"Shit, shit, shit, double shit," I mutter under my breath as I move around in my kitchen, hastily putting the finishing touches on the dinner I'm preparing. For my date. With Malfoy. I glance toward the clock. I still have time.

I hurry toward my bedroom and throw off my apron, discarding it out of sight in my closet. I shimmy out of my sweatpants and pull on a pair of jeans and a loose fitting sweater, hoping my baby bump doesn't show through too much. A glance in the mirror tells me my hair will definitely not cooperate this evening if I attempt anything remotely manual. With a flick of my wand, my hair pulls itself into an elegant ballerina bun with a few curls left out to frame my face. I am applying my lipstick when there is a knock on my door.

"Just a second!" I call, double checking my appearance before exiting my bedroom and making my way to the entrance of my flat.

I open the door to see Malfoy dressed in black slacks and a white button-down shirt holding a single red rose.

"Good evening," he says with a cocky grin, leaning in to kiss my cheek. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," I reply, accepting the flower with an easy smile. "Come on in."

I step aside so he can enter and shut the door behind him. Malfoy follows me into the kitchen and I can feel his eyes on me as I retrieve a small vase from the cabinet above the sink and fill it with water for the flower.

"How was your day at work?" I ask as I brush past him to place the rose in the center of the table.

"Oh no, Granger, I'll be having none of that. This is our first real date; I will not let you ruin it by talking about the case."

I arch an eyebrow. "How on earth will that ruin it?"

"Because," he interjects, putting a finger to my lips to silence me, "you'll start worrying about it and you'll want to start working on it immediately. Relax and trust that my department can handle this." His hand ghosts down my neck as he speaks and he steps closer to me so I have to tilt my head up to look at him. I feel his other hand on my waist, pulling me against his chest. He leans in toward my lips—

"I have a new rule," I say suddenly, stopping him in his tracks.

"And this rule is?"

"I'd like you to keep your hands, and mouth, to yourself tonight. Unless I say otherwise."

Instantly he steps away from me, withdrawing his hands, although he does sigh overdramatically, earning him a grin. "You're no fun," he teases. "But very well, I will not touch you in any way unless you tell me to. May I ask why the sudden change in your opinion of my snogging skills?"

A blush creeps up onto my skin and I will it away. "I think we both know your snogging skills are bloody perfect, but I want to see if you can woo me without having to touch me. How is your way with words, Mr. Malfoy?"

He flashes me a toothy smile. "Oh, excellent, I assure you."

I shake my head in reply and return to the kitchen to check on the dinner. Malfoy follows me and leans against the fridge as I lift the lid to a pot.

"What's on the menu for this evening?" he asks when I carry the pot to the sink to strain the water.

"Pasta. Is that okay with you?"

"Of course it is."

I don't even have to look at him to know he is giving me a wolfish grin. Pointedly ignoring him, I take the sauce pot off the stove and pour its contents onto the cooked noodles. I carry the pot to the table and motion for Malfoy to sit down as I fill his plate with the pasta and then serve myself.

"Thank you," he says upon accepting his plate. "Oh, I nearly forgot. I have a gift for you."

I arch an eyebrow as he points his wand at my glass, turning the water a deep shade of red. "What is it?" I ask, staring at it curiously.

"A charm that makes water taste like wine. I overheard you complaining to Ginny the other day at dinner that you missed being able to drink wine every so often. There is not a single drop of alcohol in your glass."

I look up at him in surprise. "Are you serious? There's a charm for that?"

"Impressive, isn't it?"

I hesitantly take a slip of the drink. It is sweet and rich like my favorite wine, but there is not the tang of alcohol I've come to expect. I look up at him, my smile spreading across my face. "This is too perfect to be true."

"Kind of like me."

"Your love of yourself knows no bounds."

Malfoy simply smiles in response.

"I have a question for you," Malfoy says after we've finished eating. "That club you, Potter, and Weasley founded during our fifth year, what was it?"

"Umbridge never explained it to you?"

"No; she didn't really talk to us. I think she just was looking for an excuse to give Slytherin extra House Points and I was all for that. I was getting a lot of pressure from my father to please her." The air around us seems to grow colder at the mention of Lucius Malfoy and I repress a shiver. Malfoy seems to notice and he gives me a half-smile in apology.

"Well," I say, standing and gathering the plates from the table, "we wanted to learn how to protect ourselves from the dangers lurking outside Hogwarts's gates. Ron and I knew that Harry had fought Voldemort the year before and when Umbridge refused to teach us how to prepare ourselves, we convinced Harry to teach us."

"Wait, it wasn't Potter's idea?"

I shake my head, placing the dishes in the sink as I turn on the hot water to wash them by hand. "Harry didn't think anyone would want to learn from him since no one really believed him that Voldemort was back. Fudge did a great job keeping the Daily Prophet on his side and unfortunately, a few of our good friends believed it. In the end though, Ron and I convinced him. He really is a great teacher; if he hadn't become an Auror, I would have tried to convince him to take the DADA positon at the school."

Malfoy places the remaining dishes on the counter beside me and moves to dry the ones I've already cleaned. "I would have thought that you taught everyone."

"Oh Merlin, no. If it had been a different subject, maybe I would have, but Defense has always been Harry's strong suit. I learned a lot from him."

"Like what? I'm starting to feel a little left out here; you lot actually learned things that year- I nearly died of boredom in that class."

I shrug, my eyes glancing over at him to see that he is still drying the dishes by hand and my heart warms at the sight. "We learned a lot of the basics I suppose. Disarming, stunning, and the like. The last spell Harry taught us before we were caught was the Patronus charm."

"You can produce a Patronus?" He sounds awed. "What is it? Can I see?"

I hesitate. "I… I've always had trouble with making a Patronus; it's the one spell I've never been able to get completely right."

"Rubbish," Malfoy says with a grin. "I honestly doubt there is any spell you can't do. But, if you don't want to, you don't have to show me. I won't push."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, but what about you? Can't you cast a Patronus?"

"I've never tried to be honest, and besides, that is incredibly advanced magic; I'm honestly not sure I could produce one if I tried."

I hum to myself and hand him the last dish. "I might have to make you try now."

Malfoy arches an eyebrow. "Good luck with that Granger; it'll take more than that to get me to embarrass myself just yet."

"Embarrass yourself?" I ask innocently.

"You know perfectly well that you out-performed me every year at school; I'm not sure my ego is prepared to open old wounds."

"You make it sound like I left you in the dust! You were always right behind me in grades, Malfoy. If anyone could give me a run for my money, it'd be you."

"Why thank you, Granger," he says with a deep bow, causing me to laugh.

I curtsey in reply before grabbing my glass of wine flavored water and moving to the living room. Setting my glass on the coffee table, I lower myself onto the couch, Malfoy doing the same, but turning slightly so he is sitting at an angle.

"I have another question," he announces after looking at me for a moment.

"What is it, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Well Miss Granger, I have officially been wooing you for a week now. Tell me, how have I been doing?"

"You have been driving me crazy," I answer truthfully.

"Have I now? Well go, explain."

"Absolutely not! You've got to give me some personal information before I start spilling all my secrets."

Malfoy grins. "Already one of your secrets, am I?" I smack his arm and he laughs. "Fine, fine. What would you like to know, Granger?"

A dangerously taboo topic flashes in my mind. It must be clear on my features, because Malfoy's smile falls. I don't even have to ask. His eyes stay on mine as he rolls up his left sleeve. Harsh black against the paleness of his forearm, a jagged scar is all that remains of his Dark Mark. Hesitantly, I reach out to stroke his skin, feeling the raised scar tissue.

"Did it hurt?" I ask softly, my fingers still on his skin.

"Yes." His voice is soft. "It burned horribly when I first got it, and then it burned every time he… Voldemort summoned us. I wish I would have known that… that that path wasn't what I really wanted." He grows quiet as if he wants to say more, but decides against it.

"You're not that person anymore." Holding his forearm gently, I bring it to my lips and kiss the scar.

"You are making it very difficult to obey your rule right now."

"Then don't."

His hands grab my hips as he pulls me toward him and onto his lap, my hands framing his face as I kiss him. I push him further into the cushions as one of his hands slip beneath the hem of my sweater, his palm flat against the skin of my back. I tug on fistfuls of his hair and he growls deep in his throat before tearing his lips from mine and tracing open-mouth kisses down the side of my throat.

"This is how you drive me crazy," I say breathlessly as he continues to ravish my neck.

"Physically?" he chuckles against my skin before biting down and making me moan.

"And emotionally," I manage to pant out. That gets his attention and he suddenly stops his attack on my neck so he can lean back and look at me.

"Emotionally?" he repeats.

"I like you."

A lazy grin stretches around his face. "You like me?"

"Yes, you insufferable man, I like you."

"It only took me a week to convince you I was perfect in every single way?"

"Oh shut up," I say before capturing his lips with mine. He laughs into my kiss, his arms tightening around me to pull me closer. Just as his hand begins sliding up my back toward my bra clasp, a knock on my door echoes through the flat. We break away and look at each other for a moment, no doubt to make sure we didn't imagine the sound.

"Are you expecting someone?" Malfoy asks, his tone teasing.

I shake my head and untangle myself from his arms before exiting the living room and moving to check the peephole of the front door.

"Shit," I hiss, backing away from the door and bumping into Malfoy's chest, as he had apparently followed me. "It's Ron."

"Weasley?" Malfoy's eyebrows shoot up in surprise before he glares at the door. "What the hell is he doing here?"

"I have no idea. He moved all of his things out months ago," I say before biting my lower lip. "Should I pretend that I'm not home?"

Ron knocks again and this time calls my name. "Come on, Hermione! Open up; I just want to talk!"

"Do you want to talk to him?" Malfoy asks. "I could go hide in your bedroom if you'd like."

"Absolutely not; we are on a date. I am not going to make you hide anywhere."

My words make him smile and he wraps an arm around me to pull me close.

"Hermione!" Ron yells again.

"Just a moment!" I finally call, my eyes still on Malfoy. "I'm going to open the door," I decide. "But, I don't want him coming inside."

Malfoy nods. "Then he won't."

Taking a deep breath, I move out of Malfoy's embrace and open my door. Ron has his hands in his pockets and he's looking at me sheepishly, just like old times when he wanted to apologize for something he's done. Then he notices Malfoy standing behind me.

"What the fuck are you doing here?!"

"I could ask you the same question, Weasley," Malfoy replies hotly, crossing his arms against his chest.

Ron's ears turn a deep shade of red and I quickly move to block his vision of Malfoy. "What do you want, Ron?"

"I wanted to settle our problems like adults, but clearly that is not going to happen! You're fucking Malfoy to swing the custody battle, aren't you?"

"How dare you!" I scream. "We've known each other for years, Ronald Weasley! Is your opinion of me so low that you would actually assume that I would sleep with the Head of the Investigation Department to ensure I was granted custody of our child? I want our baby to grow up in a household where they will be loved and cared for, and if I believed you could provide that, I would be seeking joint custody instead of full!" I can feel Malfoy's hand on my lower back to calm me, but I shake him off. "I would never do something as vile and repulsive as what you just accused me of! Malfoy isn't even the investigator in charge of our bloody case! In fact, there are three different wizards assigned to us, you pompous twat!"

"Then are you just fucking him to make me jealous? Got Harry and Ginny in on it too, did you?"

My wand is out before I even realize it, the tip of it jutting into Ron's neck.

"Granger," Malfoy warns me softly. This time his hand grabs hold of my free one, his fingers lacing together with mine so I can't shake him off. His touch is soothing and I lower my wand, but the anger and fire still rages inside of me.

"Malfoy and I are not sleeping together, Ronald," I hiss. "And if we were, I wouldn't be doing it to make you jealous. I am beyond over you and have no desire to see you again until you have matured. You have insulted me in every possible way, and I will not listen to another word you have to say. Leave. Now."

I step backward into Malfoy's chest and slam the door to the flat with such force a nearby picture frame falls to the ground, the glass shattering.

"I hate him!" I scream, storming away from Malfoy and deeper in my flat. "He ruins everything!"

Malfoy keeps a safe distance from me as my anger rages inside of me, manifesting itself in screams. His silver eyes follow my every move, but not once does he tell me to sit or calm down. It isn't until I lower myself to the couch that he finally moves to sit beside me. I lean into him, my head on his chest as he reclines against the armrest. He strokes my arm, his fingers drawing patterns into my skin, and he doesn't speak.

"Thank you," I whisper after a little while.

"For what exactly?"

"For letting me handle Ron."

He laughs softly. "You never said our code word; it wasn't my place."

"I'm sorry he ruined our evening."

"He did nothing of the sort. I had a fantastic evening with you. If anything, he cut our snogging session short."

"Well we could always fix that…"

"Thank Merlin, I'd thought you'd never ask."