Thanks to everyone who has added this to their 'Story Alerts' and/or to their 'Favorite Stories'. That is so flattering! I really could do with a few more reviews (Please?)…but right now I'm as happy as a chipmunk in a walnut shop.

Chapter Four

Hermione:

She excused herself for a moment. She thought about the day Hugo was born, picturing his little blue eyes and easily produced a patronus. "Harry, Ginny, I'm bringing Draco with me to lunch…please be nice."

Her otter grinned back at her in a reassuring way, and then swam away invisibly on currents in the air.

She turned and squeaked a little. Draco was standing right behind her, leaning on the door, with a half-amused smile on his face. "Was it really necessary to tell me and Potter we'd have to play nice at lunch?"

Hermione sniffed. "No, I think the two of you would probably do just fine…but Ginny is pregnant again, and there's no telling what she might say or do if I don't give her proper warning…just because old habits die hard."

He chuckled, not seeming overly offended. "If I'm never on the receiving end of another one of her curses, it will be too soon. She had one that turned your entire face into a mess of flying bat things…"

Hermione laughed.

Draco looked a little…sad. "You didn't have to invite me to lunch."

She smiled at him. "I know. I invited you because I wanted to…besides, it won't hurt to have back up."

He cocked his head to one side… "Why would you need back-up to have lunch with your best friends who just happen to be your in-laws? Are we planning something nefarious?" The sparkle was back in his eye. The one that said that, yes, he might be up for something just a little disreputable…

She grinned back at him. "Would we do that?" Hmm…would she? She took a deep breath. "No really, it's just because they are revoltingly cute when Ginny is pregnant…I mean they're cute all the time, but it's worse…"

He nodded. "It's worse this time?"

She nodded. "Yeah.

He nodded like he understood where she was coming from. Happy couples were a bit hard to take when you weren't part of one.

"Milly brought in breakfast…and you know she'll scold if we don't eat."

Hermione laughed. "It's a good thing she does. I get so wrapped up in a project that I forget."

He put his hand on the small of her back as they reentered the library. It felt very…natural. Easy…like he should have had his hand there the entire time. That thought made her nervous so she picked up her discarded book. "I'll set my wand as an alarm, so we don't forget to apperate in time for lunch." He nodded and took a long drink of his coffee, but his eyes never left her.

Draco:

Had he lost his freaking mind? If a photographer saw him having lunch with the remaining two-thirds of the Golden Trio there was no telling what the headlines would read…

Not that eating with Potter and his red-headed wife held any allure to begin with.

But taking Hermione out did.

No. After all this time. Just…no. There was no way that out of all the witches in the entire country, the one he decided to pine for would be one who would never really let him into her life. Surely he had more sense than that.

Didn't he?

Hermione:

Hermione pretended to take notes while she gathered her flustered thoughts. It was just that she'd been alone too long. It made every touch more than it should be. He was just being friendly, courteous…warm…

She did not sigh. He'd notice that. She pretended to read. She even turned a page.

What the hell was she thinking? Draco had changed, yes…and it was all for the better. She could only find traces of the boy she'd known in school, and most of them were the small traits that she'd noted, even back then, that were admirable. He was still driven, passionate, and good looking…well, more than good looking really…

She jumped when her wand went off. It was time to go to lunch. She looked into his silvery eyes and hoped it would be more fun than a death-day party…but there was no way she could guarantee that.

Draco:

He nursed his butterbeer as Harry took most of the load of conversation off of him. They were discussing the Chudley Cannons phenomenal performance in the Quidditch cup. Hermione was smiling to see everyone getting on so well, and he played his part, pointing out that the Cannons had done well since they invested in a decent farm team.

"It's all about bringing young players up slowly, so they reach their potential. The Cannons used to be the worst team in the league, before Krum took over as head coach. I always thought his head was full of sawdust…" Draco remembered suddenly that Krum had taken Hermione to the Yule ball that year. He wasn't sure what she saw on his face, but Ginny saved him.

"Well, in everything but his taste in dates, he was pretty thick…not unintelligent, but just…focused."

Harry grinned and took a pull at his butterbeer. "I used to love watching him fly though. Never did get to play against him while he was visiting Hogwarts…wish we'd managed a few games of Quidditch…"

Draco sighed and nodded. That would have been fun. He hadn't played in ages.

Harry eyed him suddenly.

"Do you know what we should do?"

Draco looked at Potter warily. There was a slightly manic gleam in his eye.

"What?"

"Let's put together an amateur Quidditch league."

Draco felt his eyes light up. "That would be brilliant."

Ginny groaned and slapped Potter's arm. "That's not fair Harry! Why didn't you have this idea years ago…I won't be able to play until the baby gets here…"

Potter kissed his wife, and Draco knew exactly what Hermione meant about having backup. Those two could rip the heart out of a single man. They wouldn't mean to of course, but just watching them stirred something in Draco that he hadn't felt in years.

He looked over at Hermione, and saw the tightness in her hands as she hid them under the table. He reached for one and covered it with his. He immediately felt better…it was like eating chocolate when faced with a dementor. He felt his cheek twitch and found her looking back at him.

Potter broke off the kiss and he and his wife continued like they hadn't just made everyone in the room stare at their unwarranted PDA. Draco wasn't sure what to do with his hand, but he wasn't about to snatch it back like some kid caught holding his girlfriend's hand.

Hermione:

She and Ginny walked into Patill and Patill's after lunch. They'd left Draco and Harry discussing the specifics of the Quidditch league in the Leakey Cauldron. Harry was sure that he could put together several teams just at the Ministry, and Draco thought he could get at least one team from St Mungo's.

Ginny cornered her at a display of silver dress robes. "Hermione! Don't you dare deny it…you were holding his hand under the table!" Ginny threw back her red head and laughed delightedly.

Hermione shrugged. "He put his hand over mine. It was more of a comforting gesture…"

She looked at her friend. "Did you know that Draco was the one who alerted Harry the day that Ron died…?"

Ginny's eyes went wide. That was the best thing about Ginny. She couldn't lie if she wanted to.

"Nooo. Harry never said who'd sent the patronus."

Hermione examined the robes as she started looking for some in her size.

Ginny wasn't one to give up that easily. "So what's going on between the two of you?"

Hermione sighed. She could tell that this was going to be a fun trip.

"Nothing is going on. We've been spending a lot of time together…he works like I do, every waking moment. We've talked a few times…took a walk in the sunshine once." She closed her eyes and remembered exactly how he'd looked, standing in the sun. There was nothing cold about that Draco…he was like sunshine. Sometimes…he was several degrees hotter than plain old sunshine.

Ginny pulled her attention back. "So why did he put his hand on yours?"

For such a perceptive person, Ginny could really be thick.

"Ginny…I love how happy you and Harry are together…you know that, right?" Ginny nodded, still not really understanding.

"But sometimes, it's just hard to see you together, and remember…"

Ginny's eyes filled with tears. "I'm so sorry Hermione!"

She reached out and grabbed Ginny's hand. "Don't be sorry. This is a good thing. I think it means that I'm healing, at least a bit."

She looked at Ginny to see if she disapproved, to see if her best friend would think she was a selfish banshee for wanting something more in her life.

Ginny pulled her into a hug. "I'm glad 'Mione. Ron wouldn't want you to be alone forever you know. All these years, you just slogged through work, did for the kids, and you never even looked at another man. Harry and I kept closer watch on you than you knew, especially at first. We were afraid…" Ginny straightened her shoulders. "Well, never mind that now. You needed to heal at your own pace, and Harry will be over the moon to see that you're beginning to."

Hermione nodded.

She did feel the need to explain one last time. "There really isn't anything going on between me and Draco. I think we've become friends…we certainly share a goal, and we both like reaching our goals." She looked down and blushed. "He's so different from the slimy git we knew at Hogwarts."

Ginny nodded, but wisely didn't say anything else about it. Hermione was always like that. She had to figure things out on her own. But it was good to see her looking more like…her. She'd been shambling around like the living dead for far too long.

She couldn't wait to tell Harry. They'd both feared for Hermione's life when she lost Ron. She acted like she was literally trying to work herself to death. Harry would be glad to know that she was finally healing.

Draco:

He ordered another round of butterbeer and ignored the look Harry was giving him until the server brought the beverages.

"Alright Potter, spit it out. You look like you swallowed Longbottom's toad."

Harry chuckled. "Trevor is still alive and kicking, last I heard. I was wondering why you were holding Hermione's hand under the table."

Draco sighed. Hiding things from an auror, even one who was intent on snogging his wife, was probably doomed to failure.

"Something upset her a bit, and I put my hand on hers, end of story."

He opened his butterbeer with his wand.

Harry nodded to himself. "Allright then. I'm her friend, not her keeper, and Merlin knows she doesn't accept sympathy from just anyone."

Draco felt Harry's eyes on him, but he didn't flinch.

"Just doing what I can."

Harry nodded. "Just like the day when Ron died?"

Draco flinched. Was that going to continue to bite him in the ass forever? No good deed ever went unpunished.

"You didn't recognize the patronus then?"

Harry shook his head. "Nor the voice. Sorry, I should have…but…"

Draco shrugged. "No, there's no real reason you should have. Kingsley showed me the charm after the fiend fire incident at the manor." Potter nodded, he had been among the aurors that responded. "Things were finally on the right track. I was married, had Scorp, and I was done with my apprenticeship. Then this sandy haired kid apparated into St Mungo's as I was leaving for the day. I rushed over, but they were all dead…rigor mortis had set in. When I realized it was Weasley, I took him down to the morgue myself…I didn't want her to have to see the pictures in the paper, if the Daily Prophet found out… And then I realized that Belinda Bulstrode was on desk duty that evening…she 's Millicent's sister and she hated Hermione in school; that was no way to find out that her husband was dead…so I sent my patronus."

Draco took a long pull of butterbeer. "She told me that you got to her first. I'm sorry if I wasn't very gentle with breaking it to you…I just wanted you to get to her, fast."

Harry:

They were about twelve rounds in when Draco gave up that secret. He was too lean, he couldn't hold his liquor the way that Harry could. Harry had a wife at home who stuffed him at every occasion. Draco looked like Hermione…lean and slightly neglected. It hurt his hear to see that on her, and he found, much to his surprise, that he felt much the same way about Draco.

He'd wondered off and on for years who might have sent that patronus to his office that afternoon.

A miniature dragon had burst into the room. "Potter! Get to Granger quickly. Weasley is dead, at the morgue of St. Mungo's. Get to her before she finds out!" It was no wonder he hadn't recognized the frantic voice. It didn't sound anything like the cool, sneering Malfoy he was accustomed to. He'd know it must have been someone from school, and he'd asked questions over the years, but he hadn't gotten an answer…until today.

Harry quickly buried the memory of Hermione's face s she found out Rom was dead. She had…broken. There was only one word for it. And even when she finally managed to stop weeping, and pulled herself together a bit…she'd still been broken.

Harry turned back to the man who he'd decided to hate at the tender age of eleven.

"Whatever makes her happy again is fine with me. I'd literally kill to see her be more like herself. She's been walking around like we buried most of her when we buried Ron. Except lately…I've seen just a bit of the old Hermione peeking out."

Draco looked confused. Harry grimaced at himself. He might want to say these things again, later…when they weren't twelve rounds in. He grinned and turned the conversation back to Quidditch. If he was lucky, Draco and Hermione would hammer this out themselves and he wouldn't need to interfere.

I like the idea of Draco and Harry sitting down and getting a Quidditch league together. Please, please, please review…with sugar and a cherry on top?