A/N: Hello my lovely readers! I will be updating this every M/W/F until it's all up. At the moment, I have an ending at 32 chapters and while I love the ending and the direction I took the story in, I can't keep thinking about the what-if's. So I'll be working on a deleted scene one shot and an alternate ending. I will let you know more about them once they are written and the story's done.

Enjoy!

TWENTY-TWO

Patience is a Virtue

Hermione had been in a funk for the past few days. He had come home from work to find her so wrapped up on in thoughts on the couch she hadn't even heard him come in. He thought she was going to jump out of her skin when he touched her, bringing her to reality. She had asked meekly for a cravings potion, but said nothing else.

He let her keep to herself for the rest of the night. As much as he wanted to know what was going on in that brain of hers, he knew better than to push her. By the time she woke up Sunday morning, she was almost back to normal.

And what a wake up it had been. The first sight of the day was Hermione's lips wrapped around his cock. He was nearly buried to the hilt against her tongue. She hummed her greeting when she noticed him stir. It hadn't been long after that before his release poured down her throat.

The rest of the morning had been him returning the favor and then copious amounts of coitus. Only the growl of their stomachs brought them out of bed for the day. They had one last round in the shower before finding themselves in the kitchen eating whatever he could whip up out of what remained in the fridge.

It was at the table that they started discussing the holidays. She told him about the Ministry party she'd agreed for them to go to and then mentioned shopping. He had assumed it was for clothes, but he discovered quickly that she meant for gifts.

That was how he found himself in and out of every single shop Diagon Alley had to offer. He had never pegged Hermione as someone who liked to shop, but quickly came to realize that she meant to shop for everyone in one afternoon. And that was no easy feat considering she was shopping for the entire Weasley clan.

By the time the sun was about to disappear for the day, they had only each other to shop for and his mother. "What should I even get her?" she asked him as they browsed a shop filled with little trinkets.

"I never even know what to get her," he mumbled.

"Draco, please? I want to make a good impression."

"She already likes you."

"Draco…"

He sighed and rubbed at his face. "Can we shop for her another day? We still have two weeks to go. I promise we'll find her something when I'm not all shopped out."

"Thank you," she said and reached up to kiss his cheek.

"Merlin, Hermione, did you buy the whole store?"

Hermione's lips froze on Malfoy's cheek at the sound of Ginny's voice. She swallowed thickly and then forced a smile to her lips before turning around. "Just getting my Christmas shopping done."

"I can see that. Hello, Malfoy."

"Weaselette," he greeted.

"I thought it was Potter?" she teased.

He shrugged, the bags groaning in his hands. "It changes."

She smiled and then twisted her head as if searching for something. "Harry and I were doing a bit of shopping ourselves. We were about to grab dinner at the Leaky. Care to join us?"

"We should really get this home," Hermione said.

"Malfoy can put them in his office or Apparate them home and then come back. Right?"

"We'll meet you at the Leaky," he assured her. "Half an hour?"

"Perfect, I'll tell Harry," she said and walked away.

Draco led Hermione out of the store and Apparated them away once they got to the street. He set the man bags on the floor and flexed his fingers. "You sure you want to go back?"

"If we don't, she'll just come here."

"She is quite relentless." He watched her pace. "Hermione?"

She sighed and waved her hand. "I know I'd have to see him eventually, but I was thinking that would be at the party. Not at the Leaky. Not without any sort of mental preparation." She placed her head in her hands and sought him out to bury them further into his chest. "Isn't it weird for you?"

"Having dinner with my girlfriend and my former rival, of which I fucked the former with the latter all in the company of said rival's wife? No," he teased. "Not weird at all."

She swatted his side, but found herself laughing as she pulled away. "I walked in on them on Friday."

"Is that why you were-"

"No," she said quickly. "I got the letter from the Ministry and went to see if Ginny wanted to go shopping. I used the Floo and they were fucking on the arm of the sofa."

Draco tried his hardest to keep from laughing, but the humor was plain as day on his face. "So it won't be as awkward at dinner then."

"I'm not done."

His brow quirked up. "Oh, please do continue."

"I went to the kitchen to make tea to distract myself and Harry wasn't far behind. He mentioned wanting the three of us to have another go."

She hung her head as if expecting him to be mad. He closed the distance between them and tilted her face up. "And what did you tell him?"

"I didn't really say anything."

"Would you want to?"

Her eyelids fluttered as his thumb stroked her jaw. "I…maybe…"

He leaned in and captured her lips with his. "Just say the word and we'll arrange it. Maybe after the holidays."

She smiled against his lips and then cleared her throat and stepped away. He could tell there was more that she hadn't said, but he trusted her enough to let it go. "We should go," she said.

"Or maybe we could stay here and I could bend you over the arm of the couch. You said she would come here to get you, yes? We could return the favor."

He watched as she shuddered from head to toe and looked at him as if considering for a second, but then shook her head. "Next time."

"I'll hold you to that," he said and grabbed her hand before Apparating them back to his office. From there, they made their way to the Leaky.

Potter and his wife were already inside. They had gotten a booth and he ushered Hermione into the side opposite the couple before sliding into after her. "Potter," he said, resisting his urge to his rival uncomfortable.

"Malfoy," he returned.

"Did you have a nice chat?" Ginny asked, her eyes fixated on Hermione.

Draco watched he interaction curiously. Hermione swallowed and smiled. "We just brought the gifts home like you suggested."

"Ah," she replied and shrugged.

"I saw that you RSVP'd for the party," Potter said to Hermione.

"Surprised?"

"Yeah. You never go to those. Not even when you worked there."

She shrugged. "I just felt like going."

"Which reminds me, are you free to go shopping Wednesday?" Ginny asked. "It'll be just you and I. Lavender and Luna will be out of town that weekend to visit their families."

"Did Neville and Ron go too?" she asked.

Potter nodded. "They'll be there for Christmas at the Burrow."

"Looks like this weekend will just be the four of us," Ginny said, eyes blazing at Hermione. Draco watched as Hermione squirmed in her seat next to him and he had to shake his head. He could have sworn there was innuendo in the she-weasel's tone.

The barmaid came to take down their orders and when they returned to their conversation, he was relieved; mostly for Hermione's sake, that things had settled. Everything improved when the drinks arrived. Slowly, but steadily, the night turned into a normal one.

"Excuse me, Harry, I need to use the loo. Hermione?"

Hermione tensed for a moment, but then gestured for Draco to let her out. Both men stood and then returned to their seats when the witches were out of sight.

"So-" Potter began, but Draco cut him off.

"Hermione told me you asked her for another go. It was a very good night for all of us, but I thought I made myself very clear, Potter. Hermione and I decide together if we want to add someone to our bed. And when that decision is made, then and only then, will the invitation be extended."

Potter's lips pressed into a thin line and there was a faint tinge of red on his cheeks as he lowered his gaze to his beer.

"Do not approach her about it again." The finality in his tone lingered between the two of them and neither uttered another word while they waited for the witches to return.

Hermione followed Ginny to the loo. She stood by the sinks as Ginny locked herself in a stall. "Why haven't you talked to Malfoy?" she asked from inside the stall.

"Can't this wait until after the holidays?"

"I spooked you, didn't I?" she asked.

"Yes." There was a flush and then Ginny came out to wash her hands. "It's just a lot all at once, alright? I went from being your husband's mistress for a very long time, to sleeping with both him and Draco, to only Draco, to a threesome, to finding out you knew, to your proposition for a foursome," Hermione said in one breath, feeling winded just from saying it aloud. "And it hasn't even been a full bloody month!"

Ginny's eyes were gleaming with laughter, but she nodded her head while drying her hands on a towel. "I wonder what that must feel like," she said. "To be that desired you complain about it."

"Ginny-"

"Did you ever fuck my husband in our marriage bed?"

"Ginny!" Hermione was mortified, but knew better than to leave. Not when she was flushed beyond reason. "No."

"Even before it was our marriage bed?"

"Merlin," she muttered to herself. "No. It was always in my room."

"My son's room."

Hermione covered her face with her hands as the heat reached the tips of her ears.

"Relax, Mione," Ginny said, reaching up to take her hands from her face.

"Relax? You've always been too blunt for your own good. Are you planning to lord this over my head for all eternity?"

"Probably," she replied and then chuckled. "I'll stop, I promise. I wish I would have said something sooner. Before Malfoy. Then you could have joined us without any sort of complications."

Hermione tore her hands away from Ginny and backed up until she hit the door. "You know what, I'm tired of being propositioned it public bathrooms," she said as she opened the door.

Ginny was hot on her heels and cut her off before they came into view of their table. She placed her right hand on Hermione's chest and let her fingertips wander down in a barely-there caress. "Challenge accepted."

Hermione groaned as the red-headed witch disappeared. That was not what she had meant, but it was too late now. She needed to have that talk with Draco sooner rather than later. If there was one thing she knew about Ginny, it was that she was not a patient woman.

She slid back into the booth when Draco stood up to let her in. Their food had arrived a moment after they sat down and true to her word, Ginny went about making normal conversation. Things between the boys seemed a bit tense and she had a feeling she knew why.

By the time they were ready to part ways, they were all on relatively good terms. "We'll have to do this more often," Ginny said as she stepped up to wrap Hermione in a hug. "Just the four of us."

"We'll see," Hermione replied and hugged her back.

She watched as Ginny moved to Malfoy and he stuck out her hand. She batted it away with a laugh and moved to hug him as well. Hermione looked away and locked eyes with Harry. She moved forward on instinct and they ended up in a very awkward embrace. When she stepped back, Malfoy's arm wrapped around her waist just a bit tighter than normal. He tipped his head to Harry and then the couples parted ways.

"That was interesting."

"Did you say something to Harry?"

"Of course. Should I not have?"

She smiled and shook her head. "No, I'm glad you did."

"And what about you and Weaselette? Things seemed a little off with her tonight."

Hermione waved her hand dismissively. "Don't pay attention to her."

He stared at her with an unreadable expression, but didn't comment. Instead, he Apparated them home and placed a kiss to forehead before letting her go. "Well, now we know what to expect at the party."

She nodded, but her stomach churned with anxiety. Ginny had made it abundantly clear that she had no idea what to expect at the party and her time to tell Draco on her own terms was running out. Not wanting to think about it anymore, she grabbed his hand and led him to the bedroom for a much-needed distraction.