A/N: This is a looong chapter. We toyed with the idea of splitting it into two, except we might not be able to update for a week or so (perhaps Monday or Tuesday next week), so we decided to just give you guys the whole thing. :) Hope you enjoy it, quite a lot of stuff happen in this chapter! And thanks again for all the reviews/favorites/alerts for the previous chapter, they really made us smile. :)

Chapter 11

They were rudely awoken the next morning when Ralph ran into their room. "Morning!" he yelled, climbing up on the bed.

They jerked awake, pulling away from each other.

"What?" Draco asked groggily, staring at his son, blond hair sticking up in all directions.

"Good morning!" Ralph repeated, crawling over the sheets to give first Draco a hug, and then Hermione. "I woke up. I wanted to wake you up too."

"One day I'll slip him a sleeping potion," Draco told Hermione under his breath, before reaching out and grabbing his son. "Wanted to disturb us, did you?" he asked, tickling Ralph's stomach, and making the little boy squirm. "Think it's funny?"

Ralph couldn't answer, helpless under his father's attack. "Stop," he managed to say, his face turning red.

Draco stopped, and Ralph smiled up at him, breathing heavily.

"Are you all right?" Hermione asked, brushing Ralph's hair away from his face.

He nodded, then sat up. "I'm hungry."

Hermione checked the clock- it was half past seven. "All right, let's have breakfast."

"Last person to get dressed and go to breakfast is a flobberworm!" Draco shouted, climbing out of bed and dashing to his closet. Ralph yelped and jumped off the bed, running to his room.

"You two are so mature," Hermione got off the bed and hurried to her own closet, determined not to be the last one down.

The Malfoys enjoyed their breakfast, all of them being in a playful mood. Hermione sat down with Ralph afterwards and helped him practice writing his name. They took a short stroll through the gardens before lunch, all bundled up against the cold. In the afternoon, Draco entertained Ralph while Hermione took her turn looking over things for work. She gave up quickly, though, unable to concentrate, because Ralph kept running over to show her the shapes he had made with clay. She joined the two boys in modelling the clay, and together she and Draco fashioned a crude imitation of the Hogwarts school crest. They then asked Ralph which house he wanted to be in, and both were indignant when he said the yellow one, because it was the colour he liked.

"Hufflepuff!" Draco exclaimed. "No son of mine-"

"Hufflefuff!" Ralph repeated, giggling. "Hufflefuff!"

Neither Draco nor Hermione could keep a straight face, and soon all three Malfoys were cracking up. Hermione's work lay forgotten the rest of the evening.

When Monday dawned, Hermione reluctantly got out of bed- and more importantly, Draco's embrace- to face the new week. She was on her way to breakfast when she realized she hadn't made a dent in the office work she was supposed to have done over the weekend. Deciding to skip breakfast altogether to get a head start at the office, she hastily scribbled a note to Draco and left for work.

Hermione managed to finish her homework by ten o'clock, but before she could start on her regular work, Ginny arrived to gossip. Hermione wasn't particularly looking forward to their conversation- truth be told, she'd rather talk to the less-excitable Fleur about it than the redhead, but it had been Ginny who suggested the date anyway. She gazed longingly at the papers on her desk, but settled down to answer Ginny's questions.

"How was it? Ron said you two looked really comfortable with each other, but then again, he's Ron. So what happened?"

"It was good, I suppose, as first dates go. We had dinner, we talked, we danced."

"You danced?" Ginny squealed. "Slow dance?"

"Yes."

"This is moving so much faster than your first first date. I remember, when you described that other one to me- over a year after it happened, if I may say- it sounded like you two were so boring. Do you know what you did? You-"

"Yes, Gin, we watched The Magician. But you're right," Hermione frowned, "we are moving a bit fast. I suppose it's partly because we live together. Not to mention, we share a bed."

"Oh yeah, how's that coming along?"

"Coming along? It's the same as it was before. He has his side, I have mine." Technically, it was true. It was a lie of omission not to mention that she and Draco didn't stick to their sides, but Ginny didn't need to know that.

"Oh." The redhead sounded disappointed. "Anyway, what's this Ron said about you going to a theme park? He said you and Draco stayed together the whole time."

"Not the whole time," Hermione said defensively. A blush crept into her cheeks. "Most of the time. It was sort of our second date. Draco's just, well, so much better than I thought he'd be."

Ginny nodded approvingly. "Now that sounds more like you. When's the next date?"

"I don't know, we haven't spoken about it. I have to visit my parents next week, though."

"Have you two kissed yet?"

"Not since the one at the Burrow. Although- although I think we've come close to it," Hermione admitted, colour flaring up in her cheeks again.

"I don't think anything bad will come from you kissing him, Hermione. You've done it, like, a million times before, you just don't remember. Don't be so scared to get closer to him! You have to eventually."

"I'm not scared! I'm just taking my time. It's only been a few weeks, after all. Just over a month." As she said it, Hermione realized it had felt more like a year. "It feels like it's been longer than that."

"I can imagine," Ginny said sympathetically. She turned the conversation to other topics, including plans for George's birthday, which wasn't celebrated so much as it was attempted to be forgotten, as it was also Fred's birthday. When Hermione finally managed to get rid of her, it was close to eleven.

After an early and hasty lunch, Hermione tried to finish all she needed to in one afternoon, but her plans were yet again thwarted by an emergency staff meeting in her department. At four o'clock, she decided to owl Draco to let him know she'd be late. She didn't receive a reply, but she assumed the owl had reached him.

Draco and Ralph were halfway through dinner when she arrived home. Ralph greeted her cheerfully, and she was glad that someone seemed happy to see her. Draco wore a scowl on his face, and barely said anything throughout the rest of the meal. She only found time to confront him after she had put Ralph to bed.

"What is your problem, Draco? I told you I'd be late, didn't I? You got my owl?"

"Yes," Draco sneered. "I got your owl. Really, though, I don't know why you bothered to arrive for dinner, you should have just eaten out."

"What are you talking about?" Hermione asked angrily.

Draco rounded on her, pointing his finger accusingly. "What was it about this weekend that made you need to take a break? You left early this morning, got home late- and all the while I thought we had a good weekend. Or maybe I was the only one who thought so," he ended bitterly.

Hermione stared at him in surprise. "You think I wanted to take a break, just like you did before? We agreed that as long as we owled each other, it would be okay. Or are you the only one allowed to get home late once in a while?"

"If I remember right, you got pretty mad at me then too."

"Because you gave no warning! I wrote you this afternoon, you knew I'd be working late- what's the matter with that?"

"What's the matter? The matter is, Hermione, I thought we made progress last weekend, I thought you enjoyed it. But at the first opportunity, you escape."

It was then that Hermione saw past his anger and saw what he had been trying to hide with it- hurt. He was hurt because he thought she hadn't enjoyed their dates, because he thought she didn't want to spend more time with him. A wave of pity and annoyance washed over her. Annoyance won.

"Escape? Is that what you call it? I specifically told you in my letter that I had work to catch up on," Hermione snapped back. "Is that so hard to believe? It was precisely because I enjoyed the past few days so much that I had to work late today. I didn't get any work done last weekend, remember? First we went to that amusement park, then I helped him learn his name, then we played with the clay." To her horror, Hermione felt hot tears prick her eyes as she thought of all the reasons for the stress she had gone through that day. "I went to the office early, hoping to catch up on everything, and I almost did, except there were so many visitors and clients, and then an emergency meeting. I wanted to finish before dinner, I really tried. I worked so hard, but there was just so much to do, and when I get home to find you halfway through the only meal of the day that I thought I might eat with you and Ralph, you make me feel like I shouldn't have bothered!"

To their mutual dismay, her tears spilled over and trailed down her cheeks. She grabbed a tissue from the box she kept on her bedside table and sat down on the edge of the bed. Draco eyed her guiltily.

"I'm sorry," he said hesitantly, unused to apologizing; yet hating to see her cry. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's all right," Hermione answered quietly. "I didn't mean to cry. It's just the stress of today, and then when I got home-"

Draco crossed the room and crouched down in front of her. He took the tissue from her and wiped her cheeks with a tenderness she'd only seen him use with Ralph. "Don't cry anymore. I thought you wanted to take a break, and I know we agreed that we could, but I didn't expect you to need one after the fun of last weekend."

"I didn't need one," she assured him, wiping her eyes. "I was telling the truth, I had a lot of work to do."

He brought his hand up and traced her cheek with his thumb before leaning in. Hermione, acutely aware of how awful she always looked after crying, stopped him. "Don't. I'm rather disgusting."

He chuckled softly wishing she could see how wrong she was. "No, you're not." He slipped his hand around to the back of her neck and pulled her forward so their lips met.

It was nothing like the quick kiss they'd shared at the Burrow, with everyone watching. Draco kissed her softly and slowly, caressing her lips with his until she responded, threading her fingers through his hair. He deepened the kiss, something he had wanted to do since that night at The Black Cat, when she'd danced in his arms.

Hermione closed her eyes and let herself get lost in the kiss, forgetting everything. She didn't need her memory to know that this was her husband, the only man she would ever love, and the only man she would ever want to kiss like this.

Eventually they pulled apart, both breathless. Hermione rested her forehead against his, keeping him close. She wanted to say something, but didn't know what.

Draco spoke first. "Do you remember anything?" he asked, pulling back slightly to look into her eyes.

She met his anxious gaze with a small chuckle. "No," she said, kissing him again, "but then again, I can barely think right now."

He laughed softly, then straightened up and sat on the bed beside her, one hand going to her cheek, drawing her closer. Their mouths met again, and again, and when Draco leaned backwards, Hermione followed, so that she was lying on top of him. She placed her head against his chest, feeling it rise and fall as he regained his breath.

"It's hard to believe," she said meditatively, touching her lips with one hand, "that-" Hermione stopped, blushing as she thought of what she almost gave away.

"What?" Draco asked, playing with her hair. "What's hard to believe?" he prompted, when she still didn't speak.

"Nothing."

"Hermione." Draco pushed her gently and sat up. He looked at her sternly. "Say it."

She shook her head. "I don't know how," she said truthfully, looking at him imploringly. He just raised an eyebrow and waited patiently. She sighed. "All right. It's hard to believe that… falling in- in love with you could be so easy." Her fingers gripped the bedcover tightly, and she avoided his gaze.

Draco laughed lightly. "I could say the same for you."

Hermione looked at him. "You don't think we're moving too fast?"

"I don't think we have a choice," he said, shrugging. "We've been in love for the past five years. To fight it would be… futile."

"Like the sun forgetting to shine after a few days of rain," Hermione quoted Narcissa.

"Exactly." Draco smiled at her and stood up. "Will you shower first, or will I? Or together?" he looked at her suggestively.

Hermione laughed and stood up, pushing past him. "I'll go first," she said, going to her closet. "I've had a rough day. And don't you follow," she looked at him pointedly, closing the door with a huge smile on her face. It was amazing how such a rotten day could turn around completely to become one of the best days of her life.

This time, when they prepared to sleep, they snuggled quite happily together in the middle of the bed. More kissing ensued, and although Draco would have eagerly taken it several steps further, Hermione refused. She was tired, she said, and would be content to just sleep in his embrace. But she was awake long after he had fallen asleep.

Truth be told, Hermione still couldn't quite get her mind around the fact that she had carried Ralph in her womb for nine months, and given birth to him. Although she knew she wasn't a virgin, she couldn't remember ever making love with a man. She had always wanted to give herself completely to whoever she married, and she supposed she had done that. Her problem was that she couldn't remember it, so technically her mind was still stuck in that same place.

Would it help if she asked Draco if they could have a marriage ceremony again? Perhaps, but it would be too much trouble. She thought back to the kiss, and how it felt so natural. It felt right. And she wasn't too innocent to miss her body's reaction when they had started kissing. She blushed, remembering the not-so-foreign feeling of desire. Fingering the ring she wore, Hermione decided to just throw caution to the winds. To hell with her shyness and modesty. With that not quite comforting thought, she drifted off to sleep.

Hermione woke up the next morning to find Draco already awake, watching her. "What?" she groaned, burying her head under her pillow. Her face flamed; she felt rather self-conscious. Her hair was a mess, and she could only hope that she hadn't drooled.

Draco tugged the pillow away from her. "Good morning, sleepy head."

She grumbled and pushed her hair away from her face, looking up at him. "Good morning," she said, frowning. Then he smiled, and that was all it took- she smiled as well. "What?" she asked again, still trying to be cross.

"You're cute in the morning," he said, kissing her. Hermione ignored the possible negative meaning of his words and returned his kiss, reminding herself of her decision last night as Draco's hands caressed her body. She couldn't stop herself from stiffening slightly as his hands lightly drifted near places she wasn't quite comfortable with. Draco stilled, but to cover it Hermione twisted around to check the clock.

"We've got to get ready for work," she said, giving him a last kiss before disengaging herself from his embrace. She could see the disappointment in his eyes, and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Draco, but it's true. Save it for tonight."

With a great groan, Draco heaved himself out of bed. "All right. You know, I hope today goes okay for you. Not as stressful, I mean. It's a bit disconcerting, watching you cry last night. I never really thought of you as the crying type."

"I am though, truth be told. Ask Harry or Ron, they'll tell you. I cry a lot."

"Oh good." Draco looked relieved. "I mean, not that I really know how to handle a crying woman, but I'm glad it's normal. I thought for a moment there that it might be hormones."

His words sunk in and Hermione flushed. "I don't think so."

"Yeah, I just thought- never mind." He jerked his head in the direction of the bathroom, and Hermione nodded and hurried in.

That awkward moment played on Hermione's mind for the rest of the morning. She remembered what Ginny had said that first day: once you see Ralph, you'll want more children. She knew she wasn't pregnant, but what if Narcissa had been right? What if they had been planning for another child? Were she and Draco ready?

She mentally berated herself for worrying too much. There were things that needed her immediate attention at the office, and it would be best for her to devote her time in dealing with those instead. She managed to concentrate fairly well until after lunch, when her secretary knocked on her door.

"You've got a delivery from Mr. Malfoy's office."

"Send it in, please," Hermione replied, signing one last document before looking up to see what she had received. A bouquet of flowers was thrust through the door, although the bearer remained hidden. Hermione laughed. "I know it's you, Draco, I recognize your watch!"

With a sheepish grin, Draco came forward. "I should have held it in my other hand." He closed the door behind him, and Hermione stood up to meet him in the middle of the room.

"This is a nice surprise," she said, giving him a light kiss. "Are you here on official business?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. There were some documents to be submitted, and I volunteered. I made a quick detour, though, to pick these up." He held up the flowers and set them down on a clear spot on her desk. Draco slipped his arms around her waist and drew her closer. "Not too busy, are you?"

"Only a little."

"Well, I was rather bored at the office, and I thought, why not pay you a visit? Make sure you're not bored either."

"I wasn't, actually. Until you came, that is."

"Cheeky," he told her, pulling away in mock hurt. Then he grinned and kissed her. "I've honestly been thinking about you all day, and how we can make our pesky son sleep early tonight so we can move on to more interesting activities."

Hermione blushed. "Don't call him pesky." She tilted her head upwards, looking for another kiss.

The door swung open and she and Draco broke apart. Ginny stood in the doorway, looking far from embarrassed. "Oh, it's so sweet of you to drop by, Draco! I hope I'm not interrupting."

Draco glared at her. "What do you think?"

Ginny ignored him and looked at her blushing friend. "Hermione, we've got to talk when he leaves."

"In that case, I'm not leaving," Draco said stubbornly.

"Ginny," Hermione said finally, "I hate to be blunt, but yes, you were interrupting, and we'd appreciate it if you could give us some privacy."

Ginny sighed. "Fine. But George said he and Lee have made some progress with an antidote- they'll test it tomorrow. If it works, you two will have your memories back in a week!"

"That's great, Gin. I actually haven't been able to do much research of my own," Hermione said, biting her lip guiltily. "Do they still need help?"

"I don't know," Ginny shrugged. "I suppose they'll sort it out soon enough, even without your help. Merlin knows you've got enough on your plate."

"How are they planning on testing the antidote?" Hermione asked. Beside her, Draco made an impatient sound, which she ignored.

"I don't know exactly," Ginny said. "I'm sure they've figured something out. If you want to ask them, go ahead."

Hermione glanced at Draco, who had gone to the charmed window and was looking at the weather outside, his back turned to her. "Maybe I will drop by one time," she decided, looking back at Ginny. "I can find George at the shop?"

"Right above it," Ginny affirmed. She snuck a look at Draco, who was drumming his fingers against the windowsill. "I'd better be going."

Draco immediately perked up and whirled around, returning to Hermione's side. "I suppose we'll be seeing you soon."

"You could at least act like you're going to miss me, you know," Ginny said, grinning impishly at him. She took a step back and pretended to study them. "You two really do look so good together," she stated, turning to leave. "Bye!"

Once Ginny closed the door, Hermione looked at Draco. "Of all the impudent things to say," she murmured, blushing. She went to her desk and picked up the flowers. She conjured a vase and almost dropped it when Draco's arms snaked around her waist. "Draco-"

"I happen to agree with her." His voice was soft and deep, and Hermione's breath caught in her throat. He kissed her cheek, and then her shoulder. Hermione fumbled with the vase, putting it on the desk.

"Don't," she said, leaning against him nonetheless. She brought a hand up to cup his face as he bent his head to kiss her neck. "Not in my office."

Draco chuckled, obediently drawing back and turning her around. He placed a chaste kiss on her lips instead, and looked around the room. "I wonder how many times we've done it here," he mused.

Hermione turned crimson. "None," she said firmly, although she was far from certain.

"Your secretary seemed to know me awfully well," Draco smirked at her discomfort. "I must come here quite often."

"Maybe she's the one you've done here," Hermione retorted, moving away from him and sitting down.

He laughed. "Maybe." He sat down across from her. "It doesn't say in your journal?"

"No."

"Pity. I wonder how often you visit my office…"

Hermione blushed again. "It's no use speculating," she said, wanting to change the subject. "Why are you here, again? Some documents?"

"I've already dropped them off upstairs. I just came to visit you."

"And tease me mercilessly and make me extremely uncomfortable, is that right?"

"It is fun," he agreed. She glared at him, and he laughed. "All right, I missed you, that's all."

Hermione looked troubled. "But we just saw-"

"Did you miss me?"

She hesitated.

"Be honest, Hermione. I don't care if you say you didn't, as long as you're honest. I can't blame you."

"If by missing you, you mean that I could hardly wait to go home and see you again- then I guess yes, I did miss you," Hermione smiled shyly and looked at him. He looked pleased. "But isn't this going rather fast?"

"You're still fighting it," Draco said, leaning back in his seat, stretching his legs in front of him. "You're thinking too much about time, about falling in love. Just accept that we've been in love for years, and everything seems easier."

"It's hard to do."

"Only because you're still thinking. Although I suppose it would be easier for me than for you," he said thoughtfully.

"Because you don't think as much?"

"Because I fell in love with you first."

"Oh." Hermione looked sheepish.

"And I didn't go from hating you to loving you. I think I rather admired you, even before I came into your office that fateful day."

They were quiet for a few moments, before Hermione broke the silence. "I wish I could remember it."

"Don't worry, it wasn't as romantic as love at first sight, or anything." Hermione rather thought that falling in love with someone and overcoming years of hatred and prejudice was more romantic than love at first sight, but she didn't say anything. Draco stood up. "I'd better leave, before you ask me if I haven't got anything better to do. I can see you're busy." He eyed the papers on her desk.

"You aren't?" Hermione stood up as well, feeling somewhat disappointed that he was leaving.

"Not very," he said. "I told you, I was bored. In fact, I'll probably go home and play with Ralph- tire him out so he sleeps early." He grinned wickedly.

She approached him, smirking. "I'll see you tonight, then." She stood on tiptoe to kiss him, and his arms automatically went around her back, holding her closer.

"Get back to work," he told her, pulling back slightly, but not letting her go. "One might think you were procrastinating." He kissed her again before releasing her, and left her staring after him, trying to form a coherent thought.

Giving up, Hermione went back to her desk and stared contemplatively at the flowers before resuming her work. Her heart thumped almost painfully in her chest- she wondered if she could plead arrhythmia and leave work early. That would make Draco happy.

The thought made her smile.

End A/N: Reactions? Comments? What do you guys think?