A/N: So school starts Monday... (drops dramatically to knees and cries NOOOO!) *clears throat* Anyway, get prepared, guys, because the next chapter is one of my favorites (and I think it will be yours too). But in the meantime, here's chapter 9! Keep the reviews coming!

Tallyho!


Chapter 9:

The next week continued in the same fashion. They would spend a majority of the day going over different potion making methods and ingredients that might have an effect on the strength of the potion. On any option that Hermione hadn't tried, she would quickly write a letter to Healer Austen, giving him instructions to give it to her team who would then follow the instructions she wrote for them to test it out on the potion. At first, Healer Austen was a bit taken aback at the letter Hermione had sent him while she was supposed to be on vacation but quickly pushed his surprise aside when he saw her insistence that her team get the instructions as soon as possible. She would send him a variety of more letters with different instructions for her team and in return, would receive a letter back telling her the results of the new tests. There had been some minor changes but nothing that would suggest it was ready for more serious cases.

Draco found as they worked through new ideas, tossing more aside than they were sending to Healer Austen, Hermione never once got discouraged. If anything, she became more determined to find the answer that would perfect her potion. Draco admired her determination. In school (before the war), he might have insulted her for working so hard but now all he felt was awe as he watched her work so diligently to help better people's lives.

Whenever she would start to get stressed, Draco would take over and put away all the documents before pulling her into a searing kiss that would leave her breathless. Then, he'd take her upstairs and make her forget all about the outside world, although, sometimes they didn't make it that far. More than once they had found themselves on the couch or the living room floor and once, on the dining room table. They had been a little too impatient that time.

When they weren't working on the potion or making love, they would take Benji on a walk around the city and talk about everything and nothing. More than once, while walking, Hermione would link her arm with Draco's and lean her head on his shoulder as if it were the most natural thing to do. Draco would smile every time she did it and he had become accustomed to the feel of the gesture. Once, while telling Hermione a story about his childhood, he grabbed her hand and entwined his fingers with hers, without giving it a second thought. Hermione had to control the smile that was growing on her face and pushed the butterflies in her stomach away as she reveled in the way that holding his hand made her feel and at how natural it was for him to make the gesture.

Benji had grown quite attached to Draco as well. They wouldn't let him in the room while they were preoccupied with each other, but before they would fall asleep, they'd open the door so Benji would have access to their room and the dog door if he needed it throughout the night. Hermione would usually wake up before Draco did so as she would get up to shower or go downstairs to make coffee, Benji would jump on the bed and curl up next to Draco as the blonde slept. During the day, Benji would consistently attempt to get Draco to play with him, which he would usually comply. Draco would throw suggestions out to Hermione while playing fetch or tug-of-war with Benji or just simply petting him, keeping his stress level down while entertaining the furry companion.

One morning, Hermione woke to a tapping sound on her window. She opened her eyes and saw that an owl was tapping furiously on her balcony door holding a letter in it's talons. Groaning, she left the warmth of her bed and Draco's embrace and threw on a robe before opening the balcony doors to let the owl in. It quickly dropped the letter off in her hands before flying away. She turned the envelope around to find the familiar scrawl of her boss on it.

She turned around and walked back to the bed to sit on it only to find that Benji had taken her spot. She frowned at her familiar and snapped her fingers, signalling for him to move over. He understood the command and moved to the foot of the bed, allowing Hermione to crawl back into her spot next to Draco, who she had yet to notice had woken up when she moved to get the letter. He watched her silently open the letter and read it with her bright brown eyes. He watched in confusion as her eyes widened then filled with tears. He decided to make his conscious state known when she put her hand over her mouth to muffle a sob. "Hermione?" he said, sitting up and putting a strand of hair behind her ear. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head and wiped her eyes. "N-nothing. It's what's right actually."

He furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"

"It's from Rory, my boss," she explained. "The team tried out our suggestion of mixing arrowroot and valerian root together and adding more water at the same time."

His eyes widened as he realized what she was saying. "And?"

She choked back a sob. "I-it worked! Draco, it worked! The potion changed to a more light purple color which my team took as a good sign and tested it out on a minor case and saw immediate improvement! Then they tried it out on three more and it worked each time! Oh my God, it worked! We did it!" She had tears running down her face as she spoke with a large grin on her face. Draco's face lit up at the news and he pulled her into a tight hug. She sobbed tears of happiness and relief while holding onto him tightly.

He kissed her hair and smiled. "I'm so proud of you."

She sniffled and laughed in relief as she pulled out of the hug to wipe her eyes. Benji bounded towards her as they broke their embrace causing her to laugh. She hugged her dog before looking back to Draco. His eyes showed pride, admiration, and something else she couldn't quite place. Before she could contemplate it, though, Draco grabbed her face and pulled her in for a passionate kiss. She wrapped her arms around his torso - gently nudging Benji with her knee causing him to jump off the bed - and pulling him flush against her before running her fingers through his hair. He wrapped one arm around her waist to keep her close as he laid them down on the bed.

They made love passionately, gently, and all the ways in between. Something was different about this time, however. With every kiss, touch, and sweet word spoken, their bond grew as did their feelings for each other. The late morning found them tangled together in the sheets, breathing quietly with their eyes closed enjoying the feel of their skin touching. Draco's hand was caressing her face, his thumb running across her cheek and lips. He looked at her and felt something in his chest that he had never felt before: love. He thought he loved Astoria when they first got married but that was nothing compared to what he felt right now. What he felt back then was adoration and lust for a beautiful woman. But that's all Astoria was: beautiful. Sure, she was clever as hell but she looked out for herself only and was as conniving as Salazar Slytherin himself; she was so one sided.

Hermione, on the other hand, was many things wrapped up into one human being. Not only was she beautiful but she was intelligent. She was a hard-worker, determined, fierce, and not afraid to speak her mind. She was a fascinating conversationalist and there was never a dull moment when talking to her. Her face lit up when she smiled and her laugh was infectious. He trusted her. He had confided in her some of his fears and some of his not so happy memories as a child and she hadn't judged him. Instead, she had just held his hand and gave him a reassuring smile that told him it was okay. That gesture alone made such a huge difference to Draco.

She made him feel comfortable and safe. Whenever Draco was with Astoria, he felt like he was trapped in a box. When he was with Hermione, he felt like he was home.

This was love. Not what he had with Astoria. That was a farce. This, however, was what it felt like to have someone hold your entire heart and trust that they wouldn't hurt you. Somehow, Draco knew that she would be that person he could trust with not just his heart but his soul. He loved her and the gods be damned if he let her get away.

"Hermione," he said quietly.

"Hm?" she replied, her eyes still closed.

"When are you going back to London?"

She opened her eyes and looked at him. "I'm supposed to leave Wednesday morning."

"What time?"

She furrowed her brows. "Eleven-thirty. Why?"

He took a deep breath. "Because I'm going back with you."

Her eyes widened for a moment before she sat up and leaned on her elbow to get a better look at him. "Seriously?"

He nodded. "If you'll have me, of course. I don't want to intrude but I… I like you, Hermione. And I'm a little tired of pursuing this day by day. I'd like to see if we could turn this into something more."

Hermione could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She knew she loved him, that much was clear to her. Spending day after day with him had allowed her feelings to grow. She wanted to always spend time with him, talk to him, kiss him, and just be around him in general. He listened to her and looked at her like she was the only woman he had eyes for. And she was. She was crazy about him and knew that she wanted to continue what it was they had and couldn't help but smile when he said that he wanted to as well. But the fact that he wanted to go back to London with her to pursue a relationship with her is what made her heart swell. She grinned at him and looked to the side of the bed where Benji was lying. "What do you say, Benji?" she asked. "Do you think we should let him come back home with us?"

Benji perked up at her question and began to wag his tail. He barked his confirmation at her. She chuckled and looked back to Draco. "I do believe that was his way of saying yes." He smiled at her. "Yes, Draco, I'd love to see where you and I could go with this relationship. We (Benji and myself) would love it if you came back to London with us."

His smile grew. "I look forward to it," he said before capturing her lips in another kiss.


P.S. For those of you wondering, yes, we will see Astoria but not for a few more chapters. So, you must be patient in the meantime.

Stay Golden!