Orange and red leaves swept the street, a strange rattling sending shivers all through Draco. He pulled his coat tighter, trying to keep out the cold wind, although the icy temperature matched just how he felt inside.

He stood on the door step of a crooked little cobblestone cottage and peered in through the window. Hermione was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, flipping slowly through the pages of a rather large leather bound book. Her eyes caught his and she started.

She hurried to the door and cracked it open, brown eyes peering through the thin crack. "You shouldn't be here."

"Hermione, please. I need to talk to you. Is Weasley home yet?"

Draco had left early from work in order to avoid running into Hermione's husband. He shouldn't have done it, but he also gave the old Weasel an extra work assignment.

"No," she sighed.

"Can I come in?" he asked, holding her gaze.

"Draco, no."

He shrugged. "Can you come out then?"

"What do you want Draco?"

He paused, thinking over everything that had gone the last week. The big fight. The letter. The divorce papers.

"Astoria left me."

Hermione shut her eyes and let out a long breath. "I'm sorry."

"How are you and Weasley?" he asked. Draco couldn't decide what he wanted to her to say.

"Honestly, Draco. I don't know. But if he came home and saw you here, they'd be a lot worse." She was still peering through the cracked door.

"I'm really not trying to cause trouble for you."

"I know that Dray, it's just, after that article in the Daily Prophet-" Hermione finally stepped outside, the winter wind painting an almost immediate blush on her cheeks.

"Since when do you care about what's written in the Prophet?"

"I care when it's true."

It had been awful to see those headlines. To have everything both Draco and Hermione had worked for dragged through the mud.

"Have you talked to your kids?" he asked.

"I owled them but I haven't heard back. I don't think they're speaking to me. You?"

"Scorpius blames his mother." Draco stared down at his shiny black shoes. Talking to Scorpius had been the worst part of all this. He acted superior, casual, as if it didn't effect him. That scared Draco. He didn't want his son to turn out the way he had. So cold and callous.

"Why?" asked Hermione.

"He thinks she pushed me away. I tried to tell him it was my fault, but -"

"You couldn't because you think it's true?"

Draco paused for a long time. They'd had problem in the marriage for a long time – long before he'd started seeing Hermione. "I don't know."

Hermione's hand fell on his arm. "It's still our fault. We still made the bad choices."

Draco looked up, their eyes meeting, locking, connecting. "I know."

They hadn't always made the right choices, but somewhere along the way, Draco had wanted to do what was right for Hermione.

#

It was a late evening. Draco was working on a project for his boss that was due the next week when he heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," he drawled.

His heart caught as Hermione stepped through the door. Her hair was shiny and silky and pulled back behind her shoulders, a tight red dressed hugged her just the right way. Draco couldn't stop staring. Hermione put her finger to her lips and raised an eyebrow. Without a word, she started loosening his tie.

"Hermione, this is crazy," he breathed, trying to get a hold of himself, but just taking in her sweet floral sent.

"We did it once and got away with it," she said as his tie fell to the floor.

"We were lucky."

"Yes we were, if I remember correctly." Hermione winked. Something seemed off about her tonight. He was usually the one who had to do the 'talking into'.

"Weasley and Potter are still here." Draco felt it would be almost worse if Potter caught them for some reason.

"Yeah but they don't know I am. How often do they even come into your office?"

Pretty much never.

"Not often."

"My point exactly." Her fingers worked their way expertly down the buttons of his black shirt. Draco's whole body tingled with just her touch.

"Did anyone see you here?" he whispered.

She paused. "I don't think anyone recognized me." Hermione's hand were running up and down his bare chest.

"That's not what I asked." He turned away.

"I walked past some people but so what? What's the fun without the risk?"

Something was up with Hermione. He couldn't take advantage of her like this. Not now. Maybe four months ago he could have, but not now.

"Sit down," he said forcefully.

"What?"

"You heard me."

Hermione sighed and sat down on his desk. "Fine. I'm sitting."

"Thank you."

"Okay..." She looked adorably impatient. Draco almost decided just to let her have her way regardless, but it just wasn't right.

"What's going on Hermione?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Really?"

"It's just-"

"What?"

She let her gaze fall to the floor. "It's my anniversary."

Draco hated when Hermione talked about Weasley. It was their unspoken rule not to discuss their spouses.

"Um. Oh. I don't-"

"See. I knew you didn't want to know."

"That's not what I said. I'm just curious why you're here with me on this particular day."

She paused. "He forgot."

"Oh." Git.

"And I know that makes me a horrible hypocrite if I'm angry at him for forgetting our anniversary when we're... you know."

"I know. But maybe it's part of the reason-" Draco would latch onto any excuse for their behavior. He had to because he couldn't give up Hermione. He wouldn't.

"The reason we even happened."

"Because he takes you for granted."

"Please don't talk about Ron."

"You're right. I'm sorry. Hermione?"

"Yes."

With the way his heart was pounding and his hands sweating, Draco did not want to say this, but it was the right thing. He may not have been very good at doing the right thing, but for her he would try.

"I think you should leave."

She bit on her lip, eyes lifting in confusion. "What? Draco – what are you saying?"

His hand fell against her cheek, taking in her perfect warmth. He brought his lips to her forehead. "Shh. Nothing. I'm not – I think you should leave tonight. You should go and be with," Draco really didn't want to send her away to be with her husband, but he had to. For now. "him. I'll be here tomorrow."

"Dray-" She placed her hand over his and squeezed.

"Don't say anything," he whispered.

Hermione went to be with Weasley that night, but she came to Draco the day after and the day after that.

#

Draco and Hermione stood on her porch staring at each other. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed her until that moment.

"Walk with me," he said.

"We shouldn't."

"Can we really make things worse than they already are?"

A half-smile broke out on her face. In the dim light, he could tell she had been crying. "I don't think I want to test it."

"Okay," he said and reluctantly turned his back to her.

"Okay," she breathed.

"Hermione."

"Yes, Draco?"

Draco marched up to Hermione, energy pulsing through him. He grabbed Hermione's face in his hands and slammed his lips to hers. Her small hands stroked his hair and his lips moved against hers with all the passion and loss and confusion he had inside.

"Come with me," whispered Draco as they broke apart.

"I don't think-" Tears were forming in Hermione's eyes. His hands were on her neck and he could feel her fluttering pulse.

"Please. I can't, I need you. Come with me."

"Draco." She shook her head.

Draco paused then held her face she had to look at him. The truth had become very clear to him over the last few days. Clearer than anything in his life. "Hermione, I'm in love with you."

She stood there deathly silent, her face unreadable. "I need you to leave."

The world slipped away into darkness, into empty utter madness. He was going to lose her. "Oh, Hermione I shouldn't have -"

"Please, Malfoy, just go."

He was no longer Draco. Or Dray. Or hers. He was just Malfoy again

Hey everyone. Sorry it's been so long since I updated. I don't have the easiest time writing this fic although I really do like it. Hopefully, I'll post more soon. Please review! Thanks for reading.