Chapter Two: My Dream
The next morning I woke snuggled up to Theo in my bed, I loved mornings like this, whenever I am pressed against him I feel safe and secure. The light was coming in through the windows, as Theo yawned and stretched out his body. He looked at me, complete adoration in his face.

"Good morning future Mrs. Nott," he sighed.

I giggled, I couldn't help it, I wasn't one of those girls who laughed at everything a guy said to her but when it came to Theo, and it was uncontrollable.

"Morning love, would you like tea or coffee?" I questioned.

"Coffee thanks, can I use your shower,"
"We are going to be married," I teased.

"Speaking of which, it is tradition in a pureblooded family that the soon-to-be wife moves in with her groom," Theo brought up.

I sighed, we had contemplated moving in together for so long now, and he has been bugging me for a year. We were going to be married, we mine as well try living together before we married each without knowing our quirks at home.

"Alright,"

He grinned, "Really?"
"Yes Theo do you not understand English," I snorted.

"Very funny, now I am going to go take that shower,"

"Good you reek," I sniffed.

"Oh really?" he asked, he tackled me to the bed, straddled my hips, and pinned my arms to the pillows.

He began kissing my neck leading down to my breasts, but he stopped.

"You tease," I scoffed.

He gave me a quick yet smoldering kiss, and then proceeded to head to the bathroom.

I pulled my robe on and headed into the kitchen to start coffee and tea, I hated coffee, but Theo was addicted so I let him have this small pleasure, I was surprised he actually stopped doing some things that bugged me, like smoking cigars regularly, smoking in general, and leaving the toilet seat up.

I decided to make bacon and eggs with toast.

I started up the frying pan the old fashioned muggle way, and began to crisp the bacon.

All of the sudden arms wrapped around my waist and lips kissed and nipped at my shoulders.

"Mmm…Theo," I moaned.

"Yes love?"

"Y-You need to stop," I sighed regrettably.

"Why on earth would I want to do that?"

"The bacon will burn and you have to be at work in half an hour,"
"I own the company I can come in whenever I ruddy well want,"
"I have to go to the book store, customers are waiting,"
"I knew I would lose out on sex because of books," he sighed dramatically.

"Hey we learned a lot from a certain book!"

"As if I would forget that!"
I burst of in a fit of laughter.

"Go you horny, horny man, when you get home later I promise," I smiled.

"Be looking forward to it," he winked.

"Like I said, horny," I muttered.

We actually managed to leave the flat on time that day; Theo dropped me off at the bookstore before heading to his company headquarters.

Theo and I were strolling around Diagon Alley when the Mr. Blotts the owner was boarding up the shop. We were curious; it was the only non-used bookstore in Diagon Alley. He said that it was getting too expensive to pay for her, even with business booming. At the time, I was working at the ministry in the Magical Law Department as a secretary. It wasn't a good job, but you have to start low to gain seniority.

I was upset that the Flourish and Blotts was closing, it was my favorite shop in the alley. My birthday came a week later; Theo told me that he wanted to save my present until after we had dinner at with the Zabini's and Scamander's. I was so confused, he led me through the Alley, and we stopped in front of the boarded up bookstore. I remember the conversation perfectly.

"W-what are we doing here Theo?"
"You will see,"

He somehow opened the door, and I freaked out, began yelling at him for breaking and entering.

He laughed, "It isn't breaking and entering when it is your girlfriend's shop."

"What do you mean?"
"Happy Birthday Hermione,"
From then on Granger Books was placed under renovations.

But this was all surreal to me, I had always dreamed of having one. Only two people in my whole life knew about it, Theo was one of them.

February 1998

I lay pressed against him, it is warm and his head is to my neck. We are breathing heavily, having just made love. Love, it was different that time, they had love.

"I should tell you I am a making love virgin,"
I laughed, it was so like him to say something like that.

"Really, well I hope I made your first time special," I played along.

"Oh…you did,"
"Good…I hope it made your dreams come true,"

He sighed, I looked at him oddly.

"Is something on your mind?"
"I just keep thinking that this is all a dream, the two of us, who would have thought?"

"It is real, I promise,"
"Then it is a dream come true for me, having you, having someone love me for once in your life,"
"They love you, they just have different ways of showing it,"
He smiled and placed a soft kiss on my lips.

"How do you always know the best things to say?"

I shrugged, "I know you,"
"What is your dream, besides us,"
I blushed, "It is stupid."
"I doubt, Hermione Granger isn't stupid, so her dreams aren't either,"
"I want to own a bookstore,"
He looked at me, a grin on his face.

"That…is a fabulous idea,"
"It is an idea that won't happen!"
I snuggled close to him, attempting to fall asleep.

"I think…it will,"
"If you say so Draco,"

I couldn't help it, ever since last night I couldn't get him out of my head. This was wrong; the only man I should be thinking of was my fiancé! My handsome, caring, absolutely sexy fiancé! Not a man that left me.

The shop didn't help, it brought up that memory, that beautiful memory I adored. It happened spontaneously, he told me he loved me, I told it to him right back. It continued on with that, the soft kisses, loving touches, the sensuality of it, at that time it was the best I had ever felt. Then after, sharing something so personal made it all feel so real.

I was naïve to think that what we had would last. He loved me, I will never doubt that, but was he in love with me? Would he have fought for me if he was in love with me like Theo did?

Last night, he was distant, aloof; his only focus was Astoria Greengrass, the girl at the time his father wanted him to marry. She could not compare to the beauty of the younger girl. She was nothing special, a fling to begin with, and one final rebellion before he was to serve as a proper husband and son.

I was the tool.

I was his freedom during the night.

I was temporary.

I accepted Theo's gift graciously, enthusiastically. Now, I have just opened the shop last weekend, I was busy, popular, everyone wanted to buy books from the war heroine.

"Hermione, I thought you might own this shop!" a squeal came from the door.

Parvati Patil was at the door with her sister Padma. She grinned at her ex-dorm mate.

"Parvati! Padma!"
She engulfed the girls in a hug, which they accepted.

"We heard the news, you and Theo are getting married?" Padma asked.

I smiled and nodded with a blush, showing them the ring.

"Oh…you lucky girl," Parvati whistled.

"That is quite the diamond, so simple, so Hermione," Padma giggled.

"What brings you girls to my little shop?" I asked, leading them more into the shop.

"Well, um…I am pregnant," Padma muttered.

"It is Anthony's?" I questioned.

"Of course, what do you take me for? Some skank?"

"No…but I saw that you were kicked from society in Witch Weekly," I explained.

I headed over to the maternal section and picked out a few books I thought would be useful and passed them to her.

"Thank you Hermione," she said.

"It is no problem, now tell me, I would rather the truth then the trash in that stupid magazine," I demanded.

"Well as you know Anthony and I were moved in together, since it had been three years, but I had missed me period, it was a week late, that got me worried, so I went to the healer. She told me I was pregnant. You may not know this Hermione but becoming pregnant before you are married earns you a kick to the curb with the PWS," Padma explained.

"That is awful! Lots of people aren't getting married but having children these days," I protested.

"Not the pureblood society Mi, it is seen as quite scandalous, technically you aren't even supposed to have sex, but everyone breaks that rule," Parvati explained.

"They are tough,"
The sisters nodded, Padma began to remove some galleons from her purse but I stopped her.

"You are a friend, these ones are on the house," I told her.

"Thank you for your help Hermione, congratulations," Padma bid me.

"Congrats Mione, are you and Theo going to Pansy's dinner on Friday?" Parvati asked me.

"She would kill us if we didn't,"
They left leaving me to my shop and more customers, my assistant Shirley began filing in the back. Theo suggested I hire someone to help, it was a small shop but I couldn't do everything.

Shirley was just out of Hogwarts, this was her afternoon job, during the morning she had her internship at the Ministry, and at night she waitressed at the Leaky Cauldron. The poor girl lost her father, leaving her mother to deal with finances. Her mother only worked as a barmaid at the Three Broomsticks so Shirley and her two brothers had to work for their own money.

"Hermione, you have a letter," Shirley called.

I took the letter from her and used my letter opener, which my dad got me to open it.

Miss. Granger,

It would give me great pleasure for you to join me and the ladies of the Pureblooded Woman's Society for tea on Sunday. Due to your recent engagement you are to be properly introduced into the group as a PWS woman. Remember to wear the proper tea attire.

Sincerely,

Lady Narcissa Malfoy of the House of Black

Great, the one woman who was a snob to me last night has invited me for tea with her and a bunch of other stuck up bitches. At least the Outsiders would be with me, as a muggleborn I was sure to be placed in that circle anyhow, not that I minded. They were better company.

"Hermione are you in here?"

Theo.

"I am in here Theo!"
"There you are, I brought dinner,"
"You are a saint!"
"Hardly,"
I laughed, he was right; he was a very bad boy.

He had picked up Indian food, including chutney and naan, my favorite take out.

"I love you," I grinned.

"Only because I double as a food delivery service,"
"True,"
"You wound me woman,"
I go to the kitchen, which we added to the bookstore for the late nights I would be working with stocking and Theo would help.

"What is this?" Theo asked picking up my letter.

"A letter from Narcissa Malfoy, does she have to add 'of the House of Black' every time she sends a letter?"
"It makes her feel superior, what did she want?"
"Apparently I am now an official member of the PWP, goodie!" I said overenthusiastically.

"You are dripping with sarcasm; at least you will have Pansy, Daphne, Ginny and Luna,"

"You are right! Not to mention I can join in the name calling!"

"Name calling?"
"Yes, they come up with a bunch of nicknames for the snobbish sluts,"
"That sounds like something you would be good at,"
"Thank you,"
"Anytime,"
These were some of the best times with Theo, eating take-out, stocking books and just talking. He was highly intelligent yet could also be laid back, not carrying to sound intelligent in the least. Not to mention he enjoyed me telling him about the rumors of the girls in the PWS. But it went both ways, I loved hearing about the douche bags who worked at his company, douche bags that he couldn't fire because the amount of money they invested in the company was more than they could afford to lose.

Mainly though we talked about books.

It was nights like these, that made me happy that I sought out my dream.

It was nights like these that made me glad Draco and I didn't work out.