A/N- I am once again in awe of all your kind words and encouragement! Thank you so much to all who have decided to take this journey with me.

Chapter 3: Anticipation

June 1, 2003

My darling little dragon,

You've hidden yourself away in Nott Manor for long enough, and it's high time you came home. I've already lost my husband; the last thing I want is to lose my only son too.

-your loving mother

Guilt was all-consuming. It felt like drowning sometimes, especially now. Draco had to go home. It'd been nearly two months since his father passed, and he'd practically abandoned his mother, only seeing her on Sundays for dinner. Their conversations on those evenings were stilted at best, but she certainly didn't deserve to be left alone.

After an impassioned pep talk from Theo about how he'd made the right choice and had every right to be happy, Draco headed to Malfoy Manor for his mother. As soon as he Apparated into the foyer of his old family home, Narcissa was there waiting for him.

"I've missed you, my dragon," she said firmly, though her eyes were glossed over. The strong witch held her head high, but the lump in her throat cracked her facade. Draco closed the gap between them and embraced his mother tightly. She clung to him.

"I'm sorry, Mother," he croaked, kissing the top of her head. "It was selfish of me to abandon you the way I did."

"No, Draco. It's my fault," she admitted with a deep breath. "I ran you off by...blaming you...it...it wasn't your fault-"

"But it is my fault," he argued, taking a step back from her, turning his head in shame. "If I'd just-"

"He did this, my dragon, not you. He made his choice to leave us alone in this world instead of accepting your choice!" she screamed, grabbing his shoulders and staring him in the eyes to prove she meant the words she said. Tears streamed freely down her face now.

"Do you...do you accept my choice, Mother?" he whispered, wishing more than anything for her to tell him it was alright. Her eyes drifted to the floor. Though he didn't require her approval, he still wanted it. His past would provide him with enough difficulties with his assigned spouse; he didn't need his mother to be another obstacle between him and this mystery witch.

"Let's sit. There is much to discuss," she said, straightening her posture and leading him to the back gardens where tea service was waiting. They sat in silence for a moment while Draco gathered his thoughts. He was sure of his current life's path, so he hoped she wouldn't try and sway him at his point.

"What did you want to speak to me about, Mother?" he wondered, trying to seem casual. Almost imperceptibly, she stole a deep breath. Had Draco not known his mother so well, he wouldn't have noticed the way she braced herself. By the time she finally met his gaze, he'd schooled his expression into something he hoped resembled confidence.

"As you already know, you are now head of our household as you have been for the past few years, but even more so now that we no longer...have your father," she choked on the last few words. "This is the direction you have led our family, so it is my duty to follow. You've made your choice to accept a Ministry bride, and whether you care or not, I support you," she placed her hand over his.

"Thank you, Mother, that truly means a lot to me," he choked. It's exactly what he needed. "If I may ask, why the sudden change of heart?"

"If you must know, it took me too long to realize that losing you isn't worth a millennium of pure bloodlines. My ideas of what I wanted for you don't align with what you want for yourself, and I thought having a half-blood daughter-in-law might not be so terrible if I am given beautiful grandchildren," she admitted with her lips slightly upturned. "Look at us blood-traitors, practically in cahoots with the Longbottoms and the Weasleys now," she offered him a true smile and squeezed his hand before letting it go. Draco grinned at his mother's weak joke, knowing how difficult it was to categorize herself in a camp with the Weasleys no matter how progressive it was. Accepting his decision was truly monumental, but something else tugged at the back of his mind.

"What if they match me with a...a Muggle-born?" he wondered, unable to look her in the eyes now. If she immediately took away the support she'd just offered him, he wouldn't be able to bear it. Her delicate hands tensed on the table as she drew in a long breath, and he immediately regretted asking.

"Let's just...take things as they come, my dragon," she forced a relaxed tone that didn't quite match her clenched white knuckles and deep, steadying breaths. Her disappointment was palpable, but there wasn't much that could be done at this point nor would he want to change his decision.

He couldn't tell his mother that blood status was the least qualifying factor he thought about in a wife. The war changed him quite a bit, and he wanted a witch that could accept him for the man he'd become no matter what he'd said or done in his life. Only Theo, Pansy, and Blaise knew his feelings on the matter.

"Was there anything else you wanted to discuss?"

"While you have already received the honor of becoming Head of the most ancient House of Malfoy when your father was sentenced to life in Azkaban, there were some additional titles you have inherited with his passing," she explained sadly. "We will have to go to the Ministry to sign any remaining paperwork."

"I'm so sor-"

"No more of that," Narcissa cut off his apology. Once his mother made a decision, it was set in stone, and she wouldn't dwell on it. "You've brought so much honor to our family since you've taken over the reins of Malfoy Industries. Tell me about your latest charitable endeavor with the brand new potions sector you wish to add," she smiled with only a hint of sadness residing in her eyes.

"How do you know about that?" Draco questioned with surprise. He'd hardly revealed his plans to introduce an affordable potions department to a handful of people.

"Pansy, of course. She and her mother take tea with me at least twice a month," Narcissa replied. "It's a shame the two of you never-" Draco held up a hand to stop her.

"As I've told you many times, she and I are better suited as friends."

"It was worth another try," she said with her lips turned up in a slight smile. He rolled his eyes and proceeded to tell her about his future plans for the company.

June 17, 2003

Hermione stared at the overwhelming pile of paperwork recently dropped on her desk. It was all the files she needed to study in order to argue this particular case in front of the Wizengamot. The same case she'd presented to the Wizengamot once before. It had nearly broken her when they denied it, but she wouldn't give up. She'd continue to fight for the rights of werewolves in memory of the late Professor Lupin. If only those angry, old bureaucrats could see how beneficial providing Wolfsbane to the packs would help society as a whole.

The Wizengamot had sent a tentative date in late November to hear her case again. An errant thought about the timing of both meeting and marrying her future husband during that time frame distracted her, and she suddenly needed some air. Waving her wand over the files to secure them, she pushed away from her temporary desk that had turned permanent over the years within the Department of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Merlin, she needed to get out of here.

As Hermione aimlessly wandered the halls of the Ministry, she wondered if her appointed spouse would complain about the long hours she kept as Ron always had. The thought of being with someone who couldn't understand her love and commitment to her work was frightening. With this impending case, how would she have the time to even get to know this mystery wizard?

A sudden flash of blond hair ahead of her caught her attention as Malfoy seemed to appear out of nowhere and walk through the doors of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Once again, he wore a Muggle suit in lieu of robes, which surprised Hermione. Though she'd barely registered during her wandering that she was in front of DMLE, she wondered why Malfoy was there. The recent story she'd seen in The Prophet about his philanthropy efforts had restored her faith that people could change for the better, so she hoped he wasn't in some sort of trouble. It was a strange thought to have about her former enemy.

July 25, 2003

"Must we stop in a boring bookstore, Draco?" Theo whined as they wound down the steps to Knockturn Alley. The place had cleaned up quite a bit since the war; it no longer was a host to a myriad of Dark venues.

"No one is forcing you to come, you know," Draco replied with a sigh as he opened the door to the recently opened bookshop. Though it wasn't his first choice, the owner, his former classmate, Tracy Goyle, nÊe Davis, actually accepted his patronage. He couldn't say the same for other wizarding establishments.

"I'm your best mate, so it only stands to reason that I accompany you," Theo said matter-of-factly. The truth was that Nott really didn't want to be alone with his own thoughts. He'd been beating himself up over his decision to join the Ministry program, worried about the fate of his future wife being stuck with such an unfortunate family name. To be honest, Draco was still worried about this very thing, but unlike Nott, he was able to steer his thoughts elsewhere when they became too depressing. What was done couldn't be undone, and they'd just have to hope their appointed witches would learn to love them regardless.

"With any luck, you and I will be matched, so you can follow me around all the time," Draco said sarcastically.

"Just think what pretty babies we'd make!" Theo chuckled loudly as Draco scrunched his nose in disgust.

"You're absolutely nutters," the blond wizard shook his head. "Go see if Tracy is around for you to pester and let me browse in peace," he said, marching down the nearest aisle, Theo laughing obnoxiously until Draco disappeared out of his sight.

As he made his way toward the potions section, checking behind him to make sure Theo hadn't followed, he suddenly collided with a petite witch. Draco was about to reach out a hand to steady her when the stack of books floating before her fell to the ground.

"My apologies," he said, immediately pointing his wand at her fallen items.

"Thank you," she nearly whispered. When he finally turned toward her, his heart thrummed as he realized who she was. Hermione Granger. Not for the first time, he noticed how striking she'd become as an adult, but he quickly banished the thought.

For a witch he'd not seen since his trial after the war, he'd seen an awful lot of her over the past few months. Once at a restaurant with the Weasley girl, several times when conducting business at the Ministry though he didn't think she'd seen him, and now in this bookstore that he hadn't expected her to know existed. The brave woman looked startled, possibly even scared, the first time he'd spoken to her last month, so he hadn't attempted to speak to her the other times. Not that he should. There were too many dreadful memories between them, none of which he'd properly apologized for.

"It was my fault entirely, Granger," he said sincerely, floating her books toward her and smirking as she gaped at him in surprise. Once she had control of the small library she'd collected, he darted off in the other direction. He was a coward.

"Thanks, Malfoy," she called after him belatedly. Merlin, if the bravest witch Draco had ever known was this nervous around him, what could he expect from the poor woman forced to marry him? At least if his mother had arranged his marriage, the selected witch would have the support of her family.

Without warning, the desire to seek Granger's forgiveness overwhelmed him. If she could accept his apology, he'd feel a bit more worthy of the witch he was forced upon. Draco glanced across the store where Granger was now paying for her books and speaking animatedly with Tracy. He immediately decided against speaking to her again tonight. There was no need to ruin her evening just so he could unload his heavy conscience on her.

August 15, 2003

"This time next year, I might be fat and pregnant," Pansy sighed dramatically, draping herself on the lounge in Nott Manor's billiards room and kicking Blaise to the ground as she did so.

"No one will get you up the duff if you treat your wizard like this," the Italian wizard griped as he pointed his wand at his spilled drink. "That was a 150-year-old Scotch you just wasted. Now I hope you stay fat after your future little pest is born!"

"Blaise Maximilian Zabini, you take that back right now!" she screeched, kicking at him with her bare feet. "You two stop laughing," Pansy pointed at Draco and Theo, who were laughing hysterically at the scene before them. "Hex this evil wizard for wishing me to be plump forever!" Of course, they were all as pissed as they were every Friday night. It'd all started as a celebration the night Draco was released from probation three years ago and became a weekly ritual ever since. Though Nott would always be his very best mate, Parkinson and Zabini didn't fall too far behind.

"We'll still love you even after you've had 100 babies, Pans!" Theo and Draco raised their glasses toward her.

"You're only saying that because I know too many of your secrets!"

"That would be true if you didn't tell everyone all of my secrets," Draco countered with feigned anger.

"I've only told two people that you were terrible in bed, and you still bring it up all the time," she sat up quickly and moved unsteadily to put her hands on her hips.

"I was only 14 bloody years old, you wicked witch!" he yelled, sloshing his drink all over himself. "Father still hadn't explained anything to me, and I had no fucking clue what to do!" Lucius had never actually gotten around to having the sex talk with him. Everything he'd learned had been from his friends at school and one of Blaise's stepfathers, who was found dead shortly after that particular summer holiday.

"You were close enough to 15, so stop pretending you were just a child," Blaise drawled as he stumbled his way over to the bar, purposely bumping into Draco's shoulder.

"Shut it, Zabini! I didn't hear any glowing reviews about you from either of the Greengrass girls," the blond wizard sneered.

"Maybe not at first," he defended himself, "but that summer we spent with stepdad number five was extremely enlightening," the Italian wizard wagged his eyebrows. "It's a shame he passed so suddenly after that trip. His lesson about how to properly please a woman was the only thing I remember from my school years."

"Too bad I came home from that trip to a fucking madman living in my home," Draco shook his head. "I didn't even get to use Number Five's advice until after the war," he pouted.

"Better late than never," Blaise slapped him on the back.

"What does any of this have to do with Pansy getting fat?" Nott slurred, his eyes somewhat crossing in his drunken state.

"Oh, Merlin. What if I have to have one of your babies?" Pansy said with her brows furrowed with worry, ignoring Theo's comment for this new revelation. The three wizards grimaced back at her.

"I wouldn't be able to get through that process without laughing," Blaise smirked.

"Me neither," Pansy retorted as she stared pointedly at his crotch, but the Italian wizard bucked his hips at her with a grin while she pretended to gag.

"I'm sure the Ministry takes into account that sex with you would be like fucking a sister," Theo said, inelegantly crossing the room to hug her. She pushed him away playfully and pointed at Draco.

"Quick. Name the most important quality you want your assigned witch to have!"

"What?" he asked, his brain foggy from the alcohol.

"Just answer, Draco!"

"Intelligence."

"You're so boring," she rolled her eyes. "Blaise?"

"Insatiable sex drive."

"Typical, Zabini," Pansy huffed. "Theo?"

"She must be funny above all else," Nott said as he dramatically fell into the settee. "Tell us, darling, what must a wizard have to please you?"

"Integrity, I think. I just want him to be a good person who I can respect. I suppose he must also be brave to even put up with me," she said wistfully.

"I think it's safe to say that you are not describing any of us," Blaise laughed, circling his fingers between the three Slytherin wizards as they all laughed.

September 13, 2003

"Are you ever going to take a break?" Harry whined from the doorway of Hermione's room. Where she sat in the middle of her bed, several books laid open surrounding her as she furiously scribbled notes.

"In less than two and a half months, I have to argue this case in front of the Wizengamot. There is no time for a break," she shook her head in exasperation. Sleep had evaded her as the trial became her main focus at work, and there was the ever-looming matter of finding out her future spouse in just over two weeks that wracked her brain all night.

"If you think I'm the type of friend that will allow you to work yourself into St. Mungo's, you are wrong," Harry asserted, crossing the room in a few strides and hoisting his best friend over his shoulder. "We have friends over, and you'll take the rest of the night off," he admonished her, ignoring her pleas to be reasonable and pounding fists on his back as he carried her to her bathroom. "Take a shower, put on something clean, and meet us downstairs," the dark-haired wizard let her go, kissed her on the cheek, and left without awaiting a response. Though she was a bit put out by being manhandled, she was grateful for Harry's concern. If it weren't for her close friends constantly forcing Hermione to relax every now and then, she'd definitely burn herself out.

By the time she'd made her way downstairs, Harry, Ron, George, Ginny, and Luna were in the middle of an intense game of Muggle Yahtzee. The witches and wizards who grew up in the magical world found the game incredibly difficult without the use of the magic they relied on so much. Inevitably, the game would lead to bickering among the Weasley siblings, which would distract them from playing the game strategically and leave the opportunity for Harry, Hermione, or sometimes Luna to win. Regardless of this same outcome every time, everyone loved Yahtzee nights.

"Cheater!" George yelled, pointing at his younger brother.

"We've been through this; you can't place the dice on the table, Ronald! You have to roll them! " Ginny joined her older brother in the predictable accusations. The youngest Weasley brother attempted to cheat every time they played. As many times as he tried, he was always caught.

"I did not! Tell them, Harry!" Ron protested as his best mate huffed loudly and rolled his eyes.

"Don't involve me in this. I'm winning," Harry declared, exchanging a shared grin with Ginny.

As Hermione watched her friends continue to argue over the game, she admired the way Harry and Ginny had fallen back into an easy friendship over time. He wasn't the sort of person to cut someone he loved out of his life even though he'd spent the early days of the breakup pining after her. The poor wizard had a hard time imagining another witch for him at first, but once he realized that the time they spent together was essentially the same as when they were a couple, he began to let her go. After a few months, he'd made progress in developing some form of aspiration to find his true love, and eventually, the two had a talk about how they'd handle the press once news broke about the end of their romantic relationship. The last thing Harry wanted was for Ginny to suffer for following her heart, so they decided to form a united front and pretend it was a mutual breakup.

"It seems I have won," Luna announced after a while.

The previous chaotic scene of competitive gameplay turned into something more relaxed. As only old friends can, conversations they'd had a thousand times before flowed between them. Hermione drifted out of Quidditch debates into discussions with Luna about creatures nonexistent to the rest of the world, magical or otherwise. With George playing bartender, Hermione found herself entertaining the possibility that Luna might be right about some things.

As Harry made the group laugh when he told a tale about a recent case of being kicked in the shins by a Dark wizard who had been hiding out by transfiguring himself into a child, Hermione hoped that no matter what happened, they would all always be friends. It would be interesting to see how their new spouses would fit into the mix.

"You know, there's still time to change your mind and marry me," Ron hinted after a few more drinks. The very thought of being stuck with him for the rest of her life made Hermione's blood run cold. Although he was a fiercely loyal and loving friend, she just couldn't force herself to fall in love with him. They just didn't fit together. Hermione knew what she wanted, and it wasn't him. She truly wished he would accept her choice. "I'm sure you could do a lot worse than me," he scoffed when she didn't respond right away.

"Ron, please don't," she whispered, knowing he could hear her over the uncomfortable silence he invited into the room with his comments.

"Well, I just hope you haven't gone and fucked both of our lives with your decision," he replied bitterly, leaning forward on the sofa with his hands braced on his knees. To Hermione's relief, George crossed the room to Ron and signaled with his hand that it was time to go.

"That's enough, little brother," he said quietly. "No witch will come running into your arms when you've insulted her so thoroughly," he admonished Ron while he and Ginny dragged their brother through the Floo back to the Burrow.

"Don't worry, Hermione," Luna's ethereal voice permeated the nearly empty space. "He's just scared of uncertainty, but you'll see you made the right choice in the end. There is no space and time which exists where Ronald Weasley is the right choice for Hermione Granger," she finished with a serene smile before waving goodbye and disappearing through the Floo. Harry came up behind her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I don't usually say this, but I think Luna might be right," he smiled, giving her the hug she needed so desperately.

A/N- Thanks for reading! Next week will reveal the pairings! 💜🙌💙 As always, please continue to let me know what you think!