Back again, thanks for reading! Time for everyone to put their cards on the table! As always, JKR owns it, I just temporarily borrow it.

…

…

Chapter Sixteen

…

Hermione nervously clutched her handbag tighter as she approached the door to Draco's office, the place where she'd first made her spontaneous proposal. It was almost poetic that it ended here too. They'd arranged to meet earlier that day so that they could sign their divorce papers. She was dreading the moment when they filed it and the Prophet got wind of their separation. Being a target of the press was nothing new for Hermione, but it still wasn't pleasant.

Sophie had been left behind with Molly, who was taking the little girl to the nearby town to visit their local library. There was a small section hidden in the back corner filled with popular wizarding stories, charmed to look like reference books for any passing muggles. At least her little girl was happy.

Hermione, on the other hand, was a bundle of nerves.

Her hand was shaking as she lifted it, pausing over the surface of the door. Her mind spun in a panic for a moment as she drew her courage around her like a cloak. Hadn't she just told Sophie recently about what it meant to be a Gryffindor? Having faith in oneself? Bracing herself, Hermione knocked, trying to make it sound sharp and professional and not like she was falling apart with anxiety.

"Come in," a voice called out, so Hermione eased the door open and slipped inside. And there he was. Devastatingly handsome and unfairly blessed with a calm, composed exterior. She wasn't sure if he was feeling as tense as she was on the inside, but she was certain that he knew damn well how to hide it.

"Hi," he greeted her, moving around to the front of his desk. He was wearing what was undoubtedly a ridiculously expensive, custom-made suit, his hands tucked into his pockets as he leaned casually back against the edge of the desk.

"Hello," Hermione murmured, gripping the strap of her handbag as she sidled closer. There was a slight, awkward pause before Draco cleared his throat and forced a half smile on his face.

"How's Sophie?" he asked softly, and it tugged at her heartstrings that he cared so much about her little girl.

"She's good," Hermione replied, wishing that her voice wasn't so hoarse, "she…um… she misses her kittens. And you."

Draco nodded, his expression showing a little more sadness now. But he seemed to shake it off, returning her gaze intently.

"And you? How are you?"

There was something about his tone that made her stomach do a flip. She swallowed and nodded, giving him a shaky smile.

"I'm okay."

He examined her searchingly for a moment, and she felt like he was looking right through her as his eyes peered up and down as though conducting an inspection.

"I…er…brought the paperwork with me," she blurted out, feeling nervous under his focused gaze. She dropped her eyes and fumbled in her bag for the parchment. Vaguely she heard Draco take a step closer and her hands trembled as she drew out the divorce documents.

"Hermione-"

He started to speak, but she felt a twist of fear in her gut, prompting her to jump in and interrupt him before he could say anything that might persuade her against doing this.

"-I've signed and initialled everything already," she informed him briskly, "you just have to sign your name on the highlighted pages and tap the seal with your wand and then it will be filed with the charmed licence department automatically."

When Draco didn't say anything, Hermione licked her lips and raised her eyes back up to his. She was holding the parchment out, wishing that her hand wasn't trembling so noticeably. Draco's gaze was fixed on her with such intensity that it made her shuffle her feet from side to side uncomfortably.

"Draco? Will you…um…sign?"

She kept holding out the documents waiting for him to take them, but they just hovered uncertainly in the air between them. He took another step towards her. Then, slowly, he raised his hand and grasped onto them. Hermione quickly lowered hers to her side, clenching it into a fist. Draco stared down at the parchment, his face eerily blank as he read through each of the articles. Hermione was starting to grow unsettled by his silence. She shifted self-consciously, reaching into her pocket and fingering the metal object there, drawing it out slowly.

"You should… um… probably take this too."

Hermione stepped in close and, with a fit of courage, touched his hand. She lifted it up, pressing the undoubtedly priceless Malfoy wedding ring into his palm before rolling his hand closed around it. Draco stared at the ring for an endless moment, his face stricken and pale. After what seemed like an eternity, he turned and placed it on his desk with a gentle hand.

"No."

Hermione's eyes widened in shock as he turned back towards her, muttering the word with surprising force.

"You… what?"

"I said… no."

Taking the divorce papers in his hands, he ripped them in two, straight down the middle. She stared at the shredded parchment in horror.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Draco's gaze was like fire when he looked at her.

"If you want to divorce me, you're going to have to sue me."

"Is this a joke?"

"Not at all. I've never been more serious."

Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Then have you gone mad?"

Draco shrugged, circling back around beside his desk.

"Maybe."

He turned around to get a glass of scotch and Hermione gaped at the back of his head, her mouth hanging open in disbelief.

"Excuse me!" she insisted, grabbing his shoulder and forcing him to face her again. They both looked down at the damaged parchment in his hands. In a sudden fit of frustration, Draco grabbed the paper tighter, ripping it again and again until it was torn into tiny pieces, at which point he threw them, each fragment floating around them in the air like confetti.

"What's wrong with you?" Hermione yelled, drawing her wand out of her pocket to try and repair the damage, even though logically she knew it was a magical document immune to all charms. Draco grabbed her wrist, stopping her from casting the spell. He held onto her tightly, pulling her in close and gazing at her with such anguish and determination that she froze in shock.

"I won't let you do this, Hermione."

"We had an agreement-"

"To hell with the agreement!" he shouted, moving his hands to grasp her shoulders.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked him in confusion, her face twisting with emotion as she tried to grapple with what was happening.

"Listen to me," Draco murmured, leaning in so close she could feel his breath on her cheek, "You don't…I'm not…"

He sighed and paused to collect his thoughts. The next words he spoke made her heart clench in pure terror and ripped all the air from her lungs.

"Hermione…"

Pause.

"I'm going to save you."

…

…

Draco had definitely lost it.

He'd meant to stay cool and collected. It had all been part of his plan. Remain calm, politely decline the divorce papers and then logically present Hermione with her options and argue his case for them to stay together so that he could look after her. But instead he'd let his emotions get the better of him. He'd just been filled with such a terrible wave of despair over seeing her. She looked so tired and almost gaunt. And he was also angry at her for insisting on this stupid separation when he knew she had a better chance of defeating this if she just let him in and allowed him to help her. So rather than refuse to sign them, he'd lost his temper and had ripped the damn parchment to shreds and yelled at her instead.

Nice one, Draco. Real smooth.

Gritting his teeth and cursing his own impetuousness, Draco relaxed his grip on Hermione's shoulders, running his thumbs over her arms and letting out a long exhale to steady his nerves.

"I can save you," he whispered again, only this time more gently. His face was screwed up as a defensive mask against the misery that was threatening to break through. It was agony just looking at Hermione and knowing that she'd been sick all this time. And knowing that he'd been a fool for not noticing the internal conflict that must have been raging inside her, which now seemed so obvious.

"Wha-" Hermione began to stammer out a question, but her words faded and died and she just ended up gazing at him in shock and dismay, her face turning even more pale than it already was. Draco swallowed and closed his eyes for a second, trying not to get overwhelmed by his grief. When he opened them she was still staring at him in horrified confusion.

"You saved me, Hermione. You made me feel alive again. So I'm going to save you."

She seemed to finally find her voice, shaking her head numbly at him in response.

"I don't know what you're talking abou-"

"Enough!" he yelled, his face scrunched up in pain, "stop lying to me. I know, damnit. I know everything!"

"Then you know I can't be saved!" she retorted stubbornly. He shook his head, licking his lips and leaning in closer.

"I don't believe that," he muttered, but Hermione just groaned and dropped her shoulders.

"You don't understand. I've tried. I've done everything I can-"

"Well you need to try harder then!"

Hermione shook her head slowly, as if she were too tired to even lift it.

"You know it's not that simple, Draco. It's over. The potion didn't work."

Draco grit his teeth and grasped her forearms gently in his hands.

"You frustrating, maddening…" he muttered, "I won't let you give up. I won't."

Hermione dropped her head with a whimper and he thought he saw her eyes start to turn a bit glassy.

"How did you find out?" she whispered in a throaty voice.

"Does it matter?"

She lifted her gaze then and it was a bit accusing for a moment, but mostly the fight seemed to have gone out of her body. She just looked listless and resigned. Draco forged ahead in the face of her stubborn silence.

"You knew didn't you? When you suggested we get married, you knew you were sick already."

When she didn't answer, but merely stared at him in anguish, he stroked her arms once more, almost reassuringly, but then grasped on tighter.

"Tell me," he insisted more firmly.

Hermione's eyes blurred with gathering tears as she regarded him silently. Eventually she nodded, a movement so slight he almost didn't notice.

"Yes," she breathed, as if admitting it cost her everything she had. Draco's hands involuntarily tightened on her arms at her clear confirmation of what he'd already suspected, "Yes I knew."

Draco clenched his eyes shut for a moment.

"You should have told me. I would have-"

"You would have what? We barely knew each other then, not really. I hadn't seen you since the war and I was… I was desperate. So tell me what you could have done differently! Because I've read every book, I took all my potions like clockwork, I prayed and prayed for a miracle even though I knew nobody was listening. What else was I supposed to do?"

Draco trembled with anger and terror, the lump in his throat growing painful as he swallowed.

"I don't know, Hermione, I don't bloody know! But you could have died!"

"Exactly. I didn't want to drag you down with me," she cried, the first tear slipping free from her lashes, "we were supposed to just go our separate ways and you were supposed to move on with your life. We had a plan!"

"Like hell!" he exclaimed in disgust, "if you need my money so bad then you can have it. Take all of it. But don't you dare tell me you want to do this alone. I'm not letting you die, Hermione."

"Stop it!" she yelled, sobbing and gasping as she struggled in his grasp, "that's not fair Draco! You think you can sweep in and make promises you can't keep?"

"I'm your husband-"

"No you're not," she insisted firmly, her voice thick from crying, "I married you because I needed your money-"

"Yeh, well I bloody well fell in love with you after that, didn't I? Which either makes me the biggest fool on the planet or…or…" he sighed and grit his teeth to get the next part out despite his nerves, "or you felt the same way too. And you're just scared."

Hermione sobbed again, hanging her head so that she wouldn't have to meet his eye.

"God damnit Draco! Do you have any idea how hard this has been for me? What I've been going through? I just wanted to…" she let out a tiny, high-pitched whine, "I've finally accepted this. I've just started coming to terms with what will happen so that I can focus on Sophie…"

Draco's chest tightened painfully and he lost his breath for a second. The mention of the little girl was the only thing that could have penetrated his anger in that moment, and it did.

"I know," he crooned, leaning in closer and rubbing his hands over her shoulders, "I know, Hermione. I'm sorry."

He thought about what she'd said and how afraid she must be. She was certainly acting like someone in full defensive mode. With a pained grimace he leant his forehead against hers.

"If you want the divorce so bad, then I'll do it. I'll sign the papers. But you have to promise me one thing, Hermione."

"What?" she asked with a weak sniffle.

"Promise me that you'll stay. Married or not. You'll stay and let me take care of you."

When Hermione just started crying again and shaking her head, Draco cradled her face in his hands, forcing her to meet his eye.

"Promise me," he urged, watching her start to fall apart right in front of him. Her sobs grew until her whole body was shaking and she started to pound her fists gently against his chest, not to cause pain but just out of what appeared to be a sense of helplessness. He held her wrists softly, halting her movements and drawing her closer.

"I mean it, Hermione. I'm going to take care of you," he told her breathily. When he said this, the curly-haired witch collapsed against him, burying her head against his shoulder and letting go of her grief. She wailed and cried, trembling in his arms while he held her. As she grew weaker from her grief and he could no longer support her, together they sunk to the ground in a heap of limbs, embracing so tightly he lost all sense of where he ended and she began.

Draco didn't have a great deal of experience when it came to giving comfort. Not to mention he was riddled with his own devastation and didn't really know how to handle it. So he just did what felt natural. He ran his hands over her back, stroking her hair and murmuring nonsense into her ear as he held her.

She felt so small and trusting in his arms, and Draco closed his eyes for a moment, wishing so hard that if he could just hold onto her tight enough then he could keep her here forever.

But he knew that he couldn't. Sooner or later Draco would have to face the fact that she was going to leave him.

But he refused to think about that today.

Today he would just hold her and not let go of her or his hope, even if it destroyed him in the end.

…

…

Lavender heaved the last bag out of the fireplace, wishing she were better at lightening charms. This final one was probably full of books, knowing Hermione. Taking a look around Draco's frankly ridiculous mansion, she snorted. A girl would have to be crazy to give this up. And as the blond wizard in question himself walked into the room, she looked him up and down with a low whistle. You'd have to be crazy to get rid of all that too.

Draco smiled at her, although it was a little strained.

"Thanks for all your help, Lavender," he told her, reaching forward and relieving her of the bag. He tapped it once sharply with his own wand, instantly reducing its weight to no more than a feather. Lavender scowled at his easy charms work.

"Maybe your thanks could come in the form of a stiff drink," she grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest, but a smile twitched at her lips.

"Of course," Draco chuckled, flicking his wand with a summons until a glass flew into her waiting hand.

"Ooh, fancy," she noted, taking a sip of the wine he'd delivered and enjoying its smooth woody tone. The bottle it came from was probably worth more than an entire year's rent in her little apartment.

"Is that everything?" he asked, gesturing to the bag he'd taken from her.

"Yep, that's the last one. She's all packed and moved back in."

Draco smiled then, although once more it was tinged with sadness and she knew they were both thinking the same thing. That this might very possibly be the place where Hermione would now see out the rest of her days. She had moved from place to place like a nomad these last few years so as not to be too easily traced by the goblins at the bank. But today…well, it was likely that this would be the last time she moved.

"So…" Lavender began, gulping down the wine as if it wasn't only ten in the morning, "how did you finally manage to persuade Hermione to give this marriage a real go?"

"I don't really know. To be perfectly honest, she took… a lot of convincing," he admitted with an awkward shrug but Lavender just waved him off.

"Nonsense. She always wanted to be here. She just needed a little push."

"A big push," Draco mumbled, making her snort in agreement.

The flames started to turn green behind them, making a whooshing sound that signalled that someone was connecting with it via the floo network. Knowing that their time alone would come to an end any second, Lavender stepped in close to the blond wizard and fixed him with her best protective friend glare.

"Listen, Malfoy," she muttered, using his last name on purpose to sound more serious, "Mione doesn't have time for you to play games here, and Sophie deserves more than just some fickle come-and-go father. So you'd better be damn sure you're here for the right reasons. In sickness and in health, right?"

Draco blinked at her with wide eyes that were filled with feeling and compassion despite their cold grey colour.

"I love them both," he told her with such aching sincerity it lit a warm kind of fluttering sensation in her stomach, "I love them more than I ever thought possible. No matter what happens, I'm here to stay."

She glared at him for one more moment before suddenly letting a bright smile onto her face. She saw him look at her with confusion at the unexpected change.

"I thought so. Just wanted to be sure."

Draco dragged a hand through his blond hair, chuckling and shaking his head in bemusement.

"You're a good friend, Lavender," he told her wryly, "scary, but good."

Their conversation was cut short then by the arrival of two figures through the floo. Hermione emerged with Sophie clutching onto her hand. She'd gone to pick the little girl up from the Burrow earlier, with Lavender promising to bring the rest of her stuff over in her absence. Now she watched her friend with undisguised interest and concern as the brunette witch stepped out of the fireplace and into the room. She was looking tired and emotionally fraught, but was clearly trying to hold it together for the sake of her daughter.

Sophie was a different story entirely. The little girl took one look at Draco standing there waiting for their arrival and let out a high-pitched squeal of delight.

"DRACO!"

Lavender winced at the sheer volume Sophie's voice, the sound ringing in her ears long after she'd disentangled herself from her mother and raced forwards. She watched with open curiosity as Draco's face lit up with obvious joy. He smiled and welcomed the girl forwards, lifting her up into the air and spinning her around.

"Oh boy did I miss you!" he declared happily as Sophie wrapped her arms around him and clutched onto his neck tightly.

"I missed you soooo much, Draco!" the little girl replied, cuddling into his neck.

"What am I, chopped liver?" Lavender grumbled, noting how the girl had completely ignored her in favour of greeting the blond wizard with such a rapturous embrace.

"Don't worry, Lav, you're not alone," Hermione reassured her with a friendly pat on the back, "When she's with Draco none of us really exist."

Lavender rolled her eyes and returned to watching the blond wizard talking to Sophie, as the little girl regaled him with stories of her time at the Burrow. She had clearly been looking forward to this moment for days, and it was all bubbling up and out of her. Eventually he hoisted her back down to her feet, giving her a cheeky wink.

"I think there are a couple of kittens in your bedroom who have been waiting impatiently for your arrival," he told her almost conspiratorially. Sophie squeaked in excitement and raced away at top speed.

"Chess! Shadow!" she sang as her little feet thundered up the stairs. Draco shook his head in wry amusement before turning back to the two of them. He noticed Hermione holding a small suitcase that belonged to her daughter and stepped forwards, an earnest expression on his face.

"Here, let me take that," he told her with a shy smile, their eyes connecting and their hands touching softly on the handle of the bag as she passed it over. Lavender got the distinct impression that she was intruding on some intensely private moment between the couple.

"Thank you," Hermione murmured, withdrawing her hand self-consciously as Draco lifted the bag onto his shoulder.

"I've prepared some dinner for us. Well… Roly did most of the work."

Hermione nodded mutely at him in response, looking incredibly nervous as if she really wasn't sure what to say in this situation.

"I'll… er… go help Sophie wash up," she offered eventually, shuffling nervously from foot to foot. Lavender stifled a sigh, wishing she could just bang their heads together or lock them in a room until all the awkwardness was gone.

"No, it's alright," Draco stopped her, "I'll help Sophie. You just relax and make yourself at home."

The wizard was watching her with such a painfully concerned, yearning gaze that Lavender couldn't even believe they weren't just falling into each other's arms. They were both hopeless, she huffed to herself.

"Okay," Hermione agreed timidly, and then they both fell silent again. Lavender looked between them, tapping her foot impatiently. It was then that Draco realised that she was still there in his home, watching this tense moment unfold with a judgmental glare. He cleared his throat and ran a hand self-consciously through his blond hair.

"Oh er… you're more than welcome to stay for dinner as well, Lavender," he told her politely if a little bit stiffly. She released a snort and gave them both a meaningful look.

"Thanks but no thanks," she told him with a sugary smile, "I think you two probably need some time alone to sort out all this rampant sexual tension."

Both faces in front of her flushed a dark, embarrassed shade of red, with matching expressions of mortification.

"Lavender," Hermione hissed at her, giving her a warning glare, but she just shrugged innocently.

"What? It's true. Carpe Diem, right?"

And with that she gave them a little wave, wiggling her fingers in an over the top gesture of farewell. Then she stepped into the fireplace and threw down enough powder to see her back to her apartment. As she turned back and watched them from inside the brick structure, Lavender had to chuckle to herself.

They were both looking like total virgins standing there avoiding each other's gaze and with crimson blushes spreading over their cheeks.

But she knew she was right, and they both needed to face facts sooner rather than later. Hopefully her very unsubtle hints would spark something between the two of them, preferably a real down to earth conversation or better yet, ripping each other's clothes to shreds once Sophie was in bed.

After all, Hermione may only have a finite number of opportunities left to really live her life. She needed to stop running away and to stop getting so scared by her own bloody shadow.

She needed Draco Malfoy.

And if that included the possibility of a nice, therapeutic shag… well, then that was exactly what Doctor Lavender prescribed.

Carpe Diem.

…

…

Go Lavender! Anyway, there we go. Living together again! We'll check in with them soon as see how they ease back into this! Please review!