Thank you so much for the feedback! You are awesome! Today there are a few extra notes:

1) This is officially my longest fanfic and I am not even halfway through! Wuhuu!

2) My awesome beta Nantai has published a dramione - Arbitrary Jurisdiction on . Chek it out, it's good!

3) For my German readers: wie einige von euch wissen ist ja nächstes Wochenende die Leipziger Buchmesse. Falls jemand von euch hingeht und Lust hat sich mal vor Ort zu treffen und über Harry Potter & fanfiction zu plaudern meldet euch! Ich habe bei der MMC vor Ort schon einige coole Leute kennengelernt und denke, dass dies auch eine interessante Erfahrung sein könnte.

For the first time in ages Draco slept through the night without having a nightmare or dreaming at all. No. That wasn't true. The last time he slept through was when they took the pills. There was a pattern.

Draco groaned and rolled onto his back, letting go of Hermione who grumbled in protest in her sleep at the loss of warmth.

"Get back here," she muttered. He had been wrong about her being asleep as it seemed.

"But-" Draco started but Hermione cut him off.

"Do me a favour and shut up. It will get only as awkward as you make it."

Draco stared at her back dumbfounded before obliging.

"Better," she whispered contently and wriggled in his arms to get herself even more comfortable.

Draco ignored her rubbing with her bum against his morning wood and concentrated on the obvious. "Never took you for a cuddler, Hermione," he said.

"I don't get much of any physical contact at all," Hermione replied. "Need to exploit it while I can."

Draco thought back to all the times she had casually touched him. "That's hard to believe."
"Really?" Hermione glanced at him over her shoulder. "Who do you think can give it to me then? Ron? After our break-up? Harry who will freak out if somebody touches him when he didn't expect it? My parents who don't remember me? Molly Weasley who isn't really talking to me?"

"I am sorry," Draco whispered into her hair as he pulled her even closer. Hermione must have been even lonelier than he had thought and his heart ached for her. For the smart lonely girl he held in his arms.

"What do you want to do today?" Draco asked after a while and Hermione shrugged.
"Still feeling like yesterday?" he continued.

"Yes," Hermione replied and Draco sighed. If he was honest with himself he didn't want to get out of bed either. It wasn't as bad as it could be, as he still could get out of bed if he forced himself, but he hated it nevertheless.

Hermione on the other side seemed to have one of the days where she wouldn't be able to get out of bed at all, judging by the way she was staring at the wall in front of her with an empty look.

Draco sighed again and closed his eyes. If it was going to be a day spend in bed so be it.

When he woke up again, Hermione was sitting on the bed with the covers pooling around her middle, his arm thrown around her and she was reading.

"Have you slept at all?" he asked, his voice still heavy with sleep. She didn't respond.

"Hermione?" he tried again. Nothing.

He sat up and pulled his arm away, finally getting her attention.

"Oh, you are awake," she said.

"I am," Draco confirmed, willing himself to look into her face and not at her naked body. She still hadn't dressed. "Have you slept at all since I was last awake?" he repeated his question.

"No."

Draco sighed. "What were you doing then?"

"Thinking, reading…" Hermione shrugged and returned to her book. "Just the usual."

"Why are you still naked?" Draco asked and Hermione shrugged again.

"Does it matter if I am dressed or not? You've already seen me naked."

Draco pinched the base of his nose. She would be the death of him. Unfortunately not literally. Just torturing him slowly till he got completely mad. Or at least even madder than he was now.

"But aren't you cold?" Draco asked. "You don't want to get sick, do you?"
Hermione shrugged again and Draco wanted to scream. She wasn't paying him any attention. At the same time he asked himself if it was the way he was acting on bad days.

"Alright," he muttered. "We are going to take a shower and get dressed and afterwards I make us some breakfast."
Hermione's eyes narrowed but she didn't look up from the book. "Stop talking to me like I am a child."
"Stop acting like one."
Hermione snapped the book shut. "I am not acting like a child! I just don't feel like doing anything at all and I would appreciate it if you let me be!"

Draco's jaw tensed. "I'll let you be if you shower, dress and eat. Afterwards you can stay the whole day in your bed for all I care but you need to do the basic things at least."
"I am not hungry," Hermione declared and opened her book again but Draco snatched it away.

"You will eat. You never regained the weight you lost during the war! I guess it's because you don't eat when you feel down!"

"That's not any of your business!" Hermione snapped and tried to get her book back but Draco held it high over his head.

"It is my business!" Draco barked back.

"Oh really? Since when?" Hermione sat back and leaned against the head of her bed, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Since we became friends," Draco said and put the book down again. "Friends look out for each other, right?"
Hermione didn't say anything but averted her gaze.

"Hermione, please. At least shower and clothes if you don't want to eat."

"You'll return my book?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. I'll let you read to your heart's content," Draco agreed and Hermione stood up.

He stared at the wall while she got herself some clothes and went into the bathroom before apparating to his flat to shower as well.

He was in a bad mood. Seeing Hermione like this didn't sit well with him. Sure, she was reading, but other than that she didn't seem to care. He decided to ask about it as he got dressed. It was quite weird.

When he returned to Hermione's flat, she was back in her bed, reading. But she was dressed and her hair was still damp.

"May I dry it?" Draco asked Hermione after he sat down on the edge of the bed. "It would be a pity if your book got wet."

"Do whatever you want," Hermione said as she turned the page.

Draco smirked and got to work. He didn't only dry her hair but he braided it as well, surprised how easy it was to manage if one knew what they were doing.

Happy with his works, Draco leaned back. "What are you even reading?" he asked.

"Fantasy novel," Hermione replied.

"Why are you even reading that?" Draco rose an eyebrow. "Aren't you already living in a kind of fantasy world for muggles?"

Hermione closed her book and turned to Draco. "Will you shut up if I answer your questions?"
Draco nodded.

"Fine. I loved fantasy since I was a kid. Before I got my letter it was a way to come to a world where I seemed to belong. Where things I could do were normal. It was my escape when I was a child and it is my escape now."
"So you read fantasy when you feel bad?" Draco asked.

"Yes."

Draco fell silent for a while and Hermione picked up her book again, but before she could open it Draco spoke up. "Would it help if I wrote such a story for you?" he asked quietly.

Hermione looked at him in surprise. "What?"

"I promised you that I would write a real novel. Would it do any good if I wrote fantasy for you?" he said, his cheeks turning a light pink.

Hermione bit her lip and studied Draco for a moment. "Why would you do that?" she asked.

Draco shrugged, averting his gaze. "I feel like I played a pretty big part in you not feeling welcome and like you didn't fit in in this fantasy world you fell into. And I am truly sorry about that."
Hermione smiled sadly and took his hand. "If you feel like it's something you should do, write it. You can read it to me chapter by chapter."
Draco smiled as well and lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it lightly.

Hermione blushed and opened her book again. This time, Draco wasn't going to interrupt. Instead he stood up and made tea. He brought Hermione a cup before he apparated home to get his writing supplies. Usually he wanted to be alone when he was writing, but he didn't want to leave Hermione alone. Not that he was scared she would try anything – that really wasn't the issue considering what they had done just the previous evening. He just knew that it was somewhat reassuring and made you feel better if somebody was there so you could talk if you wanted, even if you didn't.

Draco took his pen and a new notebook, he had taken up those to not make his editor suspicious, and was about to apparate back to Hermione's flat when his eyes fell on a letter on his window sill.

He opened the window and scanned its contents. It was from Pansy, telling him that everything was settled and they should tell her when exactly they wanted to move in and get rid of their old flats.

Draco put the letter on his table and apparated. He would wait till Hermione finished her book before dealing with the issue. If he was lucky, he would get the rough draft of the first chapter done by then.

Draco took his tea and made himself a sandwich before sitting down on the couch. He wrote and wrote, occasionally taking a bite from his sandwich or a sip from his cold tea, not noticing the time flow by.

Draco startled when the television went on and looked around in confusion. It was already getting dark outside and Hermione was sitting next to him in an oversized sweater and shorts, a cup of hot chocolate in hand. He noticed a half-empty mug of tea next to his empty one and shot her a questioning look. She shrugged and took a sip from her chocolate.

"How late is it?" Draco asked and ran a hand through his hair.

"Six," Hermione replied. "You spend most of the day writing. Didn't even notice when I walked in and gave you more tea."
"I am sorry," Draco said.

"Don't be. I enjoyed the silence. Finished the book and even the second part of the saga. It's good."
Draco smiled. "Mine will be better."
"I am looking forward to it," Hermione said and finally put the remote away, obviously happy with the film that was running before she turned to look at him. "If you want to continue writing I would recommend you to turn on the light."

Draco closed his notebook instead of replying and leaned back. "What are you watching?" he asked.

"Mulan. It's a cartoon and it's really good. My favourite actually," Hermione said with a smile. "It just started so if you shut up you might even get what it is about without me having to explain everything."
They watched in silence until the first song started and Draco almost fell from the couch when Hermione started to sing along really off-key. It turned out she knew every single one of those songs by heart.

During the first commercial, Hermione got herself even more chocolate and some tea for Draco as he had refused chocolate and they ate some sandwiches.

During the second commercial, when Hermione stood up to get even more chocolate Draco wasn't able to suppress his curiosity anymore.

"How the hell can you drink so much of that?" he asked. "And why are you drinking it when tea exists?"
Hermione stopped. "I like it. Do you really not want a cup?"

Draco shook his head viciously. "I like chocolate. But hot chocolate just sounds so wrong."
Hermione shrugged. "It's delicious. And Professor Lupin always said that chocolate helps against dementors. I figured it might help when you feel like there are dementors around even if they aren't and it worked so I stuck to it. Now do you want any or not?"
"Alright. I'll try it," Draco finally agreed.

"This is surprisingly good," Draco said just as another song started and Hermione was singing again. She really couldn't sing.

"I told you so," she said as soon as the song ended and grinned into her cup.

Draco rolled his eyes and returned his attention to the film.

When it finally finished, Hermione had her legs in Draco's lap.

"Was that really based on historical events?" he asked.

"Yes. Well, minus the talking dragon," Hermione confirmed.

"I gathered so much. After all, dragons can't talk," Draco said.

"And they aren't small and helpful either," Hermione added, thinking back to the Triwizard tournament.

"By the way," Draco started. "Pansy has sent me an owl. We can move in whenever we want and she'll sell our old flats for us if we want it."
Hermione's eyes widened. "Fuck," she muttered. "I forgot about the notice period."
"About what?" Draco looked at her in confusion.

"This flat is rented, Draco!" Hermione explained as she ran a hand through her hair. "I can't move out for another three months! How could I have forgotten that?!"
"That's a stupid rule," Draco muttered. "Why would you even rent?"
"Because I don't have the money to buy?" Hermione suggested weakly.

"That means it will be me who buys the new flat as well, right?" Draco asked. "Then there's no problem at all."
Hermione looked at him like he was mad. "Excuse me?"
"It's so much more convenient to buy a flat. I have the money and with Pansy it's easy. And there are no notice periods," he said the last part with disdain. "Meaning, you can move in the new flat with me and pay the rent for this place as there won't be any rent on the new one."
"I don't want to be your charity case!" Hermione crossed her arms over her chest. "I won't live at your flat for free!"

"Then buy food or whatever," Draco shrugged. "I have the tendency to forget to do that anyway. The only things I have in my kitchen most of the time are Firewhiskey, coffee and juices as I hate water. I just want to move as long as I have the energy to do it."

"You can't be serious," Hermione said.

"Why? I never rent. My family still has about 15 estates but they are all in very inconvenient places. As I already told you, I have the money as my mother's Black inheritance hadn't been touched."

Hermione just shook her head. Draco was crazier than she had ever thought. "How much did you manage to write?" she asked.

"I am almost done with the first chapter. I need to go over it once again and then I think I'll be able to read it to you."