Hello everyone! I deleted the previous story and fixed it so here's the edited one. Haven't written in a long time, so..yeah. Christmas break is coming soon, so I think I'll have time to write.
Draco and Hermione Malfoy, three years into their marriage. Not a sequel to You Can't Say No to This, but the timeline comes a few years after that.
Please read and review, I'd love to hear from you!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and its characters.
Draco and Hermione Malfoy would like to think they were a fairly normal couple.
Well, as normal as a stubborn know-it-all and an arrogant prat could get.
Being famous war heroes, it was no surprise to anyone in the wizarding community that they had extremely high paying occupations. Draco was the president of his own company and Hermione was the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement in the Ministry. They lived in a large London flat (because Hermione didn't want to live in the Manor, saying how it was "too big for the both of us, and you're just looking for excuses to get a house elf, so you don't have to do any chores" and to which he promptly retorted "no, I just don't want to live in a hovel like the Weasleys' burrow." This, of course, led to another one of their big rows).
They still kissed each other every night and every morning and attended parties and galas together. They remembered special occasions and celebrated them together. They had a wonderful set of friends and had good relationships with their parents and parents-in-law.
Oh yes, they were a fairly normal couple.
Or so they thought.
Hermione was signing a stack of papers on her desk, when her secretary, Anna, a tall, slender blonde in her late twenties entered (more like skipped into) her office, smiling and humming happily.
"Good morning, Mrs. Malfoy!" She greeted. "Here's your cup of coffee, and here are more papers to sign." She said in a sing-song voice, as she handed Hermione her usual black coffee and placed a new stack of papers on the desk. Hermione looked up and smiled at her secretary. "Well, someone sure is in a good mood today." She mused.
Anna could no longer contain her joy. She squeaked and showed Hermione her left hand. Hermione leaned closer and gasped.
"Oh my gosh! David asked you?"
"Yes! He asked me last night! It was so sweet and romantic!"
Hermione beamed at Anna. "Oh, Anna, I'm so happy for the both of you! Congratulations."
"Thank you so much. You really couldn't imagine how happy we both are." Anna sat down on the chair across Hermione's and sighed happily. "Married life. Imagine. Is it exciting?"
"Yes, of course. Being with someone you love for the rest of your life-simply the best." Hermione replied.
Anna smiled at Hermione. "Your marriage with Draco Malfoy must be the marriage of the century. Even after three years, you're still being talked about. You two are so lucky to be with each other."
"Mmm, yeah." Hermione said, playing with the silver ring on her finger. She drifted off into deep thought as Anna excused herself to tell her other co-workers.
Hermione's eyes wandered to the picture frame that was propped on her desk. It was of her and Draco: he was carrying her on his back, both smiling up at the camera, with Hermione sneaking kisses every once in a while. They looked so happy, so in love. She flipped the frame around and slipped the picture out of the frame. She saw the back. It was taken two years ago, on their first wedding anniversary.
It felt so long ago when this picture was taken. She felt as if these people in the picture were gone.
Was Anna right? Was the married life really something to look forward to?
Instead of apparating home, Hermione decided to take a walk. She saw different couples as she walked by, and she missed having moments with Draco.
They had been married for three years. The first year, of course, was wonderful-they spent each day like a honeymoon and they were inseparable. In their second year, though, Lucius decided to retire and Draco took over the family business, and, a few months later, Hermione was promoted to her position now. From there, things changed.
Their busy work schedules were always so hectic that they hardly had time for each other. Draco threw himself into his company, going on business trips around the world, attending seminars and all that jazz, and Hermione, on the other hand, since her Department was one of the most important ones, was faced with different tasks everyday. They only saw each other before going to bed and a few minutes in the morning because they went to work early and came home late.
Sometimes, one of them wouldn't come home until the wee hours of the morning, and sometimes, Hermione slept alone because Draco would be abroad.
Whenever they had the chance to talk, they only talked about their work and current events. They rarely talked about their personal life anymore and Hermione missed having heated debates with him about anything under the sun.
Don't get them wrong, it's not like they don't love each other anymore, it's just that because of their work, they had to adjust and that meant not being able to have time for each other anymore.
They both thought that they were a fairly normal couple, but if you looked closer, maybe not so much.
She arrived at the Potters' home. Hermione decided to talk to Ginny while Harry was away at work.
"Hey Ginny." Hermione said as she hugged the red head.
"Hey, Hermione. What brings you here?" Ginny asked as she let her enter.
"Well, I have some sort of…not problem, per se, but it sort of bothers me."
"What is it?"
Hermione sighed. "You know Anna, right? My secretary?"
"The beautiful blonde? Yes, go on." Ginny said, chuckling.
"She and David are going to get married, and the news made me think about our relationship."
"You and Draco?"
"Yeah."
Ginny frowned. "Why? Is there anything wrong?"
"Not really, but it's so boring already. I mean, we hardly speak about anything but work anymore! And I hardly see him! Even during the weekends. It's like I don't know him anymore. Yes, I love him, but it doesn't even know what's up in his life aside from work."
"Wait, wait, wait." Ginny said, Hermione's words sinking in.
"Does that mean you haven't had sex in two years?"
Hermione's eyes widened and she blushed. "Shut up, Ginny! Someone might hear you!"
Ginny rolled her eyes but lowered down her voice. "Well?"
Hermione looked at her feet. "Well…"
Ginny's eyes widened. "You're not serious. The great Draco Malfoy, Slytherin sex god, not having sex for two years? Impossible!"
Hermione blushed. "Well, we do have sex sometimes, I guess."
Ginny looked at her like she was stupid. "Men like him wouldn't live for 'sometimes'. Hermione, are you sure he's on business trips whenever he's away?"
Hermione gasped. "Of course, Gin! It's strictly business! I trust him, and he's not like that anymore."
"How do you know? You were just saying you don't know the guy anymore."
"Whatever, I just know that he wouldn't do anything like that to me." But even when she said it, she couldn't help but doubt it.
"No, you're right. Malfoy wouldn't do that." Ginny said as she saw her friend's worried expression. "I mean, he loves you right?"
"Yeah, he says that every night."
"See?"
Hermione sighed. "I miss him. I see him a lot, but still I miss him."
Ginny rested her hand on her friend's shoulder. "You guys should go on a date. Drop your work for one night and just eat and talk, you know? Relearn each other."
Hermione's eyes brightened. "Yeah...we could do that…"
Ginny smiled. "I hope you two could work this out. Sometimes, all you need to do is talk."
Hermione smiled. "Okay, I'll ask him tonight."
As she and Draco were quietly eating their dinner, Hermione decided that now was a good time to talk to him about what she and Ginny talked about.
"Draco, are you free Friday night?"
Draco stopped eating and looked up at her with a raised eyebrow and his famous smirk. "Why, are you asking me out on a date?"
"Actually, yes."
The smirk slipped off his lips. "Classy, Hermione, the girl asking the guy out on a date. You could at least have given me a hint so that I could have asked you instead."
Hermione smiled, remembering how prideful her husband was. "Whoops, sorry, love. But are you? Free, I mean."
Draco frowned. "Why the sudden invitation?"
Hermione sighed. "Draco, when was the last time you and I went on a date?"
"Just the other day, with Harry and Ginny, remember?"
"Yes, but that was a double date and we hardly talked to each other. You were talking to Harry and I was talking to Ginny. When was the last time we talked?"
"We're talking right now."
Hermione rolled her eyes. "What I meant was, when do we really talk, as in one on one? We only ever talk about work and current events. I don't know if your likes and dislikes are still the same as before, you don't know about the new book I like, you don't know my opinion on this and that, same as I don't know yours. And when we go to galas and balls, we enter and immediately go to our own separate friends. I don't know how Pansy is doing; you don't know that Bill and Fleur are going to have a baby."
Draco was silent, thinking about what she just said.
"Why do I realize this just now?"
Hermione sighed. "I guess it's because both of us are so busy with work that we forget about everything else."
A guilty expression clouded his face as Hermione continued.
"And Draco…?" she hesitated.
"Yes?"
"You're not- I mean, you wouldn't cheat on me, right?"
She sounded so unsure and it broke his heart. Draco wanted to kill himself. Was that how she felt?
"Hermione, listen to me, alright?"
He told her as he left his seat and went over to her. He helped her up her seat and placed his hands on the sides of her face. "Hermione, don't ever think that again. I love you, you bloody witch. Just because I don't come home every night or go abroad for a week every once in a while, doesn't mean that I love you less. I would never cheat on you."
"Sometimes, I find it so unbelievable that you'd still want to be with me."Hermione said sadly, looking down at her hands.
Draco shook his head. "Don't say that, love. You're the best thing that happened to me. I would never do anything to hurt you." He winced a bit. How utterly cliché. But it was alright, he supposed, after Hermione smiled and nodded.
"I love you too."
And with that, Draco's mouth met hers and he gave her a fervent kiss.
"Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Don't go to work. Don't do anything. We'll get reservations in Greece and we'll spend the whole weekend together, just getting to know each other again. Is that okay with you?"
"Yes." Hermione said, smiling against his lips. Oh, when was the last time they did this?
Please review! Really gonna try and finish this story this time, promise :D