Meeting present Hermione's wide, dark eyes, I held my hands up in surrender.
"Okay. I won't touch you, and we can skip the sex, but what's going on?"
Lifting her hands, she dashed the tears from her eyes. "It's just too much — seeing us together like this. It feels different than how I remembered it."
I swallowed, nearly able to feel her anguish.
"How?"
"You don't get it," she said. "For the past two years, whenever I've thought of us, I've focused on everything that was wrong." Pausing, she took a deep breath, trying to collect herself. "But then I see this — the exact things you said and the promises you made and the way you looked at me — and I remember all the good things. Everything else I've shown you so far, there was always something negative with it or I was fighting it—"
"Not Mykonos," I interrupted. "There was nothing bad there."
"In Mykonos, you told me that you didn't care how things between us ended," she pointed out. "And I kept saying that it wasn't real."
And of course she was right. She hadn't accepted it yet. At Christmas, the connection and happiness had been tempered by Andromeda's revelation. Here, in Paris, she'd gotten swept away. She'd given in, admitted that this was more than just sex.
"And, on top of all that, I can picture Astoria in my place now. You were there with her, in the same bed, a little more than a year later," she said, gesturing to where memory Hermione and Draco were tangled together. She squeezed her eyes shut. "When I saw that you'd been here with her, I collapsed again. The little bit of rebuilding I'd done since Christmas, it all fell apart."
Her words took the breath right out of me.
In that moment, I truly realised how much damage I'd done to her. If she was having difficulty with this nearly two years later, I couldn't even begin to imagine how she'd felt back then.
I didn't know how to comfort her without touching her, but given her earlier reaction, I could only assume that would make it worse. Thinking back to the day she'd taught me the photo enhancing charm — the way her hand had settled over mine, sending a shockwave through me — I understood why.
If we touched, there was no telling what would happen between us.
She wasn't ready to find out and, truth be told, neither was I.
Sure that I was looking at her with a stupid expression on my face, I struggled to find something to say. I'm sorry seemed wholly inadequate, but it was a start.
"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. She told me that I recognised the hotel because I'd been there with her," I said, looking straight at her. "I didn't know."
She nodded at me, wiping her eyes. "I know." After a second, something seemed to click in her mind. "You recognised it?"
"I did, but I could only remember coming here alone and looking at the room. I think it was before I even booked our stay."
"Just like the other Christmas presents," she murmured, seemingly to herself. "Of course."
Her gaze travelled back to the bed, locking on where memory Hermione and Draco were intertwined. As her tongue darted out to wet her lips, I watched her face, trying to read exactly what she was thinking.
I couldn't. She'd shut me out.
"So you're okay with moving this along, then?"
"Do what you need to do to get through it," I began. "I'll see the rest eventually."
She waved her hand and, instead of trying to catch glimpses of the memory speeding by us, I kept a close eye on her expressions, starting to wonder why this was easier for me than it was for her.
Granger must have felt me staring.
"I'm s-sorry," she said, her voice breaking. "I didn't think it would bother me. I didn't realise how much I'd forgotten."
How much she'd pushed down, more likely.
"It's okay," I replied, trying to soothe her in the only way I could. "We're just skipping the sex. We've already seen a lot of that before today."
But it seemed to go on forever. From the corner of my eye, I'd seen our memory selves change positions twice already. Memory Granger had started out riding him, then memory Draco had sat up, taking over the brunt of the work, and after memory Granger had come, he'd flipped her onto her back.
Abruptly, present Granger resumed the memory, and I was surprised to see they were still in bed. I watched as memory Granger laid on her stomach, her arms wrapped around a pillow. Memory Draco was on his side, gently running his hand up and down her back.
"Don't fall asleep," he said, making her smile. "I've not had my fill of you yet."
"Well, you'd better make me think, then."
He put on an expression of mock terror. "You? Thinking? Surely a woman as gorgeous as you are doesn't need to think."
She moved an arm out from under the pillow, slapping at him. It was playful and loving, the kind of behaviour that I remembered my parents partaking in when they thought no one else was looking.
It was the kind of partnership I'd longed for my whole life and knowing we'd shared that kind of connection made me feel a little wistful.
Gradually, memory Draco's hand on her back moved until only one finger remained pressed into her skin.
"Are you ready?" he asked, wiggling the finger and tickling her.
With a laugh, memory Granger said, "I'm always ready."
Memory Draco smirked, but he didn't take the bait. His finger started to move against her skin, drawing something. Her eyes fluttered shut, but I could tell she wasn't falling asleep.
"Thurisaz?"
"Of course," he replied, his finger tracing the same pattern. "Protection. I will always protect you. Whenever I can."
She smiled into the pillow. "Next."
I watched memory Draco's finger move in the shape of an M.
"Ehwaz," she began, as if they were in a lesson at Hogwarts. "Loyalty and trust and harmony."
"You can trust me," he said, leaning down to press a kiss to the back of her neck. "You are my one and only, Granger, no matter what the paperwork at the Ministry says."
My stomach lurched and I immediately looked over at present Granger. Her eyes were closed and it looked like she was trying to focus on anything but what was playing out in front of us. I wondered if she was trying to Occlude, to protect herself by walling off the emotions that this was surely shaking loose inside of her.
Obviously this was a significant scene in our relationship — the atmosphere, the statements and promises I was making, the way she was reacting all contributing in equal measure.
Refocusing my attention on the memory playing out, I heard memory Granger.
"Can you do it again?" she asked, her face scrunching up in concentration. "I'm deciding between two."
Memory Draco traced Wunjo on her back.
"It feels like Thurisaz, but you've already done that one."
He laughed. "Let me give you the meaning then." Tracing it again, the straight line along her spine, he continued, "Joy. Comfort. Pleasure."
"Oh, I'm an idiot," she groaned. "Wunjo, obviously. It's very similar to Thurisaz!"
"Do I need to explain that one to you?" memory Draco teased.
"Joy and pleasure are pretty self-explanatory. We might as well call it your sex rune."
"I promise to give you as much joy, comfort, and pleasure as I possibly can," he said, his voice serious.
Fuck, it was like he was making wedding vows, and her eyes were widening. He had been partially open with her since the beginning of the affair, but this was on an entirely different level.
"Draco," memory Granger began, "what are you doing?"
"Shhhh. Just go with it," he said, nipping her earlobe. "I'm going to do the next one."
His finger moved in the bowtie shape of Dagaz and she smiled again.
"Dagaz. Growth and change. A breakthrough."
"I've changed so much. I'd like to think I've grown," memory Draco stated, his voice quiet but sure. "When I was younger, there was this girl and I wasn't supposed to pay her any attention, but I just couldn't seem to look away. Even though she didn't know it, she taught me so much over six years."
Memory Hermione tried to turn towards him, but he held her in place, his palm settling between her shoulder blades.
"Seeing her, a Muggleborn, be the best at everything — it gave me a breakthrough that I hadn't even been looking for."
"Draco—"
He shushed her again. "She made me question everything I'd been taught since I was a child, and I never thought I'd be lucky"—his finger traced Fehu, the rune for luck, on the bare skin of her back over and over—"enough to be her friend, let alone have her in my bed even once."
"Who is this witch?" memory Granger asked, feigning ignorance and playing along. "I'd like to meet her and thank her someday."
Memory Draco's hand smacked her arse. "Don't ruin my moment. You told me you loved me tonight, and I'm trying to do the same."
"You're very wordy," she commented. "But I suppose you can continue."
"Ready for the next, smart arse?"
She nodded and his finger changed paths, shifting into another rune. Her eyes closed again, imagining the shape his finger was tracing.
"Berkano?"
"Correct. What does it mean?"
Memory Granger thought, chewing on her lip. "Fertility, which I'm hoping is not the one you're looking for right now. Growth, but we've already talked about that… What am I missing?"
"New beginnings, Granger," memory Draco said. "I want a new beginning with you. The fertility part can come later."
"Noted," she replied with a laugh. "Is there more?"
He drew an X on her back.
"Gebo — the gift. Generosity. Love."
"Full marks," memory Draco quipped. "You're brilliant, as always. And I love you."
"I love you too. More than you'll ever know."
I looked over at present Granger, and there were tears rolling down her cheeks again. I realised I'd made her promises like this — promises that, to her knowledge, I'd never even attempted to keep — and then slept with Astoria six weeks later. The urge to comfort her, to take her pain away, was stronger than ever before, and I barely held back.
Once again, she waved her hand, moving us to what was likely the next morning. Memory Granger and memory Draco were sitting up in bed, each reading a book. I noticed that his was a Defence text and I wondered why he'd brought it along. She was sitting close, her body touching his, holding her book with one hand and brushing the fingers of the other through the hair on the back of memory Draco's head.
It was so simple — just a loving touch — but I wanted to know what it felt like to have her tucked into my side like that, to wake up beside her, her wild hair spread across both of our pillows and invading my space.
I wanted to remember the warmth of her, all of her favourite things, what she preferred for breakfast and what kind of wine she liked to drink at night.
She knew all these little details about me, but I was at a loss.
"Granger?" memory Draco said, drawing her attention.
"Hmmm?" she hummed. He sighed and she angled her head to face him. "What's up?"
"I… I want to learn how to cast a Patronus."
"You've never… How did you get through Auror training?" memory Granger asked, surprised at his admission.
"I think Potter took pity on me," he admitted, averting his eyes. "It just—It didn't happen for me."
Her fingers curled into his hair again. "Is that why you're carrying that book around everywhere?"
"I've read the theory over about a thousand times, but it never helps," memory Draco explained. "I just can't seem to manage it. Most Death Eaters can't."
"Snape could," she pointed out.
"Potter told me, but Snape was an anomaly. You know that."
Memory Granger shook her head and untangled herself from memory Draco, getting to her feet. She marched over to the chest of drawers, slipping into a pair of knickers and covering the red lace bra with a Weird Sisters t-shirt. Rifling through, she found a pair of shorts and tossed them to memory Draco.
I found it strange that we would've put our clothes in drawers, so I figured it was something Granger did whenever she travelled.
"What are you doing?" he asked, reaching up and catching the t-shirt she'd thrown right after the shorts.
"Get up. We're going to practise," she replied. "But I'm not going to try to cast a Patronus when we're naked."
Memory Draco laughed and stood, slipping the clothes on. "I didn't mean now. Aren't we going to the Louvre?"
Shrugging, she said, "This is more important. A Patronus can be very useful, especially in your line of work."
"It can wait until we're home."
She shook her head. "No. I'm determined to teach you now."
This seemed like the perfect opening for me to tease present Granger. I looked over at her and she was staring at our past selves intently, watching memory Granger take memory Draco's hand and drag him towards the living area of the suite.
"Always the swot," I said, making sure my tone was gentle. "Taking the opportunity to teach whenever it presents itself."
She smiled the tiniest amount. "Well, it's just who I am. And it was a bit selfish, honestly. I just didn't want you to need the charm and be unable to cast it. I didn't want anything to happen to you because…"
Her voice trailed off, but I could finish the statement in my mind. She loved me. She would've missed me. At that point, she couldn't have imagined living without me.
And then I'd fucked it all up.
"Anyway, just watch," she continued, gesturing towards our past selves. "I taught people how to cast a Patronus when I was in fifth year, so I thought it would be easy."
"But it wasn't."
"It definitely was not."
Memory Granger held her wand out in front of her, closed her eyes, and cast the charm. The little otter scampered out, the light it emitted brightening the room even further. My Patronus now was an exact replica of hers, right down to its inquisitive eyes and sleek fur.
"Okay, let's practise the wand movement first," she said, stepping up behind memory Draco and lacing her fingers through his.
They moved his wand together in a clockwise spiral, much like present Granger and I had when she was teaching me the photo-enhancing charm. At least I could imagine this feeling, the way her hand settled over mine. I remembered thinking that it seemed like she'd done it a million times before and she had.
I hadn't been crazy.
"I've obviously done this, Granger," memory Draco said, though he was smiling at the contact. "Do you have any secret tips or tricks?"
She laughed, and the otter swam through the air faster, fuelled by her happiness. Releasing his hand, she moved to face him, eager to watch his technique.
"I don't, but I'd like to think that I'm a decent teacher. Let's see what your first attempt is like, and we can go from there."
"Expecto Patronum," memory Draco said, twirling his wand the same way they had when they'd been holding it together. A minuscule amount of silvery vapour flickered and died quickly. "See? I'm rubbish at this."
"First of all, you have a negative mindset about it. That's certainly not going to help," memory Granger chided. "You've already got it in your head that you can't do this, so you're not going to be able to."
"Well, that's because I've been trying and failing for years. Plenty of evidence to support that statement."
"Gods, I'd forgotten how petulant you were about this," present Granger said, shaking her head. "I could never understand why you expected it to happen on the first try."
I shrugged. "Most spells came easily to me. It had been years at this point."
And then, like a bolt of lightning, I remembered something else and stopped the memory once more.
"The note in that textbook I was carrying… It was from you, wasn't it?"
Her face blanched. "When did you find it?"
"When I first started practising to come back to work." I rubbed my palms over my face. "Almost a year ago."
"Yes," she replied quietly. "It was from me."
Honestly, I'd been so fucking stupid. I could've sorted this mess out long ago if I hadn't kept my doubts and the questions that lingered below the surface quiet.
"It had the hotel logo on it," I said. "I thought it proved that Astoria and I had been here together like she told me."
"You didn't believe her?"
Meeting Granger's eyes, I shook my head. "I had my doubts. My mother told me that Astoria and I had come to Paris in the summer, not for our anniversary."
More tears escaped her eyes and she quickly dashed them away. "I really didn't do the best job of making you feel like you loved her."
Though her words infuriated me, I swallowed it down, knowing that I'd taken enough of my anger out on her. "Sometimes I felt it, sometimes I didn't. It never made any sense to me."
"We can talk more after," present Granger said. "Let's just… finish this."
I waved my hand, bowing to her request.
"Draco, you wanted my help. I'm giving it. You need to have a positive outlook to cast this charm. It's linked to emotions very intricately. That's why you need to focus on a happy memory while you're casting," memory Granger explained patiently.
What memory would I have focused on at this point in time? It had to have been something from the affair — something strong.
"I am focusing on happy memories," he stated, narrowing his eyes at her. "They're the happiest I've got, honestly."
"Memories?" she asked. "As in more than one?"
Memory Draco nodded. "Yes, more than one. I figure that's happier—"
"No, it needs to be one memory. Something very specific. That's how it works," she corrected gently. "The happiest you can remember being in your entire life. The total opposite of how a Dementor would make you feel."
I could tell my past self was trying to figure out what to use, struggling to pick just one.
"What do you think about?" he asked.
Memory Granger's cheeks flushed, and I looked over at present Granger. She was nearly the same colour as her past self. I listened intently.
"Honestly? I used to think about the feeling I got when I first held my wand, the one I lost when…"
The words died on her tongue.
"When you lot were brought to the Manor," memory Draco finished for her, and she nodded. "But you said 'used to'. What do you think about now?"
"It's something with you," she admitted, averting her eyes. "But I don't want to tell you exactly what. It's silly."
"Come on, Granger. You told me you're in love with me. This is something small in comparison," he said, clearly longing to know what she was thinking about.
"I'm serious. It's a silly little thing. Barely worth mentioning."
Memory Draco took a step towards her, his eyes narrowing. "You're just making me more and more curious. I want to know. What makes you happy?"
"You do," she answered. "I just—Can I keep this one thing to myself? It's special to me, and I don't know why, but I don't want anyone to know."
He frowned at her. "Why?"
As much as I wanted to stop the memory and ask present Hermione, I knew she'd been through enough already. I didn't want to make her cry again.
"Because it's something that you do a lot, and you don't even realise it. That's what makes it special," she explained. "If you knew, it would somehow feel like it meant less."
Swallowing hard, he nodded. "Okay. So I need to focus on one memory."
"Yes. Only one," memory Granger said, moving behind him again, her hands settling on his back. "Think of the happiest moment you've ever had. Nothing bittersweet. Just pure happiness."
For just a few seconds, he squeezed his eyes shut and then started the wand movement. When the incantation left his lips, he conjured a plume of luminous silver fog.
"That was a lot better." Her hands stroked up and down his back, her fingers pressing into his tense muscles. "The memory you chose is closer to what it should be."
"Do you think a dream would work?" he asked hesitantly.
Immediately, I knew what my past self was thinking about. I'd had the dream so many times — Granger and I at Platform 9 and 3/4, sending two girls with long blond curls off to Hogwarts. Each time, I woke with a lingering happiness that eventually gave way to melancholy.
Slipping her arms around his waist, she kissed the side of his neck. "I've never tried to, but if it makes you happy enough, I don't see why it wouldn't work."
Memory Draco cast the charm again but only conjured a small amount of vapour. He sighed in frustration, and she kissed him again.
"Don't use the dream. Whatever you used before was stronger," she stated, settling her hand over his again. "Focus on that. Take yourself back to that moment."
He closed his eyes, savouring her touch.
"We could feel each other's magic, almost share it," present Granger chimed in. "I don't know if you could feel it when I was teaching you in the DMLE—"
"I felt something," I said, interrupting her. "But I thought it was just because you actually touched me without hesitation. I was trying to figure out why it seemed so natural."
My cheeks heated and hers filled with colour too. She turned back to our memory selves, continuing to watch the lesson unfold.
"Okay. I'll go back to what I was using before." Memory Draco took a deep breath. "Expecto Patronum!"
Again, his wand emitted a cloud of silver fog. This time, it was a bit larger and it stayed around longer, not dissipating as quickly as it had before. Inhaling sharply, I studied the fog, trying to see a form hidden within it. I didn't see an otter or a dragon.
"It's non-corporeal, which is totally normal for the first few castings," present Granger said, her voice a little shaky. "I'll eventually show you the first time you managed it."
"That's more than I've ever seen before," memory Draco admitted as the Patronus shield faded away, squeezing memory Granger's fingers between his. "I can cast it."
"You can," she said, wrapping her other arm around his waist more tightly. "And I know you'll do it soon. It does take a lot out of you, so I wouldn't recommend trying to cast it more than a few times a day. And have lots of chocolate to raise your mood. I've found it helps, even when there aren't Dementors to contend with."
"Can we keep practising like this? Wearing minimal clothes?"
Memory Granger laughed and buried her face in the back of his t-shirt. "Well, if you spend the night at my house, I guess that would be possible."
He turned to face her, his free hand reaching for her chin and tilting her head back. "I'll stay with you whenever you want me to."
Biting her lip, she looked into his eyes. Her hands curled into his shirt and held on tightly. It was obvious that she was gathering courage to say something, and memory Draco waited for her to speak.
"I always want you to stay," she finally said, breaking the tense silence. "I miss you when you're not at home with me."
There it was.
A confession.
She wanted memory Draco to stay with her all the time, but she wouldn't ask. She left the choice up to him and—
"I'll see what I can do. Like I said last night, just give me some time," he replied, leaning in to kiss her slowly, letting the passion build between them.
And then we were thrown from the Pensieve.
As soon as we were back in the house, Granger moved to her sofa and hugged a pillow to her chest. I followed, sitting in the armchair I'd occupied a few times now. When I did, her eyes squeezed shut, and my anxiety increased.
I took a deep breath, counting to ten in my head and trying to think of what to say to her. Gods, she had been fine through most of the memories.
What was different about tonight?
"Granger, I don't know what to say."
She opened her eyes, but she didn't look at me. "There's nothing you can do. It just—It hurt tonight. That's all. It happens sometimes."
"You've never gotten this upset—"
Scoffing, she said, "I haven't let you see. When you left after watching the first memory, I fell apart."
I didn't know why, but her admission hit me hard and made me feel like something was shifting between us. Since we'd started this process, we'd both been guarded. I'd been trying to hide my concern for her, and she'd been hiding her pain. She'd been putting on a brave face for me, and even though I'd been able to see through it, I hadn't mentioned it.
We were being more honest tonight, and it was changing the dynamic even more.
"Do you want me to go?" I asked.
She shrugged her shoulders. "When it comes to you, I don't know what I want."
"What do you mean?"
"Like I said earlier tonight, watching these things… It makes me miss you. But at the same time, I don't think I can be your friend, Draco. I tried that before you knew—"
"Before I knew, you were terrified of me finding out. How would that ever have worked?"
"Clearly it didn't," she answered, one hand leaving the pillow to mess with her ponytail. "But, fuck, it hurts so much to watch you make promises that you never kept. I'm angry and sad, but I also miss the connection and all the good things that went along with it."
I thought about the divorce papers my mother had handed me. I didn't know if telling her that I had been trying to leave Astoria would help her or hurt her. Tonight, with the volatile mood she seemed to be in, I didn't think it was the best idea.
But I didn't know what else to say.
"I'm sorry," I settled on, though the words were still woefully inadequate. "Believe it or not, I've realised how fucking selfish I was."
That made her look at me, so I continued. "Look, it was wrong of me not to let you go when you tried to break things off. I didn't realise what it was doing to you. Or maybe I did and I just didn't care. I can't fucking remember." I ran a hand through my fringe, pushing it back. "But being with you — you know what it meant to me. You know I loved you more than anything."
Her eyes were watering again, but she didn't look away. I could tell she was chewing the inside of her cheek, keeping herself quiet.
"So I'm sorry. I should've decided to take a chance with you long before the first night we spent together. I should've asked you to dance at a Ministry ball or at Potter's fucking wedding or asked you to dinner—"
Her Floo chimed, and she quickly wiped her eyes, snapping her mask back into place. It was honestly astounding how fast she could collect herself. A moment later, Pansy's head appeared in the grate. Her eyes scanned the room and fixated on me for a moment.
"Granger, I'm sorry to interrupt what I'm sure was a very interesting conversation," she began, "but your godsons will not shut up. You haven't been here in a few days, and they're driving me insane asking me where you are."
Granger stood and said, "It's fine. We're just about done here for tonight. I'll come through."
Pansy looked at me again. "You can come too—"
"No," Granger replied, cutting Pansy off. "He needs to get home to Scorpius. It's getting late, and he puts him to bed."
"She's right," I said, looking down at my watch to mask the disappointment I felt. "I'm sure he's getting cranky."
Rolling her eyes, Pansy disappeared, and I felt fairly certain that I'd just pissed her off by refusing. Granger turned to face me and I rose to my feet, getting ready to walk towards the Floo.
"Same time tomorrow? Or do you need it to be earlier or later?"
There were a few feet between us and something inside me longed to move closer, but I didn't.
"Can I owl you? Astoria has an appointment at St Mungo's, and I need to make sure Scorpius is looked after."
At the mention of a doctor's appointment, some of the colour drained from her face.
"Is she pregnant?" Granger asked, shocking me.
I didn't answer immediately, trying to think back and remember when we'd last had sex. It had been about a month ago, although it felt like an eternity at this point. And then my mind darted to Flint, but I didn't feel right bringing that up now.
"No, I don't think so. It's… I've been careful. She was asking for another baby, so I was casting a contraceptive every time," I answered, though my voice lacked confidence. "And we haven't slept together in—"
"I'm sorry," she squeaked, cutting me off. "I shouldn't have asked that. It just slipped out."
"It's fine. She's just been very fatigued as of late. I found her asleep on the sofa with Scorpius last night. That's not normal for her."
"You don't have to explain, Draco. You're worried. I get that."
Sighing, I continued, "It's fine. I don't mind telling you. Her magic seems to be waning. We were at the Manor earlier today and my father told me she couldn't even light a fire without her wand."
"That's serious," Granger said, sounding concerned. "Why hasn't she been to a healer before now?"
"She told me she thought it was just stress and exhaustion. Honestly, since I've been back at work, I was less than observant when it came to her. I'd only see her for an hour or two at night."
Once again, I started to feel guilty for the way I'd treated Astoria. I'd been so fixated on Granger — on our close proximity, on trying to figure out why she treated me so differently — that I'd completely ignored her.
I'd repeated the same behaviours. Even if there was no affair, my world had started to revolve around Granger again.
"Well, I hope she's okay," she said, pulling me from my thoughts.
I looked her in the eyes and saw she was being completely honest with me. I could feel it in every fibre of my being.
"I'm sure she is," I responded. "She probably just needs some Pepper-Up and a week away from being a full-time mum. Scorp can be a handful."
The mention of Scorpius brought a smile to her face, surprising me. She could've resented him, blamed him for the end of our relationship, but it didn't seem like she did.
"Well, he is your child. You've never exactly been the quiet, easy-going type."
The gentle teasing was at odds with how her mood had been just a little while ago, but I welcomed it. It was certainly better than the sadness and anger. She was still just a few steps away from me and I wanted to close the distance, but I didn't, remembering the way she'd asked me not to touch her in the Pensieve.
Instead, I smirked at her, making her blush. "I'll send you an owl when I know what tomorrow will look like, Granger."
She tucked a stray curl behind her ear. "I'll be home all day. I've no plans this week."
"Are you taking the Floo Network to Potter's?" I asked, gesturing to the fireplace.
"I am, but you should go first," she said, stepping back to give me space.
"I'll see you tomorrow."
With a nod, she replied, "Tomorrow."
Author's Note: Thank you to my dream team for going through the additions to this chapter at the last minute. You're the best.
And thank you to all of my readers - you all make me smile so much with your kind words and observations. I know it's been a long time, so I hope you remembered the note and Draco's thoughts about the Paris hotel!
As always, feel free to reach out!