Hermione never thought she would leave the comfort of London. She loved her flat, right in the center of the city. She thrived there. That's what she would miss the most. But here she was in Scotland on the outskirts of a quaint muggle town named Belmead, population 784. Her little cottage was something straight out of a fairy tale. There were beautiful rolling hills behind her house, with a stream that ran through her yard. She was even fairly close to another wizarding town, Banchory. She loved it, truly, but the hustle of her old city was calling her. Hermione had never done well with a slow pace, but she was supposed to be focusing on this next chapter of her life. She knew in her heart that she needed to escape London, or at the least the people there. This was going to be good, she told herself.

After an explosive end to her relationship with Ron, she tried to find herself. She spent almost a year building herself up, but Ron and the Weasley's couldn't let go. Ron tore her down every chance he got and Molly made sure to make her opinion of Hermione known. According to her would have been mother-in-law, Hermione was selfish and destined to end up alone. She tried to date once after. It was a year after the failed proposal. She wasn't particularly interested in the wizard, but he was handsome enough and she felt it was time. It was, of course, plastered all over the Daily Prophet. Rita Skeeter was thorough enough in her opinions, calling Hermione ungrateful and selfish for hurting famousolder ley, but the howlers and visits she got from Molly and Ron himself were the final straw. So, after weeks of questioning herself and her life, she quit her job at the ministry, packed up her flat, and moved. The only people who knew where she settled to were Harry, Ginny, Neville, and Luna. Frankly, she wished Ginny didn't know. While still friendly with Hermione, the girl kept pushing her to fix her relationship and encouraging Ron in his endeavors. But Harry would never keep such a secret from Ginny and his girlfriend promised not to tell her family.

"Maybe I should get a dog." She said to herself. It was too quiet. Too lonely.

Contrary to popular belief, she loved dogs. She always wanted one growing up but was never allowed. The only reason her parents allowed her to get Crookshanks was because he was away at Hogwarts with her most of the time. Ron fought her about getting a new pet after Crooks died. Maybe she would do that. Besides, the whole point of getting away was to do what she wanted. Prioritize herself for once.

She decided to go into town and explore. She had only been here a few days and only left the house to shop, filling her cottage with essentials (and maybe spoiling herself a little bit). She knew there was a cozy coffee shop in town, right across from a book store. It was perfect. She hopped in her new car, her first splurge after leaving Ron, and whizzed into town. Driving was one thing she was learning to love out here. City driving was boring. Out in the country, she cruised around with the windows down (definitely going faster than she should) and it was fun.

The coffee shop was a dream. There was a counter for orders with so many options that she was a little lost and they had a wonderful selection of pastries. There were a few normal tables and booths, however the lounge was her favorite spot already. It reminded her slightly of the Gryffindor common room. A few plush armchairs scattered around the room with a large red couch in front of a roaring fireplace. She got her coffee and promptly left to go to the bookstore, promising herself that she would come back with something new to read by the fire. She knew as soon as she walked in the doors that she would be a frequent guest. The smell of old books invaded her and she felt peace that only being surrounded by a thousand different worlds could bring her. She studied each shelf, going through book by book.

"Anything particular you're looking for, dear?" An older man called.

She turned to see a elder gentleman hobbling towards her. He had a beard that rivaled Dumbledore's and wore a fuzzy robe over his old flannel and denims. His smile was kind and his eyes slightly mischievous.

"No, Sir. I'm just browsing. I'm new to town and just had to get acquainted with the local bookstore."

"Well, let me know if you need anything. I'll be right up at the desk, Miss. Granger."

She froze, whipping her head back to him. "Pardon?"

He held his hands up in mock surrender, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I apologize, I just recognized you from the Prophet. I won't tell anyone I saw you. Not that many magic folk frequent here. I've only seen two other wizards around town."

"Sorry, I just wasn't expecting anyone to know me here. It's no trouble, you just took me by surprise. Mr…?

"Nott. William Nott. But please, Willy is just fine. It's what all my friends call me."

"Nott? I went to Hogwarts with Theodore Nott." She gasped. "I thought he was the only Nott left."

He smiled fondly. "Oh you know my Theodore! Such a good boy he is. Even with his sorry excuse of a father, he never followed that pureblood nonsense! I'm his great uncle. I was kicked off the family tree in my day. It was quite a common practice to save the family from embarrassment. I went and run off with a muggle girl! They figured if they kicked me out of the family then they could still claim the Nott line was pure. They were very proud of their standing in the Sacred 28, you see."

"Oh, I'm so sorry that happened to you. I knew two of the Black family that were kicked out."

"Now, none of that! It was the best damn thing that ever happened to me. If it weren't for my Theo, I'd say to Hell with the Nott line. But Theo? My boy is going to change the family into something respectable."

She remembered Theo from school. They were partnered quite frequently in ancient runes. He was always kind and warm. He smiled all the time until sixth year. She knew he was different from most of the other Slytherins, but still a Gryffindor didn't voluntarily befriend a Slytherin. Ron would have had her checked into St. Mungos if she did.

"Don't you worry, though. He only visits once a month and I won't tell him you're here. Sometimes we just need to get away and be around strangers for a little while, yeah?"

"Thank you, Willy. I do appreciate that." She said, giving him a warm smile.

"'I'll let you get back to your browsing."

She left the shop with way too many books. She had to walk back to her car and drop off her haul. As she was putting her new finds into the car, she heard a dog bark and looked up to see a shelter down the street.

"Maybe I can just look." She murmured. "It wouldn't hurt to see what they have."

For being so small, they had quite a few animals. Dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, and even a few lizards. She sat in the cat room and played with kittens. There had to be twenty of them stumbling around. A few older cats sat on top of perches looking down, grateful to be out of the little terrors' reach. After the cats, she perused the dog kennels. A massive Irish Wolfhound came bounding towards her. She took a step back, startled by it's size. She sat nicely in front of her, laying her head against her stomach, tongue hanging out and gazing happily at her. Her heart absolutely melted.

"Emmy! Emilia!" A worker called. "I'm so sorry, dear. She usually never leaves our side when we're letting her out. Let alone run up to anyone!"

"Oh, no it's quite alright! She's absolutely beautiful." Hermione cooed. "Aren't you so pretty? You said her name was Emilia?"

The worker, whose nametag read Sarah, nodded, watching the dog with a shocked amusement on her face. "She's usually not so forward with people. She's not aggressive, but she's never approached anyone before."

Hermione groaned internally. She thought to herself earlier today that maybe she should get a dog, but she didn't really mean it. Now there was a dog with a name from the same play as Hermione's namesake, looking at her with big, brown, gorgeous eyes.

"Are you looking for someone to take home?" Sarah asked. "She's been here for a year. Poor thing, the owner dropped her off when she wouldn't stop growing. They said she was too big."

"I don't know if I'm being honest. I just moved to town. I'm not sure if I want to bring a new family member to the mix or not. I really just came to visit the animals."

She played with Emilia for a few more moments before prying herself free. She apologized profusely to the dog for not taking her home and left her with a kiss on the nose. Hermione felt conflicted the rest of the evening. As she sat by the fire at the coffee shop, she could only read a few pages before her thoughts drifted back to the dog. Bringing home a new pet was a big deal. Especially a dog. Crookshanks just needed a food bowl, water bowl, and litter box. A dog would need walks and toys and time outside every day. She always wanted a dog but it never seemed like the right time.

She slammed her book close and went home. She occupied herself with unpacking the final few boxes from her move. She could have used magic, but it was almost therapeutic to do it by hand. Except for her books. That would have taken forever. But now she was officially done. Her night ended with some wine on the back porch.The stars were indescribable. She added that to the pro's list of her new home, another thing she couldn't quite enjoy in the city. She'd sat outside looking at the night sky every night since she'd been here. It occurred to her at that moment that while she sat outside she could have a dog roaming the yard or laying next to her. She spent enough time outside, why was she worried about it earlier?

"Fuck." She muttered.

She was definitely going back to the shelter in the morning.

Sarah was at the reception area when Hermione arrived. She beamed at her and immediately led her back to Emilia.

"Oh, no," She gasped.

There was a man already with Emilia. He was older than her, Hermione expected around forty. He was inspecting the dog, not even touching her. Hermione's heart dropped. If he took Emilia, Hermione would be crushed. The dog noticed the witch then. Her ears perked and she jumped up, trotting over to her.

"Hi beautiful girl." She whispered. "I came back for you. Let's cross our fingers that gentleman doesn't want you, yeah?"

Sarah smiled at her, "I have to go up back up front. If you take her, just bring her up and I'll show you where you buy a collar, leash, and the like."

The man was eyeing her coldly. "I'm looking at that dog. I was here first."

"I apologize, I was here yesterday and she must have remembered me." Hermione explained.

"Well, you didn't take her yesterday and I'm here now. Come here, you mutt!" He snapped.

Hermione bristled. The nerve of this man talking to her like that. Emilia stayed where she was. The other patron didn't like that. He reached out, grabbing the collar around her neck, dragging her away. Emilia tried planting her feet, but they slid along the smooth tile. She growled at the man.

"Don't pull her like that!" She snapped.

"Listen, little girl. You couldn't handle an animal like this. This is a man's dog. Probably weighs more than you do. Maybe that little terrier is more your speed. This one will make a perfect guard dog for my cattle."

A door slammed open but she was too busy fighting the urge to whip out her wand to look. You can't hex a muggle, she chanted to herself.

"Let go of the dog and please see yourself out." A familiar voice sneered. "We do not allow our animals to be treated this way. And I do not allow sexist gits to talk to ladies this way."

The man seemed taken aback and Emilia used his confusion to slip out of his grip and run back to Hermione. She leaned up against her legs again and Hermione swore she was glaring at the man.

""Mind your damn business!"

"This is my business. And you're officially banned. Do you need me to drag you out? Shall I drag you like you were dragging Emilia?"

Draco fucking Malfoy. She turned to see the man who stepped in and there he was in all his glory. Muggle glory. Hermione tried not to stare. Objectively, she always knew Draco was attractive. However, given the circumstances, she never allowed herself to acknowledge it. But this Draco? She would acknowledge it for the rest of existence and probably even after. He wore a black muggle t-shirt that had to be a size too small. It looked like it was painted on for Merlin's sake! He really grew into himself, she thought. His arms were covered in tattoos. She wanted to inspect each one, running her fingers over his arms. Those beautiful arms. Her eyes slid downwards. Gray joggers and running shoes completed his look. Draco Malfoy in gray joggers should absolutely be the new eighth wonder of the world.

"Hermione Granger!?"

She forced her eyes back up to his. They looked more blue than gray these days. She was anxious. She wasn't sure what she was going to get from him.

"Yes…hi…bugger." She cleared her throat. "Draco, hello. Nice to see you."

"What brings you out to Belmead?" He asked, not unkindly.

She fidgeted with the bottom of her sweater but stood tall. "I just moved here, probably a week ago now."

His eyes were wide, but he looked pleasantly surprised. "Wow, that's incredible. What are the chances? I've been living here about a year and a half now."

"Do you really own this place"

"No." He smirked. "I just volunteer here. But that guy was pissing me off. Wow, it's crazy. As soon as I heard you talking I knew your voice but I couldn't place it. I know you could have handled the prat by yourself but when I saw him dragging Emmy like that, he had to go."

She gave him a small smile. The Draco she remembered wouldn't be volunteering at an animal shelter in muggle lounge wear defending the pets. "I had to fight the urge to hex him."

He laughed, a real genuine laugh. "I would have paid to see it. She's absolutely enamored with you. I've never seen her go to someone so willingly."

"I'm taking her. I was here yesterday and for some reason talked myself out of taking her home. She was all I could bloody think about last night!"

"It's kind of perfect. Both your names are from A Winter's Tale!" He chuckled.

"You've read A Winter's Tale?" She gasped.

He rolled his eyes playfully. "I can read you know, and I enjoy many different kinds of literature."

She noticed his cheeks were tinged pink, but decided not to joke too much. It was a pleasant conversation so far. "I apologize, I was just shocked I guess. You're not what I remember."

He smiled at her, a huge grin across his face. "That is the biggest compliment you could give me. Come on, I'll take you up front, show you the shop."

He walked her to the retail section and she picked out a leash and collar, toys, treats, food, and beds. Draco took all of it for her, carrying the growing pile of items as she browsed each aisle. By the time she was done, she could hardly see his eyes.

"Oh! Draco, I'm sorry! Let me take some of that. Truly, I didn't mean to have you carry everything."

"Don't worry about it." His muffled voice said. "It's my pleasure."

Once he rang her out and had her sign the paperwork, he snuck a glance around. Sarah had gone to the back at some point. There was no one else around. He whipped out his wand, shrinking her bags for her.

"Draco!" She hissed. "Are you mental?"

"No, I'm efficient. Now you can carry that all in your pocket until you get home. You're welcome."

She wanted to argue, but he was right. And it was nice of him to do. She just shook her head and laughed. "Thank you."

He was still smiling at her. It should have felt strange, but it didn't. "We should catch up sometime soon. It was truly great to you again."

"Yeah, it really was." She agreed.

"Do you have a mobile?" He asked.

She nodded and he pulled out his own phone. Again she was a little blown away. He motioned for her to put her number in and then thanked her.

"I'll talk to you soon." He beamed.

"Have a good day, Draco."

She gave her number to Draco sodding Malfoy. Harry would lose his damn mind. But she couldn't fight the pull she felt towards him. She shook the through out of her head and started unpacking her bags from the shelter. Emilia instantly made herself at home. Hermione laid out one of the dog beds she picked out and the dog promptly turned around and made herself comfortable on the sofa. The toys she bought were neatly tucked into a basket on the floor and dog dishes now sat beside the kitchen island. The last thing in her bags was a purple leather collar and leash with a silver medallion to engrave. Using her wand, she etched Emilia onto the front and put her phone number on the back. Just to be safe, she placed a tracking charm on the collar as well. She slipped it on Emilia and smiled. This felt good. It felt right.

"Well, it's just me and you, sweet girl. How about a walk?"

She had wanted to explore the land behind her cottage ever since she saw it. She figured Emilia would love it. So, they took off to the hills. It was breathtaking. The steam that ran through her own yard led to a small lake at the base of the hills. It was the perfect spot for a break. Sitting on a nearby log, she let Emilia off the leash and sat back. The goofy dog splashed in the water and trotted through some bushes while Hermone pulled out a book. It was the perfect day, the first day since the day she moved that she felt totally at peace with her decision. This was going to be good for her.

"You're not going to get into anything while I'm gone right?" Hermione asked.

Emilia huffed at her and flopped herself on the couch. Hermione took that as a good sign. She wanted to go into town and get a coffee and some scones, maybe swing by and say hi to Willy.

She paid for her coffee, turning to leave and barreled into a very hard chest, spilling coffee everywhere.

"Fuck that's hot." She hissed.

"Hermione, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

Of course she just spilled coffee all over Malfoy. "Draco, hi. I'm fine. Im sorry I spilled all over you."

"Don't worry about it. Here, let me get you a new one."

"Absolutely not. I'm the one that spilled. I'll get you one." She argued.

Someone beside them snickered. "I'll compromise. You two stop arguing over it and I'll buy for all of us."

She turned to see Theodore Nott smirking at them. "Nott. Nice to see you."

"Oh I see how it is. He's Draco and I'm Nott? Should I be offended?"

"Oh, no! I…I just mean…I'm sorry…" She stammered.

Draco smacked his friend on the back of the head. "Ignore him, Hermione. He thrives on attention and drama."

Theo pouted. He actually pouted and then stomped off to buy them drinks.

"I was actually going to call you today, see what you were up to." Draco said airily. But Hermione could see he looked nervous. It was adorable.

"Oh, nothing really. I came into town for coffee and I figured I'd stop and say hello to Willy. But then I have to get home for the rest of the day. Someone is coming by to get my floo set up. They didn't say when, just sometime after lunch."

"Oh, great." He said. "Definitely want to have a floo set up…"

He seemed disappointed. She didn't know what possessed her. "Why don't you come by the house? Theo too, if he wants."

"Theo too, what?" The dark haired wizard was back with their coffees."

"We're going to Hermione's house." Draco said quickly.

Theo lit up. "Wonderful! What a perfect little reunion. I must say, Hermione, it's been my dream to get the chance to know your breathtaking self. "

She almost spit out her coffee. "I'm sorry?"

"Theo, you're so gay the word 'vagina' makes you actually gag." Draco scoffed.

And Theo did practically gag, cringing away from his friend. "Listen, don't knock the dick life until you try it!"

Hermione was completely taken aback and she was sure she was blushing but she couldn't help but laugh. "Yes, I must agree. Dick is much better than vagina."

Draco stared for a minute before laughing himself. "Okay, well. Our cars out front. We can follow you back. Is it alright if I bring Ori?"

"And Ori is who?"

"His beast of a dog." Theo spat.

Draco's lip curled. "He's not a beast. He just doesn't like you because you always try to put human clothes on him. "

"Yes, he can come. Theo please don't try to put clothes on my dog."

"Fine, fine. Lead the way Princess."

Draco stopped outside the shop. "Wait, didn't you want to stop and see Willy?"

"Oh I did! You guys don't mind?"

"You met Willy?" Theo exclaimed.

She nodded. "Called me out within five minutes of walking in the door. I wasn't expecting to see anyone from the wizarding world here. Now, in a week I've seen three wizards."

"Well, I'll do you one better. The three of us are having dinner tonight at Draco's. After we're done getting into mischief at your house, you can come with us and we can get into mischief with Willy." Theo offered.

"Are you sure? I don't want to impose. I'm not sure you'll have too much fun hanging around me all day and all night."

Draco held up a hand. "You will not be imposing at all. In fact, I insist. You can bring Emmy too. Actually, I insist on that as well. You must bring her, it's a requirement."

"Okay, okay." She laughed. "You've talked me into it. Let's go."

"Whoo!" Theo cheered. "First stop, Hermione Granger's house!"