A/N: Mucho thanks for the reviews everyone! Rattled off this chapter this afternoon (wrote part of it on the flight back from Paris) and here it is in all its glory. I've also started two more stories - Torrent (a slightly Dark, slightly angsty, sex/drugs Draco and Pansy fic) and Further Education (a fun post Hogwarts Draco/Hermione fic) which you can go and enjoy now as well! huggles to you all.
"Sirius, no!" Ginny screeched as her youngest son picked up her wand and began waving it around causing red sparks to fly around the kitchen like firecrackers.
"Here, I'll watch him whilst you finish making lunch." Hermione offered and pulled the young boy onto her lap so he could draw on the parchment that rested on the table. Ginny and Harry's daughter Lily sat at the breakfast bar reading a book quietly, Ginny had explained that she wasn't normally this quiet – it was probably because Hermione was there and she was unsure of the new visitor.
"Thanks 'Mione. It must be very quiet at your place now the twins have gone to Hogwarts, I mean, considering the size of your house."
"Yeah, Draco's certainly making the most of the privacy though, believe me." Hermione winked and Ginny giggled.
"You know I was wondering why do you guys like in Chelsea and not infamous Malfoy Manor?"
"For that reason. I think there were way too many bad memories for Draco. And you should see it Gin, its huge, excessively so. Even Narcissa doesn't spend much time there now either, she has an apartment in Monte Carlo. We go there occasionally, to escape the city, but I don't regard it fondly."
"And how is Narcissa? Something tells me she wouldn't have been entirely happy with Draco marrying you." Ginny raised an eyebrow and regarded Hermione thoughtfully.
"Well no, the pureblood snob in her hates it. You should see her around my parents, if it wasn't so annoying it would be funny. But the mother in her sees her son, who she adores to the point of worship, is happy with me and for that reason she accepts is." Hermione shrugged and sipped her blackcurrant tea, she'd been positively delighted to find her favourite drink in Ginny and Harry's Marlow home, almost waiting for her as Ginny had stated categorically that neither she nor Harry drank the stuff. "How long have you guys lived in Marlow then?"
"About seven years. We used to live down the road in Cookham but Harry saw this house and fell in love with it. And I love Marlow, only problem is that's it's a little far from Catchpole." Ginny said, referring to Ottery St Catchpole – the village near the Weasley family home.
At that point Sirius decided that he'd been ignored for long enough now and seized hold of a clump of Hermione's hair. She grimaced as his sticky hands tugged fiercely.
"Sirius! No!" Ginny disentangled her unruly son from Hermione and sat him on the floor where he sat chuckling. "Oh god 'Mione, I'm so sorry."
"He's handful isn't he." Hermione muttered as she touched her scalp gingerly, it felt as if half the hair had been ripped out, and judging by the bunch Sirius was clutching she wasn't far off. Just then the doorbell rang and Ginny smiled apologetically before running off to get it, Hermione could hear Ginny greet someone fondly before Sirius made some indeterminable noise, fixing him with a glare Draco would have been proud he shut up immediately and Hermione smiled proudly as Ginny returned along with her eldest brother Bill.
"Afternoon Hermione," He nodded before turning to ruffle Sirius hair. "Hello Sirius, hello Lily."
"Hello Uncle Bill." The young girl grinned, obviously fond of her uncle whose eyes had suddenly widened.
"Wait a second…HERMIONE!"
"Ah yes…" Ginny shifted uncomfortably.
"Hello Bill." Hermione smiled meekly. She scanned his face and noticed that the scars Greyback had given him were significantly faded now and he still had his earring firmly in place.
"I'm assuming that this is a horribly long story which Ginny will be only to happy to convey to me at some other more appropriate time and for the time being I will be satisfied with a simple, how are you Hermione?"
She laughed slightly as Ginny handed them both a plate of pasta salad. "I'm sure Ginny will be only happy to explain. But yes for the time being, I'm perfectly well."
"Any children?" Bill raised an eyebrow and gulped down some pumpkin juice.
"Yes, twins. Just started at Hogwarts."
"Dare I enquire as to the father?" Hermione blushed slightly and stared at her pasta salad, Sirius giggled as he began climbing up onto his uncle's lap.
"Draco Malfoy." Hermione replied and the silence was only punctuated by Lily turning the page of her book and Sirius' mad chuckles as he pulled apart a loose hem on Bill's robes.
"Ah, I can see why it's best for an explanation to be given." He nodded, respecting Hermione's shyness about the topic, she smiled weakly and concentrated on her salad as Ginny and Bill discussed family news, she still felt horribly detached from the people she'd once called her best friends.
---
Whenever I'm down
I call on you my friend
A helping hand you lend
In my time of need
Whenever I'm down
I call on you my friend
I call on you my friend
Hermione perched on the edge of one of the dark wood chairs that sat by the pool, it was evening and so the warm room was lit by blue lights creating an eerie effect. Draco was swimming in the pool and had yet to notice her presence. He lifted himself out of the water on the opposite side of the pool and she could see his muscles rippling in the moonlight, his pale skin marked only by the tattoo of a lion and dragon intertwined on his shoulder blade. She could still remember the day he'd had the tattoo done, the day of their wedding. They'd been walking through the small town in Bali and come across a tattoo artist in the bustling market place, Draco had explained what he wanted and the tattoo was half done before Hermione had even realized what was going on. She chuckled at the memory of the look of pain on Draco's face and he turned around, spotting her for the first time.
"Evening, love. How long have you been there?"
"Not long." He shook his hair out vigorously and it stood out on end, he smiled softly and walked over join Hermione, stepping over the chair so that she was sat between his damp legs. "Draco, you're going to ruin my jeans." She laughed and he grabbed his wand off the low table by the chair and quickly transfigured her jeans and white cashmere jumper into a deep red bikini.
"Ah, would you look at that, you came dressed for the occasion." He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder. "What's up love?"
"I was thinking about how much I've missed while we were away."
"I think 'away' is an understatement."
She ignored him. "I was round at Ginny's today and Bill came over, they were taking about family stuff and I realised how well I used to know them all, and now I don't know anything about them…" She choked back a sob and Draco held her tighter.
"Love, I didn't know them all that well and even I can tell that they haven't changed. Sure you've missed a lot but you'll catch up and don't think the fun's going to stop now you're back. Think of all the good times ahead…they'll be so much you can share with them. People don't beat the Dark Lord together and then forget about it love, you'll always be close to them."
"I know you're right Draco, it's just hard. And half the time I'm worried someone's going to come after you…"
He shuddered but pressed a finger to her lips. "Sshhh love, its fine. We're fine. No one's going to take me away from you, ever." He lifted a hand from her lap and kissed the two rings that sat on her finger, Hermione felt a shiver run up her spine and twisted round so that she could cling onto Draco, as if afraid that some dark unknown force would arrive at any moment and take him away from her.
All I know, is everything is not as its sold
But the more I grow, the less I know
And I have lived so many lives
Though I'm not old
And the more I see the less I grow
The fewer the seeds the more I sow
Then I see you standing there
Wanting more from me
And all I can do is try.
---
"James, you prat." Lissy sighed as he knocked over the chessboard where she and Anna had been enjoying a particularly raucous game of wizard's chess.
"Oh, sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going…" He mumbled, sitting down next to Anna on the sofa.
"Yes, we can tell that. Idiot." Anna mumbled under her breath as Lissy lay on her stomach, fishing for pawns under the armchair opposite.
"I said I'm sorry, okay." He scowled and turned away from his cousin who proceeded to flop onto the floor beside Lissy.
"Lissy, I don't think there's anymore under here…" Anna whispered in her ear, watching Lissy's searching arm.
"Yeah, I know that. I'm just trying to make James feel bad, that was a really good game." She giggled conspiratorially and Anna rolled her eyes, she'd spent the last eleven years bickering with James, she didn't realise that other people wanted in on the act as well.
Suddenly the girls felt someone grasp their ankles and found they were being dragged back into daylight by a grinning Milla and Jake. "What are you doing two doing under there?" Milla questioned as the girls sat up, cross legged on the floor.
"Looking for chess pieces." Lissy held out her hands which were full of the black and white wriggling men.
"Oh, I see. And why were they under the sofa?" Jake raised an eyebrow. Sitting down next to his James on the sofa, Milla was already seated in a large armchair, her legs curled up under her.
"James…" Anna and Lissy echoed together. Jake sighed; seemingly the names James or Lissy were becoming a byword for anything that went wrong in Gryffindor tower that year.