When I finished paying for the rune book, the clerk placed both tomes in a bag and handed it to me. "I know you're reluctant to keep it, but if I were you, I would. You've already paid handsomely for it, and it's at the very least a rare text."

"Do you know who the woman with me was?"

Quickly, he said, "No, I don't."

I knew he was lying, or at least telling me a half-truth, but I didn't press him, knowing how most of the business owners in Knockturn Alley reacted when they thought they were being examined too closely.

"Okay," I replied. "I'll take it. Hopefully I can figure it out eventually."

Nodding, he smiled. "There are some things you can just never forget, not really. She'll come back to you."

Muggles… Spells for their minds…

With the smile and the comments the man had made, I highly doubted the witch in question was interested in somehow controlling the minds of Muggles. Memory modification would be a possibility, though.

As I headed back out into the sparse pedestrian traffic of Knockturn Alley, my mind was now focused on the mystery witch.

I walked along, barely seeing the cobblestones or noticing other people's feet. Lost in my thoughts once more, I tried to remember anything — any witch that seemed out of place. But she must have been hidden within the gaps of my memory.

It was odd, really, that I'd sneak down to Knockturn Alley, a place I didn't want to be associated with, to meet a woman. And if we were discussing Muggles, she was either a Muggle-born or a Muggle hater.

And the clerk had said I was trying to help her. Had I gotten myself wrapped up in something nefarious again?

It didn't seem likely, but I just didn't fucking know. I didn't know anything, and this was just another mystery to add to the list.

She definitely was not your wife.

Not Astoria, but from his tone, from the way he'd said there were some things you just never forgot... She had to be special. She had to be something I'd miss.

An affair?

The idea seemed ridiculous on the surface, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. The lack of intimacy between Astoria and me, the supposed travel for work, the resentment I saw from her sometimes...

But if this woman had been so important to me, where was she now? Why hadn't she come to me after the accident?

Groaning at my own stupidity, I ran my free hand through my hair. I was married. I had a pregnant wife at home. How would she have been able to?

Or maybe she had already left me by that point and that's why I'd been spending nights in the Leaky getting pissed.

I was a complete tosser.

Why had I been drawn to that bookshop? Why had my feet carried me there automatically while I was thinking about—

GRANGER.

Muggles, memory modification… I recalled a story I'd read after the war, Granger's face smiling up with her parents on either side of her on Platform 9 and 3/4 before sixth year, her curls still a little wild.

WAR HEROINE OBLIVIATES PARENTS TO SAVE THEIR LIVES, SPELL DEEMED IRREVERSIBLE

I felt like I couldn't breathe.

Meeting Granger in secret at a Knockturn Alley bookshop? Looking for books on memory modification?

Was I trying to help her fix her parents?

Had she managed it in the past two years?

How could I get her alone to ask her about it?

There are some things you can just never forget, not really.

Had I forgotten something big? Something with Hermione?

My stomach twisted, trying to recall anything about her since after the war. Books at Christmas, Muggle dresses, being a workaholic. Going to Ministry functions alone, beautiful but sad.

The Golden Girl; a strong woman, intimidating. Men admiring her from afar, afraid to move closer and be rejected. Absolutely untouchable.

Especially for me.

I could see more of her than I'd been able to since the accident, images of her from the end of the war until about two years ago coming to me easily. Smiles and polite conversation.

Where had all this been hiding the other times I'd thought of her? Was my memory coming back?

There were fewer gaps, less roadblocks, like something had been unlocked from the time I smelled the perfume in the lift. She'd been standing in front of me that day. Had it been hers?

Had Hermione's perfume triggered me? Had I been sick enough to ask her what she wore and buy it for Astoria? Because I liked it? Because I wanted to pretend—

"Draco?"

My head snapped up, finding Astoria standing in front of me, Scorpius on her hip. Trying to school my features, I forced a smile for her, clutching the bag in my hand like it held all the answers to my missing memories and she would steal it away from me.

Scorpius kicked his feet excitedly and she set him down. He toddled over to me and I crouched down, my mind calming the second his arms wrapped around my neck. Hugging him close, I picked him up, listening to the babble he was so fond of sharing.

"What a nice surprise," I said, though my voice sounded strained. "I was going to head home in a moment. I just needed to pick up a book for work."

Blue eyes narrowing slightly, Astoria looked at the bag in my hand. It was plain, nothing telling her where it had come from, but she seemed to recognise it in some way.

"Good," she answered, her tone tighter than usual. "I was hoping we'd have some time together tonight. I wanted to talk to you about a few things."

Taking a step towards her, I shifted the books into the hand that was holding Scorpius up. I offered my now free arm to Astoria, leading her down the cobblestones and towards the Leaky so we could Floo home.

When Hannah saw me enter, Astoria and Scorpius in tow, she smiled sadly and looked away, like we hadn't just spoken to each other yesterday.

What was going on?

And why was I just realising how strangely people had been treating me all along?

"I want to get pregnant again," Astoria stated.

Placing my hands on my hips, I met her eyes. "Why? You hated being pregnant, Astoria. We've talked about this."

"I know," she sighed, "but I want to. I want Scorpius to have siblings and friends."

"He will have friends. I didn't have siblings, and I was perfectly content," I replied. "I don't understand where this is coming from."

Her eyes watered. "Draco, why don't you want more children? You love Scorpius."

"I do love Scorpius. He is enough for me. I don't want a houseful of children—"

"Just one more," she pleaded. "I want him to have a brother or a sister. I know you don't get it because you didn't have a sibling, but Daph and I have this special bond, and one more won't equate to a houseful. Plenty of pureblood families have two children."

My stomach twisted at the thought, and I didn't really know why. I did love Scorpius. I loved him more than I had ever loved anything, but something about this felt off to me.

It wasn't a constant conversation with us. Astoria seemed to reserve it for times where she was feeling abandoned or like we weren't connecting in the ways we were supposed to. Admittedly, I'd been working a lot, but it wasn't anything she needed to panic about.

"I just don't think it's a good idea, Astoria," I said gently. "You were so exhausted the first time around, and your health has always been so delicate. I don't want it to harm you."

"Shouldn't that be my choice?" she snapped.

Incredulous, I raised an eyebrow at her. "Shouldn't having a second child be a decision we make together?"

As I watched her, she grew more and more uncomfortable. "Of course," she breathed. "I just… If you're only worried about how it will affect my health, then I want you to know that I'm not worried. It's a risk I'm willing to take."

"But it's unnecessary, Astoria." Moving towards her, I extended a hand. She took it and I pulled her close, but something felt wrong, like it didn't quite fit.

Like we were trying to force something that just wasn't there.

She leaned her forehead against my shoulder and I placed a hand on the small of her back, my other landing between her shoulder blades.

"Why don't you want this?" she whispered. "Why don't you want a bigger family? More people to love?"

Thinking for a moment, I realised I didn't really have an answer for her. At my silence, she pulled back and looked up at me.

"We could be so happy," Astoria whispered, looking up at my lips. "And it could be fun, you know, the process…"

My heart started to race, but not in a good way. I remembered her looking up at me, murmuring those words once before, but the emotions in the scene were at odds with my body language, with the way I'd recoiled from her.

She definitely was not your wife.

The conflicted feelings about my memories of Astoria were becoming clearer, the difference between the scene and the emotions I felt in sharper contrast than ever before. It was like Granger's enhancing spell had been aimed right at the picture in my mind, bringing out details I hadn't noticed before.

A clenched fist by my side, a tightening around my eyes, the way there was distance between our bodies, even when we embraced…

The silence between us had already stretched out too long, so I said, "I'm sure it would be, Stori. I just don't think it's something I want. Especially not right now."

Immediately, she pulled away, looking dejected. "What's wrong with now, Draco? As I get older, my health will become more and more of a concern."

"I'm not going to bring a child into this world with no thought to it."

Astoria threw her hands up in the air. "You did last time. You love Scorpius. It's not like we planned to get pregnant!" She took a few steps back from me. "But fine, Draco. We can do everything you'd like. You get to go back to work, you get to run around on weekends and do whatever you like, you get to tell me we're not having any more children."

"What do you mean I get to run around on weekends?"

She glared at me. "Tracey saw you at Fortescue's. You were with Harry Potter and Hermione Granger."

"Because I ran into them there," I said cautiously. "I sat at the table next to them and Scorpius—"

"Was on her lap, Draco!"

"And why does that matter? Do you think Granger would harm our son?" I asked, not understanding her problem with it. "She was holding Sev — Potter's son who is Scorpius' age — at the same time. The children were interacting!"

She turned on her heel, heading for the bedroom door. "Forget it, Draco. Just forget this whole fucking conversation."

Slamming the door behind her, she left me standing there completely dumbstruck.

I woke up alone in the middle of the night and guilt flooded through me.

Astoria had been hurt enough to sleep somewhere other than our bedroom. While I knew I'd done the right thing standing my ground, I'd never meant to upset her. I rolled onto my side, trying to doze off again, but my mind was too full, whirring with thoughts of both Astoria and Granger.

She had to be the mystery witch from the bookstore. Muggles and memory modification. Definitely not my wife. A store clerk in Knockturn Alley who didn't want to tell me exactly who she was.

A store clerk that was friends with my father, or at least a long-term acquaintance.

Astoria's reaction to Granger holding Scorpius and her sudden desire to become pregnant again.

Closing my eyes, I tried to let my mind make more connections naturally. I saw Granger at Potter and Pansy's wedding, off to the side on her own, watching as Harry swept his new wife around, laughing. Weasley and Lovegood were also dancing — if you could call it that — and her lip trembled.

I must have been watching her from across the party, never approaching her. I tried to think when Pansy and Potter had married. Five years ago, maybe?

James had been two when Scorpius was born…

Astoria hadn't been with me at the wedding. I was also alone.

Why hadn't I approached her? It was irrelevant now, but I should've.

Untouchable. Beautiful but sad. Alone at functions.

I rolled to my other side, trying to think of Astoria, of the first time we'd seen each other after the war. Her parents and mine were there. She was sitting at the opposite end of the table, presented like the perfect pureblood daughter, beautiful and quiet unless someone spoke to her directly. Her father offered up details of her lineage and promised she was still a virgin, even though she was 'mature', at age twenty-one.

Her blonde hair was stick straight, golden in the conservatory light. Smiling coyly at me, I remember feeling like she'd be okay, like we could figure it out. She'd been promised to me a long time ago.

I'd never get what I truly wanted anyway.

Sighing, I tried to shift gears, to think about the runes and the case, longing for anything to take my mind in a different direction. My wife was complicated. My mystery witch — who I was nearly certain was Granger — was complicated, dangerous for me to think about.

If the mystery witch was Granger, there was no way we'd had an affair. We would've been friends at best. I would've been helping her with her parents' memories, trying to repay her for some of the horrid things I'd done to her over the years.

Runes. I focused on runes, their meanings, what I was going to present to Granger if she decided to show up at work today.

If Blaise had let her out of bed.

Rubbing my hands over my eyes, I tried to erase that picture from my mind. I couldn't think about that. I wouldn't think about that.

I rolled over again and tried to close my eyes. But, when I did, I saw here there, her curls splayed across a pillow beside me — the way I used to see her in my fantasies when I was younger.

Finally, after giving up on sleep, I got up and pulled a pair of shorts on, determined to find Astoria and tell her to come to bed.

Entering the DMLE, I looked around, trying to see if Blaise or Granger was present. I noticed her office door was ajar and assumed she was in there.

When I opened the door, I saw her sitting on her desk, her legs around Zabini's waist, his hands sliding up her thighs, moving the hem of her dress up. I immediately saw the colors Lovegood had used to describe me at the ball — a mix of green and red, jealousy and anger.

After a second, just before Zabini's hand moved between her thighs, I cleared my throat. "You may want to close your door if you're going to fuck in the office," I stated casually.

Granger jumped at my voice, but Blaise didn't. He looked up at me and said, "Why don't you close it for us on your way out, Malfoy?"

Slapping at his chest, she wiggled off the desk. "I'm so sorry, Draco."

"No need to apologise for that." I glanced between them. "I just don't think you want anyone else walking in on it."

Blaise wrapped an arm around her waist possessively. "Did you need something?"

"Actually, I've been waiting for Granger to get back for two days. I've needed someone to go over runes with me," I began. "Mel and I put a few things together, but we need you to help us fine tune it."

Flushing with embarrassment, she met my gaze and repeated herself. "I'm so sorry."

"I'll accept that apology," I teased.

Blaise glared. "There is no need for her to apologise. We're entitled to time off."

"Blaise—" she began, but he cut her off.

"No, Hermione, you don't owe him an explanation or an apology or, Merlin, anything at all," he fumed.

Staring at them, my mouth slightly ajar, I finally said, "Mate, calm down. It was a joke."

His jaw clenched.

"Malfoy, of course I'll help you. I'm so sorry—"

Cutting her off again, he said, "There are other runes experts in the Ministry, Malfoy. You didn't need to wait for Granger."

"Blaise! That's enough!" she snapped, pulling away from him. "It is my job to be here, to consult on cases where my expertise is useful. Stop interrupting me and stop acting like a caveman, or you won't be allowed in my office anymore."

I held back a laugh. I loved to see her scolding him, standing up for herself. The Hermione Granger I remembered didn't back down from a man, even one she loved.

Deciding to quit while I was ahead, I said, "We're set up in the conference room a few doors down. When you're ready, we'd love the help, Granger."

"Okay. I just need a few moments."

I turned and walked out, closing the door so she could speak to Blaise. Wondering if I'd ever get a second to talk to her on our own, I sighed. I definitely wouldn't be able to ask her about the bookstore with him around.

When I walked into the conference room, Mel was already sitting at our table. She was picking at a muffin with one hand and furiously making notes with a quill she held in the other. She didn't look up, but she knew I was there.

"Hermione's back, but Blaise was with her, and I, uh—"

"I walked in on them."

Raising her eyes to me, she shuddered. "Were they fully…?"

"Not yet. It was close, though," I said.

"They weren't like this before," Mel began, frustration clear in her tone. "It's like he thinks he's got something to prove now. I don't get it. He just spent the past two days with her in Venice. You can't tell me that they weren't—"

Hermione's entrance cut her off, but I was already thinking about her observations.

Blaise was being territorial, having a one-sided pissing contest with me, trying to show me that she was his.

Which I already knew.

So why?

"Good morning, Mel," she greeted. "I'm sorry to have kept you guys waiting. I didn't know I'd be gone so long. It was a surprise."

Mel gave her a tight smile. "I'll let Draco explain what we've figured out so far."

I handed Granger the chart with all the clusters of runes we'd identified, plus the few we hadn't had luck with. She didn't know what the groupings meant off-hand, but that didn't surprise me. We'd looked through several volumes and knew they weren't commonly used words or phrases.

"And what about the one for invisibility?" Granger asked. "Did you figure out why it's shifting?"

Mel nearly jumped out of her seat. "I think they must be offering certain potions on a schedule. The symbol that's shifting seems to start out with the left-most line facing all the way to the left, approximately between nine and ten if we're talking about an analog clock. Throughout the day, it moves, but never at the same rate, so it's not telling time." Grabbing two photos, Mel handed them off to Granger. "Look at this one. That's four in the afternoon on Monday, and this is from the same time yesterday. It's in completely different positions."

"You're right," she said. "I don't know if your theory is right or not—"

"It has to be. What else could it be?" Mel blurted, her excitement showing. "It's like the petrol gauge in a Muggle car. The needle — or that line — moves as it uses the resources. When it reaches the point that would be considered between two and three, it's safe to say they're out of whatever they're selling that day."

"And have we noticed any Disillusioned people entering the building?" Granger asked.

I shook my head. "No. Not yet, but I'm not convinced this apothecary is where the illicit potions are stored. I think it's a front and that's why no one has been able to make headway."

"So where do you think it is, Malfoy?"

"I think they're hiding it in a home or somewhere outside of London. I just have to find it," I responded. She narrowed her eyes sceptically. "Don't doubt me, Granger. I think I've got an idea of what's going on."

Looking at the list of runes, she said, "Okay. I'll take your word for it." She pointed to a cluster of symbols. "I think I've seen that somewhere before, but I can't remember where."

Mel glanced at her notes. "That was on Tuesday. I was thinking it referred to a potion, but maybe it's a place."

Granger leaned closer, nearly brushing against me. Thinking about the previous day, about how I'd wondered if it had been her perfume, I inhaled through my nose.

Nothing. No discernable scent.

"—may be a potion. I did a lot of research on potions right after the war. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do for a mastery, so I looked at all my options."

I moved closer, peering over her shoulder. "Have you been to any of the other wizarding areas of Britain, Granger?"

Perplexed, she asked, "What do you mean?"

"There are smaller villages, like the one near the Weasleys and Godric's Hollow."

"I've been to Falmouth," she replied. "There's a magical bookshop there that I'm quite fond of. Blaise brought me in January, but I haven't really explored it too much beyond that."

My stomach turned. I knew the shop she was referring to, and I knew she would love it.

I would've loved to have taken her there.

"Maybe we should do that," I suggested. "I feel like it would be—"

"Holy shite!" Mel exclaimed. "Yes, you need to do that, Draco! Look!"

Granger and I both looked at what she was holding up. It was a page from the case report, a victim statement.

I heard him muttering about how he'd need to get more when he went to see the Harpies play.

"Somewhere near a Quidditch team's homebase," I said.

Her eyes widening, Granger smiled at me. "Right up your alley, then. I'm sure you've been to all the stadiums in England."

"I have, though not recently."

"I'll call Ginny and ask her which ones have easily accessible shopping districts," Hermione said. "You can start with those."

An hour later, Granger walked back into the conference room, and I tried not to look at her hips, her legs, her breasts as she moved. We were finally alone together, and I could ask her about the bookstore. I just needed more time with her…

"Ginny says that it's probably best to start in Falmouth. I looked at the date of that statement, and the Harpies were there the following week."

Taking a chance, I said, "I think you should come with me. Help me with the runes if we find any. You're much faster than I am, and it's not going to be an actual raid or anything today."

She chewed her lower lip for a moment. "I suppose I could do that. Let me talk to Blaise."

"You need his permission?"

"Of course not, but he'll need to know I'll be out and about for the afternoon."

Checking my watch, I noticed it was close to eleven, and an idea struck me. "What if we got lunch before heading to Falmouth? Then we could check the runes on the building today and see if we find anything that matches."

And I could speak to her without fear of Blaise walking in.

"We could send someone else to take a photo—"

"Why don't we just go?" I asked. "It won't be strange for you and I to take a trip to Diagon Alley for lunch."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Please. We'd be photographed the second we stepped foot there."

Shrugging, I said, "So? Hannah mentioned that we used to be friends." I watched her reaction carefully. "Funny how you never did."

"I—We—" Her words faltered, her face blanching. "It… didn't seem appropriate."

"To whom?"

She averted her eyes. "Draco, we—It's not like we were close. We had an occasional lunch as colleagues. We exchanged books. All these things — they were few and far between."

I didn't believe her.

"Won't Astoria be upset if we're seen together? Socially, I mean?"

As the words left her lips, she couldn't seem to stop them, even though she immediately regretted them.

Feigning puzzlement, I looked at her. "Why would she be upset? She knows we work together, Granger."

Hermione froze and alarm bells sounded in my brain. She was hiding something from me.

"She's your wife, Draco. Of course she'd be upset if we were having lunch together. That's in—"

"Inappropriate?" I asked, cutting her off the same way Blaise had earlier. "Well, never mind then, I can ask someone else to work on this with me. Someone more appropriate."

Her response was quick. "I didn't mean it like that—"

"It's fine, Granger. Your boyfriend doesn't want you near me. I get it." I gestured to the door. "Go back to your office. I'm sure he's camped out there, waiting for you."

"That's not fair, Malfoy!" she spat.

Glaring at her, I said, "Just go. I'm done trying to be nice to you."

"Draco—"

"Why are you calling me Draco?" I asked, the words just flying out. "You've done it a lot lately. Do you even realise?"

Her cheeks flushed. "I guess I just slipped back into it."

"Because we were friends before?"

Granger swallowed hard. "Yes. Because we were friends before."

Running a hand through my fringe, I said, "We need to talk about a couple of things. I don't want to do it here. That's why I asked you to lunch. I've been finding little pieces of my life from before the accident, and I just… I want to ask you some things."

"Okay. I'll answer whatever you want me to." When she moved towards the door, she added, "But I do need to talk to Blaise first. I'll meet you back here in a few minutes."

When we sat down at a corner table at the Leaky, tucked away from the other customers, Hannah looked at us like she had seen a ghost. Hermione raised her hand and waved, signalling that we needed her. Hannah held up a finger and finished serving her bar customers.

The silence between us was tense, the feeling nearly palpable. When Hannah came over, one hand resting on her bump, I saw Granger's eyes widen.

"You didn't tell me!"

Hannah smiled. "I haven't seen you. Though I have seen this one—" she gestured to me "—so I'm surprised he didn't tell you."

"I was away," Hermione said. "Anyway, we're just popping in for a quick lunch before heading out to do some investigation."

"You don't usually go into the field," Hannah observed. "Everything okay?"

"It's a runes case, so Malfoy needs my brain," she teased, flashing me a smile that I wished I could see every single day.

We placed our order and Hannah bustled away, sending two glasses of Butterbeer over to us. Granger took a sip of hers carefully and then met my eyes.

"So, what did you want to ask me about?"

I shouldn't have been surprised that she was handling this directly, no matter how uncomfortable she had appeared in the office. She'd likely gotten her thoughts sorted out before we'd left.

Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the book I'd shrunken down and reverted it to its original size. When I set it in front of her, her face paled. She looked up at me again.

"Where did you get this, Draco?"

I started making mental notes.

Malfoy in front of most other people, Draco when it's just the two of us.

"I got a little… frustrated yesterday," I began. "I went to Diagon Alley and started walking. I had a lot on my mind, and before I knew it, my feet had carried me to this bookstore in Knockturn Alley, one my father used to take me to when I was younger. Do you know the shop I'm talking about?"

She nodded, but she didn't speak, likely waiting for me to reveal what I already knew to her.

"Well, the clerk had this book on hold for me. Apparently he's had it since before I had my accident. Strange, don't you think? That I'd need a book on the Muggle mind?"

Shaking her head, she said, "No. It's not strange that you'd ordered that book at all. You were—"

"—helping you with your parents. I know. I managed to put that together when he said that I often met a witch there, one that was definitely not my wife."

"My parents?" she whispered. "How do you know about my parents?"

"Why wouldn't I know about them?" I asked.

Granger didn't respond and I could see her thoughts whirring. She was definitely hiding something.

"I remembered an article from the newspaper, from after the war. It said you'd Obliviated them to save them."

Finally, she exhaled, her relief evident. "I did."

I felt my face fall into a frown. "Why didn't you ask me to keep helping you after the accident? I'm sure we could've worked through it."

"Your father wouldn't have let me in the Manor, Draco. And, on top of that, how was I supposed to ask you to help fix their memories when you didn't even have your own?"

Her response made sense, but it didn't sit well with me. I didn't like that she'd just let our friendship, or partnership, or whatever it had been, go so easily.

"Okay, I can understand that," I said, turning the Butterbeer glass around and around with my fingers. "But why wouldn't you still treat me like a friend when we ran into each other? Or even now that I'm back at work?"

Watching her closely, I noticed the gooseflesh rising on her arms, the subtle way she was trying to hide her emotions.

"I… It's complicated," she stated. "Astoria didn't really approve of our friendship, and Blaise… I'm sure he won't really like it, either. I thought it would just be easier on all of us if you didn't realise we'd had one."

"I'm still not sure why Blaise fucking hates me but turns up for birthdays and other events like nothing's changed."

"It's… a lot of things. You should talk to him about it."

With a snort of laughter, I said, "Not bloody likely. I'm not the one who's had my knickers in a twist. If he wants to talk to me, I'll gladly try to mend fences for whatever I did. But I honestly have no fucking clue — which all of you know — and it feels like everyone is constantly hiding something."

To my surprise, she reached out and touched my hand, her palm resting on my skin. I felt the same spark I had on Monday. "I'm sorry, Draco, but you and Blaise are both stubborn. You need to work this out, and I certainly can't get in the middle of it."

I looked her in the eyes, noticing how her lips were painted red and her eyelashes were even longer and darker than usual, coated in makeup. Not that she needed it. The longer I focused on her, the more her breathing changed, mirroring mine.

And then Hannah came over, breaking the trance. Hermione yanked her hand away like she'd been burned and focused on her friend, happily accepting her lunch and the out she'd been given.

I, on the other hand, just had more questions.

The rest of our lunch passed uneventfully, though Granger seemed less open with me than she'd been before Hannah's interruption.

From there, we headed to Falmouth, walking up and down the wizarding streets and examining any symbol we came across. The silence was almost comfortable, though I suspected she was waiting for me to ask her more questions.

One popped into my mind. "Did you help me buy Christmas presents for Astoria the first year we were married?"

Granger nearly tripped over her own feet and I caught her, my arm quickly wrapping around her waist. She looked up at me, her eyes moving from my eyes down to my lips quickly, like she thought I would kiss her.

Like she wanted me to kiss her.

"Thank you," she said, her breath brushing against my cheek before she found her footing and put distance back between us. "I, um, I may have given you suggestions on Muggle shops. I didn't go with you."

"I actually know that," I replied. "I can remember doing the shopping on my own. I bought some Muggle perfume, a dress, and a necklace."

Hermione didn't look over at me again, just nodded and kept walking. "Sounds lovely."

"She hated two out of the three," I added. "Merlin, for the life of me, it seems like she hates everything about me sometimes."

That got her attention.

"What do you mean?" she asked, nervously chewing on her lip.

I took a deep breath. "She didn't want me to come back to work. She's angry that I don't want to have another baby—"

"You don't want another baby?" Granger interjected, sounding surprised. "You said you wanted more than one."

Looking over at her, I frowned. "I did? When?"

"When she was pregnant with Scorpius," she added quickly. "You said that it was hard to be an only child."

Maybe in another life… One where I felt like I had something real with the witch…

"I just can't imagine it," I told her. "I can't imagine going through another pregnancy with Astoria. I mean, I only remember a few months of the first one fully, but she was miserable. She acted like I'd never touched her before when clearly that wasn't true."

"Clearly," Granger agreed.

"What about you?" I asked, trying to keep the conversation moving. "How many little ones do you want?"

She laughed, but it didn't sound like her normal happy chuckle. It sounded nervous, bordering on hysteric. "I guess that depends on how old I am when it's finally time for me to start."

"Let's say you got married next year," I said, bumping her shoulder, trying to make it seem good-natured, even though I was sick with jealousy. "How many little Zabinis would Hogwarts see?"

She shrugged. "Two. Maybe three, if it really felt right, like we needed just one more."

Despite the jealousy, it felt wonderful connecting with her. Even just talking to her about a silly hypothetical future, there was a contentment settling over me, like we'd done it before.

And maybe we had. I would never know.

"So you think I should have more?"

"Of course not. That's entirely up to you and Astoria," she said, but Astoria's name came out in a slightly different tone. "But don't have another just because she wants to, Draco. It needs to be something you decide together this time around."

How much did she know about my life before the accident?

"Astoria did mention we hadn't been trying for Scorpius, but everything seems to have worked out okay there."

Hermione didn't respond at all. Her eyes were still scanning the stonework around the doors, looking for tell-tale runes. She stopped in front of one, her finger tracing a carving.

"Jera," she said, looking to me. "Cycles. Everything returns to the same point."

I cleared my throat. "That's usually true… Do you think this is the place? A lot of potions are brewed on a cycle. And they probably rotate them regularly."

Granger turned her face away, but I noticed the way she squeezed her eyes shut beforehand. "It could be. We can send someone to stake it out tomorrow morning."

"You'll be in the office tomorrow?" I asked.

Nodding, she said, "I will be. For the foreseeable future."

"And Blaise?"

As she turned to me, she said, "I'll be keeping him out of my office after this morning."

"I have a book on Irani rune modification for protective wards. And I guess since we're friends…"

She laughed. "Bring it in the morning. We can see if we can make sense of anything. Italy is wrapped up, so I'm pretty much clear to help you, Draco."

I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick squeeze.

While she looked surprised, she didn't pull away, and when I released her, she gave me a little smile.

Neither of us noticed the camera that flashed behind us.