Review offering insight to the story:

"There is no way to perfectly sum up how much I have enjoyed reading this over the past two days. I always told myself that I would review at the end of each chapter I read because I like it when people do it for me. This time around, I couldn't tear myself away from the words - the lure of the next chapter making me clip the next button instead of the review one that was screaming for me to respond. Well - I'll do it now, and I assure you, it's long overdue. The emotions you capture here through Harry and Ron are pretty acurate - being left out of the loop for so long is going to put them in a tizzy. But how you portray Draco... I don't think that I'll ever be able to acheive that level of him no matter how long I write him. I have yet to do so, and if I get stuck, I'm going to refer to the Draco you've showed me - and us all - he's absolutely marvelous. Not only are the characters so real that I feel I can literally reach inside my screen and touch them, the story line has pulled me in deeper than I ever thought possible. The way that you're breaking up the plot line with these breathless, adorable interludes is just amazing. I'm trying to convince myself to not steal it and do something like it myself - it's working, I assure you! No worries! I always prided myself on the fact that I was a decent writer, and I love it when people say "Oh my gosh, this was amazing!" Well, my dear, your accolade from me is long overdue: You have blown me away with the amount of thoughts, details, and emotions you have put into this, and I am forever awed. Writing Harry Potter fanfiction is a ways off for me, and going to be until I finish this. I'm much to enthralled to even think about starting mine. Wonderful job, and I just cannot wait to see the next chapter. This wonderful story of yours as earned its rightful spot on my favorites list." - Vincent's Angel of Chaos of FanFiction net.

Thank you to the following reviewers: dragopneyes5000, emeraldgray, Avanell, LNluvsHostile17, Parcheezie, AnaDry, waffenmac, DarkPrincessPyro99, Galleon-to-Galleon, cmtaylor531, maybaby525, MandaRiddle510, MsRisa, lily1121, icantlivewithoutharrypotter, Jester08, RedRoseGrave, MiKaYGiRl, wasu, mari91, slytheringirl51, BlackDemonAngel, Dramionelvr, dreamingdarling, laugh.live.learn, CrystalizedHeart (Mel), ginnyginny, ProperT, Pheydre, bethygirl94, Zarroc, Caligirl-HPLVR, Danielle, Miss-Be-Haven, Nathy, J-R-R13 and especially sarahyyy, SeanEmma4Evr, xmisundast00d, .thirdalixious (Miyuki - Feel free to call me Amanda:D), Natural-181, Vincent's Angel of Chaos and galloping-goose (Zeus).

Secret Life
Interlude
-Lazy Nights-

Draco stood in the doorway, listening to Hermione's voice as she told Winnie one of her favorite bedtime stories. One from the many involving the incredible witch Hera, and her two best friends Harold and Ronnie, as they went out on another dangerous but meaningful adventure. Over the years, Rowena had grown especially attached to hearing her mother tell a story before she went to sleep each night. Though exhausted from her day at work, Hermione was always willing to tell her daughter another tale. She used voices for certain people and often made motions with her arms to go along with it. He most enjoyed when she tried acting certain parts out, trying to imitate various people at once. It was always worth a good laugh. Sometime Winnie would get so involved she'd cover her eyes atn exciting part or whoop loudly when the heroes won again. The two of them were a sight late at night, when everything was winding down and all he could hear were their voices and their laughter. When she had finished with the story, she kissed Winnie's forehead and smoothed her hair down before rising from the bed.

"Night mummy," she called, waving her hand as she rolled onto her side and wrapped her arm around her lion stuffie. "Night daddy," she added, making a kissing motion at him.

Smiling, he winked at her. "Night, doll."

"I'll see you in the morning, bug," Hermione said, backing out of the room and flicking the light off. She watched as the various multi-coloured light figures of animals began soaring and moving over the walls. She closed the door halfway as she moved to stand beside him. Letting out a long sigh, she leaned into Draco's chest, her arms lifting to wrap loosely around his waist. "I've had a long day," she told him, snuggling her face closer against him.

He rubbed her back, leaning his head down against hers and closing his eyes. Work had been demanding for her lately, what with her working on every floor, training Patti Longbottom, and being a righteous activist at the Ministry. He led her downstairs, his hand soothing the aches in her back from the stress of work. He left her on the couch while he moved to make her a cup of tea. When he returned, she had her legs curled beneath her and she was reading through a few papers he had left on the table for a new company in need of money and backing from a well known source. She was tapping her chin, her brow furrowed as she thought over the loan proposal. He handed her the cup of tea and sat down beside her. She didn't look up from the papers, but wrapped her hand around the mug and leaned back into the couch. "Good guy?" she wondered, before sipping her tea.

"A little quiet, kind of old to be starting a business, but overall, yeah, he's pretty nice," he replied, clasping his hands over top each other and resting them on his chest as he leaned back and let his legs sprawl out over the carpet. He could hear their dog Buck snorting in his sleep by the fireplace, his leg twitching and brushing the floor.

"Hm," she said, her eyes thinning as she flipped over a page and read some more. "He has a good idea. What are the statistics like?"

"Good," he told her, letting his eyes close. "Seventy five percent of the people interviewed said they'd visit his store and most likely become a repeat customer."

She smiled softly, nodding as she gulped down some more of her tea. "I like it. What did Dimitri say?" she wondered, referring to his business partner of numerous years.

"He likes him, too. He was a little worried about his age. Not sure he'd be around long enough to pay back the loan, but he assured us that it would pass on to his nephew, who's going to be working for him as the co-manager of the store," Draco told her, listening to her shuffle another paper and place her cup down on the coffee table. "He wants to give him the loan this Wednesday, so we're meeting with him again." He didn't have to open his eyes to know she was nodding her head. She put the papers down on the table and let out a long sigh.

He smiled when he felt the couch dip and her legs move to settle on either side of him. She rested her elbows on his shoulders and slipped her fingers into his hair. Her forehead leaned in and she pressed it against his, brushing her nose against his and smiling at him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted his legs onto the couch. Moving them down until he was laying across the length of the sofa, with her sprawled out on top of him. She picked up his fingers, playing with each of them absently and resting her ear against his heart. He trailed his hand up and down the center of her back, lulling her into a lazy half awake, half asleep state.

"I think we should do something this weekend," she told him, her voice heavy with her tired demeanor.

"Like what?" he wondered, watching her face flicker with emotion as she thought about what they could plan. This was his favorite part of the day. Where they would just laze around, talking about whatever was on their minds and finding comfort in each others arms. In an hour or so, they'd go upstairs and have a bath if she was feeling too tired, or if she had an easier day, she'd coax him out of his clothes and ravage him completely. Or, the other way around, it depended on the night. This week though, things were too hectic for her to stay up very late. She wasn't willing to go to sleep, he could tell by the way she wrinkled her nose and forced her eyes to at least half open as she laid on top of him.

"I'm not sure," she said, inhaling deeply. "Maybe we could have a picnic over by the waterfall. Or if Patti and Neville aren't busy, we could all take a day trip to Nice. That's always fun." She nodded, her fingers threading through his and holding loosely. Her other hand was resting against his neck, nails grazing his skin and sending shivers through him. "Narcissa wanted to spend some time with Rowena though, didn't she? She sent post to the hospital and I left it on the table. I can't remember what it said," she admitted, shaking her head.

"She was hoping to spend Saturday with Winnie. She wondered if we could meet her over at Pansy's, that way she can just tell my father that she's just visiting a friend," Draco told her, his hand stilling up near her shoulders and slipping into her long hair. "We should drop her off, she hasn't seen her grandma in weeks. And you can just take the day off, you deserve it. We'll make plans for Sunday," he assured.

She sighed, frowning slightly but nodding all the same. "All right," she agreed, opening her eyes and looking up at him before a slow grin made its way onto her face, "But only if you spend the entire day in bed with me."

"I'll have to check my schedule, but I think I can manage that," he replied, smirking.

She maneuvered herself up his body, purposely pressing herself as close as she could. He lifted his chin, smiling up at her as she hovered just above his mouth. She stared at him a moment, as if trying to draw out the moment until he finally gave in and leaned up to kiss her. Just as he was submitting, she laughed lightly and moved forward, pressing her lips against his. Draco's hand slipped down her back, wrapping around her hip, his thumb brushing against her robe covered stomach. His hand slipped between them, momentarily hanging forgotten as he was distracted by her tongue tangling with his and her teeth biting his lip gently. Regaining his sense of direction, he felt around for the tie of her silk robe and pulled it undone before slipping his hand up inside and underneath her nightgown. His palm slid up her thigh, cupping her side as it ascended to her ribs. She whimpered against his mouth, her palms sliding down his face and over his neck until they descended his chest and slipped beneath his t-shirt. His stomach clenched in anticipation of her hands, and he felt a warmth spread throughout him, starting at his neck and falling to the tips of his toes.

She pulled away from his mouth, kissing across his cheek and hovering near his ear, saying, "Are you trying to seduce me, Mr. Malfoy?" Amused laughter rang in her voice before she started kissing her way down his neck.

"I believe you started it, Mrs. Malfoy," he replied, grinning as he slowly moved her robe down her shoulders and pulled her forward so he could kiss the curve of her neck and the smooth skin revealed by the sparse top of her nightgown, twisted and angled funny from his other probing hand. "I love this couch," he murmured against her clavicle, grinning as she chuckled against him.

"Perfect for snogging, I know," she replied, rolling her eyes and smiling.

He could see the tiredness around her eyes, and checked his watch to see what time it was. She caught his gaze and distracted him by kissing him thoroughly. While she had managed to deter his attention for a time, he soon had it returned to him when she couldn't help but yawn. He laughed understandingly, but she frowned at him, exhaling heavily. "I picked the wrong career," she told him, rolling onto her side and cupping his neck and brushing the pad of her thumb against his throat. "I'm always tired, I work late hours, and by the time I get home, I'm too sleepy to properly seduce you," she muttered, shaking her head and closing her eyes.

Draco ran his hand up and down her side, before brushing her hair off her cheek and shaking his head. "You have no trouble seducing me, it's falling asleep half way through that's the problem," he teased. She made a harrumphing noise, only mildly amused by his comment. "You love your job, Hermione. And you're an incredible Healer, so it makes sense that St. Mungo's wants to keep you around as long as possible. You can tell them you want off earlier though, you know. Talk with them, get your hours changed around. Being tired like this, probably isn't healthy, love." He sat up, lifting her up with him and settling her in his lap, where she rested her head on his shoulder. "Tonight, however, you are going to rest," he told her, running his hand down her hair and kissing her forehead.

"Okay," she agreed half-heartedly. "But can we just lay here awhile? I don't want to go up now. I feel old, it's only like nine," she told him, sounding on the verge of whining.

He nodded, leaning back against the couch and holding her in his lap, she rested her arms against his side, hugging him and settling closer to him. "Mm, you smell good," she murmured, her voice so close to his throat, that her lips brushed against it. He smiled, his hands moving up and down her back, soothing her into relaxation. "You're trying to make me sleep," she mumbled, nudging his neck with her head. "I want... to stay awake... a little... longer," she managed, before letting out a yawn and snuggling closer.

"Stay awake as long as you can," he told her, amused and grinning.

She made a snorting noise, like she knew he was making fun of her sleepy disposition. She lifted her hand, wrapping it loosely around his neck and curling her fingers around the ends of his hair. "Just so you know, you'll be making up for this Saturday," she warned, kissing his shoulder lightly.

He laughed, already looking forward to her day off. "I'll hold you to that," he said, quietly, knowing she was beginning to nod off.

"Hmm," she breathed, her hand against his side slipping up and down, as if reassuring herself that she was leaning against the solid form of her husband and not falling asleep at an inopportune moment, like she had been doing quite regularly. He'd found her asleep on the swinging chair on the porch the other morning, where she had stopped to retie her shoe. And there was that time when she had been reading the paper at the kitchen table while drinking her coffee, her chin was resting on her palm and she was fast asleep. Work was becoming too demanding and he'd already had a few conversations with her about slowing down, but she said it was only going to be for the next week or two, which was three weeks ago. He was happy to hear her unhappiness about being so tired, only because it meant she was going to change it soon.

Awhile later, when he was sure she wouldn't wake up if he moved her, he stood up, his arms cradling her carefully against his chest. Taking the stairs carefully, he smiled at the relaxed ease of her face. She was practically weightless in his arms, mostly because he tended to carry her pretty often. Most nights, whether she was awake or asleep, he ended up carrying her to the bedroom. It was just part of their routine. Put Rowena to bed, enjoy some alone time, carry Hermione to bed, spend some more intimate and private time together, and then go to sleep. The next day would start out early and it'd be filled to the brim with things to do and people to see, especially for her. Draco and Winnie's days had become a little more laid back, as long as he didn't have a pile of papers to go over. And then their nights would start all over again, and he loved them that way. He loved the easy manner everything fell into place. How they would talk a little about his or her work and then one of them would move to embrace the other. Sometimes they read a book on the couch, other times they'd watch a film together or see what TV programs were on.

Most nights though, he'd just hold her, and they'd enjoy the couch as it he had dubbed its use for. Snogging. Years ago, when he had first seen it in Hermione's flat, he thought it was much too large for one woman. Weasley and Potter came over very rarely, Ginny usually met her out in public, so really, it was only her that ever used the couch. It was long, wide, and very comfy. After sitting down on it, he felt immediately relaxed, so much so that he nearly fell asleep while she was getting him something to drink in the kitchen. After that the couch held a different spell though. When she sat down beside him, they became so relaxed that things that could be considered awkward, arms around shoulders, hand holding, feather light kisses in the first few dates of the relationship, all became the most easy things in the world.

He told her it was all the couches doing, that had it not been for the Snogging Couch, their relationship wouldn't be nearly as affectionate. She didn't believe it was the couch at all, and decided he was using it as an excuse to make out with her whenever they sat together on it. Part of him agreed with her, though he simply smirked instead of allowing her the satisfaction of that win. Fortunately, she agreed to keep it when they moved into their new place, just like she had when he wanted it to replace his own when they shared his flat. When he told Blaise about it, his best friend immediately announced to Ginny that every single piece of furniture they owned had become a special snogging item, and that they had to appease the Gods by making out on everything. She laughed, but Blaise seemed to think it was the best idea he'd ever had. They left soon after, and later when Draco visited, he decidedly didn't sit down anywhere.

Laying Hermione down on the bed, he slipped her robe off and placed it out on the ottoman in front of their dresser. He lifted the blanket out from under her and smoothed it across her sleeping form. Changing out of his clothes and into his silk pajama pants, he laid down beside her and wrapped his arm around her waist, burying his face against her neck and closing his eyes. She snuggled back into him and he was immediately soothed by her warm body. Her hand lifted to wrap around his against her stomach and she sighed softly, content.

"I mulv ooo," she mumbled, basically unintelligible nonsense.

He smiled, chuckling softly. Her incoherent words were easy for him to understand. "I love you, too," he replied, kissing her shoulder and drifting off into his dreams.

A/N Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed this. Bit of a break from the big stuff, but it was fluffy, if that helps! The caring, understanding Draco is completely adorable, isn't he? lol. I'll update again soon. Within the week, possibly earlier.

Thanks for reading. Please review, it's greatly appreciated!
Much Love,
-Amanda