Disclaimer: They are not mine; Malfoy and Granger and who ever may appear in this chapter. Veronique and Athalie are mine.

A/N: Wow it's been a while since I updated, a very long time. Anyways enough talk, enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 6:

Sunday came all too fast for Hermione. Before she knew it she and Draco were packing and discussing tactics. So far she knew that she would be visiting Blaise at his hidden location la fontaine bleue. After that Hermione would have to somehow manage a week under enemy watch and lead them to England under false pretenses.

A full day of preparation left Hermione tired and worn out. She was used to the feeling, being Headmistress and having to run a ministry by her self. The only thing different about her current situation was the fact that she had no one to cheer her up at the end of a long day. Usually that was Athalie's job.

Adding insult to injury, she could not depend on Draco for providing the attention she needed. He was caught up in his work. This operation was number one on his list where as her comfort fell on the bottom of the list right under his responsibility to be a husband and father. Never once did Hermione think work would separate them when they were married. She never had a chance to test that theory because Draco did not stay around long enough. Now she was feeling the wrath of what would come with being successful and married.

Feeling lonely, Hermione decided to pay a visit to Ginny's fireplace. Hermione headed over to the fire place with a bag of soot in her hand. She threw the soot into the fire, automatically creating a spontaneous green explosion and then green flames. She stuck her head in the green fire and savored the warm sensation that rushed through her. Then calling the address for Ginny's home, she awaited her arrival.

Once she got over the dizzy spell caused from traveling by means of floo powder, Hermione was unable to identify the person standing in front of the fire place. She could only see the person's legs, as they were studying something above her, and immediately she knew they were not Ginny's. The dark blue trousers did not belong to the Weasley so it must have been….

"Harry?" she called and he jumped back landing on the couch behind him. She obviously startled him.

"Hermione?" he asked with the same uncertainty in his voice.

"Goodnight Harry." she said, smiling brightly. She could only hope that hid the loneliness she felt.

A smirk fell onto Harry's lips. "How are things in Paris?" he was able to respond after recovering from the initial shock.

"Well, I don't know Harry. Why don't you tell me? How are things supposed to be, you know, according to the plan I don't know about?" Hermione spat, sharp witted and quick with her tongue as usual.

Harry merely rolled his eyes and sighed audibly. "How can you still be upset about that?"

"It's simple Harry, very simple." She said knitting her eyebrows together in fury. Harry opened his mouth to respond but Hermione decided to finish her thought with "my anger is justified and you know it."

Harry's mouth fell into a thin line. He was silenced. "I suppose you want to vent some anger on me after having dealt with Draco?" he responded after a pregnant pause.

"No Harry I have something better to do with my time. Where is my daughter?"

Harry called for Athalie and sure enough she was down stairs, in front of the fire place in minutes.

"Mommy." She was so excited to see her mother and it showed in everything that followed her greeting. The smile, her bright eyes, and her restlessness all passed in a moment of time when only a mother would notice.

"Hey baby" Hermione responded. "Are you being a good girl?" Athalie nodded in response to her mother's questions.

"That's real good." Hermione said, having felt the need to congratulate her three year old on her minor achievement. A short silence followed in which Athalie busied herself with particle of lint on the burgundy carpet. She hung her head low as if trying to hide her face from the person looking at her. Hermione was familiar with this gesture, especially on her days when she felt insecure.

"You know Mommy misses you. I want to come home and be with you." Hermione broke the silence. Athalie looked up immediately revealing large almond shaped brown eyes that glistened in the green fire light.

"You will be home soon, right?" Her voice was soft, almost a whisper. She sounded like a child who wanted so badly to believe her own statement. Hermione could see the slight tremble in her child's lips.

"That's right. Don't cry. I'll be home before you can miss me even more." Hermione said trying to cheer up Athalie. As she thought about going home to her child another thought dawned on her. What if something happened to her on this voyage? She would never be able to go home like she promised.

"I'll be home with Daddy too." Hermione threw in this extra fact and immediately saw what a difference it made. She was bright and effervescent again as she always was when she was excited. She laughed and giggled and it amazed Hermione how quickly she could forget her worries. She wished she could do that. It would do her a world of good.

"Athalie I've got to go now. I have something to do before I go to bed. Be good for me, okay?" Hermione started and Athalie nodded taking in every word. Normally she would have kissed Athalie goodnight and send her to bed. Instead she blew her a kiss and pulled her head out of the fire place and back into Draco's French manor.

As if she did not have the energy to get back up, Hermione spread herself out in front of the fire place. She rolled onto her back and placed her hands over her eyes, blocking out the light. Hermione began to reflect. She badly wanted to go home to her child and she would gladly leave any moment just to do so. She wanted to return home, but not alone. It was that thought that carried her to Draco's office.

One door to his office was slightly opened, exposing half of the interior of his office. Hermione approached it as silently as possible, not wanting to disturb her husband. She took a stance at the head of the office and watched on as Draco worked diligently. He did not even notice her come in.

He was writing something, a letter of some sort from what she could see. He was half way through the body, not even stopping to contemplate what he was putting on the paper. From her position she observed him carefully. His eyes were narrowed slightly. He placed one hand under his chin, fingering his goat tee. He bit his lip in concentration and slightly passed his tongue over his lips. A new sensation filled Hermione; one that she had not felt in such a while that it was almost unfamiliar to her. It was lust.

Her feet carried her to Draco's chair where her lips found his and her hands made their way into his hair. It was unlike her to do something spontaneous and Draco seemed to be thinking the same thing when he pulled away from the kiss. He opened his mouth to voice his concern but Hermione simply placed her finger on top his lips to silence him.

"Don't speak. Just let it happen." She said to him and took his hands in hers, lightly, making sure to add an extra caress when leading him to the bedroom.

Once they were behind closed doors Draco took the initiative and continued. He pushed her against the door with enough force to excite her, gaining accesses to ravage her neck. Lightly he trailed kisses down the side of her neck and then down her chest, stopping every now and then to open her buttons with his teeth.

With his lips still attached to hers, Draco lifted Hermione off the ground and over to the bed. She bounced slightly as she fell on top of the down comforter. Draco stood over her, surveying his wife. She lay on her side now showing where her waist dips to give her the beautiful shape she has. Her shirt had been discarded of and now she lay in front of him in her midnight blue bra, one of his favorites. She looked at Draco from under her eyelashes creating the image of a vixen.

Suddenly she washed that playful smile off her face. She looked at Draco longingly like he was intangible. The rise and fall of her chest was unsteady indicating that she was nervous about something. Draco watched on. This was all familiar to him. This is how he knew their romance was real because every time they made love it was like she was a virgin all over again. He would always stir those feelings inside of her. No other man could do that to her.

Hermione snaked her hand down Draco's chest making his skin raise on instant touch. Hermione knew exactly what to do. It had been a while but the road was not forgotten. She reached his belt buckle as stopped to look up at him, like she was waiting for permission.

Finally she pulled him down on top of her and in one easy quick motion he was inside of her, again. She gasped but it was more like a sigh of release, a release of tension. Hermione looked at Draco, her body trembling from the contact "It's been too long." She whispered before Draco could proceed.

Draco lay on top Hermione with nothing covering them but a white sheet. He wrapped his arms around her, as if protecting her from what ever was there to harm her. That was his job as her husband. Hermione let herself sink into him, enjoying the comfort he gave. Her thighs were still numb from Draco parting them not too long ago and she was still tingling from when he released himself into her.

"Master Draco!" Veronique called in her prefect French. Hermione rolled her eyes and let out a frustrated sigh, looking at Draco with eyes that said "I'm tired of this woman".

Draco immediately turned his head to the bedroom door which was ajar, a pained look passing over his face. Turning back to Hermione, Draco placed his lips on hers starting another kiss before getting up. Hermione, who was hugging her self to replace the warmth Draco took with him, rolled on her side to watch her husband put his robe on.

"You don't have to go. She can find her way out the door." Hermione said walking towards Draco, dragging the white sheet with her and wrapping him in it with her. Draco simply smiled and responded "I don't doubt that, but I need to discuss something with her."

Draco left Hermione in the room after a light kiss on her forehead. He winked at her before closing the door, leaving her bothered, angry and alone, something he was very good at.

Draco met Veronique in the kitchen, looking at her reflection in the steel top of the kettle. When he entered, Draco became her main focus.

"Is everything set?" he asked Veronique and she nodded her response.

"Have you checked Blaise out? Does he have any idea about Hermione?" Draco continued moving towards Veronique. She followed him with her eyes, excitement building up. She was obviously disappointed when he reached behind her to turn on the kettle.

"No he has no idea, he's clueless. He's still trying to find this house. He mentioned it in bed last night." Veronique added. It was so useful having the enemy's mistress as a personal messenger.

"Good. As long as he does not know Hermione is on her way we should be fine."

A slight pause followed which Draco used to fix his tea. He could feel Veronique's eyes on him. She was close enough to see that his robe was tied at his waist but exposed more than he wanted.

"Thank you" Draco started and looked up at Veronique, catching her in the act of staring at his assets. He could not help at smirk. "Thank you for everything you've done."

"Anytime." She responded catching herself. Quickly she diverted her attention some where else. "You know if any one else asked me to do it, I would not, but for you I'll make the exception." As she said this, Veronique wrapped her arm around Draco's waist and played with the waistband. She pulled him closer to her and placed her crimson lips near to his ear, whispering her last sentence in them seductively.

Draco simply smirked, although she could not see his face, and continued to stir his tea. It surprised him that he did not immediately push her away, which was the proper thing to do. However he had to give himself credit for the one proper thing he did. As Veronique's hands made their way into his robe he stopped her before she could wrap them around his member.

He held her hand, placing a firm grip on them. Turning his head to meet Veronique's, so that they were close enough for their noses to touch and their lips to slightly graze one another, Draco whispered in the same seductive tone some ground rules for Veronique.

"Veronique I'm a married man. I'm not yours to fool around with." He felt her body tense after hearing this.

"Ah! I understand." She responded, accepting the defeat. However not ready to give up Veronique continued raising her voice slightly. "So it was just that one time that you forget that you're married."

This time it was Draco's turn to get tense. It was possible that Hermione could have heard that. "That was not meant to happen." He spat.

"Is that what you'll tell your wife?" Veronique fired.

"Do not worry about what I'll tell her."

"Oh! So you do plan on telling her. I must say I'm impressed."

"She will find out when the time is right. Until then I don't want you to even breathe a word of this to her. Do we have an understanding?"

Veronique looked unyielding. "Do we Veronique?" Draco asked adding pressure to her wrist to accentuate his point. It was at this point that Veronique broke and agreed to do as she was told.

"Good." Draco let her sore wrist go and dismissed Veronique. "Before you leave come to my office. I have something for you to deliver."

Draco headed to his office. He wanted to finish the letter to Blaise that he was writing before Hermione interrupted. It gave him chills every time he thought about completing the letter. Putting his name at the end of that letter was the closest he would get to seal a binding deal between two rivals. It was his challenge and may the best man win. He was not the one fighting for material wealth or power. He had a mission, three years in the making, which could possibly end in what he had been seeking for years. His reward: he would win back his life.

Draco signed his full name in elegant script that no one could match. Finally it was done. At the same moment that he sealed the envelope shut, a hand slid around his waist, pulling him closer to them. It was a habit of Veronique's that she liked to practice on Draco, even when she was told not to.

"Veronique," Draco started his voice slightly softer than he intended it to be. It was a tone he should use with Hermione. "I thought I told you can not do this anymore. It was a thing of the past." Draco finished by turning around to meet Veronique's eyes with his. Instead of meeting the midnight blue eyes of the temptress he came face to face with the honey brown eyes that were so familiar to him.

Hermione attempted once to say something, but words failed her as the tears in her eyes began to fall. Her face was expressionless, not that he depended on her face to tell her story. Draco could see beyond that. Hermione took in a deep shaky breath and angrily swatted her cheek as if chastising herself for crying.

"A thing of the past?" she questioned but Draco could not answer her. Maybe it was the rage in Hermione or hurt that gave her the strength to approach her husband. She was so close to his face that she could feel his nervous breathing flutter against her cheek.

"Three years….and I actually believed you would be faithful." Hermione said in a dangerous whisper, eyes narrowed into slits. "I guess that's all apart of the Malfoy package, first I marry you, you leave me then cheat on me."

"Hermione it happened once --." Draco started but Hermione angrily interrupted.

"Yes I know but it was a thing of the past, right Draco!" At this point he could see the nerve in her temple pulse as she spewed angry words. Then dropping her voice back into a whisper she sweetly added "That was a thing of the past just like our marriage is a thing of the past." With that said Hermione calmly walked away from the kitchen and into the master bedroom and locked herself in.

Draco ran after her, desperate to correct his mistake. If he knew Hermione at all anymore he knew that a long talk could possibly save his marriage.

"Hermione, look I'm sorry" Draco yelled from the outside of the door.

"I'm sorry I married you." He could hear Hermione's muffled cry from the other side.

"I'm not going to lie, it happened and I did nothing to stop it but I damn sure regret it." he tried to explain but it hardly seemed like Hermione could hear him. She had closed the door on him, locked him out both physically and mentally. From his position he could hear her throwing things on the other side of the oak door.

"Please Hermione, we can work this out." Draco pleaded with her. For a moment he thought that he heard Hermione stop shuffling and he was correct. She opened the door but not for him to come inside. Immediately she stepped out with baggage levitating behind her.

"You're leaving?" Draco asked his tone incredulous. Hermione refused to answer him as she headed out the door.

"Hermione this is a bit drastic." Draco yelled trailing her.

"Oh really?" she challenged him.

"Give me a chance Hermione." This comment broke the ice.

"A chance!" Hermione began to yell "You had your fucking chance, two of them. I think this time you hardly deserve it." in an instant Hermione was out the door with her luggage trailing behind her as well as Draco.

"Hermione!" Draco called but his voice seemed to just die in the wind as he watched her figure retreat further away from the house.