As soon as Hermione awoke she knew something had changed but it took her a few seconds to remember the events of last night. As soon as she did she turned to see Draco but she was alone. She rolled onto her back, spreading herself over the bed and gazed up at the ceiling. A hundred images from last night popped in front of her eyes and as she remembered more and more she blushed. Oh my god! She had actually had sex with Draco Malfoy!

She had been dreading it so much and yet, entirely because of Draco, it had been amazing. He had been tender, gentle, patient and she wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't experienced it herself. They didn't care about each other and she had been expecting it to be, at best, tolerable and at worst, torturous and it had been so much better than either of those.

She wondered again why Draco was being so considerate, he didn't have any choice about what they had to do unless he was willing to lose his magic but that didn't mean he had to be nice about it. He'd taken her refusal to not live at Malfoy Manor exceptionally well, he'd agreed to move in here because it would make it easier and less structured while they were being forced to try for a baby but really there hadn't been an urgent need for him to do that so why was he being so accommodating?

And then there was last night! She hadn't expected him to be brutal or make her do anything she didn't want to, of course. Even at school his main weapon had been his sharp tongue, but his painstaking seduction of her had been far more than she expected. She sat up in bed and tried to put her finger on something, because there was something. She was willing to accept that Draco had matured, she was willing to accept that he was behaving even better because of the situation they were in but still something seemed out of place. His words from the other day came back to her again and she closed her eyes and sighed. Bloody hell! What had he meant when he said that this would be over quickly? It was impossible! She just couldn't think of anything!

Eventually she slipped out of bed, put on her robe and headed downstairs, expecting to find Draco on one of the sofas but the place was silent and empty. Hermione wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but an empty house wasn't it! She told herself that what had happened last night wasn't part of a relationship. It was a necessary evil and she was a fool to expect it to change things between her and Draco.

After making herself a drink and some toast and went back to the lounge to eat it and then she went to get ready. She examined herself in the bathroom mirror and sighed. What she wouldn't give for straight, smooth hair. She touched the mirror and the door popped open, a couple of bottles spilling out. Hermione caught them awkwardly before they hit the sink and smashed. Draco must have tried to squeeze his toiletries in with hers and the door wasn't shutting properly. She began to rearrange the contents when the door swung again and a small bottle fell from the top of the cabinet. Her hands were already full so she couldn't catch it and it fell to the floor with a small clang. Struggling she dropped some bottles into the sink and bent down to retrieve it. She didn't remember it at all so maybe it was Draco's? But why would he have put it so high up on top of the cabinet?

She examined the label but it was hand written and very hard to read. She could decipher the word Nicus and one of the other words began with an A but the third word was undecipherable. She suddenly felt as if she was prying and tried to put the bottle back but she couldn't reach. She was about to get something to stand on when her doorbell rang and she went to answer it, putting the bottle on the sink so she could put it back on top of the cabinet afterwards. She swung the door open to find a tall man standing there.

"Hermione Granger?" he asked.

"Yes...oh actually Malfoy," Hermione corrected herself. "Hermione Malfoy." It sounded strange to her ears and she couldn't imagine ever getting used to it. "Err...who wants to know?" she asked, suspiciously.

"I'm from the Ministry," he flashed a card at her. "We're just calling on each couple involved in the Marriage Law programme to make sure that things are progressing according to plan?"

Hermione was slightly puzzled by this but she nodded. "Yes, I suppose so."

"Good. Any problems please contact your initial programme organizer." With a curt nod he strolled off and Hermione shut the door, felling slightly uneasy. She went to the attic and started writing when the doorbell rang again. This time she went to answer it quickly, ready to give her visitor a piece of her mind.

"I've just told you that everything is fine...I'm very busy..." she stopped mid sentence because there stood Harry, Ron and Ginny, looking at her like she had gone mad. "Sorry! I just had a guy from the Ministry here."

They all hugged and Hermione made them a drink before they all settled on the sofas.

"So, Malfoy then?" Ron asked and Hermione wasn't entirely sure what he was asking her so she just nodded. "What's it like?"

"Err...what exactly do you want to know, Ron?" Hermione asked.

"Well, is he living here? Is he still an obnoxious idiot?"

"You should know! You're the one who works with him!" Hermione said.

"He's been abroad for ages and I've hardly seen him since he got back. He still walks around the building like he owns the place," Ron's tone left Hermione in no doubt that he was less than happy with her situation but he was obviously having to accept it, just like she was. Either that or they lost their magic.

Harry was sitting next to Hermione, his arm around her. "It is okay then?" he asked. "We were worried what you were having to put up with but Ginny said that Malfoy was being reasonable."

Hermione nodded. "Yes he is. We're tolerating each other because we have no choice but he has been on his best behaviour."

"Did our invites to the wedding get lost in the post?" Ron asked, sarcastically.

"Ron! I could hardly invite you, could I?" Hermione said. "It was traumatic enough anyway so the last thing I needed was to be worrying if you or Harry were going to thump Draco in the face at any moment!"

"She has a good point," Ginny said with a grin.

"Slimy git," Ron commented to nobody in particular but he then said no more.

"Who was it from the Ministry?" Harry asked and Hermione shrugged.

"I don't know, he didn't tell me his name. He said he was checking up on all the couples involved in the Marriage Law programme," Hermione shrugged but then she noticed Harry was frowning.

"It would be highly unusual for us to send someone out to you," he said. "What did he look like?"

"Tall, stocky...I didn't really take a good look."

"I'm going to check," Harry said, standing up. "I'll be back in a minute."

Hermione watched him go, a little puzzled by his reaction.

"So, you actually have to have a child with him?" Ron asked, not seeming able to get off the subject.

"Ron!" Ginny exclaimed. "I'm sure the last thing Hermione wants to talk about right now is her situation with Malfoy."

Harry appeared in the corner of the room and walked over. "We haven't sent anyone," he said, his face concerned.

"I don't understand. He wouldn't be from with your department," Hermione said.

"No, I checked all departments. No-one has been sent." Harry sat down next to Hermione. "Until I can find out who he was, don't answer the door to anyone you don't know and be careful."

Hermione nodded, feeling slightly sick. "Thanks, Harry."

"Hey, no problem. Listen, Ron and I have to go back to work, sorry it's such a quick visit. We just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Oh, that's a shame," Hermione said.

"I'm staying," Ginny said, cheerfully.

So the girls said goodbye to Harry and Ron and Hermione went to get her and Ginny a few snacks and another drink.

"Let's take it to the attic, I love it up there," Ginny suggested and a few minutes later the girls were settled by the picture window.

"How are Harry and Ron about all this really?" Hermione asked.

"Mmm...biting their tongues, infuriated, ready to punch Draco's lights out if he puts a hair out of place..." Ginny reeled off a list with a cheerful grin.

"Great!" Hermione said, sarcastically.

"Don't worry about them. Everyone knows the situation you've been placed in," Ginny touched Hermione's arm affectionately.

"You're right! Whereas you're getting up close and personal with an ex enemy and Slytherin completely of your own choosing!" Hermione watched Ginny's face as she realized that she knew about her and Blaise. "Shame I had to hear it from Draco, isn't it?"

"I was going to tell you!" Ginny protested. "I thought you had enough on your plate right now and I knew you wouldn't appreciate me dating your husband's best friend."

"Merlin! I had forgot about that as well! The two of them will be comparing notes!" Hermione said, her face showing her distaste at the idea of this. "So, is he as nice as he seems?"

Ginny grinned from ear to ear. "Oh yes! He's great, we had a great time."

"Good...well I think it's good," Hermione said and Ginny grinned again.

"Any Malfoy babies on the way yet?" she asked with an evil smirk and Hermione groaned.

"Merlin, Ginny! Only you could phrase it like that!"

"Just kidding but I do want to know...you know...have you or haven't you yet?" Ginny leant forward eagerly and Hermione sighed loudly.

"Really? You expect me to answer you?"

"Ah! That means you have," Ginny chuckled. "So, how was it?" She stopped talking and lowered her voice. "Sorry, I'm only joking, I do know it must be bloody awful for you."

Hermione bit her lip, wondering if she should tell Ginny or not. In the end, her overwhelming need to tell someone won. "No...actually it wasn't awful..."

Ginny practically bounced up and down, her eyes wide. "Oh! Wow! So you have done it then? When? Here? And it wasn't awful?"

Hermione gave a little smile. "Yes, last night, yes and no."

Ginny shook her head trying to match Hermione's answers to her questions. "Yes you have done it, last night, here and no it wasn't awful?" Hermione nodded and Ginny clapped her hands. "Ooh! Tell me, tell me...did he kiss you or was it a quick..."

"Ginny!" Hermione interrupted her friend. She took a deep breath before speaking. "I was so nervous, I felt terrible but Draco was...well he was great. Considerate, you know."

Ginny held her hand up to silence Hermione's flow. "Hermione, you're not falling for him are you?"

"What? No! Of course not! I was just really grateful to him for how he handled the situation."

Ginny smirked again. "Was he good?"

Hermione pushed her friends shoulder. "You're incorrigible!"

"Come on! You can't blame me for asking. This is Draco Malfoy we're talking about here, rumoured sex god and confirmed hottest body alive!"

Hermione laughed loudly at her friend before she managed a smirk of her own. "It wasn't about enjoying ourselves, Ginny."

"Nevertheless, it would have been a waste not to, wouldn't it?" Ginny grinned and Hermione shook her head in a helpless gesture.

Thanks for the review last chapter...hope you liked this one, more mysteries I'm afraid! x