As I sat at my desk in the open Auror office, I was all too aware of Blaise sitting just a few feet away, constantly checking his watch and looking at some Muggle device since the moment Granger had left. It was obvious that he was anxiously awaiting her return, likely jealous that she'd opted to spend her lunch hour with Potter. I nearly snorted at the thought — if he was jealous of Potter, he was in for a lifetime of pain.

However, I was so in tune with Blaise's actions that I found myself looking up with him every time a ding preceded the lift doors opening. After a few times, he turned towards me. "Expecting someone, Malfoy?"

"Nope," I responded. "I've seen you look up so many times that I've basically been trained to do it. Waiting for someone?"

Slouching in his seat, he ignored my question.

I continued to leaf through all the rehire paperwork Potter had given me, skimming the more boring parts of it. I signed on all the dotted lines, acknowledging all of the risks and agreeing to all the rules set forth by the Ministry. I'd done it all before, so I wasn't surprised by anything I saw.

When the lift chimed again, I looked up and saw Granger stepping out, Potter's arm linked with hers. Blaise noticed their arrival and immediately got up, walking over to her and greeting her with a kiss on the cheek. Replaced, Potter headed to his office while Blaise led Granger to hers, his hand resting low on her back. I couldn't hear anything they were saying, but I saw the small smile she gave him and the way it made him grin.

After the ball, I'd known that things between them were real, but this drove it home for me. The simple smiles and touches, the way they were so open about their relationship in the office — this wasn't the Golden Girl fake dating someone to take attention off of her single status. It was clear that Blaise loved her and that she cared for him, that they had a true partnership and looked after one another.

With a sigh, I returned to my boring documents, hoping that I'd feel that way someday.

Later in the afternoon, Blaise was at his desk finishing up a case report and Potter came to retrieve him. "I need to speak with you privately about that case in Florence."

They both walked into Potter's office and the door closed behind them, leaving me alone in the department with a few other Aurors. One was a younger female — I was sure Blaise would've taken in an interest in her if he wasn't with Granger — and the other two were older males, both old comrades of Alastor Moody who didn't really enjoy having a former Death Eater in the department.

All day, I'd resisted the urge to walk over to Granger's office and ask for the books she'd promised me. I hadn't wanted to piss Blaise off on my first day back by chatting up his girlfriend… the one I'd fancied back at Hogwarts.

But I couldn't hold back anymore.

I just wanted to see her, to talk to her, to know if we'd really been friends before my accident. Since she was Granger, I knew I could trust her to be honest with me. She had no reason to lie to me and she'd always been willing to tell me the truth with no reservations.

Making a show of standing and stretching, I mentally readied myself for the conversation. I thought about what I'd say, how she could react, how I'd react in turn. If this interaction went badly, I'd piss off three well-respected people within the DMLE, and I didn't want that, especially on my first day back.

I slid my hands into the pockets of my Auror robes and walked to her office. The door was slightly ajar, so I took a moment to observe her. Her curls were pinned back and likely magically held in place. Her dress was Muggle and she wore no jewelry, though she did have makeup on. She held a quill between her fingers and was rolling it, the top of the feather dancing along the skin of her cheek. Somehow, I knew she was deep in thought. Her expression didn't give much emotion away, but there was definitely something on her mind.

Deciding it was now or never, I knocked on the doorframe.

Her eyes jumped up, meeting mine, and widened just a fraction. I pushed the door open further and said, "Hello, Granger."

"Malfoy," she responded. "How can I help you?"

All business. Not rude, but no friendliness in her tone. She looked nervous, like she thought I was going to lash out and call her a Mudblood. Why?

The quill spun faster between her fingers and she moved it away from her face. I didn't know how to proceed since she'd given me no clues and her fidgeting was increasing.

"How has your first day back been?" she asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

I could do this. I could answer her. It was totally normal. I'd come here to talk to her, and she'd asked me a question. She was starting the conversation — welcoming me — and I was freezing.

I cleared my throat. "It's been, well, rather boring, if I'm honest about it." She laughed the way she had at the ball and it bolstered my confidence. "I've just been signing my life away, taking all responsibility away from the Ministry if I get hurt."

"Standard protocol, I assure you," she said, giving me a cautious smile. "You weren't expecting to be back in the field your very first day, were you?"

Shrugging my shoulders, I replied, "I honestly wasn't sure what to expect, but that's been the story of my life since my accident."

At my words, she flinched and I thought I saw her guard go up.

"Yes, well, it was all very unfortunate," she stated, matter-of-factly. "Brooms are so bloody dangerous. I still absolutely refuse to fly on one—"

"You still don't fly?" I asked.

Granger rolled her eyes. "Well I've just said that, haven't I?"

My brain's faulty connections led me to one fact. "But you flew on the back of a dragon. A broom isn't any more dangerous than that."

"And I've told you, Malfoy, I rode that dragon out of necessity. I wouldn't have done it if I'd had literally any other option," she answered, quick as ever.

My brain tried to make the connections, but there was nothing there. I couldn't remember that conversation or a time that we ever could've had it.

Looking her in the eyes, I admitted, "I can't remember much from the time I married Astoria until the accident. And I can only even really remember seeing you here a handful of times."

"Right," she said quietly. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking."

"It's fine, Granger, really. I've come to terms with the fact that I have a couple of lost years," I replied, waving her off. "I actually came to see if you'd brought me any books."

"Books?"

"At the gala, you said you'd bring me some books today. I'm out of things to read."

She laughed. "You can't go to the library at Malfoy Manor and find something?"

"Not Muggle books. I read all the ones you gave me before while I was recovering," I explained.

With a look of shock on her face, Granger said, "Oh. Right. Well, uh, I'm sorry, but I haven't got anything for you today. I was… a little… I was drunk on Saturday night, and I didn't remember." As her cheeks flushed, I couldn't help smiling. Even at twenty-seven, she was clearly a rule follower. She didn't want to be seen as the type who got wild and let loose. "I don't really know what got into me. I just lost my head, and then when I woke up yesterday morning, I had the hangover from hell. Blaise had to feed me potions and then carry me to the shower. It was really quite embarrassing."

Rather than tease her, I asked, "I'm assuming you'll be here tomorrow?"

I didn't want to think about Blaise. Not right now when I had all of her attention. Her hand was on her chest, her thumb rubbing over her collarbone. I didn't know why, but I found it incredibly sexy. The movement drew my eyes in and I wanted to be the one to touch her, even if I knew it was completely out of line.

"Of course, I'll bring something for you tomorrow. That's not a problem." After a pause, she quickly added, "And how are Astoria and Scorpius? I'm sure it's going to be an adjustment for them — you being back at work."

Astoria. Scorpius. Wife. Son. Eyes off Granger's chest. Look into her eyes.

When I looked straight into her eyes, I felt my heart speed up. I felt a connection to her, like my soul knew hers. Or my magic. Or something.

Damn.

A connection, maybe, but it was one I had failed to make, failed to complete. I wondered if she felt it too, or if it was all in my head.

"Yes, I think it'll take some adjusting, but Astoria is a good mother," I answered. "I'm sure they'll be fine. I'd be surprised if Scorpius even notices I'm missing. She'll keep him busy most of the day."

Forcing a smile, Granger said, "That's good. I'm glad that she's around to take care of him. I've heard that some of the old families just leave their children with the elves."

"We don't have elves," I responded.

She nodded. "I know, you've mentioned that before. Do some of the ones from the Manor still help you out?"

How does she know…?

"Usually they just provide meals for us. Astoria and I are both rubbish at cooking and we don't really live somewhere where takeaway is feasible. Not in London, like Blaise."

Granger laughed. "Yeah, we do rely on takeaway some nights, but we also cook a few nights a week."

"Do you live with him?" I asked, and she went pale.

After a moment, she collected herself. "We don't… officially. But I'm at his more often than not lately."

"That's usually how it goes, yeah?"

Again, she forced a smile. "I guess so. I've never really gotten to this point with anyone, so it's a bit different for me."

Potter's door must have opened while we were talking because, without warning, Blaise had sidled past me into Granger's office.

"Excuse me, Malfoy," he said, focusing on her. "Hermione, what time do you think you'll be ready to go?"

Looking at her watch, she replied, "An hour or so? I think I'm almost at a good stopping point."

He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "I think that works for me too. Draco, do you have a few minutes? Potter asked me to bring you up to speed on a few things."

"Of course," I responded. "Granger, I'll see you tomorrow."

Her eyes moved back to whatever she'd been working on before I interrupted. "I'll be here."

I followed Blaise back towards our desks, weaving through the office quickly.

When we reached my area, he cast a Muffliato. "Draco, what were you doing in her office?"

"Were you pissed Saturday night, as well?" I asked. "She told me she'd bring books for me. I went to get them from her, but she didn't remember."

Scowling, he said, "Don't think I've forgotten about the way you were obsessed with her. I knew that you coming back to work would be… interesting because of our relationship, but I didn't think you'd start sniffing around her the first day back—"

"I am not sniffing around her. Astoria told me that Granger used to give me books. I want to be on good terms with her since we're all going to be working together again. I figured that was a good way to go about it," I explained. "I'm a married man. I'm not going to step out on my wife."

He scoffed. "You're absolutely right you won't. I won't allow it."

"Won't allow what? Won't allow her to talk to me?" I began. "I'm sure that'll go over well with a woman like Granger. Why don't you tell her that over dinner tonight and then let me know if she's still with you in the morning?"

Blaise shook his head. "You're still an arrogant prick. I'd have thought an accident like yours would be humbling."

"I've asked you before and I'll ask you again. What happened between us? We used to be best mates, and now you're calling me a prick and insinuating that I'm going to try to move in on your girlfriend."

People around the office were watching us, but I didn't care. They couldn't hear what we were saying and I wasn't going to draw my wand or hit him. I was sick and tired of trying to figure him out.

"I've always thought you were an arrogant prick, even when you were my best friend." Pausing, he brought his hands to his hips. "I gave you years to sort your shit out when it came to Hermione. Instead of being a man and apologising to her, you just ignored her and then married Astoria—"

"You think I don't know that?" I interrupted. "I know I never had the courage to ask her out or properly apologize for everything I ever did to her. I'm not trying to do that now, either."

Potter cancelled our charm and said, "Is there a problem here, Zabini?"

Typical. Potter running to anyone else's side.

"No, I was just asking him what he was doing in Hermione's office. It's like he waited for you and I to be busy with our meeting," he replied.

Glaring, he said, "Reel it in, Zabini. You can't go all caveman every time another bloke talks to Hermione. She won't like it."

I held back the smirk that desperately wanted to make its way onto my face. I'd essentially said the same thing and I was sure that irritated Blaise.

"You've been around the Gryffindors too much. You're getting jealous as easily as Weasley did when we were teenagers," I taunted.

Potter turned his disapproving look on me. "Malfoy, that's enough. It's your first day back. You don't need to rile anyone up."

"On that note, I'm going to finish up the last of my paperwork," I said. "You're absolutely right. Very childish of me."

As I sat in my chair, I watched Blaise continuously look to Granger's office door. He wasn't doing anything work-related, just fuming and watching for her. Occasionally, he looked over at me and I would raise an eyebrow at him.

An hour later, Granger came out of her office, handbag slung over her shoulder. He stood as soon as she'd closed the door behind her, walking over to loop an arm around her waist. I watched them leave together and, at the last second, she looked over her shoulder and caught me.

She forced yet another smile and departed with Blaise.

I left the office shortly after Blaise and Granger, eager to get home and see Scorpius. While I'd told Granger that it would be an adjustment for them, it would also be an adjustment for me. Today was the first full day — other than our anniversary trip to Paris — that I'd spent away from Scorpius and it felt strange.

When I stepped through the Floo, he moved towards me as fast as his little legs would carry him. Astoria was sitting at the dining table with meals under stasis, looking sour.

"I thought you'd be home earlier. You left at seven-thirty."

Picking Scorpius up and hugging him close, I replied, "I had to meet with Potter before work. I'll be working til six every evening, but I'll be leaving later in the morning than I did today."

"Okay."

Honestly, I hadn't been expecting her to get upset so early on. First days of work were always unpredictable.

But she wouldn't know that.

"I'm sorry. I promise I'll let you know if I'm going to be late from now on," I said.

Astoria looked up. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be like this after one day. It was just… I had a harder time with it than I thought I would." She gestured to the chair across from her. "Sit. Let's eat. I do want to hear about your day."

And so I settled Scorpius in his highchair, getting him situated before sitting down.

As we ate, I told Astoria about the boring day — the paperwork, the meeting with Potter, the reintroduction to co-workers — and then she asked, "Did you see Blaise and Granger?"

Since I was taking a sip of water, I nodded.

"And how was that?"

I shrugged. "Blaise hovered over her. I don't know how she stands it. I went to her office because she was supposed to bring me books to borrow, but she was pissed when she promised that, so she didn't have them."

Smiling, Astoria said, "I thought she might have been a little out of it at the ball. She normally wouldn't let Blaise grab at her like that in public, I'm sure."

"I don't know. They seem pretty openly affectionate, even in the office."

She hummed in interest. "Well, that's unexpected."

"I thought so, too."

"Good for them," she began. "I'm happy that Blaise has found someone, even if she's not who I would've pictured for him."

As much as her comment made my hackles rise, I kept my thoughts to myself. It was clear that Astoria wanted me to think as little of Granger as possible. I wondered if I'd told her about my Hogwarts crush or the feelings that had lingered into adulthood, but decided I didn't want to open that can of worms.

After dinner, I spent time with Scorpius and put him to bed. I had missed him all day and I cherished the time I had with him after work. At the end of a long day, his baby giggles and little smiles were exactly what I needed.

When I walked into the master bedroom, Astoria was lounging on our bed in a silky green nightgown that left little to the imagination; I could see the outline of her curves, her nipples, and almost the entirety of her thighs were bare. She was reading an actual book, which was unusual, and her hair was curled.

It hadn't been curled when I got home.

"What's this?" I asked.

She looked up and smirked. "I just wanted to look nice for you."

Starting to undress slowly and methodically, I moved across the room. "Oh really?"

When I was left in my shorts, I'd made it to my side of the bed. Astoria had set the book on her bedside table and moved towards me, kneeling on the mattress and looking into my eyes. She reached under the waistband and stroked me until I was fully erect.

As I wrapped my arms around her, she kissed me hard and I groaned when she tightened her grip on me. Her lips travelled along my jawline to my ear and she sucked the lobe into her mouth.

"I missed you today," she whispered. "I was thinking about you all day."

I couldn't say the same and it made me feel like a bastard.

Instead, I directed her lips back to mine and kissed her, my hands tangled in the curls she'd coaxed her hair into. I felt product on them, holding them firmly in place, but I tried to focus on the fact that she'd made the effort.

Her hand stopped stroking and started pushing my shorts down impatiently. Rather than taking my time, I wanted to do this quickly.

And, of course, that made me feel guilty. Astoria was my wife.

She deserved more than a quick shag where I was solely focused on my needs, but I needed to lose myself for a few moments. I needed to forget about the jealousy I'd felt at the ball and today in the office. I needed to forget the moment I'd felt something between me and Granger.

I needed to remember what my life was like and that I couldn't do anything to change it.

When I got into work the next morning, there was a stack of books on my desk with a note on top.

Malfoy,

I hope you enjoy these as much as I did. I'm out of the office today, but I wanted to leave these for you before I went since I forgot yesterday.

Let me know when you need more.

She hadn't even signed it, but I obviously knew it was from her, and I found myself tracing the letters she'd written on the small scrap of parchment. The script looked familiar, like I had seen it recently, but that was impossible.

Blaise was also out of office and I wondered if that was a coincidence or not.

With a sigh, I pushed the stack of books to the side and tried to convince myself that it was good that she wasn't here. After the chemistry I'd felt yesterday, I needed to stay away from her.

I was married. I had a son to think about. She was with Blaise.

Granger had always been in the back of my mind and that apparently hadn't changed with my accident. Even when I forgot everything else, I somehow remembered what I'd felt for her. The inconvenience of that was nearly more than I could stand.

Instead of thinking of Granger, I tried to concentrate on Astoria, on remembering the previous night. She'd definitely held my attention, making me focus on her in a way that I didn't often manage. Every inch of her had been primped and polished to perfection, and I'd appreciated the time she'd spent getting ready.

I thought of the roll of her hips, of the way her blue eyes had glossed over, of the way she'd looked when she was on top of me.

But I realised those thoughts weren't really appropriate for the office. Since I hadn't yet been assigned anything, I wasn't really sure what I should be doing and Potter still hadn't arrived. I started to worry; it was strange that he, Granger, and Zabini were missing from this neck of the Ministry.

Eventually, the younger female Auror made her way to me. "Draco Malfoy, right?" she asked with a smile.

"Yes," I replied, standing to greet her. "And your name is?"

"Melody Travers, but everyone calls me Mel," she answered.

"It's nice to meet you, Mel. Are you working on anything now?"

She nodded. "I've been helping Blaise look into Florence. They think there's a group of dark wizards with ties to Britain gathering there with the intent to steal something. We're not sure what they're after, but there are enough strange things happening that we're concerned. I think Blaise, Harry, and Hermione are probably in Italy speaking to their Minister for Magic today to get a better feel for things."

"Would it be okay if I jumped in with you? Potter didn't give me an assignment yesterday."

Mel smiled. "Of course. Blaise did mention that you'd been here before and were great with the research part. I'm looking for potential targets in Florence."

With that, we settled into a conference room together, going over a list of magical artifacts housed in Florence.

Potter came into the office that afternoon and told me I'd be working with Mel and Blaise behind the scenes for now, since Hermione was working on a different case and I was the next best person for research purposes. Blaise was less than enthused, but I was getting on with Mel well enough; we made a good team.

I slowly settled into a routine over the next few weeks. Every morning, I'd get to the DMLE around ten o'clock, check in with Potter, and sit down to work with Blaise and Mel. I'd pointedly avoid Granger's office. On the few occasions that she came out into the department, she always moved quickly unless she was with Potter or Blaise.

At lunchtime, Blaise would always escort her down to the cafeteria or somewhere else, making her leave the office. A few times, I'd caught her looking over at me as they walked by, his hand on the small of her back or her waist. I always tried to smile at her, but she usually looked away when I noticed her.

As much as I wanted to ask her why she hadn't spoken to me since my first day, I figured some questions were better left unanswered.

When I got home in the evenings, I spent time with Scorpius and then went to bed with Astoria wrapped around me. On weekends, we'd go to dinner at the Manor and my parents seemed to be on edge whenever the conversation moved to the DMLE.

I'd thought that going back to work would help me to find a missing piece of myself, but it hadn't happened so far, and I was quickly growing disappointed.

However, by the end of the month, Potter was preparing for paternity leave and I was assigned to work on a strange case on my own. A potioneer in Diagon Alley had been accused of selling highly-regulated potions —like Polyjuice and Amortentia — without a license to do so. So far, no one had been able to produce hard evidence of this, and the man seemed to be extremely canny. Whenever a person walked through the doors asking for the potions by name, he would immediately give the appropriate response: "I haven't got a license. You'll need to go to another shop or through the Ministry."

Of course the Gryffindors in the department had gone in, wands blazing. I knew this was going to need a more subtle approach and I was eager to begin.

"I do need to wrap up a few things with Blaise and Mel," I said. "I don't want to leave them hanging when we're so close to cracking what's going on in Florence."

Potter nodded. "This potioneer has been at it for months. Another few days won't hurt."

"And how is Pansy?" I asked, trying to be polite.

"She's honestly a nightmare," he grumbled. "You'd think she's never done this before. She complains that she's fat and then sends me to Fortescue's. She cries whenever James or Sev does something 'sweet' or 'grown-up'. She nearly hexed Hermione when we had her come to the house a few days ago because she said 'You have nothing to worry about — this is your third time around!' And those are the tame parts."

I laughed, happy that I'd not caved to Astoria's demands for another baby. "I still think the two of you are a strange couple."

"It works for us, minus the last month or so of a pregnancy. I'm honestly thinking this will be it for us, though. Ron and Luna can keep having kids, but three is plenty for me."

I couldn't stop the words that flew from my mouth. "Do you think Blaise and Granger will get married and start having kids soon?"

"I honestly don't know," Potter said. "I'd like them to. I know Hermione wants to be a mother, and I'd like our kids to go to Hogwarts together, but I don't know if things are that serious between them yet."

I nodded. "They do seem serious. I mean, I rarely see one without the other."

"I think Blaise is ready, but Hermione… it's hard to say. I think she's still afraid to let him in completely."

And, even though it was horrible and wrong, I felt happy that she hadn't.

Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading!

We're moving into the chunk of chapters that is probably my favorite for the whole story next week. I can't wait to share it with you!

As always, feel free to reach out to me wherever you can find me - Facebook, Tumblr, etc.