Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter although I wish I really do. Harry Potter is owned by the lucky and very talented JK Rowling. Because if I do own HP, then Draco and Hermione will end up married to each other. :)

Chapter Fourteen: Hidden

It was another morning spent waking up in his house and Hermione was quite surprised how she had managed to live in Draco's house for quite some time now. After knowing his sad story, she never ever had second thoughts on accepting the job again on being Draco's wife. There was a mysterious warmth on her heart that was present whenever she opened her eyes and welcomed a new day. It was kind of inspiring and at the same time, really scary. Being his wife and beating the well-known Lucius Malfoy was a new exciting adventure for the bold and courageous Hermione. And she was passionately hopeful they would win this fight.

She got off her made bed and walked to the kitchen. An enticing aroma of fried bacons and eggs welcomed Hermione as she reached the kitchen. It was a real surprise seeing him again after two weeks of long absence. It was surprising to see him even more on a floral pink apron that was way too small for him merely because it was hers. And she couldn't really decide what was even more surprising, seeing him cooking breakfast wearing a floral apron after two weeks of absence or seeing him with a genuine smile plastered all over his face, a smile that miraculously reached his usual cold gray eyes.

"Look who's finally awake." He welcomed her with a smile as he wiped his hands with a towel.

"Good morning to you too. Why are you here?" Hermione ignored his kind remark.

"Because this is my house?" He questioned more of to answer. "You're hair is bushier when it's morning." He breathed then squeezed her into a hug. She was holding her breath until he let go of her.

"My hair is not bushy, this is called morning hair! I thought you were practicing for the Quidditch tournament." She told him as she caught for her breath.

"We're on a three-month vacation." He said as he continued on frying bacons. "So where do you want to go? Paris? Las Vegas? Thailand? Singapore? China? Philippines? Japan?" Then as if he noticed Hermione's dark glare to him, he added. "Or-Antartica?"

"Draco, we have better things to do. We need to—" She was cut by his smiling and him surprisingly cupping her cheeks. Was he trying to seduce her again? Was he trying to engage her again in their foolish game called who falls in love first? She hoped not. Please. Not.

"I got a great idea." He replied as he turned to tucking the loose strands of her morning hair behind her ear.

"What idea?" Hermione asked as she tried her best to hide the blush forming in her cheeks.

"Bear me a child." He suggested as he folded his arms against his chest, looking quite serious that Hermione's heart skipped a dozen of beats. Several awkward seconds passed before Hermione could answer.

"Ridiculous!" She laughed as she turned her back on him. "That's not funny." Though that made her really uneasy.

"I wasn't joking." He replied surprising Hermione and making her more nervous than before that her stomach tightened like ropes.

"I'm hungry, is the bacon or eggs ready?" She instead asked having no idea what to reply him.

Draco then served her with bacons and eggs together with a hot coffee. Then he sat on the stool beside her.

"I was… just fooling around." He admitted to her as he drank his coffee. Hermione then laughed to herself, she should have known Draco better. Of course, he was just fooling around. He would never really want a child, right?

"I know." She answered as she knifed and forked her bacon and led it to Draco's mouth. Draco's eyes opted in surprise but he ate it. Wow, she could be sweet only if she wanted to. He would love to kiss her on the forehead but…"Where's Leyla? She had been my company whenever you're not around." She added as she continued to eat.

"I've punished her." Draco absently said as he took a sip on her coffee.

"DRACO MALFOY! HOW DARE YOU!" Hermione reacted superbly that she stood up with balled fists on her side.

"She didn't tend the garden daily that my magnificent roses wilted. I'm not very impressed." He commented, unaffected by her intense rants as he mixed his coffee with a metal spoon.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?" Hermione asked, anger was still bursting in her.

"I've sent her and told her she can't come back after three days." He replied as he ran his hand through his gleaming platinum blond hair.

"Please, send her back here." Hermione pleaded with her beautiful sets of brown that shone gold radiantly beneath the morning light.

"Don't worry. I've gave her enough money." He added as he crossed his legs and finally turned to her. "She hated that too."

"Just send her back here." Hermione calmly replied as she took a couple of calming breaths. "SEND HER BACK HERE!" She burst to anger once again.

"Relax. Don't you want that? She'll have a lengthy vacation. Besides, isn't that what your S.P.E.W desires? Proper wages and implementation of working holidays for house-elves?" He reasoned out, unmoved by her anger that he walked to the fridge and grabbed a box of dark chocolate.

"Just.." Hermione started then anger and frustration successfully crept on her that she walked out of the kitchen, embarrassingly losing their small battle. Draco was left, disbelieving that he just won Hermione over a fight and that he just perceived Hermione beautiful especially when she was angry. A dazzling lioness indeed.

"Talk, Granger." Draco breathed out for the deafening silence was starting to get under his skin. Hermione, who by the way, was forced entirely by Draco to join him in grocery shopping, was infuriated than ever. Her eyes were still a banner of anger that kept shooting Draco with dark scary glares. Hermione turned to him from the window with her eyebrows ceased with anger and her arms folded tightly on her chest.

"Okay, I'll get her back." Draco breathed defeated. As a result, the vibrant Hermione Granger was back. She was smiling very dearly and sweetly to him that all his anger evaporated.

"Good." She smiled brightly. Then they pulled over the grocery store. Hermione hopped off the car first, her royal blue, sleeveless dress flowing as she walked to him and put her arm around his.

"You could be really forceful, Hermione." Draco breathed as they walked to the grocery, with her still clinging on his arms. It was kind of aggravating and soothing at the same time. Two emotions that were completely opposite that only the unique Hermione Granger could associate. With that impulsed thought, Draco quickly disassembled it. Quickly. But could her actions signify that she was now participating with their foolish, stupid game? He hoped not. Please. Not.

"I know and I'm perfect at being it." Hermione replied dreamingly as she stared at him with her gleaming golden-like eyes. Draco shifted his gaze, not wanting to be moved by her manipulating beautiful sets of golden-like orbs.

"You should not be proud of it, you know." Draco informed her as he pulled a trolley from the rack.

"I should be, especially when I won over you." Hermione gloated sweetly, if that was ever impossible, smiled at him. Still, she was clinging closely to him like her ever so annoying cat.

"Fine." Draco breathed blankly as he was pushing the empty trolley and walked to the fresh meat section. He pulled out his lengthy grocery list and started reading it. However, Hermione grabbed it from him and speculated it.

"You always do this?" She asked him, her eyes were a banner of curiosity.

"Always do what?" He asked back as he cocked his head side to side, his eyebrows ceased with confusion.

"Do the grocery and most importantly, in a muggle grocery shop!" Hermione exclaimed. "Oops, did I just say it out loud?" She continued as she covered her mouth with her hands.

"Don't worry, they won't mind you." Draco told her as reassuring as he could but Hermione thought he was teasing her. So, Hermione punched his right shoulder as strong as she could. "What's that for?"

"I just need a chance to take my revenge." Hermione informed him. As a result, he was left astounded.

"Don't tell me you still hate me for the things in the past?" Draco questioned her with his arms crossed tightly against his chest.

"Things in the past should be left in the past." Hermione told him as they started to walk and find the items in the grocery list.

"You're right." Draco replied as he pushed the cart.

"Tell me the things you wanted to change in the past?" Hermione asked him as she put a carton of milk in the cart. "Except for calling me buckteeth and mudblood."

Draco bowed his head and laughed. "Those two things weren't on my list."

"I thought you'd say that but seriously?" Hermione tried to ask him once again.

"If I can change the past, I won't. They were the reasons why I became the person that I am today." Draco answered, thinking deeply.

"How true?" Hermione teased him disbelieving.

"Maybe I'll change one thing…" Draco started.

"What is it?" Hermione asked assuming that what he regretted the most was being a Deatheater or perhaps giving up on Nadia.

"That our marriage is a big lie." He turned to her with his usual cold piercing eyes except for now, they were filled with sadness that coloured his steel gray eyes.

Bollocks, bollocks, bollocks. Everything was bollocks. Hermione suddenly got uneasy and mad because of the sudden change in Draco. Why, of all the times, he suddenly became sweet or was it just a show? Was he just ridiculing Hermione that he was starting to love her? Or was this just part of their games? Half of her heart hoped that he was just deceiving her and half of her heart hoped that, perhaps, he was starting to change the color of his heart. They were in the car on their way home and silence was starting to creep on Draco. Why was she suddenly silent? Where did the vibrant Hermione Granger go?

"Do you want to go home or shall we eat in a restaurant? I heard the Chinese restaurant in Courtier Street offers the best noodles." Draco tried to start a conversation as he drove.

"I hate noodles." Hermione muttered, trying not to look at Draco because she knew that if she did so, her walls would be broken, eternally.

"How about the Japanese restaurant in the-"He tried to start the conversation once again.

"I don't like sushi." She replied.

"How about—" Draco was cut by Hermione once again.

"Let's go home." Hermione suggested calmly while her eyes were shut in a rigid agitation.

"All right." Draco gave up and weakly turned on the stereo. The song 'It might be you' sang by Stephen Bishop boomed into the stereo. And Draco didn't know if he shall feel embarrassed of the fact that he's listening in blues. Hermione, however, turned to him, her eyes surprised and was obviously trying her best to stop her threatening laugh. But just as expected, she failed.

Hermione laughed and Draco felt very embarrassed.

"Draco Malfoy, the hardcore bachelor of the wizardly world listens to blues?" Hermione laughed very dearly and this time she was slapping the dashboard out of happiness. And to Draco, it was very irritating.

"STOP LAUGHING!" Draco tried to stop her but the fact that she was Hermione was already a great clue that she wouldn't follow.

"I can't!" Hermione burst into laughing once again.

"STOP!" Draco shouted but he failed to carry out his intention once again.

"Something's telling me it might be you. It's telling me it might be you. All of my life." She sang teasingly.

"HERMIONE GRANGER STOP OR I WILL KISS YOU!" Draco who was very angry, by the way have finally succeeded. Hermione stopped teasing him with a nervous expression on her face but soon as the wind blew again, the Gryffindor princess found her fuse again.

"Try and I'll punch you in the face like—" We were in the third year. She was cut off by Draco for his soft lips were on hers.

Out of the blue, the violent butterflies sabotaged her once again by fluttering in her stomach, her heart started to pound quickly against her chest and electricity started to travel to her spine. But it seemed like the only thing that could calm our Gryffindor princess was the famous Slytherin prince and his lips. Then, she shut her eyes and drown herself in his kiss.

A/N: I'm sincerely sorry that I've just uploaded it now. I was busy with college and all and I'm very happy that I was able to finish this chapter. Do you know that saying that jokes are half-meant? Well, I believe in it.

I wish you happiness and thanks for having the time to read my fic.

Review please. :)

xoxo, ScribblingDame :*