A/N: A big thank you for all your wonderful reviews. I appreciate it more than you know. You'll get a little more Caroline and Blaise interaction in this one. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All characters (except Caroline) belong to JKR.

*****

Chapter 28

Hermione went ahead and joined Narcissa and Caroline for breakfast. About a half-hour later, Draco strode into the Great Hall wearing his Quidditch uniform. He spotted his three favorite women and straddled the bench where they were sitting. Caroline was sitting on her knees and leaning over the table on her elbows as usual. On her plate were two fried eggs and several strips of bacon making a smiley face.

Caroline took a big swig of milk that left a white mustache on her upper lip. She wiped her mouth with her sleeve much to the chagrin of Narcissa.

"Please use a napkin, Caroline." She handed a napkin to the little girl.

"What for? My sleeve is clean enough."

"Well, now it isn't," Narcissa said with a groan.

Hermione was giving Draco the once-over. The uniform fit him snugly in all the right places. Even though he had not played Quidditch for a few years, you would never know by looking at his body. It was still as toned and taut as ever, maybe even more so since his days at Hogwarts. Hermione wanted him…in a bad way.

"You want me, Granger?" Draco noticed the dark look in her eyes as she licked her lips. "I see you eye fucking me," he whispered in her ear so that no one else could hear.

She smirked up at him. "You wish." She turned around and continued to eat her breakfast.

"Yes, I do," he admitted. "Maybe you can help me celebrate our victory after the game."

"What if you don't win?" asked Hermione.

"Then you can 'comfort' me after our devastating loss. It's a win-win," he said with a crooked smile.

Caroline was gnawing on a piece of bacon. "Wow, cool costume, Daddy."

"It's a Quidditch uniform, Caroline."

"You look like a superhero. You know, like the cartoons. You fly around and beat up bad guys. Do you have a super power, Daddy?"

"Don't go there." Hermione gave him a warning look. The set up was too easy. He raised his eyebrows up once in a teasing manner and smiled.

Blaise was sitting across from them sniggering. Luna was anxious to go back to her packing so she left after their very long and very hot shower. Blaise promised to visit her that night so he could properly say good-bye to her…and the chair.

Ignoring all others at the table, Draco took both Hermione's hands into his and looked into her deep chocolate eyes.

"Marry me," he whispered. He then kissed each knuckle waiting for her answer.

"No," she said simply.

"Why not?"

"I'd have to be totally lacking any shred of sanity and completely out of my mind to say 'yes' to you."

"That, my love, can be arranged," he said huskily in her ear. She shivered because she knew it was true.

It wasn't really that she was opposed to marrying him, it was just she didn't want to marry him so soon. She thought the relationship was moving a little too fast for her comfort. There was no doubt he was rocking her world. But, she liked to see him sweat and was going to drag this out as long as she could.

Caroline interrupted their thoughts. "Teddy told me all about Quidditch. He said you were a seeker, and you had to catch the Golden Snatch."

Blaise choked on his coffee and laughed. "I think you already did that, didn't you Draco?" Now it was Draco's turn to give Blaise a warning look. But then he cracked a smile. Hermione looked at both of them in disgust, her face turning a light pink color.

Draco tried to straighten his face. "It's called a Golden Snitch, Cupcake, not a snatch."

"Then what's a snatch?" asked the innocent Caroline.

Narcissa didn't care for where this line of conversation was heading. "Let's just change the subject, shall we?"

Ignoring Narcissa's request, Blaise smiled at Caroline. "Let's just say, girls have them, boys don't."

"Zabini, you're not helping," Draco said with a scowl.

Caroline thought for a moment. "You mean like boobies?" She took a bite of her toast as she heard her grandmother gasp.

Blaise choked on his eggs and shook his head. "No, not those." By then several others at the table were now interested in their conversation.

"Caroline, that's enough," warned Hermione.

"Or, do you mean like a vagina?" Caroline dragged out the word, 'va-gi-na' and said it a little louder than necessary.

Narcissa gasped again and looked like she was about to pass out. Hermione put her hands over her face and wished the floor would swallow her up. Half the hall heard the little girl and started laughing and snickering. Draco just stared at his daughter with his mouth agape.

"Where did you hear that?"

"I saw it on television. South Park I think."

"What were you doing watching South Park?" Draco asked. He had never seen the show, and he doubted Hermione would let her watch it.

She pointed toward Blaise. "He let me watch it once." Blaise tried to hide his face with his hand and looked away.

"What are you doing corrupting my child?" scolded Hermione. "What were you thinking?"

"It was a cartoon," Blaise explained. "I didn't know it was so raunchy. I turned it off after I realized what type of show it was."

Oblivious to the adults' comments, Caroline continued. "And I know what the real word is for a doogee. It's called a pe…" Draco quickly clamped his hand over her mouth, scooped her up by the waist and started to leave.

"I think it's time we go. You've provided enough entertainment for the morning."

She started to wiggle and protest. "But I'm not finished." She still had one egg left on her plate and a half full glass of milk.

"Oh yes, you're more than finished." And he whisked her out the Great Hall with his green Quidditch robes billowing behind him.

*****

After breakfast, everyone was heading toward the pitch. It was very cold outside, so Hermione bundled Caroline up complete with mittens, hat and scarf. Gryfinndor's maroon and gold scarf, that is.

Draco gingerly removed the scarf and replaced it with a green and silver one. Hermione took the offending green and silver scarf off her daughter and wrapped the maroon and gold one around Caroline's neck once again. Draco took his scarf and wrapped it around Caroline's neck after he removed the maroon and gold one. This went on for several rounds. Caroline was getting sick of it, looked up at both of them, threw both scarves on the floor and stomped away.

"Keep your bloody scarves," she yelled over her shoulder as she left through the front doors following Blaise and Stefan.

"Why that little…" Draco started to say. He couldn't finish his sentence because Hermione wrapped her scarf around his neck and pulled him close to her. She silenced him by kissing him heatedly. Holding the scarf tightly, she wasn't about to let him go.

Forgetting all about Caroline, he grabbed Hermione's waist, pulled her close so that she molded into him and snogged her back within an inch of her life. Quidditch? What Quidditch?

After the few stragglers left the hall, Draco and Hermione finally realized they were the only ones left.

"You don't know how badly I want to take you into that broom closet over there," said Draco. His breathing was ragged.

"I know, but your public awaits," she teased as she led him outside grumbling.

"I don't think you realize how difficult it is to ride a broom with a hard-on."

"And you know this...how?" asked Hermione.

"Just a guess," said Draco with a shrug.

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

*****

Caroline galloped ahead of Blaise and Stefan but kept within their sight. Stefan was trying to talk Blaise into going on a double-date with him and the Patel twins.

"I know how you prefer blondes, but this is just a date, Blaise."

"It's not that. It's just that I want to take a break from women, you know?"

"Not really, but whatever you want. Just let me know when you're horny enough to change your mind," said Stefan with a smirk.

Blaise rolled his eyes at his cousin and looked at Caroline just as she tripped and fell ahead of them. He and Stefan ran up to her to see if she was alright.

She was sitting on the ground hugging her knee. "Are you okay?" asked Blaise. He looked at her ripped jeans and blood coming from the wound. She wasn't crying, and she seemed more annoyed at ripping her jeans than concerned about her injury.

Blaise took out his wand and started to heal the wound.

"Stop," she said. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm going to fix your knee. What else would I be doing?"

"Leave it alone. I don't want you to heal it."

"Why not?" Blaise was confused.

"Because I won't be able to use my new Sponge Bob bandages if you fix my knee. I've been waiting a long time to use them."

Blaise looked up at Stefan and shook his head. "I'll never understand kids."

"I don't even attempt to," said Stefan.

Blaise turned back to Caroline. "Okay, I won't heal your knee, but let me at least get it covered until you get home and use your new bandages. Deal?"

"Oh, alright," said Caroline. "If you gotta."

"Come on," said Stefan. "We need to hurry up if we're going to get good seats."

After her knee was covered she ran ahead of the two wizards. She found a rock to kick on the way down to the pitch. But it was a strange looking rock.

She stopped kicking it and stooped down to take a better look. It wasn't a rock at all, but a small square velvet box. Blaise and Stefan walked up behind her, curious to see what she was looking at.

"What did you find there, Caroline?"asked Stefan.

"It's some kind of box," said Caroline. She took off her mittens, opened the box and gasped. In it was the engagement ring with emeralds and diamonds. "Look at this!"

She stood and showed the two men what she found.

"Isn't that Grandmother Zabini's engagement ring?" asked Stefan. "Is that what you threw off the astronomy tower last night?"

Blaise sighed and nodded.

Stefan looked back toward the astronomy tower. "Wow, you've got a good arm."

"So these are your family jewels?" asked Caroline. Stefan snorted.

"I guess you could say that," said Blaise.

"I always thought you kept those in your pants."

Stefan laughed. "Sometimes they need to come out for air."

"Shut up, Stefan," warned Blaise.

Caroline held out the box with the ring out to Blaise. "Here, you better put it back, so you don't lose it."

"No, you keep it," said Blaise.

"Oh, no. It doesn't belong to me." She then held out the box for Stefan to take.

He waved it away. "No way. I'm never getting engaged. You keep it. Finders keepers."

She looked down at the pretty ring. No, it wasn't just pretty, it was gorgeous. The gems sparkled in the sunlight. Many witches would give their eye teeth to have a ring like that.

"No, I can't keep it," she said. "It's too pretty, and it looks like it costs a lot of money. I might lose it."

Blaise knelt down to her level. She was wearing a gold necklace with a heart pendant. He unclasped the necklace and threaded chain through the ring. He then re-clasped it. The ring dangled next to the heart pendant.

"There, now you won't have to worry about losing it," said Blaise with a wink.

"Thanks, Blaise," said Caroline as she hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Does this mean we're engaged?"

"Absolutely not!" he laughed. "I'm never getting engaged or married for that matter."

"Mummy always says 'never say never'."

*****

"Never," said Hermione answering the question Draco asked for the fourth time that day. "I'll never marry you."

Draco and Hermione were one of the last ones to reach the pitch. He had his arm around her shoulder possessively. Hermione would never admit it to him, but she liked it.

"You will say 'yes' by the end of the night," Draco said with a twinkle in his eyes. "I have my ways."

That's what she was afraid of.