Disclaimer: This is a work of FanFiction using characters from the Harry Potter world, trademarked by none other than J.K. Rowling. Other names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products solely of my imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Warnings: Marriage/Adult Fic / OOC / Debatable AU / Fluffy / Profanity / Explicit sexual content

Timeline: Post-Hogwarts / EWE

Thank you so much to the awesome beta whose pen name is Rose Davis for looking over this fic!

The next week passed by seemingly slow to Draco this time. Work had become such a burden to him and seeing Percy Weasley's face first thing in the Ministry didn't help matters... one month, Draco thought excitedly. Verity was one month old today. Despite that his work was currently piled up on top of his desk, he leaned back in his seat and twirling a quill in his fingers while thinking that he should celebrate that his baby was one month old today. He could bring balloons and he could have Fifi bake a cake if time permits. It would be a little party with just the three of them.

Hermione would no doubt appreciate it after this morning when they went over to that muggle hospital again for her and Verity's checkup. The doctor assured the both of them that her scar was healing well and that it wouldn't take long before she was fully recovered - "One week," Dr. Adrienne had said, "On second thought, four to five days will do." - Thanks to the healing potion Hermione had been taking from St. Mungo's.

Verity, on the other hand, had a needle stuck in her butt during that appointment much to Draco's horror. Bloody muggles and their weird medicinal practices.

Verity was becoming slightly more interactive to his and Hermione's delight. She can smile now... just a tiny little smile that looks a bit like Hermione's. Other than that, she hums, grunts, coos and gurgles. Not to mention there was one particular peculiar sound that sounded suspiciously like a laugh but he wasn't sure because it also sounded suspiciously like a tiny choke. He seriously hoped it was the former.

Her eyes were startlingly grey, just like his. Hermione kept saying that she'd have no problem drowning in them nor did he.

Sometimes he would find himself cooing like an idiot over the babe. The whole world could watching him using baby talk to his daughter. He wouldn't mind.

He should also point out that he can handle changing diapers now. The smell didn't bother him so much anymore.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't hear the start of murmurs and whispers all through out the room nor did he hear a distinct tapping of a cane on the floor.

He realized that something was amiss only when a shadow loomed over his cubicle.

He glanced up and immediately a scowl appeared in his face. Funnily enough he wasn't surprised to see him standing there. "What do you want?" he asked the intruder stiffly.

"Draco," Lucius Malfoy lamented, looking down at him with a frown. "You ran out on us during the Christmas Eve party. You refuse to answer our letters. What is wrong with you? Do you have any idea how much grief your mother went through over the past month?"

He wanted to laugh. "I don't want to have this discussion with you right now. As for not answering your letters, I would have answered if I wanted to. I don't. I will come to when I feel like it." He didn't have to look around to know that his coworkers were listening in. The room was silent, making his and his father's voice booming in the still room.

Rage was evident in the elder wizard's face but Draco could see that he was fighting it. "At least answer your mother's letters. You're acting like a petulant child. It is unacceptable. This is not how I raised you."

"I know very well how you raised me, Father." Draco sneered. So he was a little bitter.

A few murmurs rose across the room.

Lucius raised his cane and tapped it on top of Draco's table once fore very point he made, hard. Even his voice had gotten hard. Once upon a time, Draco would have caved in. Not anymore. "You will come to the Manor this evening. You will explain yourself to your mother. You will excuse your brattish attitude. You will apologize to her for your carelessness."

Draco pushed his father's cane away, knocking down a few things on the floor during the process. "No, I will not go to the Manor," he said coolly. "I'm done listening to you. I'm doing listening to my mother. I'm not a child anymore so you can stop ordering me about."

"Then stop acting like one!"

"I thought I was speaking my mind freely. You're causing a scene, Father. I don't really appreciate it."

"I don't give a damn! Your mother will not rest easy until she sees for herself that you are fine," Lucius muttered irritably. "Merlin knows how many headaches she's giving me with her worries over you."

Draco's eyes narrowed at his father and he stood up from behind the desk, his hands clenched in a fist at his sides. "Get out or I'll summon Potter for assistance." That was a lie. His father didn't have to know that.

"You're threatening me?"

"Yes." Draco smirked. His father had made it a life's dedication to avoid any interactions with Harry Potter at all costs.

Lucius eyes narrowed, meeting Draco's determined gaze. "We are not done here."

"No," Draco agreed, "I do not believe we are."

The older wizard turned on his heel and walked away... before he left the room, Draco called out to him. "By the way, Father, please tell Mother dear to stop interfering in my marriage or I will never let you two meet my daughter."

Dramatic gasps. Whispers. Murmurs.

Lucius paused, his entire body rigid.

Draco felt satisfaction roll through him. "And that I know what she did. Tell her that."

Lucius cast one frustrated look over his shoulder before he swept away, his robes billowing behind him as he hurried away.

When his father had gone, Draco gave the entire room a fake smile. "That'll give the lot of you something to talk about, wouldn't it?" With that, he fell on his seat again surprisingly in a better mood than this morning. He never stood up to this father... until now, he realized. If he did before, he certainly couldn't remember it. He wouldn't be totally surprised if the little scene would be all over the Ministry before the day ends.

"Congratulations about the baby, Malfoy." An unknown wizard threw out.

Draco gave a start. "Thanks?" he muttered uncertainly.

"A girl, eh? Must be proud." Another wizard added.

"Yes. I am. Definitely," he replied reluctantly.

This time a witch spoke up. "How old is she?"

"A month."

A few people offered their half-hearted congratulations to which Draco replied with equally half-hearted thanks. He didn't really know what to make of what had just transpired. He also wasn't sure what left him more confused: his unexpected but anticipated confrontation with his father or the grudging acceptance by his coworkers. Was the latter a result of the former?

And when five o'clock had struck, he left the floor, very aware of the stares and whispers he received as he walked around the Ministry. The attention wasn't new to him. It was something he usually got whenever he was out with Hermione or the Potters or his parents. It was worse when he first started to work there. So now he was practically immune and mildly annoyed. Some people thrive on gossip.

As he had planned earlier, he bought a bunch of balloons from Diagon Alley, a few supplies for the cottage, a very small bouquet of stargazer lilies because he thought she might appreciate that and something from the Quidditch shop - a small squishy toy snitch for Verity.

He was aware that he did look every bit of a domesticated man as he walked down Diagon Alley. He even caught a few smiles from older wizards and witches. Everyone, he realized, liked a family man.

When he flooed back to the cottage, he found the living room empty. "Baby, where are you?"

"I'm in the kitchen!" was his wife's answer.

He released the strings of balloons, letting them fly to the ceiling. He carried the toy and the flowers in his hand as he walked the short distance to the kitchen.

And there she was, standing with her back to him, leaning over a pot set on the stove. The playpen was most likely levitated there, sitting beside the small dining table. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the side of her neck. "Hey."

"Hey. How was your day?"

"Eventful." He kissed her neck again before twirling her around in his arms so he can kiss her properly. When he pulled away, he presented the flowers to her with a wink. She accepted it with a rueful smile before turning back to her cooking.

He then walked over to the play pen where his daughter was lying in, to his surprise, wide awake. "Hello baby girl. How was your day? Did you have fun with your mother? Oh. I have something for you." He held out the toy to her. "Ta-da! It's a snitch! Well... not a real one. When you're old enough, I'll get you a broom and then I'll get you a snitch so I can teach you to be a Seeker just like me. You'll love it I'm sure." Verity smiled up at him, gurgling softly. "You're excited for that aren't you? Hermione, she's smiling at me." He couldn't hide the joy in his voice. He then picked her up from the play pen. "Missed you today, baby girl. Happy one month." He kissed her forehead.

When he placed Verity back on the playpen distracting her with a floating mobile toy made of small sparkly unicorns while music softly played, he and Hermione sat down to eat the supper she prepared.

He told her about what happened in the Ministry.

"If you'd replied to their letters he wouldn't have come," she said when he finished. "And see, you're worrying ten years off your mother's life."

He sighed. "Hermione- "

"What if I take you to see them?"

"No. You can't want to see her. I know I don't."

"Draco," she sighed in disappointment. "I don't either... but they're your parents. They deserve to know their grandchild."

He growled softly. "I will decide if they deserve to know her or not. What if Potter never found you?"

"I would have come to you," she answered softly, honestly. "It would have taken a bit longer but I would have come."

He closed his eyes. "I'm sorry. I just want you to stop pushing me into seeing them, alright? They caused my bloody misery for several months. They caused me to miss your morning sickness, your cravings in the middle of the night, your moodiness."

"You should be thankful." She smiled.

"They caused me to miss when Verity first kicked in your womb."

She lowered her eyes briefly. "You can be angry all you want, Draco, but nothing is going to change what happened. What matters that it's done and there's no going back to it." She reached out and grabbed his hand across the table. "We can forgive and forget so we can move forward."

A reluctant smile crept to his face. "I absolutely hate it when you do that. I like to hold onto my grudges, baby, thank you very much... but... damn it, fine! For Verity's sake I will. Don't expect it to be any time soon though."

"It's an improvement."

The next day when he showed up in the Ministry for work, there were a few people who greeted him.

"Good morning, Malfoy!"

"Have a great day, Malfoy!"

"Oi Malfoy!"

What the bloody hell was going on?

Was he actually finally being accepted if a bit grudgingly into society?

Well, what do ya know? Draco thought to himself as he returned each greeting that morning.

It was clear to him now. Everyone did not like his father and at the same time, fearing him, Draco believed. By standing up to him in a room full of people, they must have admired him for it. It was about bloody time someone had to put him in his place... his parents were still blood supremacists (despite their only son was married to one of the famous muggleborns in Wizarding History) and still believed they were way above others (the Malfoy fortune influence, what else).

The slight guilt he felt by treating his father uncivilly when he was merely trying to reach out to his son was completely squashed. What? He may have reformed somewhat but he still was Draco and a bloody Slytherin through and through. Damned if he didn't relish his new status as a somewhat admired person by the Ministry employees.

It was a good feeling not to live in anyone else's shadow. Especially his father's.

Not even Percy Weasley's annoying voice and equally annoying face fazed him.

When Auric Carleton, the head department summoned him, left him with a unsettling feeling in the stomach.

Carleton was a tall, robust man in his late forties. Just about everyone liked him except Percy Weasley. There were a lot of grey hair mixed with his thick, short black hair. He was a bit round in the middle. He was an imposing man, all in all... but he was nice and he was funny.

His office door was open so Draco just walked inside. He paused briefly at the sight of his boss's usually ready smile replaced by a serious expression.

"Have a seat, Malfoy," Carleton said uncharacteristically sober. "So tell me how was your vacation."

"Excellent," Draco said reluctantly. "My wife gave birth the first day. We have a month old daughter. She's very, very lovely."

Carleton nodded. "Congratulations. I did hear a bit of that from the other employees."

"Thanks," he replied a bit awkwardly but he wasn't sure why. "Anyway, what was it you really wanted to talk to me about?"

"The promotion."

"Ah."

"You have it."

His jaw dropped. "Wha- "

"Congratulations!" Carleton started to laugh, his face transforming completely, letting Draco know that he must have purposely let Draco believe that he was to be in trouble.

"Wha- "

"As previously discussed, you get your own office, an 80% increase in salary, more health benefits, yadda yadda- you can go over it with the Ms. Sandel later." A patient man, Carleton was usually not. "You'll mostly work with and report to Reed."

He was stunned. He had thought least that Carleton would say that he needed more time to think about the promotion and that he would have to consider his unseemly three-week vacation. "Okay," he managed to say. "I don't- I'm not- I- "

"Let's shake on it, boy!"

He hastily shook the older man's offered hand. "Thanks, Carleton. This was truly unexpected. I thought for sure you were going to chew my ears off or something," he admitted with half a smile. Weird man Carleton was.

Carleton chuckled. "No. Well, go on! You can pass off your pending duties to Weasley. He'll see to it. Merlin knows that it's time for him to start to do his own work."

Draco's grin was now big and bright.

When he finished his discussion with Carleton, he passed by Percy Weasley's office. He stuck his head in long enough to let out an evil laugh (Percy frowned at him in confusion), then with a smirk just to infuriate he gently closed the door.

It was going to be a fucking good year for Draco Malfoy.

He returned to his cubicle so he could start to pack up. Former cubicle, he amended. To his surprise, someone was sitting in his chair. Former chair, he reminded.

"Well, hello," he said, his tone low and seductive as he came forward to sit on his desk.

His wife smiled up at him through her lashes. "Hello."

He leaned down and kissed her quickly on the lips. "Where is Verity? Why are you here? Is everything alright?"

"Mum and Dad are back in the cottage with her. I thought I'd give them a chance to spend time with her alone which goes both ways because it also means I get to spend time with you."

"I'd love that. Hey, I got the promotion!" He grinned because she reacted the way he expected: by all but jumping to his arms and snogging the hell out of him.

"That's great! Oh! This is so exciting!"

She looked like she was even more excited than him. But that was his Hermione.

"Come on, let's have lunch. We're going to celebrate."

"That's a great idea! You know, Draco, I would like to stop by my department for a bit. I just want to see how things are going on..."

"Oh! I should have known you have a hidden agenda."

She let out a little laugh before she kissed him soundly. "I'll be quick I promise!"

He harrumphed, biting back a smile as she jumped to her feet and literally ran from the room. He knew that she was looking forward to getting back to work. During her recovery period she kept muttering something about eradicating the pro-pureblood laws. He totally supported her on that. He didn't want any more children to grow up the same as he did. Stupid. Foolish. He knew very well that she would be successful in this goal. She did achieve that ridiculous goal of fighting for house-elf rights when she was working in the Department of Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.

Everything in his life was starting to fall back into place, with a few adjustments and improvements.

During her absence, he took the time to pack his things in his cubicle. His office was on the other end of the hall, a few doors down from Carleton's and miles away (an exaggeration) from Weasley's.

She returned to the cubicle not half an hour later. Her face flushed from excitement, her eyes lit up with a smile, her lips tilted up the corners, she looked youthful and somehow more beautiful than he remembered. "Let's go, Draco, I'm famished."