"Do not make yourself appear even more stupid than you are. Why do you accept such a behaviour? If Terence would treat me like that, I would take the children and be gone, before he could say Quidditch! Tori... you are too good for that idiot.", Daphne said, while she balanced little Ophelia on her left knee. The little girl had the same blond curls and blue eyes as Daphne and our mother, while I inherited the straight, dark hair and brown eyes from our father. We couldn't look more different.

"How can you stand that? Marriage or not.", continued my sister to try to persuade me.
"You just don't understand that. I love him. It is not as easy as you think it is. I can't give up on our marriage because of small thing like that. In good and in bad times. I promised that to him. And it is normal, that there aren't just good times.", I explained with a downcast voice.

"This has nothing to do with bad times. More so with a bad husband. I can't possibly understand, how you can endure this kind of life. Go to father. Even if the marriage was arranged, he wouldn't tolerate, that Draco treats you like that. You know that.", Daphne put forward her opinion.
I smiled at her in a bitter way and said soothingly:" I know that you only want the best for me, but please let it go. For now. I don't want to talk about it anymore. I know now what you think about it, and if I want to follow your advices, you are the first to know about it, okay?"

I just didn't want to think about Draco in that moment. I wanted to give my full attention to Ophelia and Jonathan. They were both too cute.

Jonathan was playing with his father. He was sitting on one of the popular toy brooms, that can only lift up two feet.
Daphne saw what I was looking at and had to grin:" Terence is sure, that John will one day be a seeker like him. I think, that if John doesn't want to play Quidditch in Hogwarts, he will be disinherited."
I had to laugh, when the little boy held a beater's bat for the first time, and almost threw it in his father's face.

But soon I became serious again and said softly:" I want that too." Daphne looked at me, after she fed another spoon full of pea puree to Ophelia.
"What do you want too? A toy broom?", my sister asked confused.
I shook my head:" No, of course not. I want that all. A husband, that likes to spend time with me and have children. A daughter, I can put bows into the hair, and a son, that looks exactly like Draco. Just a happy family."

I couldn't breathe at that thought, and soon I felt tears in my eyes.
"Do you need a hug?", Daphne asked careful. After I nodded, she placed Ophelia on my lap, who immediately put her small arms around my neck. I didn't know if I should laugh or cry.

"I think, that you are right... in certain points. I should talk with Draco what we do now.", I said, while I hid my face in the soft curls of my niece.

oOo

...two weeks later...

"Do you have everything?", Draco asked with a disinterested voice, while he hold the Daily Prophet in his hands and sat on the brown sofa made of leather.
I looked up from my small suitcase, wiped the sweat away from my forehead and answered:" I think so, yea. Well... I hope so. Terry is coming in less than five minutes. If something is still missing now, it would be too late."
He nodded briefly and became silent again.

I coughed and said:" So, I'm back in ten days. A few meals are in the fridge. I prepared them already and divided them into small servings. If you need anything else, you can call your mother. If something happened, you can reach me by the floo network. On the kitchen table is a note with the name of the connection to the network in my hotel room." Draco nodded the whole time during my lecture.

When I noticed, that I wouldn't be able to close my suitcase by hand, I took my wand and in less than a second, everything was stowed perfectly.

"Where are you going this time?", Draco inquired. He still was not looking at me, but he also didn't turn a page of the newspaper. Apparently, he was more interested in me as I thought.
"We are going to Vatican City. Terry and I are supposed to try to buy a few pieces of jewellery from the pope. The goblins in my office are sure, that some muggles stole them the property of goblins. Idiocy, if you ask me. But we have to try.", I explained happily.

And only a few moments later, while I got a thin vest from the table, the doorbell rang.
"This will be Boot. Good luck!", said Draco, as he put my suitcase next to the door, where Terry was standing.

I greeted my colleague and partner, turned around to my husband and told him:" Goodbye. I will be back soon."

oOo

...eight days later...

I put my key into the lock of the front door and entered slowly the dark apartment. Normally my business trip for Gringotts should have lasted two more days, but it even became clear to the goblins, that they wouldn't get the jewels of Vatican City. It just was impossible. So my partner Terry and I were sent home after only eight days. It was five o'clock in the morning when I came home. International portkeys were a nightmare. When you found the right one, it is already too late, and it disappears right in front of your eyes.

I should have listened to my gut feeling, which told me, that I should not enter the flat. I hesitated for a short moment and stood in the doorway, when I say the foreign purse next to the dresser in the entrance area. She was made of grey suede and definitely was not mine. I became sceptical. Could it be possible, that Draco wanted to make me happy, and bought me a new purse? Although I don't even like bags that much.

But when I noticed the jeans jacket hanging on the coat hook, I knew, that something was off.
I put my suitcase to the ground, put sown my blue scarf, which I wore around my neck.
"Draco?", I called hesitantly.
But no answer came. Wasn't he at the apartment? Maybe the stuff was from Pansy and she forgot it. After all she visited sometimes. This would be typical for her. If she knew, that I wasn't in the country, that wouldn't be impossible.

Suddenly I heard a bang, which came out of the kitchen. I ran and saw Hermione Granger, who stood next to my stove. At her feet were the shards of one of our expensive plates, which Draco and I got from his parents as a present to our wedding. She was obviously angry. There was almost smoke coming out of her ears.

"What is going on? Draco, what is that woman doing here in our flat?", I yelled, shocked by the whole situation. Just before that, I noticed, that the woman, which should not be here, wore only a blue shirt, obviously a shirt from a man... from my husband, and lace panties, while my husband stood there only in boxer shorts.

"I...", Draco stuttered, when I peered into his grey eyes. He looked from me to Granger and back again.
Suddenly the woman looked at me and told me:" I am really sorry about the plate. If it isn't possible to repair it completely, I will definitely pay it. Please just send me the bill. I'm going now and let you be alone." She took her jeans from the kitchen table, put it on quickly, and then walked to the door.
But before she left the room, she looked at Draco one last time:" Have a good life."

Silence. Both of us said nothing.

I looked at my husband and recognized how broken he seemed to be.
"Draco, why was Hermione Granger in our flat? At this time. And why did she wear almost nothing?", I started quietly. But in the end my voice became louder and louder. But Draco was not reacting in any way. He sat down heavily on one of the chairs and put his head into his hands.

"Why was she here?", I suddenly screamed even louder than before. My voice became shrill. I couldn't believe it. Tears began to come to my eyes.
"Say something!"
He spun around. Tears were running down his checks, which he wiped away forcefully:" What should I say? Mh? As if it isn't obvious why she was here."
His voice almost gave up.

I became silent. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself, before I said:" Draco, I will not leave you. I won't give up on our marriage because of that woman. But please tell me one thing: was it just one time? Did it mean nothing to you?"
At first he wasn't moving at all. Then he looked up at me. Several times he opened his mouth, just to close it again. It did not seem, as if he was going to say something about it.

I approached him and squatted before him. My hands took his from his face. I wanted, that he considered my eyes.
I tried it once more:" Was it only a one-time thing?" Meanwhile I didn't think anything. I was completely focused on Draco.

I almost didn't notice, that he nodded, while I hold his beautiful face in my small hands. Satisfied I groaned and kissed him on his wet checks.
"Everything will be alright. I won't leave you. We will get through this.", I tried to convince him.

I sat in front of him for a few more moments, until I grabbed Draco's forearm and pulled him up from the chair:" Come on. Let us go to bed. It's late."
He nodded, and let me guide him to our bedroom. When he just looked at the bed, without moving even an inch, I decided to sit him down on it.

"I will be right back.", I told him slowly, while I was bowed down to him. Quickly I spun around and walked to my part of the wardrobe. I pulled short pyjamas out of it and put it on.
When I was done, my husband still stat on the exact spot I left him and looked at his hands. I pushed him onto the bed and pulled the blanket over him, before I laid down beside him.
His whole body was stiff, but when I pushed myself into his arms, he held me as tightly as if his life depended on it.

My left hand was searching for my wand, which I put on the little bedside table.
"Nox.", I said and added the right hand movement. The light in the bedroom turned off, and my eyes took a moment to get used to the new lighting conditions

"I'm so sorry. It should be me that comforts you now.", Draco said with a scratchy voice. I had never heard him like that before.
A cough came out of my throat. I did't say anything, because I knew, that he was right. I should be screaming at him and ran out of the apartment. Damn it, I even could have slapped him, and everyone would have understood that reaction. But my little outburst in the kitchen calmed me so much, that I wasn't even angry anymore. Maybe everything is going to get better. Since Granger no longer wanted to be a part of Draco's life.

But maybe I'm only trying to persuade myself, that she was the reason why our marriage didn't work out.
"I love you.", I whispered to him, while I hugged him even tighter.
His answer didn't hurt me anymore:" I know."

I knew, that he didn't try to hurt me by saying that.
And now, that he couldn't love her anymore, maybe he can love me... I hoped.