Hermione arrived home to a quiet house. She put down the shopping she'd done on the kitchen table and kicked her boots off in the hall way closet. She'd been out for a rare date with the Potters. She and Ginny had shopped and then gone out for hot chocolate with Harry. She left the young children with her husband, Draco preferring to see the Potters only when it was absolutely necessary. Like at Christmas and at birthday parties. Anything else was a bit much for the former foes.
Hermione followed the faint sounds of happy murmurs into the living room where she found three very happy children and a very pretty Draco Malfoy.
"My, my, what's going on here?" She asked, her eyebrow cocked questioningly.
"I'm morphing into the Queen I've always deserved to be." Draco replied from his cross legged position on the floor, cosmetics scattered around him, his youngest daughter kneeling in front of him, carefully applying some truly atrocious eyeliner.
Thomas and Jeffrey were playing with the cosmetics and other toys quite happily behind them. Hermione was pleased to see they were all sitting on newspaper, proud her husband had had the good sense to lay it down over their carpet.
Draco himself had a face caked with Hermione's old foundation, a shade or two too dark for him, a lot of blusher, bright blue nails, that bulbous eyeliner, and a glorious red pout that any woman would be jealous of.
"We're making dad pretty!" Jeffrey chimed in, his own nails vivid blue and flashing in the light as he ran over to greet his mother.
Ariana looked super focused as she finished her masterpiece. "All finished."
"I'm ready for my close up." Draco said, amused, as he climbed to his feet and stretched, his long arms extending almost to the ceiling, his narrow abdomen exposed as his shirt lifted.
"Yes you are." Hermione agreed, dodging him as he leaned in for a kiss, telling herself it was just because of the makeup and pretending she didn't see his the flicker of hurt cross his face.
"Okay kids, clean up this mess and then you can watch a film okay?" She instructed her kids and exited, picking up her bags and heading upstairs.
Draco followed her upstairs, washing his face in the bathroom while she folded her new clothes into her wardrobe.
He emerged, fresh and damp, his hair gorgeously dishevelled, face make up free except for some eye liner residue that really only added to his sex appeal. Hermione could acknowledge his sex appeal, she loved him, wanted him, but still, she just couldn't. Yes they'd made up, weeks ago, but things weren't quite back to normal yet.
Draco had noticed her coldness and he was making effort not to let it get to him. It's what you deserve, he'd remind himself, trying to put himself in Hermione's shoes.
But it hurt. And it sucked. And she was so beautiful. He could barely take his eyes off of her. Her adorable freckles, her deep dark eyes, her wild curls, so soft to touch, her long, lean limbs, her supple skin, the curve of her breasts, the way she said Malfoy when she was mad.
It was too much.
Living so close but being so far away from someone you loved this much was torture.
"I've been talking with Harry and, I think Rose should spend the next holidays with her fath-Ron, with Ron." Hermione said suddenly, disturbing the brooding silence between them.
She was sitting at her bureau, staring at herself in the mirror, fiddling with her hair brush anxiously.
Draco flopped down on their bed, folding his arms under his head and staring at the ceiling, the subject already weighing him down.
"It should be your decision, not Potters." He replied, trying to keep the disdain from his voice. He was in an argumentative mood, but nothing would make him happier than getting rid of that wretched girl.
"It's our decision." Hermione countered, running the brush through her hair.
"Okay, well I think that's a good idea. Might give her a reality check." He offered, rolling over on his side to gaze at Hermione's form. She was sitting straight, her narrow shoulders and back in contrast to her swollen middle, the soft grey knit dress she was wearing clinging to her figure in all the right places.
"I hope so." Hermione's voice seemed so far away, so small. In her reflection Draco could see the tears gathering in her eyes. "I failed. I can't even raise my children."
"You have not failed. You're always sacrificing for our kids and letting her go is for the best. She'll be back, believe me, we aren't lucky enough for her to stay there." He assured her, getting up and standing behind her to squeeze her shoulder. Hermione smile despite herself and put her hand over his.
"You're so bad." Hermione scolded, turning around to face him.
"You love it." Draco retorted, cupping her face in his hands.
"I do." Hermione bit her lip, revelling in the sensation of his hands on her, her initial impulse to shy away pushed aside for the moment as her body remembered how much she had missed those hands.
"And I love you." Draco whispered as he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers.
"No, no, I don't want to." Hermione protested, pulling away, her brow knitted in a heavy frown, the perfect moment destroyed as she retreated back behind the walls she'd put up.
Draco straightened, his expression strained as he stepped a few paces away from her. His mouth was a thin line as his silver eyes bored into hers. "Why?" He asked, the level of hurt in his voice making Hermione feel physically ill.
"I'm sorry, I love you. I do."
Draco let out his breath, clenching and unclenching his fists before shaking out his hands exasperatedly, his blue nails making the motion almost comically dramatic.
"I hope you do." He answered, turning and leaving the room.
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Turns out Polyjuice potion is really difficult to brew. Rose discovered this the hard way. There were so many components, most of which she had to steal, and it was time consuming. She was now on her third batch and it only had a week to go till it would be ready. She just needed the final ingredient.
And she had a plan to get it.
Since she was 17 year of age, she was indeed allowed to practice magic wherever she pleased, so her means of retrieving her the ingredient were simple.
In the middle of the night she crept out of her dorm room, sneaking past the sleeping paintings and our through one of the many secret passages to Hogsmeade. Now safely out of Hogwarts perimeters she closed her eyes, pulled out her wand and apparated.
The sensation still made her feel a little sick so she took some calming breaths as she stood in the living room in her father's house. The house was silent, as she had known it would be, her dad and his girlfriend were away in Italy at the moment.
"Lumos." She whispered, the tip of her wand lighting up in response. She hurried up the stairs and into Ron's bedroom. She made her way straight to his chest of drawers. Atop it was a heavy wooden box. Rose had discovered its contents on one of her many snooping sessions last time she'd visited.
Inside the box were old letters, a chess piece, a few odds and ends, and, a thick lock of Hermione Grangers hair.
Her mother's hair was tied at the cut end with a red velvet bow and looked a little worn. Why her dad even had this she had no idea but she had use for it now so it didn't matter to her. She tucked the lock into her pocket and replaced the box.
She'd successfully retrieved the last ingredient she needed, so she apparated back to Hogsmeade and made her way back to Hogwarts feeling all too proud of herself. All she had to do now was bide her time and wait for an opportunity to put her ultimate plan into action.
As she lay in bed that night, sleeping Gryffindor's all around her, she let out a harsh laugh and closed her eyes, her mind focused on one face, and one face only.
"Draco Malfoy, I'm coming for you."
