Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any other recognizable works or characters.

A/N: Here you go!

Chapter 11

Hermione smiled as she began to wake, leaning back against Draco's chest as he planted kiss after kiss on her shoulder.

"Morning." She smirked, her eyes still closed as he ran his hand up her side.

"Good morning to you." Draco pulled away long enough to whisper before placing kisses on her neck.

"Mmmmmm." She hummed in appreciation of his attentions as she felt his want pressed against her back.

She took advantage of his ministrations as she rolled over to face him quickly and pressed the length of her body to him. He smirked as he reached down, rubbing his hand up and down her bare arm and marveling at the pebbling of her skin at his mere touch. Leaning down he pressed a kiss below her ear before moving up to tease the lobe with his tongue.

"Who would have ever thought Draco Malfoy would have Hermione Granger in his bed." She said as she tried to remember how to breathe.

His laughter vibrated against her skin as he pulled back to look at her, using his finger to trace the planes of her face as his lips drew nearer. "Not I, for one, though I can't say I'm disappointed with the change of events."

She closed her eyes as she leaned in to his kiss. "Neither am I."

Before she could reach his lips he rolled, pinning her beneath him as one of his hands gently held her wrist above her head.

"I'm glad to hear it." He muttered as he started showering kisses down her throat and onto her collarbone that was exposed underneath her tank top.

She was breathless under him as her heart hammered in her chest and her body reacted to his touch as he drew his mouth across her skin ever so slowly. She yearned for him, and she couldn't remember ever wanting anything as much in her life as she arched in to him.

His soft caresses froze at the action and she worried, for a moment that she had once again moved too quickly. Her qualms were unwarranted however as he pulled back, meeting her gaze and she saw the hunger and need reflected back in his gaze.

"Draco" she shakily exhaled his name as he let go of her wrists and leaned down, resting his forehead against hers.

"I don't want to rush you." He explained softly.

She bit her lip, hard, as she fought the rush of swear words that threatened her lips as her earlier words came back to bite her and instead she once more arched her back, pressing herself against him in earnest. He moaned softly, the sound choked as he hovered above her with his eyes closed.

"Draco, look at me." She commaned.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and when he did there was nothing else. Nothing else mattered. Not then in that moment.

"Please." She pleaded throatily and it was all that he needed as he once again pressed himself against her and she whimpered beneath him and the clothes that separated them.

His hands pushed her shorts down her legs urgently, his fingers grasping at the fabric as she lifted her hips off the bed just as the door to her room opened.

He froze underneath the blanket and she turned her head to see Rose standing in the doorway, tears streaming down her face earnestly.

"Rose?" she asked, moving to sit up as Draco rolled off to lay beside her and she reached down to pull her shorts back up. "What's wrong sweetheart?"

It was then that Hermione noticed it, the two bunches of fabric in each of her hands and her heart broke for her daughter. Because there, in her hands was the tattered remains of what little she had left of her father and Hermione could tell it was beyond repair.

"You can have one of my robes." Scorpius offered to the teary eyed girl and Hermione felt a stab in her heart as she watched her daughter shake her head mutely.

"Hermione." Draco said and she turned to see him holding the three pieces of shirt in his hands. "I tried my best but the edges are too torn."

Hermione nodded and reached out, taking the offered material from him. "Thank you for trying. I didn't think it would work… "

"If it weren't for the somber mood I would take offense to your faith in my abilities." He said and though his words were teasing his tone really was gloomy.

"I know, I knew it would happen one day, I had just hoped…" she said, running her hand over the very worn fabric. "I hoped I would have more time."

She sighed as she realized that was becoming the theme of her life. She thought Rose would have more time with her shirt. She thought she would have more time with her husband. It seemed time was not on her side. Not now, not ever. The hot tears pricked at her lashes and she felt Draco's arm pulling her against him as he kissed her forehead.

"Mummy." Rose said and Hermione pulled away from Draco to move next to her daughter. "I'm sorry mummy, I didn't mean to break it."

"Oh sweetheart." Hermione said softly, reaching up to tuck a soft red curl behind her daughters ear. "I'm not upset with you."

"You're crying." Rose stated and Hermione nodded.

"I am. I'm not upset with you, it's just sometimes mummy misses your daddy."

Rose nodded and leaned in to Hermione, wrapping her arms around her neck. "I miss daddy too but we have Mister Draco now right?"

Hermione smiled as her daughter pulled away and reached out to cup her soft round cheek as she looked into eyes that were so like her fathers before she nodded. "Yes, I think we do."

Rose smiled a watery grin and turned to look at Draco who smiled at her and opened his arms for the little girl who eagerly accepted the invitation. "Too right you do."

Hermione smiled as she watched Rose lean against the man and he ran his hand softly over the back of her head and she wondered, just briefly, how Ron would feel about Draco holding his daughter. Shaking the thought away she stood up and made her way over to Rose.

"You know, I think we should get out of the house for a while. Maybe go visit uncle George and get an ice cream?"

Rose smiled excitedly and nodded before she turned to Draco. "Can you and Scorpius come too?"

Draco looked at Hermione, who shrugged. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

He smiled as he looked back to Rose and nodded. "We'd love to."

Hermione laughed as Rose demanded to be put down and the two children ran off in search of Hugo, eager to get their treats and Hermione reached out to lace her fingers with Draco's before the pair followed behind, leaving the shirt on the table behind them.

"Uncle George!" Rose yelled as she entered the joke shop, Hugo hot on her heels.

"Well, if it isn't my little Rosie!" the remaining twin said, appearing suddenly from behind the counter and opening his arms for his niece and nephew. "And Hugo too?! How lucky am I?"

The children laughed as he scooped them up, planting kisses on their cheeks and Hermione turned to Draco. "Don't accept anything from him."

The man paled but nodded and Hermione smiled as she turned to greet her brother-in-law. "Hey 'mione. How are you?"

"Good. How's Angelina and the children?"

"They're great actually. Just got back from a visit with her parents. You know how they are."

Hermione nodded with a smile. George, ever the jokester, had once tried to pull one over on Angelina's parents and the couple hadn't really taken it well. They loved the man but weren't too fond of his antics, though he was still sure they hated him.

"You two are getting big. My arms are sore already." He said as he sat the children down and nodded at a display. "Go pick a treat on me, but avoid the blue ones. You know what blue is right Rosie?"

The girl nodded as she headed toward the display, motioning for Scorpius to follow them before she reached over to pluck the blue sweet out of her little brother's over eager hands.

"Er- Hermione?" George asked out of the corner of his mouth. "did you happen to know that Draco Malfoy is following you?"

Hermione chuckled and turned to motion Draco over to her. "I did. He's with me actually."

"Blimey." He said. "When Harry said you had lost your mind and started working for him I thought he was joking, but now you're shopping with the pra-Hey Malfoy, how are you?"

Malfoy raised an eyebrow at the man, obviously having heard George's ranting but still offered his hand. "I'm well, how are you?"

George looked at Draco warily for a few moments before finally slipping his hand into Malfoy's outstretched palm and giving it a firm shake.

Hermione watched the exchange as George asserted his dominance and Malfoy refused to show any weakness before she rolled her eyes and blew out a heavy breath, prompting both men to turn towards her.

"You alright Hermione?" George asked with a laugh and Hermione shook her head exasperatedly. "You know, I hope you make a better employee than you do a student."

Malfoy chuckled and shook his head and muttered, "Not really" while Hermione gaped at him and George let out a hearty chortle before he turned to the man.

"Have you ever been here before?" George asked and Malfoy shook his head. "Well, then allow me to give you the tour."

And just like that, the men wandered off together, the trials of their past seemingly forgotten and Hermione smiled as she moved towards the kids to make sure they weren't pocketing any puking pastilles-or worse.

"He's different than I remember." Draco said as they walked. The children were wandering in front of them, peeking in shop windows as they licked their dripping ice cream cones.

Hermione nodded. "He is. I guess losing your other half forces oneself to evolve."

She looked at him then, noting the set of his jaw before she reached out, linking her fingers through his as she pulled him to a stop.

"Don't." she said as he met her eyes. "It's not your fault."

"I can't help but feel responsible." He said lowly and she sighed as she pulled his hand towards her chest, grounding him against her.

"I made Ron keep his job in Magical Law Enforcement." She said as she stared at his hand. "He wanted to help George in the shop and I was scared. I was pregnant with Rose and I wanted a sure thing. I thought- I thought that if he took the job and helped his brother that he would never go back. I thought that and I voiced that and he stayed with the MLE job. It was that job that took him in to the field with Harry. It was better that way is what I told myself. Because they were always together before and on the field they were that much safer. Because they were together. Only, they weren't. I could spend the rest of my life wishing that I had done things differently. But what would that get me? Where would that get me? I'm choosing to live in the now and I hope that you will to."

She looked down then, at the hand that wasn't holding his to see her ice cream cone had dripped on her fist and she groaned as she raised it up to lick the melted confection from her hand before she looked back to Draco who was looking at her like she had grown three heads.

"Wha-" she started to ask but was cut off as he grasped her face between his hands and slowly leaned down.

She prepared herself for the kiss that never came as he veered to the left at the last minute and licked the side of her lip gently.

"You had some ice cream, just there." He remarked before he placed a kiss to the place he had just lapped with his tongue. "Don't worry, I took care of it for you."

She laughed as she reached out to swat him but he deflected her hand and leaned to the right as he placed a soft, chaste kiss on her cheek.

And just like that, she realized that he was ready to try to let go. It wouldn't be easy and he would still have his doubts but he was going to try. And she was ready to help him.

She was still smiling as they continued walking, listening as Rose prattled on about broomsticks and barn owls and Scorpius listened intently. So content in their own little world that they never noticed the fly that buzzed near their heads or the flashbulb from a nearby storefront.

A/N: Ooooh. Next chapters is queued up and ready to go!