Disclaimer: A sharp farewell, and the hint of new tears. Goodbye my love. I
owe it all it JK.
B4 on MPES:
She planted a chaste kiss quite firmly on his lips. Noticing this, she pulled back quickly; blushing furiously, although Jr. was too busy worrying about his own pigmented cheeks to notice. "Goodnight, Draco," Emmy said, expertly hiding her embarrassment, and snuggling in, doing her best not to touch him, although they both knew he wouldn't really mind. Jr. took a moment to regain himself before he answered.
"G-Goodnight," he returned, then waited a moment. When he was sure she was pretty close to sleep, or at least out enough not to notice movement, Jr. lifted a hand to savagely wipe the kiss off his lips, face contorted in disgust. "If I hadn't already done it twice, I'd go brush my teeth again," he mumbled almost silently to himself, and, although Emmy smiled, she said nothing to notify that she'd heard.
~*~*~*~
CHAPTER NINETEEN: Junior's Idea
Hermione lied awake in bed, staring at the ceiling and brushing her fingers through the blonde hair along the muscular arm that rested protectively across her stomach. Draco lay beside her, sleeping peacefully and silently, lips unknowingly pressed against her shoulder. As another crack of thunder sounded, she jumped, ironically in unison with the five-year-old brunette in the yard.
"Draco," she whispered, although it was quite silly, considering she was trying to wake him. "Draco," Hermione repeated a little louder, jostling his arm. He woke rather quickly, alarmed.
"What? What?" Draco asked, springing up, and Hermione giggled, smiling. He calmed a bit at the realization that nothing serious was wrong, and relaxed back into the pillows, tightening his arm. With a kiss to her cheek, he sighed. "What?"
"I'm scared, Draco," Hermione admitted, turning to him, and he laughed.
"Of what?" But he was answered by a crash of thunder. Again, Draco laughed. "How old are you?" Hermione hit him.
"Not of the stupid rain, Draco... honestly. Jr.'s sleeping outside, remember?" He closed his eyes and smiled into her shoulder.
"Hermione... I put so many charms on that tent I'm surprised it didn't implode," he said, as if it were final, planning on returning to sleep, but Hermione hit him again.
"That is definitely not the way to go about comforting me, Draco... what exactly did you charm it against?"
"Everything."
"Intruders?"
"Of course."
"Animals?"
"Yes."
"Rain?" He sighed.
"Yes..."
"...lightning?"
"Hermione."
"Well, I don't know! ...Draco? Will you check on them for me?" Hermione asked, turning her body toward him, and Draco opened one eye. She pouted. "Please?" He groaned and heavily lifted himself off the bed, mumbling. Hermione giggled and gave him one kiss as reward for bravery. "Thank you."
Draco dragged himself from their room, down the stairs, and through the hall to the garden entrance. He quietly crept toward the tent, blinking away the fog that still covered his eyes. As silently as possible, Draco unzipped the door to the little tent and peaked in, not expecting to see anything out of the ordinary. He smiled, however, at what he did see. Jr. and Emmy were sleeping peacefully in a spaced spoons position, barely touching, but in the same sleeping bag. Draco found himself glad Hermione hadn't decided to come herself. Assured that all was well, he turned to leave, only to be called back.
"Mr. Malfoy?" Draco turned back just as Jimmy sat up, shaking the sleep from his head.
"Hey, Jimmy. What's with them?" Jimmy turned his head to see his friends, comfortably close, and smirked.
"Emmy got scared," he said, turning back to Draco. "But don't tell them I'za wake." Draco smiled. "Whacha doin, Mr. Malfoy?" He shook his head.
"Just checking on you lot. Go on back to sleep, Jimmy... I'll see you in the morning," he instructed, and Jimmy nodded, smiling as he fell back onto his pillow. Again, Draco turned to leave, closing the tent and dashing through the rain, back into the house.
Hermione seemed asleep when Draco returned to her side. He shook his head, half-smiling, and crawled back in beside her. Hermione, however, was concious, and smiled, moving closer to him.
"Draco, you're all wet!" she exclaimed in surprise and Draco laughed.
"Yeah, well... it IS raining, isn't it?" he pointed out and Hermione huffed, turning away from him. Draco again shook his head, moving close to trap her in the same position he'd found his son in moments before, except closer and with a substantial amount of touching. Hermione smiled, despite his damp clothes.
"They're alright, aren't they?" He smiled.
"They're fine, of course. I told you."
"Yeah, yeah..." Draco laughed and placed a tiny kiss behind her ear. Hermione melted and grinned as she pressed ever closer.
~*~*~*~
Draco was awoken again, only hours later, by the slam of the bedside table drawer. He opened his eyes to find himself alone in bed, and looked up in alarm. To his relief, however, Hermione was just feet away, going through the drawers of the desk with a speed likeable to a life threatening situation. Brushing the hair from his forehead, Draco glanced at the clock. It was only three.
"Hermione?" he asked softly, but she jumped as if he'd screamed and spun around, slamming the desk drawer behind her. "What are you doing, love?" Hermione gave a forced grin and shook her head, laughing nervously.
"N-Nothing..." she insisted, but Draco lifted an eyebrow.
"Then why are you up... it's only three?"
"I-erm... I couldn't sleep?" Draco wasn't stupid. He knew she was lying. Hermione, too, was no fool... she was sure he knew as well. Nonetheless, Draco pretended otherwise.
"Alright..." he said, sitting up. "I'll stay up with you, then."
"No! No... go back to sleep, I'm fine," she stuttered. Hermione was having mass-produced and dreaded feelings. She'd lost her ring. Her precious engagement ring... which she hadn't taken off since the day it'd been lovingly nestled on her finger. Although she was heart broken... she couldn't help but be glad that this had happened after Draco had come back. If she'd lost it before... when she thought him deceased... it would have cut so much deeper. "In fact," she added quickly, "I think I'll come back to bed." Draco suffered a small smile.
"I have no problems there." With a forced and fake looking smile, Hermione tentatively got into bed, hands clenched and hidden from view. For the first time in her life, she was afraid of him. Hermione knew Draco would never hurt her... or yell, even... but she was afraid he'd be hurt if he found out about this. It was the most devastating thing she could have lost after him or Jr. She could live without her ring... but if she lost Draco again... or lost her baby before he'd even grown... she knew she wouldn't be able to live on. Not like she once had, anyway. Hermione was sure she'd changed since before the war... years of pain could do that to a person... but she knew things were better now... she knew the wounds would heal.
"Are you sure you're alright? What were you looking for?" Draco asked as he wrapped her in his arms, pulling in close and snuggling in. Hermione paused for a moment, but came up with a lie surprisingly quickly.
"Aspirin," she said, quite convincingly, and Draco laughed.
"Why would there be any in the desk drawers?" Hermione smiled, burying her nose in his shirt.
"I didn't feel like walking all the way downstairs... thought it wouldn't hurt to check.... but I'm better now."
"If you say so, Mia." He sighed, and added. "I love you." Hermione's smile dropped slightly; his words only added to her guilt.
"I love you too." Draco kissed her forehead, then rested his chin atop her curls. A small smirk settled on his lips as he started back down the path to sweet dreams. Hermione, however, bit her lip and tried to retrace her steps through the day... wherever could she have left it? She knew... she KNEW she hadn't taken it off... where could it be?
~*~*~*~
"We're off, Hermione! Did Narcissa leave already?" asked Ginny as she calmly walked into the kitchen, pulling at the wrist of a dainty black glove, and Hermione, who was mixing pancake batter, smiled.
"You look great, Gin. And yes... quite early this morning as a matter of fact. Did you want me to tell her something for you?" Ginny, grinning, shook her head. She and Harry, evident by their tired and fatigued appearances, had made up the night before, and were now concentrating on how to better accustom Eric to the idea of a new baby, opposed to Harry's little slip up. Hermione was glad, in truth. She knew Harry loved Eric more than anything, and she could not see him neglecting the boy in favor of someone else, be it his child or no. She knew the fight wouldn't last long; it was preposterous, really.
"I do not, but thank you anyway." Both girls shared a giggle, before Ginny eyed her curiously. There was something about Hermione's attitude that seemed different... slightly more like the Hermione of last month... "Are you alright, Mione?" Hermione frowned.
"I'm fine," she lied, but Ginny raised an eyebrow defiantly.
"No you're not." Hermione sighed and gave in.
"Is it that obvious?" Ginny smirked.
"To your best female friend, who's known you for more than half of your life; yes, it is. Spill," she demanded, but Hermione shook her head, pouring a bit of batter onto the griddle.
"Not now, Gin... you'll be late," she insisted, but Ginny laughed.
"Late for what? It's not like we have reservations. Come on, Hermione... you know I'll torture it out of you eventually." Hermione sighed.
"Fine," she said, and held out her hand. Ginny looked confused, and began examining for a wart or discoloring of some kind.
"What? I don't see anything," she stated, and Hermione let out an exasperated sigh as she turned back to flip the griddlecakes.
"My ring, Gin..." she said, turning her eyes back to her friend. Ginny's face dropped and she watched with worry as Hermione's lip started to quiver. "I lost my ring..."
"Oh, Mione," her best friend nearly whispered, coming close to hug her. She whispered comforting words as Hermione let a few dry sobs into her shoulder. "It's going to be alright, Hermione... Draco will understand. You know he won't be angry... it wasn't your fault. We'll find it, don't worry." Hermione pulled back.
"I know he won't be mad at me, Ginny... but he's going to be hurt. I can just see the look on his face..." she tucked her hands into her elbows self- consciously. "And what if we don't find it? I don't even know how I lost it, Gin... I didn't take it off... I KNOW I had it when I went outside to tell Jr. to come in..."
"Do you think it's outside?" Hermione shook her head.
"I had to have had it when I came in, because Draco was talking about something that happened back in school... and I was fiddling with it... twisting it, you know?" Hermione nearly broke down. "Oh god, Gin, how could this have happened?" Ginny mutely shook her head as she stepped up to the stove to save the hotcakes; which were in danger of charring. Hermione laughed slightly. "Thanks." Ginny simply smiled at her.
"I promise you, Hermione; we'll find it. I don't care if we have to rip apart the plumbing and pull the stuffing from the furniture." Hermione laughed and Ginny set a sad smile on her face. "Do you want me to stay and help you look?" Hermione suddenly turned grave.
"No! You should be with Harry, Gin... and Eric. This talk is going to be very important... I can't allow you to cancel over something so... t- trivial," Hermione could barely say the word... such an unworthy adjective to describe something so precious. "Wherever it is, it'll be there when you get home, hm?" Ginny felt her mind contradict itself; to be a good friend, or to be a good wife and mother. Well... she had one reason to stay; Hermione... and three reasons to go; Harry, Eric, and Mary Sue. She sighed.
"Alright..." she agreed. "But the minute I get home..." Hermione smiled and pushed her toward the door.
"Alright, alright. Have fun, Gin," she called to her friends back, watching as Ginny left to join Harry and Eric for breakfast. The three of them together made her smile. Hermione took a moment to compose herself before she called, "Breakfast!" and began dishing three plates of hotcakes. It was merely seconds before the stampede of running feet could be heard from upstairs.
It was no more than a minute after Ginny left that three vertically challenged beings burst into the kitchen, climbing up onto the bar stools and waiting with hungry faces for their chocolate chip pancakes. Hermione smiled as they dug in, then turned to save a whistling teapot.
"Oh... Mum," Jr. said, his mouth full and smeared with chocolate. Hermione gave him a warning look and he rolled his eyes before spitefully swallowing his mouthful. "Daddy wants ta see ya." She lifted an eyebrow.
"He's up? Already?" Jr. nodded, then shared a look with Emmy, who smirked through her own, much smaller, bite of griddlecake. Hermione lifted an eyebrow at the trio, although Jimmy was too preoccupied with food to bother with gossip. "What's going on?" Jr. and Emmy became immediately straight faced and shook their shoulders. Hermione didn't look at all convinced. "...I'll be back, then."
As she left the kitchen, however, Hermione heard the three of them giggling behind her, and it made her even more suspicious. Why was it that the children knew something she did not? As she reached the hallway of their room, she opened her mouth to call out, but something caught her eye and stopped her. Slowly, Hermione turned her eyes to the floor in front of her bedroom door, where a letter rested innocently, her name scrawled across the front in loving calligraphy. She lifted an eyebrow as she picked it up from the ground, then flipped it over, carefully breaking the seal.
"I wonder..." Hermione mumbled to herself as she lifted the flap, but her eyes widened as she extracted its contents. The envelope held not a letter, but rather a picture. A picture that caused her to place a hand over her mouth as tears threatened to escape. In this heart tugging photograph, Jr., Emmy, and Jimmy stood in front of a set of red doors, which she recognized belonged to the church across the street from their school, holding three signs. They stood in a line, as follows: Jimmy, Emmy, Jr., and held up their poster board note cards in a row. The first bore 'Marry me', the second, 'Mia', and the third, 'Say yes, Mum!'. She watched as they grinned and nodded, finding herself literally speechless.
A moment later, their bedroom door opened to reveal a nervous looking Draco Malfoy, Sr. He gave her a small smile and held out her ring, facing the floor, but with eyes trained on her face. Hermione wanted to shriek in joy, but she found herself unable to do so, and settled for tackling him with a tight hug. Draco laughed and hugged her back, grinning madly. He allowed her a moment before pulling back. Hermione stood in front of him with tears running down her cheeks, face contorted in severe happiness, wearing a bathrobe and slippers, but Draco didn't seem to mind. He slowly sank to one knee, holding her hands in his.
"Hermione Granger," he began, turning his face up to hers. "Despite all the things I've ever done to you... including stealing your ring while you were asleep... know now that I love you, and that I always have, and always will, no matter what your answer to my next question." Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but Draco interrupted her. "Before I ask, and before you say anything... I would like to remind you that the last sign in that picture, was Junior's idea." Hermione laughed and started to sink to the ground herself, but Draco took hold and kept her up. "No... I'm going to do this right this time. You deserve to be above me, Mia." He smiled in spite of himself. "As cliché as it sounds, you've always been my angel in disguise. Although, I may add, it was a very poor one..." Hermione simply watched as he spoke loving words to her, not completely able to comprehend each one. This was so overwhelming... although it'd happened once before. "And so, with all my heart, I ask you for the second time; Hermione Granger... will you marry me?" There was a silence after this, but it was not hesitation that kept Hermione from answering; it was sheer lack of ability. After a good effort in calming herself, she managed to choke out an answer.
"I said yes once, didn't I?" Draco's smile reached from ear to ear.
"But... will you say it twice?" Hermione nodded eagerly.
"If it will get me my ring back." Draco laughed, opening his arms to her. Hermione wasted no time before she fell into him again, holding her renewed fiancé as tight as she had the day he returned. Again, however, he pulled back.
"And now, to seal the deal..." he started, taking her left hand in his right and carefully sliding the ring back on her finger. Once this task was completed, Draco looked up, only to be taken by surprise by a contract- signing kiss. When they broke apart, it was Hermione who spoke first.
"You scared me have to death..." she said, eyes trained on her wedding finger, and Draco smiled innocently.
"And however did I manage that?" he asked, but Hermione let out a short laugh, sinking fully to the ground.
"Don't be coy, Draco. I was going out of my mind looking for this..." Draco laughed and wrapped her in his arms, kissing her temple.
"Out of your mind enough to lie to me?" Hermione suddenly frowned and looked up at him. She opened her mouth to speak, but Draco cut her off. "It's okay, Mia..." She shook her head.
"No, it's not okay. It's not okay because, no matter what, I shouldn't have. I should have told you the truth this morning, but... I was..." Draco didn't say a word; he simply waited patiently for her to continue. "Afraid," she finished in a dead whisper, and her lover's face dropped.
"Afraid? Of me?" he asked, nervous, but Hermione quickly shook her head, lifting a hand to place it on his cheek.
"No..." she started again slowly. "Of hurting you." Draco's face slowly converted into a smile.
"It wouldn't have hurt me if you lost it, Mia. It's just a ring... it's replaceable." Hermione looked almost angry.
"How can you say that? JUST a ring? Draco, this is a symbol of our bond... our love. How can you act like it means nothing?" she asked, but he simply kept his smile and shook his head.
"It is nothing, Hermione. It may symbolize our love... but we ARE our love. As long as we have each other, you shouldn't need a symbol." Hermione let a small smile creep onto her face.
"I suppose that's justified," she said almost embarrassedly... but then her face became ashen again. "But it still means a lot to me. This ring has gotten me through so much... it was all I had left of you when you were gone... save a few pictures and, of course, Junior. It was my daily reminder that you died loving me... or, at least, I thought you died." Draco smiled.
"I guess I can understand that," he admitted.
"Plus," Hermione added, "I'm a woman, remember? We tend to find things like this more significant." She let out a small laugh. "I told Ginny just before she left... I almost had her staying home and helping me look for it."
"She was going to blow off her breakfast date? When it was so important to Harry?" Hermione gave a small smile.
"She understood how I felt about it... she did go, though; I forced her to. In the end she realized it WAS a little more important to go... wherever my ring was, it wasn't going anywhere." Draco gave her a soft kiss, holding her jaw lightly in his palm.
"I love you, Hermione Granger." Hermione smiled.
"Sometimes I forget I'm still a Granger... I've been living like a Malfoy for so long," she said, and Draco smiled.
"Not the response I was expecting... but still nice in its own way." Hermione smirked.
"I love you too, Draco."
~*~
Jr. gasped, placing a hand to his chest and nearly choking on his pancakes. Beside him, Emmy looked alarmed.
"Draco?" she asked, reaching quickly to pat his back. Once he regained his breath, Jr. laughed.
"He did it," he said, and both his friends seemed confused.
"Who did what?" Jimmy asked, completely in the dark, as usual.
"Dad... he gave Mum the picture." Emmy squealed.
"Oh! I just knew he was going to!"
"How do you know, though, Draco?" Jimmy asked, and Jr. turned to him.
"Trust me..." he said, rubbing the spot closest to where he felt the warm tingle of happy tears. "I just know."
A/N: Slightly shorter, I know... but I couldn't bring myself to ruin the moment by continuing after that. So... now we know what Emmy was helping with... :oD Isn't she a sweetie? And, just to make sure Draco doesn't look cheep, he knew that, to some extent, Hermione wouldn't want to part with her engagement ring, so, he saw no reason to create internal conflict by buying her another one. Knowing Hermione, she would have warn both... and then when they got married, kept on her band. Three rings on one finger... eh... can we say annoying? :oD
PRF: Second to last chapter. Frankly, I am too depressed to do any PRFs....
B4 on MPES:
She planted a chaste kiss quite firmly on his lips. Noticing this, she pulled back quickly; blushing furiously, although Jr. was too busy worrying about his own pigmented cheeks to notice. "Goodnight, Draco," Emmy said, expertly hiding her embarrassment, and snuggling in, doing her best not to touch him, although they both knew he wouldn't really mind. Jr. took a moment to regain himself before he answered.
"G-Goodnight," he returned, then waited a moment. When he was sure she was pretty close to sleep, or at least out enough not to notice movement, Jr. lifted a hand to savagely wipe the kiss off his lips, face contorted in disgust. "If I hadn't already done it twice, I'd go brush my teeth again," he mumbled almost silently to himself, and, although Emmy smiled, she said nothing to notify that she'd heard.
~*~*~*~
CHAPTER NINETEEN: Junior's Idea
Hermione lied awake in bed, staring at the ceiling and brushing her fingers through the blonde hair along the muscular arm that rested protectively across her stomach. Draco lay beside her, sleeping peacefully and silently, lips unknowingly pressed against her shoulder. As another crack of thunder sounded, she jumped, ironically in unison with the five-year-old brunette in the yard.
"Draco," she whispered, although it was quite silly, considering she was trying to wake him. "Draco," Hermione repeated a little louder, jostling his arm. He woke rather quickly, alarmed.
"What? What?" Draco asked, springing up, and Hermione giggled, smiling. He calmed a bit at the realization that nothing serious was wrong, and relaxed back into the pillows, tightening his arm. With a kiss to her cheek, he sighed. "What?"
"I'm scared, Draco," Hermione admitted, turning to him, and he laughed.
"Of what?" But he was answered by a crash of thunder. Again, Draco laughed. "How old are you?" Hermione hit him.
"Not of the stupid rain, Draco... honestly. Jr.'s sleeping outside, remember?" He closed his eyes and smiled into her shoulder.
"Hermione... I put so many charms on that tent I'm surprised it didn't implode," he said, as if it were final, planning on returning to sleep, but Hermione hit him again.
"That is definitely not the way to go about comforting me, Draco... what exactly did you charm it against?"
"Everything."
"Intruders?"
"Of course."
"Animals?"
"Yes."
"Rain?" He sighed.
"Yes..."
"...lightning?"
"Hermione."
"Well, I don't know! ...Draco? Will you check on them for me?" Hermione asked, turning her body toward him, and Draco opened one eye. She pouted. "Please?" He groaned and heavily lifted himself off the bed, mumbling. Hermione giggled and gave him one kiss as reward for bravery. "Thank you."
Draco dragged himself from their room, down the stairs, and through the hall to the garden entrance. He quietly crept toward the tent, blinking away the fog that still covered his eyes. As silently as possible, Draco unzipped the door to the little tent and peaked in, not expecting to see anything out of the ordinary. He smiled, however, at what he did see. Jr. and Emmy were sleeping peacefully in a spaced spoons position, barely touching, but in the same sleeping bag. Draco found himself glad Hermione hadn't decided to come herself. Assured that all was well, he turned to leave, only to be called back.
"Mr. Malfoy?" Draco turned back just as Jimmy sat up, shaking the sleep from his head.
"Hey, Jimmy. What's with them?" Jimmy turned his head to see his friends, comfortably close, and smirked.
"Emmy got scared," he said, turning back to Draco. "But don't tell them I'za wake." Draco smiled. "Whacha doin, Mr. Malfoy?" He shook his head.
"Just checking on you lot. Go on back to sleep, Jimmy... I'll see you in the morning," he instructed, and Jimmy nodded, smiling as he fell back onto his pillow. Again, Draco turned to leave, closing the tent and dashing through the rain, back into the house.
Hermione seemed asleep when Draco returned to her side. He shook his head, half-smiling, and crawled back in beside her. Hermione, however, was concious, and smiled, moving closer to him.
"Draco, you're all wet!" she exclaimed in surprise and Draco laughed.
"Yeah, well... it IS raining, isn't it?" he pointed out and Hermione huffed, turning away from him. Draco again shook his head, moving close to trap her in the same position he'd found his son in moments before, except closer and with a substantial amount of touching. Hermione smiled, despite his damp clothes.
"They're alright, aren't they?" He smiled.
"They're fine, of course. I told you."
"Yeah, yeah..." Draco laughed and placed a tiny kiss behind her ear. Hermione melted and grinned as she pressed ever closer.
~*~*~*~
Draco was awoken again, only hours later, by the slam of the bedside table drawer. He opened his eyes to find himself alone in bed, and looked up in alarm. To his relief, however, Hermione was just feet away, going through the drawers of the desk with a speed likeable to a life threatening situation. Brushing the hair from his forehead, Draco glanced at the clock. It was only three.
"Hermione?" he asked softly, but she jumped as if he'd screamed and spun around, slamming the desk drawer behind her. "What are you doing, love?" Hermione gave a forced grin and shook her head, laughing nervously.
"N-Nothing..." she insisted, but Draco lifted an eyebrow.
"Then why are you up... it's only three?"
"I-erm... I couldn't sleep?" Draco wasn't stupid. He knew she was lying. Hermione, too, was no fool... she was sure he knew as well. Nonetheless, Draco pretended otherwise.
"Alright..." he said, sitting up. "I'll stay up with you, then."
"No! No... go back to sleep, I'm fine," she stuttered. Hermione was having mass-produced and dreaded feelings. She'd lost her ring. Her precious engagement ring... which she hadn't taken off since the day it'd been lovingly nestled on her finger. Although she was heart broken... she couldn't help but be glad that this had happened after Draco had come back. If she'd lost it before... when she thought him deceased... it would have cut so much deeper. "In fact," she added quickly, "I think I'll come back to bed." Draco suffered a small smile.
"I have no problems there." With a forced and fake looking smile, Hermione tentatively got into bed, hands clenched and hidden from view. For the first time in her life, she was afraid of him. Hermione knew Draco would never hurt her... or yell, even... but she was afraid he'd be hurt if he found out about this. It was the most devastating thing she could have lost after him or Jr. She could live without her ring... but if she lost Draco again... or lost her baby before he'd even grown... she knew she wouldn't be able to live on. Not like she once had, anyway. Hermione was sure she'd changed since before the war... years of pain could do that to a person... but she knew things were better now... she knew the wounds would heal.
"Are you sure you're alright? What were you looking for?" Draco asked as he wrapped her in his arms, pulling in close and snuggling in. Hermione paused for a moment, but came up with a lie surprisingly quickly.
"Aspirin," she said, quite convincingly, and Draco laughed.
"Why would there be any in the desk drawers?" Hermione smiled, burying her nose in his shirt.
"I didn't feel like walking all the way downstairs... thought it wouldn't hurt to check.... but I'm better now."
"If you say so, Mia." He sighed, and added. "I love you." Hermione's smile dropped slightly; his words only added to her guilt.
"I love you too." Draco kissed her forehead, then rested his chin atop her curls. A small smirk settled on his lips as he started back down the path to sweet dreams. Hermione, however, bit her lip and tried to retrace her steps through the day... wherever could she have left it? She knew... she KNEW she hadn't taken it off... where could it be?
~*~*~*~
"We're off, Hermione! Did Narcissa leave already?" asked Ginny as she calmly walked into the kitchen, pulling at the wrist of a dainty black glove, and Hermione, who was mixing pancake batter, smiled.
"You look great, Gin. And yes... quite early this morning as a matter of fact. Did you want me to tell her something for you?" Ginny, grinning, shook her head. She and Harry, evident by their tired and fatigued appearances, had made up the night before, and were now concentrating on how to better accustom Eric to the idea of a new baby, opposed to Harry's little slip up. Hermione was glad, in truth. She knew Harry loved Eric more than anything, and she could not see him neglecting the boy in favor of someone else, be it his child or no. She knew the fight wouldn't last long; it was preposterous, really.
"I do not, but thank you anyway." Both girls shared a giggle, before Ginny eyed her curiously. There was something about Hermione's attitude that seemed different... slightly more like the Hermione of last month... "Are you alright, Mione?" Hermione frowned.
"I'm fine," she lied, but Ginny raised an eyebrow defiantly.
"No you're not." Hermione sighed and gave in.
"Is it that obvious?" Ginny smirked.
"To your best female friend, who's known you for more than half of your life; yes, it is. Spill," she demanded, but Hermione shook her head, pouring a bit of batter onto the griddle.
"Not now, Gin... you'll be late," she insisted, but Ginny laughed.
"Late for what? It's not like we have reservations. Come on, Hermione... you know I'll torture it out of you eventually." Hermione sighed.
"Fine," she said, and held out her hand. Ginny looked confused, and began examining for a wart or discoloring of some kind.
"What? I don't see anything," she stated, and Hermione let out an exasperated sigh as she turned back to flip the griddlecakes.
"My ring, Gin..." she said, turning her eyes back to her friend. Ginny's face dropped and she watched with worry as Hermione's lip started to quiver. "I lost my ring..."
"Oh, Mione," her best friend nearly whispered, coming close to hug her. She whispered comforting words as Hermione let a few dry sobs into her shoulder. "It's going to be alright, Hermione... Draco will understand. You know he won't be angry... it wasn't your fault. We'll find it, don't worry." Hermione pulled back.
"I know he won't be mad at me, Ginny... but he's going to be hurt. I can just see the look on his face..." she tucked her hands into her elbows self- consciously. "And what if we don't find it? I don't even know how I lost it, Gin... I didn't take it off... I KNOW I had it when I went outside to tell Jr. to come in..."
"Do you think it's outside?" Hermione shook her head.
"I had to have had it when I came in, because Draco was talking about something that happened back in school... and I was fiddling with it... twisting it, you know?" Hermione nearly broke down. "Oh god, Gin, how could this have happened?" Ginny mutely shook her head as she stepped up to the stove to save the hotcakes; which were in danger of charring. Hermione laughed slightly. "Thanks." Ginny simply smiled at her.
"I promise you, Hermione; we'll find it. I don't care if we have to rip apart the plumbing and pull the stuffing from the furniture." Hermione laughed and Ginny set a sad smile on her face. "Do you want me to stay and help you look?" Hermione suddenly turned grave.
"No! You should be with Harry, Gin... and Eric. This talk is going to be very important... I can't allow you to cancel over something so... t- trivial," Hermione could barely say the word... such an unworthy adjective to describe something so precious. "Wherever it is, it'll be there when you get home, hm?" Ginny felt her mind contradict itself; to be a good friend, or to be a good wife and mother. Well... she had one reason to stay; Hermione... and three reasons to go; Harry, Eric, and Mary Sue. She sighed.
"Alright..." she agreed. "But the minute I get home..." Hermione smiled and pushed her toward the door.
"Alright, alright. Have fun, Gin," she called to her friends back, watching as Ginny left to join Harry and Eric for breakfast. The three of them together made her smile. Hermione took a moment to compose herself before she called, "Breakfast!" and began dishing three plates of hotcakes. It was merely seconds before the stampede of running feet could be heard from upstairs.
It was no more than a minute after Ginny left that three vertically challenged beings burst into the kitchen, climbing up onto the bar stools and waiting with hungry faces for their chocolate chip pancakes. Hermione smiled as they dug in, then turned to save a whistling teapot.
"Oh... Mum," Jr. said, his mouth full and smeared with chocolate. Hermione gave him a warning look and he rolled his eyes before spitefully swallowing his mouthful. "Daddy wants ta see ya." She lifted an eyebrow.
"He's up? Already?" Jr. nodded, then shared a look with Emmy, who smirked through her own, much smaller, bite of griddlecake. Hermione lifted an eyebrow at the trio, although Jimmy was too preoccupied with food to bother with gossip. "What's going on?" Jr. and Emmy became immediately straight faced and shook their shoulders. Hermione didn't look at all convinced. "...I'll be back, then."
As she left the kitchen, however, Hermione heard the three of them giggling behind her, and it made her even more suspicious. Why was it that the children knew something she did not? As she reached the hallway of their room, she opened her mouth to call out, but something caught her eye and stopped her. Slowly, Hermione turned her eyes to the floor in front of her bedroom door, where a letter rested innocently, her name scrawled across the front in loving calligraphy. She lifted an eyebrow as she picked it up from the ground, then flipped it over, carefully breaking the seal.
"I wonder..." Hermione mumbled to herself as she lifted the flap, but her eyes widened as she extracted its contents. The envelope held not a letter, but rather a picture. A picture that caused her to place a hand over her mouth as tears threatened to escape. In this heart tugging photograph, Jr., Emmy, and Jimmy stood in front of a set of red doors, which she recognized belonged to the church across the street from their school, holding three signs. They stood in a line, as follows: Jimmy, Emmy, Jr., and held up their poster board note cards in a row. The first bore 'Marry me', the second, 'Mia', and the third, 'Say yes, Mum!'. She watched as they grinned and nodded, finding herself literally speechless.
A moment later, their bedroom door opened to reveal a nervous looking Draco Malfoy, Sr. He gave her a small smile and held out her ring, facing the floor, but with eyes trained on her face. Hermione wanted to shriek in joy, but she found herself unable to do so, and settled for tackling him with a tight hug. Draco laughed and hugged her back, grinning madly. He allowed her a moment before pulling back. Hermione stood in front of him with tears running down her cheeks, face contorted in severe happiness, wearing a bathrobe and slippers, but Draco didn't seem to mind. He slowly sank to one knee, holding her hands in his.
"Hermione Granger," he began, turning his face up to hers. "Despite all the things I've ever done to you... including stealing your ring while you were asleep... know now that I love you, and that I always have, and always will, no matter what your answer to my next question." Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but Draco interrupted her. "Before I ask, and before you say anything... I would like to remind you that the last sign in that picture, was Junior's idea." Hermione laughed and started to sink to the ground herself, but Draco took hold and kept her up. "No... I'm going to do this right this time. You deserve to be above me, Mia." He smiled in spite of himself. "As cliché as it sounds, you've always been my angel in disguise. Although, I may add, it was a very poor one..." Hermione simply watched as he spoke loving words to her, not completely able to comprehend each one. This was so overwhelming... although it'd happened once before. "And so, with all my heart, I ask you for the second time; Hermione Granger... will you marry me?" There was a silence after this, but it was not hesitation that kept Hermione from answering; it was sheer lack of ability. After a good effort in calming herself, she managed to choke out an answer.
"I said yes once, didn't I?" Draco's smile reached from ear to ear.
"But... will you say it twice?" Hermione nodded eagerly.
"If it will get me my ring back." Draco laughed, opening his arms to her. Hermione wasted no time before she fell into him again, holding her renewed fiancé as tight as she had the day he returned. Again, however, he pulled back.
"And now, to seal the deal..." he started, taking her left hand in his right and carefully sliding the ring back on her finger. Once this task was completed, Draco looked up, only to be taken by surprise by a contract- signing kiss. When they broke apart, it was Hermione who spoke first.
"You scared me have to death..." she said, eyes trained on her wedding finger, and Draco smiled innocently.
"And however did I manage that?" he asked, but Hermione let out a short laugh, sinking fully to the ground.
"Don't be coy, Draco. I was going out of my mind looking for this..." Draco laughed and wrapped her in his arms, kissing her temple.
"Out of your mind enough to lie to me?" Hermione suddenly frowned and looked up at him. She opened her mouth to speak, but Draco cut her off. "It's okay, Mia..." She shook her head.
"No, it's not okay. It's not okay because, no matter what, I shouldn't have. I should have told you the truth this morning, but... I was..." Draco didn't say a word; he simply waited patiently for her to continue. "Afraid," she finished in a dead whisper, and her lover's face dropped.
"Afraid? Of me?" he asked, nervous, but Hermione quickly shook her head, lifting a hand to place it on his cheek.
"No..." she started again slowly. "Of hurting you." Draco's face slowly converted into a smile.
"It wouldn't have hurt me if you lost it, Mia. It's just a ring... it's replaceable." Hermione looked almost angry.
"How can you say that? JUST a ring? Draco, this is a symbol of our bond... our love. How can you act like it means nothing?" she asked, but he simply kept his smile and shook his head.
"It is nothing, Hermione. It may symbolize our love... but we ARE our love. As long as we have each other, you shouldn't need a symbol." Hermione let a small smile creep onto her face.
"I suppose that's justified," she said almost embarrassedly... but then her face became ashen again. "But it still means a lot to me. This ring has gotten me through so much... it was all I had left of you when you were gone... save a few pictures and, of course, Junior. It was my daily reminder that you died loving me... or, at least, I thought you died." Draco smiled.
"I guess I can understand that," he admitted.
"Plus," Hermione added, "I'm a woman, remember? We tend to find things like this more significant." She let out a small laugh. "I told Ginny just before she left... I almost had her staying home and helping me look for it."
"She was going to blow off her breakfast date? When it was so important to Harry?" Hermione gave a small smile.
"She understood how I felt about it... she did go, though; I forced her to. In the end she realized it WAS a little more important to go... wherever my ring was, it wasn't going anywhere." Draco gave her a soft kiss, holding her jaw lightly in his palm.
"I love you, Hermione Granger." Hermione smiled.
"Sometimes I forget I'm still a Granger... I've been living like a Malfoy for so long," she said, and Draco smiled.
"Not the response I was expecting... but still nice in its own way." Hermione smirked.
"I love you too, Draco."
~*~
Jr. gasped, placing a hand to his chest and nearly choking on his pancakes. Beside him, Emmy looked alarmed.
"Draco?" she asked, reaching quickly to pat his back. Once he regained his breath, Jr. laughed.
"He did it," he said, and both his friends seemed confused.
"Who did what?" Jimmy asked, completely in the dark, as usual.
"Dad... he gave Mum the picture." Emmy squealed.
"Oh! I just knew he was going to!"
"How do you know, though, Draco?" Jimmy asked, and Jr. turned to him.
"Trust me..." he said, rubbing the spot closest to where he felt the warm tingle of happy tears. "I just know."
A/N: Slightly shorter, I know... but I couldn't bring myself to ruin the moment by continuing after that. So... now we know what Emmy was helping with... :oD Isn't she a sweetie? And, just to make sure Draco doesn't look cheep, he knew that, to some extent, Hermione wouldn't want to part with her engagement ring, so, he saw no reason to create internal conflict by buying her another one. Knowing Hermione, she would have warn both... and then when they got married, kept on her band. Three rings on one finger... eh... can we say annoying? :oD
PRF: Second to last chapter. Frankly, I am too depressed to do any PRFs....