Chapter 18

Hermione was distracted. The holidays were approaching and the Ministry was about to effectively shut down for a couple of weeks, but she had no such luxury. She had to ensure that things still ran on schedule. Her boss was out of town extinguishing fires in Eastern Europe where numerous suspected Death Eaters were still at large, and so the safety of the country largely rested on her shoulders, and she didn't take that responsibility lightly.

Still, she couldn't stop thinking about Draco. His hands. His mouth. His tongue. She was no longer a stranger to his naked body. And the thought of it was very diverting.

She'd spent two nights apart from him and Scorpius- something that was happening with continuing infrequency- but she'd had a major presentation to prepare for about her department's budget and had stupidly thought that staying at her own flat would help her concentrate. But as the hours built up to her presentation she realized how foolish she'd been. Being away from the pair of them just left her feeling unsettled.

Through luck and weeks of preparation it went off without a hitch. Almost better than she could have imagined. The committee agreed to take her recommendations in front of the full Wizengamot.

So it was in high spirits that she flooed to Draco's house. She just assumed he'd be expecting her and didn't consider the fact that she'd hardly spoken to him in 48 hours. She'd been so busy but Draco, who was obsessed with his new mobile phone, had relied on it to send her a few texts, and they'd all seemed upbeat enough.

She searched through all the main living areas, and finding them all empty, she began to grow concerned as she realized that she hadn't actually heard from Draco at all since they'd exchanged messages the night before; she'd only just been able to keep her eyes open long enough to bid him goodnight. She had texted him to wish him a good day that morning but had never received a response.

She went upstairs to what he'd termed the 'family wing' and made a beeline for the nursery, but it too was empty. Tamping down her irrational panic- Draco was an adult, there were any number of places he could be, and he didn't need to check in with her before leaving his house- she tried one more room.

She pulled the doors to the master bedroom open, and sure enough, there he was, pacing around the large space, Scorpius screaming in his arms- the wards on the room had kept the sounds contained inside. It was eerily reminiscent of that day in the apothecary. Her heart lurched.

"Draco, what's going on?" She looked on in horror at their twin pained expressions, her fingers actually twitched with repressed longing to just take them both into her arms, but something told her to tread carefully.

He glanced up, startled. "He's sick and he won't settle down." His voice was flat and though he was as gentle with Scorpius as ever, cradling his head carefully trying to prevent him from thrashing, she could tell that he was near the end of his rope.

"Sick?" It was the obvious question but she hoped it would prompt him to provide more information.

"He's been ill all day, I've had a healer in but she insists that it's just a bad cold and that he's still too little to give him a pepper up. I called Aunt Andromeda too and she confirmed that we just have to wait it out."

"Well Andromeda would know." The woman was one of the country's top healers, she was a little surprised that Draco hadn't gone straight to her, but then again she knew that the Malfoys had their own private healer. "You got him something for the pain though?" She confirmed.

"Of course I did!" He snapped.

She winced but didn't respond, she understood that he must be frustrated. She could hear from Scorpius' breathing that he was congested and the way that he was screaming in protest was probably mostly negating the effects of the pain potion- as he was still too little to take anything but the mildest of versions of that as well- but there was no way to explain that to him and convince him to stop.

"Let me try," she offered, extending her arms.

"I'm capable of taking care of my own child," he barked. "He's not your kid, this isn't your responsibility," he added.

She took a deep breath. "I'm aware of that. I just thought you might be worn out and could use some help."

"You can't just pop in and out, Hermione!"

She felt a frisson of guilt at that accusation. Is that what she'd been doing? "I didn't mean-"

"It doesn't matter," he interrupted. "We don't need you. We were just fine by ourselves.'

Hermione felt like she'd simultaneously been slapped across the face and stabbed in the heart.

She took another deep breath in an attempt to center herself. "I wasn't questioning your abilities, but you've presumably been at this all day. It's understandable that you're tired and he can sense your tension, which is probably making things worse. Let me hold him for just a little while, and you use the opportunity to take a shower or go for a walk," she eyed his soiled clothes and disheveled demeanor.

If he threw her out later for presumably being inattentive, she would have at least made things a little better for him in the meantime. She'd fight him tooth and nail, if he tried to do so, but that could all wait until Scorpius felt better.

He paused in his pacing and then practically shoved the baby into her arms. "Granger knows best," he sneered.

She blanched at the ugly expression and clutched Scorpius to her chest, and within a matter of moments he quieted.

"Of-bloody-course," he hissed and then stomped out of the room.

Scorpius let out a plaintive cry.

"He's not mad at you, Love Bug," she assured him, "I'm sure you've both just had a long day."

Even though Draco had voluntarily vacated the master suite, she didn't feel right remaining in his private space, nor did she see any point to it. She considered going to Scorpius' nursery, but she couldn't imagine him going down anytime soon, so she made her way back to the main floor, cautiously looking around so that she didn't inadvertently disturb Draco, but he was nowhere to be seen.

She slipped off her robes and then her blouse, carefully shifting Scorpius from one arm to the other as she did so, leaving her in only a bra and camisole above the waist; she hoped the additional skin contact would further soothe him. He continued to whimper, but it was at least an improvement from when she'd arrived.

But he never truly settled. She paced and rocked him. She ate the meal Effie provided for her once she admitted to herself that she needed the energy boost, with one hand. It was about an hour later when Draco returned, his hair appeared freshly washed and he was wearing only a pair of charcoal colored pajama bottoms.

Well, that was just unfair.

She was trying not to be angry with him for earlier, her feelings were hurt but he hadn't necessarily said anything untrue, after all. But openly wanting him right now was a step too far. She steadfastly refused to lick her lips.

"Hey," she said quietly.

"I'm a prick," he responded.

She nearly choked on her own tongue. "Don't make me laugh when I'm holding the baby!" She hissed.

"Really?" He drawled. "You've never complained before," he said, slowly walking into the room as if he was uncertain of his welcome.

Scorpius squirmed in her arms, trying to twist in the direction of his father's voice. "Daddy's back," she told him and spun so that he could more easily see him.

"Dada," it was part request, part confirmation.

Draco stopped in his tracks and she looked at him with wide eyes and then back down at Scorpius.

"That's right, Daddy."

"Dada," he repeated obediently.

Draco ran a hand through his hair, looking everywhere but at the two of them. "Did I mention that I'm a prick? Way to time that to maximize my guilt, Scorp, you must be taking lessons from your grandmother."

She let out a startled laugh. "Well I don't think he's holding it against you." He still wouldn't look at her and she could tell that he was trying to bring himself under control, swallowing convulsively and rubbing his eyes. "Draco, it's okay to be emotional, that was a big deal."

He didn't respond, just held out his arms and she didn't hesitate to walk into them. He kissed Scorpius' head and murmured his love for him, and, once Scorpius was settled between them, she felt him finally truly relax. And then Draco tapped on her chin, encouraging her to lift her head, and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

They stood there for a long time, Draco rocked them to a silent rhythm.

"I'm sorry if you felt neglected," she said eventually.

He sighed. "It wasn't that."

"No, I should have been better at staying in touch. I didn't even notice until I got here that I hadn't heard from you all day."

"First of all, you didn't neglect us, I knew you were busy, you responded when I texted you, I'm not such a self-involved bastard to fault you for not being available to me every minute of the day. Second of all, it wouldn't have made any difference."

"But why do you say that? I would have come, or at least been there for you to talk to and help you unwind, even if it was just over the phone."

"I knew you had your presentation today, so I locked my mobile away in my desk."

"That wouldn't have mattered! Why did you do that?"

He sighed and rubbed the tip of his nose against her forehead. "Because it scared me how much I needed you. Scorpius and I have been doing this on our own his entire life, and all of a sudden I couldn't figure out how to be his father without your help? What else was I supposed to do?"

She just stared at him in disbelief. "You know exactly how to be his father, you're excellent at it! Wanting help isn't a weakness. And if I hadn't shown up tonight, things would have eventually been okay. But neither of you needed to suffer through that, I'm here."

"I'm not used to…"

"Relying on anybody else?" She guessed, but didn't wait for him to confirm. "There's nothing wrong with needing help. Though I understand- I'm not very good at allowing people to be there for me either."

"Maybe," he started.

"Definitely," she confirmed.

"You make me so happy," he murmured, pulling her more tightly against him, without crushing the baby. "And you make him happy too, he's been looking around for you all day."

"Next time you ring me or, you know, floo, owl, send a patronus, whatever strikes your fancy," she poked him viciously as she listed the myriad options he'd failed to utilize.

He caught her hand in his. "Agreed." He let out a long breath. "How was your presentation?"

"It doesn't matter."

"It does," he insisted.

"Not at the moment, not even a little bit."

"Sweetness-"

"I'm serious, Draco, I don't care about it at all right now, I'll tell you about it later. Now I just want to enjoy being here with you guys."

He relented with a huff and they continued to stand there for the longest time, rocking the baby between them until his breathing became deep and even, though his congestion was still evident, and Hermione felt herself beginning to doze against Draco's shoulder.

"We should head upstairs, I might fall over and drop him," she said.

"I would catch you both," he responded immediately, and Hermione detected a deeper meaning in his words even as she felt his arms tighten around her.

But it was without another word that he led them upstairs but paused in front of his bedroom door, before she could proceed to the nursery. "I think he might sleep better in here tonight."

"You're right. Your scent is obviously soothing to him," she realized.

"I know I've said this before, but for somebody so smart, you can be really thick."

"What?"

"It's not me," he laughed, "it's both of us. Did you not notice that he didn't fully settle until we were both with him. And if you think my bed doesn't smell like the two of us, you're insane."

She found herself rather blown away by this idea. Not that Scorpius would be able to detect her scent in his father's bed. But that it calmed him- that she had become so entrenched in their lives. And suddenly she felt Draco's words touch her soul.

He'd been showing her for weeks, but he was right, she was so dense, she hadn't seen it, or maybe she just hadn't been ready to accept what it meant. "Let's put him down," she murmured.

"I'm an idiot," she said once they'd got Scorpius settled in the middle of Draco's enormous bed and she'd turned back to face Draco.

"Not something I'd ever accuse you of," he responded with a quirk of his lips.

She took his face in her hands and looked him straight in the eyes. "I love you."

She actually felt his breath hitch and then he froze up entirely.

"I love you," she continued, "and I love Scorpius, and it's going to take far more than a bad mood to drive me away."

He laughed and pulled her closer. "You're upstaging my kid."

"Somehow I don't think that's true." She nipped playfully at his jaw, and his stubble against her lips was incredibly erotic.

"Maybe not, but that felt just as wonderful as him calling me 'Dada.' I'm not sure what I did to deserve either of you." He nuzzled his face against her neck.

"You know, I'm feeling the same way at the moment."

"Would you say it again?"

She went up on her toes and punctuated each word with a kiss. "I. Love. You."

"You know, this day has taken a turn for the better," he smiled at her, and then he was kissing her. "I've never said this to anybody before," he huffed out a laugh, "except Scorpius and maybe my mother at some point, but I love you too."

Hermione was grinning so hard her cheeks hurt and she toyed with the hair at the base of his neck. "I know you just showered, but how would you feel about a bath?"

"I think I like the way that you think, Miss Granger."

He took her hand and led her into the bathroom. While he busied himself readying the bath she pulled her camisole over her head and stepped out of her skirt and made her way over to him in only her bra and knickers, pressing herself against his bare back and embracing him from behind. He used his wand to dim the lights and then turned in the circle of her arms.

"Hi beautiful," he murmured, his voice a low timbre the likes of which she didn't think she'd ever heard before. It was such a simple compliment, something he said to her every day, but always with such sincerity, she blushed everytime.

She grasped the hand holding his wand. "May I borrow this?" Her wand was in her bag downstairs.

"Be my guest," he said, pressing it into her hand and then he watched her with dilated eyes as she twisted her hair on top of her head and secured it with a spell. "Why is that so sexy?" He asked, rather breathlessly.

She shrugged, he'd seen her do that before and she knew the reaction it would garner. Loved how much her ease with magic turned him on. She returned his wand, and he tossed it away without even looking to see where it landed.

He kissed her as he reached around and gently unfastened her bra, then pulled her knickers down her legs while she untied his pajama pants and let them fall to the floor. He stepped out of them and after that into the tub, then helped her do the same. They settled with her between his legs, her back against his chest. She sighed at the delicious sensation of the hot water lapping at her skin and his firm body surrounding her. She let her head lull on his shoulder and her eyes fall closed. Meanwhile, he cupped her hips and stroked her waist with his thumbs as he began to leave soft kisses against the column of her neck.

She covered his hands with hers and started to stroke the backs of his palms with her own thumbs. "You know, I was very distracted today," she said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"When you had such a big day at work? That doesn't sound like you."

"Hmmmm," she responded noncommittally. "Aren't you going to ask me what was distracting me?"

"What was distracting you?" He asked with a chuckle, obviously humoring her.

"Well, there were several things, to be perfectly honest, but mostly your hands."

"My hands?"

"Um-hm," she slid his hands up from her hips to the curve of her waist and then spread his fingers with hers until they were touching from her hip bones to the lower swells of her breasts. They spanned the space easily. Then she took his left hand and dragged it even further up her body to cup her breast and squeezed.

"Oh," he gasped.

"Get the idea?"

"Oh, I really do like the way you think," he nuzzled her neck.

"This is okay?" She confirmed, she'd never been this daring before, not with him, not with anybody. She was the Gryffindor, but he was the one who made her brave.

"More than okay, Sweetness, I am at your disposal."

She directed his other hand between her legs. "Draco," she sighed, "I love the way you touch me."

They worked their joined fingers carefully through her wet and swollen folds, and she used the thumb of his other hand to gently stimulate her already hard nipple.

"That's it," he encouraged, "do you have any idea how gorgeous you look right now?"

Emboldened she took his middle finger and hers and plunged them inside of her, she arched against him. "Draco," she whined.

"Take what you need," his voice was breathless and lent her courage.

She continued to work herself over using those hands she'd been thinking about all day, giving up all sense of modesty when she threw her ankles over his and then over the edges of the tub so that her legs were splayed as wide as possible, all the while he murmured to her about how perfect and sexy she was.

And when she came around both of their fingers he kissed her and she swiveled in his arms and straddled his waist. She collapsed against his chest to catch her breath, he rubbed her back soothingly, and after just a few moments she realized that he was hard and ready between them.

"I want you," she whispered.

He actually laughed. "I want you too. As if that wasn't obvious."

"Now?" She asked simply.

"Yes, if you're ready."

And she sank down on him. "I love you," she sighed as she did so.

"I love you too," he murmured against her lips, "could you look at me?"

She blinked her eyes open, completely baffled that they'd ever been closed. He smiled softly and squeezed her hips as he began to guide her up and down atop of him, synchronizing their movements; he kissed her and told her how wonderful she was.

"Oh my God, Draco. So good," she slurred as she looked at him.

It didn't take long, she so sensitive and he so aroused- not to mention that they'd been building up to this for weeks.

She sobbed into his neck as she came, when he cried out and pulsed inside of her, her sense of satisfaction was complete, and she slumped against his chest again.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Perfect," she insisted.

He huffed out a laugh. "Not that I was worried, but that did not disappoint." He gripped her hip, and even that slight sensation had her shuddering, her body was so sensitive.

She giggled. "Why thank you. What enthusiastic praise."

He pinched her bum and she squealed. "You knew what I meant. Should I retrieve my wand or-"

"Shower, let's definitely shower," she answered, understanding his question without him needing to finish it.

She climbed off of his lap and they helped each other to their feet and over to his enormous, free-standing shower where they proceeded to thoroughly wash each other. It wasn't sexual, just intimate, a beautiful confirmation of the new phase their relationship had just entered.

When they re-entered the bedroom wrapped in towels, Draco came to a startled halt in front of her and she nearly ran into him.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Scorpius," he answered in a loud whisper.

She peered around him to see the baby sleeping peacefully on the bed. "It doesn't bother me if he stays in here, Draco."

He turned around and wrapped her in his arms. "I'm afraid it makes me a terrible father, but it just seems like after that," he pointed into the direction of the bathroom, "we should spend the night alone."

"You're going to have to let go of this idea that you're a deficient father," she sighed, "I don't want to minimize your feelings, but it's just not true." Hermione paused. "And this isn't exactly a traditional relationship milestone. Or at least not in a traditional way. Get me something to wear?" She requested.

He scurried around the room with a towel around his waist, gathering them some clothing while she waited by the bed. They changed and she climbed carefully onto the bed, wrapping herself around Scorpius and looking back at Draco. "Is this okay?" She asked as she patted the space behind her in invitation.

"Very good solution." He in turn wrapped himself around Hermione and she sighed in satisfaction.

"I'm feeling very lucky at the moment." She confessed on a whisper once they'd settled down, reaching back to hug Draco even tighter against her.

"What was it that I said about you and Malfoy men?" He joked.

She clapped a hand over her mouth. "Draco! You're going to make me wake him up if you keep making me laugh!"

"Sorry, not sorry."

"You are the worst," she hissed.

"That's not what you were saying a few minutes ago."

She pinched his side but he just snickered.

"Good night, love," he kissed her neck.

"Good night, love," she returned. "And I do mean that, love."

She was just dozing off when he spoke again. "I'm going to have to amend my earlier statement."

"Hmmm?" She asked sleepily.

"This was the best day ever."

Author's Note: So, kind of a big chapter, I hope it didn't disappoint. Happy Thanksgiving weekend to my fellow Americans, and happy weekend to the rest of you! I'm equally thankful for you all and wanted to take this opportunity to tell you how grateful I am for your support and almost overwhelmingly positive feedback. Thank you for helping make this something I love to do! Beta love to the awesome Weestarmeggie!