She was still busy at work when he picked Rose up. He was standing so close she could feel his heat radiated through her body. His hands brushed over hers as he picked up Rose from her arms and tingles went through her entire body.

Hermione swallowed hard. No, he wasn't affecting her, she might just have a cold or something. Her cheeks were glowing as their eyes met. She hadn't really looked at him not since they'd broken up. Had they been together in the first place?

"Am going to see you at the Manor?" His voice was more gentle than she was used to.

"Huh?" She hadn't expected him to attempt small talk.

They worked together and had a daughter, it almost seemed like a waste of time. They could be debating research or marketing strategies, the schedule for their daughter's homeschooling, or if it was too early to save up for her school supplies. With her current costs and income, it would take her at least 4 months to get the money together to send her daughter properly to Hogwarts, she should better get started.

"I'm not coming, I've got work to do," she said stubbornly.

"I am certain that work can wait for a couple of days."

She glared at him and Lucius was wise enough to shut up. He lowered his head and walked away.

Their interactions were even more brief than usual. For some reason, he didn't even fight with her but let her simply do whatever she wanted. And Hermione was oddly disappointed by that. She started proposing ridiculous experiments just so he would argue with her but he didn't.

By now her new job wasn't quite as new and challenging as it used to be anymore and she started to feel as if there was something missing. Even with Rose in her arm, she felt oddly lonely. The baby still wasn't speaking properly and she longed to have an interesting conversation.

To celebrate the delivery of his granddaughter, Lucius has given everyone off for the afternoon so that everyone had enough time to relax and get dressed for the festivities. Hermione was the last one still at work. Rose was with her father and she couldn't find a reason to go home. There was nothing there for her.

She went through her numbers but for some reason, she had a hard time concentrating on anything. She shouldn't be here. She shouldn't hide in the potions lab and work overtime when her best friend was celebrating the delivery of his daughter.

She placed her quill on the table. This wasn't working. She grabbed her wand and disapparated.

Standing in the entrance hall, she looked around. Round tables were covered with a black cloth and glass vases with orange lilies decorated the entrance hall. Looking around, she wondered if it was too late for her to run away, but Harry approached her.

"You've come." Smiling broadly, he hugged her tightly.

"I was only dropping by for a moment, I can't stay long," she argued. "How many people are you expecting?" She watched House Elves build up a huge pyramid of glasses."

Harry looked at her as worried as she did. "You know Draco, everything he does is a little over the top."

He led her through the Manor. Draco was very busy preparing the location for the evening.

"Since Narcissa left and you've taken the position his father always wanted him to take, he's been thinking about moving back into the Manor," Harry explained, "I think I'm on board with him on that."

"You're not seriously considering living in that monstrosity?"

"Why not? We need more space now that we have Lily anyway and as Scorpius is getting older and soon flying his broom inside and only at Diagon Alley won't be enough anymore. I know what it's like to grow up in a muggle area where you always have to hide a part of yourself and my children shouldn't have to go through the same thing." Harry pointed at Draco who was busy with placing the decorations. "And he is happy if he wants to take over his mother's role as lady of the Manor who am I to stop him."

Hermione followed Harry through the Manor, he went to the children's rooms to check if they were actually sleeping.

"Are you going to move in as well? We could be a proper family and I'll cook breakfast on Sundays so that the elves could have a day off?"

"Why would I want to do that?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know, maybe because you miss your Malfoy."

"I don't miss him, and even if that doesn't mean that he wants me, he told me very clearly that I'm too difficult."

Harry sighed. "'Mione, you are difficult, but that doesn't mean that you're too difficult for him- Don't make life difficult for yourself. And he does ask about you- The least you can do is talk to him."

Not wanting to listen to Harry's preaching any longer she wandered off. If she got lost in the Manor then maybe she wouldn't have to see anyone and could skip the party. All she could think about was whether he was really asking about her or not. It didn't matter they had lived together and it didn't work out.

Harry might find it fun to live in an old wizarding house, but Hermione was sensible enough that there were strings attached to a lifestyle like that. She wasn't going to host an event like that, she had better things to do with her life then matching buttercream to flowers and arranging seating plans.

She wanted to do good for the world and be productive. She wanted to spend her time with her daughter and not with high-society gossiping about other witches' robes.

Passing Lucius' study she stopped. Was he still inside and working? She could picture him so well with Rose on his lap going through his numbers. Their daughter would expect him to explain everything to her even though she couldn't understand it, but Rose was very stubborn, like her parents.

Her hand touched the thick wood of the door. All she had to do was enter. She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the door. Did he really miss her? With her hand, she touched her lips. A single tear ran down her cheek.

Gasping for air she sank down sobbing, she was such a mess. Big tears formed in her eyes. She wanted him to take her in his strong arms, to kiss all her worries away. Hermione felt so alone in her bed without him by her side. He might be an arrogant pureblood, but he was her arrogant pureblood.

Hermione wiped the tears from her eyes. This was it. She was done feeling sorry for herself. It was time for her to get him back. They had so many great times together, they had been happy. She wanted him back. And they could argue about the rest later.

Jumping up, she ran towards the entrance hall as fast as she could. She was a Gryffindor she should face her challenges and not bow down out of fear. He might reject her, but if she never tried she would never know.

"Hermione!" Harry was bocking the way. "Tell me, you're not fleeing!"

"I'm not," she breathed. She stabled herself, leaning against the wall. Hermione bit her lip, still panting for air. "I want him back."

"I'll help you," Harry said. He grabbed his coat and they apparated to her flat.

"What is your plan?" he asked her.

"My living situation was a constant source of conflict and he's quite attached to his ancestral home." Hermione started packing her books into her pearled handbag.

"You actually consider moving into the Manor?"

"I'm so going to regret this," Hermione said, not stopping to gather her belongings.

"No, I think this is an excellent idea. You've been living on your own for too long. You need to surround yourself with family and we're going to share our meals and we're going to be a proper family."

"I'm not going to end the contract for my flat until we've figured this out."

Harry hugged her tightly. "I'm so glad to have the old Hermione back."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"My life hasn't been complete without your criticism."

"Now are you going to help me or just stand there and watch?"

Harry grinned and grabbed a few of her books. It took the two of them longer than expected to clean the tiny flat out. Hermione was shocked that she had managed to fit so many books inside and the idea that she would have to find a new place for each of them scared her a little.

"This is Narcissa's wing, which we're going to take over," Harry said, pointing at the lady's wing, "And here is Mr. Malfoy's wing, it's also was the grand library is located."

"Uh, the library." Hermione rubbed her hands.

"I think Mr. Malfoy wants to show you that space himself." Harry paused for a moment."What have you planned?"

"I was going to put Rose's stuff into her room and maybe unpack a few of my books to show him that I'm serious and willing to compromise."

"I'll show you around."

"Shouldn't you help Draco with the last preparations?"

"I'm not insane enough to go between my husband and his party."

Hermione let her gaze wander over the room. Rose had plenty of space and he had put a lot of thought into it. Her toys and clothes were stored away on the shelves near the wall. The space on the carpet was free and Hermione could picture their daughter crawling over the floor all too easily.

She placed the other half of her clothes in the drawer next to them without ruining his system. The books she was reading to her found a place on the small table next to the crib and the wooden toys found their place on the shelves.

It took her some time to get everything sorted, and she was quite tired by the time she was done. It had gotten late and Hermione needed to dress up for the party.

She didn't really know what to wear. It wasn't like she frequented events like that. Looking for her clothes in her bag, she stumbled upon the red dress she had worn on Yule.

She paused for a moment but eventually pulled it out. Lucius had said that he liked how she had looked in it and Hermione wanted nothing more than to continue where they had left.

It took her longer then she had anticipated to squeeze herself into and without somebody to help her close the zipper she ended up jumping up and down and using her magic inappropriately just to be properly dressed.

She took a deep breath and went straight to the ballroom skipping the sparkling wine in the entrance hall. But as she stepped into the crowded ballroom, Hermione realized that she could have used all the alcohol she could get. She sat down at the table next to Harry.

Lucius was sitting next to Draco with Rose on his lap, they looked truly adorable together. Draco couldn't remain sitting still for long. With Lily in his arm, he went on to mingle, showing off his daughter proudly.

They had barely made it through the second course when Scorpius started feeling bored. The boy was pulling threads out of the orange table cloth, so Harry took him outside for a bit, leaving Hermione and Lucius alone at the table.

No, it wasn't awkward at all, and no, Hermione wasn't pulling on the thread where Scorpius had left. She just didn't know what to say. Lucius cleared his throat and she looked up, she wanted to say something but then Draco rejoined them.

It got quickly late, at least for Rose. She was tired and there were so many people around. The little one got more and more whiney.

Standing up, Hermione walked around the table and lifted her out of Lucius' arm. "I'll bring her to bed."

She let her hand run over his back, before stepping away from him. She walked slowly to the winged doors swaying her hips. She wondered if he got the hint. Hermione bit her lip. She should have been more clear, but she didn't know what to say.

There were footsteps behind her and she felt a hand on her waist. Looking up she found Lucius walking next to her.

Her cheeks were glowing and all she could focus on was the hand on her waist. Her legs felt shaky and her arm clenched around her daughter to not drop her. Her heart was racing. What if he didn't want her anymore? What if he realized that she was too difficult after all?

It took forever until they finally reached Rose's room. She carefully lowered her to the crib. Lucius was standing nearby the entire time as she read her a goodnight story.

His eyes were fixed on her. She looked ravishing in the red dress and he got a good view of her backside as she lowered their daughter into the crib. It was the same dress, she had worn on Yule and he couldn't help but wonder if she wanted to tell him something.

He could see that something was different, but in the dim light, it took him a while to figure out what. Taking a small step back from his witch, he noticed that there were more toys in the room and he recognized a few of them from her tiny flat in muggle London.

His heart jumped. Was she going to abandon him and Rose? He didn't want her to go. He enjoyed her presence even if all they were doing was fighting. He wanted her in his life, Hermione was a very special witch.

She was reading to Rose with her soft voice. He set down on a chair next to the cradle, placing his head on the wooding railing. He felt so much more at ease. Lucius was sure that he could listen to her voice for hours and his eyes fluttered shut for a few seconds.

Hermione reached out to him and let her fingers run through his long platinum blond hair. He gently smiled at her nothing else mattered at that moment. He watched her, scared that she would snap out of it at every moment and leave him again.

She chewed on her lower lip. "I've been thinking…"

His throat constricted. Lucius was on high alert. He stood up and approached her half-expecting that she would take a few steps back to evade him.

Instead, she remained standing on the same spot. She looked at him with her big brown eyes, fidgeting with her fingers.

"I thought I could move in with you," she blurted out.

He stared at her for a moment processing her words. Had he heard her correctly? Lucius cupped her cheeks and kissed her with all he got. She shuddered in his arm leaning into him. Hermione moaned against his lips. Lucius didn't know what he had expected but he was somewhat taken by surprise that she was kissing him back.

She was breathing through her mouth, her lips kiss swollen. She was the most delicious thing he had ever seen.

He took her hand and dragged her out of the room, down the corridor, and through the winged doors at the end. Taking a step back he watched her look at the library with awe. He had always been proud of his family collection and had added to it over the year, but seeing her impressed made his chest swell with pride.

"This is amazing!" She was quickly going through the rows. "I love it. I can't wait to sort all of my books into it."

Lucius chuckled. "Tomorrow."

He captured her and let his hands run down her sides, trailing kisses down her neck. "There is one more room I need to show you."

She swallowed hard and he took her hand, guiding her to his bedroom. She looked a little lost standing in the big room, his eyes fixed on him.

Leaning forward he took his time kissing her. Reaching around her neck, he found the zipper of her dress. Smirking he opened it and watched it slide off her body. He took a second to appreciate her body before he pushed her on the bed.

"You're the only witch who's allowed to sleep here, but I might make an exception for Rose."

She smiled at him and with her hands grabbed onto his long hair she pulled him closer.

"Do I have to tie you to the bed or will you still be here tomorrow?"

Blushing she bit her lip. "I don't think you have to..."