Hermione had thought last year's Christmas was hard. It was nothing compared to the mixed bag of feelings that came along this year. Her parents were Merlin knew where, lost, maybe forever, she was married to one Slytherin, best friends with another - Draco Malfoy no less - and she wasn't talking to Harry, Ron or Ginny. More accurately, they weren't talking to her. Ginny had not hesitated to poison them with her thoughts on Hermione's relationship with Draco. Harry, who may have been persuaded to see sense had his hands tied as Ginny's husband and there was no point in trying to talk to Ron. Even if he hadn't been distracted by Luna's pregnancy, he would never be made to see Draco as a friend. For the moment at least, her friends were as lost to her as her parents. The last few weeks of school before the Christmas break were hell and there was only so much Draco could do to cheer her up. He wasn't exactly feeling very festive himself.

Hermione had invited him to stay with them over Christmas but he had declined. Hermione had understood without him having to explain that it would be too painful for him to see her and her husband together at Christmas. They hadn't spoken about that night but their friendship had been strengthened, they had bonded in a way she never had with Harry and Ron. Her and Harry had been through an epic, amazing, fantastical quest together but they never talked about it. Her and Draco talked about everything. From their parents to their hopes for the future, even their fears, nothing was held back with the exception of their romantic feelings for each other.

Most of their discussion on the train back to King's Cross Station had been Draco's mother. She wouldn't answer his owls and on the few occasions he had flooed her, she had only spoken to him for as long as it took to tell him she was busy and couldn't talk now. Only two days before, when Draco had reminded her he would be home for Christmas his mother had merely replied, "Will you?" before announcing someone was at the door and breaking the connection. Draco had kid he would turn up at the house and everything would be boarded up.

When it had been time to leave the train they had embraced warmly.

"Disgusting," a fifth year Gryffindor had muttered to her friends as they squeezed past them.

"Owl me if you need a day away from your mother," Hermione said.

Draco had nodded and gently pushed her in the direction of where Blaise was waiting, watching them intently. "Merry Christmas."

"You too!" Hermione called, her attention already shifted to her husband.

With no one waiting to pick him up, Draco took out his wand and Apparated home.

"Surprise!"

Blaise stepped back and waited for Hermione to react. She looked confused, turning on the spot to take in the heavily decorated living room. There was a roaring fire in the hearth, the massive Christmas tree was already decorated and there was a sizable pile of presents waiting underneath. Blaise watched as her face fell.

"What? What did I do wrong?"

"Well, it's beautiful, it is, but-"

"It's like our wedding night all over again, isn't it? It's too much." Blaise grimaced, taking out his wand.

"No!" Hermione cried, lunging at the wand. "No, it's perfect, but I just wished you had waited for me, so we could do it together. I mean, that's all part of being a family, isn't it? Decorating the tree together, hanging up the ivy and the mistletoe, putting the star at the top of the tree."

"Sorry, I didn't even think. We've always just had our house elf do it. Do you want me to take it down and we can do it together?" Again he took out his wand but this time Hermione took it from him, placing it on a nearby table piled high with books. "No, I'd much rather sit together and enjoy it."

She pushed him down onto an armchair closest to the fire before settling down on his lap. Blaise breathed in her scent, beyond joyful to have her home, away from Draco. They sat like that together for a minute or two before Blaise could take it no more. He turned her face towards his, pressing his lips to hers, relearning the feel of her in his arms even though it had only been two weeks since he last saw her. It had felt like a lifetime. His seduction was halted by the small cough from the doorway. Their paid house elf - who had really done all the decorating - was waiting to announce a guest.

"Mr Malfoy to see you sir." Blaise sighed and stood, lifting Hermione off him and onto the floor in front of him to hide the evidence of her homecoming.

"Let him in." Moments later there was the man in question.

Draco had eyes only for Hermione.

"She didn't want me there," was all he said. Blaise watched, disbelieving as Hermione crossed the room to Draco, wrapping her arms around him in a brief hug before calling for Tolly, their elf, to make up a room for Draco. Evidently, he would be spending Christmas with them.

Hermione had gone up to bed half an hour before, leaving Draco and Blaise together in the living room in uncomfortable silence. She hoped to forced them into a reconciliation. Draco needed male friends if only to have someone to talk to about Quidditch. She couldn't find any interest in the sport beyond cheering for her friends when they were playing. Draco avidly followed the matches, reading out the Quidditch report every Tuesday from the Daily Prophet until Hermione had screeched at him, "I don't care!" and stormed out of the common room last Tuesday. She had later apologised and explained Ron would do the same thing. It was the only time he read the paper.

"Have you finished your Potions assignment?" Blaise asked after a tense and silent minute. He winced at how the question came out, making him sound like an overbearing father.

Draco cleared his throat. "Yes, but you know how Hermione is. She keeps going over and over it. She's looking for ways to improve it."

"Have you slept with her?" Blaise demanded suddenly. The question could not be kept in any longer. He'd been dying to ask either of them for weeks. Never once had Hermione seemed guilty but there was no denying how much her relationship with Draco had grown. At the end of the day, he had known Hermione for less then a year, he didn't know when she was lying and when she was telling the truth. As far as he knew she had never lied to him. Hermione, as a rule, was a very honest person. But if she did choose to lie to him, he wouldn't know, would he? He knew Draco was such a good liar that he probably wouldn't be able to tell it Draco chose to lie about it, but he was counting on the fact that Draco would either want to brag if it had happened or he wouldn't want to risk damaging his friendship with Hermione by lying to Blaise about being with her just to needle him.

"No," Draco answered, a second too late to be wholly believable.

"You have, you son of a bitch!" Blaise jumped out of his chair while Draco calmly remained seating.

"I won't dispute you about the bitch comment but I assure you, I haven't slept with your wife."

Blaise didn't miss the subtle inflection. They hadn't slept together, but something had happened. He felt sick. He didn't want to talk to Draco about this anymore.

"I'm going to bed," he said, leaving Draco on his own and stomping up the stairs to the room he shared with his wife.

"Did you kiss Draco?" he demanded of Hermione. She was sitting up in bed, reading a book. She closed it and put it on the bedside table. "You did, didn't you?"

"He kissed me."

Blaise felt like his head, his heart, his whole body was going to explode with anger and jealousy.

"I kissed him back." Hermione sat silently, waiting for Blaise's reaction.

"Get out," he said. Hermione froze on the bed, not daring to move. She had never seen him so angry. "I said get out."

"No, let's talk about it. It was the night I fought with Ginny. I was upset."

Blaise was at the side of the bed in an instant. He ripped back the bed cloths and grabbed Hermione's arm. He hauled her bodily from the bed and shoved her out the door. "I said get out of my fucking house."

A/N Coming to the end, only a few chapters left. Thank you so much to everyone still reading.