The weekend had gone by in a blur.

On Friday evening, I rummaged through all of Astoria's beauty products while she was visiting Daphne. I opened every perfume bottle and sniffed, trying to find the right one. All of the scents were ones I'd seen advertised my whole life — all manufactured and sold in the wizarding world. I didn't come across anything that looked Muggle. I also searched the closet for the red dress to no avail.

When she walked into our bedroom, I confronted her again, asking her what happened to the items I remembered. She simply rolled her eyes and said, "I hated the perfume, Draco. You were the one who liked it, but it made me nauseous when I was pregnant. I got rid of it."

"And the dress?"

Astoria shrugged. "Again, not my taste. It was much too… red."

As I went over the past months in my head, I realised she didn't often wear the colour, so I didn't question it. While the circumstances seemed suspicious, I had no proof that she wasn't telling me the truth.

"I'm going to pick up the necklace in the morning, though," she offered. "Maybe it'll jog something else for you."

And then she kissed me with enough heat to silence my brain, temporarily shutting down my doubts.

We fell into bed, the way we often did since I'd returned to work, Astoria initiating everything. I never refused her; when we were having sex, I felt a connection to her. Even if it was somewhat superficial, it was better than the constant feeling of distance between us.

Early Saturday morning, I popped out to take photos at the apothecary. I was determined to figure out the mystery of the runes, and I needed to see if they had changed since the previous day. The lines had shifted, and I was ecstatic. It was confusing, but we now had more data to sort through, to find a pattern in.

As soon as I returned, she went to Diagon Alley to retrieve the necklace, leaving me to care for Scorpius. I readily agreed; since I'd gone back to work, I tried to spend as much time as possible with him in the evening and on weekends.

But seeing the necklace hadn't jogged anything for me. When I looked at it, I remembered buying it, but not giving it to Astoria. I couldn't recall the look on her face when she'd opened it or ever seeing it around her neck. It was a classic design — a single, large round-cut diamond set in white gold — so I couldn't imagine it wasn't to her taste.

"So will you please stop obsessing over these memories now?" she asked, and I bristled.

It was obvious she didn't understand what it felt like to have huge stretches of time that you couldn't remember, that made you wonder what had happened and made you feel like your life wasn't quite right. Rather than letting out my frustration, I simply nodded and returned my attention to Scorpius, escaping to the ice cream parlour as soon as possible.

I was shocked to end up spending time with Potter and Granger there, sitting with them like it was as natural as breathing, my son laughing and smiling with his.

Honestly, I was surprised that Scorpius took to Granger so quickly — Astoria often told me he didn't like being handed off to her friends. When he settled instantly, smiling and babbling, my stomach twisted. I felt like I'd missed out on something, though it didn't really make any sense.

Unless I was equating the moment with the silly dreams I'd had in the past.

And Granger seemed wistful when she looked at Scorpius specifically, her expression much different when she looked at Potter's sons. Though I fully admitted my brain could've been making that up.

When I arrived home, Astoria smiled up at me, and I instantly felt like I'd done something wrong. I shouldn't have been spending time with Granger outside of work and letting her hold my son. It was completely irrational — we'd not been alone and we hadn't even touched — but the guilt still overwhelmed me to the point that I hadn't told Astoria who we'd seen at the ice cream parlour.

Instead, I spent the rest of the weekend trying to make up for it, even though she had no idea. Other than photographing the apothecary on Sunday morning — shielded by a Disillusionment Charm — I stayed with Astoria and Scorpius and played the role of the doting husband all through Sunday dinner at the Manor, drawing confused looks from my parents.

Honestly, it had been exhausting.

Walking into the office Monday morning, I stopped in my tracks. Zabini was standing in Granger's office doorway, blocking my access. I was carrying the books I'd retrieved from the Manor on Friday, planning to go straight to her. Instead, I walked to my own desk, setting the stack down and patiently waiting for him to go about his day.

However, when he moved, he stepped into her office and didn't come out. After an hour of irritatedly turning pages, pretending to look at the runes, I decided to go and interrupt their morning.

As soon as I reached the doorway, Granger's eyes landed on me and she stiffened the tiniest bit. I knocked on the doorframe before crossing the threshold into her office and saw Blaise camped out in the seat I'd occupied for the latter half of the previous week, his paperwork from Italy spread out in front of him.

"Good morning, Granger, Blaise."

"Malfoy," they said in unison.

"Granger, I have those books from the Manor if you want to go through them. And the photos — you said you wanted to teach me that enhancement charm."

Looking down at the parchment she'd been focused on before I walked in, she replied, "If you grab the photos, I can show you quickly. I'm helping Blaise wrap up things from Italy today."

The unspoken words were clear — the partnership we'd had last week was gone now. She'd help me when she had time, when she wasn't busy helping Blaise.

More than likely, she was placating him and it frustrated me to no end. She'd never seemed like the type to let a man control her life, especially when it came to her work. However, I decided to hold my tongue for the moment; it would do me no good to confront her with Blaise watching our interactions like a hawk.

I couldn't understand why he was so concerned about us working together — I wasn't a single bloke. I had a son and a wife. I had fantasies about Granger, and I likely always would, but I wasn't going to act on them.

"Sure," I said, hearing the bitterness in my own tone.

Her brown eyes peeked up at me, clearly regretful, and I knew. I knew she wanted to keep working with me, but she was afraid of upsetting Blaise. With a sigh, I turned and walked back to my desk to retrieve the photos. For a moment, I debated waiting until he left her office to go back, but I wasn't sure how long it would be.

I grabbed the photos and headed over. Much to my surprise, Blaise was holding two coffee mugs and heading for the breakroom. I wondered if she'd sent him away so she could try to explain herself.

When I stepped through her door, Granger smiled at me. "Sorry. I fully intended to finish things with you, but this case is apparently still going to take a few days to wrap up. If you've not figured it out by then, I'll jump back in."

"It's fine, Granger," I began, handing her the photos. "As long as that's all it is. I wasn't sure if Blaise had a problem with us working together."

"I suppose that's part of it, too. He doesn't seem to want to let me out of his sight today."

"You told him you were helping me last week?"

She nodded. "I did. I figured it would make it easier if I was upfront about it." Worrying her bottom lip, she added, "I guess I was wrong about that."

"Why does he care so much?" I asked.

Looking up at me, she replied, "I'm not entirely sure."

Inexplicably, I felt like she was lying to me, though I knew she had no reason to. My suspicions were just constant. With so many memories missing, I had little to no precedent for trust in any relationship.

A moment later, she said, "Okay, so come around and I'll show you how to do this. Do your best to transfer all the runes and corresponding dates to a table, and hopefully we'll be able to figure it all out."

Stepping behind her, I leaned over her shoulder, feeling the warmth radiating off of her skin. She was wearing perfume — something fresh and light that didn't suit her — but I breathed her in anyway. I thought I heard her breath hitch, but she kept her face pointedly forward.

She cleared her throat. "Okay, so I didn't really create this with an incantation in mind, so it's a bit silly. It's Augende, just Latin for enhance." She moved her wand in a clockwise circle, stopping about three quarters of the way through and cutting in horizontally, crossing over the initial circle.

"It's almost like an e," I observed.

With a nod, Granger replied, "It is. Obviously you need to make sure the intent is in your mind, as well. In this case, I focused on being able to see the rune more clearly, sharpening the edges and increasing the contrast."

"Swot," I teased. "This really is brilliant, Hermione."

Her head turned the slightest bit towards me, her corners of lips quirking upwards in a smile. Her face was so close to mine that if I turned even the slightest bit more, my lips would brush her cheek. I took a deep breath and pulled back.

"Why don't you try?" she said, moving over to give me access to the photo. "Just hold your wand over it and try to enhance something else. Then we'll go back to the runes."

Conjuring a chair so I could sit beside her, I tried to focus on the goal at hand.

Scorpius. Astoria. Blaise.

Do not think about Granger or how you could've easily kissed her.

I held my wand over an out of focus sign on the apothecary's door. Thinking about unblurring the words, I said, "Augende."

As I moved my wand over the photo, nothing really happened. Granger let me attempt it twice more on my own, and then her hand settled over mine. When her skin touched me, I felt the warmth of it start in my hand and spread up my arm. A crackle of some sort — magic or static — shocked me, making my mind and heart race. I suppressed an out-of-place shiver of pleasure.

Honestly, it was a similar feeling to the first time I'd held my wand, like my magic recognised something special, even if I couldn't.

When I glanced sideways, Granger seemed to be glowing and goosebumps had risen on her arm. She paused, and I saw her swallow hard before taking a deep breath. I wasn't sure if she felt it too or if maybe it was just all in my head...

And then, just as quickly as it had come, it was gone.

She directed my movements skillfully, though I wasn't focused on the task at hand at all. Her intent, however, must have been clear as day because the words on the sign were no longer blurred. Our fingers were still interlaced, holding my wand even after the spell had been cast. Neither of us seemed to be able to let go. Seconds passed so slowly they felt like minutes, and all I could think about was how right she felt, how brilliant she was.

"Now you try again," Hermione said quietly, finally pulling away and leaving my skin cold in her wake. "Refocus on the rune."

But I couldn't. I felt a strange sense of longing — as if I'd found something I didn't know I'd been missing and then lost it again. My magic was searching for it, wanting to feel the connection again. I was frozen, thinking about how easily she had touched me, like she'd done it a million times before. Even though I knew it was wrong, I asked her to show me the movements once more just to see if she hesitated.

She didn't. And the longing feeling quieted as soon as her hand settled over mine again.

Of course, just as we were completing the spell, Blaise walked in. His eyes narrowed on me.

"Malfoy, you can't possibly need all that much help with a simple charm," he said, his tone icy.

Hermione pulled her hand away like she'd been burned, her cheeks turning pink. "It's really not that simple. The wand movement—"

Taking the focus off of her, I cast the charm, enhancing the sign on the door again. When she looked down at it, she smiled. "Good, Draco. That was really good."

"You're an excellent teacher, Granger," I replied. "And apparently a gifted spell designer, as well."

Again, Blaise interrupted us. "Hermione, I have your coffee."

I hadn't missed the emphasis on her name, like he was showing me that they had gone beyond calling each other by surnames, but I didn't care. She would always be Granger to me.

"Thank you," she responded. "Well, to both of you. For the compliments and the coffee."

"You're quite welcome," I said, rising to my feet. "I'll start putting that chart you mentioned together. Hopefully we can figure out the pattern before someone really ends up hurt."

"I'm sure we will. If you've got books from the Manor, we'll be able to find everything we need to figure it out."

As she handed me the photos, I saw sadness in her eyes that hadn't been there before and she looked like she was holding something back.

Turning to Zabini, I said, "Don't keep her from me for too long."

My comment was meant to be teasing and funny, but his jaw twitched in anger. "She's not yours, Malfoy."

I held my hands up in mock surrender. "Calm down, mate. It was a joke."

Hermione got to her feet, positioning herself between us. She took her coffee mug from Blaise and smiled up at him before kissing his cheek, trying to diffuse the situation.

"Draco," she began, "let me know if you find anything useful in the books. I can pull from the archives here, as well."

I'd been dismissed skillfully, so I maneuvered around them, my hand lightly grazing her lower back as I passed.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she realised I had been the one to touch her. Even though it shouldn't have, it pleased me to no end that I had an effect on her.

"Right. I'll check in with you tomorrow, Granger."

However, the next day, Hermione and Blaise were absent from the office. Her office door remained shut all morning and I had no fucking clue where she was until Mel came to say hello.

"They're in Italy wrapping things up," she said, rolling her eyes. "Blaise said that Hermione would be more helpful than another Auror would, so here I am, left behind so he can take his girlfriend to Venice for two nights."

"That's not where your case was," I stated.

Mel shook her head. "Oh, I know. I heard him on the phone. Apparently, there's a hotel they stay at every Christmas, and he's taking her there for two nights. A mini holiday."

Pictures started racing through my mind. Blaise and Hermione walking hand in hand along the canal, riding in a gondola, having photos taken on the Rialto Bridge…

Blaise down on one knee, proposing to her in a location that was significant to them.

"—going to be right pissed at him. Her workweek was interrupted by Lily's arrival last week and now he's keeping her in Venice for two days," Mel explained.

The thought of Hermione being pissed at Blaise stopped my runaway imagination and made me smile.

"Right," I replied. "So, do you have any plans or cases for today?"

"Um, no, I've only really been working with Blaise and he didn't leave anything for me. Not that he usually does. He always takes care of the reports and all that. Why? Do you need help with something?"

I nodded. "I think I do, especially if Granger is going to be away for more than one day."

"Well, let's nick a conference room and spread out then," Mel said brightly.

Much to my surprise, she dove headfirst into a book on Arabic runes, reading nearly as fast as Granger did. We'd enhanced and enlarged the runes that had appeared since last week, examining their changes.

Marking things into a chart, complete with date and timestamps, we didn't seem to make much progress.

"This is bloody frustrating," Mel groaned, pressing her fingers into her eyes after hours of research. "I don't understand why they move. I agree that this one"—she pointed to the rune she was referring to—"is definitely for invisibility, and I'm wondering if the way that line points is indicative of time of day. Sort of like 'come here, invisible, at this time of day.'"

I just shrugged and asked, "Is there anyone else here that's good with runes or codebreaking?"

"We can ask for assistance, but it may be faster to just wait for Hermione to get back," she answered. "It usually takes the request a few days to go through unless it's a matter of life or death and this case has been ignored for so long that I doubt they'll expedite anything now."

The longer we struggled with the runes, the angrier I got with Blaise. And with Granger. She knew I would need her help on this, and she'd just fucked off to Italy with her boyfriend.

Like it was no big deal. Like we hadn't been working well together. Like I hadn't brought her the rare runic texts from the Manor. Like she hadn't felt the connection between us when we'd been holding my wand together.

I ran my hand through my fringe. "I need to get out of here and clear my head. Do you want to get a late lunch?"

She nodded. "Let's go to Diagon. I want to check out these runes in person and I've not been hanging around the apothecary. I could even go in to buy something."

Rising from my seat, I stretched and gestured for her to lead the way. We Floo'd over to the Leaky and Mel made her way to the shop, assuring me that she could think on her feet and would be perfectly fine.

When I stepped up to the bar, Hannah smiled at me again. "Draco! Back so soon?"

"We're on a case. Mel's just popping out to get some photos."

"Ah, makes more sense now!" She gestured to the vacant seats at the bar. "Sit down. The lunch rush is over. I'll get you something to eat while you wait for her to get back."

"Actually, she's going to be joining me. She's turned her day upside down to help me since Granger and Blaise are away," I said, not wanting to be rude. "I'll wait for her to get back if that's okay."

"Fine with me," she replied, leaning back against the opposite counter and resting a hand on her stomach. I could see that she had the tiniest bump. She saw my eyes move to her hand and laughed. "Yes, I'm pregnant. Don't worry about being rude or insinuating that I'm fat."

Letting out a relieved chuckle, I said, "Congratulations to you and Longbottom, then. You'll love being a parent. I certainly do."

I could tell she was chewing her cheek, debating whether or not to say something. Merlin, the witch was nearly transparent.

After a moment, she said, "I'm glad you're enjoying it. You were so worried… before."

"Before?" I asked. "What do you mean?"

"Before your accident," she clarified. "You were here quite a bit. I think you were feeling very stressed about things."

"Well, thank you for your hospitality, then," I quipped. "I certainly don't remember it, but I'm sure I thoroughly overstayed my welcome."

"Oh, of course not! I just did my best to make sure you got home safely at the end of the night."

I wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or the accident, but there were just blank spaces again when I looked around the Leaky and tried to remember anything about those nights.

"I'm sure Astoria loved that," I groaned, dropping my head into my hands. "I was such a fucking idiot."

When Hannah didn't reply, I looked up and she was staring at me like she'd just put the pieces of a huge, fucked up puzzle together. Her eyes looked almost misty.

"Yeah, she certainly wasn't happy when I called her to come get you," she said, her voice shakier than it had been before. "But pregnancy will certainly make you more emotional than normal."

Trying to lighten the mood, I smirked. "Like you right now?" At her nod, I continued, "Are you crying because I was getting pissed in your pub with a pregnant wife at home?"

"Something like that," she replied. "I'm sure it was a hard time for everyone, though."

I noted that she didn't say 'the two of you' or 'you and Astoria', but I didn't know what to make of it and I didn't get the opportunity to push her for answers.

Mel came into the pub, a grin on her face and her blonde ponytail swishing back and forth. "Guess what?"

"What?" I asked, amused by her enthusiasm.

"I know what the rune is doing!"

Mel's breakthrough with the rune had been genuine, but we still needed Granger to help us put everything together. There were a few other runes to decipher, and while we'd made headway, an expert opinion would be beneficial.

But she was gone all day Wednesday, as well.

My irritation grew exponentially, and I knew it was at least partly from jealousy, but it was also professional. This hadn't been a planned vacation or trip; it was Blaise using his case and his position to take her out of the office so she'd stay away from me.

When I left the Ministry on Wednesday afternoon, I was in a foul mood and needed to calm down before I went home. Astoria would only annoy me more, asking me why I was home early and why I was in such a temper.

I Apparated to Diagon Alley, deciding to wander a bit in an attempt to clear my mind. My eyes scanned the street, taking in everything around me and looking for something I couldn't quite place. Sighing, I walked towards the entrance to Knockturn Alley, retracing the steps I'd taken when I was much younger. While this likely wouldn't settle me, my feet automatically moved that way.

My mind was still spinning, still fixated on Granger, still picturing Blaise holding her close. I could see Venice, the waters of the canal lapping against the walls. I could visualise them together, hand-in-hand, laughing and smiling while they shopped. And I could see the love in her eyes when she looked at him, the way he made her happy.

I could picture the look that probably settled over her features when he made her come.

And a diamond ring on her finger, sparkling in the Italian sun, her left hand pressed against Blaise's cheek.

I never would've imagined my best mate getting the woman I wanted — the life I wanted — keeping her in my orbit, but just out of reach for me.

Torture.

The pain in my chest when I thought of receiving a wedding invitation, a pregnancy announcement, a fucking baby photo from the two of them was excruciating.

And I knew this was a major overreaction — I didn't know that Blaise was proposing to her — but I couldn't stop my brain.

Why did I feel so strongly? Why did it feel like I had lost her?

I blinked, realising I'd stopped walking. When I looked up, I was in front of a bookstore. It was fitting, given the witch consuming my thoughts. I stepped inside, disappearing into the shelves of old magical tomes. Finding the runes section, I let my fingers skim the spines, looking for anything that could be useful in the case.

Anything that Granger might enjoy.

As I browsed, something tugged at the back of my mind. Of course I'd been here before — my father had frequented this bookshop since I was a child — but, as usual, I couldn't place it. Finally, I came to a book entitled Runic Modification in Irani Protective Wards.

I had a gut feeling that I needed this book, that it could help to solve the potioneer case. It was just too fitting.

Pulling it from the shelves, I made my way to the counter. When the clerk looked up at me, his eyes widened.

"Mr. Malfoy! It's been years," he said in greeting. "But don't worry. I have the book you purchased the last time you were in. I've been holding onto it for you."

I didn't know why, but my heart raced and my brain started firing, the way it had the day I smelled the perfume. "Well, thank you for keeping it this long. I had an accident and lost quite a chunk of my memory."

Nodding, he reached under the counter and pulled the book out. "It certainly wasn't easy to find, so I wanted to hold it."

When I looked at the title, my breath caught.

Using Magic on Muggle Minds: From Memory Modification to Mind Control

Why the hell would I need that book?

I looked at it like it was something foul, refusing to take it from him. When he read my expression, he set it on the counter and extended his hand for the book I was holding.

Trying to buy time, I cleared my throat. "Why didn't you just owl it to me?"

He peered up over his rectangular glasses. "You explicitly asked me not to owl you about this particular book."

"I wonder why that was," I mused aloud. "It's just a book, after all. Is there anything… unsavoury about it?"

"This book is obviously banned by the Ministry," he said casually, "but they only banned printing it. They didn't ban the sale of it."

"I don't understand what I could possibly need with a book about Muggle minds," I replied, my memory failing me once more.

His eyes met mine, my confusion clearly evident to him. "Listen, I don't know how much I should tell you, but you were looking for this book to help someone."

His answer didn't jog anything for me. "Do you know who?"

"For your—" he sighed. "For… the woman… you used to meet here."

For the hundredth time that day, my heart sped up. Even though I knew what his answer would be, I asked, "My wife?"

He shook his head. "No," he said pointedly. "She definitely was not your wife."