Something tugging at his bottom lip and brushing against his nose roused Draco from his sleep. Blinking awake, he saw Hermione Granger in all of her wild-haired glory straddling him with each bare knee framing his torso as she feasted on his lips. He gasped in surprised, and the minx took the opportunity to giggle breathily and fling her tongue inside of his mouth. Moaning in appreciation, he raised himself into a sitting position and wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. His fingers danced up along her back and dove into her unruly curls. Her hands swam through his hair, as well, tugging and yanking at the short boyish strands. She then stilled, pulling away and scrunching up her nose in distaste.

"You have really bad morning breath, Mr. Malfoy," she apprised.

Draco frowned at the insult and retorted, "You don't smell like roses either, Granger."

Snickering, she lunged at him again, cupping his head to pepper open-mouthed kisses on his cheeks, chin, and forehead. She started fiddling with his hair, his face buried in the joining of her neck and shoulder. Inhaling deeply, his teeth sought some 'good morning' flesh and nibbled.

"You'd think I'd remember this hair." Hermione raked her fingernails throughout it. He bristled at her words, and she must have sensed his change in demeanor because she pulled back with a frown and asked, "What's wrong?"

Draco took her face in his hands so their noses were nearly brushing. He drilled into her wary orbs with his own inquiring ones and gruffly asked, "Do you remember?"

"Remember?" she questioned back, lines appearing on her forehead. "Remember what?"

Bloody hell! If the witch was trying his patience so she could get back at him…If she thought she could get away with what she said last night…

"Last night," he replied and Hermione quirked a brow and smirked.

"Well yeah, silly boy."

Clamping his lips together and licking his teeth, which did taste disgusting, he breathed deeply and said, "I meant after. You were talking."

"Talking," she repeated and bit her bottom lip before whipping her head back and forth. "I've no idea."

"You were almost asleep. What were you saying? You can't just…" His words lingered, and then he bit his tongue. Gods, if this was a joke.

"I was sleep talking?" Her cheeks pinked up in embarrassment. "What was I saying? Was it embarrassing? Was it rude?"

"Hermione," he began, prepping himself to yell at her and point out the charade was done, and he had suffered enough for her actions. But he didn't. "What were you dreaming of last night?"

She stared at him for a few moments with an unreadable expression and quietly admitted, "You. I was dreaming of you."

Draco nodded his head, urging her to continue, but she lowered her focus and eyelashes, shrugging. Keeping from shouting curse words at her sudden case of coyness, "What about me? What I was doing?"

His persistence was unsettling her, he could tell, so he cupped the side of her face and traced her cheekbone with his thumb, the tip of it flirting slightly with her bottom lashes. Eventually, she sighed and broke eye contact and licked her lips timidly and said, "Don't judge me too harshly. Since we've officially met, you've been perturbed I can't remember you at all from our school years. I, too, find it odd. But since our first meeting, I've dreamed of you. On again, off again occurrences, and things like that."

"Of me? What am I doing in these dreams?" Draco asked, and Hermione blushed and began to nibble on her bottom lip again.

"All kinds of things." She grinned shyly, and then her embarrassment melted away. "But mostly it's just you being you. It's like my swotty mind can't take the blow not remembering someone from school and is making up things."

More than a little perturbed she still didn't remember him, he accepted that her mind was trying to find those lost memories by filling in the gaps. Hermione was merely having reveries of things that were real but could not be placed. Her dreams were not real to her, and Draco needed to accept they never would be until she consumed the counter-potion of Memoria Obscurare.

"Last night…" Hermione grimaced and the blushing of her cheeks deepened into a rouge color. "I dreamt that I hadn't seen you in a long time, and I missed you. But when I saw you again, I…forgave you for leaving. Silly, I know. You haven't gone anywhere, and you were with me the entire night."

"Forgave me," Draco repeated. That was it, wasn't it? Forgiveness. That's what saved him because her concealed hatred was gone. And more than that, she was in there somewhere—his Hermione, and she forgave him.

He cupped her chin and brought her forward, so their noses were brushing once more. His eyes locked with hers, and he searched them. He wasn't entirely sure what he was seeking, for surely his Hermione was not going launch herself from those spectacular brown eyes and slap his deserving face.

"Are we trying to have a staring contest?" Hermione smiled and let out a giggle. "Because I have to tell you something, Mr. Malfoy, I never lose."

He smirked, a bit elated that his girl wasn't entirely lost within her own mind or simply gone. "There's a first time for everything, Miss Granger."

"It won't be today."

His smirk deepened into a smile. "Fine. On the count of three, we will officially get you started on losing for the first time."

"One," challenged Hermione, a spark of excitement lighting up her brown eyes.

"Two," said Draco, the corners of his mouth twitching.

"Thr-Mmmph!"

A deep laugh vibrated throughout Draco's chest as Hermione struggled against his lips. She was finally able to detach them from hers and whine, "Your breath is rancid, Draco. Seriously, did something die inside of you last night?"

"Well, that's rude." Draco poked at her bare ribs which were decorated with chocolate and caramel remnants from their earlier playtime.

Oh yes, he knew her ticklish spots. She jolted and recoiled from his touch.

"No. Don't you dare." She shook her head from left to right.

He poked her in the ribs again and then let all of his fingers join in. They skidded across her ribs and danced at the dips of her waist. She laughed and wheezed and he was able to lay her down on the tile. The tips of his fingers found the way to her belly, and he gently dug in and wiggled them into the soft flesh. She squirmed and mewled and threatened him.

"STOP! If you don't, I'll hex you!"

"You don't have your wand on you, minx," he taunted and continued in ministrations. Her arms were trying to fight his off while her legs flailed about. He tempted the thought of sitting on them but instead lifted his fingers and replaced them with his mouth. His teeth gathered a bit of chocolate smeared softness from her belly, and he remembered their baby was in there. He brought a finger back to the smooth skin and caressed the area before venturing upwards and caressing her scar.

"Draco," Hermione rasped, more than a little out of breath. He smirked up at her mischievously while his other hand stretched somewhere to the side. Her vision followed his motion, and shy interest ignited her eyes. "Hungry, are you?"

His hand wrapped around the discarded squeeze-bottle of caramel and flicked the cap open. "Just a little," he murmured and started to tip the bottle over her exposed stomach.

A loud, tenacious banging halted Draco's breakfast plan and he grumbled, "There's someone at the door."

BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG!

"Ignore it. They'll go away soon. I demand you go back to what you were doing."

Draco relaxed and began tipping the bottle of caramel once again. Such a good way to start a Saturday morning. There was no work, and Scorpius was at Blaise's for an overnight party with his children. There was nothing to worry about or hurry back to.

A light brown ribbon of caramel drizzled onto Hermione's belly before he heard a key being inserted into the lock and someone enter.

"Hermione?" a voice called out, and Draco squeezed the bottle in shock, ignoring the huge glop that plopped onto Hermione's torso. Panic surged through him, and he wasn't the only one. Hermione, too, stared wide-eyed in the direction where Harry Potter's voice was coming from. From where they were laying though, the man could not see them. He probably only saw the countertop and the upper half of the fridge.

"Oh, no!" Hermione hissed and shot him a worried expression. "That's Harry. Oh dear! If he sees you-"

"He'll kill me," Draco finished.

"Well…maybe. Most likely, he'll hurt you a little, but he's really overprotective. What are we going to do? I can't hide you. My wand is on the coffee table."

"So is mine," Draco said and the revelation dawned on them both. "So is mine!" he repeated in horror.

"He's going to see it! He's going to see our clothes. He's going to know I have someone over! He's not going to like this."

"Maybe he'll think it's your boyfriend's."

"He knows I broke up with him, and my ex was a Muggle."

Draco's eyes widened in alarm at Hermione's revelation but chose to not comment. He was more concerned about Potter in the next room.

"What do we do?"

"I don't know."

"Hermione!" Harry called again. "I'm sorry if you're sleeping, but I have to talk to you. It's about Ginny. I think she's hiding something from me."

"He's by my bedroom door," Hermione said, uneasiness dripping from tone. They heard him knock on the door.

"Hermione, wake up. I'm coming in," her friend said and heard him open the bedroom door and call out, "Hermione, where are you?" and shuffle back into the living room.

"Herm-" Harry cut himself off and then continued stiffly, "I see your wand. It's on the coffee table. It's next to another, and…there are clothes. I know you're here, Hermione. Where are you, and…who's with you?"

Harry's footfalls were approaching closer, and Hermione shot Draco an apologetic look before slowly rising to her feet. Offhandedly, Draco noted from the particular angle, there was evident swelling around Hermione's middle. Hopefully from where Potter stood, he wouldn't be able notice his friend's current delicate condition.

"Herm- Oh! Oh, Hermione!" Draco heard Potter say. He imagined the man blushing at the sight of his best female friend in the nude and turning his back to her in embarrassment. At least he hoped Potter did. Hermione wasn't making any effort to cover her lady bits from her friend. Draco couldn't help but wonder if the tosser had seen her starkers before. There were rumors back in school and such.

"Stay where you are, Harry, and don't come any closer," Hermione demanded calmly.

"You're naked," said Potter, his tone also wavering and added, "in your kitchen."

"I have every right to walk around in whatever state of dress in my home; however, I would appreciate it if you would come back at another time."

"And I saw your scar and there is… stuff...smeared all over you."

Hermione looked down at her dark pink groove, chocolaty smeared torso, and upper thighs with a flush of embarrassment.

"I…" she hesitated, "have a friend over, Harry. Now is really not a good time for you to be here. Come back around noon, please, when I'm cleaned up and dressed."

"It is noon," Harry spat. "Is it Zabini?"

An unknown force punched Draco in the gut while Hermione stiffened and her gaze flickered down at him for a brief second before returning to Potter. He knew she and Blaise had been intimate due to his friend's confession on New Year's Eve, but that didn't stop the feeling of betrayal and a pang of jealousy lounging about his insides.

"No, Harry, it's not, and you really need to leave."

"Tell me who it is, Hermione? He might have a record? He could be a mass murder."

"You're being ridiculous!" Hermione shrilled and folded her arms across her chest.

"Is he there in the kitchen with you? I didn't see him. Is he on the floor?"

"Harry!" Hermione warned and gave Draco a panicked glance. "No! Do not turn around!"

Shit! Shit! Shit! Draco chanted in his frightened mind. What was he going to do? Potter was going to find him and kill him! There was no place to hide.

"Harry, stop! I'm naked and so is he." Hermione raised her hands and waved them. "This is very unlike you."

"I don't care," Potter growled and Hermione cringed as she covered her breasts with one arm and her womanhood with the other.

"Will you at least give me your coat?" she whispered delicately.

Hermione was tossed Potter's coat, and she slipped it on and zipped it up to preserve some modesty. With a sigh of resignation, Draco covered his own bits with a hand and waited for his doom. Sure enough, Potter walked into the kitchen and around the island counter and glared down. The man's glare was short-lived when he came to realize who he was actually going to kill. The angry pink in his cheeks drained, and his green eyes nearly fell out of his head while his jaw slammed into the floor.

"M-Malfoy," Harry stuttered before heat erupted in his cheeks once again alerting Draco that the shock was over and realization was settling in.

"Potter," Draco greeted with a nod.

"Harry," Hermione tried quietly. Harry pinned his eyes on her next.

"Do have any idea who this man is, Hermione?"

"Uh...our relationship is fairly new," she informed nervously. "I know he was once a Death Eater, but-"

"So you don't know who he is?"

Hermione tossed him an incredulous look. "Like I said, we are still in the beginnings and listen, please," Hermione begged. "I know he's probably not your favorite person, but I know you two can be civil towards each other. Your children play together every once in a while. And he's really sweet to me, Harry."

Harry stared at her like she had grown a pumpkin out of her nose. "Hermione." His shook his head in denial. "This is a mistake. You don't really want him. I get that you might be lon-"

"Don't tell me what I want and don't want, Harry James Potter!" Hermione screeched. "You're acting just like Ginny did!"

Oh, Merlin! Draco inwardly pleaded to his favored deity. Kill me now and do it quickly!

"Ginny knows about this? About you two? Is that what she's been hiding?" growled Harry.

Hermione saw her mistake, and her eyes widened in apology. "Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for her to keep it from you. I never her told her to do that, but I'm sorry you had to find out this way."

"Does Ron know?"

"No," Hermione said. "But…Pansy might."

It was then when Harry snapped his eyes back on Draco and seethed, "Does she really?"

She sighed. "You are acting completely irrational, and you need to leave. For the love of Merlin, Draco and I are spending time together!"

With a venomous glared pinned on Draco, Harry bared his teeth. "I will leave when he promises to leave you alone forever. I may even require a Wizard's Oath."

Hermione screeched so loud, both boys winced. "Harry, what is the matter with you? You have never acted this way before about any of the others! Not even with Blaise! You need to go home and later, I may drop by and we can have a civil conversation where I am properly dressed and you are calm."

"You don't understand-" Harry tried.

"Explain it to me then." Hermione placed her hands on her canted hips and pursed her lips while Harry's jaw twitched.

"He's a…Death Eater," her friend forced out and his shoulders sagged.

The woman's rigid stance and hard glare softened and she said confidently, "Not anymore."

"His house was the one where we were taken to, remember? It's where you were tortured. It was his aunt that gave you that scar on your arm."

Hermione smiled fragilely and then momentarily glanced at Draco. "I know. It wasn't his fault, though."

Harry tried once more to deter his friend away from the other man. "He's married, Hermione."

"I'm aware but when has that ever stopped me?" she asked evenly.

Both Draco and Harry cringed at Hermione, the blond hoping she referred to Blaise and no one else. The odds were slim, unfortunately, from what he knew of her.

"Stop seeing him, please. For me, " begged Harry.

"Do I get a say in this?" Draco asked and was rewarded a dirty look from Harry.

"Of course," Hermione told him with an amused grin.

"Absolutely not, you bleedin' tosser!" Harry shouted as if remembering that Draco was actually there, not just a subject to be discussed.

"Harry, if you won't leave, then let Draco and I get dressed so we can continue this lovely conversation like mild-mannered people."

A growl from Harry, trailed by a teeth-clenching "fine", Draco stood up to his feet and followed Hermione to the living room where they gathered their clothes and wands, and went into her bedroom and casted a Scourgify on themselves, and dressed.

They dressed in awkward silence, but to break some of the tension, Hermione leaned over and kissed him in on the cheek with apologetic eyes. He watched her go over to her nightstand, pick up her folded glasses, and slip them on.

"I've meant to ask," Draco said. "You didn't wear glasses back at Hogwarts."

Hermione blinked from behind her framings and then smiled. "The body changes as it gets older, and both of my parents wear glasses. I suppose I could wear contacts, and sometimes I do, but I think these make me look rather intelligent."

When entering the living room, Draco had his wand ready as did Harry.

"Put those away, boys. They won't be needed. Now, Harry, you are acting preposterous, but I know you are just trying to protect me. Nevertheless, what Draco and I have is really none of your business."

Draco expected Harry to argue or simply blowup or even roll his eyes. He didn't. Instead, he put an impressively ruthless glare on him. "Do you agree with Hermione?"

When Draco did not answer right away, Harry spoke once more.

"Is it really none of my business when my friend is dating someone who is…" Harry let that hang and pinned another loathing glare on Draco, "capable of hurting her? Should I simply stand by and watch this horrible communion crash into the ground? Should I do nothing? Just walk away and accept this…this thing that you have? No. No. No."

From the corner of his eye, Draco watched Hermione turn her head and stare at him momentarily before looking back at Harry.

"I understand your dislike for him, but I think you are exaggerating or perhaps jumping into something you have little understanding of. Draco cares about me, and I like him, but I can't certainly say that what we have is an appropriate relationship. Like you said, he's married. I know he has family. What Draco and I have is just something that benefits us both. I'm sure eventually, we will move on with both of our lives. Don't you agree, Mr. Malfoy?"

Hermione's assuming and distant words stung. It sounded like she was discussing business or the weather over coffee, but Draco knew she was trying to protect herself and her unborn child from being hurt along with easing her best friend's nerves.

But could he do that? Could he leave her alone now, pregnant or not? The sex had turned bloody amazing, yes, but…did he even like her that way? She wasn't his Hermione.

He admitted to himself that Hermione was kind of interesting in a different way than she used to be. She had different stories, different likes, and different styles, but yes, he liked her.

"No, I don't agree," Draco mumbled and shook his head.

Potter's eyes narrowed, and Hermione blinked in surprise. "You don't?" they both asked simultaneously.

"No," he stated firmly. "I like you, Granger."

Hermione and Draco ignored Harry's growl of protest.

"Draco," she started uneasily and shifted uncomfortably on her seat, a hand discreetly resting over her stomach. "Are you just saying that because…"

"Malfoy…" Harry bared his teeth. "Don't!"

But Draco did. He did like this Hermione in a way. He preferred the old Hermione, but there was something about this one. It could have been the sex. Hell, it could have been the glasses. It could have been that blasted 'forgiving' streak, she never quite rid herself of. He didn't want to let her go again. Not yet, anyway. He wasn't dying, and the counteragent was underway. What was the rush to leave?

"Hermione," Draco said, ignoring Potter completely and taking the witch's hand in his. "If we kept this simple, could we date? No promises and no strings unless or until we think we are ready. Let's take it slow."

His thumb caressed the back of her hand, her brown eyes focused on the movement. After a few moments, she raised her eyes to meet his. "What about-"

"We can wait. I haven't seen my wife in over two months, and the divorce papers are in the making. I will wait until everything is signed and legal if you wish."

Hermione nodded and gnawed on her lower lip in contemplation and then nodded. "Yes."

"Hermione-" Harry tried.

"We might as well considering..." But she left it at that and Draco was grateful. She then leaned over and kissed him on the cheek and wandered off into her room. The two men watched the door close behind her.

Harry raised his wand and cast a Muffliato at Hermione's door before saying, "Malfoy, I am going to kill you."

"Look, I get it." Draco raised his hands in surrender. It was very unlike him, but he felt as if should avoid a fight with Potter and try to keep the bloke as collected as possible.

"Do you?"

"Yes. I do. I know that I made a mistake leaving Hermione."

Harry looked like he wanted nothing more than to regurgitate all of his thoughts out into the open and through his wand. A million murderous scenarios were sprinting in the back of his eyes, and Malfoy was almost surprise when he simply said, "You'll just hurt her again."

"No, I won't," Draco promised. "I don't even know if it will get that far, honestly. Don't get me wrong. I find Granger fetching, but she's not the same girl I loved ten years ago. Starting over with her now is like starting over with a completely different girl. You don't need to worry about my intentions or ask what they are because I haven't a clue myself, Potter."

Silence passed between the two wizards before Harry spoke up. "You know about the potion, don't you? I didn't want her to take it. I still wish she hadn't. You're not the only one who can't love Hermione like you used to. I mean…I will always love her, but there's hardly anything I find loveable about her. She loves books still, but sometimes…all the time…she does things that upset me, and loving books aren't enough. The decisions she makes disappoint me. Did you know her parents won't even speak with her? The Weasleys, Ginny's parents, they barely tolerate her. It makes it bloody damned difficult and gatherings. "

For the first time in Draco's life, he understood Potter. Or at least a snippet of him. They had both lost the woman that they loved in the same way. With Harry, it was a friend. With Draco, it was a memory.

"Do Hermione's parents know about…anything? I mean, I met them."

"They don't remember you. A simple Obliviate from Hermione was all it took for them," Harry professed. "Another thing I'm angry about, but it's not like I can yell at her about it now, can I? I know there might be a way to reverse the effects of the potion she drank, and she could be the girl I remember from school and from the war. The girl that was wholesome, precious, and feisty."

"I get where you are coming from. Believe me, but if you really thought about reversing Memoria Obscurare's influence was the right thing to do, you would have done it," Draco pointed out.

"So would you." Harry solemnly pointed out, and Draco left it at that. That was a story for Potter at another time.

Another bout of silence enveloped them. Finally after a few minutes, Harry courageously piped up, "So who gets to tell Ron?"

A/N: One more update after this and it will be done! Yay! Happy dance for JJ! :)