A/N: See if you can spot the two quotes made by other fandoms *hint one is Hunger Games and the other is Frozen.

Chapter 12
"Felix"

Draco spent the next week in his lab, working on his potions, and making notes. Most potion making was tedious work, but he enjoyed it; he liked to make sure everything was done exactly how it should be. He liked being in control like that. What he didn't like was not being in control, especially of his feelings regarding a certain muggle-born witch. So he kept working, trying to keep busy. There had been countless of times when he almost stopped by the Ministry, just to say hi to her, but thought better of it. They left their lunch date on a rather good note and he didn't want to spoil that by bothering her at work. Whenever he did leave his flat, he found himself looking for her, and he didn't know if it bothered him that he was disappointed when he didn't spot her.

Blaise would stop by and keep him company almost every day during lunch, and, like clockwork, Draco heard the sound of his front door open and close. He glanced at his watch and noted it was noon. He set down his quill and left his lab to go talk to his friend.

"I see you've lost the ability to knock now," said Draco lightly.

"You know I'm stopping by so I just don't see the need for it," he said, dropping himself on Draco's couch and putting his feet on the newly acquired coffee table.

"Hey, get your filthy shoes off that, it's mahogany!" he said, walking over and lightly pushing Blaise's legs until he removed them. Blaise chuckled as Draco started to buff the spot with his shirt.

"Ugh, were you raised in a barn or something?"

Blaise shrugged, "No, I was raised in a castle."

Draco ignored him and inspected the table, "I think it's alright," then he looked at his friend, narrowing his eyes, "Shoes off, Zabini."

Blaise rolled his eyes, slipping off his shoes and levitating them so they were near the door, "Happy now?"

Draco nodded, walking into the kitchen to make himself a sandwich.

"Hey, since you're in there, do you want to make me one too?" Blaise asked from the couch.

"What do I look like, you're wife? If you want a sandwich, come make your own," he said.

Groaning sarcastically, Blaise joined Draco in the kitchen where he slapped some meat and cheese on some bread.

They brought their lunch to the dining table, Blaise knowing all too well that Draco wouldn't eat anywhere else. They ate in companionable silence until Blaise said, "So, I hear today's the day that the old man's set free."

Draco merely shrugged.

"What do you think he'll do with his new found freedom?" wondered Balise.

"I don't know and I honestly don't care. As long as he leaves me alone, he can do whatever the hell he wants," Draco said coolly.

"Have you been back to the manor since you moved out?"

Draco nodded, "A few times, per Mother's request. Though each time he's been conveniently in some other area of the property and I didn't have to see him."

A few moments passed before Blaise said, "I wonder if he'll take a vacation and go somewhere else for a while… I wonder…"

"Can we please change the subject?" said Draco, moodily.

"Ok. How's Granger doing?" Blaise asked, knowing that this was probably another subject his friend didn't want to discuss. He knew he hit the mark when Draco just stared at him.

"I don't know. I haven't talked to her since we met up for lunch last week."

"Why don't you owl her and see if she would like to get together again?" suggested Blaise.

"Why do you care?" said Draco irritatedly.

"Because I know you think about her, and I know you wouldn't mind if you saw her again," he said easily.

Draco sighed, "Isn't it time you went back to work?" he said, changing the subject.

Blaise glanced at his watch and shrugged, "I have a few more minutes."

"How's the job going anyways?"

"Pretty good. I do it for fun instead of the money which is probably why I like it," he said, speaking of his editing job at the Daily Prophet.

Draco nodded, finishing his sandwich.

"You know what you need to do…" Blaise said.

"If you say Granger, I'll punch you," said Draco.

"I was going to say get a pet. Though I find it interesting you automatically thought of Granger," Blaise said, chuckling and shaking his head.

"A pet? Why on earth would I get a pet?" Draco asked.

"Well, you don't even have an owl anymore, seeing as how the ones you used were your fathers. You should get one of your own. Or maybe a cat," he said, pondering the idea. "Ya, I can see you with a cat."

"Blaise..."

"A white one. You can call it Snowflake!" said Blaise, having fun.

Draco couldn't help but suppress a chuckle, "Shut up and go back to work already."

"Alright, alright. I'm going. See you tomorrow," he said, as he got up and slipped on his shoes. "Not if I put up wards so your ass can't get in here," Draco said mockingly.

"That hurts Malfoy. After all I've done," he said seriously. He flashed Draco a smile before leaving the room.

Draco chuckled after his friend. He levitated the dishes to the sink, then went back to work, except now, thanks to Blaise, he was thinking about what kind of pet he should get.

"Rosie, do you want to go shopping with mummy?" asked Hermione.

Rose gasped and said, "Yesh! shoes?"

"Yes, sweetie, go ahead and get your shoes on. Mummy will be ready in a moment, ok?"

"Kay!" the toddler said as she dashed off to retrieve her shoes.

Hermione checked her shopping list for Diagon Alley and when Rose returned with shoes in her hands, she helped her daughter put them on before heading out.

As they entered the cobblestone walkway, Rose immediately started saying, "Mama, owl? Mama? Owwwwls? See owl?"

"Yes, we'll go see the owls shortly, but mama needs to get a few other things first, ok? You must be patient."

"Kay," said Rose.

"Do you want to walk or go in the stroller?" she offered her daughter. Now that they were in a wizarding community, she kept the stroller shrunk and inside her bag, but knew she could get it at a moment's notice if need be.

"Walk! Hand?" Rose asked, grabbing onto her mother's fingers.

Hermione walked with Rose, who loved to look in all the shop windows. It made the shopping trip twice as long, but she loved seeing her daughter's face as she got excited about the little things she saw.

Hermione picked up the items on her shopping list, which included more parchment, quills, and ink, as well as get some more outfits for Rose, who seemed to be growing much too fast for her liking.

As promised, she stopped by the pet shop before leaving. They entered the shop and Rose ran to the cages, talking to all the animals as if they were all best friends.

"Can I get you anything, dear?" asked the shopkeeper, who Hermione has gotten to know as Helen.

"Maybe some owl treats?" said Hermione, smiling at the elderly woman.

"Sure thing, let me just go grab some for you," said Helen as she walked into the back of the shop.

The bell to the shop's door rang and Hermione glanced to see who had entered and to make sure Rose didn't run outside. She was surprised to see Draco, and that jolt her stomach gave her every time she saw him happened again.

"Malfoy," she said, "I'm surprised to see you in here."

He raised a brow and grinned at her, "Well, I'm surprised to see you here."

Hermione chuckled nervously, "We usually stop by after we go shopping. Rose loves to see the animals, especially the owls." She indicated to Rose, who was currently leaning on an owl's cage, talking to a barn owl who was trying to sleep.

"Rosie, sweetie, why don't you leave the owl alone. That one is trying to sleep. Shhhh," she said.

"Shhhhhh," her daughter said, mimicking her, backing away from the cage. She turned around so she could go to mother but then saw Draco. She gasped and ran towards him, wrapping her arms around his legs. "Mine!" she said happily.

Hermione's mouth dropped open, "Oh, Rose. You shouldn't-"

"It's ok," said Draco, grinning down at the little girl, "This is what she did the first time we met. I guess it's now a tradition."

When Rose let go of his legs he bent down to her level, his knee hitting the dirty floor of the shop but he didn't seem to care. "Rose, I think it's time you called me something other than 'mine'. My name is Draco. Can you say that? Dray Co?" he said.

"Day-co!" said Rose, wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug.

"Well, close enough," he chuckled, patting her back. Rose let go of his neck and looked at her mother, "Mama, Day-co!" and said, pointing at him.

Hermione smiled, "Yes, dear. I know." She glanced at Draco and said, "So what kind of pet do you have?" she asked.

He stood up, dusting off his pant leg, and looked at her, "Well, I recently acquired a puppy, so I was hoping this shop would carry dog supplies," he said hopefully.

"Oh." said Hermione, surprised. Draco Malfoy.. had a puppy?

The shop owner returned to the front, handing Hermione a box of owl treats. As Hermione placed the wizard coins on the counter, the old woman helped Draco acquire everything he needed, Rose following in his wake. He returned to the front of the store, arms heavy with merchandise.

"You weren't kidding when you said you just got a puppy…Did you just get it today?," she asked.

Draco placed his wares on the counter before turning back to Hermione, "Yes, this afternoon. I didn't know dogs needed so much stuff though," he said.

The sales woman rattled off the amount owed and as Draco paid, she levitated all the items and shrunk them as they flew into a sales bag, "Here you go, dear," she said, handing him the bag.

"Thank you, Helen. I'll make sure to stop by if there's anything else I need," he said, giving her a smile.

"Anytime dear, anytime," she said smiling back at him, before turning her attention to another customer that had just come in.

Draco turned to Hermione and said, "Well, I should be heading back to check on the dog and see where I'm going to put all this stuff."

Hermione nodded, "Ya, and if he's by himself, he'll probably be getting into mischief too."

He looked at her curiously, "What do you mean?"

"Puppies like to explore and chew on things and, well, they usually have accidents around the house if they are not house broken," she said simply, noting that Draco went a little pale at this information.

"Oh… I guess I'll have to see what surprises are in store for me then," he said. He knelt down again and addressed Rose, "See you later, Squirt. Tell your mum that I plan on taking my dog to the park near the sandwich shoppe after dinner tonight, if you wanted to join and meet him," he looked at Hermione and gave her a wink.

Her stomach jolted again. "Um, We'll see," she said hesitantly.

Draco nodded and said, "Bye ladies," before turning on the spot and disapparated with a pop.

After dinner that night, Hermione debated if she should take Rose and go to the park and ended up talking to herself as she did the dishes, "She loves the park, and we don't really go that often, so it'll be a nice treat. She also loves animals, especially bunnies, owls, and puppies… and Malfoy just happens to have a puppy…. But I don't want to give him the wrong idea because I'm not going to just see him. He'll probably think it anyways, so I'll just have to make it very clear… Ok, so, park, puppy, and maybe swings if there's time… I'm probably going to regret this…" she dried her hands with a kitchen towel and called out, "Rose, get your shoes on. We're going to the park!"

"Yaaaaaaaaay! Let go!"

It took Draco longer than expected to walk the tiny bundle of the fur to the park. The little pup kept sniffing at everything, stopping every few feet to pee or chew on it's findings. He wasn't sure if Hermione was going to be at the park at all, but he wanted to get there at a decent hour, just incase. After 10 minutes and only walking one block, he picked up the dog and walked to the park at a faster pace. When he got there he looked around, and tried not to be disappointed when he didn't see her. He reminded himself that she didn't say she would… he was just being hopeful.

He let the dog down on the grass and walked with him around the field as he sniffed everything it could think of. He was about to give up on waiting for her and walk back home, when he heard a familiar voice in the distance. He looked around and spotted Rose, running as fast as a toddler could run, arms stretched out, and a smile on her face. Hermione was walking behind her, and was easily able to keep up with only a few feet distance from her daughter. It wasn't until Rose got closer that he heard what she was saying.

"Day-co! Puppy! Day-co! Puppy!"

"Hey Squirt," he said, as she ran up to him and hugged his legs, "I see you gave your mom the message then?"

"Puppy?" she asked, pointing to the dog who was currently trying to jump on her.

Draco grabbed the puppy and held him in hopes he wouldn't hurt Rose, "Yes, this is my puppy. He's very excited to see you. You can pet him if you want."

Rose reached out a tentative hand and patted the dog on his head. She received a lick to her fingers then he jumped out of Draco's arms and started kissing her face, making her laugh and squeal. After making sure he wasn't hurting her, Draco stood up and walked over to Hermione.

"You came," he said.

Hermione nodded. "Yes. Um, Rose really wanted to meet the puppy," she said, her cheeks turning slightly pink.

"Ah, yes. The puppy," he said in a teasing voice.

Hermione watched her daughter play happily with the puppy for a moment before she asked, "Where did he get him? You said you got him today, right?"

Draco nodded, "I was walking towards the Leaky Cauldron and I came across a box that had a sign on it that said 'Free Puppies'. I looked inside and this little guy was the only one left. My friend, Blaise Zabini, you may remember him?" she gave a nod as he continued, "He said something the other day about how I should look into getting a pet. So I figured I'd take in this little furball."

Touched, Hermione smiled at him, "That was really sweet of you." She knelt down and put her hand out so the puppy could sniff her before she rubbed his back, which resulted in the puppy laying down and exposing his belly. Hermione laughed as she gave the dog the belly rub. "Does he have a name?" she asked.

"I've been thinking of Felix. Luck would have it that I found him, and I wanted to give him a name that meant something to do that. He's also the same yellow color as the potion," he said. He watched as Hermione continued to rub the dog's belly and for a fleeting moment, he felt jealous.

"I'm going to let him off the leash for a bit, and let him run around," he said, kneeling down next to her and unclipping the leash. The puppy, realizing his freedom, began running around while Rose chased after him, laughing.

Draco walked along with Hermione, following the puppy and child.

"So…" said Hermione, trying to think of what to talk about, "How was your place when you returned home after shopping today?"

Draco groaned, "Trust me, you don't want to know. Thank Merlin for magic, otherwise I'd still be cleaning up the place."

Hermione chuckled to herself, trying to imagine Draco cleaning up dog messes.

They continued walking and making light conversation as the child and dog continued to run around. It wasn't until their hands accidentally brushed each other, that Hermione tensed up and got nervous around him. Draco sensed this and looked at her. He took a chance and intertwined his hand into hers, rubbing his thumb soothingly along her own, trying to calm her.

Hermione sighed, looking at their intertwined hands then up at him, meeting his curious gaze with her own.

"I… I don't think I can do this," she said, tearing her eyes away from his and letting go of his hand.

"Why?" he asked, trying not let the hurt show.

She shook her head, trying to think. "Because… because you're you, and I'm me. We're two completely different people. We have such a complicated past…"

"But that's just it. That's the past. Why not stop dwelling on that and start looking ahead?" he said, reaching for her hand again and was glad when she didn't pull away.

She looked at him again, trying to figure out her own feelings, "Why me? After all those years of hating me, how can you just go from that to, well, this?" she said lifting up their intertwined hands to eye level.

He brought her hand to his mouth, giving it a gentle kiss. "Trust me, I'm just as confused as you are about this whole thing," he said, a hint of a smile forming on his lips.

She shook her head in confusion, once again letting go of him. She walked away a few steps, watching her daughter. She crossed her arms over her chest and after a few silent moments she said, "It's not just about me, you know. I'm a mom, too. I have a child to think about."

He walked over and stood next to her, "I know that."

"Being with someone with a child is different than being with someone who doesn't. I don't want someone to come into our lives, only to realize that they don't want everything that comes with being with me."

He frowned at her, "Don't you think I don't know that? I know it's not just about you, it's about her too," he said indicating to Rose.

She looked at him, and her eyes welled up, hating herself. "I can't. I just can't," she said, biting her lip, "Can't we just be friends instead?"

His frowned turn into a glare, his anger starting to form, "No, I don't think I can." At her questioning look, he ran a hand through his hair, trying his best to explain. "Do you know what happens to me every time I see you? My stomach, it does this thing, like a jump or a jolt or something. It's unnerving and it drives me crazy. Does… does anything like that happen when you see me?" he asked.

"No," she said, not meeting his gaze.

He glared harder at her, "You're lying. You're too scared to admit that you might feel something towards me."

"I'm not scared," she said defensively, once again turning her back to him.

He stepped closer to her and turned her to face him. He placed a finger under her chin and lifted her head until she made eye contact with him.

"Liar," he said, before brushing his lips against hers. It was a soft, fleeting kiss, one that gave butterflies in ones stomach and the ache for more.. He pulled back slightly, his lips hovering above hers. When she didn't pull back, he took another chance and kissed her again, this time a little longer, a little harder. Again he pulled back, waiting for her to push him away or tell him no. When she didn't, he cupped her face, rubbing his thumbs along her cheeks before crushing his mouth onto hers, just as he had done before in her office. This time though, instead of meeting resistance, she responded, and kissed him back just as fiercely. He stopped the kiss after a few fleeting moments, and looked at her again, her eyes unfocused.

"Don't tell me you didn't feel anything," he dared.

"I… I don't…. I can't…" she said, trying to form the words but was still reeling from the kiss to do so.

He let go of her and this time, he stepped back from her, trying to keep his anger and hurt in check. "Maybe you're right. Maybe this won't work. I'm sorry for bothering you."

He turned towards the dog and child, who were both running towards them. He knelt down to capture the dog and clip the leash back on him. Then he turned to Rose, "Bye Squirt. I'll see you around."

"Day-co byebye?" she asked curiously.

"Ya. I'm leaving now," he said.

Rose put her arms around his neck and gave him a hug. He hugged her back and whispered "Take care of your mum, ok?"

"Kay!" she said, looking up at her mother. She walked over to her and grabbed her hand.

He stood up, looking at Hermione but couldn't bring himself to make eye contact. "I'll see you around."

"Draco…"

"No, don't," he said glaring at her. He kept his tone even, trying not raise it as to not upset the little girl holding on to her mother's hand. He was hurting though and he wanted Hermione to hurt too. "You don't get to say my name now. Only people who I care about and who care about me as well can call me that. Just stick to Malfoy, ok?"

She huffed out a breath, meeting his glare, "Fine."

"Fine," he said back. He knew it was childish, but at the moment he needed to get away from her, before he did something he would regret. He picked up his dog, looked around to make sure no muggles were around, then disapparated home without another glance.

A/N: Please, please don't hate me for how this went down. I promise they'll get together; this is a Dramione fanfic after all, right? I have plans though and they are slowly getting set into place. You'll see soon enough!
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