"The Lady will be down in a moment." An elf in a bright orange tunic marked with a silver dragon greeted the three wizards. "She says you should wait for the guests here, Lord."

"Thank you, Mari." Draco bowed slightly to the elf. "Would you please inform my lady that we have brought Lord Nott for a visit."

"The blasted potion didn't work." Theo rubbed his eyes. "This place looks civilized and there are elves. You live in a ruin."

"I thought he'd be more in doubt of the wife." Blaise smirked.

"You're married?" Theo blinked at Draco with slightly unfocused eyes. It appeared the sobriety potion had been a tad past its best efficacy.

"And he didn't imperius her." Blaise waggled his brows at them. "He gets a bit tetchy about it, so don't ask."

Draco watched as Blaise helped Theo to the couch. His best friends were idiots, brilliant idiots, but idiots all the same.

"He bought furniture and made the elves wear livery." Theo shook his head and groaned. "That's a long way to go for a practical joke, mate. Why is the Longbottom shield hanging next to yours over the mantle?"

"I married a Longbottom." Draco smiled.

"The old battle axe? Or have you changed teams? Nervous Neville?" Theo chuckled. "I wouldn't have thought he was your cup of tea."

"He'd have been a very lucky wizard if my brother had chosen him, but he's stuck with me." Hermione stood on the stairs and smiled down at him. Merlin and Nimue floating in the lake, she was beautiful.

"Granger?" Theo looked between them and frowned. "You married Granger?"

"Longbottom." Hermione glanced at the shields above the mantle before she looked to Draco. "Are your friends all mentally deficient? None of them seem to grasp the fact that we are married."

"I didn't used to think so." Draco smirked as she descended the stairs at a quick trot. Her muggle jeans fit like a glove. He looked away from her to glare at his suddenly appreciative friends.

"Thank you for having us in your home." Theo stood and bowed. "I assure you my disbelief was founded only in my opinion of Draco. I never thought he could lure a witch of your caliber to his side."

"Pretty words." Hermione smirked at her husband before inclining her head to Theo. "Thank you. Do they feed you lot some special potion to give you such silver tongues?"

"Just giving a witch her due." Theo grinned. "Any proper wizard would do the same."

"My experience with proper wizards is limited." Hermione tapped her chin with her finger and walked around the three men. "We are going out to lunch with some of my closest friends. Be as charming as you like, but they prefer candor."

"Where are we going?" Blaise stuffed a hand in his pocket. "Very few restaurants welcome our patronage."

"We are going to The Bell." Hermione patted Blaise. "They won't turn us away."

"They will." Theo dropped his gaze to the floor. "We're not wanted in society."

"My Order of Merlin trumps your family ties. Neville will be joining us as well." She pulled out her wand and flicked it at Draco. His clothing shifted on his body and morphed into muggle blue jeans and a dark green shirt. "Muggle attire required. Would you like me to transfigure your clothing?"

"Two Orders of Merlin will not mitigate our presence." Theo shook his head. "You don't want the embarrassment of being turned away."

"The Bell will always have room for my friends." Hermione smiled and flicked her wand at Theo. "I own part of it after all, but the proprietors are a lovely couple. They never would have turned you away."

"You own part of a restaurant?" Draco frowned.

"Actually, I own the building. Hannah's parents use the building rent free. They call me their silent partner, but I don't take their money."

"You own a building on Diagon Alley?" Blaise blinked several times. "How? Only the oldest families own those."

"Sirius Black gave me the deed." Hermione shrugged. "He said I'd saved his life, so he wanted me to always be able to make a living."

"You saved his life?" Draco raised an eyebrow.

"It's a rather complicated story, and a sad one." Hermione pulled her hair back into a ponytail. "I'll tell you some day when we have more time. Since Blaise is trying to perfect his own outfit, I'll run upstairs and grab my jacket."

Draco watched her run up the stairs. His wife was so very different from any woman of his acquaintance. He closed his eyes and savored the warm feeling of knowing she belonged with him.

"Why not accio the jacket?" Blaise huffed.

"She wanted to give us time to talk." Draco spun on his heels and stared at the strange garb his friend was wearing. "Or she wanted us to set you to rights."

"Are you color blind?" Theo snorted. "Lime green does nothing for you, and the pastel yellow trousers are odd."

"Just fix me." Blaise growled.

"That would take more than a quick transfiguration." Draco chuckled as he flicked his wand.

"Why are we dressing as muggles in the first place?" Theo fussed with the collar of his white shirt. "The Bell is a magical restaurant."

"Hermione said to dress muggle, so we dress muggle." Draco glances toward the stairs. "My wife has a plan."

"Do you know what the plan is?" Blaise paced by the fireplace.

"No." Draco smiled. "I've decided that trusting in the magic is the way to go."

"I think that translates into blindly following Granger." Theo rolled his eyes. "I suppose it worked for Potter."

"So, we're your wife's latest project?" Blaise nodded his head thoughtfully. "It's crazy enough to work. It's not like things could get worse."

Draco ignored their speculation. He had enough to worry about. His parents would make their displeasure known soon enough. He didn't want to believe either of them would kill his wife, but it was always better to be prepared for their machinations.

Hermione danced around her familiar as they both came down the stairs.

"What is that beast with Granger?" Blaise whispered and tilted his head toward the stairs.

"Apparently, Gryffindors come with lions." Theo chuckled.

"Bacon stealing demon cat that my wife, Hermione Malfoy, loves." Draco glared at the grinning baboons that resembled his friends.

"Are you ready?" Hermione winked at him, and Draco felt his cheeks heat. The woman was a poison to his composure.

He took deep breaths and followed his friends as she held the floo open for them. He felt her fingers tangle with his as they stepped into the floo. No matter what happened, this was shaping up to be a wonderful day.