Hermione paused for a moment before knocking and glanced at Draco, an eyebrow raised. He smiled and nodded thinking it was best to just get the initial meeting over with. Literally a second later, the door flew open. Ginny's beaming face was the first thing Hermione saw, as her friend's eyes ran over the two of them. It was almost as if she had been expecting to have an extra guest this evening. It made Hermione even more curious to read what had been said about them in the papers.

Or maybe not.

She cringed at the thought of what Rita Skeeter had been writing. And Lavender. Ever since she had become a gossip columnist for Witch Weekly, just before Ron and her had broken up, she had woven little comments about Hermione into some of her pieces. Just little things at first like when she wrote about 'How to style your hair: tips for those afflicted with bushy nests atop their heads' she had stopped short of naming Hermione outright. She knew it was just a poke at how she had looked at school and it didn't bother her too much. But then as details of her relationship and break up with Ron emerged the commentary got a little nastier. Lavender began to write about 'How to keep your man' and 'Just say yes and keep that man happy!'. It had gotten quite silly really and Hermione managed to ignore most of it and still enjoy some of the articles in the magazine but when it became apparent that Ron had begun dating Lavender, Hermione had stopped reading altogether. She knew it was only a matter of time before private details about their relationship would begin to emerge in the gossip column, thinly cloaked in helpful tips and advice.

Her friends' smile didn't do anything to tamp down her sudden apprehension at the rumours that would be circulating but she tried to hide it as she smiled back. The moment drew out until Ginny realised they were still standing outside.

"Oh! Come in, come in! It's a bit cold out but it's quite comfortable inside. The boys are already asleep so we should have a quiet night."

She ushered them into the kitchen and had them sit at the table. After a bit of fussing around she placed a teapot and cups along with plates of biscuits and cakes. It looked like Ginny was filling her time waiting for the baby to come with baking. No one was complaining. Once they all had their tea and sweets, Ginny took a sip of her drink and placed it on the table before sighing happily. Her eyes darted between the two of them and her smile widened.

"I just want to say, I'm so glad you're here tonight Draco. I've been dying to meet you properly, you know, as an adult and all that. I think it's wonderful that you and Hermione ended up together. Just wonderful."

Hermione nearly put her hands to her face in embarrassment. She knew that Ginny became all gushy and (just a little bit) ridiculous when she was pregnant but this was way over the top. Maybe the idea of romance was what made her act this way. She looked to Draco and found he was taking it all in his stride.

"Thanks Ginny. It's nice to know that I'll be accepted by you. After everything that's happened it's going to take a bit of work to put it all behind us but I think we can all be great friends. Well, most of us anyway. I just hope Harry is as welcoming as you are."

Ginny shook her head and said, "Oh don't you worry about Harry. He'll be fine, I'm sure. Once he sees you two together I'm sure he won't object. He's gotten rather good at separating the past from the present. He had to, really, to retain his sanity. And with two little boys plus little no name here he won't have much time to think on it too much."

Hermione seized the opportunity to change the subject.

"So have you and Harry thought up any names? I know you were having trouble deciding on one together. I always thought Lily would be a nice name for a girl. Or Rose. Or you could have another boy." Hermione knew Ginny was hoping for a girl. Someone to dress up in pretty little outfits and to buy dolls for. She didn't want what had happened to her own parents. To have so many boys would be chaotic at best. Already the two boys ran circles around her with their mischief.

The red-head seemed to pale slightly at the mention of another boy.

"I love James and Albus, I do, but a baby girl would be nice. Although, knowing my luck I'd end up with one like me!"

She chuckled, likely remembering all of the things she had gotten up to, rivalling the twins as the chief mischief maker. She shrugged and said," I'll be happy with whatever I get. I always wanted a big family. Actually Harry and I are thinking of adding another floor onto this house. Otherwise it'll get a bit cramped if we have more children. Speaking of houses, do you think you two will be moving in together?"

Hermione's face turned a dark shade of red as she rushed to say something.

"Ah, we haven't quite got that far Ginny! We've been on one date or two I guess if you count this one. Just slow down a bit alright? Gee, next you'll be asking where we're getting married and how many kids we'll have!"

Draco burst out laughing. He had been enjoying watching the girls banter away. It felt so good to be among friendly people again after being separated from everyone. His self-imposed exile had come to an end. He knew Ginny wouldn't stand for him to not be involved, especially if he and Hermione were going to be together in a serious relationship.

They looked at him for a moment and then began to giggle. Whatever tension had been present vanished as they settled down to drink tea and eat biscuits.

After most of the plates were empty and the teapot had been refilled and emptied twice, Draco excused himself to go to the bathroom.

As soon as he left the room Ginny pounced.

"So?! How was the date? How was his mother? Oh my goodness, you should read what the papers are saying! It's mostly ridiculous, like saying where you'll be going on your honeymoon and confirmations that you are indeed living together and got married secretly! But I know that's not true. Is it?"

Hermione glanced at the doorway, nervous that Draco would come back in a moment. She moved around closer to her friend and said," For a start, no we are not married or living together. How silly! We only just met for goodness sake. Our date was really nice. We had dinner at his house and it was lovely. He made sure there were loads of muggle choices for me, to make me feel comfortable at The Manor. Narcissa didn't interrupt too much, though we did hear her shouting at a house elf. Other than that it was quite a normal evening to be honest. It was nice to get to know each other without any pressure. At least we had that for one night before the papers got hold of the story."

Ginny clasped her hands to her chest as she smiled. The happiness she felt for her friend was palpable as she grabbed her arm to pull her into a hug. Unfortunately for Hermione she grabbed the exact spot Ron had earlier, which made her yelp in pain and pull away cradling her arm.

"You're hurt! Why didn't you say anything? I can heal that for you no problem."

She jumped up to grab her wand while Hermione wondered why she hadn't thought of that herself.

"Roll up your sleeve so I can have a look."

Ginny waited as the material was reluctantly pulled up and she gasped at the dark blue bruises that decorated her friend's skin. They seemed to form the shape of a hand and it only took her a second to jump to a conclusion.

"Did Draco do this to you? How could he? That bastard!"

Hermione held her hands up to quiet her friend before she said something she would really regret. Before she could speak, Draco came back into the kitchen. Luckily all Ginny did was stare daggers at him. It only took him a moment to see what had happened but he thought it was up to Hermione if she wanted to tell her friend the truth so he returned to his chair and waited. Hermione took a deep breath.

"No, it wasn't Draco, Ginny. I don't believe he would ever do this to me. It's really hard for me to tell you this but it was Ron. He came to the library today just as I was getting ready to come here with Draco and he lost it. He'd been reading the papers and came to confront me about it. When I tried to leave with Draco, he grabbed me. Luckily Draco was there otherwise I'm not sure how it would have turned out. He was just so enraged; I've never seen him like that before, at least not directly at me like that."

Ginny sat back in her chair as Hermione got up to sit closely by Draco again. As she sat down she leaned against his side and he could feel she was shaking. Repeating what had happened seemed to make the whole situation sink in a bit more and she was really feeling how volatile the altercation had been. It would have been so much worse if Draco hadn't been there. She rested her head on his shoulder as she waited for Ginny's response.

Her face began to turn red as she realised what her brother had done and what he might have done if not interrupted.

"How dare he! No brother of mine treats someone that way! I knew the fame had gone to his head but now it seems like he thinks he can do whatever he wants!"

Her anger only seemed to grow which alarmed Hermione. Her friend was so close to her due date. The last thing she needed was to go into labour because of Ron being an idiot.

"Calm down Ginny. Everything is fine, really. Nothing happened. I'll just make sure Ron can't get in to see me anymore and that should solve the whole thing."

"But you live alone! He could come to your house any time!"

Hermione sighed and said," I'll put up extra wards to keep him out. And you forget that I'm not completely alone now. Draco will be around from time to time and when you have the baby I'll be here. So relax. I can look after myself. Ron was never particularly good at duelling and I can knock him on his ass if he comes anywhere near me."

She smiled as the colour in the red-heads face began to recede and she took some deep breaths. Draco patted her leg, letting her know he was definitely going to be around. He whispered in her ear," That's right. You'll have to try hard to shake me now. I'll look after you, I promise."

He kissed her cheek and put his arm around her shoulders, making her feel safe already. The chiming of a clock in the lounge room told her it was time to leave. Draco stood with her and she went to Ginny and hugged her.

"We should go. It's late and I confess I'm a bit tired. And you should be in bed yourself. Running around after those little boys all day while heavily pregnant can't be much fun. Here's hoping Harry comes home soon."

Ginny nodded," Yeah, it does get a bit much for me. He tried to get out of the assignment but the head auror wouldn't hear of it. Luckily he'll be retiring soon and hopefully Harry can take the top spot. Then he can have more time with us and balance his work and life a bit better."

They walked to the door and before leaving another round of hugs were in order. After hugging Draco, Ginny said," You look after her. Hermione deserves some happiness," she cocked her head to the side," and you do too I'd say."

Draco grinned and patted her arm," Yes, I think we all do. It's been so long since the war but everyone is still putting the pieces back together."

They left the house, arm in arm and apparated back to Hermione's lounge room. Hermione turned into his arms and rested her head under his chin.

"Thank you. For being here and coming to Ginny's and looking after me. I know we haven't been 'together' long but it feels like we've been dating for years. I already know I just want to be with you and….."

Draco cut her off by tilting her head back and kissing her deeply, his tongue invading her mouth, sending tingling sensations down her back. He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. His voice was low as he said," I should be the one thanking you. I ended up completely isolating myself from everyone and everything, even my mother though that turns out to have been the right choice."

She could hear the smile in his voice.

"I realise now that I missed out on so much. Seeing Ginny tonight really made me see that. Though I guess I shouldn't complain. If I hadn't shut myself off I'd probably be married to some woman my mother chose and then I wouldn't have met you."

Hermione smiled and said," Does this mean we're officially girlfriend and boyfriend? It sounds a bit silly, saying it out loud but I just need to know you want the same thing I do."

Draco nodded and said," Yeah, I know what you mean. And I do, want the same thing you do. A normal relationship would be a nice start, well as normal as we can have anyway with the papers hanging around like they are."

Hermione snorted at that.

"Well the only thing I want right now is sleep."

A nervous look appeared on her face as she asked," Do you think you would mind, I mean do you think it would be okay if you stayed tonight? I don't really feel like being alone after all that stuff with Ron and I haven't had a chance to put the wards up yet…..I sound pathetic I know but….."

Draco cupped her face gently and shook his head.

"It's not pathetic at all. I'll stay as long as you want."

Hermione's face lit up and she grabbed his hand and led him to her bedroom. Just outside the door she stopped and pointed to a door at the end of the hall way.

"The bathroom's down there if you need it. I'll get you some towels in the morning unless you wanted to take a shower now?"

He shook his head and they continued on into the bedroom. Draco was glad to see the room was simply furnished without those frilly bed covers that some women liked. The king size bed was draped with a dark purple quilt with matching pillow cases. The carpet was a light oatmeal colour and the only other pieces of furniture were two bedside tables and a large chest of draws. A recess to his left would be where her hanging clothes were kept and the dark purple curtains perfectly matched the bed spread. Hermione disappeared into the recess to change into her pyjamas and Draco took it as his opportunity to strip down to his boxers and singlet. He got under the covers just as she emerged in light pink satin pyjama pants and a black singlet. He noted, almost subconsciously, that she had removed her bra but he tried not to dwell on it for too long. This sleep over was strictly platonic comfort only. It would be difficult for him to hide his desire, hopefully she would go to sleep quickly, and then he could relax. The morning would be the next hurdle but luckily he was an early riser so he would most likely be awake and in the shower before she got up.

Hermione hesitated before walking over to her side of the bed and climbing in. She sat awkwardly before saying," This is a little odd for me. I haven't had anyone in my bed for some time. So if I act a bit strange then please just ignore it. I just hope I don't accidentally punch or kick you during the night.

Draco just lay down and pulled her onto his chest. She froze for a second and then snuggled into his body, placing one of her arms across his torso.

"Comfy?" he murmured.

"Mhmmm."

Within a few minutes she was asleep. Her even breathing pushed her chest against his side but he found it more comforting than sexual. Hermione wasn't the only one who hadn't slept in a bed with someone for a long time. He didn't think he would manage to get to sleep but before long the sounds of her steady breathing and her warm presence beside helped him tip over into the dark abyss of sleep with a smile on his face.

Ron stood in the shadows just beyond the garden gate that led up to Hermione's cottage, smoking a cigarette. His rage from before had settled into a slow burn, fuelling his hatred for Draco. After the war he had been firmly against allowing former death eaters who were cleared of any crime to settle back into society. He had thought there would an outcry about it but most people just accepted it and got on with their lives. After realising no one wanted to hear his views against it he had thrown himself into the party life and insulated himself with alcohol and women. If he didn't see it then he wouldn't have to deal with it.

He had never once thought his ignoring the situation would come back to bite him on the ass though. Who in a million years would have guessed that Hermione would choose to be with Draco over him? If they had executed them all he wouldn't be in this mess. He would have Hermione back where she belonged and he could continue on with his life as usual. He wouldn't stop partying; he'd just make sure he got better at hiding it. Then Hermione would be happy in her ignorance and he'd be happy choosing a different woman each night while still being able to go home to a cooked dinner and beer. Now what woman wouldn't love that arrangement?

His anger began to rise as he thought of Hermione and how ungrateful she had been. She had been jealous, he supposed. Jealous that he was more famous and better liked than her. That's the reason she had broken up with him, he was sure.

He threw his spent cigarette on the ground and stomped it out with more violence than was necessary. Well, he thought, I'll get her back one way or another and I'll force her to love me again. Whatever it takes. And he knew exactly who to go to for help. In a blink of the eye he was gone, leaving the shadows to seem just a little bit darker for his presence.

Draco's eyes snapped open as he felt soft female hands running over his chest and stomach. His initial alarm settled as he remembered where he was and who was next to him in the bed. He moved his head to the side and saw that Hermione was still asleep and wasn't aware that her movements were beginning to drive him crazy. It was only a matter of time before she brushed against his erection and if that happened he would have a difficult time restraining himself from flipping her on her back and kissing her senseless before moving onto more pleasurable things.

He gently patted her hand to see if that would suffice to wake her up and thankfully it did. He could think of plenty of other things to do to get a reaction from her but none of them were suitable to this particular morning so he was glad when her eyelids fluttered up after the first pat.

"Good morning," she muttered with a smile on her face. She stretched out alongside her bed mate and then settled her head back onto his shoulder. They stayed like that for a little while until reality began to seep into their cosy little bubble. Hermione sat up and said," I'll get you a towel so you can use the shower. I'll get the coffee going. I'm afraid I don't have much in the pantry but I do have a couple of different kinds of cereal."

She shuffled out of bed and grabbed her bath robe before going across the hall to get a towel from the linen cupboard. Draco met her on the threshold of the bedroom and let the towel drop to the floor when she handed it to him as he reached for her instead. He planted a hard kiss on her lips and ran his hands up and down her back saying, "I thought a good morning kiss was in order first. Now I'll have that shower."

He let go of her and managed to jump out of the way as she tried to land a slap on his behind. He laughed and made it to the bathroom to shut the door before she could pursue him and she giggled. If this was what their mornings were going to be like, she decided she would have to invite him over more often.

Once the coffee was ready, Hermione arranged the boxes of cereal on the kitchen table and got the milk out. She was sipping the brew by the time Draco appeared again and she passed him the part of the paper she wasn't reading. He smiled and helped himself to some breakfast. The early morning sun shone in through the bay windows and pooled on the floor around them as they settled in for a comfortable breakfast together.