A/N: A sprinkle of fluff, a splash of plot, and a pinch of smut. What do you get when you add this together? This chapter. That's what.

Cough, cough, ANNOUNCMENT! Do I have your attention? Well, I should, there's really not much else I can do to get it. This story will be finished in 6 weeks OR LESS! (leaning towards the less part of that 'or' because I'm just so excited!)

I am over the moon excited and I can't wait for this beautiful story to come to an end. Will I do a part 2? Um, probably not. It's not really my style. However, I still have my other story going, so check that out. I have more tumbling around in my head and on my computer (seriously, you don't want to see how many outlines I have)

Anyway, here's what you've been waiting on. Love your faces and I'll see you at the end with more notes.

Chapter 24, Boulevard Haussmann Les Grand Magasins De Paris

Stretching out on probably the most comfortable bed that Hermione had ever slept in, she rolled to her side only to be suffocated by the wild mass of white curls in her face. Peaking her eye open, and pushing the hair out of her face, Hermione could see that Aurora was laying sideways across the pillows with the top of her head against Hermione's face.

Blankets kicked all the way at Hermione's waist, Aurora's nightgown twisted around her body, and her little mouth hanging open while she breathed heavily still deeply asleep. It took a few tries, but eventually Hermione was successful in dislodging herself from her daughter grip around her arm and making her way into her en suite bathroom.

Washing her face and using a bit of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion to help tame the bird's nest on the top of her head, Hermione quickly French braided her hair into two braids and got dressed in a simple sun dress that hugged her at the waist and flared out for the skirt, ending just above her knees. When she walked back into the room that Draco was letting her and Aurora use for the weekend, she couldn't help but admire the sleek look of the room. A pastel green on the walls was much soft and easier to look at than the dark Slytherin green that she had expected to be everywhere. The dark wood of the furniture was such a contrast that it made the room feel inviting without being over powering.

Looking over at the bed where Aurora was still sleeping, Hermione couldn't help herself but to laugh when she spotted her daughter. While she'd been getting ready, Aurora had only managed to scoot down the bed and tangle herself in the lit grey duvet cover and somehow totally rid herself of her nighty. After getting her giggles under control, Hermione quietly slipped her way out of the bedroom and towards the sounds of someone moving around in the kitchen so as to let the little girl get enough rest to take on the day ahead.

Walking into the spacious kitchen, Hermione wasn't shocked when she spotted Draco sitting at the table already dressed and reading over a newspaper and drinking coffee. However, he wasn't alone in the room, a small house elf was busy bustling around preparing omelets and cutting up fresh fruit, clearly getting things ready for when the rest of the occupants woke up. The house elf looked up from the stove and squeaked in joy at her presence and rushed up to Hermione with a beaming smile on its face.

"What would Miss like for breakfast?" The elf with large blue eyes asked Hermione.

"I'll take whatever it is you're already making; I don't need anything special. My name is Hermione by the way, and your name is?" Hermione asked as she knelt down so she could be eye level with the small elf.

"Jiji is my name, Miss. Hermione." The elf said bowing slightly "Omelet with vegetables and ham, Miss liking fruit or toast as well?" When Hermione nodded the elf spun away back to the stove.

Sitting down and joining Draco at the table, she was shocked when he pushed a freshly poured cup of coffee towards her and the part of the newspaper that he'd already finished with. Not taking his eyes what he was reading, Draco murmured a 'good morning' while Hermione hummed her reply, enjoying the warm caffeine that she was sipping on.

Once the coffee had woken her up enough that she could engage in a conversation, Hermione turned her attention towards Draco, who seemed to be waiting for her. "So, what time are you expected to meet with Astoria?" Hermione asked as Jiji sent their breakfast with a snap of his fingers towards the table and they were able to settle in with the meal.

"Ten, Astoria refused to meet any earlier. I'm not sure how long this will take, but I'm hopefully I'll be back for lunch. If not, I'll be back shortly after." He answered before taking a bite of his own omelet.

Hermione mused his answer while she also dug into her own omelet. Glancing at the wall, she saw that it was already almost eight in the morning, and that after such an eventful previous day, Aurora very well might sleep until around nine or so. "I think we might just go swimming this morning, while you're gone then, if that's an option?" Hermione asked.

"You don't want to go out exploring the city?" Draco asked looking up from his breakfast with a questioning look crossing his face.

"No, I think it might be best if we waited until the both of us were able to take her out. I know you said that you have a security escort for her, but I'd feel better knowing you were there with us too." She said cringing slightly knowing that even being out of England that Aurora was still a target to an unknown person or persons. Draco's reply was just a silent nod, making it clear that he agreed with her assessment.

They ate the rest of their meal in silence, because honestly what more was there to say? Without Aurora there to work as a buffer, Hermione accepted that her and Draco didn't really have a lot to talk about just the two of them. He was still sour with her over not telling him about Aurora and Hermione had apologized as much as she could on the subject. The only thing left for them was to wait and let the healing take place.

When Aurora appeared around nine, the three of them chatted a bit about what their plans for the day were going to be. Aurora had pouted for a moment when Draco told her that he was going to have to leave soon, but perked right back up when he told her that she could go swimming with her mother while they waited for him to return.

Before too long, it was almost ten and Draco had to pull himself away and head off for his meeting with Astoria. Aurora gave him a hug before twirling off with Jiji to get ready to swim and that left Hermione and Draco standing awkwardly in front of the fireplace.

"Uh, good luck with this." Hermione finally said when nothing else felt right.

"Thanks, I'm going to need it." Draco chuckled, with one last glance at Hermione, he stepped into the fireplace and was gone.

ooo

It was well past one in the afternoon when Draco finally stepped back into the flat after his meeting with Astoria. Hermione and Aurora were just finishing cleaning up from their lunch when he appeared in the kitchen looking very frustrated with her jaw locked. Even Aurora running and jumping into his arms didn't seem to ease the tension that was in his shoulders, though he did give her a warm smile once they were eye level.

Hermione had to contain all her curiosity to not start questioning Draco how his meeting had gone, as much as she wanted to know, it was none of her business and she really couldn't ask in front of Aurora anyway.

Instead of asking anything about Astoria, Hermione asked "have you eaten?"

Shaking his head, no, Draco walked with Aurora towards the kitchen island that Jiji had laid out all the fixings for sandwiches before he had left for the day. After swimming, Hermione had asked Jiji about his accommodations and he explained to Hermione that he was an employed elf who only worked for the Malfoy family in the mornings. "We never had time. I could eat though." Shifting Aurora onto his hip, so that he had a free hand, Draco started trying to prepare himself a sandwich before Hermione stepped up next to him after seeing him struggle.

Putting her hand on his arm to stop him, she motioned with her head towards the table. "How about you go sit and just tell me what you're wanting. Aurora can keep you company."

A heavy sigh, and Draco agreed, taking Aurora over to sit. He let Hermione know what he like and Hermione was quick to fix everything just as he'd said. While he ate, Hermione quickly cleaned up the remainder of the spread and silently watched Aurora motion with her hands telling Draco in great details all about the time they'd spent in the pool that morning while he was gone.

"Any thoughts on what you're wanting to do this afternoon?" Draco asked Hermione after Aurora had finished telling him about how she'd jumped off the diving board.

"Oh, I was thinking we could check out Boulevard Haussmann I thought it might be fun for Aurora to visit. I've never been able to take her to Diagon Alley, and I thought that since we won't attract too much attention, it might be fun to take her." Hermione said taking a seat across from Draco.

Boulevard Haussmann was the Paris equivalent to Diagon Alley. With its assortment of shops and boutiques, it was the place where the French wizarding community would go with any needs they might have.

Hermione had only heard about it from her chats with Fleur, and the more she heard about it the more interested she became in wanting to see it. She knew that any appearance she made in Diagon Alley would be photographed, therefore, she'd avoided it at all costs. That's why when she'd returned to England with Aurora that first day, and Theo had offered to take Aurora to see what the excitement, Hermione had decided to not go along, so that they could easily blend into the crowds.

This was Hermione's chance to have that same experience with her daughter that she'd denied herself, and what was going to make it even more special was that Draco would be coming along as well. Their first outing in the wizarding world, together.

Draco nodded at the suggestion as he finished his lunch. It seemed that he was needing a distraction, and taking Aurora out shopping would easily provide that. After cleaning up their child and clearing away Draco's place setting, the three walked over to the fireplace to use the floo to head to the public floo that was housed in a small book shop that was also a café.

They had hardly stepped through the fireplace when Aurora looked around with wide eyes and began jumping up and down in her excitement. "Mummy! Look, we're in a book shop! Daddy, did you know that mummy's favorite thing in the whole world is books!" Aurora said grabbing Draco's hand to lead him away from the fireplace and towards the children's section.

"You know, I don't think that books are her favorite thing in the whole world." Hermione could hear Draco's voice carry towards her. Upon exiting the fireplace, Hermione had been distracted by the new release section that was conveniently located next to where they'd just stepped out of.

"Oh yes, it is, she has as many books as Uncle Theo's library!" Aurora exclaimed while Hermione thumbed threw a new release that had just come out from a researcher who had been studying what differences there are between the four different types of fey and what that could mean for their different environments if they were to go extinct. Hermione couldn't help the chuckle that came out of her at Aurora's assessment.

"No, I think you are her favorite thing in the whole world." Draco responded making Aurora giggle as Hermione closed the book and looked up, not being able to see them still, but enjoying their sweet exchange all the same.

"I am mummy's best friend. Can I be your best friend too, daddy?"

"Yes, Aurora, we can be best friends."

After that, their voices faded away as they continued deeper into the book shop, to the point that Hermione could no long hear the two. Hermione was happy to let them have some time for just the two of them, and began to wander herself. Letting herself get lost between the shelves and in the different sections wasn't an option today, as there was an entire street for them to explore together and it was already mid-afternoon. However, Draco had decided that this was the public floo for them to use, and he had to know that bringing her to a book store as their first stop would mean that it would be a while before they emerged, so she just let herself be.

Hermione wasn't sure how much time had actually passed since they'd gotten there, but eventually Draco and Aurora did seek her out. Draco had at picked up a basket that Aurora had greedily filled to the brim with all different types of books, some of the children's stories, Hermione noticed, were also printed in French. Hermione had a small stack of her own that she also intended to purchase, including a book that detailed the history of Beauxbatons that she'd never read before.

"Aurora Jean, how many books do you think you're getting?" Hermione asked as she started trying to count how many there really were in the basket.

"Daddy said I can get whatever I want. Ms. Fleur said that she would be teaching me French, so daddy wanted to buy books to help!" Aurora yelled jumping into her mother's arms, making Hermione drop her stack of books, and took hold of the braids hanging down Hermione's back.

Looking over the top of her daughter's head, Hermione raised an eyebrow in question at Draco and he just held up his hands and shrugged his shoulders. It was clear that he had indeed made this promise to her, and Hermione wasn't going to under mind a promise that Draco had made to their daughter.

Making eye contact with her daughter again, Hermione let a smile play on her lips. "Did you thank daddy for being willing to buy all those books for you."

Aurora shook her head, making her wild hair fly all around her and also making Hermione laugh at the sight. After she was done, Hermione bent over to pick up the books she'd dropped, only to find that they weren't on the ground anymore.

Looking around, Hermione wondered if maybe she'd knocked them with her foot when Aurora had been moving around in her arms, but alas, they weren't anywhere around her. Giving up on her search, of the books she'd selected, Hermione instead decided to look for the blonde man that was shopping with her, only to find him standing at the register checking out.

"Come on, Aurora. Mummy's going to have to go find more copies of those darn books I misplaced." Hermione whispered against her daughter's temple.

"Darn books!" Aurora repeated and giggled when Hermione tickled her side.

"Ready?" Draco asked, turning away from the clerk holding a shopping bag in his hand with his purchase.

"I would be, but the books I was going to get disappeared. I'm just going to go grab them again and I'll meet the two of you outside." Hermione said handing Aurora over to him, but a shy smile started to spread across his face at her words.

"Draco, you didn't." Hermione chided him taking the shopping bag from his hand and glancing inside to find all the books she'd been looking at inside along with Aurora's new books.

"I did, no use arguing. Come on, there's a lot more shops here that we still need to check out before it gets much later." Draco stated as he headed towards the exit throwing Aurora up on his shoulders.

And that's how the entire day went by. Every shop they entered there was at least something that Aurora could find that she loved and had to have. Draco never told her no, and was more than happy to purchase everything that her little heart desired. Hermione, while she wouldn't normally let Aurora indulge so much, couldn't blame Draco for wanting to spoil their girl. He had missed out on so many things with her, and this was something that not only brought Aurora joy, but clearly was also making Draco very happy.

After every store, Hermione would shrink down their shopping bags and put them all into her beaded bag making her glad she'd decided to bring. Otherwise, they would have had to stop a few times and gone back to Draco's flat to drop their purchases off instead of being weighed down by so much.

Aurora endlessly chattered in excitement of everything that she was getting to see and experience with her parents, and the best part? Not once were they stopped or photographed. All the other shoppers happily went about their day and for the most part ignored them, just seeing them as another family who was out enjoying the beautiful day together. There were a few people that Aurora caught their attention and Hermione and Draco would have to hurry her along before she potentially hypnotized an unsuspecting witch or wizard, but aside from that, their shopping trip was blissfully uneventful.

The trio stopped while they were out to enjoy a nice dinner and dessert, and it was a perfect ending to one of the most peaceful days Hermione could remember having. After filling the little girl's belly, however, it wasn't long before she curled up in the booth they were seated in and was fast asleep with her head in her mother's lap.

"Thank you for such a wonderful day." Hermione murmured to Draco as she ran her fingers through Aurora's hair.

"It was no problem, it was, nice. Being out and not having people scowling at us or asking questions about her. I'm really glad the two of you came this weekend. Made it much more, enjoyable." Draco said looking down at Aurora with a smile on his face. "Since you told me about her, I've been dreading bringing her up with Astoria, even though I knew at some point I would have to. Not for an investigation, mind you, but I knew she'd find out and I'd need to convince her to not take the story to the press for extra cash."

Hermione was glad that Draco had broached the subject of his wife and that she didn't have to ask him. It had been on the back of her mind all day just wondering what had happened between the two of them to make him so tense when he'd first arrived back at his flat.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Hermione asked, really hopeful that his answer would be yes.

Draco paused for a moment before taking a sip of his wine that was leftover from dinner before beginning. "She wants the villa in Greece, but I already figured that she would. That wasn't a problem, but we did have to bring in another attorney, that's what took so long. We had no infidelity clause in our marriage contract, since neither of us cared about cheating, we were able to amend that part before we got married. So even if Aurora had been the product of an affair, there wasn't anything Astoria could have done with that."

Hermione stayed silent; she'd only heard Draco talk about his marriage after the meeting with Harry. Otherwise, Draco never discussed it with her. Since coming back from America, Draco had always just acted like he was single when he was around her and she'd only seen him interact with Astoria the one time before she'd been thrown in rehab for her pixie dust usage. The tabloids that she'd seen always made them seem like they were happily married, but that was obviously fabricated.

"It's not that we wanted to have a marriage where we were unfaithful to each other, but we agreed that we didn't want to limit ourselves if we could find love outside it. It didn't mean that she wasn't still hurt when I told her about Aurora. She was so excited to be a mother, and I think she felt like this was a slap in the face, even though clearly, it's not.

"She threw the water pitcher at me and the healers almost had to stun her when she became so erratic. She screamed, Daphne had to come in to calm her down before we could even talk about the threats against Aurora and letting her know that Potter would be coming to talk with her about it. That's when she had Daphne send off for the Flint attorney, since mine was already there to have her sign the non-disclosure agreement to keep her mouth shut about Aurora."

Draco flagged down the waiter and ordered a glass of fire whiskey to help wash down the events from this morning. "She hates me, when we first got married, we were at least friendly with each other. Now, she's dying and she told me that she hopes she never sees my pointy ferret face again before her last breath." Draco chuckled throwing back his drink in one swig.

"I'm sorry, Draco." Hermione whispered reaching out to hold his hand. This strong man, held so many things on his shoulders, and had no one to help carry the burdens with him. He deserved someone to be a partner with, and if Hermione could offer at least a bit of her strength then she would.

Draco gave a shrug before turning his attention back to her. "It's what it is. We were already getting the divorce, but I didn't want to hurt her anymore than she already was."

Pausing again, Draco looked down at Aurora and smiled before meeting Hermione's eyes again. "Ready to head back?" He asked and Hermione nodded her head in agreement. Digging through her bag, Hermione easily found the carrier that she wore Aurora with, knowing that if she tried carrying her without it her arms would be killing her by the time, they got to a public floo access.

Sliding out of the booth, Hermione stood and began to buckle the carrier around her waist when Draco stopped her and asked if he could wear Aurora. Hermione was more than happy to let him and helped adjust the straps so that they fit him correctly so that their daughter wouldn't slip and fall out.

"This is brilliant" Draco commented after Hermione had positioned Aurora on his back so that her head wouldn't be flopping around.

"It really is, one of the best purchases I ever made. Works wonders when she's sick and wants me to just hold her all day." Hermione said as they began walking away and back towards the book shop they'd first arrived in.

It was only a short few minuets of walking before something flashed in the alley behind an apothecary they were passing, catching Hermione's attention. Curiosity overtook Hermione as she stepped away from where Draco was walking and had her approaching the otherwise dark corner.

"Hermione, what are you doing?" Draco asked as he quickly caught up with her, stopping her with his hand on her shoulder before Hermione could get any further.

"I'll be right back, I thought I saw something." Hermione said brushing his hand away and continuing until she was standing where she'd just seen the flash on the side of the brick.

"What in the world?" Hermione muttered to herself running her hand over the brick. If she hadn't known what she was looking for, she would have easily missed it. There behind the apothecary were runes carved in the brick, same as she'd seen at the entrance to the black market back in Knockturn Alley.

At this point, Draco had caught back up with her and was easing her away from the wall. "Whatever it is, Granger, this is not something we should be checking out while we have our four-year-old daughter with us. Now, come on, let's get out of here."

"Right, not my jurisdiction either. Okay let's go." Hermione easily agreed, understanding that if this really was the entrance into the black market in Paris, it wouldn't be wise to be caught lingering around it.

Hermione and Draco quickly finished their walk back up the street and entered the quiet book store to use the fireplace again to head back to Draco's penthouse. As soon as they stepped out, Hermione checked to make sure that Aurora hadn't woken up during the trip and when she was satisfied that the child was still asleep, she helped Draco with taking Aurora out and carried her into their bedroom. A wave of her wand cleaned Aurora up and changed the dress she'd worn while out shopping into a nightgown, never waking her.

Once she was satisfied that she wouldn't be hearing from Aurora, Hermione stepped out into the hall slowly closing the door behind her. Turning around, Hermione was shocked to find Draco was standing behind her holding a glass of fire whiskey taking a sip. "What was that?" He asked looking down at her.

"I think it's something the DMLE will want to look into." Hermione explained, not wanting to give away what cases she was working on. Nodding his head in understanding that Hermione couldn't just share details about her work, he motioned for them to head back into the large sitting room.

Hermione missed the ease of just being around Draco that she had lost when he's found out about Aurora. Debating different topics, picking his brain on different things they'd read. Getting his opinion on the different shared hobbies they each had. He was insightful and the way his mind worked always kept up with Hermione, and that's what always made them a good match and close friends before. But now, there was this heaviness that settled around them that kept them from that easy banter they used to be able to fall in.

Lifting her head from the drink she'd been rolling between her hands; Hermione felt her mouth go dry as she looked at Draco. His gaze didn't faulter or lessen in the intensity as he watched her. There was a burning behind his lids that looked like he was just waiting for her to take a first step, as if he were waiting for her.

Setting her drink down, Hermione decided that she might as well take that step if he wanted her to. Hermione moved from the wingback chair she'd been residing in and began to slowly make her way towards Draco with bold movements that masked the nerves running through her. "I want to thank you, for everything." She whispered, her voice coming out slightly horsed and raspy.

Draco continued to stay silent as he watched her, like he was a predator tracking his prey. The heat pooling in her kickers made Hermione want him to catch her, and help her relieve this itch she hadn't been able to scratch since their last, encounter.

"Everything you've done, has been amazing. More than I could have ever hoped for." She continued as she reached where he was sitting and knelt between his spread legs. "I just want to repay you. Show you my, appreciation."

The only response she got was Draco's eyes going slightly wider as he lifted his drink to his lips and tilted his head in encouragement.

That was all Hermione needed. With steady fingers, she swiftly undid his belt and the fastenings to the trousers he was wearing. The black silk beneath them was already tented, making Hermione smirk at being able to see how excited Draco was himself for what was to come.

Grabbing the bands of both his trousers and the briefs Hermione tugged to indicate her plan on removing them from his body. Without hesitation, Draco lifted his hips and let her slide them down until they were nothing more than a bundle of clothing pooled at his feet. With hooded eyes, Hermione looked back up towards him to see that he'd opened the grey dress shirt that he'd worn that day so that it was hanging open and offering her a view of his well-defined chest and stomach.

Licking her lips, Hermione couldn't stop her eyes from roaming down past his navel and to the weeping head that was strained and begging for attention. A purr came to her lips and without waiting another moment, Hermione leaned forwards and licked Draco's shaft from base to tip, making sure that she licked up that drop at the very top.

Looking up through her lashes, Hermione was pleased to see that Draco had dropped his head back and his eyes were firmly closed. Smirking, Hermione couldn't help but be pleased at the amount of power she held over this man. Even after everything, this they could still do.

Leaning forward, Hermione opened her mouth and took him in as far as she could. A hiss from Draco was all the encouragement she needed, relaxing the muscles of her throat, she was able to take him in just a bit further as she gagged, but the groan that slipped from him making it worth it.

"Fuck, Hermione." He muttered grabbing and running his fingers from each hand into her two braids.

Hermione let out her own groan at this and went to work bobbing her head up and down while his hands continued to be tangled in her thick curls that were coming loose from what he was doing. Using one of her free hands, Hermione pulled up the skirt of her sundress and found her cotton clad center soaked and needing its own attention from her fingers.

Pressing into her slick folders, Hermione let out another moan as she continued taking Draco in as deep as she could while she also pleasured herself.

"Crice, are you touching yourself? You dirty slut, do you like my cock in your mouth?" Draco asked, increasing the pressure of his hold on her hair, making Hermione whimper with want.

Hermione increased the speed of her fingers that were at her core at the same time she picked up her tempo of her head. Hollowing her cheeks, and swirling her tongue around Draco's prick could feel herself nearing her own release. With one last flick of her tongue over the head of his cock, Hermione took him into her mouth as far as he could go before, he was spurting out his seed down her throat. At the same time, Hermione's thumb pressed on her swollen clit and her walls clamped around her fingers as her own orgasm took her to her own heights and as she fell, she greedily swallowed every drop Draco gave her.

Hermione didn't move off Draco until she felt him beginning to go soft in her mouth, letting his placid shaft slip out and hanging freely. Adjusting her knickers, Hermione stood up from where she'd been knelt on the floor and brushed the skirt of her dress flat again.

"Just, thanks." Hermione said giving Draco a little wink as she turned around and began walking down the hall towards her bedroom.

Hermione chuckled to herself when she heard Draco call out to her "anytime."

A/N: Okay, so my husband walked in while I was writing the smut. And I had myself all worked up and he comes in and says 'whatcha doing?' Poor man, well not really. He left with a smile on his face.

I know at one point I said this would be 38 chapters including the prologue and epilogue, yeah well, I lied. First it started with my numbering of the chapters got off. Whoops, my bad. Then when I was writing and looking at my chapter notes for upcoming chapters there was too much over lap and I didn't like it, made the flow wrong.

ANYWAY, next chapter is Aurora meeting someone! Can you guess who she's meeting? Look for the update Thursday or Friday!