Hermione would never say this outloud, but watching Draco Malfoy sleep was quite possibly the easiest thing to do in life.

He breathed ever so thickly, with his lips parted, and eyelashes that were unfairly long. His brow never creased when he slept, which made him look soft rather than his usual stern. He also twitched every minute or so, as if he was reacting to his own dreams.

If this was a relationship, Hermione would kiss him on the mouth to wake him up.

The temptation was there. It screamed at her even. But she was scared of the consequences if she was to kiss him where they hadn't before. Both the immediate, and the long-term.

As a substitute to what she desired, she ran her nails through the hair around his ear. It really was getting rather long. Long enough to reach the back of the collar on his shirts.

He turned his cheek into the gesture, stirring awake one eye at a time. She moved closer to his face so that their noses were touching.

His arm snaked around to her back and pulled her into him. Their legs intertwined so that his thigh rested just below her knickers. She moved down so that they touched.

"Good morning," he said in a hoarse voice.

"Good morning."

"What memory did you dream about?"

He remembered more about her than she realised she had shared with him.

"The first time that I tried coffee," she answered. "That was also the last time that I will ever have coffee. Terrible stuff, really."

"Funny that." He carefully flicked her hair off her neck. "I would have assumed you would thrive off the stuff."

"No, I'm afraid it is not sweet enough for my taste."

"Sweet, huh?"

"Mmhhmm."

As they spoke, their mouths were doing that thing where they try to bury their grins. Malfoy was much better at mastering the skill than she was.

Hermione wondered whether or not she should ask him about his dream. It was a risk that could ruin the moment.

He didn't give her a chance to think about it much before his hand was trailing down to the waistband of her knickers. This was one of those times that she was glad those girls at school teased her into permanently removing her body hair.

Two fingers slipped inside her perfectly.

She arched her back and pressed her chest into his. One layer of flimsy material between bare skin touching.

"I love when you do that," Malfoy whispered.

"Do what?"

"Arch your back."

Hermione did it again when he started moving his fingers in a tender motion. She gasped and he growled into the pillow.

She couldn't take it much longer. It had been four days since they'd first had sex and the days inbetween Teddy had been in the room. She wanted to know what it felt like to have him inside her again.

"Malfoy," She tried to concentrate on her words and not the way that his fingers were curling. "I need you inside of me."

"I am inside of you."

"No. I need all of you."

He slowed to a stop and extracted himself. He made her suck herself off him again.

They stripped themselves of clothes under the sheets and Hermione straddled herself over his lap. She sat there, on her knees, looking down at him with complete confidence. His hands massaged the chunky part of her hips.

"Are you sure?" He asked.

She nodded. "I'll tap if I can't take you."

With a smirk, he said, "You'll take me."

He pumped himself a few times before presenting himself for her. Hermione leant back and held onto his calves while she lowered herself down.

It stung at first, and felt like he could barely fit the tip in, but she held her breath and gripped onto his legs until the pain went away. Then, when she was almost completely down, something clicked, and a wave of pleasure swept through her.

Malfoy held her steady. His neck had veins that were popping and his eyes were clenched shut.

"Is this okay?" She asked.

"So fucking okay, Granger."

Her rhythm was not the greatest in the first few rocks. She was still getting used to the size of him inside her and the idea that she was in control of how they moved. Her thighs were doing most of the work until she realised how much easier it was to use her hips.

His hands were on the dip between her back and her bum, guiding her ride.

She used the headboard to hold onto while her breasts swung close to his face. He took one and sucked on her nipple, hard.

"Oh God," she breathed, throwing her head back.

He answered her prayer by doing it again to her other breast. That combined with the sway of his cock, she knew now why women like this position most. Her skin was sizzling like the afterglow of a firework.

Her rocking quickened and Malfoy squeezed her arse cheeks. "That's my girl," he grunted. "Show me what you can do."

Hermione let go of the headboard and placed her palms flat on his chest. She went from grinding to fucking him up and down. They both moaned.

"Fucking hell," he spat. "Fuck, fuck, fuck."

She went even faster and their skin was slapping. Malfoy held her at the ribs and helped slam her onto his cock. Her cries matched with every hit of her cervix.

In seconds she went from riding him, to being flipped onto her back. The spin took the wind out of her for a moment.

Malfoy kept one hand by her ear, and the other re-inserted himself into her. This time, there was no stretch at all. He glided in and immediately started fucking her good.

He wanted control, and he got it.

Hermione spread her legs and rested her arms above her head. She didn't feel the need to do a thing while he learnt how to pound into her. This was all him.

Her body jiggled with every thrust, but it didn't matter. She didn't care.

At times she could tell he was trying to figure out whether or not she was enjoying this as much as him. He wanted to know her body, and he wanted to know how it worked.

"Shit! How are you so good at this?" She said purposely, to make him feel secure, but also not lying at all.

He shut her up by snogging her neck and said, "You fit so perfectly, Granger." Then proceeded to lift her leg over his shoulder and fucking her while holding onto her thigh. Hermione was damn near seeing stars.

Her nails scratched at the headboard behind her. "God, Malfoy! Don't stop."

"You like it like this, baby?"

"Yes, please—fuck me like that."

He grabbed her second leg and threw it over his left shoulder, then kissed her ankles. She started to touch her own breasts, and played with her nipples. This drove him insane.

One hand held her legs in place, and the thumb on his other rubbed her clit. There was so much happening in different parts of her body, she wanted to scream. In fact, she did a little.

"I'm not stopping until you come for me, Granger," Malfoy said. "I want you to come all over me."

Hermione bit down on her lower lip and hiccuped for air. Her eyebrows were starting to cramp from how much she was crossing them.

She could feel the build up of her finish. It was like a kettle boiling.

"Come here," she told him. "I need you here."

Malfoy dropped her legs from his shoulders and laid down to turn them to their sides. She wrapped the back of her knee around his bum, while sucking on his collar bone. He held her hair in his fist.

Her chin banged his shoulder when she said, "I can't hold on much longer."

"You can let go, baby."

He hit her with four hard thrusts that sent shockwaves through her system. Her limbs shook first, then her chest crumbled, and finally, she came as hard as she had ever come before. The noises that fell out of her mouth were feral.

Malfoy kept going at it, never stopping to let her catch her breath.

His hips snapped time and time again until the sound of his name coming out of her mouth made him fall over the edge. He tucked his face into her neck and groaned. Hermione held onto him for dear life.

His mouth kissed her shoulder as if that was what it was born to do. She did the same for his facial scar, knowing that she very well could have been made for him.

They laid there, soaking each other in, for minutes on end.

If this was what mornings were like with Malfoy, she wanted to spend the rest of her life waking up next to him. Whether that was two weeks or five decades, she'd be okay with either.

He pulled himself out of her and Hermione missed their proximity already. He scooped her in to rest with her cheek on his chest, and she ran circles around the scars on his stomach.

"I think you might be my silver lining," he says.

Her heart fluttered. "You say that as if you are the dark cloud, and not the war."

"And if I am?"

"You're not. Don't try and say that you are ever again."

"Either way," he squeezed her arm. "You're my advantage."

Hermione lifted her head and looked up into his cool grey eyes. He tucked a hair behind her ear, all the while looking at her lips. She knew he wanted to kiss her. This would be the perfect time to kiss her.

He bent. Lower, and lower.

Then, as their noses brushed, his hands started to tremble. He pulled back with pain pulsating through his body. Hermione had no idea if it was because he tried to snog her or because his scar was hurting.

He rolled away trying to hide the tremors. Hermione stopped him and pulled him back to face her.

She grabbed his hands and brought them to her mouth. Their eyes locked once more when she kissed them.

"Don't hide from me," she told him. "I don't want you to ever hide from me."

He sighed, in a way that almost sounded like he wanted to cry. "I don't like who I am when this happens, Granger. I could hurt you."

"Do you want to hurt me?"

"No."

"Then you won't."

They both knew he could hurt her, but Hermione had this certainty that he would never let himself do it again. Nor would she ever let him.

His hands settled after a few minutes of being held, and for the second time that morning they had sex. Except this time, she showed him just how much he was her silver lining too.

Later at breakfast, Malfoy kept his ankle tucked with hers under the table while everyone else ate. Same at lunch and dinner, too.

Hermione soon figured out that he was a person who needed physical touch. That was why he would let Ophelia hold his arm all those times, and didn't mind when Teddy climbed his frame. She assumed that was because he didn't receive any affection from his parents growing up.

Days passed before the time came where someone needed to go on a shopping trip.

Ophelia faked an illness, much to no one's surprise, and told Hermione that she needed to find someone else to assist. Having already planned for this, Malfoy had been given plenty of days warning that he'd have to leave the farm.

"Right," Hermione tucked her wand in her back pocket. "Ready?"

They were standing at the front gates, with new disguises. She had her classic straight black hair and green eyes, while Malfoy had brown hair and brown eyes. A few freckles on his nose as well.

Malfoy looked beyond the wards, and then back at her. She couldn't quite read if he was nervous or angry.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"I'm fine, Granger."

"Really? Because you look as if you want to drive your broom into a wall."

He rolled his lower lip. "What do you expect? For me to hold your hand and skip down the road?"

"No. But maybe a walk with somewhat less of a frown. Listen," she stepped in closer to him. "The moment you cross out of the wards, if you feel uncomfortable, you can walk right back in. I will be fine going by myself. I used to do it when we first arrived."

He didn't say anything in reply. He also didn't relieve the furrow in his brow either. It wasn't so striking with the freckles and darker features.

Hermione's hand twitched, wanting to reach for him.

She walked through the boundary first, backwards. The buzz of magic tingling over her body as she did so. Malfoy disappeared along with the rest of the farm behind the illusion of the ward. He could see her, but she couldn't see him.

A full thirty seconds passed where she waited, and then, he stepped through.

His head was hung low and he didn't stop to look at her, just kept walking down the road towards the town. Hermione rushed to keep up with his long strides.

She refrained from vocally saying she was proud of him.

When the heat of his accomplishment wore off, Malfoy slowed down so that they walked in step. He even bumped her shoulder which she translated to be a form of him thanking her.

"Why the black hair and green eyes?" He eventually asked.

"It's how muggles imagined witches to appear. A hooked nose would complete the image but that would be little too, well, on the nose. I suppose I chose them for the irony of it."

"And no one looks at you strangely in town?"

"No more than people do in Wizarding London. Witches and wizards are a fairytale to muggles. They don't notice anything. In fact, I've had more compliments from strangers with this look more so than my natural one."

"Yes, well, I've already expressed to you my opinion in thinking muggles are lunatics."

"Because they find me pretty with black hair and green eyes?"

"Because they did not compliment you enough prior."

"I think you were the prime example of what people's opinion on my unruly curls are. Oh, and don't even get me started on my buck teeth."

"I miss those teeth."

"I sure don't."

"Did you ever think that maybe I teased you because I was encaptured by you?"

"Doubtful. If anything you got off on seeing me cry."

"I got off on you, alright."

Hermione halted, "Are you flirting with me?"

Malfoy stopped and turned. "I'm always flirting with you, Granger. Now keep up, we have shopping to do."

He tilted his head in the direction of the town, and started walking. It took her seven beats of her heart to find the strength to breathe again. Then another six to move.

When they reached the town, Hermione had forgotten how many people would be there. Malfoy seemed jittery, and clung behind her as she directed him to the grocery store. At one point she offered to take his hand, but he denied it.

Normally she'd be offended, but knew this wasn't a personal thing. It was a pride thing.

Bloody Slytherins.

"It's okay," she whispered to him, "No one can recognise you."

"How long exactly did you say these disguise charms last?" He grunted.

"Indefinitely. We're almost there. Just keep your head down."

They turned two more corners and arrived at the shop. It was baffling watching Malfoy learn the beauty of automatic doors and how silent he stayed while watching them close behind him.

"Cool, right?" She said to him, "Muggles have their own magic sometimes."

"Yes. Cool."

The check-out girl waved at Hermione, having recognised her from the past nine months as a regular. When the blonde girl took in Malfoy's company, she blushed and battered her lashes the same way Ophelia does. Even with freckles and brown hair he was still undeniably attractive.

Malfoy took no notice of the girl.

Hermione pulled out the list of what they needed while pulling out a trolley. Malfoy offered to roll it whilst she gathered the items.

"Have you ever been food shopping before?" She asked in the cereal section.

"No, the elves gardened fruit and vegetables at the back of the manor. Wednesdays were their day for slaughtering the cows, Saturdays for the chickens. On a rare occasion, they'd catch a duck if it was swimming in the pond."

Placing a box of cheerios in the trolley, she eyed him suspiciously. "At what point did that story become a lie?"

"After the gardens," he laughed at her. "I did not care to ask where they fetched the rest."

"My mother had a vegetable garden as well at the back of our house, so you and I are not as unalike as one would originally believe."

"Did you also have someone wake you up by playing the violin every morning?"

"Only on my birthday," she answered, sarcastically. He rewarded her with a pinch to her elbow.

"I was forced into piano lessons until I was accepted into Hogwarts. Were you the same?"

"Fourteen," he said. "Mother always told me that witches find a wizard attractive when they woo her with an instrumental piece."

"You have yet to woo me."

"That is because you already find me attractive."

"Do I, now? How on earth would you know that?"

They had moved over to the frozen section at this point. Malfoy paused his pushing on the trolley and backed her against one of the freezer doors. Her back chilled from the cold glass.

He ran his thumb down her lips again. A habit they both enjoyed.

Some pop song was playing on the radio, and lucky no one else was in the same aisle. His hands slipped under her shirt as well as her bra, and circled her easily hardened nipples.

He sucked on the skin below her earlobe and said, "This is how I know."

Hermione swore her soul left her body.

In the corner of her eye, she could see someone turning in their direction. Malfoy pulled his hands out of her shirt and kissed her cheek before returning to his trolley duties. How he thought of things so quickly, she'll never know.

She surprised herself with how much she liked that public display though.

After readjusting her bra and half running to catch up with him, she couldn't resist the smile that was planted on her face as they made their way through the rest of the shopping list.

This was definitely going to be a death by a thousand cuts, alright.

Over by the cards and wrapping paper there was a stack of stuffed bears that Malfoy was admiring. Specifically the one that was a grey wolf.

"I thought you might be a bit old for toys," Hermione joked as she joined him.

"Well, I'm not as old as you, yet. Still a small amount of youth left in me."

She slapped his arm.

"I was thinking more for Teddy," he continued. "As a reminder of his father."

"That's a wonderful idea."

"You don't think it would be too sappy?"

"As long as you don't let the twins see."

He added the plush wolf to the trolley on top of the six loaves of bread. He didn't comment on how they would eat three of those loaves themselves with cucumber sandwiches in the next week. They simply moved on.

Sophie, the checkout clerk, was very chatty when they waited for their items to be scanned through. Hermione noticed her hair was up in a ponytail before, and now was loose.

"You know, I have been seeing you around here for almost a year and I feel bad that I don't know your names," Sophie stated.

Malfoy was placing the apples up on the counter, when Hermione answered for them. "Penelope," she pointed to herself, "Rubeus," then pointed to her assistant.

"Rubeus? How individual. Is it a family name?"

"No," Malfoy replied bluntly.

"Well I'm named after my grandmother. She was a Sophia, though. Lovely old lady she was. Until she died of a heart attack last summer."

"Oh," said Hermione. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Sophia waved her hand, "No matter. You must have some land around her Penelope, is it your sister that usually comes with you?"

"Ah, no. She's just a friend."

"Is Rubeus your friend, too?" There was clearly a hidden agenda behind that question. Hermione decided to have fun with it.

"He's my fiancé."

Adding the cheese to the pile, Malfoy smiled at Sophie. In a sweet innocent way. Lying as if it was his first language. He wrapped an arm around Hermione's shoulder when he finished unloading.

Sophia was dumbstruck. She made an O shape with her mouth and carried on calculating their final price with a touch more humility.

"So how did you get that nasty scar, Rubeus" Sophie made a circle around her own face.

Hermione panicked for a second and stumbled to find a story. "Car crash," Malfoy answered.

"I'm sorry. That would have hurt."

"Less so these days."

He squeezed Hermione's arm and pecked her temple before picking up the bagged food from the counter. He managed to hold all eight bags with no struggle.

Hermione paid Sophie and bid her a goodbye, then picked up the final bag that was filled with nothing but bread.

She and Malfoy walked out of the grocery shop snickering to themselves.

"Rubeus? Really?" He mocked.

"What can I say? It was the first thing that came to my mind."

"A teacher? Typical. And the worst one at that."

"Come on, there are no worst teachers. He was simply the one I thought you might despise the most."

"You know me too well, Granger."

When they reached an empty street, Hermione shrunk all of the bags and stuffed them into her charmed purse. Though it didn't seem Malfoy was struggling to carry anything. That sweater he was wearing up to his sleeves showed off the muscles on his forearm. The veins too.

Neither of them brought up the fact they pretended to be engaged.

They wandered around the town at a slow pace, admiring different stalls, and window shopping down various streets. The Christmas lights were taken away and the snow had melted into the pavement, but there was still an aroma of that winter spirit. People still smiled and greeted them as if it was December.

"Tell me. Do you usually take Ophelia on scenic tours such as this?"

"Maybe. Maybe I even showed her the quaint bookstore that I used to visit when I did this alone."

"From memory Ophelia Jane was not one for reading. She was more of a cup of tea and a slice of gossip type of witch, with nothing behind those ocean eyes."

"Just your type," she teased.

"Hmm. Perhaps you don't know me as well as I thought you did. Next time, I expect you to improve."

They turned a corner to a new street, still walking toe to toe.

"Sir, I am sure if you give me another chance, I can do much better."

Malfoy wrapped his arm around her again and pulled her in closer to his side. "There are consequences to you calling me sir, you know. Consequences that I don't think you would like to happen in such an open area with prying eyes."

"What about in the dark corners of small shops?" She held onto the hand that hung over her shoulder.

"Still too public, I'm afraid. Most people don't take to having young women crying out in the middle of a store. Gives off the wrong impression."

"A true shame."

"Yes, indeed."

Hermione silently laughed to herself about how natural it was for him to talk to her like that, and for her to bounce it right back. It was as if he had no idea how he made her melt. Like wax to a flame.

"Come on," she unwrapped his arm but remained holding his hand. "I think you'll appreciate the beauty of this store a lot more than your girlfriend did."

She led him into the furthest back alley of the town, where the bookstore sat, with a bell on the door way. Malfoy was so tall he had to duck to get in.

There were four shelves that were stacked with a small collection of books. Most were fiction and only a few were non-fiction, usually based on travelling tips. They had that smell of newly printed paper and uncracked spines.

"I doubt this is even a fraction of the size of the library at Malfoy Manor, but it is rather sweet, don't you think?" She asked as they stood on opposite sides of a shelf.

"This entire store would be equivalent to the plant section at the manor. It's a true travesty that you burnt it down, I might've liked to have shown you it one day."

"I'm sure I could help you build a new one. Without, a dark magic catalogue this time."

"What about Divination?"

"Absolutely not."

He laughed at her, and even with brown eyes, there was a sparkle in them. Hermione ran her fingers over the books, dreaming of being able to buy a new one. Even if it was a travel one, it'd be something she hadn't read a million times over the past two years.

Malfoy picked one up, read the blurb, and put it back on the shelf. Then did it again for another four books.

"There are rather a lot of romance novels here," he drawled. "Quite a few revolving around dragons and other magical creatures, mind you. Muggles continue to surprise me."

"What were you expecting? Love stories written about desk jobs, or car salesmen?"

He shrugged, "A little."

"You and I are lucky that we have the opportunity to experience romance within the world of magic. Muggles cannot have that, and therefore they read it to escape the dull life that they lead. Riding dragons is epic in their minds."

"Do you not find riding dragons to be epic?"

She looked up through her lashes from the book she was flicking through and saw he was sucking on the inside of his cheeks, waiting for her answer. A brow cocked in anticipation.

"The real ones, no. I struggle with heights. The pale ones with silver eyes, however, are a much better experience. Though, I've only tried it once. I might need to do it again sometimes, just to confirm how good it truly is."

"You're a tease, Granger."

"I'm learning from the best."

She had to turn her back and look at another shelf to save herself from letting him see her cheeks flush.

Two hands soon came around her stomach from behind. A mouth kissing her neck. Hermione closed her eyes and ignored the tingles running across her chest.

"Pick any book, and I'll buy it for you," Malfoy whispered into her ear.

"I can't let you do that. This money is for the safe houses."

"Granger, I would purchase this entire store for you if you asked. We'd still have enough for another thirty years. Though, I know your bleeding heart is sensible, and therefore I've reduced my gift to one book."

"It's unfair to everyone else."

He kissed her neck again. "What's unfair is the Order not letting the brightest witch of our age broaden her mind by supplying her with the Hogwarts library itself."

"You're very kind but-"

"Pick. A. Book. Granger."

She huffed and spun around in his arms to poke him. "Fine. But only for the sake of this book being the first addition to your yet to be built new library."

"Good," he said. "I'll be sure to have it dipped in gold when I get the chance."

With a roll of her eyes and a stomp to her foot, Hermione made her way through the store twice before picking the exact book the Malfoy was holding before. The romance novel with the dragon on the cover.

Malfoy was leaning at the counter talking to the man who probably owned the place. He lent on his elbow at the desk and crossed his ankles so casually, like he too was a muggle.

"What did we settle on?" He asked when she approached.

"This," she showed him. "I gathered I could read up on how to tame dragons. They're very stubborn creatures from what I've heard."

The owner belly laughed, "Missy, you just picked the most popular book in the bloody joint. I should invest in more stock at the rate they're flyin' out the door."

Malfoy took it from her hands and placed it on the counter, along with a twenty pound note. "Looks like you have good taste, Penelope."

Hermione frowned at the money, "Where did you get that?"

He held up the wallet she used to store the money. She snatched it off him. "How did you-"

"Snake-like hands. You were too distracted to notice."

Under her breath she mumbled, "Niffler hands more like."

Hermione internally slammed herself for not noticing he had stolen the wallet from her front jean pocket. Slimy git. He already knew her weak spots.

The owner handed them her book wrapped in brown paper with a string tied around it. They walked out into the brisk cold air and began their journey back to the farm

"Thank you." Hermione said, nudging him as they walked. "I'll enjoy reading this until it's engraved into the back of my brain."

"You'll have to let me borrow it sometime."

"So long as you don't dog ear the corner of the pages."

"Who on earth do you know that is uncivilised enough to do that?"

"Harry."

"Ah. I should have known. Not to worry, Granger. I was raised with a touch more decency than Potter."

The walk home was faster than Hermione wanted it to be. It wouldn't have hurt if they took their time getting back to the chaos. Just them, with a taste of freedom, and the whole countryside at their fingertips.

She knew by the space between two trees and a broken fence where the wards were hiding the farm. If she squinted, she could see the haze hovering in the air.

"Alright," she paused before the entrance. "This is your last chance to run if you want to. Leave us and pursue a life in the muggle world. I won't be offended if you do."

Malfoy pursed his lips. "Now why would I do that, when I would have nothing but hollow women pouring themselves all over me? No, I think I am set with my one witch and being a squib for the time being."

"You're an arse."

"And you," he pointed. "Worry too much. I'm not leaving you yet, Granger."

Hermione was still thinking about the my one witch part when he walked through the boundary and disappeared into the farm. She shook off the goosebumps and followed. Worry she shall always do, but let him leave her, she might not.

Without their disguises, they pulled the shopping out from her purse and placed it all along the kitchen table. Andromeda and Cho help pack it all away, while Malfoy went upstairs to wake Teddy from his nap.

Hermione couldn't resist secretly sneaking up the stairs and peaking through the crack in the door to watch him give the gift.

Teddy was already awake when she got there. He was babbling and wriggling around on his back while looking up at Malfoy, who was hunched over the crib.

"Hey, kid. Did you have a good sleep?" He asked, not expecting an answer. "NiNi and I bought you something from the shop."

The baby giggled and blew raspberries from his mouth. Hermione swooned.

Malfoy placed the stuffed wolf into the crib and Teddy latched onto it immediately. He tried to eat its snout while simultaneously hugging it. She had to hold her fingers to her mouth to stop her from chuckling out loud.

"We got him for you because he looks very similar to your dad."

"Dad. Dad. Dad."

"Yeah, kid. Your dad."

He stared at his cousin, resting on the crib, for a little while. She thought maybe he found it easy watching Teddy the same way that she found it easy watching him sleep.

"I told you that if you're going to spy, you need a new perfume," he said, still looking at the baby.

Hermione stood up straight, and contemplated whether to run or not. She really should have known he was going to catch her.

Entering the room properly, she apologised. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."

Malfoy picked Teddy out of his bed, along with the wolf and propped them on the front of his hip, facing outwards. "I got you a gift too," he said, pulling something from the back of his jeans. "I was going to wait until there was a better time, but I am selfish and have next to zero patience when it comes to you."

It was another book wrapped in brown paper and a string.

"I told you that I did not need anything else. One book was pushing it as is."

"Tell that to the watch and the letter you gave me at Christmas."

He had a point. She took the book from his clutch and tore it open. Inside was a newer version of Shakespear's The Winter's Tale. A reprint of the stage play script.

"This is-" she started, but couldn't finish. "I have-"

"The copy you have was from Theo. I understand that it is a prize possession of yours, but should you ever feel haunted by him, I want you to have another one. If I had a time turner I would go back to first year school and owl you the original copy that was in the manor, but this is the best I could do."

Hermione stared at the cover in awe. Her arms wanted to go limp, she was so shocked.

"I didn't even see you buy this."

"Again. You were distracted. So technically, this would be the first addition to the library you will help me build. It will be dipped in gold."

Politely tossing the book into the crib, Hermione pounced onto Malfoy, showering him with kisses all over his face. He stumbled back and laughed, still holding onto the baby while she attacked him. Then, she kissed Teddy all over his face.

"NiNi!" Teddy squealed. "NiNi, NiNi, NiNi!"

Pulling back, she embraced both boys in a hug. Malfoy held her neck by the back of her hair, and pecked her hairline. The baby copied the action, which made them both laugh.

"Thank you," she said. "I love it."

Malfoy kept her in place in his arm and rested his cheek on the top of her head. "I'm glad."