A/N: Blackians! We're getting close to our dear Hermione waking up! I know you're all looking forward to that! I won't keep you from the chapter. Let me know what you think! Have fun!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, just the plot seen here.

XoXo,

Elle.

Chapter 9

George had talked non-stop during this session, but he couldn't keep from admiring Draco. He and Draco had started a tradition of going out after each session for either food or just tea. They talked about all kinds of things outside of what they usually talked about in their sessions. And George had come to know Draco in a new light. This evening they had chosen a quiet restaurant in Muggle London and were sitting in a dark corner. "Do you think you'll ever get used to being a single parent?"

Draco took a sip of the bourbon they had ordered and shook his head. "If it weren't for my mum, I would be clueless. The elves are a big help, too." The server arrived then with their meals, sitting the hot plates in front of them. The two wizards looked up and murmured their thanks. "What about you, George? Do you ever see yourself settling down and having children?"

George shrugged, starting to cut his filet steak. "I don't feel like I can settle down and move on right now. At least not until I can correctly process Fred's death. Even then, I'm not sure that I can be a father, at least not as good as my own." He watched as Draco lifted his knife and fork, his impeccable table manners at work.

"Processing Fred's death before moving on is likely the best idea. It is what I feel I myself must do. But I do feel that you would make a wonderful father, George." Draco glanced up at George and their eyes locked. Something passed between them, almost like a spark of magic. Both men blinked and looked down at their individual plates of food, clearing their throats.

"Thank you," George said, taking a bite of his food, a smile forming on his face as he tried not to blush. It had been a long time since someone had paid him a compliment and he didn't know how to take it. "Does Scorpius walk yet?"

"Oh Merlin, yes. He's everywhere. So hard to keep track of. He's been walking for about three months now. He can even say 'Dada' and and 'Gam' for Grammy. Then he sometimes says 'Ma' and it breaks my heart." Draco took a long drink of the bourbon before running a hand through his hair.

George shook his head, taking a drink of his own vodka tonic. "I can't begin to imagine what that feels like every time it happens. Any time someone mentions Fred, it's like the wound opens again. Especially because no one at home mentions his name. It's like they're scared of it."

The rest of the meal passed in more cordial conversation and both of the wizards were rather drunk by the time they left the restaurant. George and Draco walked the streets of Muggle London, laughing and weaving on the pavement. Draco stumbled over an uneven patch in the concrete and George caught him, his hands gripping Draco's elbows. "Alright there, Draco?"

Draco's eyes lifted to meet George's and they locked stares again like in the restaurant. "Yes, yes, I'm alright. Thank you, George." There were strange emotions swirling in Draco's eyes-too many for George to count-but when they finally settled, he could see the hunger there and it caused George to shudder. "Would you like to come back to the manor with me?"

George gave a quick nod and that was when Draco took George by surprise, pushing him against the wall, their lips crashing together, teeth knocking together in their intensity. George's hands moved to Draco's hips, pulling him in close. In the blink of an eye, Draco had apparated them to his bedroom in the manor.

XxX

The sun had risen on another day and Hermione was still not awake. George lay next to her on the bed watching her as she was resting in her repose. For the last two days, she had kept a near constant smile on her face. Whatever memory she was reliving must be a very happy one. George himself had just been reliving a very cherished memory: the first time he and Draco had moved from friends to more than friends. George's lips were tingling at the memory of their first kiss and their first night spent together.

He shook his head and rose to go to the loo. George hated to leave Hermione's side for more than a few moments, but needs must be met. He would wait until Draco arrived to take a shower, however. He refused to leave Hermione alone for that long after the seizure she'd had. Godric, that had scared the shite out of him. George exited the loo after washing his hands and checked his wand for the time, wondering where Draco was.

It was well after breakfast and Draco was normally here by now. George had called for Fellie and ordered breakfast for himself and Hermione. The little elf had helped him give Hermione the broth before she had left. George began pacing the room, his eyes scanning the various books on the shelves. If Hermione were awake, she'd be delighted by the sheer amount of knowledge she was surrounded by.

The door opened and George turned around to find Draco coming in, looking a little bereft. He ran his delicate fingers through his blond hair and sighed softly. His gaze was sad and lonely as he stepped into the room and closed the door with a sigh.

"Draco? Are you alright?" George asked, lifting a book from the shelf and filtering through the pages, not paying attention to anything on them. His eyes were focused on Draco.

"Hmm? Oh yes, yes. Just returned from a check up for Scorpius. It's always hard to do those without Astoria. Even though she was never able to go to one, it still feels as if she's present at each one. Now, let's check on Hermione. How did she sleep?" Draco asked, coming over to look at Hermione. He felt her head with his wrist and checked her blood pressure.

George replaced the book, sitting in the chair at the desk. "She slept fine. No thrashing about, no moving and no seizures, thank goodness. She's had that smile on her face the whole time, though. Whatever those memories are, they must be pleasant."

Draco nodded, turning to look at George. But George was finding it hard to look Draco in the eye after reliving that memory. "Let's hope that she is nearing the end of whatever memories she is playing. Have you both eaten?"

"Yes, Fellie helped me with Hermione. She was very receptive of the thicker soup. So at least she is still getting nutrients," George said, his eyes turning to look out of the window, onto the gardens he had long since memorized.

A small sound turned both their heads to the bed.

"Tad, I love you," Hermione breathed, before quieting again.

George moved back to the bed, sitting next to Hermione. "Tad must be the name of the man you saw in her memories." George brushed her hair back, trailing his thumb along her cheek. "Please, Hermione, wake up soon." He looked up at Draco, who was looking down at Hermione, his grey eyes swirling with all kinds of emotion. "I'm going to go take a shower now that you're here."

Draco simply nodded, taking a seat on the bed, his eyes never leaving Hermione. He seemed to be lost in thought, no doubt still rattled from the Healer appointment with Scorpius. George rose from the bed and returned to the loo.

XxX

May 20, 2001

"I'm ready to get on the road, Tad. Do you have all of our bags in the car?" Hermione called from the kitchen. She was packing a cooler box, filling it with snacks and drinks for their trip, to make their stops fewer. They only had a few days for their honeymoon and she wanted to maximize their time in Bath.

Tad walked into the kitchen with a grin on his face. "Yes, Mrs. Wallace. Are you done with that?" He leaned down to kiss Hermione on the lips and took the small portable cooler box from her hands. Hermione tilted her head back to meet his lips, smiling against his advance. They had spent last night tangled up in each other and Hermione was pleasantly sore everywhere. He turned away from her and left for the car. "I'll meet you out there, babe."

Hermione leaned up against the counter, smiling softly as she traced her lips. She planned on telling Tad this week about her being a witch. She had hid the truth from him long enough and now that they were married, she needed to tell him, even though it would still be considered a breach of the Statute of Secrecy.

Technically, she was only supposed to tell Tad about her magical heritage when they had children, if those children showed magical abilities. But she fully intended on having children with Tad. They had even talked about it last night, wanting to start as soon as possible. Hermione knew that she was going to go to school when semester started this fall, but she still had no clue what for.

She pushed herself away from the counter and walked out of the kitchen, making sure to turn off the lights on her way to the door. Hermione locked up on the way out and smiled at Tad, who was leaning up against the car waiting for her. She wrapped her arms around his neck when she got close and kissed him again with a smile. "I'm all ready now, Mr. Wallace."

Tad chuckled quietly and opened her door for her. Hermione slid into the bucket seat, looking up with a smile at her new husband. When the door was shut, she clicked her seatbelt into place and watched as Tad walked around the front of the car.

They had a two-and-a-half hour car ride ahead of them and Hermione was looking forward to getting to spend quality time with Tad. It was rare to get him to herself for several days at a time with his work schedule, so she would take these four days.

It was nearly two hours into the car ride when Hermione looked up from the book she had been reading. "Where are we?"

"Just coming into Wiltshire or we're in Wiltshire, I think," Tad said, looking around at his surroundings as he drove slowly on a country lane.

"You think? What do you mean, you think?" Hermione asked, putting the book down on the dash. She began to look around at her own surroundings. They were indeed out in the countryside, but an exact location couldn't be determined. That was, until she saw a familiar sight up ahead of her on the left.

"I thought I saw the sign saying we were coming into Wiltshire, but there was a good song on and I wasn't paying attention," Tad said, but Hermione wasn't listening. She was too entranced by the great manor house that was approaching them. Tad couldn't see it-there was no way he could ever see it. The Muggle repelling charms on it were way too strong. Hell, even the cloaking spells on it were strong.

But Hermione had been here before, she had been cut open here, bled here. At the sight of it, Hermione's chest constricted and she began to sweat. She leaned forward and turned the air conditioning to a lower temperature. She shouldn't be able to see the stately manor; after they had escaped, it should have been warded back off to her.

But Hermione suddenly suspected it had something to do with what Bellatrix had done to her. Wards like those that the Malfoys used were usually heavily imbued with blood magic. Hermione had bled into the floors of that house, the very foundation of the ancient manor. In theory, she could just Apparate right inside and there was nothing they could do about it. The alarms wouldn't sound; the wards wouldn't deter her. Hermione could go in and leave, undetected, without Narcissa or Draco ever knowing she was there.

Draco. Hermione hadn't thought of that name since the war. Oh, but she had thought of the wizard attached to that name. She had thought of him on her wedding day as a matter of fact, when she had noticed that Edith had the same color hair as the Malfoy heir.

"Herrrrrmione?" Tad called after her, stretching her name out as if he had already tried to get her attention multiple times. When Hermione's eyes came back into focus, she realized that they had long since passed the manor. Tad had actually pulled over at a crossroads and was looking at the map he had bought and stashed in the glove box.

"What? I'm sorry, I totally zoned out there." Hermione said, looking at him apologetically.

"I was just saying that I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere back here-" Tad pointed at a spot on the map, then moved his finger to where they were located. "But we are right about here, so if we turn here, it'll lead us back to the main road and we'll be right back on our way."

Hermione nodded, looking over Tad with a smile. "Well, while we're stopped, I'm going to get out and stretch my legs for a minute. How about it?" Hermione opened the door and stepped out, a stretch overtaking her body as she stood, a yawn stretching her mouth wide.

Tad got out and shut his door and they both walked in the grass on the side of the road for a little ways, looking at the otherwise empty landscape. There were no houses along this stretch of the road, and the trees were few and far between, it was mainly open fields. But just over the crest of the hill Hermione could see the top of Malfoy Manor.

Absentmindedly, she wondered what Draco was doing at this very moment. Since she hadn't kept in contact with the wizarding world, she had no idea what anyone was getting up to. She hadn't kept her subscription to the Daily Prophet and her few letters from Harry and Ron never held much information about the rest of the wizarding world.

They turned back toward the car, walking hand in hand, to continue their journey to Bath. Hermione was really looking forward to seeing all of the history there, especially the Roman baths. But she still couldn't quite shake the feelings that seeing the manor had stirred up in her body, her mind, and even her soul.