Author Notes: You guys are so amazing! Thank you for all the interest and reviews. It's only giving me more urge to continue this story. I really am enjoying the ups and downs, even if they can be a bit harsh.

A word to the wise; the second half is a bit steamy.

The witch was working in her wing as she had all of her main ideas splayed across the floor. She had a jotter quill hovering with a pad as she scrunched her nose at some of them. "We can't very well force someone to have children that don't, but we need to make it imperative that we need them to," Hermione sighed as she set aside the concept of a weekend resort.

There was a knock at her door, and she cleared her throat. "Come in," she murmured.

Narcissa walked in with a tea tray. "Take a moment, dear, and eat something. You have been at this for two days."

"I'm just working is all, Narcissa, I promise not too hard," Hermione murmured as she snatched up a piece of parchment. "Does a government stipend toward children weigh in any direction for you?" Hermione questioned as she looked up at the matron.

"A benefit toward having children? I suppose to some it might," Narcissa said with a roll of her shoulders. "I'm from a different time, so my concept is quite a bit different. Why don't you ask my son to come to help you? He is quite intelligent. He was invited to join the International Alchemist Society when he found a way to help with Astoria's illness," she said as she set down the tray.

Hermione uncrossed her legs and frowned. "He never talks about her by name," she commented.

Narcissa sat down on the sofa next to the witch on the ground. "Well, he still is extraordinarily pained. You see, he didn't want to have Scorpius at first. He knew she was sick and he focused all of his time on trying to cure her. He did a very decent job, in fact. The issue was that her immunity to the potions would take hold eventually, and Astoria did not want his attempts to be in vain; she said she wanted to have a child. It was a fight like nothing I'd ever seen from the mild-tempered witch. At least until finally, my son agreed because she was in sobbing fits daily at the prospect of never having one before she passed."

Hermione chewed her bottom lip with a nod. "That's rough. He had the choice to agree, or cause her to lose will to live any longer because she felt she wasted the gift of life she was given."

"Precisely, darling. After Scorpius' birth, her potions stopped working entirely. The delivery wasn't bad, but she must have just grown resistant to them during her pregnancy. She was bedridden before Scorpius even turned three months old. That was when Draco implored me to come help. He tended to her when his son was asleep, working only when they both were resting. It was a mess. He tried his very best and loved her with every ounce of himself; a thing I had never bared witness to in my life. It is a shame when things like that happen, but maybe it was all for a reason. I don't think my son really knew how to love before her and now, he loves deeply and without condition. Something I could not teach him because the only person I ever truly loved was him."

Hermione let her words sink in and exhaled. "He is a very decent man, Narcissa. You did a great job in helping him find his way."

Narcissa pursed her lips as she scowled. "What did he tell you? That night?"

Hermione blinked in surprise; she wasn't aware he had spoken to anyone about it. "Nothing he didn't mean," Hermione sighed.

"And your feelings about it?" She was fishing, and Hermione knew better.

"Narcissa, do you still feel the same way about blood purity?" Hermione questioned.

The older witch picked up a piece of paper near her foot and read it. "A child care facility in the Ministry?" Narcissa asked with an arched eyebrow. "Quite ambitious."

"Well, it will promote women like me to want to become mothers and still have careers. Blood purity?"

Narcissa set the page down and nodded. "I have come to… an understanding. If my son receives love from someone, after everything he's been through, he should be allotted the chance to have it. If I can make that exception for my son, then why shouldn't I allow other mothers to do the same."

"And if someone like me, a muggleborn, were the person he fell in love with?" Hermione inquired.

Narcissa leaned toward the witch and touched her shoulder. "If my son fell in love with you I would be happy he has taken a chance he never thought he'd get another shot at. There are things I don't understand in this world. I was bred into this concept of excellence because of my blood. I was pushed to see inferiority in those with less than I and my family. I married someone with the same views, and we taught our son them. However, after Astoria, I can see that blood is not a blessing but a barrier. We hold a standard only to create the illusion of superiority."

"That was well spoken," Hermione noted with a nod.

"Hermione, how do you feel about my son?" Narcissa questioned.

Hermione tucked her chin to her neck, causing her hair to skirt around her rosy cheeks. "I have intense and confusing feelings I never thought I could feel about anyone. I understand his needs and respectfully yield. Some people are just meant to change our lives, nothing more."

"Alright then, I will shelf my bid for you to try and convince him this is a sound opportunity. If you believe he cannot retain affection for you beyond what you both have, then I shall not meddle," Narcissa voiced as she pulled away from her.

"His feelings for Astoria will always take priority to anything else. Who am I to tell a man to let something go when I have barely started working through my own loss? It's something I've learned to just live with. I will be leaving in six weeks, that is most certain." Hermione said with morose etching her features.

Narcissa nodded slowly as she stood up. "What must be done, will be and no one, not even Merlin from the grave will change that. If you feel the need to talk, I'm always here."

Quite a few days later...

Hermione was in giggle fits as she sipped another mouthful of wine, lounging on her sofa. "What about throwing everyone together and letting them pick their partner. Shove them all in Hogwarts for a weekend during the summer and let them have it!" She laughed as Draco snorted loudly.

They had finished almost all of the bottle as they were working through her ideas.

"Ten points to Slytherin for the best position," He sneered with a wink.

Hermione sat up and cleared her throat. "I will tell you, Mr. Malfoy, Slytherins are likely lazy in that regards," she said with a firm nod.

"Salazar's pink knickers, you almost sounded like McGonagall!" He retorted with a bright grin.

"I did not," Hermione huffed and handed him another page. "This one?"

He read it over and shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, the whole concept takes the authority out of the ministry, but who's to say anyone would want to fuck after."

"It's a child stipend!" Hermione argued, waving the pages in her hand. "We're paying people to shag!"

They both burst into laughter, and Draco shook his head. "I don't know, Hermione. If you have to get paid to do it, it probably wasn't that good…" he snickered.

She smacked him with her bundle of ideas. "You pig," she growled, but her smile wouldn't behave.

He unhooked her legs and slid between them; a very inappropriate action indeed. Hermione's cheeks immediately glowed in the low firelight as he positioned over her and pressed her hands above her head. "You can't pay to be seduced," he whispered, so very close to her lips.

He waited there a moment as Hermione's brain was catching up. Her core was pulsating, and she swallowed roughly before he grinned. "Get off of me!" She snapped and shoved him. "Bloody Slytherins," She growled as he pulled away laughing.

"I was just kidding, don't take it so seriously," he huffed with a smirk as he sat down, pulling her legs over his lap again.

"Do you think that we should set up conditions on this matchmaking? Maybe we could set up a nameless personals section in the prophet and those that participate, marry and have children will be given perks. Child care, intern programs for a field of interest for their children and free books for school?" Hermione murmured as she blocked his view of her with the pages.

"That would be sound, especially for those that aren't having kids due to finances. Wars are expensive and so is rebuilding after," Draco mused; he took his teasing too far.

"All children born within the bracket. No matter the coupling, blood status or marital status?" Hermione inquired further.

"Done and done, good options. How about housing? There are tons of plots available in the isles. Even more so in more rural areas," Draco offered.

Hermione flicked her pages downward and nodded at him. "Both good choices."

Draco reached over and refreshed their glasses before handing one to her. "Hermione, will you come visit after you're married?" He asked.

"Why has this come about?" she responded after sipping her glass.

"It's been a long time since I've had true companionship. It's nice to have it," Draco sighed as he scratched his beard.

She frowned over at him and set her glass back down. How long did they have? Four weeks now? They had been going over proposals on Friday and Saturday nights for two weeks now.

Hermione sat up and took his nearly empty glass, placing it on the coffee table. Draco was still waiting for an answer, but the tension was just too much to bear, and her alcohol immunity was not as high as it used to be. She crawled into his lap, and he groaned as she nibbled at his neck. "How's that for positions?" She teased as her mouth ran against the flesh under his ear.

"Ten points," he hissed and moaned as she bit at the sensitive flesh. "Hermione, come on, we can't do this. I don't want to take advantage of a tipsy witch," He murmured.

"Please, Draco. I'm so damn randy. We've been held up in this manor together, and you keep telling me, no, but your teasing is getting brazen," she finished as she gazed over at him. "Just shag me, that's all I'm asking for. You don't need to love me for that."

He touched her cheek, and he shook his head. "Hermione, you're not just some notch on the bedpost. You're the reason wizards invented love potions."

"Merlin, Draco, I'm only asking you to shag me!" Hermione growled as she subconsciously rocked on his lap in frustration.

He grunted and huffed at her unwittingly bringing him to the edge. "I don't," he was stopped as she tore off her shirt from her form.

Pert, free, so close. Merlin did he love her tits. She was throwing herself at him, and he was acting like a dignified shit… He caved, he really didn't have a choice as his hands cupped her luscious chest. They both sighed in agreement as his thumb pads grazed her welcoming buds. His mouth found his way to one as she rocked on his lap. His free hand slid into her shorts and he traced over the curly garden he fantasized was there, to the sacred flesh he craved.

Yes, Draco could freely admit he craved to touch her. It started after seeing her in her knickers, and now he was doing it. She whimpered and rocked shuddered as his fingertips brushed the desirable sweet spot of Eden. His mouth traveled to the other nipple as his fingers did unseen work, attempting to release the witch of her needs.

"Draco, please," she begged as she reached between them and touched his trousers.

No, not like this. It was a heady fuck then. He didn't want to fantasize about her like that. His fingers explored further as his thumb rested on her clit. Draco pulled away and watched the witch cast her head back when his fingers entered. She let loose a melody, unlike anything he'd ever heard.

"Tell me, how do you like it, Hermione," He whispered against her skin.

The curvy, usually talkative witch, didn't say a word, but rolled her hips over his hand and cried. It was a bloody masterpiece. Draco copied the rhythm as his mouth nibbled and kissed at her chest. Soon, her legs quivered, her breath grew ragged, and Draco was damn near sure he'd passed out and was having a massive heady dream.

"Hermione, just let it go," He growled against her as his fingers curled within her.

She crumpled toward him, only being held up by the arm under her and his hand on her chest. It was magnificent to feel her spasm over his fingers as she moaned and sighed, her head now resting on his shoulder. His hand doused in her; he could feel it pool in his palm.

"Thank you," she whimpered against him.

Draco waited until her body stopped attempting to hold his fingers for ransom before gingerly pulling them from her. Hermione slumped against him, and Draco quietly tasted the liquid gold from his hand.

"That was the first time anyone was able to do that for me," Hermione murmured as she pressed her bare chest against his clothed one.

Draco had reached for his wand and cleaned his hand discreetly as she was coming down.

"Do what? Finger you? Please tell me Weasel wasn't lazy with you," Draco sighed as he caressed her back.

"No, a decent climax. I've always had to control the situation too much to enjoy it to completion," Hermione sighed before reaching for her shirt.

"No, don't put it on yet, one more look," Draco pouted as she stuck her arm in the t-shirt.

Hermione rolled her eyes but held her chest out. "Mhm, those are by far my most favorite set I've ever seen." Draco continued with a nod.

She threw her shirt on and climbed off his lap. "So, what about you?" she asked reaching for her glass.

"Don't worry about me. I've lived with wanking for a year; I can continue," Draco affirmed as he gazed at her gorgeous arse that was facing him.

He watched her stand there and think. Draco wondered what was going on in her mind and it almost made him nervous. He hasn't been this anxious to get accolades from a partner in years. Actually, it was more than that… he wanted her to say she was happy.

"What was that?" She asked before sipping her glass.

"You asked, and I obliged," He snickered.

Hermione turned to him with a contorted expression. "Why didn't you want to shag me, Draco? Is it because I'm not pretty enough? I don't look enough like her?"

Draco groaned and shook his head. "No, it isn't anything like that, Hermione. I just didn't want to take advantage of you."

"You mean you didn't want me to get the wrong idea?" Hermione inquired.

"Yes," he said, and by the change in her face, he was wrong on his decision to lie. "No, I meant no," He huffed and stood up.

"Well, is it yes or no, Draco? What are we doing? You do that amazing, mind whirling foreplay and don't even let me return the favor," Hermione huffed as she set down her glass.

Draco was stunned at the turn of events. One moment she was singing for him and the next she was borderline angry… about him not getting off… what in the bloody fuck?

"Why are you mad at me? I don't see why you're so upset after I didn't use you as a live-in doll," He grumbled with a glare.

"You're so frustrating! I want you to use me so at least I can take it with me. When I leave here, you know that this will end in a way. Whatever this is," she voiced as she pointed between them. "I'm not even asking for your affection," Hermione huffed and walked toward her staircase.

"Where are you going?" He growled.

"To bed so you can go fuck yourself," she spat and walked into her room, slamming the door.

"I will, and your arse will be my fucking target!" He yelled loudly before stomping from the room.

What the fuck did he do?