A/N: It's time for the Christmas Eve party and our favourite couple will be getting their flirt on some more.
The story is now complete and will be a total of 28 chapters, and I cannot wait to share the coming chapters with you.
I haven't said it in a while, but thank you for all the kudos and comments. It means a lot to me.
Jane_Davidson...thank you once again for your help. We're so close to the end now ;)
Here are the songs you can listen to for this chapter if you like:
Echosmith – Bright
Shekhinah – Different
Will Linley – Last Call
Vance Joy – Clarity
Taylor Swift - Enchanted
Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 25:
December 2005:
"This looks cozy," Theo said when he and Harry walked over to join them at the drinks table where Hermione and Draco were shamelessly flirting with each other.
After a busy afternoon—Draco helping the boys, while Hermione and the girls handled the decorations—they'd agreed to meet each other in the Great Hall for the party.
And since the moment their eyes met across the vast dining hall when she walked in, they've barely been able to keep away from each other.
The fact that Draco had chosen a green suit for the party, the colour so dark it almost looked black, had her feeling flushed with attraction. A deep warmth roused inside her chest, trickling a languid, sticky-sweet path down her body to settle between her legs.
With the expensive material fitting snugly over his broad shoulders, trousers highlighting strong thighs and what she already knew was a divine arse, he was easily the most beautiful and simultaneously intimidating man in the room.
And he was hers…
"Go away," Hermione said and narrowed her eyes at Theo. "I don't want you anywhere near the drinks tonight. I don't trust you not to spike the apple cider or the hot chocolate."
"I would never…" Theo gasped with feigned affront, placing a hand on his heart. But the twitch of his lips gave him away.
"You totally would," Harry countered with an eye roll and then leaned in to kiss Hermione on the cheek in greeting. "He's got a hipflask in his pocket. Keep your eyes open."
Harry's eyes did a circuit of her body and then flicked up to her face. "You look gorgeous, by the way."
The red dress she'd chosen for tonight was simple, strappy and skimmed the floor. But it clung to her body like a second skin. And Draco had certainly taken notice.
He scowled at Harry and waved him away with the flick of his wrist, "Why don't you go make out with your boyfriend in a dark corner somewhere, Potter? Leave us in peace."
Even though Draco knew Harry wasn't interested in her, it seemed he didn't like it when other men stared at her.
He didn't share well. Never has.
"How do you manage not to show any panty lines?" Theo asked her as he gripped her shoulders to spin her in a slow circle while he stared at her arse. "With a dress this tight…"
Draco growled at the comment, but instead of saying anything, he lifted his drink to his lips to take a large mouthful of what she strongly suspected was spiked cider of his own doing.
Hermione found his annoyance and jealousy incredibly endearing and…sexy.
"It's because she's not wearing any knickers," Harry supplied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Hermione blushed a spectacular crimson. It was rather mortifying to be put on the spot like this.
Draco choked on his drink and coughed into his hand to clear his throat, but his eyes dipped to her hips as if to confirm Harry's statement.
His grey eyes flared before they volleyed up to meet hers, wild and intense.
Oh boy…
She squeezed her thighs together. This was not the time and place to get aroused. And yet…
"Ohhh. Makes sense," Theo nodded. His lips kicked up into a crooked smirk and his eyes twinkled when he switched his attention to Draco. "It's a shame that the two of you," he gestured between Draco and her, "Aren't…you know…shagging yet. Would have made things infinitely easier when undressing her." He winked at Draco.
"Can you just not?" Draco asked, sighing with exasperation. A muscle in his jaw twitched and a hint of pink bloomed high on his cheeks.
"Fine, fine," Theo waved a dismissive hand. "I can see this is a touchy subject. Mind if I steal your girlfriend for a moment? Won't be long, I promise. And you can cool off in the meantime."
Theo didn't wait for Draco to give his permission before he dragged Hermione away toward the food table.
Every single seat at the dozens of small tables throughout the Great Hall sported a gingerbread house with icing and toppings that the guests could use to decorate their houses later.
The room was decked out in golds, reds and greens, and small Christmas trees floated a few feet above each table, covered in little twinkling lights and glass baubles.
For the centrepieces, they'd chosen simple glass cylinders with floating tea candles, and thick bushels of holly curled around them.
The plates were white with a red, candy cane border. Scrawled across the centre of the plate in gold cursive, it said 'Merry Christmas, Hogwarts 2005'.
During the evening, champagne would be served to those old enough to drink alcohol, but Hermione had put strict limits on the number of drinks each guest could have tonight. It was a nifty little charm Flitwick had shown Hermione last week.
"If sex was on offer, I don't think Draco would have let you enjoy the party for much longer," Theo said casually as they reached the food table, well out of earshot.
"Is that honestly why you dragged me all the way over here and away from my date?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.
"No." He huffed a laugh at her irritation. "It's just an observation."
"Based on what, exactly?" She crossed her arms and cocked a brow.
"Based on the way he's looking at you tonight," Theo explained.
When Hermione looked over her shoulder at Draco and Harry, Draco met her gaze and kept it for a few seconds, broody and intense, and then turned away to continue his conversation with Harry.
Was it hot in here? Because she felt feverish and wired all at once.
"We're getting there," she admitted to Theo, downing her champagne. "I think things are going well. He kissed me yesterday when we were patrolling the late shift together."
"Oh, I know…" He smirked devilishly. "Draco told me…about everything. Even about your awkward encounter with the head boy and head girl."
"Merlin," she sighed and tried to temper her blush. "Is there really nothing the two of you don't share with each other like a couple of gossiping biddies?"
"No, not really," he shrugged. "It's been this way forever. But you know that; don't start acting all abashed and surprised all of a sudden."
"Speaking of progress," Hermione shifted the subject to Harry and Theo, "How are things going with you and Harry? Is therapy helping?"
"Actually…" Theo rubbed his neck and shuffled his feet nervously. "That's what I want to talk to you about," he admitted. "Harry was very much against the idea of getting married for the longest time."
Yes. Everyone who knew them well was acutely aware of their…commitment issues. Specifically, Harry's commitment issues.
"But since we've been going to therapy twice a week his opinion on the matter has started to change. He's no longer scared of holding back his feelings. And he's dropped a few hints that he's ready for another proposal. The thing is…" Theo grimaced, "I want to do it right. I know he wants a grand gesture."
"Oh, wow! This is it then, isn't it? You two are genuinely considering getting married."
"I've been ready for a long time, Hermione," Theo admitted, serious for once. "For the longest time, Harry wanted to hear nothing about it. But now I think he might say yes if I put some proper thought into the proposal. I think he just wants me to take it seriously."
Hermione's eyes shot full of tears and she tried to blink them away, giving Theo a big grin. "You have no idea how happy this makes me."
He sniffled and looked down at his feet for a few seconds, and Hermione had a sneaking suspicion that he was also overcome with emotion.
"What do you need me to do?" she asked.
His head tipped up to meet her eyes and he afforded her a hint of a smile. "I need ideas for a grand gesture. You've known Harry for a long time. And I want to do it right, this time. I need to do it right. He deserves a perfect proposal."
"When are you planning on proposing?"
"Honestly?" he puffed a nervous laugh and scratched his jaw. "As soon as fucking possible. It all depends on how quickly you can help me come up with a plan."
"Tell you what," she said, "Let's go for coffee after New Year's and brainstorm. In the meantime, I'll think of some ideas to pitch to you."
"Thank you. You're the best." He planted a smacking kiss on her cheek. "I'll owe you so big."
He hooked his arm through hers and led her back to Draco and Harry who were knee-deep in conversation and looking, uncharacteristically, like they were almost tolerating each other.
Hermione was overjoyed that Theo felt ready to make Harry a permanent part of his life and she could see this proposal was important to him.
It was this knowledge that gave Hermione an idea. Leverage, if you will.
She turned her smile on Theo and whispered in his ear, "If you even think about spiking the drinks tonight, I will leave you to fend for yourself regarding the proposal ideas."
Theo halted, his mouth popping open in shock. His eyes narrowed slowly. "You wouldn't dare."
She shrugged, flashing him the signature Malfoy smirk. "Spike the drinks and find out…"
"You're no fun," he pouted. "I'm not sure I like you anymore."
"You do realize you're responsible for the children that are in attendance tonight, Professor," she said, emphasizing his position. "I swear to Godric that sometimes you still forget you're not a student anymore."
"You know what they say…" he winked. "You're only as old as you feel."
"I assume Theo told you about his plans to propose to Potter? Again," Draco said in her ear as they swayed together on the dancefloor a while later.
"Yes, and he's looking for ideas for a grand gesture."
"Do you think Potter will say yes this time?" Draco asked. There was a frown between his brows.
"What's got you so worried about this?" she asked, dragging a finger over the pucker between his eyebrows. "They've been going back and forth forever."
"Theo deserves to be happy. And while Potter does make him happy for some unfathomable reason, every time he declines Theo's proposals it breaks his heart a little bit more."
"Babe…" Hermione said and cupped his cheek, the endearment slipping out unbidden. Draco didn't seem bothered by it, so she let it go. "I think Harry just needs to know that Theo is sure about what he wants. To make an effort at a proper proposal instead of playing it casual. And I think their couples therapy helped a lot. This proposal might be it for them."
"How do you feel about the idea of them getting married?" he asked.
"I'm honestly relieved. They've been together for so many years. And while they've broken up too many times to count, they've never shown interest in other people because they love each other too much. Deep down they know there will never be anyone else for them. It's about time they got their shit together."
"You do realize we'll be best man and maid of honour at their wedding, right?"
"We'd better be…" she grinned.
Hermione thought it was great that she and Draco could talk about their friends contemplating marriage without bringing up their own painful past.
Marriage was something she still wanted with Draco. Very much. She wanted their life in Portland back. But Draco was happy here at Hogwarts and so was she. For the time being, at least.
He still had dreams of opening an apothecary, and while she was content to teach for now she sometimes missed parts of curse-breaking. The difficult, complicated curses that forced her to think. To pay close attention. She craved the challenge those rare curses presented. But she enjoyed teaching, too.
"What are you thinking about so hard?" Draco asked and spun her outward in a well-practised move before pulling her back into his arms.
She shrugged. "The future. What I want to do with my fancy curse-breaking certificate. It seems like a waste having gone through four years of training to keep teaching Ancient Runes for the rest of my life. But I can't stomach decommissioning manors for the foreseeable future."
"Oh?" He seemed surprised. "And what do you want to do?"
"I've been playing with the idea of enrolling in a two-year advanced course on rare curses. Maybe act as a consultant for Gringotts or St Mungo's after that. Get involved in curses that attack the magical core, blood curses, generational curses even. Or I could train interns."
"I think that's a great idea. It's much more interesting than spending your life decommissioning pure-blood manors or breaking mundane curses on trinkets and jewellery."
"I might get to work on that when the time is right. For now, I'm happy where I am. Working with children is challenging and rewarding enough and it's also the interlude I need to figure out my plans moving forward."
"I know what you mean. I didn't envision becoming a professor when I started my mastery, but I'm happy with the path I've chosen for the time being. I enjoy helping the first years to learn to fly. I like being involved with Quidditch and I enjoy seeing the looks on my students' faces when they discover their love for potion brewing. But eventually, I want more for myself."
"Do you think you'll ever go back to Portland?"
"If you asked me that question in September it would have been a hard no."
"But now?" she prompted.
"Now…" Draco pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "It's not as painful to consider going back. It's easier to allow myself to remember the good times we had. It's easier to envision us as the people we were five years ago."
Her stomach fluttered. Draco was definitely starting to let down some of his walls.
Progress never felt as thrilling as it did right at that moment.
Hermione also realized suddenly what Draco had meant when he told Abigail that they needed to fall in love with the people they'd become.
An older Draco with a sense of contentment about where he was in his life. A life where he enjoyed teaching children, whether Quidditch or Potions. A patient leader. But also, a man with a clear picture of what he wanted for his future even after his father had taken everything from him.
She was falling in love with this scarred but perfectly imperfect version of him.
Everything about him had changed, yet nothing had changed at all.
He made mistakes, but so did she. And somehow, they still found themselves gravitating toward each other. Healing, reconnecting and slowly starting to trust and forgive each other.
"Want to sneak outside and snog in a dark corner somewhere?" Draco asked her, his eyes hot and his lips brushing the shell of her ear. "I promise I won't take things further than you're comfortable with."
xxx
When Draco and Hermione walked hand in hand back into the Great Hall almost an hour later, nobody took note of them except for Theo and Harry.
With dishevelled hair and a crooked tie, Draco grinned at Hermione as they made their way over to their friends.
If he looked as rumpled as this, she didn't even want to consider what she looked like right now. Draco had kissed her to within an inch of her life against a wall outside in the courtyard, hot, slow and deep. Had run his fingers through her hair, and had copped a feel of her arse (confirming that she wasn't wearing knickers) and her breasts above her dress, but they'd avoided any serious grinding.
The last thing they needed was to lose control and end up having sex in a dark corner…again.
She was content with where they found themselves in their relationship at this point. It felt as if things were progressing naturally between them. And while she wanted nothing more than to drag him back to her room and into her bed, she wasn't going to push him beyond his emotional comfort zone. They'd both know it the moment they were ready for more. For promises and declarations and firm plans for a future together.
It's been such a long time since she's experienced a racing pulse, butterflies in her stomach and the thrill of falling in love. But lately, she was starting to experience all of those things all over like she had the first time.
And she was happy.
"It's really good to see the two of you like this," Theo said when the four of them moved along the food table, piling their plates full of food.
She and Draco were stealing glances at each other, too distracted to notice what they were adding to their plates. And he was wearing the sexiest grin as if he'd just been announced the winner of a prize.
The food tables boasted everything from pieces of Vienna sausages shaped into Christmas trees to charcuterie boards packed into Christmas wreaths. Fruits and cheeses were arranged as large stars or Santa hats. The colourful vegetable plates were arranged into snowmen, bordered by devilled eggs that resembled reindeer.
Steam curled from cinnamon star bread and cheesy pull-apart bread that looked like it had just come out of the oven. There were also mountains of roasted garlic mushrooms, brown sugar Dijon glazed pork loin cuts, and of course, to Draco's delight, a dessert table with various sweets and puddings.
But his favourite was the hot drinks station where he'd singlehandedly consumed half a gallon of hot chocolate with tiny marshmallows. He had a serious sweet tooth, and she could just imagine what her parents would have said about sugar and cavities had they been here to witness Draco practically inhaling the hot chocolate.
"It feels really good. I wasn't sure we'd even make it to this point," Hermione admitted to Theo and reached out to squeeze Draco's hand. "But I think we are happy with how our relationship is going right now."
"We are," Draco agreed with a twinkle in his eye and a quirk of his lips. "Very much so."
It was rather satisfying to hear Draco say it, but seeing the proof and getting to experience it was even better.
The way it felt every time he kissed her, the way his arms tightened around her when he hugged her, and more than anything, the way he looked at her spoke louder than words ever could.
"Did you see who Turpin's date is for tonight?" Harry asked and nudged his chin toward the dance floor.
Hermione, Draco and Theo turned to follow Harry's line of sight, eager to see whom he was referring to.
Lo and behold, slow dancing and sharing intimate whispers was Lisa Turpin…with Terence Higgs of all wizards holding her close.
Hermione's lips hitched up into a smile and she glanced at Draco. "Can't say I saw this coming or that I ever pictured them together, but they make a very beautiful couple."
"And they look happy," Draco said while they watched their ex-lovers sway on the dance floor. "Hopefully she'll stop glaring at me in the corridors from now on."
Hagrid and McGonagall joined the four of them at their table where they were busy discussing the upcoming New Year's Eve party while they ate.
"I hope you're prepared for a larger turnout for New Year's Eve, Professor Granger," McGonagall said when their plates were cleared and their clothes much tighter than at the start of the evening.
"How so?" Hermione asked and sipped on her Christmas cocktail, Draco's fingers laced with hers and resting on her thigh.
The same warm, sticky-sweet heat from earlier was building low in Hermione's belly, but right now it had far less to do with arousal and more to do with her feelings toward Draco.
She was falling head over heels for him. Again. Fast and fierce, sweeping her along in a riptide while she fought to keep her head above water. It was exciting and terrifying all at once.
"Tonight's party has been a lovely change from the usual affair. I think everyone is having a great time and once word spreads, the rest of the students and staff will be eager to come for New Year's Eve," McGonagall explained.
"Luckily I've made provisions for a larger turnout. And there's still time until Wednesday for additional guests to RSVP."
"We're willing to jump in and help if you need more hands," Harry kindly offered and looked over at Theo for confirmation, who nodded in agreement.
"An' I'm 'ere too. Jus shout if there's summat yeh need help with, Hermione," Hagrid added.
"Thanks, you guys," she said, touched by the offer. "I'll let you know. Let's give it a few days to see where we're at with the guest list. But the prefects are like a well-oiled machine. They make these events almost effortless."
On their way back to their quarters Draco and Hermione paused a few times to snog behind tapestries, and with careful glances, snuck back out whenever the coast was clear.
Getting to experience dating Draco out in the open and behaving like a normal couple who eagerly tried to sneak in as much time together and as many kisses as possible before their night ended was an entirely new feeling.
There was nothing to hide. No one to look out for. It was simply becoming an effortless part of her day to spend time with him. Get to know each other again. Fall in love. And she wondered if he was feeling even a tenth of what she was whenever they were together.
When Draco dropped her off at her quarters he declined to join her for coffee and more snogging, stating earnestly that he was a little too tipsy and turned on tonight to trust himself not to cross a line.
And as much as she was disappointed not to have his mouth on hers some more, she respected his restraint and levelheadedness very much. It made her fall in love just a little bit more to know he was taking things seriously. That he wasn't just buttering her up to have sex with her as soon as he could.
He wasn't rushing into this to get his way.
Their relationship was heading in the right direction at this point, and after she'd said good night to him, took a quick shower and tucked herself into bed, she drifted off to sleep with one word echoing in her mind.
Soon…
xxx
On Christmas morning, Draco and Hermione met up a little earlier for their jog and then opened presents together before breakfast.
This morning, there would be the usual spread, but she'd asked the house-elves to add flasks of hot chocolate, marshmallows and candy canes, and for lunch, they would be serving the dessert that had been left over from the party.
Everyone had stuffed themselves so full of the food that they'd barely made a dent in the puddings last night.
She and Draco had both received a Christmas card from Ginny and Blaise, which turned out to be more of a postcard. From Bali…
"Of course, they'd go and do something like this," Draco grumbled and nudged Hermione to read her own postcard. "Couldn't wait a few months and have us be there like a normal couple."
"Oh…wow…" Hermione gaped at the words on the back of the card when she flipped it over. "We should have expected something like this to happen. I mean, it's Ginny and Blaise, after all. Always expect the unexpected, right?"
"And then some…" Draco murmured as he re-read the postcard.
Apparently, Ginny and Blaise had decided to tie the knot while on holiday in Bali because Molly had been driving them up the wall with the wedding plans.
Ginny wasn't interested in a big wedding, nor was she interested in getting married at the Burrow. Hermione could fully appreciate her friend's reluctance.
Experiencing steamroller-Molly while planning Bill and Fleur's wedding had been downright scary, and while she was happy that Ginny and Blaise had followed their hearts; stood up for what they wanted, Hermione was sad that Draco and she hadn't been there for Ginny and Blaise's big day to show their support.
"Would you want to be stuck planning a wedding with Molly Weasley as your future mother-in-law?" Hermione said and gave Draco a severe look.
"Well…" he chewed his cheek, contemplating the idea. "No, I suppose not. I imagine it would be on par with having to deal with my mother."
"Sounds about right," she nodded. "But maybe they'll decide to have a small ceremony when they get back, just to make their family and friends feel included. I doubt Molly is taking the news well. And I'm pretty sure she's not going to let this go without getting her way."
"Luckily, Blaise has Molly wrapped around his finger. You know how charming he can be."
Hermione grimaced. "Let's hope Molly never finds out what goes on between Ginny and Blaise behind closed doors, then. And I'm using the word 'closed' very loosely here."
Draco concurred with a cock of his head.
"Because Molly is very traditional. If she even knew half the things those two get up to…"
"I imagine she'd have a far worse reaction than when she'd caught you and George on the kitchen table," Draco interjected.
"Well, yes. That was child's play in comparison."
When the only presents left to open were the ones they'd gotten each other, Hermione had the urge to leave the room to give Draco some privacy. One of these presents might very well upset him.
Best to lead with the controversial gift and get it over with.
She handed him one of the two envelopes in their pile. "Not very exciting-looking, I know. But read it carefully."
"Any particular reason you're looking nervous right now?" he asked, cocking a brow as he opened the envelope and pulled out a thick, folded-up parchment."
"Read it first and then I'll explain."
Draco unfolded the parchment, eyes quickly scanning the contents. Suddenly, a brow cocked in surprise, and then his eyes flicked up to hers. "I don't quite understand…"
"It's every single galleon you paid me in alimony," she said. "I've never used a single knut. Didn't feel right after I used your father's money to buy myself a house."
"No, Hermione," he said and handed her the parchment. "This is yours to keep."
"That's just it, Draco. It's not mine, and maybe if you never had to part with this money every month, you would have been able to open an apothecary already."
He opened his mouth to disagree, but she cut him off. "Look, babe. You deserve this, and I want to help you realize your dream. Hopefully, this will help."
"I just…I…" Draco let out a strangled sound and then huffed, at a loss for words.
"Why don't you open your next present? I promise I'll let you fight with me about the money later," she offered, relieved that he wasn't angry with her for keeping the money instead of giving it back the moment she'd decided not to use it.
The next envelope distracted Draco entirely. "No way!" He gaped at her. "Please tell me you're not messing with me right now, Hermione? Or you'll break my heart." His eyes dipped back to the golden rectangle of parchment in his hand, eyes lovingly caressing the words.
She huffed a laugh. "I am not messing with you."
"But…how?" he asked. "It's only supposed to be available for pre-order to the public in July."
A few weeks ago, when Hermione had seen the sign posted in the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies advertising the Tempest 2006, she'd slipped inside to find out more.
According to the shop owner, the Tempest was only available to Professional players at the moment. The public would be able to pre-order their brooms from July.
And when she'd contacted Victor Krum to ask if he'd be able to pull a few strings for her, he'd readily agreed.
Let it never be said that having friends in high places wasn't beneficial, because Draco's Tempest would be delivered early in January.
"It's a secret. So, don't ask too many questions."
"No questions," Draco agreed. "Thank you so much. These are incredibly thoughtful gifts. But I'm afraid your presents aren't nearly as amazing."
"There's nothing I need, Draco. Just getting to spend Christmas with you for the first time in five years is more than enough for me."
Her first present had been a basket of speciality bath tonics, the other a first edition of The Secret Garden.
After all these years, he still remembered the significance of the book.
But when Hermione opened her last present, she was at a loss for words. It was a delicate necklace with a cluster of diamonds in the shape of the Capricorn constellation, and before she could get a word out, Draco explained that it was in remembrance of their baby who would have been born in January.
The thought behind this gift had been enough to bring tears to her eyes.
Gone but never forgotten…
xxx
Over the next week, Draco and Hermione enjoyed sleeping a little later than usual and pushed their morning runs to eleven. He came by to get her every morning for breakfast and then they headed to the Great Hall hand in hand, only saying goodbye to each other much later in the evenings.
While there were still curious looks from some of the students and staff, it seemed the newness of their relationship had run its course. They were no longer the hottest topic of discussion, and it was a welcome change.
Draco tirelessly helped her and the prefects to complete their to-do lists and often went to Hogsmeade with her to pick up the supplies they needed.
It gave them the perfect excuse to get out of the castle and have lunch together while still being productive.
Sometimes they went to Diagon Alley if their supplies weren't available in Hogsmeade, making an entire day of it with nothing rushing them.
Their time together over the holidays so far had been exactly what they'd needed to get even closer to each other.
Abigail had squeezed them in for a session on the twenty-ninth of December, and she thought it had gone really well.
"I see you two are still holding hands," Abigail pointed out when they took their seats on the lumpy couch. Hermione was starting to grow fond of it despite her best intentions. "You two seem more relaxed today. Closer. How have things been going lately?"
"Things have been going well," Draco said and glanced at Hermione for affirmation. She gave him an encouraging smile.
While she knew they were making progress, it was nice to hear it come from him.
"We've been enjoying the break from classes so far. The holidays have given us a chance to spend more time together."
Hermione nodded.
"The last time the two of you were here you admitted you still loved each other but that you needed to fall in love with the people you've become since the divorce. How is that going?"
"It's…" Hermione blushed. "It's starting to feel like it did the first time around. Exciting and intense." Remembering how things have gotten hot and heavy every time they've kissed made Hermione's stomach swoop.
"She's constantly on my mind," Draco said. "I feel compelled to be around her every second of the day and I think it's a good thing that I don't have lessons to focus on because I'm permanently distracted."
"Have you two had sex yet?" Abigail asked evenly.
Instead of scowling as he had the first time Abigail had asked about their sex life, Draco smirked. And she knew he was thinking of the time they'd been so absorbed in their kiss that they'd stumbled in on Malik and Bailey. And how, when Draco had walked her back to her room and kissed her again, they'd both come just from a little grinding.
"Not yet," he said casually.
"But we want to," Hermione tacked on. And as embarrassing as this was to admit, they needed to be honest with Abigail if they wanted to avoid any bumps in the road.
"Yes, we do," he agreed, but he was looking at her instead of Abigail when he said it. And the way her stomach clenched at those words, coupled with the intensity of his stare made her squeeze her thighs together. "And it's been…challenging trying to navigate these feelings while also respecting Hermione's boundaries." He cleared his throat. "And I fully intend on sticking to those boundaries, just to be clear, but whenever we kiss…" He cut off, blushing.
"We often get carried away, and in those moments, I find it difficult to stick to my guns. I struggle to remind myself why we're not just giving into those desires," Hermione added.
"While I'm proud of you two for delaying sex until you're both emotionally ready, there are a few things that I'd like to point out if you're open to hearing them."
"Sure," Hermione said.
Draco nodded for Abigail to give her opinion.
"Don't take this as judgement or criticism. It's just something to consider," Abigail told Hermione. "It's possible that having sex with you is part of Draco's love language. While sex may have meant absolutely nothing to him with other women, it may mean everything to him when it's with you."
Hermione looked at Draco, cocking her head as if to ask if that were true.
He looked sincere when he said, "That's rather accurate, yes."
This revelation left Hermione breathless for a moment. "I've honestly never considered it like that."
"Sex is often a way of expressing your feelings to your partner without using words. When there's love involved. But you two have had sex before, and it would be very easy to give in and fall into bed together. However, I don't want you two to think that it's the end of the world if you slip up and have sex. It's a natural progression in any relationship. As long as you're committed to working on your relationship. Having sex again cannot be the point where you two stop trying to work through your problems, because it may very well mean you'll never get to the point where you're ready for a future together. Or it might lead to another divorce in the long run."
"You've certainly given me something to think about," Hermione said and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. She didn't think Abigail meant they should go back to the castle right now and rip off each other's clothes. But there might come a time when they become weary of fighting their desire for each other, and if they felt confident in their feelings for each other at that point, it wouldn't necessarily hurt their progress.
Draco looked pensive. He wasn't air-punching with satisfaction. Nor was he saying, "I told you so." The look in his eyes told her he was fully aware of how delicate their relationship was and that he was wary of ruining their progress by having sex right now.
She could sympathise. The idea of fucking up all of their hard work, because they couldn't control their baser desires, was terrifying. And yet, she couldn't wait for the moment they decided to give intimacy a go.
"Let's move on from the topic of sex for now," Abigail smiled gently, sensing she'd made her point. "How are things going regarding trust?"
"It's been easier letting Hermione in. Letting her get closer," Draco answered first. "I no longer look at her and think only of what went wrong. I look at her and think of all the potential our relationship has. I'm beginning to imagine a future with her again. Making plans. If that makes sense?"
"It makes perfect sense. And I'm happy you're feeling this way. Hermione," Abigail turned to her. "How have you been feeling?"
"I've been working on banishing some of my insecurities. One of the main issues regarding trust is Draco's sexual history, but I realized recently that he never gave me a reason to doubt his commitment while we were together. Apart from the misunderstanding with Astoria, Draco has always been faithful and he's never made me feel as if he wasn't attracted to me. Those were my own issues driving a wedge between us. We're also trying to be very open with each other about what we're feeling. It's slow going, but we're getting there."
"You are a very beautiful woman, Hermione. Can you possibly tell me why you feel insecure? What goes through your mind when you look in the mirror?"
"Oh, this is very easy to answer." She shifted in her seat and told Abigail, "I'm short. I have the most ridiculous curls and the colour isn't even remarkable. I have small breasts, hardly any curves and I don't like wearing a lot of make-up. In comparison to the women he's had sex with, I fall short every time."
Abigail opened her mouth to say something, but Draco cut her off.
"May I weigh in here, please?" he asked Abigail.
"Please, go ahead," she allowed with a smile.
He turned to Hermione. "I know that I am to blame for a lot of your insecurities from when we were younger. I made fun of your teeth and your hair. About the fact that you liked to read and had an answer for everything in class. I'm really sorry about how I acted when I was a child. But now, when I look at you, I see a head of curls that I can tangle my fingers in. That always smells like jasmine. You have the most intoxicating eyes; it's like the purest honey. And yes, you are short, babe. Nobody can deny that. But it's the best feeling in the world to be able to wrap you in my arms and keep you safe, even if you're more than capable of looking after yourself. Call it some primitive cave-man instinct if you want. But where you see it as a bad thing, I love how petite you are."
He traced her bottom lip with his thumb. "You don't need a stitch of make-up, because you're already beautiful without it. As for the rest, I'd rather tell you those when we're alone. I don't think it's appropriate with our therapist sitting right across from us."
Hermione's cheeks flamed. She had not expected that.
"There will never be any competition. You're real. You're natural and you are absolutely perfect. If those women were what I was looking for in a girlfriend or a wife I would have married one of them a long time ago. But you have to understand that you're the only women I've ever loved." Draco turned back to Abigail. "I hope that cleared things up?"
Abigail's cheeks were pink and there was a sparkle in her eyes. She seemed rather pleased for a woman who spent most of their sessions with a placid expression fixed on her face. "Hermione?" Abigail directed Draco's question to her.
"I…" her voice sounded raspy, her pulse was racing and her stomach was aflutter, all from Draco's admission. She cleared her throat. "Yes. I think that clears up a few things."
For the rest of their session, Abigail focused on their relationships with their parents, starting with the present and working their way back to their respective childhoods.
Draco and Hermione told Abigail about his parents and how they'd disapproved of his relationship with her. How they'd hidden their relationship and how they'd broken up a few times because of it.
They told her about their life in Portland. That they'd run away together to escape his parents. That he'd forfeited his inheritance to be with her and how his mother had tracked them down and coaxed them into moving back to the Manor.
Hermione told Abigail about everything that had happened while living in the Manor, and about the day she'd walked away from Draco.
Draco revealed to Abigail what Lucius had told him about Hermione's reason for leaving. How his father had twisted everything and had still not given him his inheritance.
They delved into the lack of love and support Draco had received from his parents. The expectations placed upon him to marry a pure-blood witch. About Lucius and Narcissa's marriage and their multiple affairs.
Hermione explained what had happened to her parents after the memory-modification spell, and how Harry had been her support system during the whole process. She told Abigail that she'd had a very different childhood from Draco. That her childhood had been nothing but happy and stable. She'd always felt supported and appreciated. Very much loved by both her parents.
And once again, her heart ached for Draco. He never had a good role model for relationships with women. He'd been privy to his father's affairs—many of them his friends' mothers—at a very impressionable age.
She wanted Draco to always feel loved and important. Wanted to be there for him, be understanding and caring. Wanted to set an example for him. But thanks to her mistakes, she had absolutely no right to be anyone's role model when it came to relationships.
"How do you two feel about Draco's parents' approval of your relationship this time around?"
"I don't care if they approve or not," Draco said, squaring his shoulders. "This time I know better than to let them dictate the outcome of my relationship with Hermione. They have no place in our future."
"We're not hiding our relationship from anyone this time. And I've certainly learned my lesson after taking Lucius at his word the first time. Draco and I have promised to be open and honest about everything, and while we're still working on our communication skills, it's becoming easier with every day that goes by. We're no longer allowing outside opinions to influence our decisions," Hermione explained.
xxx
On one of their trips to Diagon Alley, Rita Skeeter showed up while Draco and Hermione were enjoying lunch at The Leaky Cauldron.
Everyone in the pub turned to stare at them where they were sitting together, holding hands when Bozo started snapping pictures for the Prophet.
Without bothering to ask permission, Rita Skeeter slipped into a chair at their table, red lips turned up into a delighted smile. "Miss Granger, Mister Malfoy," she tittered. "What a surprise this is to find the two of you holding hands and smiling at each other. I never thought I'd see the day. The wizarding community is going to devour this story."
Skeeter's eyes glazed over and with unnecessary gesturing as if laying out a front-page headline, she announced to herself, "Death Eater and Golden Girl in love – A tale of forgiveness and redemption."
When Bozo practically blinded them with the flash of his camera inches from their faces, Draco pushed his chair back with a deafening scrape, ready to grab the photographer by the throat.
Hermione could see that he was already irritated with Skeeter and her disregard for their privacy, but a picture and an article of them in the Prophet was inevitable now that they'd started dating publicly.
"Don't, Draco," she whispered and grabbed his hand. "Let them write whatever they like. Let them photograph us together. We aren't hiding this like the first time, right?"
Without waiting for his answer, she turned to Skeeter. "But you better get your photographer out of our faces before he gets himself hurt. He can stand over by the bar." She nudged her head in Tom's direction where he was watching them carefully while wiping the bar top as if ready to intervene at a moment's notice. "We're trying to eat, for Godric's sake."
With Draco towering intimidatingly over him, Bozo hastily retreated, nearly tripping over his feet in the process.
Only when Bozo and his camera were out of reach did Draco take his seat again, scowling at Skeeter.
But as frustrated as he was about the intrusion, Hermione could see another one of his walls crumble.
She knew hiding their relationship from the world had been a sore spot for him after the nonsense Lucius had talked about Hermione being ashamed of him.
And maybe for once, Skeeter's presence was helping instead of hurting.
Still as perpetually nosy as ever and not one to beat around the bush, Skeeter fired off a string of questions to them as her trusty Quick-Quotes Quill hovered close by.
"Are the two of you dating?"
"What happened with your engagement to Chase Montgomery, Miss Granger?"
"Are you officially off the market now, Mr Malfoy?"
"Any plans for a proposal in the near future?"
They kept their answers short and vague, telling Skeeter that yes, they'd been dating for a few weeks now and that she'd never been engaged to Montgomery to begin with.
Draco told Skeeter that he was most assuredly off the market now and that whether they were planning to get married today, tomorrow or in ten years, it was none of her bloody business.
It struck her suddenly, as Skeeter disappeared through the door to the pub, that she and Draco have been dating for almost a month now. And surprisingly, things were going better than she'd imagined it would by this point.
"You'll be my date for the New Year's party, right?" she asked with a casual shoulder bump as they walked hand in hand toward the closest apparition point, wading carefully through the thick snow on the sidewalk that had started falling late last night.
Hermione was sipping on a takeaway cup of Butterbeer while Draco vanished his empty hot chocolate cup.
He turned his head to look at her with a frown. "Of course, I will. How is that even a question?"
"I'm just making sure I'll have someone to kiss at midnight," she winked and bit her lip to suppress a grin.
Draco let go of her hand to wrap his arm around her middle, guiding her across the cobblestone street. "Oh, you'll have someone to kiss all right, Granger. And it's going to be me."
xxx
They say hindsight is twenty-twenty…
And thus, Hermione should have known better than to turn her back on Draco as they headed toward the gates of the school.
The grounds were covered in an even thicker layer of snow than in town, making it difficult to keep her balance.
Add to that the savage, unexpected snowball Draco threw at her and she was pitching forwards, falling face-first into the snow.
Her face was freezing in an instant, and while she spluttered and spat out a mouth full of snow, Draco hurried over to her and apologized with poorly contained snorts of laughter.
"Shit, love. I'm so sorry," he said and coughed to hide another laugh. "I didn't mean to hit you so hard with the snowball." He sank to his knees to help her sit up and wiped the snow from her face and hair, and then pressed a kiss to her lips.
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Sure you didn't."
"I swear I didn't," he huffed another laugh. "I had no idea you'd go down like a sad sack of potatoes."
"Excuse me?" she gasped with affront. "I am not a sad sack of potatoes." She shoved him as hard as she could. Not that she could ever hope to move him.
"You're right," he placated. "You're so much cuter." When she opened her mouth to protest, he captured her lips in a slow, deep kiss that made her toes curl.
Their bickering instantly devolved into a full-on make-out session right there in the snow as he lowered his body to hover over hers. It was a good thing they were far enough from the school that no one would notice the shameless way Draco pushed his hips flush between her legs.
With each grind of his hips and each delicious stroke of their tongues, she was floating closer to the edge of climax. It was embarrassing how little it took to get her off these days.
Her fingers curled into Draco's hair, her muscles tightened in preparation for orgasm and with one last buck of his hips, erection brushing deliciously against her throbbing clit, she moaned into his mouth and her back arched.
She came in cruel, relentless waves, shuddering while her mind went blank and her vision dotted with colour behind her lids.
Draco's hum of approval against her mouth made her heart stutter before resuming its thunderous pounding against her breastbone. And suddenly she was no longer cold. At all.
He kept kissing her through the aftershocks of her climax, hips bucking gently against her while she settled back into her body.
Gods, this was equal parts thrilling and embarrassing. Her dry spell of two months was becoming a problem. But then again, Draco had come in his trousers the other night just from kissing and grinding.
Their chemistry and sexual starvation was a cruel and vindictive bitch.
When Draco pulled away to look at her, there was a victorious twinkle in his eyes and a smug smirk on his swollen lips.
"What?" she snapped at him with feigned irritation and playfully slapped at his arm.
"Nothing, nothing," he laughed. "Just thinking that kissing you feels way too good. And apparently, we don't even have to get naked to get off. It's daunting to consider what it will feel like when we have sex again."
She stiffened. "Why daunting?"
"For one, I don't know how long I'll be able to last. And for another, I have a feeling that the intensity will knock our socks off."
"You're exaggerating."
"Sadly, I'm not." He grimaced. "You should have seen the mess I made of my trousers the other night. It took me an eternity to get all the cum off my underwear and trousers." His cheeks turned pink with his admission and she couldn't help but laugh. "Probably shouldn't have told you that. It's rather pathetic."
"If you feel embarrassed, just remember that I got off too. Twice, now."
"I feel like a bloody teenager lately," he admitted. "I've had to take a wank every day since the masquerade ball in October. Sometimes more than once a day. Especially these last few weeks. So, it's not as if I haven't come for a while. But as soon as I'm with you…" He cut off with a sigh and dragged his hands through his hair.
"What do you mean?"
"Just kissing you or seeing you in those fucking tights when we go jogging takes me back to square one, even when I've taken care of business in the shower beforehand."
He ground his hips into her to bring his point across. He was still incredibly hard.
She moaned in response, unable to help herself. Just the feeling…the notion that he was still so turned on right now because of her had her hips arching and her blood simmering with the desire to be closer to him.
Draco chuckled. "See what I mean. I don't know if either of us will survive sex if we're both this eager. Your responsiveness is driving me insane."
"Maybe you just need to cool down a little," she said, scooping a handful of snow into her palm and smashing it into his neck.
Draco yelped and retreated, jumping to his feet in an instant while unsuccessfully batting away the snow with his gloved hands.
He narrowed his eyes at her when she laughed at him, but there was a softness to his grey eyes that, along with his pink, windburned cheeks made her stomach flutter.
Gods…she was still as enthralled by his masculine beauty after all these years.
Draco plucked his gloves off finger by finger, bent down to stick his hands into the snow, eyes firmly on her.
There was a challenge in those sexy grey eyes and a small quirk of his lips before he said, "You're going to pay for your little stunt."
Her eyes dropped to his hands when they emerged from the snow, skin an unhealthy red colour.
She pushed up to sit, apprehensive now. "What are you doing, Draco?" she asked, keeping her eyes on his hands as he closed in on her, each step a predatory stalk.
Oh no.
"Draco…don't you dare…" she warned and scooted backwards through the snow on her numb, wet arse to get away from him. She hoped to Circe that he wasn't going to—
He dropped to his knees between her thighs, flipped up the hem of her coat and stuck his hands under her jumper while she kicked and scrambled to get out of his grip. And when his hands touched her skin, she cried out in shock and pleaded for mercy.
He pinned her to the ground with his hips and slipped his hands higher up toward her ribs while she writhed and bucked to get him off of her.
Draco dipped his head and murmured against her mouth, "Not so nice, is it Granger?"
She could feel his grin against her lips before he dipped his tongue into her mouth for a deep taste.
Her traitorous body was simultaneously frozen and burning all at once, her brain too confused to tell her muscles to relax or retreat.
"Apologize and I'll stop," he said into her mouth, sliding his hands up toward her breasts.
A throat cleared from somewhere above them.
It sounded stern. And very familiar. Not a voice she wanted to hear while her body was still deciding if it was turned on or off.
Draco and Hermione broke their kiss to look up at the intruder.
McGonagall was standing with her hands on her hips, wearing her perma-scowl. "Professors…" she said, pursing her lips. "As delighted as I am to see the two of you getting along for once (she looked anything but delighted, by the way) need I remind you that there are students out and about and you two are supposed to be setting an example."
Hermione wanted to point out that it was the holidays and there weren't that many students about. Also, they were still outside of the school gates. They weren't exactly exhibiting inappropriate behaviour on school grounds.
But she knew better than to argue with the Headmistress.
Draco righted her clothes for her and then pulled away to help her onto her feet.
Embarrassed and flushed, they dusted off the icy powder on their wet clothes, mumbling apologies to the Headmistress like a couple of errant children.
Ignoring their apologies, McGonagall turned her attention to Hermione and said, "I'm afraid I have some bad news."
Oh gods, what now?
McGonagall arched a brow, displeased for some reason.
Had she just spoken her thoughts out loud?
Before she could apologize…again…the Headmistress sighed, eyes softening. There was concern crinkling around the corners of her eyes and mouth.
"The house-elves were supposed to start preparing the food for tomorrow night's New Year's Eve party, but they've all come down with…" McGonagall's lip curled in disgust and she wiped her hands on her robes as if they were soiled. "Spattergoit."
Spattergoit…
The New Year's party…
The food!
This…was a fucking nightmare.
Hermione groaned and clapped her hands over her face. A distressed laugh escaped unbidden, muffled by her hands. "This is not happening."
Poor house-elves…
But dammit, this was terrible timing.
"I don't know if you want us to cancel the party, or—" McGonagall started to suggest.
"No," Draco interrupted the Headmistress and snuck a hand around Hermione's waist, pulling her into his side. "I'll help and we'll rope in a few extra hands. The prefects are more than capable of handling the decorations. Professor Granger and I will take care of the food and drinks."
She looked up at Draco, her heart melting at his offer. "Love, it's a lot of food. We'll be up all night and even then, we might not be finished by morning."
"We have twenty-four hours to finish," he countered. "And if we ask our friends to help, we'll finish with plenty of time left over to get some sleep. We just need your planner so we can assign tasks to everyone involved."
"You really don't have to, Draco," she said. But the thought that he would be there to help her made this whole disaster seem manageable. "It's not your problem. I know you'd much rather relax on your last bit of the holidays than—"
"I want to spend time with you, Granger. No matter how that looks. And if that means I have to spend the entire night helping you with the food, then that's fine with me."
"Well, then," McGonagall said, giving them an indulgent smile. It was the weirdest thing to witness from the stern Headmistress. "Seems you two have the food situation under complete control. We'll call a quick meeting as soon as you've found more hands to help, and then we'll assign tasks and get to work."
"We?" Draco asked.
"Yes, we," McGonagall affirmed with a brisk nod. "You didn't think I'd leave you to struggle on your own, did you?"
Hermione and Draco gaped at the Headmistress, surprised that she was prepared to jump in right alongside them.
Maybe they could actually pull this off…
"Well, come on then, you two," McGonagall encouraged. "Let's get to it."
xxx
After going their separate ways for a hot shower and a change of clothes, Hermione met up with Draco, the prefects and the Headmistress in her office to assign tasks.
Hagrid had come too, eagerly offering his assistance.
"I managed to get a couple of our friends to help," Draco told McGonagall when she enquired about extra hands for the food prep. "We'll be four adults in the kitchen when Theo and Potter join us and if we could get four students to help us, it should be enough to get everything ready in time. Theo and Potter should be along very soon."
"Good," McGonagall nodded. "Professor Granger, what do you need us to do?"
"If we can get Malik and Bailey to oversee and help with the decorations, get it done as soon as possible so that there's one less thing to worry about, and perhaps prepare the smaller dining hall for dinner, breakfast and lunch again, that would make a huge dent in my to-do list."
In the end, Draco and Hermione pulled Levi Holder, Navaeh Simmons, Asher Bell and Hailey Burke from the decorating team to help them in the kitchen instead.
Draco's Championship team also showed up to offer their help, and it left Hermione in awe at how everyone was coming together to make sure the New Year's Eve party didn't get cancelled.
Hagrid, Quinn Travers, Nathan Gibson, Noah Fawley and Leo Flint were directed to the smaller dining hall to start setting up for dinner and the following day's meals.
Josephine Young, Wade Porter and Peyton Clark were put in charge of the lights, balloons and courtyard decorations.
Beah Valentine, Sadie Hamilton and Monica Yang would be taking care of the table decorations and the flowers.
Alice Wheeler, Abby Selwyn and Wyatt Peña agreed to set up the photo booth, place the 'thank you' gifts on the tables and put together a table with props for the photo booth. They were still bickering about what they wanted to do with the sparklers when they left the Headmistress' office.
Adeline Green, Hudson Cole and Sutton Dawlish were going to organize the drinks -and sweets tables, as well as the music.
And with some help from George Weasley, Malik and Bailey were going to set up the fireworks close to the Black Lake, go through the to-do lists to tick off every single task that has been completed and give final approvals once the prefects were done. They'd kindly agreed to help wherever they were needed, but Hermione felt confident that their team of helpers wouldn't let her or the head boy and -girl down.
The kitchen was crowded by the time everyone had gathered and after agreeing on the foods they would be preparing, things were running smoothly and they were firmly on schedule.
Thanks to Levi Holder, a few of the Championship team's players had been directed toward the kitchen, and they were now more than enough to accomplish their tasks in record time.
Brooke Wellsley and Owen Kim were making champagne jellies, and watching Draco interact with Brooke did not make Hermione melt or daydream about little blond babies.
If she had ever wondered if Draco would be able to handle a teenage daughter someday, she now knew that it was a big, undeniable yes!
He made the young witch laugh, teased her mercilessly and praised all her perfectly made champagne jellies like a really great dad would.
He was playful with Brooke. Soft and warm. Groaned when she overshared. Listened to her as she talked animatedly about Emi Fujiwara and their long-distance relationship, all the while wearing the most indulgent expression Hermione had ever seen.
She had to step out of the kitchen at one point to beat her near-bursting ovaries into submission. Because all she could picture now was the way he'd be with their daughter someday. If they got that far… But lately, it seemed more like a when and less like an if.
Owen Kim, Brooke's best friend, was the exact opposite of her. He was beautiful in his own right with long raven hair tied back into a man-bun on top of his head, but he was extremely quiet. He had expressive brown eyes and a friendly smile for everyone, but he rarely spoke unless he could contribute something worthwhile to the conversation.
He was kind, well-mannered and kept to the background, mostly making sure Brooke stayed out of trouble.
Hermione and Draco worked side-by-side for most of the night, but with all the help in the kitchen, they could afford to flirt and joke while they finished their tasks.
Harry and Theo were inseparable as well, and seeing Harry so at ease in his affection toward Theo was heart-warming. It was as if all of his reservations had finally crumbled and he was no longer holding back with Theo.
She and Draco shared a few knowing looks whenever they caught Theo and Harry flirting, exchanging secretive looks or stealing kisses. And she knew Draco realized by now that couples counselling was partly to thank for this.
And just like their friends, Hermione and Draco have made large strides in communicating and learning to trust each other. To forgive and to deal with their baggage.
It was after two o'clock in the morning when everyone in the kitchen had finished their tasks and placed their food under stasis charms.
They'd sent out dinner to the students and staff tonight while taking bites of their own dinner in between, and breakfast and lunch for tomorrow had been set to the side so they wouldn't have to put a foot in the kitchen tomorrow morning for any reason. They would only be setting out the food tomorrow afternoon right before getting ready for the party.
They followed Malik and Bailey out of the kitchen in a long line when asked to come and inspect the Great Hall. Apparently, they wanted to keep the courtyard a surprise.
Fairy lights hung in thousands of strings from the ceiling in the dining hall. Large glass spheres filled with fireflies floated close to the enchanted ceiling and the walls were covered with clusters of rose gold, silver and clear balloons. A balloon arch lined the main entrance and the floor was covered in glitter, creating a festive atmosphere to go along with their 'All that glitters is rose gold theme'.
Hermione suppressed a wince when she considered how many weeks it would take to rid the castle of glitter after tonight.
The tables were decorated with rose gold tablecloths, silver runners and black plates, and for the flowers they'd used peach roses with gold-coloured stems and leaves.
There were hundreds of champagne glasses with gold sugared rims and an embarrassing number of champagne bottles were lined up for the celebration, the table straining under their weight.
The photo booth was set up in a corner next to the props table. And, of course, Draco was immediately drawn to the sweets table.
It took a lot of coaxing and promises of "soon" to get him away without him ransacking the sweets table.
Exhaustion finally caught up with them as they followed Bailey and Malik out of the Great Hall and watched them cast a slew of wards to keep any students from sneaking in.
Draco gave her a slow, incinerating kiss before they parted ways at the stairs to the dungeons, and Hermione floated upstairs to her quarters feeling lighter than she had in years.
Things were going really well for Draco and her, and she was finally letting herself believe that they had a beautiful future ahead of them.
A/N: What are your thoughts on this chapter?
Let me know.
I will probably post a little earlier this week since I'll be away for the weekend and I don't plan on leaving you guys hanging again.
See you soon.
x