was still leaning against the wall, her breath
ragged and her eyes wide. He cracked his neck and turned his attention back to Cormac,
looming over him.

"I learnt more than one dark curse during the years I served the Dark Lord," he murmured in
a husky voice, staring at him as he pressed the tip of his wand against his throat. "And I will
make sure you have a slow and painful death."

Cormac's breath hitched and his eyes widened in panic.

"You'll end up locked up in Azkaban if you hurt me," he warned, his voice trembling.

Malfoy laughed darkly.

"I'd go to Azkaban as a happy man knowing that you're twenty feet underground."

That was too much. Hermione advanced towards them decisively, already recovered from the
shock.

"Enough," she said, tugging on Malfoy's arm to put some distance between them. "Let him
go."

He gave her a sidelong scowl and stepped back, vanishing the ropes that held Cormac against
the wall.

"From now on you are not welcome in this house."

Raw magic pulsed around them and an invisible force pushed Cormac down the hall, pulling
him towards one of the doors leading to the grounds.

"You'll pay for this, Malfoy!" Cormac shouted before stepping through the door, which
closed as soon as he was out.

The invisible force kept pushing him until he was behind the gate and outside the grounds.
Hermione looked away from the window and turned to face Malfoy, crossing her arms over
her chest.

"That was dark magic."

"It's blood magic, as old as this manor. Not all blood magic is dark, Granger."

She snorted in disbelief.

"I don't need you to defend me against Cormac."

"Well, you looked like you needed some help," he drawled, pointing at the red marks Cormac
had left on her wrist.

"He just caught me off guard, that's all." Hermione sighed, wrapping a finger around the
necklace he'd given her. "If I'd had my wand-"

"I won't let anyone touch you."

Hermione gaped at him, unable to take in what he had just said.

"I don't belong to you," she snapped, regaining control and glaring daggers at him. "I'm not
yours to save."

Malfoy squared his jaw, his hands closing into fists.

"I know."

Without another word, he turned his back on her and walked off in the opposite direction,
turning down another hall and out of sight.

Hermione pursed her lips and followed him.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

"Malfoy!"

Draco ignored her and continued walking. He entered his mother's tea room and threw some
Floo powder into the embers, stepping into the green flames.

When he came out, he found everything just as they had left it. Not even the cat had moved
from the sofa.
He unbuttoned his jacket and snorted when he heard the roar of the flames behind him.

"Leave me alone, Granger."

She ignored him and stepped in front of him, blocking his way.

"Why are you being like this?"

Draco just wanted to go to bed and drink Firewhisky until he forgot about that bloody night,
but Granger seemed to be in the mood for an argument.

"McLaggen was hurting you," he snarled, stepping closer until she had to lift her chin to hold
his gaze. "And you're so proud you'd rather go through that than accept my help."

"He wouldn't have dared to go any further," Granger answered, making his blood boil in his
veins. "He would have released me."

Always so naive, trying to see the good in everyone when that fool had none.

Draco bit down on his tongue, keeping his temper at bay.

"You don't know him."

"And you do?" Granger snorted and a few curls escaped from her bun, falling down either
side of her face. "I don't like you pretending to care about me, Malfoy."

The words rolled off his tongue before Draco could stop them.

"I'm not pretending."

Her brown eyes widened like saucers and the air between them changed, becoming tense and
heavy. Her gaze dropped to his lips and a blush spread across her cheeks and nose.

When Granger met his eyes again and leaned forward slightly, Draco took a step back.

Both of them were gasping for breath.

He flicked his gaze back and forth between her eyes. His skin tingled with the knowledge of
what had been about to happen.

Draco let out a long, defeated sigh.

"Fuck it."

He took a step forward and wrapped his arms around her, pinning her against the wall as he
claimed her mouth in a violent kiss. Granger gasped and her lips parted, allowing him to
explore her with his tongue.

She put her hands around his neck and Draco tugged at her bun with one of his, tangling his
fingers in her curls and lifting her chin so he could devour her lips just like he wanted. His
other hand trailed down to her waist and squeezed it, pulling her tight against his body.
 It would take him a long time to forget this kiss.

He ran his free hand up her back, enjoying her warm skin, and heard her sigh over his lips.

A growl escaped from his throat when Granger buried her hands in his hair. Her sweet,
feminine scent was clouding his senses, and he could taste champagne on her tongue.

Draco froze.

Alcohol.

Granger was drunk.

He pulled away abruptly, shaking his head. She hadn't expected it and had to brace herself
against the wall to keep from falling to the floor.

Draco watched her for a moment as he panted. Her curls fell messily around her shoulders
and her lips were red and swollen from his kisses.

As much as he wanted her at that moment, he couldn't do it. Not when she wasn't aware of
what was happening.

The last thing Draco wanted was for Granger to wake up the next day with no memory of
anything, or to be horrified to learn that they had kissed in such a deep and intimate way.

He used all his self-control to take one step back and kept retreating until his back hit the
doorframe.

Granger was staring at him, trying to catch her breath.

"You should go to bed, Granger."

Draco turned and stepped into his room before she could say something that might change his
mind.

Chapter End Notes

🤭🤭
Draco wearing sweatpants and their first real kiss!!
What do you think?
 A Bludger to the Chest
Chapter Notes

Thank you so much for waiting. Enjoy!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

March 24th, 2006

The birds were already chirping when Hermione opened her eyes, groaning as she stretched
her legs.

She winced once she sat up in bed and her head throbbing mildly. After years of only
drinking the occasional glass of wine, those three flutes of champagne hadn’t been a wise
choice.

A fresh glass of water was what she needed to feel better.

Hermione entered her bathroom and filled a glass, returning to the bedroom and sipping at it
as she dressed.

She looked at herself in the mirror and frowned at the diamond necklace hanging from her
neck. An annoyed huff came out from her lips when Hermione tried to unclasp it and
couldn’t, just like last night before she took a shower to calm her nerves.

Thinking about who had clasped it around her throat darkened her mood, and her cheeks
reddened in her reflection. This new version of Malfoy who confronted Cormac to protect her
was confusing, and the confusion turned into shock when he admitted caring for her in a way.

He was suddenly very close, his smell still clouding her mind from twirling around the room
with him, and the thought of kissing him had crossed her mind. Malfoy had stepped away
from her as if reading her thoughts, only to steal her breath away with a searing kiss a
moment later.

Hermione could still feel the ghost of his hot and demanding lips against hers. Just when
Malfoy deepened the kiss, he had frozen and pulled away, staring at her with a panicked
expression before storming out of the room.

His rejection had been like a dagger to the heart. Hermione knew there was nothing between
them and that it shouldn’t hurt, but it did. His charming attitude was also probably fake.

She knew he could be an excellent actor.

Hermione took Crooks in her arms and, after a deep breath, opened her door and stepped out
into the hall. Her familiar was less and less active each day, and she was starting to worry.

There was noise in the kitchen. Malfoy had his back to her and stiffened when she entered
but Hermione ignored him, smiling at the little elf sitting on the counter.

“Miss Hermione!” The creature squealed excitedly, swinging her legs. “Does Miss want to
eat breakfast?”

“No but thank you, Minsy,” Hermione declined politely, knowing how sensitive the elf was.
Her eyes landed on Malfoy, who was watching her with a frown as he sipped from a mug. “I
can’t take off this stupid necklace you gave me,” she added, averting her gaze to the side and
lifting strong walls in her mind.

She wouldn’t let him see how his rejection had affected her.

It had been a moment of weakness on her part and would never happen again. She shouldn’t
have wanted him to kiss her.

Malfoy placed his mug on the counter and stepped closer.

“Let me see,” he muttered, standing behind her.

Hermione clenched her teeth when she felt his warm fingers brush the nape of her neck. She
hugged Crooks tighter to her chest until she heard the soft metallic sound, stepping aside.

“Are you occluding?” Malfoy was holding the necklace in his hand and frowning. “Gra-”

She was gone in a ball of green flames before he could say her name.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

March 27th, 2006

The bad weather was never a problem for his team and Draco was glad for it.

Theo hadn’t been available for the last days and Granger didn’t even look at him. He needed
the distraction.

Little was left for their next match against the Holyhead Harpies, which were currently third
in the British League Winning the match would grant them that position and the option of
winning the league before the Quidditch season was over.

Draco pushed all thoughts of Granger to the back of his mind and focused on finding the
snitch, squinting under the rain and gripping his faithful broom.

She had been ignoring him for three days. Granger was always gone when he woke up and
locked in her room whenever he returned to the flat. He didn’t know why she was acting like
this, and he had no idea what to do to get her to talk to him and tell her what the issue was.
His jaw clenched as the memory of their kiss moved to the front of his mind and Draco
pushed it away, locking it behind the thickest wall he could create.

Lying to himself was foolish. He knew the reason.

Another man had just tried to assault her and Draco had thought kissing her would be a great
idea. Of course she was mad.

Granger would have never wanted to be kissed by him. He was still wondering why she
hadn’t hexed him on the spot the next morning.

Draco turned, hanging upside down as a bludger zoomed past him. He made a rude gesture
towards one of the beaters, who was laughing and spinning his bat in his hand with a smug
smile on his face.

“Nice try, Henry.”

Something golden flashed in the corner of his vision. Still hovering in the air upside down,
Draco hurtled towards the ground, hissing when the freezing air cut his skin but keeping his
eyes fixed on the tiny ball.

A few of his teammates cheered when he spun on his axis and caught it for the third time that
morning. Draco flew back up and released it, waiting until the snitch was lost in the distance.

A stupid idea popped into his mind and he smirked, pausing in the middle of the pitch.

Draco pushed his wet hair back and glanced at his golden wristwatch, which belonged to his
great-grandparent and had been his coming-of-age present. The practice was about to end.

Aaron was blinking under the rain, his dark hair plastered to his forehead as he stared at the
bludger that was flying towards him. Draco moved once he heard the bat hit it, putting
himself in the ball’s way.

A string of curses fell from his lips when it collided with his chest and he heard the crack of
his bones.

“Draco!” Aaron was at his side in the blink of an eye, holding his uninjured arm. “Are you
okay, mate? I thought you had seen me!” He shouted, watching him with a worried
expression.

“I can’t move my shoulder,” Draco muttered, wincing at the sharp pain. “I think it’s
dislocated.”

They both descended to the ground and Eric blew his whistle, signalling the end of practice.

“It’s okay.” Aaron held Draco’s broom and his, carrying them both on his shoulder while
Draco clutched his right arm to his chest. “That’s easy to fix.”

“Everyone okay?” Eric asked, landing next to them and dismounting his broom. “Should I
call the Healer?”
Draco shook his head, avoiding their gazes as the rest of the team surrounded them.

“I’d rather go to St. Mungo’s.”

“I need you fully recovered for our last practice, Malfoy,” Eric warned him with a sharp look.

“Healer Granger will take care of him,” Henry said with a chuckle, wiggling his eyebrows at
him before turning to Eric. “You don’t have to worry.”

Draco rolled his eyes while they entered the locker room.

“Oh, right.” Eric laughed and grinned at him. “Give your wife my regards.”

“Sure.”

Draco grabbed his clean clothes with his good arm and shrank them before dropping them
into his pocket. He took his broom from Aaron’s hand and saw him twisting his lips in
thought as he stared at him.

“You did this on purpose, didn’t you?”

Shit.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Draco replied, feeling a blush creep up his neck.

He looked around to check if the team was listening to their conversation. Almost everyone
had gone to the showers, but Henry and Gareth, the team Keeper, were about to leave the
room.

Some of them preferred to go home and use their private bathrooms sometimes, like Draco.

“Right.” Aaron laughed, not buying his attempt at playing dumb. He shook his head and
threw his towel on the bench before stepping into one of the remaining empty showers. “See
you, Draco. And don’t let her hurt you.”

“She’s not like that anymore,” he murmured under his breath, frowning at Aaron’s sceptical
snort.

Draco swallowed thickly once he left the locker room and approached the Fireplace’s Hall of
the stadium. Granger was mad at him, so he wasn’t completely sure his words were true.

He threw the purple powder onto the embers and held his injured arm tighter, stepping into
the flames. St. Mungo’s lobby welcomed him a few seconds later.

A woman wearing a white robe looked up when he approached the reception desk and her
green eyes widening in recognition.

“How can I help you, Mr Malfoy?”

Draco cleared his throat.

“Is Healer Granger busy?”

“I’ll tell her you’re here,” the woman replied, writing something on a blue paper and tapping
it with her wand. The paper folded into a bird and flew away, disappearing up the stairs. “You
can wait for her in room four,” she added, pointing to the corridor with her eyes.

Draco followed her gaze and nodded.

“Thank you.”

The examination room was empty. He sat on the edge of the gurney and glanced at the
cabinet filled with potions, recognising the yellowish colour of his invigorating elixir.

The corner of his lips curled upwards. Draco had noticed that Granger was taking more and
more potions from his studio, but he didn't know she was giving them to her patients.

That level of trust made his stomach flip.

The door opened again and Granger entered, rolling her eyes when she saw him there.

“Malfoy,” she greeted in a cold voice, her expression changing when she noticed how he
cradled his right arm with his hand. “What happened?”

Draco shrugged his uninjured shoulder.

“Bludger accident.”

Granger clicked her tongue in disapproval and pulled out her wand. Her diagnostic charm
warmed his skin as it ran up and down his body.

“I see.” She eyed the yellow and red colours of the charm before vanishing it with a flick of
her wand. “Your shoulder is dislocated and there’s a bit of internal bleeding.”

She walked over to the gurney and pulled a vial out of her pocket.

“Drink it.”

Draco eyed the potion warily.

“What is it?”

“For the bleeding,” Granger explained, shoving another vial into his face. “And for the pain.”

Draco swallowed the first one, grimacing in disgust.

“This one tastes foul,” he complained, leaving the empty vial on the table and taking the
other one in his hand. “Too bitter.”

“Another potion you could work on to improve the taste,” Granger mused, lifting her brow at
him.
Draco gulped down the pain potion and sighed, accepting the glass of water she had conjured
for him.

“I’m not a Potions Master, Granger,” he muttered, taking a sip.

She crossed her arms and waited until he left the empty glass on the table, vanishing
everything with another flick of her wand.

“You could be if you wanted to. It would be a good option once you're too old for
Quidditch.”

His heart pounded harder at the compliment, skipping a beat when she placed a hand on his
arm and squeezed carefully, holding it as she waved her wand in a circle.

A soft pop and his shoulder was relocated.

“I think I’m done.” Granger cast another diagnostic charm and nodded in approval, her eyes
turning cold when she looked at him again. “You’re okay to go home.”

She turned to the door but Draco reached out, holding her arm.

“Granger, wait.”

She turned her head slowly and stared at him with a blank expression.

Draco held back the urge to wince. He didn't like seeing her occlude around him again.

“I’m sorry I kissed you,” he whispered, flinching back when she pulled her arm free from his
grasp.

“Of course you’re sorry,” Granger snapped, taking a step back and narrowing her eyes. “I
know you regret it.”

Draco was rolling his right shoulder but froze at her words. He turned to her with a scowl,
brushing a few locks of hair away from his eyes.

“What do you mean?”

Granger let out a tired sigh and waved her hand.

“It’s fine, Malfoy.”

He jumped from the gurney and stopped her before she could leave the room. Granger glared
up at him.

“I don’t regret it,” Draco said, lifting a brow when a look of confusion crossed her face.
“Why are you mad at me, Granger?” He cocked his head, watching her intently. “It’s not
because I kissed you, is it?”

Had she wanted it as much as him?

A faint blush coloured her cheeks, confirming his suspicions. She lifted her chin and stepped
away from him.

“You pulled away and looked at me as if it was the biggest mistake of your life.”

Draco almost groaned in frustration.

“You were drunk.” He stepped closer, his blood rushing through his veins. His gaze flickered
down to her mouth and up to her eyes again. “I thought you would kill me for it in the
morning.”

Granger frowned.

“I was not drunk,” she hissed, putting distance between them.

Draco closed the gap again, his eyes never leaving hers. She had stopped occluding.

“You were.”

“I was not!” Granger snarled, stomping her foot angrily.

How could Draco find that cute, he would never know. He stared into her eyes, licking his
lips when her gaze fell on his mouth.

“I could taste the champagne on your tongue, Granger.”

She looked up at him with wide eyes, her blush deepening and spreading over her face.

“I was a bit tipsy, yes,” Granger admitted in a low voice, rolling her eyes when he gave her a
smug smile. “But I knew what I was doing.”

The pull he felt towards her was too strong to resist. He took another step, their chests almost
touching.

“So you were letting me kiss you.”

Granger swallowed, looking up at him from beneath her lashes.

“I guess you can say that.”

The silence was so tense he could probably cut it with a knife. Draco looked down at her pink
lips again, wondering if they would taste as good as he remembered.

Granger stepped away before he could lean in and check it.

“I need to go.”

He turned his head and saw the hem of her Healer robes disappear before the door fell shut
again. Draco ran his thumb over his tingling lips as he replayed their conversation in his
mind.
Granger had wanted the kiss.

A smile tugged at his lips when he left the room, feeling much better than in the morning.

Getting a bludger to his chest had been worth it, after all.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━

After a quick shower, Draco went to the manor to have lunch with his parents. Both of them
were still talking about the Spring Ball and asking questions about his early departure that he
couldn’t answer.

He strolled with them through the gardens, listening to his mother’s plans for the summer,
and went back to his flat after tea.

The last thing he was expecting was to be greeted by a furious Granger. Her wand was
pointed at him as soon as he appeared between the green flames.

“Impedimenta! Incarcerous!”

Both spells hit him at the same time and his body froze while thick ropes wrapped around his
middle.

“What the fuck are you doing, Granger?” Draco growled, struggling against them as Granger
levitated him and pinned him up against the wall. “You said you were not mad!”

“I’m furious, Malfoy!” She yelled back, her breathing noisy and her eyes hard when she
lifted his chin with the tip of her wand, blue sparks of magic falling from it and stinging his
skin. The blood drained from his face at the hatred he found in her eyes. “Tell me where my
things are right now.”

Draco blinked, confused for the second time that day.

“What things?”

“All my work!” Granger threw her hands in the air, blinking back angry tears. “The law
books, my theories… All of it is gone!”

Draco exhaled shakily.

“Will you stop screaming and let me explain?”

A spark of fire flashed in her eyes and she placed her hands on her hips, shooting daggers at
him.

“I’m waiting.”

He had been planning this for a while, but after seeing her reaction, Draco doubted it had
been a good idea.
Knowing Granger couldn’t hurt him without hurting herself was a small comfort. He took a
deep breath, preparing himself for her rage.

“I gave everything to Elisabeth Davis, a lawyer who works in the best British law firm I
know.”

Her mouth fell open and she stared at him with wide eyes, her wand momentarily forgotten in
her hand.

“She’s also a Muggleborn and wants to meet you,” Draco continued, looking around the
room uncomfortably when he noticed her eyes were watering. “Whenever you’re free.”

Granger didn’t move or say anything. He glanced back at her and found her still gaping at
him.

“I left a note with her contact details on your desk.”

She finally reacted, clearing her throat and letting her hands fall to her sides.

“I didn’t see it.”

Her voice had lost all its power. Draco didn't like it.

“I guess you can’t see anything when you’re rabid with rage,” he muttered, hiding a smile
when the fire returned to her eyes and she frowned at him.

Granger crossed her arms over her chest.

“You should have told me about this.”

“You wouldn’t have let me do it, Granger,” he replied with a heavy sigh. “You’re too
stubborn and don’t trust anyone to do the job as well as you can.”

She pursed her lips but said nothing. Draco tugged at the ropes holding him.

“Can you release me now?”

Granger shook her head.

“I want to know something more first.” She took a step towards him, holding his gaze. “Did
you send a letter to St. Mungo’s Human Resources?”

His shoulders tightened and his hands closed into fists.

“Why do you ask?”

“I went there on Monday during my break to report Cormac’s behaviour,” Granger said,
arching an eyebrow when a muscle feathered in his jaw. “They told me they already knew
everything and that he had been fired that morning.”

Draco couldn’t help the smirk that spread across his face.
He ignored her angry stare as he thought about that arsehole. It was the least he deserved for
touching her.

“I didn’t want you to have to face that prick again,” he replied, not feeling sorry in the
slightest.

He wanted McLaggen as far away from Granger as possible.

Her left eye twitched.

“I can take care of myself.”

“I know,” Draco drawled, running his tongue over his dry lips. “I still wanted to do it.”

Granger muttered something under her breath and snorted, waving her wand. The ropes
disappeared and his feet fell to the floor.

“Sorry about that,” she mumbled while he rubbed his sore arms and wrists.

Draco squared his shoulders, sighing in relief when the right one gave no sign of being hurt.

“If you wanted to tie me up, you only had to ask,” he murmured, grinning when Granger
gasped indignantly.

She pocketed her wand and turned away from him to hide her blush, shaking her head.

“I know you don’t trust me, but I’m on your side on this.” Draco ran a hand through his hair,
all the amusement gone from his voice. “I was just trying to help.”

She breathed in deeply, her shoulders rising and falling as she deflated.

“Why?”

“Because you’re always exhausted, Granger.” Draco circled her until he was facing her again,
pointing to the dark circles under her eyes with his gaze. “You can’t change the world all by
yourself.”

Granger almost smiled at that.

“That was very thoughtful of you, Malfoy. Thank you.” She stood on her tiptoes and kissed
his cheek. He stiffened in surprise. “But tell me next time,” she whispered in his ear before
pulling back.

Draco nodded in agreement, wondering if she knew how scary she could be. He was glad he
never had to fight against her during the war.

Granger returned to the couch and grabbed her half-empty mug of tea from the table, taking a
sip.

“Where were you?”

Draco walked over to his wall of books, running his finger over the spines of his recently
purchased books.

“At the manor.”

He paused and turned his face to her, biting the inside of his cheek as he decided how to tell
her the news. Granger raised her brow in question.

“My parents want to have lunch with yours.”

Her face paled.

“Oh.” Granger looked down at her mug, her fingers tightening around it. “Right. They didn’t
meet at the wedding.”

Draco leaned against the shelves and waited. Narcissa had insisted, but he wouldn’t ask her to
do something she didn’t feel comfortable with.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Granger continued in a low voice, tugging at her lower
lip with her teeth.

He selected one of the books and joined her on the sofa.

“It can be done,” Draco promised, leaning back and placing A Feast for Crows on his lap. He
hadn’t been able to stop reading Muggle fantasy books since he finished the Lord of the
Rings trilogy. “My parents will be on their best behaviour, Granger. I’ll make sure of it.”

She glanced at him and tapped her mug with her forefinger as she considered it.

“And I’d be as charming as usual,” Draco added with a mischievous smirk, chuckling when
she scrunched up her nose. “I know your mother loves me.”

“Hard not to,” Granger murmured with a roll of her eyes. “You are very good at pretending.”

That word again.

Did she remember what he had said to her after the ball, just a few days earlier?

She probably did. Granger hadn’t been drunk, after all.

Draco couldn’t contain himself. His gaze flickered down to her lips and he swallowed when
he felt the air shift between them. Granger was also looking at his mouth when he glanced
up.

He leaned an inch closer and her eyes fell shut. Draco felt her sweet breath on his face, the
scent of honeyed tea filling his nostrils.

The roar of the flames made them jump apart.

 “Fuck, Theo,” Draco snarled, his anger disappearing when he noticed the panicked
expression on his friend’s face. “What’s wrong?”

“Are you okay?” Granger jumped to her feet, walking over to him as she looked him up and
down. “Is it Luna?” She asked, her eyes widening in fear.

“We’re both okay, Granger. I’m sorry for interrupting,” Theo said, rubbing the back of his
head and shifting his weight from one leg to the other. “But we have a… a problem. A huge
problem.”

Draco frowned. His friend's cheeks were red and he looked uncomfortable.

Theo never blushed.

“What problem?” Granger asked, pulling her wand out of her jeans and almost stepping into
the fireplace to go in search of her friend.

Theo grabbed her arm to stop her and shook his head. He looked between them, his teeth
sinking into his lip.

“Theo?” Draco asked, standing up as well.

This couldn’t be good.

His friend let out a long sigh and stared at him with worried eyes.

“The contraceptive charm doesn’t work on her.”

Chapter End Notes

Hermione: There's nothing you can do to make me talk to you.

Draco: Hold my beer.
Let me know what you think of this Draco who hurts himself just to see Hermione 😂
 Clouds and Tears
Chapter Notes

This almost 6k-long chapter is a roller coaster of emotions. You have been warned.

TRIGGER WARNING (SPOILER)

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Draco blinked.

“What?”

“The charm doesn’t work,” repeated Theo, looking between him and Granger with an
anxious expression.

Draco glanced at her and noticed that her face had turned pale.

“Have you two…”

Theo cut her off with a shake of his head, his blush deepening.

“We want to get to know each other first, but Luna was curious about the charm.” He
shrugged and looked away, staring at the wall covered in books with crossed arms. “I
couldn’t explain how it felt, so she asked me to cast it on her.”

Draco took a deep breath, a weight lifting from his shoulders. Theo was not ready to be a
father, and he wasn’t even sure his friend wanted to.

Granger also relaxed at his side, which made him wonder if she was having the same thought
about Luna.

“And what happened?” Granger asked with a furrowed brow.

Theo looked back into her eyes with his lips pressed together.

“There was no purple glow, and she felt nothing.”

Granger’s eyes widened.

“That can’t be right.”

Draco agreed. He had cast the charm enough times to know that the woman’s belly glowed
purple for a moment and they felt a cold sensation inside their abdomen.

He turned to Granger and pulled out his wand. There was only one way to find out.
“May I?”

She glanced at him and an emotion Draco couldn’t understand flickered in her eyes. Granger
nodded and turned her body to him, standing still.

Draco pointed at her lower belly and muttered the contraceptive charm. Nothing happened.

Granger frowned and grabbed her own wand, pointing it at herself and saying the charm. The
three of them stared at her belly waiting, but no glow appeared.

She swallowed hard and looked up at Draco, the same dread he was feeling reflected in her
expressive eyes.

“What the fuck does this mean?” He hissed, his hands shaking in anger.

“The marriage bond,” Granger replied in a low voice, rubbing her belly and glancing at Theo.
“We’re supposed to be trying to conceive, after all. Why would we need the contraceptive
charm?”

His friend grimaced.

“That’s… terrifying.”

Granger nodded in agreement and returned to the sofa, burying her fingers in her cat’s fur and
staring into nothing as she thought.

Draco and Theo shared a meaningful look.

“Do you think that would work?” His friend crossed his arms and leaned his shoulder against
the shelves, waiting for his answer.

Draco hummed.

“Perhaps.” He flicked his wand to summon one of the vials from his studio and approached
the sofa. “Drink this, Granger,” he murmured, extending the potion to her.

She took it in her hands.

“What is it?”

“A contraceptive potion we brewed long ago.”

She glanced at Theo briefly and then at him before uncorking the vial and drinking the
golden liquid in two gulps.

A purple glow surrounded her belly for an instant.

“The potion still works.” Theo lowered himself into the black armchair and let out a sigh of
relief. “Good to know.”
Draco gave him a reassuring smile. Theo had fallen head over heels for his new wife, and
they both deserved the chance to explore their new relationship the way they wanted without
worrying about her getting pregnant accidentally.

His traitorous mind conjured an image of him and Granger being that intimate and he pushed
it away before his body could react, clenching his jaw hard.

“I thought about the potion too, so I went to Diagon Alley to buy a few of the ingredients
before coming here,” Theo commented, his brow creased in worry. “We now need special
permission to buy them.”

Draco scoffed.

“The anti-cheating curse makes sense now,” he snarled, running a hand through his hair and
trying to keep his anger at bay. “A good way of ensuring witches only get pregnant by their
husbands.”

The fucking Wizengamot had passed a law that controlled them in every way possible.

Granger shook her head, tugging at one of her curls while she petted Crookshanks with her
other hand.

“I can't believe the Ministry is behind this.”

“Really, Granger?” Draco looked at her, his brow raised and his lips curled in fake
amusement. “They forced all of us to get married, but this is what you find hard to believe?”

A snort left her lips.

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“Nothing is surprising about this.” He sat down at the other side of the cat and sneered. “Just
another way of controlling us.”

Theo put his feet on the low table and rubbed his chin.

“We can’t let them win, can’t we?”

Draco leaned back on his comfortable sofa and smirked at his friend. There was always a
Slytherin way to avoid a problem.

“I have four more vials, and enough ingredients to brew five more.”

Theo nodded with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“I know where to find more ngredients.”

Granger turned her head to him in surprise.

“Where?”
Both Theo and Draco chuckled.

“I don’t think you want to know the answer to that,” Theo replied, winking at her.

She rolled her eyes.

“There are Muggle methods to avoid getting pregnant, you know.”

Theo wrinkled his nose in disgust.

“What, those balloons they put on their cocks?” Granger laughed and Theo shook his head.
“No, thank you.”

Her laugh was contagious and Draco couldn’t help but chuckle at his friend’s expression.

“They’re not that bad, mate,” he muttered with a grin.

“You use that, then.” Theo waved his hand dismissively as he stood up to leave. “I want the
potion.”

He threw a handful of powder on the embers and disappeared into a cloud of green flames.

Draco looked at Granger and frowned in confusion. There was an amused glint in her eyes.

“Have you ever used a condom?”

“I was about to when the Aurors interrupted me, as you know.” He lifted an eyebrow at her
and drummed his fingers on the arm of the sofa. “But I know how that works.”

Granger choked back a laugh.

“Did you practise how to put it on yourself?”

His eyes narrowed.

“Why do you ask, Granger?”

“I’m just curious.” She shrugged, her teasing smile getting wider. “It’s not common to hear a
pureblood like you talking about Muggle contraceptive methods.”

Draco leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.

“Should I show you how I do it?” He cocked his head, smirking when the smile dropped
from her face and a faint blush coloured her cheeks. “I still have the box.”

“No, thank you.” Granger took her cat in her arms and looked away, standing up and moving
towards the hall. “Good night, Malfoy.”

Draco watched her disappear and sighed, running the tip of his thumb over his lower lip.
They had been about to kiss when Theo stormed into his flat. The reminder of how her mouth
felt against his sent a wave of desire through his body.

Admitting to himself that he wanted Granger had been hard, but now that Draco knew she
felt something similar, he wasn’t sure how much more he could wait.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━

April 5th, 2006

“Where is it?”

Hermione glanced at her mother, who was holding onto Malfoy’s arm as they walked down
the path that led to Malfoy Manor.

She had apparated her father to the nearest town, and he had done the same with Jane.

“Quite close.” Malfoy gave her mother a kind and reassuring smile. “The grounds start right
there,” he explained, pointing to the distance.

Seeing him being polite and caring with her parents still made her skin crawl.

No one can be that good at pretending.

Hermione averted her gaze and tugged at her lower lip with her teeth. She needed to stop
thinking about him and how much she wouldn't mind if everything were real.

Peter gave her a questioning look and Hermione shook her head, forcing her lips to form a
smile.

Malfoy had potential to be a great husband, but not to her. They would have never chosen
each other.

Neither of her parents said anything when the metallic fence of the manor appeared at one
side of the path. Hermione glanced at Jane and then looked back at Peter, her brow
furrowing.

Could they see it at all?

They were almost in front of the gates when her mother gasped.

“Oh.” Jane stopped in her tracks and let go of Malfoy’s arm. “I have to go,” she muttered,
turning around.

“What?” Hermione held her arm to stop her. “No, mum. They’re waiting for us.”

“Your mother is right.” Petter interrupted her and grabbed Jane’s hand, tugging at her and
nodding. “We have an appointment and we’re going to be late.”

Malfoy closed his eyes and swore under his breath.

“It must be the Muggle-repelling wards.” He wrapped an arm around Jane’s shoulders and
pushed her forward gently. “Come with me, Jane.”

“Really, Draco, I have to go-”

Malfoy pressed his palm to the gate and it opened. He stepped through it with her mother and
Hermione held her father firmly, ignoring his attempts at pulling away.

They both stopped struggling once they were inside the grounds. Malfoy released Jane and
turned to her with a concerned expression.

“Better?”

Hermione’s eyebrows launched into her hairline in surprise. Was he worried about them?

Jane took a deep breath and smiled at him.

“Yes, much better. I don’t know why I wanted to leave.”

“There are wards to keep the curious Muggles away from here,” Malfoy explained as
Hermione and her father got closer to them. He pursed his lips and glanced at Peter with an
apologetic smile. “Sorry about that.”

Peter followed the stony path with his gaze and his mouth fell open once he saw the imposing
manor at the end of it.

“Oh, my.” He looked back at Malfoy with wide eyes. “Is that your family house?”

“Yes.” Malfoy grinned and took her mother’s arm in his. “Shall we? My parents are waiting
for us in the sunroom.”

They started walking again and Peter cleared his throat.

“How old is this place, Draco?”

“The Malfoys came to England with William the Conqueror.” Malfoy chewed on the inside
of his cheek and shrugged. “So almost a thousand years old.”

“That’s very impressive,” her father admitted, looking back at the grey manor towering over
them. “All I know about the Grangers is that we have always lived in London.”

Hermione quickened her pace until she was walking next to Malfoy.

“William the Conqueror was a Muggle,” she murmured, low enough only he could hear her
voice.

“I know that.” Malfoy stared at her with an arched eyebrow. “He was the one who named my
ancestor a Lord.”

Hermione snorted.
“Of course you’re a Lord.”

“Not me.” Malfoy shook his head, the amusement he felt showing on his face. “My father.
For now.”

She rolled her eyes and waited for Peter, who was still gaping at the Gothic building.

“I wouldn’t mind living here,” Jane commented as they strolled through the flower garden.
“This must be the most beautiful garden I’ve ever seen.”

Malfoy smiled.

“Thank you. My mother and her elf take care of it.”

He released her arm and pointed to the glass door with his hand. Peter and Jane walked
towards it, freezing when it opened on its own.

Magic still surprised them.

Malfoy stepped into the room after them and paused once he reached the couple standing
there.

“Mother, Father.” His gaze flickered between his parents and returned to the two Muggles
waiting by the door. “These are Peter and Jane Granger.”

Lucius was the first one to move and extend his hand.

“It’s lovely to finally meet you,” he greeted them with a warm smile, lifting Jane’s hand and
kissing her knuckles. Hermione's heart stopped. “Welcome to our home.”

She felt Malfoy’s presence at her side but didn’t look at him, her mind still trying to process
how welcoming the Malfoys were to her Muggle parents.

“Told you,” Malfoy muttered under his breath.

Hermione looked away from Narcissa and Peter, who were shaking hands, and glared up at
him, clenching her jaw when she found a smug smile on his face.

“Shut up.”

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━

“It wasn’t that bad, was it?”

Hermione looked up at him. They were out in the garden and his parents were showing hers
all the different flowers and trees that grew there at Jane’s request.

The meal had been delicious and the conversation flowed easily between them. Narcissa and
Jane even shared a few laughs, which shocked Hermione to her core.
Never in a million years would she have imagined something like that was possible.

“No,” she admitted, looking at Malfoy from the corner of her eye. “You were right. Is that
what you wanted to hear?”

His soft chuckle made her stomach flip in a way she didn’t like.

“I will remember those words for the rest of my life.”

Hermione rolled her eyes and nudged him in the ribs.

“You’re such a prat.”

He turned his body to her while they walked, his hands in his pockets and a smirk twisting
his lips to the side.

“Am I?”

She couldn’t help but smile back.

“Sometimes,” Hermione mumbled, looking up at the cloudless sky.

The weather was perfect, which was unusual. She wouldn't be surprised if Malfoy Manor had
some kind of wards to keep the clouds away from its grounds whenever its occupants wanted
to enjoy the gardens.

Malfoy paused and she did the same, watching how her mother disappeared behind a Jasmine
plant with a beaming smile on her face.

Hermione glanced at the familiar flowers at their right and grinned.

“So these are the roses.”

Malfoy followed her gaze and hummed.

“My mother loves them,” he said, tracing the petals of one of them with his fingertips.

His hand moved down to the stem and he pulled out his wand.

Hermione gasped.

“Don’t-”

The rose was floating in the air before she could protest and Malfoy grabbed it carefully,
turning to her.

“She won’t mind.”

Her heart skipped a beat when he stepped closer and placed the dark red flower in her curls,
right above her ear. Hermione looked up at his grey eyes and felt her cheeks burn.
“Malfoy.”

He was staring at one of her curls as he wrapped it around his finger.

“Yes?”

Hermione smoothed down her dress and her gaze flicked between his eyes. He lifted a brow
in question.

“What are you doing?” She asked in a whisper.

His lips twitched and he looked her up and down before releasing her curl.

“Flirting with my wife.”

Hermione froze.

“Right.”

He was just putting on a show for their parents, as expected.

Malfoy frowned at her change of mood and lifted his hand again, tracing her jawline with his
fingers.

Her lips parted in surprise. He had never touched her like that.

“You look lovely today, Granger,” he breathed, his expression softening as he leaned forward.

Before Hermione could react, his lips were pressed against hers, the soft kiss stealing her
breath away. Malfoy pulled her lower lip between his and sucked while his other arm snaked
around her waist, pulling her closer until there was no space between them.

Her eyes fell shut when his tongue slipped into her mouth, her heart pounding in her ears. He
tilted his head and deepened the kiss, the desire and longing she could feel rolling off of him
making liquid heat burn in her lower body.

Hermione stumbled backwards and Malfoy held her tighter, lifting her until she was standing
on her tiptoes and brushing her cheek with his thumb while he nibbled on her lip.

She kissed him back and heard a low groan when she dragged her hands up his chest to bury
her fingers in his hair.

This kiss was different than the one after the ball, and her blood turned into flames with every
stroke of his tongue.

Hermione led away and gasped for air, her eyes fluttering open when she finally could
breathe again. Malfoy's pupils were so dilated she could only see a tiny ring of grey around
them.

She looked around nervously, hearing her mother’s voice on the other side of the garden.
They were alone.

Hermione glanced back at Malfoy

“No one was looking at us.”

His gaze fell to her mouth.

“I know.”

He leaned in and kissed her again, and Hermione’s brain stopped working.

All she could think about was his scent and how well his lips moulded against hers, almost as
if they had been made for kissing her mouth.

Malfoy broke the kiss once her parents’ voices sounded closer and looked one last time at her
with hooded eyes, tucking a curl behind her ear before taking her hand and walking over to
them.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━

April 10th, 2006

Hermione sighed, rubbing her temple while she waited for the tea to cool down. She finally
had a bit of time for herself and was spending it in her private office.

The week had been chaotic. There hadn't been a moment of peace in the hospital, and things
at Malfoy's flat were tense.

Something had changed since the lunch with their parents in Malfoy Manor, and he was now
avoiding her.

Malfoy simply nodded whenever he saw her, and something dark that twisted her stomach
into a knot always flashed in his eyes before he turned around and left the room she was in.

Hermione suspected the reason why he was behaving like this. She also felt confused and
didn't know how to act around him.

The things she had felt when he kissed her were not normal, and the worst part was that
Hermione wanted him to do it again.

They would have to talk about it eventually, but knowing him, Malfoy would deny having
any feelings for her. And she still didn't know how to describe what she felt whenever she
looked into his eyes.

Two knocks on her door snapped her back to reality. Hermione cleared her throat and took a
sip of her tea.

“Come in.”
Her eyes widened when the last person she was expecting opened the door and entered her
office.

“Malfoy?” She jumped to her feet and her shoulders tensed as her gaze roamed over him,
looking for injuries. He was still wearing his Quidditch uniform. “What happened?”

Malfoy shook his head, closing the door again.

“I’m not hurt.”

Hermione frowned in confusion.

“Then why are you here?”

Her breath caught in her throat when she heard him mutter a spell that locked the door.

Malfoy looked at her, a muscle twitching in his jaw. A chill ran down the spine at the raw
need she could see in his eyes.

“I can’t take it anymore.”

He held her gaze as he approached her with slow steps.

“I can’t sleep, I can’t think. I can’t even catch the snitch.”

Hermione swallowed when he circled the desk and paused just a few inches away from her.

“Wh-why not?”

He took a step forward, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

“Because there’s only one thing in my mind,” he replied in a hushed tone, opening them
again. His gaze was scorching molten grey as he stared down at her.

Hermione stilled when he extended a hand and touched her face.

“You,” Malfoy breathed, his fingers grazing her cheek. His throat bobbed when he
swallowed, his eyes locking with hers after roaming around her nose and mouth. “Your lips,
your hair, your voice.” His fingers trailed down her neck. “Those warm eyes that could burn
me when you get mad.” Malfoy sighed and shook his head, dropping his arm. “That’s all I
think about.”

The only thing she could hear was the wild beating of her heart.

Hermione took a moment to reply.

“Since when?”

“I don’t know.” His raspy voice made her insides squirm. “It’s been a while.”
The tension in the air was so thick she could cut it with a knife. Hermione knew her cheeks
were flushed and her breathing ragged, but she could do nothing about it.

Malfoy’s hands were clenched as if he was trying to control himself and not touch her again.

“I think about you, too,” Hermione blurted, her eyes widening in shock at her own words.

A flash of surprise crossed his face. He grabbed her arms, spinning her around as his lips
crashed into hers and knocked the air out of her lungs.

Her lower back hit the edge of her desk when he pressed his body to hers. Malfoy wrapped
his arms possessively around her and lifted her hips, placing her on the table and pushing the
half-empty mug of tea away while he took his time to devour her, lips, tongue, and teeth
teasing her mouth and driving her mad.

Hermione didn’t even hear the mug crashing to the floor and breaking into a thousand pieces.

She exhaled shakily when his lips moved to her jawline, leaving a trail of kisses down her
throat as he tilted her head to the other side. A whimper came out of her when Malfoy paused
on her pulse and sucked hard.

She waved her hand in the air and silenced the room. Malfoy groaned against her skin.

“You shouldn’t have done that, Granger.”

His mouth returned to hers and his fingers slid into her hair, one of his hands holding her
head while the other travelled down her back.

“Tell me to stop,” he demanded in a whisper, their lips brushing with each of his words. “Or I
won’t.”

Her foggy brain didn't let Hermione think clearly, but she knew that was the last thing she
wanted. It felt too good to finally kiss him freely, hearing him gasp every time she tugged at
his soft hair.

Malfoy pulled back an inch and squeezed her thigh, sending a shiver down her body.

“Can I touch you?”

His breath was hot in her ear when he rasped those four words. Hermione nodded eagerly, her
own hands slipping under his Quidditch shirt and stroking his warm skin. His abdomen
tightened under her touch and he let out a long sigh, his mouth meeting hers again.

Hermione had never felt dizzy with just a kiss. Her mind was blank for once without needing
to occlude, and the musky scent coming from him was intoxicating.

Another swipe of his tongue against her lips made her skin crawl while his hand kept moving
up under her robes. Malfoy cursed when his fingers finally brushed her damp knickers.
“I’ve wanted to do this for months,” he breathed, sliding one of them down her core
experimentally.

It sent a jolt of fire through her body and she stiffened, a moan coming out of her mouth.
Malfoy swallowed it with a kiss and did it again, groaning when she dug her nails into his
back in response.

He suddenly stopped, panting against her lips.

“And you?”

Her eyes fluttered open.

“What?”

His eyes were dark with lust, his cheeks flushed and his lips slightly swollen after the intense
kisses they had just shared. Hermione could feel something hard pressed against her thigh,
almost where she most wanted to feel it. His blond hair was deliciously tousled, falling into
his eyes and giving him a dangerous look.

Why had he stopped?

“Have you wanted this?” Malfoy asked, watching her intently.

Hermione blinked, trying to make sense of what he was saying. Did Malfoy think she didn’t
want him as much as he wanted her?

“Tell me,” he insisted, running his thumb across the sensitive skin of her inner thigh.

Hermione let out a shaky breath.

“For a while.”

It was the answer Malfoy wanted to hear. He gave her a triumphant smile and his mouth
closed over her lips, his tongue curling around hers.

Hermione tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling him in and wrapping her legs around him.
She didn’t want to think about what any of this meant. She just wanted to keep feeling his
soft lips and warm body against hers.

Malfoy pushed her knickers to the side and took in a sharp breath when his fingers finally
touched her, finding her embarrassingly wet.

“Granger.” His mouth was now in the hollow of her neck, lips and teeth nibbling on her skin.
“Can I use my mouth?”

His finger circled her clit while he waited for her answer. Hermione nodded again, her hands
lifting his shirt when she moved them up to his shoulders.
Malfoy placed a short kiss on her lips and sank to the floor. Hermione tensed at the sight of
him kneeling between her legs, his large hands wrapped around her thighs.

If he kissed her there, she had no idea how she would react.

He looked up at her through his lashes and tugged at her knickers until they fell to the floor,
leaving her bare for him.

Malfoy didn’t stop to look. He dived right into it and flicked his tongue against her.

Hermione moaned and clung to the edge of the table, her knuckles turning white with every
movement of his lips. She was so close to the edge that it didn't take her long to reach her
climax. Malfoy pushed a finger into her and sucked at the same time, making the tension
inside her explode.

Her head dropped back and her eyes fell shut, her mouth open in a silent scream. He kept
flicking his tongue against her while her walls clenched around him, prolonging her orgasm
as much as he could.

Hermione felt his hands moving up her body. They curled around her shoulders, holding her
to him.

She opened her eyes and found him staring at her. She pulled at his collar and kissed him, not
caring about the taste, and felt him smile against her lips.

Malfoy broke the kiss and smirked.

“What about you?” Asked Hermione breathlessly.

He pursed his lips and shook his head.

“But you-”

“Next time,” Malfoy cut her off, his fingers tracing soothing circles on her back.

Hermione frowned. Her hands fell to the hem of his trousers and tugged at it.

“I want to-”

“Granger.” Malfoy gave her a meaningful look. “Next time.”

He grabbed his wand and pointed it at his crotch, muttering a cleaning spell. Then he pulled
her knickers up and did the same to her.

Had he finished just from going down on her? Hermione gaped at him, her mind reeling. She
found that extremely hot, though it was not rational.

Malfoy cleared his throat.

“I apologise for interrupting your work.”

Hermione lifted an eyebrow.

“Really?”

The corner of his lip curled up.

“No.”

A laugh bubbled up her throat at that. Hermione brushed his damp hair back and felt herself
blush under his stormy gaze.

She had been feeling some kind of sexual tension between them for a couple of months,
which had grown stronger with each kiss. Something like this was bound to happen.

A little voice in her mind warned her that it was not enough. She wanted more, she wanted it
all.

Her hands fell to her lap and Hermione clasped them together. She had almost forgotten
where they were.

This was not something a professional Healer did during work hours. She had just defiled her
office.

Malfoy was staring at her again. She needed to break the silence.

“I owled Elisabeth and she replied today with a long letter explaining all she is planning to
do,” Hermione commented, grabbing the rolled parchment that had miraculously survived
their assault to her desk and twirling it in her hands. “I like her already.”

Malfoy took a step back, letting her breathe fresh air and clear her mind.

“I knew you would.” His lips twitched. He was trying not to smile. “She’s also a swot.”

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him and put her feet on the floor, adjusting her robes.

“I will meet her tomorrow,” she added, leaving the parchment aside and trying to pull her
curls up into a bun, tangled after the attack of his fingers. “Do you want to join me?”

Malfoy grabbed her right hand, stopping her, and waved his wand around her head. His
magic tingled her skin as it tied her hair into the high bun she usually wore, a few loose curls
falling around her face.

He smirked, pleased with the result, and lowered his chin to kiss her one last time.

“Only if you want me to,” he murmured, pulling away when she nodded her agreement.

Malfoy stepped back with his gaze still fixed on her.

“I’ll leave now,” he announced, unlocking the door with another flick of his wand.

“Okay.” Hermione let her weak body fall into her chair and sighed. “See you later.”
Malfoy grinned and stepped out of her office. She leaned back once she was alone and
rubbed her face, cursing herself.

What the hell was wrong with her?

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━

After a quick shower, Draco went to Theo’s manor and shared a glass of wine with him as he
tried to calm himself and not think about the noises Granger had made each time he touched
her. He still couldn’t believe it hadn’t been a dream.

Once the clock struck six, Draco drained the glass and returned to his flat. Granger left St.
Mungo’s at five, and he wanted to give her time to compose herself before they saw each
other again.

He could barely contain his excitement when he stepped out of the fireplace.

Would Granger want to talk about it? Or would she want to finish what they had started in
her office?

The anticipation was about to kill him.

The flat looked empty once the green flames faded. Draco frowned and moved towards the
hall.

Hadn’t Granger come back yet?

His shoulders stiffened when a quiet sob reached his ears. It was coming from her bedroom.

Shit.

Did she regret what had happened?

“Granger?”

No answer.

Shit. Shit.

Draco had been sure she wanted it too, and he didn’t know what he would do if she told him
it had been a mistake.

He gritted his teeth and approached the half-opened door, knocking on it.

The sight that welcomed him when he entered her room froze him in place. Granger looked
up at him, her face streaked with tears.

“Crooks was waiting for me to come home. He just died in my arms.”

Draco walked over to her and crouched down, stroking the ginger fur of her cat. She was
clutching him to her chest with trembling arms.

“I’m very sorry, Granger.”

Fresh tears fell down her cheeks.

“I knew it would happen soon. He has been lethargic lately.” She choked, leaning down to
kiss Crookshanks’ head and sniffling.

“I noticed that too,” Draco admitted, sitting down at her side and staring at the cat. He was so
still. “Did you take him to a creature Healer?”

“And to a Muggle vet,” Granger replied, wiping a few tears with the back of her hand. “Both
of them told me that he was just very old. Crooks was already old when I bought him,” she
continued, blinking back new tears.

They remained quiet for a moment, her sobs filling the room. His eyes fell to her neck where
there was a bruise she hadn't bothered to glamour.

“I don’t know what to do,” Granger murmured, her gaze fixed on the wall.

Draco sighed and wrapped an arm around her, chewing on his lip when she leaned her head
on his shoulder.

“You don’t have to do anything yet.”

He summoned a handkerchief from his room and offered it to her. Granger accepted it and
wiped her cheeks.

“I should bury him soon,” she muttered, blowing her nose and blinking back more tears.

“It can wait until tomorrow.” Draco pulled out his wand and tapped Crookshanks' body twice.
A golden light fell from the tip and enveloped the cat for a moment before disappearing. “My
mother did this with my dog.”

Granger looked up at him with watery eyes.

“You had a dog?”

Draco nodded.

“He died a few months before I went to Hogwarts.”

“What was his name?”

“Snow.” A crooked smile spread across his face at the memory. “He was a white husky-
wolf.”

Granger looked away, petting the cat's head absently.

“Losing him was hard,” Draco confessed, clearing his throat when she glanced at him again.
He didn't know why he was sharing this with her. “Having Dark helped a bit. Magical owls
can live more than fifty years, so I don’t have to worry about losing her for a while.”

She smiled sadly at that.

“Where does she live?”

“Between here and the manor,” he explained, leaning his head against the wall. “You must
have seen her cage in my room.”

Granger wiped her nose and sighed.

“Thank you for distracting me.”

Draco squeezed her waist with his hand.

“Anytime, Granger.”

She fell silent again, her fingers running up and down Crookshanks' fur as if she wanted to
burn into her memory the last moments holding her cat.

“I buried Snow under his favourite tree.” Draco tilted his head to look at her. “Can you think
of a place Crookshanks liked?”

She considered his question for a moment and then nodded at herself.

“He loved the Whomping Willow.”

The idea of returning to Hogwarts and approaching that crazy tree was not something he was
eager to do, but one look at her heartbroken face told him he couldn't leave her alone.

“We’ll go to Hogwarts tomorrow,” Draco proposed, leaning his chin on the top of her head.
“Should I owl anyone?”

Granger sniffled.

“Harry and Luna. Not Ron, though. Crooks hated him.”

Draco nodded with a smile. He shared the sentiment.

“Will you stay with me?” She asked in a whisper. “I’d rather not be alone tonight.”

“Of course, Granger.”

Her bottom lip quivered and she summoned the pet bed wandlessly, placing the cat on it.

“You were the best cat in the world, Crooks.” Granger inclined her head and kissed him,
stifling a sob. “I will never forget you.”

His heart sank at the pain he could hear in her voice.

 “I’ll send the letters and come back,” he announced, getting to his feet.

Granger tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace.

“Thank you.”

Draco left the room and rubbed his face, leaning his forehead against the wall and exhaling.

The annoying cat had slowly charmed his way into his heart, and he would also miss him.

Chapter End Notes

These two idiots are (finally) letting themselves go, but the denial of feelings is still
strong.

I've lost a few pets myself, the last one a blue-eyed white rabbit back in 2019. Cuki was
clever and sweet, and I still miss her. I'm kissing my two 8-year-old dogs as I write this
note.

😢
I've never read a fic where Hermione has to go through this and I wanted to explore it. I
left a few hints about it in previous chapters, so maybe you knew this was coming

Give a kiss to your beloved pets for me 💜

 Black Shadow
Chapter Notes

Hello again and thanks for waiting!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

April 22th, 2006

Watching her bury her cat had been tough. Potter and Luna had come to the flat that morning
and Draco had left them with Granger, giving her friends time to comfort her.

Granger had cried herself to sleep that night, her sobs sounding in the distance while he tried
to let his mind go blank and doze off.

Draco couldn’t catch a wink until he stopped longer hearing her cry.

She had closed herself off the following days, and he had given her the space she clearly
needed. Granger usually came to the kitchen at dinner time and chatted a bit with him and
Minsy before excusing herself and returning to her room, spending most of her time alone or
visiting her old flat to see her parents.

She hadn’t asked him to join her once, which was concerning.

Draco looked up when she took a sit in front of him, blinking back into the present.

“How are you feeling?”

Granger shrugged, picking one of the baked potatoes Minsy had cooked earlier.

“Numb.” She didn’t lift her gaze from her plate as she cut it into small pieces, her eyes
lightless. “Sometimes I see an orange blur moving around my room from the corner of my
eye.”

Minsy twitched her ear and gave Draco a worried look.

“It’s like losing your best friend, isn’t it?” He asked softly.

Granger pushed the potatoes around the plate with her fork, ignoring his question. Maybe she
hadn’t even heard him.

Draco remembered the feeling of sadness and grief, the loss ripping his soul apart after
Snow's death and not letting him take a deep breath for weeks.
“It will get easier with time,” he continued, patting Minsy’s knee. The elf still felt a bit
nervous when Granger was around. “Just don’t occlude. It would only make things worse,
trust me.”

Her fork froze and her eyes moved up slowly, pausing on his face.

“It’s hard to believe how kind you can be when you want,” Granger murmured, tilting her
head to the side as she assessed him.

Draco felt the back of his neck burn. He swallowed the harsh remark he had on the tip of his
tongue and drew in a small breath.

Granger was not trying to attack him with that comment, she was simply stating a fact. And
she was hurting.

He glanced down at the empty metal bowl on the floor next to the kitchen door and pursed
his lips.

“I’m always like this with my… with my people,” he muttered through his teeth.

He saw Granger frowning from the corner of his eye.

“Am I your people?”

Draco looked back at her, holding her curious gaze.

“You’re my wife.” His voice sounded hoarse so he cleared his throat. “At least for now,” he
added in a rush, glaring at Minsy when she giggled softly.

The stupid elf was convinced he had feelings for Granger, which couldn’t be farther from the
truth.

Draco couldn’t deny that he cared about her now, but he also cared about Pansy, Blaise, Theo,
Greg, and his other friends. It didn’t mean anything.

She was intelligent and had a body he felt attracted to. So what? He was just a man, and
feeling this way was normal when living with a beautiful woman under the same roof.

And who said they couldn’t have some fun while fighting for the Marriage Law to be
repealed?

If she was also willing, Draco wasn’t about to say no.

“Thank you.”

Granger’s voice brought him back to reality.

“For what?” He asked, confused.

“For letting me see this side of you.” Her cheeks were a bit red, and her eyes looked brighter.
“For being patient with me.”

Draco snorted, leaning back on his chair with his arms crossed over his chest.

“I didn’t make it easier for you at the beginning.”

Granger nodded in agreement.

“It was mutual,” she admitted, smiling when Minsy laughed.

He gritted his teeth, afraid of what the elf could say.

“Minsy will come back tomorrow,” she announced, shooting Draco a knowing smirk before
snapping her fingers and disappearing.

Draco sighed in relief and glanced back at Granger. She was watching him with a guarded
expression as she chewed the food.

“I’m glad we understand each other better now.”

Draco cocked his head and lifted an eyebrow at her.

“Are you closer to forgiving me, Granger?”

The corners of her lips curled up and she nearly smiled again.

“Almost there,” she replied, averting her gaze to the counter. Her eyes lost the spark in an
instant.

Draco followed her gaze and cursed under his breath. The bag of cat treats was still there.

“I should sleep,” he muttered, pushing his chair back and getting to his feet. He flicked his
wand and sent all the empty plates to the sink. “I have to win a match tomorrow.”

Granger gave him a tight smile and stood up as well.

“Good luck,” she said before stepping out of the kitchen, the sound of her door clicking shut
filling the flat.

Draco scowled and grabbed the offending bag, hiding it inside one of the cabinets. He sighed
deeply and walked towards his room, taking his shoes off and letting himself fall backwards
on his mattress.

His team needed a victory and he knew it depended on him.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━

April 23th, 2006

The stadium erupted in cheers when his fingers closed around the golden ball. Draco let out a
scream of joy and flew towards Aaron, hugging him as they both grinned and patted each
other’s backs.

The other Seeker had to pull back to avoid Aaron’s bludger, and Draco had been able to catch
the snitch thanks to that strike.

“Well done, team!” Eric shouted, raising his fist in the air at the fans.

Draco smiled and waved the snitch at them, his heart skipping a beat when he saw a curly
mane at the top of the south tower. Granger was there surrounded by his friends, the Potters,
Luna, and Longbottom, and there was a beaming smile on her face.

But he could still detect some sadness in her eyes, even from that distance.

Draco smiled back at her and looked away, focusing on the cheers of joy around him.

Granger had come to the match. That had to mean something.

He pushed that thought away and followed his team to the locker rooms, joining his friends
outside the stadium after a quick shower. The Potters, Longbottom, Pansy, Blaise, Theo, and
Luna had stayed.

Draco hid his disappointment at not finding Granger there, and they all went together to one
of the Muggle pubs in Liverpool to share a few pints while they talked about the match.

His stomach flipped when Granger entered the pub a few minutes later and chose the free
seat next to him. She smiled up at him and picked at the chips Blaise had ordered while
laughing at Theo’s jokes.

It had been a while since Draco had heard her laugh.

He tried not to look at her every time she spoke or moved, keeping his eyes on Longbottom
—who was whispering things to Pansy that made her blush and roll her eyes at him— and
Theo, who had his arm around Luna’s shoulders and couldn’t keep his eyes away from her
face for longer than ten seconds.

All the occupants of the table looked at ease between old enemies. Even the Potters were
relaxed, and they both chuckled whenever Draco made a snarky comment about the other
team.

Everything seemed surreal. An alternate dimension where they had put the war behind them
and could be friendly to each other.

Granger and the Potters went home first, the redhead winking at him and reminding him that
it wouldn’t be that simple to defeat her team before leaving the pub.

Draco scowled once they were gone. The Holyhead Harpies were second in the league, and
winning the match against them would ensure the third place for his team.
The Weaslette was a great chaser, and he had seen how quick their Seeker was. It wouldn’t be
an easy match.

“Draco?”

He blinked and turned to Theo, who was staring at him with an amused expression.

“Are you back with us?”

Draco rolled his eyes and sipped his cold beer.

“I’m worried about the next match,” he muttered, glaring at the door through which the
Potters had just left before grabbing a chip and popping it into his mouth. “The female Potter
has probably been studying all our tactics today.”

Blaise snorted, shaking his head with a smile on his face.

“You just won a match.” He leaned in and clapped Draco’s back. “Enjoy the moment, mate.”

Draco’s lips twisted to the side. His friend was right.

His team had just won an important match thanks to him and Aaron.

“To the Falcons,” said Blaise, raising his glass and winking at him.

The rest of the table did the same.

“To the Falcons!”

Draco gulped down the remaining liquid in his glass and wiped his mouth with the back of
his hand, glancing at the only Gryffindor left at the table.

“You surprise me, Longbottom,” he commented, running a hand through his hair. “I never
thought you would support my team.”

“What can I say.” Longbottom smirked and raised his brow, shrugging one of his shoulders.
“Hermione’s friends are my friends.”

Draco’s stomach clenched.

“I’m not-”

“We all saw the way you look at her, mate,” Theo cut him off, wiggling his eyebrows at him.

Draco’s eyes tightened and he shot his friend a hard look, feeling pure rage rushing through
his veins.

How dared he say something like that in front of-

“You care about Hermione.”

Draco froze and glanced at Luna, his jaw slack with surprise.

“And she cares about you,” Luna continued with a soft smile on her lips. Her eyes crinkled at
the corners when her grin widened. “It’s very nice to see.”

Theo chuckled and pushed Luna’s beer aside.

“Enough alcohol for you, darling.”

Luna ignored him, her blue eyes fixed on Draco. He was still trying to find his voice and
failing miserably.

Could that be true? Sure, she was an incredible Healer and took care of him as his patient.
But aside from the cordial relationship they now had, the few kisses they had shared, and an
extremely hot sexual encounter Draco still thought about every night before falling asleep, he
hadn’t noticed anything else there.

“There’s nothing to worry about, Draco,” Luna murmured as if reading his mind. “It’s okay
to let yourself feel.”

His hands closed into fists on the table.

“Not when she’ll be out of my life soon,” Draco replied coldly, looking around the table and
scowling at the rest of them. “Elisabeth thinks there’s a way to repeal the law.”

Pansy and Blaise gasped.

“Really?”

Draco nodded with pursed lips.

“This charade will be over soon.”

“That doesn’t mean she won’t stay in your life.” Draco looked back at Luna with wide eyes.
Why was she still talking? “But you should tell her how you feel.”

Theo patted his wife’s hand.

“Leave him alone, Luna.” He shook his head when she looked at him with questioning eyes.
“He’s not ready for this conversation.”

Fuck this.

Draco stood up abruptly.

“I’m done with all of you,” he hissed, letting a handful of bills fall on the table.

“Draco-”

He left the pub and almost ran to the nearest apparition point, returning directly to his room
and casting a locking spell on the door.
Fuck them all. He didn’t have feelings for Granger, and she also didn’t feel anything for him.

It was just physical attraction and a bit of respect that was growing with time, but nothing
else. And he would make sure it stayed like this.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━

April 24th, 2006

The next morning Draco was still in a bad mood, so he decided to go for a walk. Making sure
Granger had already left, he called Minsy and they shared a pot of tea while he told her about
the match.

The elf reminded him that his parents were expecting him and Granger for lunch before
disappearing.

Draco winced as he left the flat through the main door. He didn’t feel like spending the
afternoon with Granger’s arm linked to his and her scent clouding his head.

A sigh came out of him once he stepped out of the building, taking in his Muggle
neighbourhood.

He walked slowly towards the park, pausing in front of a pastry shop and inhaled deeply. It
smelt too good to ignore it, so he went inside and bought two chocolate eclairs. The first bite
made him smile, and he continued enjoying the sweet treat in the street, the annoying sounds
of the city not bothering him as much as usual.

All of it was left behind once Draco entered Regent’s Park, the noise fading as the singing of
birds filled his ears. The tension on his shoulders eased and he shoved his hands into his
pockets, watching all the Muggles strolling through the gardens and sitting on the lakeshore.

The sun was out and many people had come to the park to enjoy the feeling of its rays on
their skin, and Draco couldn’t blame them. British weather was terrible.

He was staring at the little boats floating on the water when a high-pitched sound caught his
attention.

Draco frowned and followed it, ignoring the ‘don’t step on the grass’ signs. His eyes widened
when he found the source at the foot of a tree, curled into a ball and trembling.

He crouched down and petted the tiny black kitten’s spine.

“What are you doing here, little one?”

The kitten meowed, its green eyes blinking up at him. The trembling worsened.

“You’re too young to be alone,” Draco muttered, picking it up and grimacing when he felt its
bones under his fingers. She was a female and looked thin. “Where is your owner?”

He stood up and looked around. No one nearby seemed to be looking for a lost kitten.
An old lady was resting on a bench not so far away. Draco approached her with the little
creature in his arms.

“Excuse me.” He cleared his throat and the woman looked up at him with a warm smile. “I
just found this kitten over there. Where do you think I could find her owner?” Draco
questioned, pointing to the trembling animal with his gaze.

“Oh, poor thing.” The woman’s smile turned sad. “She’s probably a stray. Isn’t the mother
around?”

Draco shook his head. He hadn’t seen more cats in the park that morning.

“She was all alone.”

“She doesn’t look good,” the woman said, noticing how the kitten was shaking. “You should
take her to a vet.”

Draco blinked. He had heard Granger say that word before.

“A veterinarian?”

The old lady nodded.

“There’s one around the corner.” She got to her feet and grabbed her cane, patting Draco’s
arm as she walked past him. “You’re doing a good thing, young man.”

Draco frowned and stood there for a moment, thinking about his options. Leaving her there
was out of the question, and he wasn’t sure he could trust an unknown Muggle with the
kitten’s wellbeing.

He found himself a few minutes later inside the Veterinary clinic the old lady had mentioned.
A woman looked up from behind the counter.

“Hello,” Draco said cautiously, unsure about how to proceed.

He was too young when his mother took Snow to the creature Healer, and visiting a Muggle
one was even more confusing.

“Good morning!” The woman grinned and stood up, reaching out and touching the kitten’s
fur. “And who is this little ball?”

“I don’t know.” Draco twisted his lips to the side. “I just found her.”

Her kind expression turned to worry.

“Oh, gosh.” She stared down at the kitten and frowned, taking her from him. Draco was a bit
reluctant but allowed it. “Follow me. She’s shivering,” The woman added, moving towards
the door at the other side of the room.
Draco did as he was told, and they entered another room where another woman who was
more or less his age was wearing a white robe.

“Hi, I’m Lily.” She shook Draco’s hand and approached the metallic table where the first
woman had placed the kitten. “Does she have a name?”

The receptionist shook her head.

“She’s a stray.”

“Okay.” The veterinarian nodded in understanding and moved towards the drawers. “Let's see
what I can do.”

The blood drained from Draco's face when she approached the kitten with a needle.

“What are you doing?”

“Just a general health check,” Lily explained, her attention returning to her patient. “We need
a blood test to know if she’s sick.”

Draco leaned his back against the wall and waited patiently, his leg bouncing nervously every
time the kitten cried.

Was she in pain? Were they hurting her?

Finally, the veterinarian gestured for him to get closer.

“You can take her now.”

Draco gathered the tiny little furball into his hands.

“It’s okay,” he whispered to the kitten, smiling when she meowed softly.

Lily was looking at some weird machine Draco had seen before a few times. He knew
Muggles could save and share information using it, but he couldn’t remember its name.

“She is slightly anaemic, but that’s normal if she was not with her mum.” The woman
returned to his side with a bowl filled with water and offered some to the cat, who drank
eagerly. “She also looks dehydrated.”

Draco swallowed. That didn’t sound good.

“What can I do?”

Lily studied his face for a moment.

“We can give her a bath and make sure she doesn’t have ticks or fleas.”

Draco nodded.

“Please.”
Half an hour later, the same woman called Draco’s name.

“Here is the little thing, all clean and warm,” she said brightly, placing the kitten in Draco’s
arms. “She’s about one month old. I already gave her the first deworming treatment, and
you’ll need to bring her here in two weeks for her first shot.”

Draco's brow furrowed in confusion.

“But she’s not mine.”

“Oh, right.” The veterinarian pressed her lips together and looked away. “I thought you
wanted to keep her.”

Draco said nothing as she returned to her desk.

“I can call the animal shelter, but she’s a black cat.”

That confused him even more.

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Black cats and dogs are less likely to be adopted,” Lily murmured, watching how the kitten
was licking her paws with sad eyes.

Draco felt a spark of anger in his gut.

“Why?”

“Some people believe black animals bring bad luck.”

He scoffed.

“That’s absurd.”

Lily shrugged. His blood turned to ice when she picked up the phone and started pressing the
buttons.

Not a chance in hell.

“Don’t call them.” Draco looked down at the little black cat and sighed. “I’ll take her with
me.”

Granger would probably kill him for this.

“You’re a good man.” The woman grabbed a can of wet food for kittens from a shelf and
returned to his side. “Do you have any of this at home?”

Draco had never seen that kind of food before, so he shook his head.

“I’ll give you everything you need.” She him a reassuring smile and grabbed his arm. “Come
with me, Draco.”
 ━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━

The living room was empty when Hermione stepped out of the fireplace.

“Malfoy?” She walked down the hall and knocked on his door. “I just arrived. Are you
ready?”

“I cancelled the lunch with my parents.”

Hermione blinked in surprise.

“Why?”

The door opened slowly and Malfoy stepped out of his room holding something dark in his
hands.

Her breath caught in her throat. It was a tiny black kitten with green eyes and a silvery collar
around its neck.

“I found her in the park.” Hermione looked up at Malfoy, who was watching her reaction.
“She was scared and really hungry.”

Her gaze fell to the little cat again. She was purring and rubbing her head against his fingers.

Malfoy’s throat bobbed as he swallowed.

“I know you just lost your familiar, but I couldn’t leave her there. The veterinarian said no
one wants to adopt black cats, and I-”

Hermione took a step closer and stood on her tiptoes, silencing him with a kiss. She tried to
control her emotions when his lips parted and he kissed her back, his free arm curling around
her waist and pulling her closer to his chest.

Had he taken the kitten to a vet all by himself and then brought her to his flat to make sure
she was safe?

The Malfoy she remembered from school would have never bothered to save a Muggle cat,
and here he was, cradling the tiny animal in his arms as if she was the most precious thing he
had ever seen.

Hermione broke the kiss and smiled.

“It’s fine.” Her voice shook and she glanced down at the kitten, rubbing her ears while she
blinked back her tears. “She is very cute. Have you chosen a name?”

She looked up when Malfoy didn’t reply.

“Shadow,” he said in a low voice.

Hermione laughed softly and wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her jumper.
 “It fits her.” She leaned in and kissed the top of the kitten’s head. The tiny creature smelled
like soap and meowed happily at her. “She'll be your little shadow from now on,” Hermione
added, giving him a watery smile.

His eyes flickered around her face.

“Are you sure?” He was just a few inches away, and his breath ghosted over her skin. “I can
keep her in my room if seeing her upsets you.”

“Nonsense.” Hermione stroked the kitten’s chin, a tear rolling down her cheek when Shadow
closed her eyes and purred. “She is a lucky little princess.”

Chapter End Notes

🥺🥺🥺
 Harpies Versus Falcons
Chapter Notes

I want to write two short stories once this fic is complete, one about Pansy & Neville
and another one about Luna & Theo to see how their relationships evolved after they got
married. They will be part 2 and 3 of this story.

I hope you all had a great weekend. Enjoy!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

May 2nd, 2006

The flat was still empty when he stepped out of his bedroom, his hair slightly wet after the
shower. Draco moved towards the living room and frowned at Shadow.

“Is she not back yet?”

The kitten stirred on the sofa, already feeling at home, and meowed at him happily. He
crouched down in front of her and scratched her chin, smiling when Shadow purred and
closed her eyes.

“I’ll be back soon,” he promised, kissing the top of her head before throwing a handful of
Floo powder into the fireplace.

Nott Manor was dark and silent once he arrived. Draco looked around the living room with a
frown.

“Theo?”

Not a sound.

“Luna?”

Nothing. His heart raced, adrenalin rushing through his veins.

What if something had happened? Silent manors were never a good sign.

Draco pulled out his wand and conjured a map of the building, staring down at the glowing
lines floating in front of him as he looked for two blue dots. His breath caught when he found
three in the dungeons.

“What the-” Draco gasped, his blood turning to ice. “Oh, shit.”
He ran as fast as he could through the dark corridors, his jaw clenched and his raised wand
illuminating the way.

Had Luna tried to get into the dungeons again? Were she and Theo okay?

His heart was pounding in his ears as he pushed the door open and climbed down the stairs,
fearing the worst.

Please, don’t be dead. Please.

The torches were lit, covering the dungeons in a greenish light. Draco searched every cell,
cursing under his breath every time he found nothing but wine bottles.

He turned to the last one with his wand ready in his trembling hand. It clattered to the ground
when he found Theo, Luna, and Granger sitting on the stone floor with a board game between
them.

Three heads snapped to him with wide eyes.

“Oh!” Luna beamed at him. “Hi, Draco.”

He blinked slowly, taking the scene in.

“What are you doing down here?”

Her cheeks were flushed and her platinum blonde hair was falling down her back in waves.
Luna looked at ease.

She tapped the board game with a finger.

“Facing my fears together.” Luna stared up at him with a friendly mile. “Do you want to join
us? We just started a new game.”

Draco let out a ragged breath, his hands still shaking.

“Breathe, Draco.” Theo was watching him carefully with worried eyes. “We are all okay.”

“I thought-” Draco paused and shook his head, summoning his wand and putting it in his
pocket. “Never mind.”

Granger stood up and took a few steps towards him.

“I should have told you we were here,” she murmured, grabbing one of his hands and
squeezing it.

“It’s fine, Granger.” He took a deep breath and looked at her. Her curly hair was woven
together in a long braid and his fingers itched to touch it. “How are your parents?”

Her lips curled up into a soft smile.

“They’re okay.” Granger looked up at him through her lashes, an amused glint in her dark
eyes. “Wondering why you didn’t come.”

Draco grimaced and pulled away from her, sitting down on the cold floor.

“I’d rather die than have lunch with the Weasleys.”

Granger rolled her eyes and sat next to him.

“The Burrow is not that bad,” she muttered, glaring at him with no real hate behind her gaze.

Draco focused on calming himself, slowing his breathing while his heartbeat returned to
normal. He was still tense.

“It’s the people who live there I’m worried about,” he drawled, glancing at her with an arched
eyebrow. “Too many gingers.”

Granger snorted and punched his arm.

“Don’t be a prat.”

Theo chuckled under his breath, and Luna giggled. She rested her head on her husband's
shoulder and smiled when he wrapped his arm around her waist.

Draco searched Granger’s face with his lips pressed together. There was something he still
didn’t understand.

“Why are you here?”

Her lips parted to reply but Theo interrupted her before she could speak.

“I owled Granger and asked her to come,” his friend explained, pointing to his blonde wife
with his chin as he pulled her closer to his chest. “Luna wanted to try coming down here, and
I think it’s safer with a Healer around.”

That made sense.

The image of Luna’s pale face streaked with tears while she was lying motionless on the floor
appeared in his head. Draco clenched his teeth and pushed the memory to the back of his
mind.

She held Draco’s gaze as if she knew what he was thinking.

“It was scary at first, but I feel great now,” Luna stated, grinning at Granger with happy eyes.
“We’re having fun.”

Draco hummed.

“Fantastic.” He leaned back on his hands and cocked his head. “When is my turn?”
 ━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━

May 4rd, 2006

Hermione breathed in the fresh air and looked around herself.

No one wanted to miss the match between the Falcons and the Harpies, and the Quidditch
stadium was crowded. They were currently in second and fourth position in the British
league, and this game would determine who had more chances of winning it.

Seven green figures stepped out into the sand and Harry clapped.

“Come on, Gin!” He shouted, waving when his wife climbed on her broom.

Hermione stared at her with a small smile that turned into a grin when she saw the scowls of
the Slytherins sitting at the other side of her row. Neville, Seamus, and Luna were cheering
like Harry, but Theo, Parkinson, Goyle, Blaise, and Daphne were glaring at the pitch.

Their expressions changed once the other team appeared, all his members already riding their
brooms. They flew a circle around the stadium and stopped in the middle of it, waiting for the
referee.

It was easy to find Malfoy's platinum hair between them. Hermione’s heart hammered behind
her ribs when his gaze fell on her and his lips curled into a smirk.

She was not sure which team she wanted to win today. Ginny had been training hard, but
Hermione knew Malfoy had been training even harder. He always arrived late after spending
most of the day at the Falcon’s stadium, sometimes staying even when his teammates had
already left.

Malfoy wanted to make his team proud and to do his best. Hermione had noticed his hard
work, especially every time she bumped into him whenever she found him shirtless and
drinking juice in the kitchen after he had a shower.

His body was leaner and stronger, the muscles of his arms and legs more defined than the
first time she had seen him with little clothing.

She usually excused herself and ran back to her bedroom, the memories of his face between
her legs making her feel unbearably hot.

Nothing else had happened between them since that day, except the occasional peck or touch
whenever their parents or the press were present. After Crookshanks’ passing, his loss was all
Hermione could think about, and Malfoy had been empathetic and patient with her, letting
her see a part of him she had no idea existed under all his snarky remarks and coldness.

Hermione still struggled to accept how much he had changed. He was no longer the Malfoy
from her memories, though she still had questions about their first weeks living together.

Why had he been so nasty with her? Was that a way of protecting himself and keeping his
distance?
Hermione sighed and rubbed her temple. It was not the moment to think about this.

“What team do you want to win the match?”

She looked back at Lavender in surprise. They always greeted each other whenever they were
in the same room, but they hadn't talked since their encounter at Seamus and Goyle’s cottage.

The truth slipped from her tongue.

“I don’t know.” Hermione chewed on her lower lip and sighed. “I wish both of them could
win.”

Lavender laughed, leaning closer and lowering her voice.

“Don’t let Ginny hear you say that.”

Hermione smiled and returned her attention to the pitch, assuming that their friendly
exchange was over.

She was wrong.

“I’m sorry, Hermione,” Lavender said softly.

Hermione turned to her with wide eyes.

“For what?”

Lavender glanced at Ron, who was chatting with Neville and Seamus, and looked back at her
with twisted lips.

“I know you’ve been avoiding Ron because of me.” She wriggled her hands nervously and
lowered her gaze. “I just… He’s always loved you, and I know he wanted you to marry him.”

Hermione winced. The last thing she wanted was to have an uncomfortable conversation just
minutes before one of the biggest matches of the season started.

“He fell out of love with me years ago.” She waved the topic off, hoping Lavender wouldn’t
insist. “Ron just thought marrying a friend was the easiest option.”

Lavender shook her head, her curls flying around her face.

“I couldn’t help it. I was jealous.” She gave Hermione an apologetic smile, her cheeks
flushed in shame. “I’ve always been a bit jealous of you, and I’m sorry about that.”

Hermione's jaw was on the floor. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined Lavender
admitting this and being so mature about it.

“Don’t worry, really.” A sincere smile spread across her face and Lavender relaxed, returning
it. Hermione gestured to Ron with a quick movement of her head. “He looks happy.”
“We are still working on it.” Lavender tucked a curl behind her ear and chuckled. “He
avoided me for a full month at first.”

Hermione snorted, her lips twitching.

“Sounds familiar.”

Lavender’s eyes flicked up and she followed the players with her gaze, her smile curling to
the side.

“Malfoy also looks happy.” She looked back at Hermione and grinned, wiggling her
eyebrows. “And you too.”

A blush heated her face.

Things between her and Malfoy were good, but their relationship wasn't real. Perhaps they
were close to being friends now, friends who liked each other, kissed each other, and who
sometimes wanted to rip the clothes off of each other, but that was it. There was a line they
still hadn't crossed, and they wouldn't.

Their marriage was a farce. A charade that Hermione hoped would be over soon.

She felt a pang at the thought of Malfoy kissing and touching another woman, but decided to
ignore the unwanted feeling.

It was just attraction. Nothing worth worrying about.

“I am,” Hermione admitted, running her hands up and down her arms. The chilly wind was a
reminder that she had forgotten to bring a cardigan. “He’s a nice guy when he stops being a
prick.”

Lavender’s shoulders shook with laughter.

“I’m happy for you, Hermione.”

“Thank you. I’m happy for you and Ron.”

Hermione gave her back to her after a last smile and squeezed Harry’s arm in thanks when he
cast a warming charm on her.

“Who would have guessed the Ministry knew what they were doing, right?” Lavender
murmured behind her.

Hermione stiffened.

“Yeah,” she replied, clearing her throat and cheering when the referee signalled the start of
the match.

Malfoy flew up in the air, his grey robes floating behind him as he circled the stadium in
search of the snitch. The other Seeker was a few feet below him, scanning every inch with
her narrowed dark eyes.

Ginny was the first Chaser to score. All her Gryffindor friends jumped and the Slytherin ones
scowled. Luna patted Theo on the arm and smiled at Hermione.

Green and grey players blurred as they flew at full speed while trying to avoid the bludgers.
The stadium vibrated with each score, but nothing was distracting enough for Malfoy.

He kept circling the pitch above their heads, focused on his only goal. Despite the distance,
Hermione could see how tense he was.

Fifty minutes later, both teams were tied at 120 points.

Ginny caught the quaffle and zigzagged to avoid a Falcon Chaser, tipping her broom down
and accelerating. A rival Beater appeared out of nowhere and almost knocked her to the
ground, but she was able to toss the red ball to a teammate.

“What the fuck?” Harry screamed, gripping the railing so hard his knuckles turned white.

Hermione looked at her friend with a frown.

“There are children here, Harry!”

“That’s a foul, Hermione!” He gestured to the other player and sneered at the referee, who
hadn’t called it. “Come on!”

Theo chuckled under his breath.

“My, my, Potter still gets quite excited about Quidditch.”

“Especially when Ginny is playing.” Luna turned to her husband with a warm smile. “He’s
very supportive.”

Parkinson snorted.

“Pathetic.”

Neville shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably at her side and Parkinson turned to
him with a scowl.

“What?”

He cleared his throat and leaned down.

“I would support you in anything you wanted to do.” His voice was loud enough for
Hermione to hear. Parkinson flinched, her shoulders tensing. “You know that, don’t you?”

She looked frozen in place.

“Shut up, Longbottom,” Parkinson muttered, lowering her chin to hide her flushed cheeks
behind a curtain of her hair.
Neville’s shoulders dropped and he looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. Parkinson
huffed and rolled her eyes before standing on her tiptoes and kissing his cheek.

She pulled away and avoided his surprised gaze. Neville glanced at Hermione with wide eyes
and red ears.

She beamed at him.

“Look at that!” Luna screamed, pointing at a spot up in the air. “Draco has seen it first!”

Hermione followed her friend’s gaze and gasped. Both Seekers were chasing after the snitch.

Malfoy ducked his head to dodge a bludger and lost sight of the golden ball for a second. It
was enough time for the rival Seeker to catch it easily.

The stadium erupted in cheers.

“Oh, fuck.” Theo winced and shook his head. “He will blame himself for this.”

Hermione twisted her lips down, following Malfoy with her eyes while Ginny’s team flew
around the pitch celebrating the victory.

“He looks devastated.”

“He is devastated, Gran-Hermione.” Theo gave her a sad smile and sighed. They both had
agreed to use their given names two days before when they helped Luna overcome her fears.
“Sorry. Old habits die hard,” he added with a wink.

Hermione chuckled and clapped at the winning team. The Harpies’ followers were singing in
chorus and waving their wands in the air, creating an explosion of colours that followed the
players as they circled the stadium again and again.

The Falcons were already on the ground, walking towards the lockers with lowered heads.

Malfoy was the last one to disappear.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━

Another member of the Falcons stepped out of the corridor and nodded at Hermione. She
smiled at him and folded her arms, releasing a slow breath.

Most of Malfoy’s team had already left, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Hermione pushed herself away from the wall and straightened the skirt of her short dress,
looking at both sides before entering the changing rooms’ corridor.

She was about to open the door to the Falcon’s locker room when Aaron stepped outside.

“Where is Draco?”
Aaron opened the door wide, letting her get through.

“Drowning himself in the shower.” He rolled his eyes and gestured to the left, where
Hermione could hear the water running. “He’s been there for twenty minutes.”

The Beater left, leaving Hermione alone in the empty room. She approached the showers and
paused before the only one with a closed door.

“Malfoy?”

She heard movement inside.

“Granger?” He sounded surprised. “What are you doing here?”

“Looking for you.” She huffed, leaning on the opposite wall. “Your friends are waiting for
you in the pub.”

And hers too. All of them had gone to the Muggle pub near the stadium, and Hermione had
promised Theo that she would force Malfoy to join them.

Malfoy snorted and turned off the shower.

“I’m in no mood for a pint with the Weaslette.”

Hermione pressed her lips together, trying not to laugh.

“You can’t win every match, Malfoy.”

“This one was important.”

She leaned her head back and sighed.

“I know.”

For the last eight days, Malfoy had stepped out of the fireplace after training and joined her
on the sofa, petting Shadow's ears as he told her about this match and how much his team
needed to win.

Hermione felt a bit bad for him. Just a bit.

“Your team can still win the league,” she reminded him, stepping aside when the white towel
hanging from the shower’s door disappeared. “It’s not the end of the world.”

Malfoy left the shower with the towel wrapped around his hips and his damp hair falling on
his forehead.

“I hate your ginger friend,” he muttered under his breath, pushing his hair back and walking
past her.

Hermione smirked and followed him.

“Ginny is good, isn’t she?”

Malfoy scoffed.

“You will never hear me say that.”

He opened his locker and pulled some clean clothes out of it, using a smaller towel to dry his
hair. Hermione glanced at his face and the corner of her lips curled up into a smile.

“You look cute when you’re pouting.”

Malfoy threw the small towel on a bench and glared at her.

“I’m not pouting.”

Hermione took a step closer.

“Yes, you are,” she whispered, placing her hand on his cheek and pulling his face down.

Hermione pressed her lips to his and closed her eyes, not wanting to consider why she was
kissing him. She had also kissed Malfoy the day he brought Shadow home, and she still
didn’t understand why.

Home.

It was not her home, not really. And their marriage was not real either.

Elisabeth was almost sure she had found a way. All the forced marriages would be annulled
soon, and both Malfoy and she would be free to start searching for a real-life partner.

Hermione pushed all those thoughts to the back of her mind and occluded until they were
behind a thick wall.

She really, really didn’t want to think about that.

She just wanted to kiss him, to touch him like he had touched her weeks before. To do what
she had only done in her mind.

Malfoy’s surprise only lasted a moment. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her
closer, deepening the kiss and turning her blood into lava. Hermione buried her hands in his
soft hair and parted her lips, letting him devour her with a searing kiss.

She took in a sharp breath when his lips and tongue trailed down her neck, his fingers
pushing her curls away from her shoulders.

“Maybe I can help you forget about the match,” she whispered, her hands leaving his hair and
caressing his hot skin as they moved down his chest.

Malfoy chuckled in her ear and a shiver ran down her spine.

“That won’t be easy, Granger.”

He pushed her until her back hit the lockers and claimed her mouth again, pinning her against
the metal doors with his body. Neither of them said anything when his towel fell to the floor,
but her heart was pounding harder than ever.

He had touched her once. It was her turn now.

Hermione dragged her hands down his torso and around his hips until her fingers brushed his
firm arse. She couldn't help squeezing it.

Malfoy groaned against her mouth and ground into her, pressing her harder against the
lockers. His kisses grew a bit desperate as she kept exploring his body with her hands.

He froze when her fingers brushed against his hard length and pulled away.

“What are you doing?”

His voice was low and hoarse. Hermione opened her eyes and looked up at him.

“Can’t I?”

Malfoy looked between her eyes and lifted her chin with his thumb, kissing her harder and
stealing all the air from her lungs.

Hermione took that as a yes.

She wrapped her hand around his length and gave it a long, slow pump, watching his
reaction. It had been years since the last time she did this and Hermione was a bit unsure
about it, but Malfoy’s hiss melted away all her doubts.

“Fuck, Granger,” he groaned, breaking the kiss and leaning his forehead on hers with his eyes
closed tight. “Fuck.”

His left hand pulled the hem of her dress up.

“We shouldn’t-”

“Shh.” Hermione cut him off with another kiss. “I don’t want to think.”

He was growing harder and thicker with each stroke. His fingers drew a lazy circle on her
core and she gasped at the sensation.

Hermione suddenly remembered where they were and pulled away an inch.

“Will someone come here?”

Malfoy shook his head.

“Not until later.”

That was all she needed to know.

Hermione kept stroking and squeezing him, repeating each movement that made him groan
or shudder.

She held her breath when Malfoy pushed her knickers aside and sank a finger into her. He
panted, his breath hot on her neck, and pressed his thumb against her most sensitive spot.

A low moan escaped from her throat and Malfoy swallowed it with a kiss.

His soft touches and caresses made Hermione forget her grief and her worries. Malfoy made
her forget why they shouldn’t be doing this, why it was a terrible idea to let herself feel this
way about him.

His fingers pumped in and out of her while his thumb circled her clit, his teeth tugging at her
lower lip before he kissed her again. Hermione stroked him faster when she felt the flames in
her low abdomen were about to explode.

His tongue slipped into her mouth at the same time he pushed two fingers into her, and that
made Hermione see stars. Her body shuddered, currents of pleasure running through her
veins as he pulsed in her hand, his body going rigid.

They both groaned into the kiss as they came down from their high. Malfoy kept rubbing his
finger against her until Hermione pulled back, panting for air.

He tugged her knickers back into place and let out a shaky exhale.

“This was-”

Hermione covered his mouth with her hand and shook her head, flicking her wand with the
other to clean them both.

“No thinking,” she reminded him, brushing a lock of blond hair away from his face.

Malfoy smirked and ran a thumb over her swollen lips before stepping aside. Hermione
caught her breath while he got dressed.

“I guess I can have a pint with your stupid friends now.”

She lifted her gaze and looked at him. He was buttoning his shirt and giving her an amused
smile.

A few months earlier, Hermione would have taken his words seriously. But now she knew
him better, and she could see the playful glint in his grey eyes.

“Yours are also there,” she replied, lifting her brow as she walked over to him.

Malfoy looked her up and down before placing his coat on her shoulders.

“Let’s go before Potter comes here looking for us.”

 Her heart skipped a beat when he grabbed her hand and tugged her closer as they left the
stadium behind.

Chapter End Notes

Keep saying it's not real, Hermione 😂 That will make it more true
 Deception
Chapter Notes

What a difficult chapter to write! It's 5k long. Enjoy

See the end of the chapter for more notes

May 17th, 2006

Hermiones' mother opened the door with a bright smile and pulled her into a hug.

“Hello, sweety!” Jane stepped back and glanced at Malfoy, her eyes widening once she saw
the bottle of wine he was holding. “Oh, Draco, thank you.” She smiled shyly, letting him kiss
her knuckles, and gestured for them to enter. “You didn’t need to bring anything.”

Malfoy gave the bottle to her father with a satisfied smile after shaking his hand.

“Nonsense.” He shrugged off his coat, thanking Jane when she took it. “Hermione told me
you liked the elf wine we have at home.”

“It was delicious,” Peter replied, his eyes glinting. “I’ll open it once lunch is ready.”

He returned to the kitchen and Malfoy followed him, asking if he could help.

“How is work going?”

Her mother’s voice caught her attention and Hermione blinked back into the present.

“This last week has been exhausting.” She sat down on the red sofa and drew in a long
breath. “But we saved three lives.”

“That’s great, honey.” Jane sat beside her and took her hand in hers, squeezing it lovingly.
“I’m very proud of you.”

Warmth spread across her face. Hermione smiled and squeezed back.

“What about the clinic?”

“A few of our old clients are back,” her mother murmured, looking down at their joined
hands. “It’s nice to see them after all these years.”

Hermione felt a pang of guilt in her chest. It was her fault her parents left the country, and
they had just gotten their old lives back.
They were now looking for a new house, but Hermione had assured them there was no hurry.
She didn’t need her flat for now; if she were honest, she wouldn’t mind if her parents stayed
there. With St. Mungo’s salary, Hermione would only need to save money for a few years to
be able to put a deposit for a new flat.

It was the least she could do for them after erasing their memories and sending them away.

“I’m glad you’re both back to work.”

Her mother released her hand and smiled.

“Lunch is ready!”

Peter left the kitchen with the meal, Malfoy trailing behind him with four glasses and the
cutlery. Jane’s lips curled up into a smirk, and she glanced at Hermione from the corner of her
eye as they both approached the table.

“You two seem more… relaxed around us.”

Hermione glanced at Malfoy and their gazes locked for a moment. She cleared her throat and
looked away.

“I guess we just needed time.”

“The way he looks at you, Hermione,” Jane added in a low voice, letting out a dreamy sigh.
“It reminds me of your father when we started dating.” She shook her head and squeezed
Hermione’s arm. “Draco is hopelessly in love with you.”

Hermione tried to swallow the knot in her throat with a sip of wine.

“Right.”

“And I’ve seen the way you look at him, too,” her mother continued with a knowing smile,
wiggling her eyebrows.

Hermione almost choked on the wine.

“Mum!” She hissed, checking if her father and Malfoy were not hearing their conversation.

The men were busy distributing the food and talking about sports. Hermione gave a slow
blink and turned her head to glare at her mother.

“Just saying!” Jane lifted her hands, an amused smile on her face. “I’m glad you’re happy.”

Hermione grounded her teeth and looked away.

“Thanks.”

“Time to eat, girls,” Peter announced, pushing two dishes towards them.

Malfoy took the chair next to Hermione with her mother across him and Peter at his left.
“Everything okay?” He asked low enough only she heard it, searching her face.

Hermione nodded, cooling her expression and taking a sip of wine.

“Thank you for being always kind to them,” she said in a whisper.

“It’s no problem at all.” Malfoy took a bite of the baked potatoes, humming appreciatively at
his father's sauce. He dabbed at his mouth with a napkin and leaned into her ear. “I like your
parents. They’re nice.”

Hermione pursed her lips and didn’t reply. Malfoy’s comments still shocked her sometimes.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━

May 21st, 2006

His faithful elf was waiting for them in the parlour once Draco arrived at the manor.

“The Masters are waiting in the solarium.”

“Thank you, Minsy.” Draco smiled at her and turned on his heel once the elf disapparated,
watching as Granger stepped out of the fireplace.

The tension between them was growing heavier each day. Neither of them mentioned the
impending annulment of the law —if Elisabeth’s idea worked— or the two times they had
thrown caution to the wind and let their mutual desire speak for them.

Draco couldn’t stop dreaming about her body pressed to his, how good her hands felt on his
hair, or how stunning she looked as she came on his fingers and mouth.

He wanted to do it again. He wanted it all.

Though it didn’t seem wise when everything could be over soon. His friends’ comments had
gotten to him, and a part of him knew they were right.

Draco was falling hard for Granger. Perhaps he was already down there, at her feet, waiting
for the crumbs she would give him.

He squared his jaw and looked straight ahead, offering her his arm while he sent all those
thoughts to a corner of his mind, lifting a strong wall to keep them at bay.

Better not to think about Granger being someone else's wife.

“Where are we going?” She asked, the light shaking of her voice betraying her nerves.

Draco pressed their joined arms to his chest, closing the distance between them. He would
never take her near that room, not that they could get inside. It was sealed with elf magic
since the end of the war.
“My mother wants you to see the solarium,” he explained softly, guiding her through the long
corridors. “It’s in the library.”

The silence in the manor was deafening as they climbed the Gothic staircase. Draco had
always wondered about the time when all the suites in the massive building were used back
in the sixth and seventh centuries. The Malfoy family was huge back then, and now the
mansion felt too big for its three occupants.

Two, he corrected in his mind. He had been living in his flat with Granger for almost six
months.

The woman holding his arm gasped once Draco opened the doors to the library. He pressed
his lips together, hiding a smirk as Granger stepped into the room and looked around with
amazed eyes and parted lips.

It was the reaction he expected from the swotty Gryffindor.

He followed her silently, letting her observe the up-to-the-ceiling bookshelves and read some
of the titles. Her fingers brushed the spines of the books, barely containing the urge to grab
them and start reading.

“I can’t believe you grew up having this. It’s not fair,” she muttered, turning to him with a
scowl.

Draco chuckled under his breath and approached her, taking her arm again. Granger could be
wandering around the library for days if he didn’t stop her, and his parents were waiting.

“You’re welcome to take all the books you want to our flat,” he said, directing her towards
the stairs to the third floor.

The scowl vanished from her face and Granger gave him a sincere smile. Draco pretended he
didn’t notice his heart’s reaction to it.

“Maybe later,” she accepted, her eyes taking in every detail as they walked. “Once tea with
your parents is over.”

“You’re a great actress, by the way,” Draco commented with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.
“They’re convinced you have fallen for me.”

Granger rolled her eyes and sighed.

“My parents are convinced you’ve fallen for me, too.”

His shoulders tensed.

“Just what we wanted,” he murmured, pausing before the door to the solarium.

“Yes.”

Was it his imagination, or did her voice sound strained?

Draco cleared his throat. The sudden thick air between them was not what he needed
moments before seeing his parents, and there was a question he had been meaning to ask her.

“Will you come with me to see Elisabeth this Thursday?”

The change of subject worked. Granger relaxed her posture and nodded.

His owl had delivered a message that morning that was promising. Elisabeth wanted to book
a date with the Wizengamot and demand a vote on the annulment of the Marriage Law in the
following weeks. She had a case ready that she wanted them both to hear first, and had
collected the one thousand signatures needed for the appeal.

“I’m a bit nervous about it,” Granger admitted in a hushed voice, pushing a loose curl away
from her eyes and squaring her shoulders with a practised smile on her face.

Draco knew what that expression meant. She was ready to spend the afternoon with Lucius
and Narcissa Malfoy as his devoted wife.

“Me too, Granger,” Draco answered, grabbing the doorknob. “We should stop worrying until
we know what she has planned.”

“Okay.”

He opened the door and let Granger go through it first.

“Draco, dear.” Narcissa walked over to them and kissed his cheek. She hesitated only a
second before doing the same with Granger. “And Hermione. What a cute couple they make,
right, Lucius?”

His father snorted, his lips twitching in amusement.

“Who would have known.”

“Not me,” Granger said with a soft laugh.

Draco looked between them, no longer trying to hide his smile. Things between them had
been strained at first, but Granger had let her walls down once she saw how much his parents
had changed.

They were both trying to understand, to adapt to this new world with less prejudice and to
welcome her into their lives. And he was very grateful for that.

No one wanted another war for the same insane reason. Not even Lucius, who was now
gesturing for Granger to sit at the small table.

She nodded and took a seat, smiling up at the glass ceiling.

“I hope you like this room, Hermione,” Narcissa mused, sitting across from her.
“It’s lovely.” Granger was still admiring the room when Draco took the seat beside her.
“Thank you for inviting us.”

“You don’t need an invitation to come here, dear.” Narcissa waved a hand. “Draco told me
you love books.”

Granger glanced at him from the corner of her eye and swallowed, accepting the cup of tea
his father had just levitated towards her.

“I do, yes.”

The teapot floated in the air, filling the four cups with fresh-brewed tea.

Draco grabbed one of the biscuits and took a bite, closing his eyes as he enjoyed it. No one
made better tea biscuits than Minsy.

“Don’t forget to check the library before you leave,” his mother reminded Granger with a
fond smile. She also loved books and had been wanting to share her favourite selection with
her new daughter-in-law for a while. “We have a collection of old books you might have
never seen before.”

Granger’s eyes lit up.

“I will have a look, thank you.”

Draco leaned closer to her.

“I’ll show you where those books are,” he promised in a low voice.

She shot him a grateful smile and took a sip of her tea.

Draco felt his mouth run dry and looked away, clenching his jaw. Her smile was incredibly
beautiful, and it was hard to believe it was directed at him.

He occluded a bit, just enough to stop thinking about her, and looked at his mother. She was
watching him with a knowing grin.

“When is your next match, Draco?” Narcissa asked, placing her cup back on the saucer after
a quick sip. “Your father and I would like to attend.”

Lucius nodded in agreement.

“Next week.” Draco sipped at his tea, looking everywhere but to his right. “I’ll get the tickets
for you.”

His mother’s blue eyes turned to Granger.

“Will you be there?”

“I guess so,” she replied, her lower lip trapped between her teeth.
Draco looked away again and shifted on his chair.

“Make sure we can sit next to her, darling,” Narcissa demanded, selecting one of the
chocolate biscuits and glancing at him.

“Consider it done, Mother.”

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━

May 25th, 2006

The flames roared in Draco’s ears when he returned to his flat, finding Granger already
seated on the sofa.

She had summoned a bottle of wine and two glasses and had a grin on her face. Draco
smirked and went into the kitchen to pick up the cheese and olives Minsy had left under a
stasis charm, joining her on the settee.

Shadow was half-asleep on her new favourite armchair. Draco petted her head and leaned
back, still tired after his training session.

The meeting with Elisabeth had gone better than they had expected. The incredible woman
had already secured a date with the Wizengamot, and her proposal had thirty-five different
ways of increasing the birthrate in Great Britain without forcing people to get married.

The only thing they needed now was to convince the Wizengamot to vote in favour.

Elisabeth had promised that she wouldn’t give up. If the court rejected her proposal, she
would try again and again until the ancient law was history and everyone was free to choose
who to marry.

Her positivity had rubbed off on them, and they both felt like celebrating. Granger pulled out
the cork with her wand and poured the wine into the glasses.

“I can’t wait to see their faces when the law gets annulled,” she said after a long sip.

Draco tilted his glass towards her and drank.

“Cheers to that.”

They both relaxed against the sofa, the soft purring of the cat the only sound in the room as
they drank and ate some cheese. It had been a long day of work for both of them and the
meeting with Elisabeth had lasted almost two hours.

Draco had merely watched the two witches debating each point, wondering how they had
never met before. They would take over the world easily if both of them worked together.

“Malfoy.”

Granger saying his name interrupted his train of thought.

“Hm?”

He took another gulp of wine and looked at her when she stayed silent for too long, lifting his
brow in question. Granger took a deep breath and held his gaze.

“Why did you call me Mudblood that day?” Draco choked on his wine and coughed hard.
That was a question he hadn’t seen coming. “You don’t seem to care about that anymore.”

He returned the glass to the coffee table and wrinkled his nose.

“I don’t.”

Granger was frowning when he glanced back at her.

“Then why?”

Shame coated his tongue when he remembered that day and the foul words he had spat at her,
making it difficult to talk.

“I was angry,” Draco explained, not wanting to lie. He swallowed and looked her in the eye.
“And I wanted to hurt you.”

Her lips pressed into a thin line.

“Oh.”

It was a poor excuse, but it was the truth.

“I might have acted a bit… childish. At first,” Draco added, picking up his glass and resting
an ankle on his knee.

Granger laughed.

“We both did.”

They took a sip at the same time and the silence returned. He summoned the bottle, refilling
their glasses, and heard her sigh at his side.

“Thank you for being honest with me, Dr-Malfoy.”

“You can call me Draco, you know.” His lips curled up and he quirked an eyebrow at her
surprised face. “I don’t mind.”

His family name was a barrier to help keep some distance between them while they shared
the same space, but it felt wrong coming from her now that Draco was used to hearing
Granger say his given name constantly.

She smirked back at him, a challenge in her eyes.

“Will you call me Hermione?”

Draco snorted and averted his eyes to Shadow.

“Not happening.”

“You’re such a prat.”

His laugh filled the air.

“You’ll be free of me soon enough.” Draco buried his fingers in the cat’s fur, avoiding her
gaze. “If Elisabeth gets her way.”

Granger hummed, swirling her wine with a thoughtful expression.

“You’re not that bad.” She snickered, shrugging one of her shoulders when he turned his head
to her in surprise. “Which I still find hard to believe sometimes, if I’m honest.”

“You’re not that bad yourself,” Draco admitted, straightening his spine. “It could have been a
lot worse.”

“So much worse,” Granger agreed with a nod.

“Like Pansy.”

“Or Ron.”

“Brown.”

“Cormac.”

“Fucking McLaggen,” Draco hissed, his free hand curling into a fist on his knee. “I still want
to beat the shit out of him.”

Granger rolled her eyes and popped a piece of cheese into her mouth.

“I haven’t seen him since that day.”

“Good.”

Shadow jumped on his lap and Granger smiled, reaching out to touch the cat's ears.

The words rolled off his tongue without his consent.

“I do.” She glanced at him with her eyebrows drawn together and he looked down, inspecting
his fingernails as a blush stained his cheeks. “Care about you, Granger.”

His mortifying admission was worth it when her lips curled up into a smile.

“It’s mutual.” A laugh bubbled out of her and she shook her head. “How weird.”

“Indeed.”
They had been friendly for a long time, although Draco wished she meant it differently.

“Well, I should go to bed.” Granger left her empty glass on the coffee table and covered her
mouth while yawning. “I have an early start tomorrow.”

“I should do the same.” Draco let out a long sigh. “Training.”

They both got to their feet and Granger flicked her wand, sending the glasses and the nearly
empty bottle to the kitchen. Then she stood up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.

His body froze when her lips brushed his skin.

“Goodnight, Draco.”

He stared at her once she stepped away. Granger looked up at him through her lashes, her
golden-brown eyes bright and impossible to resist.

In the next breath, Draco had bent down and captured her mouth with his, groaning when she
tangled her hands in his hair and pulled his face closer. Her lips welcomed him as if they had
missed his kisses, parting when he brushed them with the tip of his tongue.

Merlin, he had craved kissing Granger. She tasted of wine and cheese and everything that
Draco liked. He pulled her flush against him, deepening the kiss as her sweet scent
overwhelmed his senses.

He almost lost himself in her. Almost.

“Are you drunk?”

“No.” He hissed when Granger tugged at his hair as a punishment, her lips crashing into his
again. She soothed the pain with a swipe of her tongue. “Shut up.”

Draco could do nothing but obey. He pressed her against the wall and kissed her deeply with
his hand around her throat, only leaving her mouth when he needed air. His lips trailed down
her neck, dropping kisses as his hands opened the first two buttons of her blouse. He pulled
down the fabric until her shoulder was exposed and sucked, drawing constellations on her
skin with his tongue.

Granger's breath caught and she shuddered in his arms. She kept running her fingers through
his hair, sending flames down his body.

They should stop before it was too late.

“Are you certain your contraceptive potion is effective?”

Draco pulled back abruptly, panting and staring at her with wide eyes. She looked sinful with
her swollen lips, pink cheeks, and wild curls falling down her shoulders.

He nodded, not trusting his voice.

“Can I have one?”

Draco kept staring at her, unaware of how rigid his body was until she played with the short
hair at the nape of his neck. The tension from his shoulders eased and his cock twitched at the
promise hidden behind her words.

“Are you sure?”

“Stop thinking, Draco.” Granger pressed her mouth to his and sighed against his lips. “Do
you want me?”

He leaned his forehead against hers and closed his eyes, his arms wrapped tightly around her
waist as he whispered the truth he had been denying to himself for too long.

“More than I’ve ever wanted anyone.”

Draco felt her smile against his cheek.

“Then have me.”

His body reacted to her words before his brain had time to process them. Draco squeezed her
hips and lifted her, swallowing her squeal of surprise with a kiss. He kept his mouth on hers
as he walked towards his bedroom with Granger in his arms, her legs wrapped around his
waist.

Draco summoned the potion wordlessly, opening his eyes to catch it in the air before the vial
could hit them. He pushed his door open with his foot and entered the room, kissing her
roughly while he approached the bed.

He stepped away after depositing her on the mattress and placed the vial on his nightstand.
Then he shrugged off his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt, holding her gaze.

Granger’s breathing was ragged. She looked away from him and opened her blouse, peeling
it off her body and throwing it to the floor.

Just seeing the black lace covering her breasts got him as hard as a rock. Fuck, she was
breathtaking.

His shirt joined hers on the wooden floor and Draco didn’t flinch when her eyes fell on his
faded Dark Mark. Granger had seen it before, and she knew who he was.

She looked back up at him and reached out, her waiting hand calling to him like a siren song.
Draco took it and dropped open-mouthed kisses on her knuckles, grinning when her smile
twisted at the gesture and her cheeks turned pink.

He knew she secretly liked his posh manners.

There was only one way to know if Granger was wearing matching knickers. Her dark jeans
needed to go.
Draco leaned down, resting a hand on the mattress right next to her hip while he undid the
only button under her navel, his lips finding the curve of her neck and sucking softly.

A breathy moan escaped from her throat and she tugged at his trousers, unbuttoning them and
letting them fall around his ankles. Draco stepped out of them and kneeled on the bed
between her legs, holding her waist and pushing her back until her head was resting on his
pillow.

He pulled back an inch and stared down at her, trying to memorise this moment.

Her long curls were spread around her face and her dark eyes fixed on his. His gaze
wandered down her body and Draco licked his lips when it landed on her black knickers.
Something told him that he would never recover from having sex with Granger, but he was
willing to risk it if this was his only chance at having her like this.

He hoped it wasn’t, though. Draco was not ready to see her go on with her life without him,
not when he suspected his feelings were reciprocated.

If only he were brave enough to ask. To confess that the thought of her leaving once the law
was annulled and they didn’t have to be together anymore terrified him. That he didn’t want
to share his flat, his time, or his life with anybody but her.

“You won’t regret this tomorrow, right?” Draco said instead, looking up at her face while he
waited for her answer.

Granger shook her head and snaked her arms around his neck, lifting her chin and kissing
him. Draco lowered his body to hers and hummed when he felt her warm skin pressed against
his.

Having her nearly naked in his bed was better than he had imagined in his dreams.

He drew a canvas on her freckled shoulders with his lips and tongue, sucking on her pulse
point when she arched against him. Granger was dragging her nails down his back and up to
his hair again, sending hot waves of pleasure down his body while he took his time to explore
hers, returning to her mouth once he had memorised the taste of her skin.

She broke the kiss, breathing in deeply, and grabbed the potion.

Draco’s gaze flickered between her eyes. Neither of them was occluding, and he could see the
nervousness she was trying to hide.

He ran his thumb across her cheek soothingly.

“It will work. I promise.”

Her shy smile took his breath away.

“I trust you.”
Granger uncorked it and drank the green potion to the last drop, leaving the empty vial on his
bedside table while Draco tried to accept what he had heard.

How could he have won her trust?

Her fingers stroked his temple, brushing back the locks falling on his forehead. He dipped his
chin and licked along the strap on her shoulder, pulling it down with his teeth while his left
hand curled around her back to unclasp her bra.

Granger pulled him closer with her knees and rolled her hips, pressing her core against his.

Fuck.

He almost choked at the burning flames that shot through his veins, the raw desire making
Draco see dark spots in the corner of his eyes. Not wanting to wait for one more second to
feel her bare skin against his, Draco pushed down his boxer briefs and did the same with the
last item of clothing covering her body. He leaned in and groaned against her throat when the
tip of his cock brushed her entrance.

This was about to be embarrassingly quick.

Her fingers slid into his hair and he felt her swallow hard. Her voice was breathy in his ear.

“It’s… it’s been a while since the last time.”

Draco lifted his head and searched her eyes. Gods, she was so fucking exquisite with her
curls spread over his pillows.

He hoped her scent would linger on them like the last time she had shared his bed.

“For me, too,” he reminded her with a smirk, burying one of his hands in her hair and tracing
her collarbone with the other. “Be gentle with me, Granger.”

The nervous atmosphere disappeared with her soft chuckle.

“I’ll try,” she said, pulling his mouth down to hers.

Draco tried to be patient and not give in to the urge to bury himself deep in her. His fingers
trailed down her body and caressed her abdomen, the curve of her waist, and her inner thigh,
until they finally found her core.

Draco clenched his jaw. She was already wet.

He pushed a finger into her warmth, pressing his thumb to her clit and rubbing it as he
pumped in and out of her. Granger wrapped her hand around his length and stroked him at the
same rhythm, nibbling on his lower lip while her other hand tugged softly at his locks.

Did she know how much he loved it when she touched his hair?
Draco added another finger and curled them inside her, hitting a spot that made her moan. He
pulled her hand away before he embarrassed himself and found a better position between her
thighs. Then he pushed into her slowly, inch by inch, savouring the sensation of finally
breaking the last boundary between them.

Granger gasped and clung to his shoulders, breathing in and out as her body adjusted to him.

A low moan sounded deep in his throat once he sank fully into her. She felt warm, tight,
perfect.

"Alright?"

"Yes," she breathed, her mouth meeting his again.

Draco deepened the kiss as he rocked into her, his hands wrapped around her thighs and
pulling her to him with each thrust.

Too close.

He paused, needing a moment to collect himself, and Granger pushed him back. She kneeled
on the mattress and straddled him, lowering herself into him with one swift movement that
stole the air from his lungs.

Draco wrapped his arms around her middle and let her take control, thrusting up into her
every time she rolled her hips. Their breaths mingled, their movements quickening as the fire
in his chest grew. He pushed her damp curls away from her neck, kissing every inch of skin
his lips could reach.

Making love probably felt like this. He couldn't imagine it being better.

Just when Draco thought he wouldn't be able to hold it much longer, Granger moaned,
clenching around him, and something inside him snapped. Draco swallowed her whimpers
with another kiss as he shuddered, his hands squeezing her hips. He stilled when Granger
pulled away and leaned her forehead on his shoulder.

Draco rolled them over and they both fell on the bed, a satisfied sigh leaving Granger's lips.
He pulled the sheets up and wrapped an arm around her, hiding his face in her curls.

His arm tightened his hold on her when she tried to move.

“Stay.”

“I need the loo.”

Draco winced, knowing she hadn’t understood what he really meant.

“Use mine,” he murmured, releasing her from his grip.

The exhaustion finally caught up with him and he almost fell asleep waiting for her. Granger
curled against him once she returned to the bed and he pulled her closer, both of his arms
 around her shoulders.

“This feels nice,” she whispered, pressing a kiss to his collarbone.

Draco hummed and breathed in her sweaty scent, now mixed with his. Having her close was
the best antidote against his nightmares.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━

May 26th, 2006

A tapping on the window woke him up a few hours later. Draco blinked in the darkness and
sighed when the owl tapped again impatiently.

He disentangled himself from Granger, who was dead asleep, and approached the window
with careful steps. It was half-past six, and he wanted to enjoy his last thirty minutes in bed
with her.

The grey owl screeched indignantly at him and flew away once he had the letter. Draco
opened it with his heart pounding in his ears.

Elisabeth had a new idea, and she needed his help.

Chapter End Notes

Let me know what you think! I wanted their first time to be hot and beautiful, and I'm
not sure I've achieved it. Is it too soft?
 The Court
Chapter Notes

You may have noticed that it now says 25 chapters - chapter 25 will be a short epilogue!
This fic will be finished before the year ends

See the end of the chapter for more notes

5th June, 2006

Hermione glanced up from her book when the flames roared, holding her breath as Draco
stepped out of the fireplace. She placed it aside and stared at him.

“So?”

Draco carded his fingers through his hair, smirking at her impatient snort.

“It’s done,” he announced with a big smile, walking over to the sofa and sitting beside her.
“Elisabeth has everything she needs. We’re ready.”

The pressure Hermione had felt on her shoulders since the day Draco started having meetings
with Elisabeth without her vanished. If there was something she hated, it was not knowing
what was going on.

Draco had refused to say anything every time she asked, claiming that he didn’t want to give
her false hopes before they knew it could work.

“You look happy,” Hermione commented, her eyes flicking around his face.

Draco relaxed against the back of the sofa and let out a long exhale.

“It’s a great idea, Granger.” Shadow jumped on his lap and meowed, demanding his attention.
Draco rubbed her chin before he turned his head to Hermione, his expression growing
serious. “I think this could be it.”

“Really?” She sat straighter, her eyes wide. “On the first try?”

Draco nodded.

“And you still won’t tell me what this great idea is?”

He shook his head and Hermione scoffed, folding her arms and glaring at him.

“I want to see your reaction when it happens,” Draco said softly, raising his eyebrows and
giving her the crooked smile she liked.
It was hard to stay mad at the amused look on his face.

“You’re ridiculous, you know,” Hermione replied with a roll of her eyes.

Draco chuckled under his breath and lowered his gaze to Shadow. He looked deep in thought
as he stroked her back, the cat purring in delight.

“Are you nervous?”

He glanced back at her with pursed lips.

“We need to win today if we want to play the final.”

Hermione already knew this. Since Draco gave her the VIP pass, she had gone to almost
every match with their friends, and just the week before she had spent almost two hours with
the Malfoys sitting next to her.

It had been a bizarre experience, but she was getting used to Lucius and Narcissa’s kindness.
They both seemed to think she was good for their son and were always trying their best to
make her feel welcome, inquiring about her Muggle parents and telling her stories about
Draco’s childhood.

Strange, indeed.

“You must be happy Ginny’s team didn’t win enough matches to be part of the semi-finals.”

“I am thrilled,” Draco confirmed with a sharp laugh, following Shadow with his gaze when
the cat jumped to the floor and walked towards the kitchen, her black tail swishing in the air.
“We both couldn’t win the league, Granger.”

“I know.”

“I should get ready.” Draco got to his feet and squared his shoulders, tapping his fingers
against his thigh as he looked at her. “Will you be there?”

Hermione nodded, holding back a smile.

“I’m flooing to Neville’s manor in an hour.”

Draco grimaced, his lips twisted to the side.

“What?”

“Nothing.” He shrugged and averted his gaze, working his jaw. “Pansy is starting to like your
friend too much.”

Hermione tensed, her defences reacting to the distaste she could hear in his voice.

“He’s a good guy,” she snapped, standing up with her fists clenched. “Of course she likes
him.”
His icy eyes looked into hers.

“I’m not a good guy and you like me anyway.”

Hermione froze, her heart pausing for a second. She opened her mouth to deny that statement
and affirm he was not a bad guy but closed it again, pressing her lips together. Draco burst
out laughing and shook his head, waving his hand in farewell.

“Later, Granger.”

“Wait!” Hermione ran to him and grabbed his forearm. “I bought something for you.”

His brow furrowed in confusion.

“Why?”

“I know it’s your birthday today.” She pulled out her wand and summoned her gift, which
crossed the room floating towards them. “There are a few packages in the kitchen waiting for
you, by the way.”

The two boxes of sweets sent by his mother had reminded Hermione of the few times she
noticed Draco receiving something similar in Hogwarts. Minsy had brought a cake while she
was having breakfast, and Theo’s owl had left dozens of sugar quills and cauldron cakes on
the counter.

Draco clearly had a sweet tooth. She almost laughed, imagining her parent’s horrified faces if
they saw all of those sweets.

“A book-shaped gift.” Draco took it in his hands and lifted an eyebrow, his lips twitching. “I
wonder what it is.”

Hermione rolled her eyes.

“Stop teasing me and open it.”

He drew in a small breath and obeyed, opening the wrapping paper slowly without tearing it.

“Little Women,” Draco muttered, pressing the first book to his chest to read the next cover.
“Pride and Prejudice.” He frowned, reading the back cover before moving on to the last one.
“The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.”

Hermione felt her cheeks burn when he stared at her.

“A few of my favourite Muggle books. I know you wanted to buy more, and I thought you
might like them.” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and tapped one of the
books. “This one belongs to a fantasy saga. If you like the first one, I will buy you the rest of
the books.”

Draco hummed and glanced back at the covers.

“Thank you.” He folded the wrapping paper and pocketed it, holding the books carefully. “I
will start the fantasy one tonight.”

“Will you tell me your thoughts once you’ve finished it?”

“Even if I don’t like the story?” He questioned, an amused glint in his eyes.

“Even then.” Hermione took a step back and gave him a smug smile. “It’s okay to have bad
taste for books.”

Draco snorted.

“Very funny.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek, smirking when her blush deepened. “I’ll let
you know what I think once I’m done with it.”

Hermione blinked once he stepped away, breathing in clean air to free her lungs of his woody
scent.

“Good luck today.”

Draco gave her a tight smile.

“See you in the stadium.” He paused before leaving the room, glancing at her over his
shoulder. “We’ll go to the pub after the match. Come with your friends.”

He wanted to celebrate the possible victory or nurse his wounds with her around. Her heart
fluttered happily before Hermione could control its unwanted reaction to his words.

She was in trouble.

“I’ll be there.”

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━

“What a nice day for a match,” Ginny commented, squinting up at the bright sun shining over
the stadium.

Hermione smiled when her friend closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth of its rays on her
face.

“I’m sorry your team is no longer competing, Gin.”

She shrugged and opened her brown eyes.

“Never mind. We’ll win the league next year.”

“Of course you will,” said Harry at her other side, leaning in to kiss her. “And you’ll beat
Malfoy’s arse,” he added in a whisper.
The three of them laughed and Neville, sitting behind them, patted Harry’s arm. Ginny faced
Hermione once her husband’s attention was elsewhere, gazing at her with her lips pursed in
thought.

“How are things going between you two?”

Hermione sighed and looked up, instantly finding the blond and silver blur at the top of the
stadium towers. Both teams were tied and Draco was circling the pitch at a slow speed in
search of the snitch.

“Better than I imagined, if I’m honest,” she admitted, shoving her hands in the pockets of her
blazer.

Ginny’s brow was furrowed when she looked back at her.

“Care to explain?” Her friend demanded, arching an eyebrow.

“I told you they have feelings for each other,” Luna said happily behind Hermione, startling
her. “You owe me a nice homemade dinner, Theo.”

“Clever and beautiful,” Theo murmured, wrapping an arm around her and kissing Luna’s
temple. “I’m a lucky man.”

Hermione pretended she hadn’t heard them.

“The animosity between us is long gone.” She cleared her throat and looked away. “I…”

Ginny leaned forward, her eyes wide with curiosity.

“What?”

Hermione took a deep breath, gathering her Gryffindor courage. Saying this out loud was not
easy, considering who she was talking about.

“I think I’m addicted to his kisses, Gin. No one has kissed me like that before.”

Her voice was low to ensure Luna and Theo didn’t hear her this time. Ginny’s eyebrows
raised high on her forehead.

“This is promising.” She also lowered her voice, speaking into her ear. “And you’ve had sex
with him, right?”

Hermione stiffened and scowled at her friend’s innocent smile.

“How do you know?”

“It’s written all over your face.” Ginny gestured to her flushed cheeks and tense mouth. “I
can see what you’re thinking now that you don’t occlude that much.”

Hermione frowned.
“I should have never stopped.”

Her friend rolled her eyes and nudged her on the ribs.

“Come on, tell me!” Ginny wiggled her brow expectantly. “Was it good?”

Their only night together flashed into her mind. Gentle touches, ardent kisses, his eyes fixed
on her face, the weight of his body on hers…

Hermione pushed those memories away and ran a hand down her face, clicking her tongue in
annoyance. She had thought about it more than she wanted to admit.

“It was… It was perfect,” she confessed, wincing at her friend’s shocked gasp.

“Bloody hell, you’re down bad for Malfoy.” Ginny’s look of surprise turned to worry. “Have
you told him?”

“No, and I don’t plan to.” Hermione tugged at her long braid absentmindedly and looked up
at the players. The Falcons had just scored. “It’s just a crush.”

“Are you sure?”

“Elisabeth thinks the appeal will work. If she's right, we won’t have to stay together
anymore.” Her eyes followed the only platinum dot in the air, avoiding Ginny’s knowing
gaze. “It can’t be more than a crush.”

Her friend snorted.

“What if Luna is right and Malfoy has feelings for you?”

Hermione let her mind ponder the possibility of him feeling the same way.

Once Draco let his walls down, he was funny in his own way, polite, and empathetic. The
kindness he had shown her with the loss of her familiar was impossible to forget, and he was
smart enough to follow her conversations and contribute with new ideas, no matter what
Hermione talked about. He was respectful to her parents from the first time he met them, and
had cared enough about her wellbeing to warn her about the risks of occluding too much back
in January.

Her more recent memories reminded her that he was also a thorough lover, always making
her head spin and waiting until she found her release before letting himself go.

She even liked his snarky side and how protective he was of her. Draco Malfoy was far from
perfect, but so was Hermione. He had everything she wanted in a life partner.

“I guess we should talk about it,” Hermione murmured, sighing heavily. They both needed to
lay their cards on the table and be frank with each other. “Maybe after the hearing, once
we’re free to decide what we want.”

Ginny’s eyes widened.

“It’s soon, right?”

Hermione nodded.

“In two weeks.”

“Okay.” Her friend’s smile turned wicked. “What did Malfoy say after the sex?”

Hermione glared at her and looked around. No one was paying them any mind and Harry was
gripping the railing while he glared at one of the Falcon's Chasers.

“He hasn’t mentioned it,” she muttered, her voice lowering to a whisper. Ginny leaned closer.
“We both know it was just a one-time thing, to sate our curiosity.”

Her friend looked as if Christmas had arrived early.

“What were you curious about?”

Hermione knew she would regret this conversation for the rest of her life.

“If we are really that compatible.”

“And are you?”

She squared her jaw and ignored the question, staring down at the lower benches. Some
people screamed and jumped to their feet, and Ginny nudged her again.

“I think your dear Malfoy has seen the snitch.”

“He’s not my-”

Her words caught in her throat when she looked up and saw Draco hurtling towards the
ground at full speed chasing the golden ball. The other Seeker was on his tail, trying to push
him away.

After a few seconds of both of them trying to knock down the other, Draco speeded up and
caught the snitch when a bludger hit by Aaron distracted his rival.

“The Falcon wins!”

The stadium roared and Hermione’s heart skipped a beat when Draco shot a proud grin
towards the VIP stands, waving the hand where the small ball was still trapped and trying to
escape. Parkinson, Theo, Zabini, and Goyle waved back, laughing and screaming excitedly.

He then looked directly at her and winked before turning his broom around to celebrate with
his teammates.

“You are in big trouble, my friend,” Ginny murmured with a soft chuckle, reminding her of
what she had thought just a couple of hours earlier.

Hermione huffed, her deep blush impossible to hide.

“Shush.”

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━

June 19th, 2006

The lowest floor of the Ministry was nearly empty when they arrived. Elisabeth had already
been in the building for more than two hours, rereading the most important points of her
speech and making sure everything was ready.

Hermione and Draco were the first to get there. The Wizengamot had allowed a public
hearing, knowing the result of the voting would be plastered on the front page of the Daily
Prophet the following morning. They wanted to humiliate anyone who thought trying to defy
them was worth it.

She wrapped her arms around herself, her stomach clenching with nerves.

“Breathe,” Draco murmured, leaning against the wall and sighing through his nose. “It will
be okay.”

He was wearing one of his dark grey suits and looked too formal and ridiculously handsome
with his perfect hair and broad shoulders. Hermione frowned at the dark floor, annoyed at her
own thoughts.

“You don’t know that,” she muttered under her breath.

Draco raised his brow and looked down at her.

“You said you trusted me, Granger.”

Hermione exhaled through her teeth and rolled her shoulders, closing her eyes.

“Alright,” she replied, focusing on her breathing.

It was the closest thing to occluding she could do without numbing her mind.

Her eyes snapped open when Draco took her hand and interlaced his fingers with hers, his
wedding band cold against her skin. He squeezed once before releasing her.

Hermione smiled at him and breathed in deeply, crossing her arms over her chest. Just a few
more minutes and they would be inside the room, taking a seat to watch Elisabeth’s
brilliance. She only hoped it would be enough.

Both tensed when the lifts opened at the other end of the corridor and wizards and witches
wearing purple robes stepped out of them. The jury had arrived.

They entered the court without a glance back at them, Rita Skeeter trailing after the oldest
group of men.
Hermione looked up when she heard footsteps moving towards them and the blood drained
from her face. He stopped in front of her as if Draco didn’t exist.

“Hermione.”

“Cormac.” Hermione swallowed, eyeing his purple robes with caution. “What are you doing
here?”

She could feel the tension rolling off Draco in waves.

“My uncle has been an honourable member of this court for thirty years.” Cormac smirked
and tilted his head, the corners of his lips turning down. “He offered me his seat after I lost
my job.”

He took a step closer and Draco stiffened, shooting him a warning glare.

“I know you two are behind this,” Cormac hissed, looking between them with narrowed eyes.
“And I've made sure everyone will vote against this proposal. You'll pay for what you did to
me.”

Draco looked down his nose at him, just like he used to do in Hogwarts.

“Do your worst, McLaggen.”

Cormac sneered and turned on his heel, entering the room at a brisk pace.

“I should have killed him,” Draco muttered darkly.

Hermione rubbed her temples.

“Not this again.”

They stood there waiting until Elisabeth entered the corridor with at least five folders in her
hands.

Hermione’s heart dropped to the floor when she only saw Ginny and Seamus with her. Where
were Harry, Ron, and the rest of her friends? They had promised to come and show their
support.

Draco placed a hand on her back and pushed her gently.

“It’s time.”

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━

Taxes reduction for families, a new school financed by the Ministry that children could attend
before it was time to go to Hogwarts, St. Mungo's free medical attention for babies and their
mothers...
Elisabeth had been explaining her long proposal for exactly twenty minutes when one of the
members of the Wizengamot stood up.

“I’m afraid I must interrupt you, Miss Davis. We are only listening to this… nonsense
because you presented the required signatures, not because we’re interested.” He looked
around himself and shook his head with a fake smile. “Those are wonderful ideas, but there’s
no way of knowing if they will work.” The man lifted a parchment and tapped it with his
other hand. “We know this law works. It has worked before, and it is working now. Ten per
cent of the married couples are already expecting their first child, and we still have eighteen
months left.” He sighed dramatically and shared a look with the wizard sitting beside him.
“We should vote to see who is in favour of continuing like this and not make any changes.”

The other members nodded and straightened on their seats, awaiting the order.

Elisabeth glanced at Draco and gave him a significant look.

Now.

He stood up.

“Not so fast.”

The old man scowled at him.

“The audience is not allowed to speak, Mr Malfoy.”

“Oh, but I’m not part of the audience.” He ignored Granger’s shocked expression and
descended the stairs, glancing at the Minister for Magic. Kingsley gave him an encouraging
smile. “I have a legal demand.”

The wizard’s face turned red in anger.

“What demand?”

Draco moved to the centre of the room and stood beside Elisabeth, whose eyes were wide in
anticipation.

“Every pureblood family was assigned a seat the day this court was established. Our
ancestors didn’t care about laws or trials, so they left them in your care a century ago.” Draco
stared up at the old man, a smirk tugging at his lips when his wrinkled face paled. “Now we
are here to claim them.”

Three of the jury members jumped to their feet.

“How dare you-”

“This is outrageous-”

“Bloody Death Eat-”

“Order in the court!” demanded Kingsley harshly.

The room fell silent.

“You know we have the right to claim our seats whenever we decide we want them back,”
Draco continued, pretending he couldn’t feel their hateful glares drilling into him. “There’s
nothing you can do to stop us.”

Elisabeth raised an eyebrow in challenge, ready to show them the Decree that stated this.

“Very well.” The man made a gesture to his colleagues and all of them sat down, some
grumbling under their breaths. “Which pureblood heirs will claim their seats today?”

Elisabeth grinned and glanced at the guards near the door, nodding her head. They opened it
and the whole room gasped in surprise. Greg, Blaise, Vincent's cousin, Daphne, Pansy, Theo,
Potter, Luna, Weasley, Longbottom, and many more old friends, most of them from
Hogwarts, entered the court together. Twenty-seven in total.

Draco walked over to them, making it twenty-eight, and looked back at the old man in charge
of the session.

“All of us.”

The wizard’s face was purple and he looked about to combust. He turned his head to a
younger witch.

“Is there a way to avoid this?”

“I’m afraid not.” The woman shook her head and her gleaming eyes fell on the group of
people standing in the middle of the room. “The Law states their right to do this.”

“Proceed, then.” The old man waved his hand dismissively and leaned back on his chair. “I
want this madness to be over.”

With a grin, Draco climbed the stairs first and waited until the man occupying the Malfoy
seat raised to his feet, placing his purple robes on the back of it before leaving the room
muttering insults. He waited until the others did the same, Elisabeth directing the ones a bit
confused to their families’ seats.

Draco looked around, his heart pounding harder when he saw all the familiar faces around
him waiting for the next step. His aunt Andromeda, who had recently reconnected with his
mother and had claimed the Black's seat, gave him a reassuring smile.

“We are ready for the voting now,” he stated, glancing at the old wizard and lifting his brow
in expectation.

Cormac looked livid and Draco barely refrained from winking at him. The bastard could
shove his stupid threats up his arse.
“Raise your hand if you’re in favour of maintaining the Marriage Law for the foreseeable
future,” the man asked, lifting his own hand.

Cormac and a few others did the same.

Not enough.

“Now raise your hand if you’re in favour of annulling it and implementing the proposal Miss
Davis has presented instead.”

More than forty hands raised in the air, the Minister for Magic's included. Draco glanced at
the corner where Granger was sitting and felt heat creep up his neck at her proud smile.

Kingsley got to his feet.

“The Marriage Law is therefore annulled. Every couple who got married under it will receive
an owl soon with an official document. If they both sign it, their marriage will be instantly
dissolved,” the Minister announced with a beaming smile, pounding his gavel. “The court is
adjourned.”

Draco grinned and descended the stairs as the flashes blinded him, approaching Elisabeth.

“We did it, Mr Malfoy!” She squealed excitedly.

“That was amazing.” He smiled at her and looked around, watching the old man leave the
room with his head down. “None of them saw it coming.”

Elisabeth laughed and turned around.

“Hermione!”

The two witches embraced each other.

“I’m forever in debt,” Granger said, pulling back with watery eyes. “We would have never
done this without your help.”

“Nonsense.” Elisabeth waved a hand and wiped under her eye, the happy tears about to fall.
“This was for myself too. I want to be able to choose my own husband.”

Draco placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Would you like to occupy the Malfoy seat, Elisabeth?”

The young witch glanced up at him with wide eyes and blinked slowly.

“What?”

Granger looked surprised too, her mouth half-open.

“I have a Quidditch career, you see,” Draco began, cocking his head and gesturing towards
the stands. “I’m not fit for this, but you are.”
“I-” Elisabeth swallowed thickly and accepted his hand, shaking it energetically. “It would be
an honour, Mr Malfoy.”

“Call me Draco.” He looked around the room, watching their friends talking to each other
with jubilant smiles on their faces. It was a happy day for everyone. “Do you know more
lawyers who would like to be members of the Wizengamot? I’m afraid most of us don’t want
to keep these seats.”

“No, we don’t,” Potter agreed, pausing next to Hermione and grinning. “Well done, everyone.
You were brilliant, Miss Davis.”

Elisabeth stared at him, dumbstruck by the presence of the saviour of the wizarding world.
Draco had to force himself not to roll his eyes.

“Thank you,” she muttered under her breath. She hugged Granger again before leaving the
room, probably running back to her law office in search of more lawyers who wanted a new
career.

“Not every day we can kick those old folks out of the Ministry,” Potter said, wrapping an arm
around Granger’s shoulder and kissing her cheek. She laughed and smiled warmly at him.
“Let’s go celebrate!”

“I can’t.” Granger shook her head and sighed, looking up at the only clock in the room. “My
shift starts in twenty minutes.”

“Your loss, Hermione.” Theo palmed her back and flashed her a grin, whistling to call
everyone’s attention. “Let’s go, people! The first round is on me.”

They left the room chatting and laughing, leaving only Granger behind. She turned to him
and released a strangled breath.

“We did it,” Draco murmured, his lips curling up.

“We did it!” Granger broke the remaining distance between them and hugged him. “Thank
you, Draco. For everything.”

He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on the top of her head.

“It was the least I could do.”

Granger pulled away and looked into his eyes.

“We should… talk,” she murmured, her cheeks turning pink. “About us.”

“We should,” Draco agreed with a nod, tucking a loose curl behind her ear. “Tomorrow
morning? I'll be back from my training by eleven.”

“Tomorrow.” Granger stepped back and smiled. “Go have fun.”

Draco groaned dramatically.

 “Only one drink. I need to sleep or I will never find the snitch.”

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━

June 20th, 2006

The flat was silent when Hermione arrived from St Mungo's. Shadow stretched out her paws
and yawned, jumping off the couch to greet her.

“Where is your owner?” Hermione asked, crouching down to pet her. “I think he had training
this morning, but it's only eight.”

The kitten blinked up at her with her big green eyes and meowed again. Hermione smiled and
rubbed her ear one last time before crossing the room and stepping out into the hall.

She knocked on Draco’s door and waited. It was still early and she was dead asleep, but the
need to talk to him about their relationship was stronger.

Hermione knocked again when no one answered.

“Draco?”

She opened the door and looked around the room. His bed was already made and the scent of
his soap lingered in the air.

Draco had already left.

Hermione deflated and rubbed her left eye, wishing she was in her bed. A soft hoot startled
her.

“Dark.” She walked into the bedroom and approached the owl’s open cage. The bird was
resting inside and one of her yellow eyes was open, watching her. “I didn’t see you. Hi.”

Hermione stroked the mottled feathers on her neck and smiled when the owl nipped her
fingers affectionately.

An envelope on Draco's desk caught her attention. It had the Ministry’s official seal, and it
was already open.

“Did you bring it this morning?”

Dark hooted again with her eyes closed, getting ready for a nap. Hermione shrugged and
picked up the envelope, pulling the letter out and gasping once she noticed what it was.

Her blood froze as she opened the parchment.

At the bottom of it was Draco’s signature, written in shiny black ink.

Chapter End Notes

*Hides*

PS: Trust me
 Warded Room
Chapter Notes

Happy holidays/Christmas! This is my gift to you :)

Ready to read how this story ends?
(I'm not)

See the end of the chapter for more notes

June 22nd, 2006

Draco took a drag of the cigarette and leaned his head back, exhaling the smoke and watching
it slowly fade into nothing in the semidarkness. The sun was almost set and he had been there
for hours, staring into nothing.

He felt numb. Hollow. The whisky and the nicotine were barely helping.

Finding the flat empty once he returned from the stadium had been an unpleasant surprise.
Draco knew when Granger’s shift ended and she should have already arrived home.

His stomach had churned when he noticed some gaps on the bookshelf. He had approached
her bedroom with quick steps and knocked on her closed door.

What he found on the other side had paralysed him for a few minutes.

There was nothing left. Her books, her framed pictures, her coat, her clothes, the flowery
sheets she used… everything was gone. The wardrobe and her desk were empty.

He had checked the rest of the flat with a sinking heart that fell to the ground once he found
the Ministry document and her wedding ring on his bed, her large signature next to his.

Draco scowled at the bloody paper lying innocently on the coffee table.

Setting it on fire would achieve nothing. Their marriage had dissolved the moment Granger
had signed it and there was nothing he could do about it.

He had returned to the flat hours later with a pack of cigarettes in his pocket and opened a
bottle of Firewhisky in an attempt to drown his sorrows, refusing to eat when Minsy
apparated in at her usual time.

The elf had left the room that morning after much persuasion. Draco only wanted to be left
alone, which apparently was too much to ask.
Minsy appeared in the middle of the room with Blaise holding her hand. His friend flicked
his wand and turned on the lights.

Draco blew grey smoke out of his nose and glared at the elf.

“Traitor,” he hissed, refusing to look at his friend.

“Leave Minsy alone,” Blaise demanded, squeezing the creature’s shoulder. Minsy’s eyes
were watery and her lower lip was quivering. “She’s worried about you.”

“No idea why,” Draco drawled sarcastically, finishing the rest of his glass in one gulp and
setting it loudly on the table. “I’m feeling bloody fantastic.”

Blaise nodded and the elf disapparated with her ears lowered.

“What’s wrong, Draco?” His friend asked, looking around the room and wrinkling his nose at
the smell. The pack of cigarettes was lying half-empty on the arm of his chair. “Where’s
Granger?”

Draco closed his eyes and took a long drag.

“Gone.”

“Gone?”

His eyes blinked open and Draco grimaced when the shock on Blaise’s face turned to pity.
This was not what he needed at all.

“She took all her things and left before I returned from training.” He shrugged and vanished
what was left of his cigarette, already wanting to lit another. “I haven’t seen her since the
hearing.”

His friend folded his arms and arched an eyebrow.

“What the hell did you do?”

“What I always do,” Draco muttered under his breath, sitting up and reaching out for the
bottle of Firewhisky. “Ruin everything.”

Blaise sighed and shook his head sadly. He spun on his heel and returned to the fireplace,
throwing a handful of floo powder on the embers and sticking his head into the green
flames.

“Theo! I’m in. Bring Pansy with you.”

“Don’t you think there’s a reason why I warded the flat?” Draco hissed venomously with
narrowed eyes, holding his glass close to his chest as he summoned a cigarette and lit it with
a snap of his fingers. “I want to be alone.”
Blaise blinked, impressed at his wandless magic. Draco would have been too if he wasn’t
drunk.

“You’ve been alone for two days,” Blaise replied, ignoring his glare and sitting down beside
him.

He stared at Draco and in a moment of distraction vanished both the glass and the bottle.
Draco turned his face to him, rage building up inside of his chest like a beast out of control.

“Fuck you.”

“Go have a shower and we’ll talk.” Blaise nodded towards the hallway, his eyes hard and his
jaw set. “Now.”

Draco scoffed.

“You’re not my mother, Zabini.”

“No, but I’m your friend,” Blaise retorted in a low voice that used to terrify Slytherin’s first
years. “Go.”

Draco held his stare a bit longer and rolled his eyes before standing up, pausing when the
room spun. He vanished the cigarette and blew the smoke through his teeth, being aware he
smelled like shit and needed a long shower.

His other two friends had joined Blaise when he returned to the living room. Draco ignored
them and dropped into his armchair, lighting another cigarette with his wand. He could feel
their judging gazes drilling into his skull.

“Stop staring at me.”

They ignored his wishes, as expected.

“You haven’t smoked for months,” Theo commented softly as Draco blew the smoke out
through his nose.

It was the first time that it didn’t make his friend smile.

Draco shrugged and dropped his head back into the cushions.

“It’s either this or throwing myself off the balcony.”

None of his friends commented on his dramatics, which told him they knew this was serious.
Pansy leaned closer and placed her hand on his arm.

“What happened, Draco?”

Draco lifted his head and looked at her. She was there, with her nose scrunched up but
bearing the rancid smoke-filled room without complaining.
It meant more to him than words could explain. Shadow had hissed at him and ran to his
bedroom the moment he lit the first cigarette, and the lonely flat was difficult to endure.

With a flick of his wand, the Ministry document rose in the air and floated towards the couch
where his friends were sitting. Pansy grabbed it and frowned, gasping once she saw the two
signatures at the end.

“What?” She looked back at him with wide eyes. “Why?”

“Granger wasn’t supposed to see it.” Draco sucked in a breath until the embers burned bright
red and exhaled the smoke towards the other side of the room, not wanting to annoy her more
than necessary. “I thought she wouldn't go into my room before I came back.”

Blaise blinked in confusion.

“You’ve lost me, mate.”

Draco sank into the cushions.

“Granger found the document with my signature in my room,” he explained, slurring some of
the words. “She signed it and left.”

“Why the fuck did you sign it?” Pansy smacked his arm, her green eyes narrowed at him.
“You’re in love with her!”

He stared at her silently, his stomach clenching painfully until he couldn't breathe. Draco
glanced at his other friends and found understanding in their faces.

“Yes, we all know.” Blaise grinned, amused at his reaction. “We’re not blind, Draco.”

Whatever. It didn't matter now.

“She wasn’t supposed to see it.” Draco reached into the pocket of his trousers and his fingers
tightened around the small box hidden there. “She wasn’t.”

Theo pulled a vial out of his and tossed it at him.

“Drink it.”

Draco glanced at the sobering potion that had landed on his palm and sighed, his head
dropping. He tossed the cigarette to the ground, not caring about anything anymore, and hid
his face in his hands.

“I’ve lost her.”

Pansy squeezed his arm and uncorked the vial, which had fallen into his lap. She poked at his
rib until Draco grunted a curse under his breath and grabbed it.

Nothing improved once he was sober, but at least he could now occlude.
“Start at the beginning,” Pansy demanded, leaning back and giving him space.

Draco built a wall around his devastated heart, waiting until he could no longer feel its
emptiness to speak.

“We agreed to talk the morning after the hearing,” he began, straightening his back and
facing his friends. “I barely slept considering what I wanted to say to her.”

Pansy rolled her eyes and muttered something that sounded like ‘simp’. Draco focused on his
two male friends, who were nodding for him to continue.

“Dark brought the letter before I left for training, and I… I had an idea.”

Theo snorted.

“I bet you it was a stupid one,” he said, nudging Blaise.

His dark-skinned friend gave Theo a knowing look, his lips curling up in amusement.

“We were forced into marriage,” Draco snapped angrily, not in the mood for their shit. “I
wanted her to marry me again, voluntarily this time.”

Pansy’s jaw dropped to the floor.

“You were planning to propose?”

Draco nodded and pulled the little box out, throwing it on the table and looking away. Seeing
the ring he had chosen for Granger was the last thing he wanted.

“I panicked when I noticed her books were gone,” he continued, the walls in his mind
shaking from all the effort of keeping his hurt feelings at bay. He clenched his trembling
hands and swallowed. “Her room was also empty, and then I found the signed parchment in
mine.”

Blaise rubbed his temples with a pained expression.

“Why aren’t you looking for her?”

“Don’t you think I’ve tried?” Draco snarled, his nostrils flaring. He had tried to floo to
Potter’s house after apparating to her old flat and the magical hospital, only for the flames to
reject him and spit him out. “I even went to Potter’s house by feet.”

Theo tensed.

“Was Granger there?”

“Weaslette answered the door and almost hexed me into oblivion,” Draco murmured,
lowering his gaze to his hands. “That was the only confirmation I needed.”

Blaise coughed to hide a laugh —which the four of them heard— and Theo snickered.
“You need to talk to her and explain this mess,” Pansy stated as she drummed her long nails
on the armchair impatiently.

“She doesn’t want to see me.” Draco ran his hands through his hair, still a bit damp from the
shower. “I’m no longer welcome there.”

“So you’re giving up?” Pansy stared at him incredulously. “Just like that?”

He turned to her with a scowl.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Fight for her!” She screamed, throwing her hands up in exasperation. “Go back there and
refuse to leave until Granger talks to you.”

Draco breathed in deeply and shook his head.

“That won’t work.”

“You won’t know if you don’t try,” Blaise said calmly with a raised brow.

Draco considered it.

What did he have to lose anyway? Whatever Weaslette or Granger did to him couldn't be
worse than this.

“You’re right,” he agreed reluctantly. Blaise looked too smug for his liking. “If you never see
me again, you can assume Granger killed me,” he added as an afterthought before he stood
up.

“Take this with you.” Theo threw the ring box at him and Draco caught it easily with his left
hand. “Good luck, mate.”

“I might be gone for a while. Take care of Shadow for me.”

Blaise waved his worries away.

“We’ll be rooting for you.”

Draco closed his eyes for a moment and let out an exasperated sigh before apparating.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━

“Again?” Potter glared at him through his stupid round glasses after opening the door. “I
know my wife told you to fuck off.”

Draco extended his arm before he could slam it in his face.

“Potter, wait.” He pushed hard at the door and took a step into the foyer. “I need to talk to
Granger.”
Potter had his wand pointed at him in the blink of an eye.

“Over my dead body.”

Fuck. Why was everyone making this so much more difficult?

“Come on, Potter.” Draco grimaced, the next word coming out of his lips in a whisper.
“Please.”

Potter’s brow flew high on his forehead.

“Never thought I’d hear you begging, Malfoy.”

Draco couldn’t hate himself more.

“I’m disgusted with myself.”

Potter almost smiled. Almost.

“What do you want?” He asked, his face turning sombre again. “Your marriage is over now.”

Draco pressed his lips together and swallowed his pride. This was his worst enemy, the
person he had spent seven years of his life thoroughly hating… but he was also Granger’s
best friend.

“I don’t want it to be,” he muttered, taking the ring box out of his pocket and letting Potter
see it.

His green eyes grew wide.

“Shit.” Potter looked back up at him with a shocked expression. “Is that for her?”

“It’s obviously not for you, Potter,” Draco snapped, his patience already over the edge. “Let
me see her.”

Potter stared at him for a few agonising seconds and finally shrugged, stepping aside to let
him in.

“I guess you can try.”

His words sent a shiver down Draco’s spine.

“What does that mean, exactly?” He asked, his brow furrowed.

Potter gestured to the stairs.

“There are wards in her room against you.” His lips curled up, showing his teeth. “You’ll
never be able to break through them.”

Draco squared his jaw.

“I’ll wait until Granger comes out.”

“She won’t if she knows you’re here.” Potter shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck,
pocketing his wand. At least Draco was no longer considered a threat. “Hermione has her
own bathroom in there, and as a Healer she can apparate directly to St. Mungo’s.”

“Then I’ll break the bloody wards.”

Potter laughed, clearly expecting him to fail.

“Be my guest.”

Draco cursed the Chosen Prick’s existence before climbing the steep stairs to the first floor.

He had enough experience with wards to know that he would feel uncomfortable the closer
he got to Granger’s room. That floor didn’t make his skin crawl, so he went up to the second
floor.

Just looking at the third door to the left sent a chill down his spine.

Her room.

Draco approached the dark door carefully with his wand in hand. He reached for the
doorknob and found his fingers touching an invisible wall.

His shoulders deflated and he rolled up his sleeves, letting out a long sigh. Knowing Granger,
Draco would be there for days.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━

Six hours later, he was only two wards down when someone cursed at the other side of the
door. Before Draco could react, it opened all of a sudden and a red spell flew towards him.

He cast a shield just in time. Two other blue hexes hit the protective barrier before he could
even blink.

Draco looked straight ahead and the blood drained from his face. Granger looked feral, her
teeth bared in anger and her curls floating around her face as they cracked with magic.

“Granger-”

“Get out!” She cut him off with a scream and a purple curse hit the shield, cracking it in the
centre. “Get out of this house now!”

Draco focused on strengthening the barrier to keep her magic away.

“Wait-”

“Leave!” Another powerful spell hit his shield and almost shattered it. Draco gritted his teeth,
his forehead already damp from the effort. “I don’t want to see your face ever again.”
“Grang-”

The shield shattered into a million pieces of golden light and her hex hit him square in the
chest. Draco groaned in pain and fell to his knees.

“I said get out, Malfoy.”

He looked up at her, clutching his middle and panting for air. Granger’s face was red with
fury and her eyes narrowed in warning.

Draco managed to deflect another curse and get to his feet leaning on the wall. She swore
under her breath and lifted her wand menacingly, the tip shining bright red with her next hex.

“HERMIONE!”

Granger froze at her given name, her surprised eyes fixed on him. Draco took the chance and
shot an immobulus at her.

She gasped indignantly.

“How dare you-”

Draco silenced her with another flick of his wand.

“I didn’t want to do any of this, believe me.” He lifted the hand clutching his belly and
grimaced. “Fuck, I’m bleeding.”

A stasis charm on the wound would do for now. Draco looked back at Granger and felt his
blood freeze in his veins at the sight of her tear-filled eyes.

“Granger, don’t.” He stepped closer and brushed a tear away from her cheek. “Shit. Don’t
cry.”

Her eyes fell closed, refusing to see him any longer.

“I just want you to listen to me. I'll leave if you still want me to go after I’ve explained
myself. You have my word.”

Granger opened her eyes again and glared at him.

“Will you stop screaming at me and hear me out?”

She looked between his eyes in what seemed reluctant agreement, so Draco cancelled the
silencing spell.

“Release me. Now.”

“So you can murder me with your own hands?” Draco snorted and folded his arms. “No,
thank you.”
“Malfoy,” she hissed, the promise of revenge burning like a flame behind her eyes. “Lift the
spell.”

Draco didn’t move an inch.

“I won’t attack you,” she added in a hoarse voice with her lips pursed. “Yet.”

He hesitated and she huffed impatiently.

“Alright,” Draco accepted, taking her wand from her paralysed hand. “But I’m keeping this.”

Granger turned away once she regained control of her body.

“Say whatever you want to say and leave.”

Draco pulled a folded parchment out of his pocket and took a deep breath, his other hand
gripping his wand just in case. The irony of not wanting to live without someone who could
make him wet himself in fear with just a look wasn’t lost on him.

“There’s a reason why I signed this.”

Granger looked over her shoulder at him with cold eyes.

“Oh, I know why,” she replied, laughing half-heartedly.

Draco held her vacant gaze. It had been a while since Granger had felt the need to occlude
around him, and he hated it.

“No, you don’t.”

She sat on the edge of her bed and looked up at him with a blank expression.

“I’ve thought about us a lot lately, Granger. About our life together, our fights, our
conversations.” The last time they had bickered fluttered into his mind and her angry face
filled it. Draco found her extremely attractive when she was furious, but he could explore that
thought later. “And our wedding.”

Granger made a face.

“Exactly,” Draco continued, his voice softening. “It was not pleasant.”

She snorted loudly.

“A fucking disaster is what it was.”

“I regret many things, Hermione, but I don’t regret marrying you.” Draco approached the bed
and kneeled before her, taking her hands and looking into her eyes. The light was slowly
returning to them, which felt like a small victory, and she hadn't pulled away in disgust. “I
never imagined I would grow to care for you, to respect you, to love you.”

Her lips parted but no sound came out.

“I’m free to choose now, and I choose you.” Draco lifted both of her hands and kissed her
knuckles, his eyes never leaving hers. He took the tiny box out and opened it, presenting the
diamond ring to her. “I would like you to choose me, too.”

Granger gaped at him incredulously.

“B-but why?” Her gaze fell to the white gold ring and flickered up to his face again. “Why?”

He knew exactly what she meant.

Why did you do this? Why did you sign that document if you want to be with me?

“You deserve a real wedding, one that’s a nice memory for both of us. I wanted to give you
that.” It felt stupid now, but Draco couldn’t help himself. He never knew there was a hopeless
romantic inside of him until he fell for the most annoying and incredible witch he had ever
met. “Will you marry me again, Granger?”

She gave a slow blink, still processing everything.

“When did you get that ring?”

“I bought it a few days ago.” Draco placed the box in her hands and searched her face for an
answer. “For you.”

Granger drew in a long breath.

“You. Are. Insufferable,” she said, punctuating each word with a gentle slap to his chest. She
wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. “And I don’t want anyone else.”

He hugged her and Granger snuggled into him, sighing against his skin.

“Is this a yes?” Draco asked in a whisper.

Granger laughed, a happy laugh that vanished all the sadness from the room. She pulled back
and smiled as he slid the engagement ring onto her waiting finger.

“A warning would have been nice, you know,” she commented, glancing down at her ringed
hand for a moment. Her eyes returned to his face and she raised an eyebrow. “We could have
avoided all of this.”

Draco twisted his lips down.

“You weren’t supposed to come home until noon.” He leaned his forehead against hers and
released a slow breath. “I never thought you would see it before you knew my intentions.”

“You broke my heart, Draco.”

His stomach dropped at her words. Draco cradled her face in his hands, lifting her chin and
placing a quick kiss on her lips.
“I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to repay you for this misunderstanding, if you allow me
to.”

Granger blinked and a tear rolled down her face. She wiped it quickly and sniffled, her eyes
glassy.

“Come back home,” Draco pleaded, tucking a loose curl behind her ear. Her hair looked so
wild and perfect that he wouldn’t mind choking on it if that meant she was sleeping by his
side every night. “Shadow misses you.”

She leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Only Shadow?”

Draco almost laughed. If only Granger knew.

“I’ve missed you. Terribly,” he admitted softly, wrapping his arms around her waist and
pulling her to his chest. He closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of her hair. “It doesn't
feel like a home without you.”

Granger choked back a sob and hugged him tighter, pulling back when Draco stiffened.

“Gods, I hurt you.” She looked down at his blood-stained shirt and winced, pulling her wand
out of his pocket. “Are you okay?”

Not waiting for his reply, Granger muttered a healing spell. Draco relaxed once the stabbing
pain disappeared.

“I have a personal Healer who takes care of me. I'm not worried,” he muttered in an amused
voice.

Granger cleaned his shirt with a wave of her wand before pulling it up. Another spell and her
handbag crossed the room, landing at her feet. She summoned a jar of dittany from it and
dipped her fingers into it.

“What will I say to my parents?” She asked, mostly to herself, her eyes focused on his new
scar as she spread the cream over it. Draco knew it would be nearly invisible in a few hours,
but he didn't really care. Granger was worth another scar on his already scarred body. “I
haven’t told them about the annulment.”

“I know.” He let her smooth his shirt down with careful fingers, enjoying her touch. “I flooed
to their flat looking for you and noticed our photograph was still there.”

Surprise crossed her face.

“I didn’t think you would go there.”

Draco smirked.

“I was desperate, Granger.”

She chuckled and shook her head, accepting his hand and standing up with him. Her nose
wrinkled and she gave him a questioning look.

“Have you smoked?”

“As I've told you, in total despair.”

Granger rolled her eyes but squeezed his hand in understanding.

“We can wait until the last day of December and say we’re renewing our vows for our
anniversary,” Draco suggested, his fingertips tracing her new ring as he held her hand in his,
not wanting to let go of her just yet. “Tell them you missed having them in our wedding and
want to celebrate it again now that they can assist.”

“That’s brilliant.” She beamed at him, a proud glint in her eyes. “You’ve thought about this,
haven’t you?”

“A bit,” he admitted with a shrug. “I was ready to convince you.”

“There was no need for that.” Granger stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “I’d have
also said yes.”

“Are you two still alive?”

He and Granger turned their heads to the slightly burnt door. Potter’s voice was coming from
downstairs.

“We’re okay, Harry.”

“Breakfast is almost ready,” he replied nonchalantly, as if a couple firing hexes at each other
in his house was the most normal thing. “Is the ferret allowed to stay?”

Draco scowled and Granger shot him an amused smile.

“He is.”

“Wonderful,” Potter said, not seeming happy about it in the slightest. “We’ll be waiting
downstairs.”

Granger stepped away from him and repaired the cracks on the wall, the door, and the
window. She faced him once her bedroom was decent enough and her smile faded.

“Do you really love me, Draco Malfoy?”

He tugged at her hand and cupped her face, staring into her eyes.

“With my whole soul.”

Her smile returned to her face and she leaned in to kiss him.

“Don’t do something like this to me ever again,” she murmured against his lips.
The threatening undertone of her voice went straight to his crotch.

“Never,” Draco promised, pulling back an inch and giving her a crooked smile. “But I must
say, I’ll miss our fights. They were epic.”

“Oh, we are not done fighting.” Granger pressed a hand to his chest and smiled innocently at
him. “But no more hexing from now on.”

“Promise?”

She nodded seriously and squeezed his upper arms.

“I love you, too,” she confessed in a whisper, staring up at him through her long lashes.

Merlin’s beard, Draco wanted her. Quite desperately.

“Let’s go down and eat quickly so I can take my wife home and ravish her properly,” he
rasped in her ear, one arm wrapped possessively around her waist to keep her close.

Her smile turned sad.

“I’m not your wife right now.”

“Yes, you are.” Draco pulled her in and stole another kiss, his lips moving slowly against
hers. A stupid paper couldn’t decide what she was to him. “My beautiful wife.”

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━

June 30th, 2006

“This is exciting,” Luna commented happily, waving the little Falcons flag made by herself
as the players flew at full speed.

Hermione laughed, her eyes following the platinum blond dot zigzagging around the stadium.
There was no sign of the snitch yet.

“I can’t believe they’re about to win the league.”

“If only Draco stopped glancing at Granger and looked for the bloody snitch,” Theo
complained loud enough for her to hear. “Focus, you idiot!”

Ginny burst out laughing at her other side and Hermione also heard a small laugh behind her.
Was that Parkinson?

None of her friends had signed the document. Everyone had decided to stay married and give
their relationships a true chance. Even Neville, who had admitted being completely in love
with his wife.

Luna giggled and leaned her head on Theo’s shoulder. He smiled warmly at her and kissed
the top of her head before continuing to insult his best friend.
“Come on, you sucker!”

Draco’s broom braked abruptly and he did a backflip, zooming towards the other side of the
pitch.

Hermione gasped and jumped to her feet, watching him gain speed with a clenched heart. She
grabbed her wand, worried he might fall from the broom at that dizzying speed, and stared as
he chased the tiny golden ball.

The other Seeker was still far when his fingers closed around the snitch.

Yes!”

The stadium erupted in cheers and an explosion of silver confetti filled the air.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the Falcons win the British League!”

Hermione clapped enthusiastically, the loud noise deafening her as Draco leaned back on his
broom with the snitch trapped in his hand and a bright smile that could steal anyone’s heart.
Her stomach flipped when he looked straight at her and his smile turned mischievous.

Draco flew towards the VIP stands and paused in front of her, a few strands of his sweaty
hair falling on his forehead messily. He extended the hand with the snitch and pulled at
Hermione when she tried to take it, his lips crashing into hers and stealing her breath away.

He pulled back an inch and took her ringed hand, closing it around the golden ball carefully.

“A token for my true love.”

Hermione felt her cheeks burn as dozens of cameras flashed around them. She held the snitch
tighter and smiled shyly at him.

Such a display of public affection was not what she had expected from Draco.

Zabini whistled at them and grinned.

“Congrats, mate!”

Draco glanced at his friends and smiled, looking back at the pitch when Aaron shouted his
name. His team was waiting to celebrate the victory with him and claim the Silver Cup.

“See you all at the pub,” he said, his eyes locking with hers one last time before he tilted the
broom to the left and flew towards his teammates.

“True love.” Harry snorted incredulously and shook his head. “I have seen everything.”

Hermione tried to hold back a laugh but failed spectacularly.

Falling in love with Draco was the craziest thing that had ever happened to her, and she
wouldn’t change it for the world.
Chapter End Notes

Still not done. Just a few more days!

 Epilogue
Chapter Notes

Reminder: This is not the end of this universe!

I will post two short stories next year, one for Theo & Luna and another one for Pansy &
Neville. Don't forget to subscribe to my Ao3 profile if you want to receive an email
whenever I post something new, or you can follow me on any of my socials where I post
updates.
- Twitter
- Instagram
- Bluesky

Happy new year, by the way! 🤍

See the end of the chapter for more notes

December 31st, 2006

Draco straightened his tie and scowled at his reflection. He pushed the rebel lock of hair back
and huffed in exasperation when it fell on his eyes again.

Narcissa smirked behind him, watching him through the mirror. She was wearing blue dress
robes that fell down elegantly to her feet.

“Nervous?”

“No.” Draco chewed on his tongue when his mother gave him an amused look. His heart was
pounding hard and he could feel himself sweating, so that was not really the truth. “Maybe a
bit.”

Her smile softened and she approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder and squeezing.

“I’m so proud of you, darling.” Narcissa caressed his cheek and combed his hair back with
her fingers until it was perfect. Her blue eyes glinted proudly while she admired his black
wedding robes. “I love seeing you happy.”

Draco couldn't help but smile back at her. If there was something he was grateful for —apart
from having found the love of his life in a very unorthodox way— it was how much his
parents supported him and all his decisions, their opinion in the matter now irrelevant.

Lucius and Narcissa were there when Draco didn't get to choose and ruined his life to protect
them, and they would never force their son to do anything against his will again.

“Thanks, Mother,” he replied, leaning down to kiss her cheek before stepping aside.
Lucius entered the room and paused next to Narcissa. Getting ready in his parents room was
a bit odd, but Draco's old room was now occupied by a powerful witch with wild curls and a
sharp tongue.

Knowing his future wife was using his chambers awoke something primal and possessive
inside of him. And he had seen the same feeling flashing in her eyes before Granger said
goodbye to him that morning with a kiss that felt too short and left him wanting more, which
was probably her intention.

In another life, Draco had no doubt she'd have been a Slytherin.

“Hermione is a nice and proper girl.” He blinked and his mother came into focus again.
“She’s good for you.”

Too good, if you asked him.

Lucius snorted.

“You got to choose your wife like you wanted.”

Draco shot him a sharp look and his father's lips twitched, hiding a smile. Lucius was still
amused at how everything had turned out at the end.

Fleeing the country earlier that year to escape the fate that his son didn't know he wanted.
The irony of it wasn't lost to any of them.

“You are lucky, Son.” Lucius smirked and cleared his throat, all the amusement gone from his
face. “Respect is the key to a healthy marriage. Don’t forget it.”

“And love,” added his mother with a nod.

Draco’s stomach flipped. He was crazy about Granger —and he knew it was mutual— and
they had slowly earned the mutual respect they now had for each other.

According to his parents, they had all the ingredients for a long a happy marriage. And Draco
would ensure she never wanted to leave him again.

“We’ll be okay, Father.”

“Oh, I know.” Lucius chuckled and turned to the door. “Time to go.”

He held it open and Draco offered his arm to his mother, who grinned before wrapping hers
around it.

It was time to get married for a second time —and the last.

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━

The snow crunched under their feet as they approached the altar Minsy had conjured for the
occasion. Draco kept his gaze on it as they walked, ignoring the curious gazes of their guests
and the warm smiles he could see from the corner of his eye.

All her friends were attending this time, even the Weasel.

His mother kissed his cheek before leaving him alone and Draco took a deep breath, turning
to face the chairs. The warming charms were holding strong and he couldn't feel the frigid air
of December.

Plants and trees were covered in fresh snow, some of her mother's roses blooming and adding
a splash of red to the white canvas surrounding them. The grounds looked magical, perfect to
host a wedding.

Draco glanced at Potter and looked away once he saw his crooked smile, squaring his jaw.
The git would now be his family, as Granger had reminded him several times for the last
month.

His mind turned blank once the soft music floated into the air and Granger stepped out of the
mansion holding her father's arm.

The beauty of Malfoy Manor paled in comparison to hers.

Draco held her gaze and didn't dare to breathe as she approached, her pink lips forming a tiny
smile that was just for him and her warm eyes framed by dark and long lashes.

Granger was the most exquisite bride he had ever seen, her white dress reflecting the light as
if she was a gemstone.

Peter paused and shook Draco's hand, his eyes glassy. Both of her parents were very moved
by this gesture and he could see Jane already sobbing behind them.

Draco stared down at Granger once they were alone facing Elisabeth, who was wearing her
purple robes. She had volunteered to marry them the moment Draco invited her to the
wedding back in September.

He took Granger's hand in his once Elisabeth started her speech, smiling when she squeezed
his fingers.

“No jeans today, Granger?” He asked in a whisper.

She turned her face and smirked just like a Malfoy.

“I thought I'd made an exception this time.”

“I’m glad you did.” Draco interlaced his fingers with hers and smiled back. “You look
stunning.”

His smile widened at her pretty blush.

“Thank you,” Granger breathed, looking him up and down. She looked into his eyes and
grinned. “You look quite handsome yourself.”
Draco barely heard the rest of Elisabeth's speech about love and new opportunities. He didn't
look away from Granger once as they interchanged rings and said their vows, written together
in front of the fireplace during a cold night, and held her hands firmly as Elisabeth tied their
magical cores with a spell, binding them for eternity.

The golden ribbon of light wrapped around their joined hands and disappeared.

“You may kiss now.”

Draco shared a meaningful look with his wife and leaned in, pressing his lips firmly to hers.

His parents were the first to congratulate them, his mother's eyes bright with tears of joy. It
had been the wedding she always wanted for her only son.

They stepped aside to let her parents do the same. Peter shook his hand again with a smile
and kissed his daughter's cheek.

“Thank you for this, Draco.” Jane's hug surprised him. “It was a beautiful ceremony.”

His lips curled up into a sincere smile.

“Anything for my beautiful wife’s parents.”

The woman squeezed his arm once before stepping away and joining the Weasleys. The
guests left the grounds and entered the ballroom through the garden doors, where food and
drinks were waiting for them.

He looked back at Granger and found her staring at him with an amused smile.

“What?”

Her hand slid into his.

“You meant it this time.”

His eyes softened.

“I do.” Draco lifted their joined hands and kissed the back of hers, their eyes locked as they
followed their guests. “I’d do anything for you, Granger.”

“I know.” She stepped closer and kissed him soundly, her face a few inches higher than usual
thanks to her heels. “Nothing that could land you on Azkaban, though,” Granger added as an
afterthought with a raised brow.

Draco chuckled under his breath.

“I’ll try to control myself.”

He walked over to the table where their friends were eating and pulled a chair out for her,
sitting beside her and taking her hand again. Draco ran his thumb over her new wedding ring
 and Granger looked up at him.

“It means forever this time,” he breathed, his heart hammering behind his ribs.

She was his now. Willingly.

Granger raised an eyebrow.

“Scared?”

“Thrilled.” Draco took a sip of wine and flashed her a grin. “I get to call you mine now.”

“Always so possessive,” she protested with a playful roll of her eyes.

Draco leaned closer.

“You can’t fool me, love,” he whispered, smirking when he felt her shiver. He placed a kiss
under her ear and pulled back, wrapping one of her curls around his finger and tugging softly
as he watched her cheeks turn red. “I know you like it.”

Making Granger blush was his favourite hobby. Even better than Quidditch.

The End

Chapter End Notes

If you have been reading this fic since I started posting it back in October 2022, thank
you so, so much for joining me during this journey.

If you have left comments, I want you to know that you are the reason why this fic is
finished. Your support is what makes me keep writing, and I'm forever grateful.

It has been so much fun to write this, especially the first chapters when they still

🥲
despised each other. I'm not ready to say goodbye to this Draco and this Hermione yet
but the moment has come.

Until next time 💜

PS: I'm writing a new enemies to lovers fic titled Hate at First Sight! It's an 8th year fic
inspired by the show Maxton Hall that I recommend to check if you liked this story!
Please drop by the Archive and comment to let the creator know if you enjoyed their work!