Disclaimer: JK Rowling own's the rights to these character's i just gave them another story.
The forecaster hadn't been lying when he had forecasted a white Christmas. The snow had started to fall not to long ago but the streets where already blanketed the with it. Hermione pulled her jacket around her a little tighter as she made her way up the London street. She hadn't been in the Christmas Spirit as of late. Christmas just wasn't the same without her parents here and with her lack of a love life she felt pretty alone.
She knew Harry tried really hard to take her mind of the fact they were gone, sometimes though it was hard not to let her mind wonder. Work as of late had been hard, pretending certain events hadn't happened was exhausting. Shaking her head she tried to ride her mind of the things she could not change. It was Christmas Eve and the ministry was closed, for the next few days so everyone could spend time with their family's.
Harry had invited her to stay with him and Daphne for the Holiday who he had married three years prior. He like her, was without any family. Though the Weasley's had been his surrogate family growing up, it didn't feel right to intrude on their family after he and Ginny called it quits. Now with him being married to Daphne it really didn't seem right. Hermione's folks were still in Australia, blissfully unaware they had a daughter back in London. When she had altered their memory's she had known there was a chance she would never be able to give them back to them. It was risk though she had been willing to take, and something she would never regret. Harry was her family now. They would always have each other.
She tired to appreciate all the Holiday lights that lined the street. It was something she had always loved as a child. Christmas had always been her favorite then but now with no one to enjoy it with she just felt more alone. She turned to the left and made her way down a smaller quieter street, the lamps that lined the road were just starting to come on as she made her way up the small walk that led to Harry's house. She knocked twice before stepping back to wait. She didn't have to wait long before the door swung open to reveal a very flustered Daphne.
"Hermione thank Merlin you are here," Daphne said as she pulled her into the house. "Harry and Draco trying to build a tree house in the back garden for Teddy,"
"It really can't be that hard," Hermione said closing the door behind herself.
"They are doing it the muggle way,"
"Oh," she said understanding it probably wasn't going very well. Neither man was good at building things the muggle way.
"Harry insisted on doing it the muggle way, and somehow coned Draco into helping him.
"I thought Draco was spending the holiday with his mother?"
Daphne led her into the kitchen "Yes, well as you can imagine things are bit icy between them at the moment. You heard he called the engagement off?"
"Yeah I heard a rumor to that effect."
"Well his mother was pissed to say the very least. Harry took pity on him and invited him."
"That was nice of him,"
Hermione wasn't really sure as to when it had happened, but somewhere a long the way in the last few years, Draco Malfoy had become a very regular fixture in their lives. After Harry's very public break up with Ginny things had soured between Ron and Harry. Even though the break up had been very much a mutual thing, Ron felt Harry had jilted his sister. Their friendship had taken the brunt of the fall out. Hermione knew how much this truly bothered Harry, but kept her thoughts to herself. She knew he would come to her with it when he was ready. Her own failed romantic relationship with Ron was enough to cause the distance she had with the entire Weasley family. She felt her and Harry were very much in the same boat. Somehow in all of this entered Draco Malfoy who worked with Harry at the Ministry.
It was Draco who had introduced Harry to Daphne again, seeing as he had been engaged to marry Daphne's younger sister. He had even been Harry's best man at their wedding. Yes, Draco Malfoy had made himself rather comfortable in their lives.
Daphne poured them both a cup of hot coco, she handed Hermione her mug. "Come, let's see if we can move this project a long any," She motioned for Hermione to follow her out into the garden.
It was worse than Hermione had imagined, they had pieces strewn all over the place. Both men had their head's lowered over the instructions scratching their head's as if unsure where they had gone wrong.
"I see you guys are having fun," Hermione said laughing.
They looked up to see both women laughing at them. Harry smiled sheepishly at them, while Draco scowled.
"We can't figure this thing out," Draco growled.
"You know you both have these magic sticks of wood, that with just a flick would have it put together" Hermione said smartly.
"I have been telling Potter this for the last hour," Draco said.
"Excuse me for trying to do something nice for my godson with my own two hands,"
"Harry Dear, he is five. He won't know the difference. All that will matter to him is that it is a gift from you," Daphne tried to reason.
"Where is Teddy," Hermione asked.
"With my aunt and mother at the Manor," Draco answered.
"He will be here tomorrow after bunch at the Malfoy's," Daphne said.
"Fine...," Harry finally said before pulling out his wand and waving it a few times before a fully erected tree house stood before them. With another flick of his wand the little house had nestled itself into the tree at the far side of the garden.
Harry looked a little grumpy, but Daphne and Draco both looked relieved.
"Come Harry, lets get you and Draco a mug of coco," Daphne said holding her hand out to him, which he took and allowed her to lead him back into the house.
Draco and Hermione we alone, the snow was still falling pretty hard. In the morning it would defiantly be a winter wonderland. They were silent for a few minutes. Things had been rather awkward between them since Daphne's birthday the previous month.
"I'm sorry if me being here bother's you. Potter said it would be fine. Not sure he has any reason to believe otherwise," Draco said breaking the silence.
"Of course it doesn't, it was nice of him to invite you," she said in high pitched voice she knew betrayed her.
"Granger, look I am truly sorry," he said looking down at his shoes.
"It's fine,"
"No it's not fine, I had no right to judge you," He said.
"I didn't really think you were judging me, it felt more like you were jealous."
"I was jealous, which I had no right to be,"
"No?" She asked.
"No I didn't,"
"What about that night in Paris," she asked.
"That night..."
"Was it a mistake to you" she asked. They hadn't talked about that night or the following morning since it had happened. It was unspoken between them to never bring it up.
"No, of course it wasn't," he said "Do you think it was,"
"You we're engaged," she said simply.
"It was an arranged engagement, that I was stupid enough to go a long with." He said. "It doesn't even matter now, I broke it off.
"Of course it matter's Draco. You had given your word to her, that has to account for something."
"My mother had given her word. I didn't promise to love her."
"Marriage is a promise of faithfulness." She tried to argue.
"Maybe in the muggle world it is, Granger. In my world, to pureblood elitist marriage is a means to an end. Marriage isn't about love or faithfulness. It's about carrying on the pureblood line."
"So you are saying you have no respect for the sanctity of marriage?" She asked pulling her coat around her a bit tighter.
"Of course I do, why do you think I called it off."
"I don't know,"
He took a few steps closer to her so that he was right in front of her. "That night in Paris on that mission, it changed things for me." He reached out and lifted her chin so she was looking directly into his eyes. "I would be lying if I tried to say that I had no feeling for you before that night, because I did. You and Potter are a package deal, and somehow you had wiggled your way into my life. You had gotten under my skin, the thing I use to find annoying were suddenly the things I loved most about you. You didn't allow me to steam roll you. You stood up to me, you told me when I was being an ass and insufferable. You have no problem going toe to toe with me. That night in Paris, it changed me. But I know it changed you too, I know it has made you question your moral compass. For that I am sorry, but I don't regret that night. I don't regret it because it made me see that I could be happy, that I could turn my back on what was expected of me,"
"And Daphne's Birthday?" She asked.
"It has only been a few weeks since we had gotten back, and I hadn't been able to stop thinking about that night. About you, the feel of your skin against mine, the way you had looked at me, the way you had made me feel. When Potter said you were being a date, well I went a little off the deep end I'm not going to lie. Everyone had seen the shift in me. Seeing you with that oaf, I realized what my subconscious had known all a long. I wanted you all to myself. So I lost it, and I was a dick,"
"You were,"
"I also broke it off with Astoria the next day,"
"So what does this mean,"
"It means that I want to see where this thing between us goes. It means that I want more nights like that night in Paris. It means I want to be able to go out in public with you by my side. I want this Granger, I want you, I want us. I know Paris wasn't a great start, I know that no matter how good that night was, I was still promised to another woman. I don't want that to be a dark cloud over our heads though. And I promise you that I will never do what I did to Astoria to you. You have had me falling in love with for as long as I can remember, and I give you my word I'll never hurt you that way, and my word does mean something to me." He bent his head so he could kiss her. He had missed the taste of her soft lips, he had missed the way she felt in his arms. He had been dreaming of that night ever since. Slowly he pulled away and looked deep into her eyes and could see the longing he knew his own mirrored.
A sound from the back door caught his attention. He looked up over her head and could see Daphne and Harry staring at them through the window. Hermione turned her head to see what he was looking at, but turned back quickly.
"Do you think they know?" She asked,
"Oh I am sure they do, it no coincidence Potter asked me over. He has been dropping hints for the last few weeks,"
"Do you think Daphne will be mad?" She Wondered aloud worriedly.
"Please, she was jumping for joy when I ended things with her sister. She knew I didn't want to marry her. Daph is one of my oldest friends."
"Should we go inside?"
"No just yet. I want to savor this moment a bit longer," he said leaning down and kissing her again. His kiss had this undeniable way of taking her breath away. He took his time savoring this moment, he knew she was more than he deserved but he didn't care. He had always been selfish that way. She was his, and he would be damned if he would allow himself to mess this up.
She pulled away breathless, "Merry Christmas Draco,"
"The first of many,"
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