New chapter here, but I'm taking a break from writing for the time being. I've not been able to write in several weeks, and while I was hoping it would pass as quickly as it normally does, it hasn't and I feel better if I'm open about that. If you read this, I hope you enjoy it anyway!

It had been easy to go through the motions, offering his arm up alongside Granger's while a nameless official appeared to be as uncomfortable as he felt. The light from the charm inching up their arms had been warm, and he'd watched the way it flickered across her face as her eyes darkened.

Granger hadn't said anything as they left the Ministry, sneaking out through a rarely used entrance. She still didn't breathe a word as she slid an arm through his and Apparated them into her flat. In fact, Draco wasn't sure she intended to say anything at all until she turned her back to him and folded her arms over her chest, wand trapped between her fingers.

Even then, he barely heard her.

"Are you happy now?" She twirled her wand and glanced over her shoulder. "Apparently we're stuck together."

He chose not to reply to that, but what he went with wasn't much better. "Were you surprised by the results of the charm?"

With her head tilted towards him slightly, hair tumbling down her back, he could see her nose wrinkle in irritation. Her lips formed a response, but nothing more than a short breath pushed its way free.

"Did the accuracy surprise you?" He knew it was probably a bad idea to press, especially when the results had been so close to a perfect match. As close as anyone could be, Draco supposed. "They told us that we're more than just compatible, Granger. Don't you have something to say about that?"

"No, I'm not surprised. I designed the bloody charm." She huffed. "Anyway, that doesn't matter. What matters right now is that I'm required to live with you, and I know your ex-fiancée is probably sitting in your flat right now."

"Astoria has probably already arranged for her things to be moved, and she won't be there—"

"Perhaps I didn't make myself clear enough," she hissed. "I'm not going to live somewhere your ex-fiancée has. All of this is bad enough already."

"If you fucking hate it so much, why are you doing this?" She wasn't wrong, but the sharp underside of her voice cleaving down on him made it all the worse, and he realized he shouldn't have snapped.

Granger blinked. Her chest rose up and fell, and her lips parted as she blew out a breath that sent her bangs upward. "Did I really have any other choice?"

He found himself softening before he thought about why. "Are you really surprised?"

She still didn't answer him, which wasn't much of a surprise. "I'm going to start gathering my things. You should go." The Floo sounded behind him, and he spotted Weasleys stepping out of the fireplace as he looked back at her. "Don't worry. There's someone here to watch me."

Leaving her with Weasley had been the best option, Draco reminded himself as he stepped out of the fireplace. Nothing was out of place, but the flat was several degrees cooler. On the wall opposite him, he could see the outlines where multiple photographs had been once. Some of them had been of himself and Astoria, but the others had been keepsakes she'd brought with her.

Maybe she'd already left.

Draco stepped into the kitchen and found her sitting at the table, in the exact same spot where she had been the night before, but this time was even worse. He'd known exactly what she would think when he made the decision to go along with Potter's half-arsed plan. Still though, he'd expected her to escape the first moment she heard of the news.

She curled her fingers under her chin, and lifted her hair slowly. "Is she here?"

He shook his head.

"That's good." She sniffled, and wiped her nose with a handkerchief. "Is it true then? You're engaged?"

As he struggled to find something to say—something that might serve as a groveling apology as well—Draco settled with a nod. "This wasn't planned."

Astoria's eyes filled with tears. "You can't expect me, or the rest of the world, to believe that, Draco. Once the Daily Prophet reports this, everyone will see it and think you left me for her."

In the time it had taken him to travel home, Draco could honestly admit that he hadn't considered that yet. He knew Granger had, but each step had snowballed into another, and it hadn't left him with enough time to consider all of the implications.

"I didn't," Draco murmured, and crouched down. He gathered her hands in his, even as they felt foreign—even after months of an engagement—and ran his thumb over her knuckles. "I'm so sorry for this. When I left here last night, I hadn't imagined how it would turn out."

"Are you going to tell me it wasn't your idea?"

Technically was on the tip of his tongue, but Draco refrained.

"You wanted to help her."

"Yeah," he breathed. "I did." The problem with the truth was that he'd never told Astoria about his previous relationship with Granger. Sure, he'd told her about a short lived relationship with a pretty witch from France after he'd been sent there on a mission, and she knew about any other instances he'd been involved in—including a drunken one with her sister, which he and Theo had agreed to never speak of again—before their relationship.

But Granger?

It wasn't that she was a secret necessarily, or a witch he was ashamed to admit he had been with. Maybe ashamed for the fact that he'd left her—

But no one knew.

While they had never talked about keeping it a secret, it had gone as an unspoken agreement. Weasley had found out eventually—the two had always been close—and it had been a miracle they'd remained a secret as long as it had. Up until Potter had sucker punched him at the start of their partnership, he hadn't known for certain that he knew either.

Theo knew, though. He was the only one Draco had told directly.

Astoria swallowed hard, shot a glare his way, and stood from her seat. "My father paid a generous amount towards the wedding, and I'd rather it not be spent for a sl—"

"Tread carefully, Tori. She's not who you're angry with. That would be me."

"You can't possibly be so dense."

"I will have the money deposited into your family vault by the end of the day tomorrow."

She pushed past him,and picked up a small bag by the doorway before Apparating away.

After splashing his face with water in the loo, Draco caught Hermione at her flat.

Weasley looked him up and down in disdain when he entered before stepping to the side. "She's in a mood."

"Shocking."

"Honestly!" Granger's shrill voice echoed through the flat. "I can't believe you wouldn't tell me who the witch was. Oh, we're best mates, 'Mione! Oi, I swear it—"

Draco snickered. "She sounds just like you."

"Shut it or I'll plant my boot so far up your arse—"

"You should have just—" Granger stomped into the room, a tower of books balanced in her arms, and they toppled over once she spotted him. "What are you doing here?"

Any mirth that had been on his face vanished, and his lips pressed into a thin line. "I'm supposed to stay with you. It's part of the deal so they don't throw you in Azkaban."

Weasley muttered something under his breath, and he imagined it sounded suspiciously like treason.

"I'm meant to be with an auror. Ron is an auror." Granger frowned. "I suppose if you're going to be here, the least you can do is help."

"I thought you said you were going to throw his arse out if he showed his, and I quote, stupidly—"

Granger had her wand out in a fraction of second, trained on her friend, and Draco took a long step back. "If you finish that, you won't be able to have kids."

"I dunno, 'Mione. Weasley genetics are pretty strong. They might override any hex you can think up." He shrugged, and didn't budge from the spot.

She arched a brow, and the corner of her mouth twitched. "Would you like to test that?"

There was a flicker of terror that crossed Weasley's face, and Draco coughed to hide his laugh. "I, uh, think I'll pass actually."

Granger laid her wand on the table before climbing down to gather her books. "Did you know about Parkinson?"

He blinked. "Pansy?"

Nodding, Granger tilted her head towards Ron. "Yeah. You remember that I mentioned he would probably propose to the witch he'd been seeing?"

Slowly, stubbornly so, the cogs began to move, and Draco's mouth dropped open as a single breath was exhaled. "No."

Smug as ever, Weasley folded his arms over his chest. "Yes, thank you."

She continued to pack one book after another, and Draco moved to the other side of the room to gather items off another shelf. Until Granger told him to work on something else, he'd already decided not to test his luck.

"Aren't you going to say something?" she asked.

Draco grimaced. "Rather not. I think I'll stick to ignoring the fact that one of my best friends has been seeing… him."

"Oi, I'm your friend too!"

Looking to Hermione, Draco laughed. "Didn't you just say that in his voice?"

It was the first genuine smile she'd given him—aside from the moment she'd hurled an empty whisky bottle past his head. "I did. I can't believe he didn't tell me."

"Oh, I absolutely believe that Pansy didn't tell me."

"I'm going to ask her to marry me."

Idle chatter quieted, and Draco stared at him as Weasley's face grew crimson.

He raked his fingers through red hair and sighed. "What do I do if she says no?" Weasley lifted a finger and pointed to Draco. "Nope. Not asking you. Your love life is a mess."

"Maybe, but I've known Pansy since we were in nappies. How long have the two of you been together? Wait, are you counting with your fingers?"

"I can't keep track, mate! I've just admitted I'm going to ask the witch to marry me, so forgive me if I've got a screw loose."

"That's not why you have a screw loose." Draco ignored the sharp elbow in his side, but he glared at Hermione. "All I have to say is that if it's been since the beginning of last year, Pansy's been happier. I assumed there was someone."

Granger gripped the back of the sofa. "I don't think she'll say no, Ron."

Weasley began to pace. "How would you know? You just found out—"

"Granger's right," Draco cut in. "Pansy isn't going to say no."

"How can you—"

His hip brushed her side. "She had a bit of a crush in you in school."

Eyes widening, Ron's nod was clipped. "I think I'll go look for a ring if you think you'll be okay now?"

She sighed. "I'll be fine. Malfoy isn't going to hurt me, you know."

"Yeah, he's going to marry you, and I'm not sure which of those is worse."

The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, but Draco bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from saying anything else.

The moment the door clicked shut, Granger turned towards him with a curious look. "She really had a crush on Ron in school?"

He snorted. "Absolutely not, but he needed the encouragement. Pansy isn't going to say no; if she didn't feel that strongly, she'd have broken it off in a few months."

A smile stretched her lips. "That was almost nice of you to do."

"I have my moments."

Bracing her hip against the sofa, she avoided eye contact. "Well, um... I wanted to discuss something. Now that you're here, there's really no better time, so…"

Of course there was something to talk about. The gravity of the situation was still setting in. "I'm all yours."

She winced. "You shared a flat with Astoria, correct?"

Draco nodded.

"I don't want to live there."

" You did make that rather clear. She's moved out all of her things if—"

"No, I don't want to live anywhere that you've shared with her." Granger clenched her jaw. "It's terrible enough to feel like I've uprooted her life, but I don't want to take over a space that was previously hers."

Draco slumped against the sofa. "All right."

"That's it? No arguing?"

"Well, I don't want to live here either." He traced lines in the suede. "I think it would be in our best interest to have a fresh start. I don't particularly want to wonder if Krum—"

"Are you still jealous of him?" Granger slapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh, God. I didn't mean to bring that up."

Shrugging, Draco thought it might be fair. "I brought up the vomit story, so I think we're both guilty of referencing the past."

Her fingers were trembling as she brought the offending hand away from her mouth. "I don't want to bring it up. It's another life, Malfoy, and I don't want you to think I'm always going to dangle it over your head to make you feel guilty."

"It doesn't make me feel any guiltier than I already do, but the answer to your question is yes."

Pale pink lips parted as she stared at him, her cheeks hollowing as she exhaled.

"Yes, I'm still jealous of Krum and I'd rather not imagine him shagging you over the countertop."

Blush rose to her cheeks. "We didn't do that."

"Shag?"

"Um…" Red splotches grew even deeper. "We definitely did that."

She was fucking with him.

How fucking wonderful.

"Then you mean you didn't shag on the counters."

"R-ight." The word was split into two syllables, and for a moment, he saw it. Granger angled herself toward him unconsciously, and her lips parted again.

She would be the death of him.

Draco towered over her, and lowered his gaze to her lips, before lifting them back to her eyes while making sure she noticed. "Pity," he mused. "Perfectly good counters gone to waste." Allowing himself the tiniest moment to enjoy the thrill that shot down his spine, Draco broke the silence. "I'll look for a few flats that would suit us if that's okay with you. You'll have the final pick, of course."

"Of course." She sucked in a breath. "I'll finish packing here if you wouldn't mind starting in the kitchen?" Granger was slightly off kilter as he stepped around her.

Apparently, there was the slightest bit of hope.

Clearly, her body remembered his as well as his remembered hers. He couldn't help but wonder if she was still so responsive.

It had taken him longer than he cared to admit to catch onto the fact that she was baiting him. Even though his first thought was a snarky reply that of courseshe was baiting him, she always had, the fact of it was that he hadn't seen the full picture at first.

Granger would have never played coy like she had when he'd mentioned shagging Krum over the counters if she hadn't wanted to. She was a bright witch, and while he might have caught her the slightest bit off guard, she'd carried through without batting an eye. It had undoubtedly been a tease, and that had led him to a conversation with Theo while in Diagon Alley on patrol.

"So…" Theo bit into a bagel. "Now you're upset that she flirted with you? Draco, I have to be honest, I can't keep up with your life, mate. You're giving me whiplash."

He gritted his teeth, and made a non-committal motion with his hands. "Granger would never just flirt with me. Have you not been paying attention?"

A blank stare was the only reply he got.

"She's toying with me."

A wry smirk twisted Theo's lips. "That sounds like it could be pleasurable."

Fisting his hands in his jacket, Draco groaned. "I don't know. It seems too easy that she'd be kind to me."

Theo rolled his eyes. "She's a sweet witch, Draco. You'd do well to remember that she's under a lot of strain right now. For her sake, I hope neither of you have an active subscription to the Daily Prophet considering today's edition."

"What do you mean?" Draco frowned.

"Daphne gave it to me to hide before Tori saw it this morning." His friend reached into his cloak and withdrew a rolled copy. "Granger's been the center of the anger since day one, but now that you've been dragged into it…"

On the cover, there was a clear photograph of them sneaking through the Ministry days after the initial matching for a meeting with an unspeakable. It moved with them, showing how Lucius tossed his cloak over Granger's head until it was ultimately ripped off and Draco hid her under his arm.

Her face had been buried in his chest.

They called her a slag. A homewrecker.

Draco shoved it back towards Theo. "I have to go." Technically, he ought to use the public Apparition point, and it was only a thirty second walk, but this couldn't wait.

"Where are you going?"

"Granger still has a subscription." He growled and vanished with a crack.

They hadn't managed to move yet, but Granger had selected a modern flat that his mother had already decorated. Thankfully, they hadn't been in the same room at the time, but they were working towards that meeting.

Still, Draco found her in their flat rather than hers. He knew because he had checked.

Granger sat in the middle of the sitting room, next to the window that spanned from floor to ceiling as she waved a cat toy around for Crooks. "Shouldn't you be at work?" Her eyes were bloodshot, and she grimaced as she wiped her nose with the sleeve of her jumper. "Before you ask, I'm—"

"Please don't tell me you're fine."

Her mouth snapped shut.

Draco crossed the room and sat in front of her. "I saw the Daily Prophet."

She nodded. "Well, none of it was a lie."

"You're not a slag, and for the record, you're not a homewrecker either. If anyone is, it's me."

It earned the slightest smile. "Are you going to go on the record and say that?"

"Will that make you happy? Even for a second?"

The bell on her monstrous beast's collar jingled as he trotted through the room, a plush fish toy trapped in his mouth.

"Not really."

"The offer stands if you change your mind." Draco smiled. "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

"Are you sure you want to?" She picked at her fingernails. "I've been rather foul to you."

"Yeah," Draco laughed. "I'm sure."

"Would you mind bringing me lunch? If I order delivery, it's only a matter of time before reporters camp outside, and they're already causing a scene at my flat. For obvious reasons, I'd rather not go get it myself either."

He blinked. "Lunch?"

Granger's face fell. "I know it's ridiculous and I should be able to go get it myself. You're meant to be patrolling right now anyway, and I know you have to watch me because I was a coward, but—"

He closed his hand over hers. "I was just surprised. Will you write down what you'd like? It's no trouble to bring it right back?"

That smile returned as she jumped to her feet and grabbed a Muggle pen from the table. Granger wrote down her order from a popular Indian restaurant and handed it back to him.

At the bottom of it, she'd written something else.

"Salmon? With curry?"

Her laugh sounded too much like bells. "It's for Crooks, if you don't mind?"

He'd have to make a trip in the opposite direction, but he didn't mind. Not really. Giving a mock salute, Draco grinned. "I'll be right back."

I'm not too sure how long hiatus will be. I suspect it'll last until my will to write returns and when writing doesn't put so much pressure on me and also when my mental health is better. But I'm still around! MidnightValkyrie and I are hosting Fic Club on Discord and we'd love to have you! Right now, we're in a summer reading of The Fallout, but we're open to all ships and are going to start expanding soon.

Stay safe out there. Come find me on tumblr under mrsren if you like.