When Draco came back from the Ministry, he was exhausted. He had been hired as an Occlumency Master to instruct the Art to high ranking members and new Aurors.
As he had been reminded multiple times the last couple hours, he was too young to be a Master in Occlumency. He did not have the necessary experience. That always made Draco laugh.
The Dark Lord had taken Malfoy Manor, his home, as official Headquarters for the Death Eaters while he was still pining for a certain muggleborn who had the terrible habit of beating him on all of his tests. And he had survived.
His mother had lied to Voldemort and saved Harry Potter and all of the Wizard World by doing so. Between her methods, Bellatrix Lestrange and Severus Snape. Draco was an expert occlumens. There was no doubt in that.
He had survived. And been offered a position by Minister Shacklebolt himself. Potter had even complimented his teaching methods. Saying that he never learned enough with Snape and Draco was a much better teacher.
He thought of asking Theo or Blaise to go out for some fire whiskey, but he needed to go home. His wife was home. His pregnant wife was home. And even with all her mood swings and tantrums, there was not anywhere else in the world he would want to be.
Draco was surprised when he did not find her in her usual armchair in the living room. "Granger?" He asked, following the lights until he found her in the bedroom. Laying in bed. A strange electronic device connected to her protruding belly, something muggle.
She had her eyes closed as she listened to whatever that little device was emitting through the earphones. And she was so focused that she did not even hear him come inside their bedroom. He smiled, kicking off his shoes and outer robes, and climbed in bed besides her.
Hermione pulled one earbud out and kissed his forehead. "Is the Ministry of Magic missing me?" she asked.
"As if I cared. I miss you. I miss our lunch breaks, and kissing breaks, and coffee breaks, and shagging breaks." he whispered, kissing her before placing one hand over her belly. "Hi, Lyra. Daddy's home."
"Oh, she's excited daddy is home." Hermione said with a grin.
"How do you know? I did not feel her kick." he asked as his thumb kept stroking the soft skin.
Hermione placed one of her earbuds carefully on his ear. "She has not much space to move to kick anymore, but you can hear her heart beating with this machine." she explained.
And they both smiled, listening to little Lyra's heartbeat. Draco forgot about his terrible day as Occlumency Instructor. None of that mattered. He was home with his girls, and all was well.
Draco drifted to sleep, lulled by the wonderful sound on his ear and the delicate strokes his wife was doing on his head, playing with his hair. The thought that in just a few days he would be able to hold his daughter in his arms. These were the thoughts that he never wanted to occlude, because he needed these memories to get him through the day.