Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, don't make money from this fic, and I'm just a fan.
December 10, 2002 London, England - Diagon Alley
Draco wandered through the aisles of Flourish and Blotts, pausing to pick up titles he thought might interest someone on his shopping list. Hermione was next to him, but she was also absorbed in the shelves and so they weren't holding hands. She would occasionally call to him to show him a book title, though, and that made shopping with her more pleasurable by far than shopping alone had ever been.
Draco and Hermione had decided to take a break from the library today to get a start on their Christmas shopping list. With everything that had happened in the past month, they'd barely been able to get out of the house. Draco had finally been able to return to sleeping in his own bed, though more often than not, he or Hermione would crash at the other's flat simply because of the late hours they'd been pulling during their research. They'd figured out just the night before how the etymology for the Amplificare Charm altered the Levitation Charm, the example given in Armand's notes. As such, they were ready to compile a list of spells which could be suitably altered before any more research into spell structure could be conducted.
It turned out to be good thing they'd decided not to travel to Oxford, because that morning, which had been spent at Draco's flat, an owl arrived from Healer Macmillian, addressed to Draco and requesting he come into his office at his leisure that day. Draco had been slightly confused, but agreed nonetheless, sending a short letter back to let the Healer know he'd be in around two in the afternoon. Hermione didn't seemed troubled by it and insisted he go alone, claiming it would give her more time to shop "without your prying eyes". He'd laughed at that and agreed.
So Draco was biding his time with Hermione until his meeting, though the day had been productive. He'd bought a few little things for his parents: stationary and a new quill set for his father, a necklace with a pendant made of a teardrop shaped moonstone wrapped in silver wire in an ornate pattern. He eyed Hermione's bag, knowing she'd snuck off earlier and bought something in secret. He still had yet to buy anything for her, but knew that he also had to get something for Harry and Ginny, and of course Teddy. The couple had become friends with Draco, and Teddy had already taken so well to him since Harry and Ginny's engagement that Draco knew he'd have to find something good for him.
"Hermione, I'm going to pop over to Quality Quidditch Supplies, I can't think of anything better for Ginny than some new, top-quality gear." Hermione smiled at that; despite being a professional Quidditch player, Ginny still largely provided most of her own equipment and couldn't always afford the top-of-the-line prices.
"Grab a couple broom repair kits for me, would you? Harry and Ron need new ones, and I'll just throw it in with their presents." Hermione said, smiling at him.
"Sure thing. Meet for lunch in an hour at the Leaky?" Draco said, placing his hand on her waist and kissing her forehead. It was so nice to be able to show affection openly with her.
"Sure. But we'll need to hurry so you can make your appointment." Hermione said, checking her watch.
"Forty-five minutes then." Draco said with a smile. "I'll be fast. Know what I want to get her anyway." Draco winked at her then ducked out of the shop, a smile on his face at how easy it was to get out from under her watchful eye for forty-five minute. He made his way to the quidditch shop, thankful they'd visited Gringott's first that day.
Later, London, England - St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries
Draco took a seat in Healer Macmillian's office, curious as to why he'd wanted to see him. He studied the healer carefully, trying to read his neutral body language. Healer Macmillian straightened some paperwork on his desk, pulling out a few papers before meeting Draco's eye.
"Mr. Malfoy, after going over the findings Ms. Granger presented in regards to the current project the two of you are undertaking, I've been made aware by my superiors that you don't have the required credentials to be considered part of the research committee for the Amplificare Charm." Healer Macmillian said, gravely. Draco's heart sunk.
"What do you mean? I'm the reason this project was started in the first place! How can you just disallow me to work on my own project?" Draco said, defensively. Healer Macmillian only smiled a bit, a twinkle in his eyes that confused Draco, as he held up a hand to quiet his protests.
"I'm aware of your contributions, Mr. Malfoy, as Ms. Granger's reports are quite thorough. Which is why I defended you and pitched an idea to my superiors. Would you be interested in joining the St. Mungo's Department for Research and Development as an Experimental Potions and Charms analyst?" Draco was dumbfounded by the request. He'd not needed to work after school, so he hadn't and had merely stuck to his hobbies. Now, his research that had once been used to fill his days due to sheer interest had lead to an actual job offer.
"I- But sir, I'm not sure if I qualify for such a position." He said, uncertainly.
"Nonsense, Mr. Malfoy. I've seen some of your work. To puzzle out the etymology of a previously unknown charm and then apply it to another charm is well beyond the N.E.W.T level Charms class. I believe you and Ms. Granger make an excellent team and will accomplish great things, should you choose to accept this position." He said with a smile. Draco thought on it for a moment, the thought of having his own income, separate from his family fortune, was slightly appealing. He felt as though this could be the step he needed to push him towards standing on his own two feet. Draco nodded to the man.
"I'd be proud to accept the job, Healer Macmillian." Draco said, smiling as the healer offered his hand, and he shook it.
"Glad to have you in my Department, Draco. Now let's get started on this paperwork, shall we?" He said brightly, pulling out a quite large stack of new-entry paperwork. Draco groaned.
December 20, 2002 London, England - Department of Mysteries Library
Draco and Hermione found themselves back in the Department of Ministries Library, pouring over spell and potions books to add to the list of magic thought to be compatible with the Amplificare Charm. Hermione had been ecstatic when she'd heard that Draco had officially been offered a job at St. Mungo's, and that essentially the only thing that would change would be he'd have to send in weekly reports and now he got paid for the work he did.
Draco sighed, looking up from his copy of The Book of Charms & Spells. He'd only managed to find two or three spells that could be modified, but largely he was beginning to think the charm wasn't as applicable as they'd first thought. He smiled at the sight of Hermione, chewing on the end of her pen and twisting a strand of hair around her finger idly as she read.
"You know, you're really beautiful when you're absorbed in a book." He said, grinning widely at her. She looked up at him, a blush creeping across her face and a slightly confused look on her face.
"That was out of the blue." She said, smiling. "You taking a break?" She asked, noticing that he'd pushed the book back. He nodded.
"Most of these spells vary in usage and it's hard to amplify them further. I think the primary use for Amplificare will be in the healing field." Draco said. Hermione nodded.
"Defensive spells aren't necessarily needed daily anymore, and most of them can be amplified with the maxima modifier. Why don't you look for a book used in Healer's training?" Hermione suggested.
"That sounds like a great idea." Draco said, standing and returning to the shelves to search for a Healing book. He found one such book, The Healer's Helpmate, and flipped through it, scanning the table of contents to see if it was worth his time. He paused as he read a chapter heading. Basic Memory Restoration. He glanced back towards their table before flipping to the memory section.
"A memory charm can be reversed through very powerful magic, but it has never been done by any other means than torture." Draco whispered to himself. He took that as a personal challenge. He mentally added obliviate to the list of spells to look into modifications. He knew it would be a lot of work, he'd be essentially creating a counter-curse for one of the strongest charms known to wizarding-kind, but looking back at his girlfriend, he knew he wanted the chance to meet her parents and, one day, ask her father for his daughter's hand. And he knew that she, of all people, deserved a loving family that was all her own. He'd have to talk to Healer Macmillian in person for this, but Draco knew, this was important enough that he'd jump through a million hoops to find the answer.
December 25, 2002 London, England - Hermione's Flat
Christmas Day dawned bright and cold, even in Hermione's cozy flat. Draco rolled onto his side, cuddling closer to Hermione in his state of half-sleep. She murmured something unintelligible and pressed herself into him, her head finding his shoulder and as his arms wrapped around her. He was shirtless, wearing only pajama bottoms, having gotten used to sleeping with Hermione enough to sleep how he would if alone. Hermione had told him she didn't mind, and from her blush the first time she saw him without a shirt, he knew she was likely telling the truth, especially because she'd gone back to wearing her normal tank top and shorts to bed.
He smiled at her sleepily, opening his eyes to see the sun reflecting off her messy brown hair. She tended to wear her hair in a loose, messy bun when she slept in an effort to keep Draco from laying on it, which was the case this morning. His eyes grazed over her thin figure, curled into his chest. He brushed a stray hair off of her face and kissed her forehead. She shifted again, slipping one of her legs between his. He very nearly groaned. He was, after all, still a man, freshly awoken to the sight of a beautiful woman in his arms; he had a little morning wood that she was dangerously close to and it was killing him.
He'd had a habit of waking before she did to take care of this daily problem of his, but today he was merely too content in bed to move. He willed himself to calm down, and for the most part it worked. He really didn't want to ruin a quiet, nearly-perfect morning in bed with the girl of his dreams. Hermione stirred again, her eyes fluttering open and her hand moving across his chest lightly.
"Happy Christmas," Draco murmured softly, smiling.
"Happy Christmas, Draco." She said, tracing circles on his chest. She didn't seem to know how she drove him crazy just with that slight touch. Then she cuddled herself into him, her leg hitching just a little higher, and Draco watched her eyes widen almost comically.
"You- erm. You haven't been up long, have you?" Draco didn't know if it was the double entendre, the innocence in her voice, or the fact that she knew why he got up before her every morning that made him start laughing uncontrollably, but he did. Perhaps it was a mixture of the three. He buried his face into the crook of her neck, howling with laughter that was so intense, it brought tears to his eyes. Apparently, it was infectious, as Hermione started laughing too. At last Draco was able to catch his breath and calm down enough to reply to her.
"No, 'Mione. Not long at all." He said, his eyes locking on her chocolate brown ones and grinning when he saw they were playful. She surprised him then, swiftly flipping him onto his back and straddling him, then kissing him gently.
"Good. Wouldn't want you to suffer for too long." She whispered playfully, an intensity in her eyes that made Draco's stomach tighten and only made his current predicament worse, though Hermione didn't seem to mind. Draco decided to surprise her and flipped her underneath him in one fluid motion, covering her with his body. She yelped a little and looked up into his eyes and biting her bottom lip a little. He couldn't stop himself; he kissed her passionately. When they came up for air, Draco watched her face for her reaction. Seeing nothing but contentment there, he rolled off of her and headed towards the bathroom, grabbing his clothes from the footboard of the bed. He didn't want to take a good thing too far.
"Presents in twenty minutes?" he said, glancing back over his shoulder. She nodded and he disappeared into the bathroom to shower.
Draco and Hermione sat together in the floor beside the fire, Draco reaching for the few presents under their tree. They'd decorated it together just a few days before, having been so busy with work. They each only had two or three gifts under the tree; they were expected at the Weasley household later that night for Christmas dinner, and that was when the majority of the gift giving took place. Draco set three small boxes in front of her, and stacked his three in front of him.
"Your parents sent me something?" Hermione asked, eyes wide as she read the names on the box. Draco smiled; his Mum had owled him, asking if it was okay if they sent Hermione a gift and rather or not they could expect the young couple to tea on Boxing Day. He'd replied in the affirmative to both.
"Open theirs first." He said. She complied and gasped at what she saw in the box. There was a red leather bound journal inside, but she was surprised to see that on the cover was the Malfoy family crest, embossed in gold leaf. Hermione picked it up and stroked the soft leather cover.
"Oh, I love it! It looks almost exactly like Armand's." She said, her eyes bright, and just a tad watery. Draco smiled.
"Only Gryffindor colors. I believe that's the first time I've ever seen my family crest in anything but green and silver." He said, amused. She was clearly beyond thrilled to have the support of his parents.
"Now you, Draco." She insisted. He complied and found his parents had gifted him a new stationary set, a few new robes, and, what he was most excited for, oddly, a whole package of new socks.
"Never thought I'd see the day when I was excited to get socks. But be the old age." Draco smirked, waving Hermione on to open her next present, but then pulling the one she reached for away.
"Open the other first, then this one. Don't worry, I'll let you open them together. I'll wait." She looked confused, but opened the larger gift first. She found a broomstick repair kit, just like the ones the couple had gotten Harry and Ron.
"But, Draco, I haven't got a-" Hermione's eyes widened, tearing the other box open quickly. In the box was a clear wine bottle, wherein rested a small broomstick. When Hermione's brows furrowed in confusion, Draco took the bottle, uncorked it, shook the little broom out of it and stood, grabbing his wand.
"Engorgio." he murmured, the broom growing to it's normal size. Her eyes widened. In his hands rested a Firebolt Supreme, the newer model of Harry's racing broom.
"It's not a toy?" Hermione confirmed, still a little suspicious.
"Of course not," Draco chuckled. "How are you going to learn to play quidditch without a broom of your own?" Draco nearly lost his balance as Hermione tackle-hugged him. When she calmed down, she set the broom against the wall and had Draco open his presents from her.
The first was a cook book titled Fine Dining on a Dime and Draco loved it; he'd been running out of new recipes to try with Hermione, and he'd found he loved cooking for his friends. The second gift, however, was what really got him.
It was a Wizarding photo, an image taken at the last Weasley gather, Percy's birthday on the twelfth. Draco and Hermione had somehow been placed near the center of the photo by a well-meaning yet slightly overbearing Molly. Draco held Teddy in one arm, his other round Hermione's waist. On the other side of him stood Harry and Ginny, and on the opposite side of Hermione, Ron had draped an arm around Hermione's shoulders, a genuine smile on his face for the first time in nearly a year. The rest of the Weasley clan had filled in around them, laughing and talking. The picture was framed in simple black, but across the bottom of the image, in Hermione's neat script read a message that shook Draco to the core.
You are never alone.
He let a tear slip down his face as he hugged her to him tightly, gripping her to his chest.
"Thank you, Hermione." he whispered sincerely. "This is the best present I've ever gotten.