Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter Characters.

Three months later Hermione's life was going smoothly. She and Draco had been together for five months, she'd found her own place and moved out of Harry's, and the press had cooled down. She and Draco only appeared in the papers maybe once a week now and that fact thankfully had her mother off her back.

A month after the official launch of Draco and Blaise's more affordable UK line, profits were sky rocketing and Hermione had taken to wearing Foi Du Saint almost exclusively. She had sat between the pair of the hour at the launch fashion show and mingled with the upper crust of society. Now, for the first time in five months, she was spending Saturday night with her telly and a bag of popcorn. Blaise and Draco had gone out for the night to celebrate the success. Hermione honestly didn't mind. As much as she loved her time with Draco, she was actually kind of looking forward to a solitary night.

Several chick flicks, one box of tissues and three bags of popcorn later, Hermione retired to her bedroom to get some sleep. This was unfortunately not to be. At one in the morning she woke to pounding on the door.

"I'm coming," she muttered as she tied the sash on her robe tight. When she looked through the peep hole she couldn't believe what she saw. "You have got to be kidding me."

Standing on her doorstep, and looking more than a little worse for the wear, were Draco and Blaise. Though the bigger surprise came with who was with them. Harry Potter, stone drunk, sagged between the business partners.

"Hello Luv," Draco said with a hesitant smile as she opened the door for them.

Hermione shook her head and ushered them into the apartment, shutting the door behind them. "What on earth happened?" she asked. She zeroed in on Draco's black eye and shook her head. "Somebody tell me quick before I continue what someone else obviously started."

"It's actually a funny story, Hermione," Blaise said with a grin. His face fell when she looked at him. "Maybe not that funny." He and Draco deposited Harry on the couch and Draco cautiously approached her.

"We went to the bar after we had some dinner and Potter was there when we arrived. He was already piss drunk by the time we got to him. He and the littlest Weasley had a fight."

Hermione sat down on the couch next to her best friend. "What could you have fought about that ended in all this?" she asked gently.

Harry groaned. "I asked her to marry me. Considering where I ended up tonight you can gather what her answer was."

She looked up at Draco to confirm that what Harry was saying wasn't just drunken rambling. He nodded grimly.

"Oh Harry I'm sorry. Why doesn't she want to marry you?"

He sat up and rubbed his hands over his face. "It was my fault. I got nervous and messed it all up. I just kind of blurted it out, and it sounded more like a command. She got upset, I got upset, we fought…" he trailed off.

"This isn't the end of things Harry; you can make it up to her. I'll help you work out a romantic way to do it and I'm sure she'll say yes."

"We'll just have to see," he said sadly. He sat there for a moment before he passed out cold.

Hermione turned her attention back to Draco and Blaise. "What happened when you got to the bar?"

Blaise sat down on the coffee table. "Well we were just going to leave him to himself but a fight sort of broke out."

"Seamus Finnegan and Dean Thomas were there tonight as well."

Hermione shook her head, figuring it was Seamus' off color personality that had started the trouble. "And?"

"Well," Draco said. "Seamus made a tasteless joke, one that I don't care to repeat at all, let alone to you love. Harry didn't see the humor in it and he punched Seamus in the face."

"Good grief," Hermione sighed.

"Seamus was drunk too so it just snowballed out of control. Potter hit his head and couldn't really fight back so Draco and I jumped in."

"In the end I took one to the face and we got kicked out, along with Finnegan and Thomas. Seamus sobered up enough to apologize and we all headed out separate ways. Your place was closer so we came here."

Hermione sighed in frustration and retrieved an ice pack for Draco's eye. "I will never understand men," she muttered as she handed the pack to Draco.

"I'm sorry petite sorciere," he said quietly as he pressed the welcome cold against his black eye. "Unfortunately, we all have our stupid moments."

"Oui, everyone acts like an idiot at times, we men just seem to do it more frequently," Blaise told her drolly.

She couldn't help but laugh at that. "Both of you are right, and I'm glad you brought him here. There's no way he could have made it to his place before he passed out. Thanks."

"It really wasn't a problem. Do you want me to stay and help you out?"

"I'll be fine. It won't be the first time I've tended to a drunk. Thank you for the offer though." She kissed him softly. "I'll see you later."

Draco pulled her in for a longer kiss. "Goodnight luv. Good luck with Potter."

Hermione laughed and shook him and Blaise left the apartment. Her laughter stopped abruptly as she turned back to Harry and contemplated what she was going to do with him.

Harry Potter woke the next morning with a pounding headache and a burning desire to be put out of his misery. Things got worse when he sat up and looked around and remembered everything that had happened the night before.

"Good morning," Hermione said from behind him.

Harry picked himself up off the couch with a wince and went to sit at the counter. "I'm an idiot," he said as quietly as he could so as to not aggravate his hangover.

"Yes you are," she said straightforwardly, handing him some of the headache remedy she'd gotten from Draco. "But I'd say you're entitled, although Seamus may not agree with me."

"Please don't remind me," he groaned. He downed the glass of remedy and sputtered at the taste, but quickly felt the relief. As soon as he set down the class Hermione handed him a cup of coffee. "I feel like the world's biggest jackass."

"Well I certainly don't think you're that. Look we can fix this Harry, you and I together. Though I may not mention my helping after the fact, Ginny's still a bit sore with me about Ron."

"I'm not sure if it can be fixed Hermione, the fight was pretty bad."

She whacked him with a dish towel. "You'll never get anywhere with that attitude, now come on."

Four hours and numerous shopping stops later Hermione sent Harry off with all he needed to hopefully win Ginny back. She sighed as she fell onto the couch. The day wasn't even half over and it had already been too long. The phone rang.

"And getting longer," she said. She reached for the phone. "Hello?" The voice on the other line had her straightening in her chair automatically. "Hi mum, no I'm not busy go ahead."

"Well sweetie, you've been seeing this young man for some town now."

Hermione had a sinking feeling she knew where this was going. She proceeded with caution. "Yes?"

"Well, your father and I were thinking…"

She heard her father in the background. "Leave me out of this."

"Ok, I was thinking that it's about time that we formally meet this man."

Panic set in. "Mum I just don't know if we'll be able to set anything up. We're both so busy."

"You and I both know that's not true. Now I want you and Draco here for dinner Sunday night Hermione. We all have to live through this nightmare; it's just your turn."

"But mum…"

"No buts dear, we'll see you on Sunday."

"Mum…" she trailed off as she realized her mother had hung up. "Great." She set the phone down for a moment before resignedly picking it up again. "Draco? Are you free Sunday?"

Sunday night at eleven Hermione stormed into Draco's apartment with said man at her heels.

"It wasn't that bad Hermione!"

She whirled around to face him. "Wasn't that bad? You told my father to go to hell Draco! That's bad!"

"It was the only thing that went wrong all night luv. Besides, I didn't specifically tell him to go to hell. I said that anyone who believed I hadn't changed could go to hell."

"Right after he said he had a hard time believing you've changed."

His storm grey eyes flashed silver with temper. "I don't sugar coat Hermione, not for anyone."

"They're my parents!" She threw her hands up in the air. "You could have at least been tactful."

"I'm sorry if you didn't like the way I handled things, but I've had to take more shit than I can handle about who I am and what I do. I lost my temper, it happens."

"I realize that it happens but of all the times to lose your temper."

The eyes flashed again. "There are some things not even magic can control Hermione."

His tone of voice immediately put her back up. "Don't speak to me as if I were a child Draco. I'm well aware of what magic can and can't control."

"I'll stop speaking to you like a child if you'll stop acting like one!"

"Well, it seems like we're finished with this conversation," Hermione said tightly.

Draco caught her arm as she walked past. "You can't walk away from this Hermione."

"Watch me."

Draco flinched at the sound of the door slamming behind her. He ran a hand through his hair and fought of the urge to punch something. It was then that he realized the blinds had been opened through the entire fight. Considering what had happened last time it wasn't a good thing.

"Merde!"

The next morning Draco's fears proved justified. The front page of the Daily Profit featured a picture of him and Hermione mid fight with the headline : 'Magic's Golden Couple Caught In Fierce Fight' Draco thought fierce fight was a bit of an overstatement but it unfortunately didn't matter what he thought. Now that the public had gotten word they would take the information and run with it. And run they did. His day was filled with fending off fans of the label and dozens of people with consolations. His secretary was overrun with calls and owls and Blaise was being bombarded as well. Hermione spent the day in much the same fashion. By the end of her shift at the hospital she couldn't wait to get home and lock the door. Several times throughout the night she went to pick up the phone to call Draco, but she stopped herself every time.

Life went on that way for the next week. They both avoided the press and each other as much as they could. Saturday night an exhausted Hermione dozed off on the couch

"Meet me," Draco said quietly.

"Where?"

"The park by my place."

"I'll be there."

When Hermione apparated to the park she found Draco was already there. She walked over to the bench and sat down next to him. A tense silence hung between them before he broke the silence.

"I'm an ass."

"You're not an ass; I really was acting like a child."

"That didn't make me being rude to your father right. I shouldn't have told him to go to hell."

She laughed. "Actually, dad called me after the muggle papers got hold of the news. He really likes you. He says it takes a lot of character to tell it like it is."

"I guess it takes time to gain some perspective," Draco said with a smile.

"Apparently it does, but I'm still sorry for being so unreasonable."

"We were both were, and I'm sorry as well."

As he pulled her in for a kiss neither of them noticed the camera flashing.

Author's Note: Sorry if some of you are disappointed that we didn't get to see the actual dinner with Hermione's parents. We just haven't been painted a very clear picture of them in the books so it's hard to know what to do with them. I apologize if you wanted to see more.