Disclaimer: Many thanks to JK Rowling for her wonderful works. They are hers and hers alone. I have only borrowed her characters for a while and built my own little fantasy around them. There is no pay involved for me in doing it.

Chapter 24
(Sorry this chapter is a bit shorter than the others. But, I will update again on Sunday.)

(beep beep beeeeeeep beep beep beeeeeeep)

"Hello?" Hermione reached out and answered the phone without opening her eyes.

"Hey!" Ginny chirped.

"What? Gin? What time is it?" Hermione yawned and squinted over at the clock on the bedside table.

"Oh crap! I'm sorry, Mione. I always forget about the time dif. It's like seven there. I'm so sorry. I can call back later."

"Mmm, Mi, who is it?" Draco mumbled from behind her.

Hermione rolled over, "Gin, no it's okay. Hold on, okay?"

Once Ginny gave her consent Hermione put the phone to her chest and rolled over to look at Draco.

"Man, you're cute when you're asleep," she smiled sleepily.

He didn't open his eyes, but smirked, "I'm always cute."

"And, oh so modest," she teased. "Go back to sleep."

She moved to get out of bed and his hand shot out to grab her wrist, "You coming back?"

She leaned across the bed to kiss him lightly, "Yes. Now, go back to sleep. You earned it."

She watched the smug smile cross his face and giggled.

"Sorry, Gin. Hi. What's up?" she said as she padded naked across the room to get her robe.

"I'm sorry I woke you. But, I now know why you're with Draco," she laughed.

"What do you mean?"

"His voice was so sexy all gravelly and sleepy, I almost forgot who he was," she giggled.

Hermione glanced back at the bed and sighed with a smile before she shut the door, "You should hear it during…oh my gods, I don't believe I almost said that!"

"Sounds to me that someone has found the joys of sex."

"Well, uh, well he's um, let's just say I didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

Ginny burst out laughing.

Blushing furiously Hermione said, "So, what's up?"

"I want to know what happened at the Manor?!"

"Oh!" Hermione collapsed on the sofa and with a wave of her hand, made the coffee pot start up in the kitchen.

She told Ginny everything that had happened and Ginny exclaimed, oohed and ahhed at all the appropriate moments. She even told her how different the manor was from her memory and how they had changed it so much that she hadn't been able to figure out in what room her nightmares had come alive. When she got to the part about the Parkinsons she had to stop, as Ginny went off for about five minutes about how much she hated 'that pug-faced, snot-nosed, bitch, Pansy.'

"Well, it gets better," Hermione said and filled her in on Lucius' actions.

Ginny was flabbergasted, "So, wait! He defended you AND called you a part of the family? Are little devils ice skating?"

Hermione laughed at Ginny's reference to hell freezing over, "I know! I had the same reaction. I mean, he wasn't any warmer or anything after that, but he did stop shooting me evil looks. And, before we left, he didn't even insult me."

"Okay, that's just weird!"

Hermione remembered the end of the night and laughed a little, "Well, he did have other things on his mind at the time."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ginny asked.

Hermione told Ginny about her end of the evening talk with Narcissa.

"There's a visual I didn't need," Ginny groaned. "The Malfoys having sex. Ewww."

Hermione laughed as she reached her hand out to grab the coffee she was floating toward her. "Well, their son sure came by it honestly."

"Okay, another visual. Stop, stop, stop," Ginny laughed. Then she sobered a bit, "So, Mione do you seriously see yourself becoming, you know, friendly with his mother?"

Hermione sighed tiredly, "I have no idea. If you had asked me yesterday at this time I would have said hell no, but now, I don't know. She's not as bad as I thought. And, she loves Draco."

Ginny said, "That's what Harry said about her, too. But, you said yourself, she was like two different people. Sounds a bit crazy to me."

"I know it sounds that way, but that's not how she is. I mean, she's learned to deal, I guess. If you step back and look at her life, she's kind of had it rough. I mean, she didn't know Malfoy when she married him, but she made the best of it. She learned to love him. Then he turns out to be a power hungry asshole, and she can't turn away because she has a son. So, she figures out how to keep her sanity and make do with her life. Then the war. And, you know how Harry said she chose the right side at the last minute, well I believe that, too, was her dealing. The only thing she knew and loved was, is, her family and saving Harry would keep her family whole."

Ginny jumped in, "That's kind of sad. Can you imagine living your whole adult life, just accepting everything and having no control of anything? But, I guess it's like that thing you always say, when life give you oranges, make juice."

Hermione laughed, "That's lemons and lemonade."

"Whatever," Ginny laughed, "But, maybe that's why she's so interested in cooking."

"Huh?" Hermione asked.

"Well, think about it. Why do you cook?" Ginny asked, but then she continued. "It would be easier, faster, and a lot less messy to use magic, but you do it by hand. And, she's got like a bajillion house elves, so she sure doesn't need to do it. But, it's a way of controlling things, Mione. When you cook, you get to decide what to make, how to make it, you can do it your way, whenever you want. You're in control."

Hermione laughed, "I never put that much thought into it."

"Well, from what you've said, she's never had any control. I mean she had to sneak down with her son and hide to see her own damn kitchen! Maybe she sees cooking as kind of rebellion and a freedom."

"I'm sorry, may I speak to Ginny Potter, please?" Hermione laughed. "When did you get so darn deep?"

"Ha ha ha," Ginny commented dryly. "But, seriously, she gets to learn something new, that's she's always wanted to learn. She gets to spend time with you and get to actually know you. She gets to see her precious pureblood golden boy. And, she gets to kind of thumb her nose at Malfoy without really causing any trouble. I mean, we are talking about a muggle activity."

Hermione laughed, "Wow. You gave that a lot of thought in only a few minutes."

"Yeah, well, the whole cooking muggle style thing just seems to fit." Ginny then said, "So, tell me more about the party."

They talked for another twenty minutes as Hermione told her about dinner, dancing and the Zabinis. Ginny commented on how hard it must be for Blythe; the first Gryffindor in their family; and her idol was, Hermione, the woman who helped take down their idol.

When she was done Ginny filled her in on things back there. Ginny was in the middle of a funny story about Jamie when Hermione heard the bedroom door open. She glanced over her shoulder to see a sleepy Draco smile at her as he went into the bathroom. She heard the shower turn on and had a realization.

As Ginny finished her story, Hermione asked, "Gin? Is it weird that we haven't talked about the fact that he moved in here?"

"What do you mean? You had to have talked about it."

"No, we didn't. It just kinda happened. With Beth moving in, he didn't want to hang with the newlyweds. And, I told him he could stay here that first night. He just never left."

Ginny hesitated and then asked, "Don't you want him there?"

"Yes, I want him here. But, isn't it too fast? Shouldn't we have had some kind of talk before we started living together? It's only been about two months and I don't know, it's just…is it weird? I read just a few weeks ago in Witches Cosmo that you shouldn't take drastic steps with a partner without really talking it through and getting each other's take on the idea."

"Mione, do you love him?"

"Yes," her answer was quick and sure.

"And, do you think he loves you?"

"I know he does, but it's just so fast, Gin."

"Not really. You guys have known each other forever. You might not have been friends, but it's not like most relationships. You might have only been together as a couple for a couple of months, but that doesn't mean it's wrong."

"Okay, but…"

"Mione, does it feel weird? Or, wrong?"

Hermione thought back over the past two weeks and sighed, "No. That's just it. It feels right. Perfect. Like this is the way it should be."

"And, that's freaking you out," Ginny laughed, knowing her friend well. "Stop thinking about all those stupid relationship books and magazine you've read and all those silly television shows. Sometimes right is just right. There's no time limit on it."

"Okay. Thanks."

Ginny was quiet for a moment, then she asked, "He's the one, isn't he?"

Hermione heard the shower shut off and got up to get the paper from the owl at the window. Thinking about how easily they had fallen for each other and how natural being with him felt, she nodded, but felt her stomach clench at the thought. All of the feelings she had held in over the past few days crashed in on her and she felt lightheaded.

"Oh gods."

Ginny laughed, "Yeah, that's how I felt when Harry finally asked me."

"No. He hasn't…we haven't even talked about anything like that!"

"But, you can see it can't you?"

Hermione closed her eyes to calm herself down, "Oh shit, Gin. I can."

"And, do you want it?"

"I think, no, I know I…I do," she whispered. "But, it's just so soon!"

Ginny laughed at Hermione's panic, "Calm down, hon. He hasn't even asked you yet." Then, just because she could, she teased, "Besides, you still have to befriend the mother and make the father not hate you. Plus, there's the whole getting the parents together for a dinner thing…"

She stopped and laughed uproariously as Hermione wailed and groaned.

"Look, just relax, okay? When it's right, it's right, Mione, and you will know it. Until then, focus on the now. Just enjoy it. And, if you really think it needs a discussion, talk to him."

Draco stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around his lean hips. He leaned against the doorframe and crooked his finger at her.

Hermione pushed back all of her thoughts and worries and smiled at him. Then she said into the phone, "Thank, Gin. I will. But, uh, I gotta run, okay?"

"He's there, right?"

"Yeah," Hermione laughed.

"Well, you two go have fun. And, just a thought, you should talk to Blaise about having his sister come to visit. Sounds to me like Blythe would die to spend some time with you."

Draco started to walk across the room slowly toward her and she said to Ginny, "Good idea. Thanks. I'll talk to you later, Gin."

"Okay, I can take a hint. Tell him hello for me. I'll talk to you later in the week. Bye."

"Bye."

She hung up the phone just as his arms snaked around her, "Ginny says hello."

"Mmm hmm," he mumbled against her neck. Then he kissed his way up her neck until he found her lips.

He kissed her softly, without a lot of heat, but with a lot of feeling. She sighed at how right it felt and then remembered her conversation with Ginny and everything rushed back in on her. He sensed her change of mood and pulled back to look down at her, his blue grey eyes soft and warm.

"What's wrong?"

She looked up at him, "Nothing bad, Draco, but we do need to talk."

He took a step back and looked at her with his head tilted a bit, "Okay."

She saw the worry in his eyes and leaned up to give him a quick peck on his warm lips, "Seriously, hon, it's not bad. Go put something on. I'll make us some breakfast."

He still looked worried, but nodded and went silently back to the bedroom.

When he came into the kitchen five minutes later she put a cup of coffee on the table for him and was scrambling eggs.

"Ginny thinks your mom needs some control in her life and that's why she wants to learn to cook," she commented as he took a seat.

He took a sip and asked, "What else did Ginny say?"

She could hear the worry in his voice and hastened to alleviate it, "Nothing much. I told her about our trip."

He watched her turn the bacon over in silence and waited for her to get to the point. He knew she didn't like being pushed and he wasn't about to upset her. She had uttered the four words that struck fear in his, and every man's, heart. We need to talk. His mind was racing with questions.

Did I do something wrong? What could Ginny have said about me to upset her? But, she doesn't seem exactly upset. This is ridiculous! Just tell me already!

"And, she suggested that I should have Blaise bring Blythe over. She thinks I'm her idol or something. I think it could be…"

Okay, she's laughing. It can't be that bad, right? Maybe. What if she is done with us? No! It CAN NOT be that. I love her. Doesn't she get that? I am not going to let her just end it, dammit! My feelings count too, you know! I know she didn't get along with Father all that well, but she said it wasn't awful. She said she had some fun. Okay, then why? She was fine last night. Really fine. He he he Okay, then what is it dammit?!

"So, I'm thinking maybe dessert, I mean, you said she wanted to bake cookies, right?"

He had been so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't heard a word she'd said. He looked up at her and realized she was holding their plates and waiting for an answer.

"Uh, my mother? Cookies? Yeah. She wanted to bake cookies," he answered, hoping that was the right answer.

It seemed it was when she nodded and put their plates down before taking her seat.

"Good. Then I'm thinking I'll owl her and see if she wants to come visit for a day in a few weeks. Cookies aren't all that hard. She should love it. But, what about your father?"

Tell me what we need to talk about already!!!

"What about him? This tastes good, by the way. Thanks."

Hermione smiled at his compliment and bit into her own bacon slice, "Well, he won't be happy that I have his son and his wife in my domain. And, I don't think I could handle having him here. Not yet."

"Well, maybe I'll go home that day. We can spend some time together while you two are having your cooking fun."

"Hmmmm," she thought.

He stared at her and waited, but she didn't seem to have anything else to say. He couldn't handle the suspense any longer.

"Mi? You, uh, said we needed to talk?"

She looked at him and her mouth opened, but she couldn't seem to figure out what to say.

When she had imitated a fish for a few seconds, he leaned back and looked at her, "Just tell me, okay?'

"Well, um, I was wondering, I mean, it feels like we are already, but if you don't, uh, but I think we should at least discuss it, make it official or something," she said in a rush.

He looked at her for a few seconds and then shook his head, "I'm sorry. What?"

"What what?" she asked.

He laughed, "What are we talking about?"

"Living together," she said as if it was the only thing that made sense.

That's what this is all about? Well, sheesh. She almost had me worried.

"Oh, is that all?" he laughed.

"Huh? What do you mean all?" she half shouted. "It's a big deal, Draco! It shouldn't be rushed into. And, you're here already and we haven't even talked about it."

"Okay, do you want me to leave?" he asked slowly.

"That is not what I said!"

"I'm not getting this. What's the problem?" he asked as he reached for his coffee.

"What's the…Are you listening to me?!"

"Mi, calm down. Yes, I'm listening. I just don't get the problem. You want me here. I want to be here. We love each other. What am I missing?"

She looked as if he'd smacked her. "You don't…the problem is…ooooh!"

He watched in shock as she stormed out of the room.

What the hell? Must be PMS. Give her a few minutes to calm down. She'll be back to finish this.

Draco reached over and scooped the rest of her eggs onto his own plate and then grabbed the paper. He finished his second cup of coffee and had read the first page of the paper when he heard her stomp across the living room. He put the paper down and readied himself for the rest of her talk.

His mouth fell open in shock when he heard the pop of her apparition.

"Mi," he called as he hurried into the living room. When he saw no one there he shouted, "Dammit woman!"

He looked around to see if she had at least left him a note. Nothing. With a growl of frustration he threw himself on the sofa and replayed the conversation in his head.

Okay, I'm lost. What just happened?

With another growl he picked up the phone.

"'Sup buddy?" Blaise answered cheerfully.

"B, is she there?" Draco asked.

"Who?"

"Hermione. Is she there?"

"No, why? What happened?"

Draco sighed and told Blaise what had happened.

"Wow. Sorry D."

"I just don't get what she's so upset about. I mean things were fine last night. Then, bam! She wants to talk about living together and now she's off, I don't know where, pissed. Damn that Potter!"

"What's he got to do with it?"

"Not him, the Mrs.," Draco sighed. "And, I have no idea. She woke us up this morning and they talked. An hour later, I'm missing one ticked off girlfriend."

"Hey, hold on a sec," Blaise said. Then Draco heard his muffled voice and then Beth's in the background.

"Sorry. Beth says hello and, no, Mione didn't call her."

Draco growled in frustration, "Okay, look, I'm sorry. You two go do whatever it is you were doing. I'm just going to sit here and be angry."

Blaise held back his laugh, "Call me when you find her."

"Yeah, thanks. Bye."

Draco hung up and put his head in his hands. After fifteen minutes of waiting he decided he needed to do something and went to change for a run. Before he left he quickly wrote her a note in case she came back.

At least some people are considerate!

' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '

Author's Notes –

Some of you asked how to find the Dramione Awards, so here you go http://community. read is a treasure, every review a gift. I do thank you!

And, once again, additional thank yous to the following for adding my story, or me, as a Favorite, or setting an alert for it: Pamela, mazatrix isstrange, BrownEyedChick-a-dee, aquaimp, Mizz Kit, boarding-las, VictoriaEnchanted and Hopeless4NonExistentLove.

I am very humbled, honored and pleased that you all keep reading this story.