"Mother, you need to tell me about that wine." Draco demanded information from his mother as they ate dinner.

"Draco, I told you what I knew last night. I don't know what the implications are. I honestly don't know how Hermione found the wine cellar. It's hidden and the last time I entered it, it was from a different way."

"Have you had any of the wine?"

"A few times. Most recently, I drank some for sisters. You know how Andromeda and I have reconciled. I drank it in hopes that it would help our relationship. Your father and I had some when we were ready to have children and then you came. Lucius never talked about others drinking the wine." Narcissa paused. "It was similar to the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts. You thought about what you needed and instead of a room, the cellar provided the wine that fit what you wanted."

"So Hermione asked for wine for lovers? And she found it differently than you?"

"Apparently. I don't think she knew she was asking for them though. Did you see her today?"

"Yes, though she wouldn't say much about the wine. I brought it up at lunch with Harry and she didn't want me to talk about it."

Narcissa sighed.

###

Hermione had to force herself to stay in her office instead of sitting outside Padma's lab. While she was drinking her morning tea, Harry walked in.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

After leaving Ron, Hermione had sent Harry an owl letting him know that she and Ron had broken up and that she'd talk to him in the morning.

"It was the damnedest thing. It just came out. And I feel fine. Ron said it was a weight he didn't know he was carrying. I woke up feeling better than I have in months and I didn't even realize I'd been feeling down. I don't think I was. I can't describe it." She shook her head in amazement.

"Why?" Harry asked.

"I don't know." Hermione sat thoughtfully for a moment. "Ron asked if it was Malfoy. I don't think so."

As she finished, Padma knocked on her doorframe. "Hi Hermione. I have some results for you."

Harry rose to leave the office, but Hermione grabbed his arm. "Stay for this."

Padma began reporting her findings. "It's something I've never seen before. I mentioned that wine like this is extremely rare. It seems to be magic that recognizes your desires and makes them happen. The best description I can give is it's a form of Felix Felicis, which adjusts itself when you need it. I noticed that the bottle you brought says "for lovers." Where did you get it?"

Hermione didn't respond. Harry glanced his best friend and then turned back to the other witch. "I think we'll get back to you, Padma. Thanks."

"Of course. Anytime." Padma set the bottle on Hermione's desk and waved goodbye.

Harry closed Hermione's door.

"Out with it. I'm not leaving until I hear the full story."

"You know how Draco and I are friends. I was at the Manor two nights ago and found a wine cellar. Neither Draco nor Narcissa were around. I was perusing the books in the library and picked up one I thought sounded interesting. When I did that, a secret passage opened. I ended up in a room full of wine."

"You know how I've made myself at home over there for years," she continued. Harry nodded. "So I didn't think it'd be a big deal to open a bottle. I assumed it was the regular stash of alcohol. Draco and I both drank some before Narcissa found us. She immediately told us to stop and that it was magical. She pointed out that the bottle said "for lovers only." I hadn't noticed it when I first grabbed the bottle or when I filled my and Draco's glasses. According to her, she didn't know what was going to happen. Draco and I continued the discussion and I hid the bottle when I left so I could bring it in to be examined. And we just heard those results."

Harry sat thoughtful.

"Was this the reason you and Ron broke up?"

"I don't think so. It's not as if we had an argument. We'd been friends instead of lovers for awhile."

Harry shuddered. "Don't want to think about that."

"I mean it in the platonic sense. We have only been friends for a long time. When we were eating, it all came out."

"Do you think the wine made you do it? Did you feel the same way before wine?"

"I am not sure what made me bring the subject up. Before yesterday, I could barely admit to myself that my relationship with Ron wasn't what I wanted anymore. It seems much clearer today. It is so obvious now that things weren't what they used to be. There's obviously a reason we still didn't live together and hadn't gotten married."

"Was he upset?"

"No, not at all. He said it felt like a relief."

"Ginny and I, or course, are sad you two are no longer together, but maybe that's a good thing. What about Malfoy? He's the one you drank with."

Harry and Hermione sat in silence.

"You clearly enjoy his company. He's a different person than he was in school."

"I've never thought of him in any other way than a friend and coworker. We've spent lots of time together, but I was always with Ron and I'd never thought about dating anyone else."

Harry rubbed his chin. "Then why did a bottle of wine for lovers appear to you? If those thoughts weren't somewhere in your brain, I doubt the wine would have been available for you to drink. You need to ask Narcissa Malfoy more about the cellar and its wine."

Hermione's brain was barely processing the conversation. Her eyes glazed over and she stared into the corner of her office.

Harry pushed himself up and out of the chair. "Let's get tea. You aren't going to get any work done."

The pair walked out of Hermione's office and she turned in the direction of the cafeteria. Harry grabbed her arm to pull her in the other way . "This way. I think we should invite Malfoy, don't you?"

When Hermione and Harry had shown up at his office Draco was glad for the interruption. He'd been working intensely all morning and needed a break. He was used to seeing Hermione, but while on friendly terms, he and Potter didn't socialize. As they walked to the cafeteria, Harry asked Draco about the wine cellar.

"So we're talking to Harry about it now, huh?" Draco smirked at Hermione. She blushed.

"Did you know she broke up with Ron?" Draco's steps slowed. His smiled faded into a frown.

"It's true," Harry continued. "Maybe we should talk about this wine."

The remainder of the trip to the cafeteria was in silence.

Once they were seated, Hermione began explaining what she'd learned from Padma. It was hard for her and she couldn't look at Draco as she told him. After the first few weeks of working with him, Hermione hadn't felt nervous around Draco. Now, though, she felt like her face was on fire. She finished talking and took a sip of tea.

"Hermione, don't forget what Padma said about the wine recognizing your desires."

Hermione had thought she couldn't feel worse, but Harry's oh-so-helpful comment had done so.

"Anyhow, I better get back to work." Harry stood up abruptly. Hermione's eyes shot daggers at him. He grinned innocently.

"You broke up with the weasel?" Draco regarded her intently. "Why?"

Hermione forced herself to look up. "I realized I'm not in love with him anymore."

"Did the wine have anything to do with this?"

"I don't know. Has your mother said anything else to you?"

"Yes, but mostly the same things as Padma. She drank some in hopes of reconciling with Andromeda after the war." Draco paused. "Do you want to come over tonight for dinner and we can ask more questions?"

"Yes. I'll bring the wine though."

Draco's face broke into a brilliant smile. He reached for Hermione's hand and squeezed it. She felt the blush that had finally waned come back, but she began laughing.

For the second day in a row, Hermione knew she wouldn't be able to focus on work. She walked to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. George looked at her curiously as she walked in. She guessed that he knew about the break-up.

"Hey, Hermione. How are things?"

Hermione smiled. "Good. Weird. But good. Is Ron around?"

"I'm right here!" Ron yelled at her from the cash register. "What's up?"

Hermione walked behind the counter and sat down on a chair.

"Why'd you bring up Draco last night?"

"Let me start by saying I am not upset about last night. I told you I feel relieved and I expect you do too. I've thought a lot about us since our conversation. We're better as friends. I don't know why we couldn't see it. I'm not mad in any way. It's a little weird to talk to you about Malfoy, but it's also not at the same time."

"I never thought of him romantically when I was with you, so I was surprised by what you said about him last night and didn't know where you got the idea from."

"It just popped in my head. I don't know where it came from, but I knew it clear as day."

"I never-"

"I know. I believe you, Hermione. I know you didn't do anything wrong. And I don't believe he'd ever crossed your mind like that."

"But…"

"But, now you've thought of him and the idea of being with him isn't so crazy is it?"

Hermione stood and hugged Ron. "I've always been so lucky to have you as a friend. You have been so supportive and you've apparently seen things about me I didn't."

Ron's hug enveloped her. "Love you, too."

Hermione returned to the seat. "So, who might be lurking in your subconscious?"

"Nope, this is all about you and Malfoy." Ron's gentle teasing warmed her. There were so many ways Ron could have taken this break-up, but instead of reacting negatively, he showed what a good friend he was. On one hand, this made Hermione a little sad. He was a great guy, but she wasn't going to end up with him. On the other, her thoughts about Draco were rapidly changing. Since they begun working together she'd enjoyed his company, but now she was thinking about what it'd be like to kiss him. She'd had years of friendliness with Draco, but she also remembered how awful he'd been at Hogwarts. She pictured being at Madame Malkin's before sixth year and how he'd called her a Mudblood. It'd happened so many times in school, she wasn't sure why that particular instance stuck out, but the memory was so vivid. She remembered how he'd sneered at her and her black eye.

"He's Draco Malfoy for Merlin's sake."

"Come on Hermione. You haven't thought that for years. You know he's changed. Heck, even I don't think of him like that anymore."

Ron's words calmed Hermione. She knew what he was saying was true. Sometimes, though, it was hard to forget the past.

"I've got to go. I'm going over to Malfoy Manor for dinner."

Ron winked at her.

"Thank you, Ronald."

Hermione stopped by her flat before flooing over to the Manor. She thought about how quickly all of this had happened. She only drank the wine about 48 hours earlier. And within that time period, her life had drastically changed. Where had her thoughts of Draco come from? She felt ashamed by them. Ron had always been a caring partner and all the while she'd apparently been dreaming of another man. Her heart hurt when she let that stay on her mind. She instead recalled what Ron had said about being relieved their relationship was over. That thought also made her sad, but she knew that he was right. They didn't belong together anymore.

Before heading out the fireplace, Hermione selected a bottle of wine. This was muggle wine with no associated magic. The label read "New Days Vineyard." Even without magic, it seemed to predict the future.

###

At Malfoy Manor, Draco was preparing for Hermione's arrival. "Mother, did you think of anything else about the wine?"

Like Hermione, Narcissa had spent much of the past 48 hours thinking about the wine and its effects. As she'd told Draco, she'd only had wine from the cellar a couple of times. She'd thought back to the two times she'd had the wine. When she and Lucius decided to have a child, the cellar had appeared when she moved a book. She'd always known that as Lucius's wife she was expected to provide an heir. The first night that she and Lucius had discussed it in terms of a wanting to have a child to raise instead of just fulfilling the duty, she'd felt hope grow in her heart. Soon after, she'd chosen to read a book from the library entitled "Magical Lands Around the World" and the passageway to the cellar had opened. Lucius had been away so she'd walked in on her own, surprised at the find. A bottle of wine waited for her on the table. She read where the bottle said "in hopes of a child." She'd saved it for Lucius's return and over dinner he explained the wines and the cellar. Not long after they'd consumed the bottle, Narcissa had learned she was pregnant. She'd been aware of her desires when the cellar opened on that occasion. When she found the bottle for sisters, however, she hadn't been thinking about Andromeda. She'd been reflecting on what she'd lost in life due to blood prejudice and feeling wistful for the happier days of the past. When the room revealed itself and Narcissa saw the bottle with the instruction for sisters it had been something that'd helped her keep functioning during those dark days following the wizarding war.

Lucius had never told her much about the wine, but Hermione's trip had surprised her in a couple of ways. As far as Narcissa understood the wine would only reveal itself to Malfoys, not just any random witch or wizard who was in the library. She also thought she'd known Hermione's relationship with her son. She knew the witch had been dating Ron Weasley for years and had simply assumed Hermione and Draco had a close, but platonic relationship. He dated occasionally, but nothing had been serious.

While these issues confused her, she didn't confide them to Draco. She couldn't figure out why she wanted to keep them to herself, but Draco's question didn't make her share those thoughts. Even when she wished for Voldemort to leave her home and hoped Draco was safe, she couldn't find the wine.

"No, darling. I don't think so." She turned away from her son quickly so he wouldn't see her face. Draco, however, wasn't paying close enough attention to his mother to see that she was still hiding information. "Have you thought of her like that?"

Draco had been pondering this very question. He wasn't sure. Hermione had always been with Ron, so it'd never been something that seemed like a possibility. His memory passed through the years of their friendship. He couldn't ever remember thinking of Hermione that way, but he knew that every witch he'd dated wasn't what he wanted. He'd enjoyed his time with Hermione more than time he'd spent with anyone else.

"I'm don't know. Maybe?"

Draco went to the library to await Hermione's arrival. As she emerged from the fireplace, Hermione caught a glance at Draco a second before he looked up. Her stomach flipped. He was so handsome. His tall lean body had always been the form she'd admired in men. His white blond hair had darkened a little over the years, but still was shockingly light. His smile, something she'd rarely seen at Hogwarts unless in the form of a sneer or smirk, was now, as often, full and directed towards her.

"Hi." Hermione wasn't sure how to treat Draco.

"Are you shy now?" Draco laughed. "You're a Gryffindor!"

Immediately Hermione felt her courage return along with the comfort she always had when with Draco.

"You have to admit this is weird."

Draco continued smiling at Hermione and offered her his arm. They walked to the dining room.

"Hello, dear!" Narcissa exclaimed brightly. "I'm so glad you're here."

Over the meal, Narcissa talked a little about the cellar and her experiences with it. She kept conversation moving, asking questions to Hermione and Draco who offered only short answers. "I'm off to bed. Good night children." She rose from the table.

"Let's go back to the library," Draco suggested and Hermione followed.

They chose seats across from each other. For a long time Hermione didn't speak. Draco seemed to find the silence companionable and didn't say anything either.

Finally, Hermione opened her mouth. "I am so confused. Three days ago I knew what trajectory my life was on. I came over here for dinner as I've done dozens, if not hundreds, of times before and everything changed. Yesterday you asked me about my relationship with Ron and said things I'd not admitted to myself. I went to see him last night and as our conversation unfolded, I realized that I didn't want to be with him anymore. I love him dearly, but only as a friend. It's been a long time since it had been a romantic 's that. And then there's you. I have no idea where you fit in this."

"I don't need to know. I want to know if you're ok." Draco voice was even.

Hermione giggled nervously. "I'm great! I haven't been better in years. Breaking up with Ron was a relief. I had no idea that I felt so weighed down. That's not on the part of the wine though. That change has been there for at least months. Even though 15 year old me would be horrified by this, you're extremely important to me."

"I agree that this has been weird. I hadn't thought of you romantically, but you were always off-limits as Ron's girlfriend. And now that this has happened, I am thinking about you differently. I love your intelligence and willingness to argue with me. Some people are still wary of me from back then, but you have always treated me as an equal even though of all people you're probably the person who saw me at my worst." Draco rose from his chair and walked over to Hermione. "Do you think you could love me?"

Hermione could see that he was nervous. She felt her own heart pounding.

"I think maybe I already do." Hermione's words were soft, but as she spoke them, she knew they were true.

Draco sat down next to her and reached for her hand.

"I think I love you too," Draco whispered. "Do you want to go on date tomorrow night?"

There were times when the speed with which Hermione had moved from dating Ron to being with Draco embarrassed her. She never regretted it though, believing that the magic in the wine knew her true feelings long before she did.