Note: buckle up, people, this is the day I break Draco Malfoy in tiny pieces. His path towards "balls-growth" starts here, on june 30th, and will only end on the early hours of july 1st. That will cover four chapters – it'll be a freakishly long day.

On the last day of June, Hermione arrived in her office to be greeted by two purple envelopes on her desk, one addressed to her and the other to Malfoy Enterprises; and she immediately knew what that was about:

The approval of the new Wolfsbane!

She quickly opened her envelope and read the official document that gave HélèneLabs the requested permission to brew and distribute that new Wolfsbane version.

I have to tell Draco about this! – they had both worked hard on that formula and it was his the company that would work on making it.

She quickly penned a letter to the Head of the Malfoy Enterprises – a formal, strictly Ministry-business letter – and moved on to her other responsibilities for that day.

A few minutes after her assistant had left with the letter, Hermione received the visits of Pansy and Blaise – who had stopped by to check on her and to send their love to the babies.

She smiled, knowing that soon it would be Charlie who would appear there: she had barely thought of it and she heard his voice talking to her assistant.

"Is my beautiful fiancée in?"

"Yes, Mr. Weasley." Replied Vicky. "You can go in, sir."

And the door was opened wide.

"Good morning, beautiful fiancée."

Hermione chuckled; ever since they had told his family and officialised their engagement, he had started to call her that.

"Good morning, Charlie." Hermione replied, standing up to hug him.

"How are my sweet babies doing today?" he asked, touching her belly as he laid a kiss on her forehead.

"I haven't seen my breakfast a second time this morning yet. So it's all good."

"That's great. Harry is still giving me a side-eye and hasn't talked to me since we told everyone about the babies."

"Well, as long as he doesn't cause us any problem-"

She stopped talking as her eyes fell on an unexpected blond presence at her door.

"Employees are allowed private meetings during work hours now?" Draco scowled as he walked in, his eyes going to the ginger man's hand still resting on her baby bump. "This place has really gone to the dogs!" He finished sharply.

"Watch your mouth, Malfoy!" Charlie growled.

"It's Lord Malfoy to you, Weasley!" Draco snarled in return.

Hermione suddenly noticed the signet ring on his left hand pinkie finger – something he had never worn before.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

He didn't dare tell her to address him by his new title, he just stared at her for two silent seconds before speaking: "I need the official document that allows my company to begin the production of the new Wolfsbane. You sent me a letter but I believe it was too much for you to add the document to the envelope as well."

Hermione seemed embarrassed for not having thought of that, "I was," she stammered, hating him right then, "I was too excited with the approval to think of doing that, Lord Malfoy." she spoke with all the sarcasm she could muster; anger boiling up inside of her the more she looked at him standing there all perfectly dressed, not a hair out of place. "And you could have sent your secretary to fetch it for you." Her tone making her anger clear.

Draco took a few steps towards her, his jaw clenched but his eyes showing an intensity that had her shivering – he was jealous and furious.

And that angered her. How dare he act as if I am the one to blame for all of this?

"Yes," Draco drawled with a sneer, "If I had sent her I wouldn't have been subjected to the unprofessional behaviour I just witnessed."

"I'll tell you again, Malfoy," said Charlie putting himself between Draco and Hermione. "Watch your mouth before I wipe the floor with it!"

Draco looked at him as if he was nothing but dirt on his expensive shoes and turned to Hermione once more: "The document, Granger." He reached out his hand.

"On the desk, Malfoy." She pointed at the purple envelope with his company's name on it.

But he didn't make a single move to pick that up. His grey eyes filled with an arrogance Hermione hadn't seen since their first years at Hogwarts as his hand continued open on her direction – he wanted her to hand it to him.

A power-play.

Hermione fisted her hands in anger; if those papers were about any other thing, she would've thrown that envelope at his lordship face.

As it was, she put a hand on Charlie's arm, silently asking him to move to the side, then she picked up the envelope and gave it to Draco, regretting getting close to him when the smell of his cologne filled her nostrils and memories threatened to have her breathless.

Draco took the envelope from her hand and was about to turn and leave her office without any parting words, when another man appeared at the door.

"Is everything alright in here?"

Draco frowned, "Blaise?" he exclaimed, watching his childhood friend walk to Hermione and put a hand on her back with a familiarity he had no idea those two had.

"What-?" he said in surprise, noticing how Charlie made no move to push the wizard away from his fiancée.

Hermione stood between the two men with a smile – seeming glad to have them there.

Meanwhile both men stared at Draco with anger, their body language letting him know they were used to getting that close to her.

And Draco was blinded by jealous rage: "Both of them, Granger? And you chose the poorer one to marry?"

She inhaled sharply as she realized what he was implying and her hand landed on his cheek faster than any of the men could stop it.

"Get the fuck out, Malfoy." She growled at him. "I never want to see your stupid face again."

But instead of leaving, he held the wrist of the hand she had slapped him with and took a step towards her, his grey eyes filled with lust.

Hermione suddenly knew why, she could feel the raw desire in her own body; she had slapped him, called his face stupid – that was foreplay in their book.

Luckily the other two men in the room didn't comment on that and interpreted Draco's stance as a threat.

Blaise wrapped his arms around Hermione at the same time that Charlie put himself between her and the blonde, pushing the man away from her.

"You heard my fiancée, Malfoy. Get the fuck out!"

Draco didn't take his eyes off his childhood friend holding his ex-girlfriend – not protectively, but actually stopping her from attacking him again.

"Leave, Draco." Said Blaise.

He glared at the three of them and left.

When the door slammed shut behind him, Charlie exhaled: "Now, that was an unexpected way to begin the week..."

"Thanks for coming back here, Blaise." Said Hermione.

"Vicky called me when she saw him arrive. She said he just walked in without even a good morning to her."

Hermione nodded, she'd buy Vicky lunch for the rest of the week at her favourite restaurant as a thank you.

Blaise and Charlie exchanged a heavy glance while she sat on her chair.

"What?" she asked.

"I know more than enough" said Blaise. "about Draco's sexual preferences to understand the tension we all felt after the slap."

"And I don't want to hear about it!" Added Charlie, faking a shiver.

Hermione blushed furiously and refused to reply to that; both men just shook their heads, leaving her office after sending their love to the babies one more time.

She smiled and rolled her eyes at them, "For goodness' sake, these kids weren't even born yet and you two, Ginny and Pansy are already spoiling them!"

Back at Malfoy Enterprises, Draco sat inside his office and tried to focus on work to forget what he had just seen: Hermione being protected and touched by Charlie Weasley and Blaise Zabini.

"Fuck!" He cursed, throwing the quill onto his desk and holding his head on his hands.

He knew she had to have fucked Weasley since she was expecting the man's kids, but Blaise? Draco felt betrayed – twice so.

First by his friend for sleeping with the woman he loved and then by her for sleeping with both men and getting pregnant.

Did any of that make sense?

No.

And deep down Draco knew it. But his feelings had been all over the place lately; with the amount of responsibilities he had plus his fucked up love-life, he could feel himself losing it. And as much as he wanted to blame Hermione and others for his pain, he knew he had been the one to dig that hole, which was now so deep he had no idea how to climb out of.

Focusing on one shitty problem at the time, Draco thought of what he had just seen. Blaise, Weasley and Hermione; Blaise was his brother, just like Theo; they had grown up together, went to school together all their lives – from primary to Hogwarts.

And now Blaise had stolen his witch – and was sharing her with another man.

As if his thoughts had the ability to summon the man, Draco's assistant let him know Mr. Zabini was there to see him.

"Send him in." Draco replied sharply, standing up and waiting for his friend to walk in.

Blaise closed the door behind him and stared at Draco for a silent moment.

"What was that scene at the Ministry, Draco?" he asked.

"What? How dare you ask me that?" Draco exploded. "What were you doing there pawing at Granger as if you owned her!"

Blaise pretended not to know anything, "Are you jealous? I thought your crush on Granger was over. Aren't you about to get married to a Greengrass?"

Draco fisted his hands before running one through his hair, exhaling as he made the decision to tell him the truth: "I was dating Granger until a couple of months ago."

"Really?" Blaise kept playing none-the-wiser. "A brief affair before getting married, I presume? To get Granger out of your system?"

Draco shook his head, replying sorrowfully: "Four years, Blaise. I had her for four years and a half."

"So you're telling me you had the most amazing witch in all of the wizarding world for four years and you tossed her aside to marry a Greengrass?"

Draco let out a breath, "Father drew the contract when I failed to choose a bride myself."

Blaise could see that the man in front of him had turned but a shadow of the cocky confident friend he had always known – Draco was cracking under all that pressure.

So Blaise chose to speak calmly, but his words were ruthless: "You were raised under the same familial values of honour and respect I was, Draco. Neither of us would date a woman for four years and not have the intention to marry her. Were Granger from a pureblood family-"

"She'd be my wife then already!" Draco nearly shouted. "If she were from a pureblood family- hell, is she were half-blood at least! Father would've married us the year we finished school at my request."

Blaise couldn't stomach that admission, "So it's true then: you truly left her because she is muggleborn. You thought she'd be your mistress because she lacks the blood-status to be Lady Malfoy!"

"No!" Draco looked at his friend, surprised that he knew about that, "I mean, I thought she'd stay with me but-!"

But his attempt to defend himself wasn't convincing enough and he was getting hit for the second time that day: Blaise landed a hard punch on his right cheek.

"You're an idiot, Draco!"

"So you're fucking her too?" shouted Draco spitefully. "Sharing her with Weasley?"

"Do you want to get hit again?" Blaise growled.

Draco glared at him but kept quiet.

So Blaise continued: "Hermione is marrying Charlie-"

But Draco interrupted him again: "Since when are you friends with her?"

"Ginny, Charlie's sister, is dating Pansy. We have all become closer. If you did more than look down at people and act like a little shit, you would've known that already."

"I'm busy with the wedding and taking over father's responsibilities."

"Yes." Blaise sneered. "Lord Malfoy."

Draco shot him another glare and sat at his desk.

Blaise just shook his head, "You're an idiot. And you should know this: if Charlie hadn't gotten to her, I would have. Granger is an amazing witch. I honestly can't believe she wasted four years of her life with you." And he left before Draco could reply.

When evening finally arrived, Draco wanted nothing more but to go to his flat, remove his suit and tie and relax under his rain-shower, letting himself remember the past – as had become a daily habit of his – and sleep with his heart filled with memories of when he had the woman he loved in his arms every night.

Instead, he was walking through his family home going towards the Spring Room – where his mother liked everyone to gather a few minutes before very meal.

He had received her dinner invitation a couple of hours after Blaise had left his office; and no one refused Narcissa's invitation without facing consequences – not even him.

Less of all him.

Draco opened the door to the tastefully decorated room and saw his horrible day getting even worse.

"Mother." He kissed her cheek, trying not to glare at her as he turned to look at the witch beside her: "Miss Greengrass."

The beautiful young witch put one hand on his chest and took a step closer, her overpowering citrusy perfume hitting his sensitive nose and making him hold his breath – risking running out of air but refusing to breathe in that scent again.

"Call me Astoria, Drake." She said in a voice he assumed she thought was alluring. "We'll be married in five months!"

He just nodded with a weak smile, supressing his annoyance over the stupid name she insisted on calling him, and moved to the liquor cabinet, breathing normally again and finding his father's favourite firewhisky. He poured himself a shot – making it a double one as he listened to Astoria's aggravating giggle over something his mother had said.

Draco downed all the contents of his glass, feeling the weight of his mother's disapproving gaze on his back.

And right that moment he thought he hadn't felt that miserable since a mass-murderer and his pet snake had lived in that house.

Dinner was torture.

Lucius sat at the head of the table, Draco sat beside Astoria on one side on the long table, his mother in front o him – and, damn!, Narcissa was chatty that evening.

Draco had never seen his mother so funny and outspoken, it seemed faked – and it were.

Lucius seemed a little weirded out about it but smiled and laughed at what his wife was saying.

Narcissa told them silly and embarrassing situations she had seen in all the years living in the wizarding world high society.

His father was surprised by many of them, while Astoria seemed to have never heard anything funnier in her life.

The young woman laughed and giggled affectedly and from time to time she flipped her hair in Draco's direction and he had to hold in his breath to not be suffocated by her disgusting perfume.

As they reached the end of the last course before dessert, Astoria thanked Lucius and Narcissa for having invited her.

"Nonsense, my dear!" said Narcissa with a smile. "It has been a while since I've had this much fun." And her blue eyes sparkled as she fixed them on Draco.

She was torturing him again.

And fucking hell she nearly made him miss his Aunt Bella.

When dessert arrived, Draco knew he had to have reached the bottom of that awful day.

"Oh!" Gasped Astoria beside him. "Banoffee pie!"

Draco glared at his mother: she knew he absolutely hated banoffee pie.

"I heard it's your favourite, Astoria." Narcissa replied.

And Draco nearly gagged.

How on earth would he marry a woman that loved the most disgusting dessert in the world?

His treacherous mind immediately reminded him that his love for gianduja was only surpassed by Hermione's – they had had a lot of fun spreading the sweet paste all over one another's body, licking it off until sweat and cum joined the gianduja on their skins.

Astoria's perfume jolted him back to reality, as she had leaned closer to him, giggling again and holding out a fork in his direction, with a piece of the disgusting dessert on it: "Try it, Drake. It's delicious!"

That's it.

He couldn't take that anymore, Draco excused himself and ran to the fireplace in the Entrance Hall, flooing home so quickly he got dizzy when he landed in his flat's living room.

But that day wasn't over yet – oh, no!

(to be continued... soon)