The first two weeks of classes leaves Draco feeling very positive about the world in general. After their "date" celebrating his first day, and the follow up night with the Potters and Zabini, his evenings with Hermione have taken on a slightly more intimate atmosphere. He still makes dinner and she still cleans afterwards, but now he finds that she spends time during the cooking process either sitting at the small table in the kitchen or offering to help in small ways. They converse casually all the while, usually about their respective days: His about classes and the adventure that is muggle public travel while she regales him with stories about her department, her coworkers, and keeping him up-to-date on wizarding-muggle relations.

After dinner, he takes up the role of companion while she takes the lead on the task at hand. He sits and drinks a cup of coffee while she cleans, or he puts things away to free up hands for her.

Once that daily chore is complete, they retire to her living room and curl up on the sofa. They watch in silence during more engrossing programs and banter during the more light-hearted. Small touches start to come into play. She bats at him for being cheeky, he pokes at her to tease. Once, when he's feeling particularly bold, he pinches her thigh when her sarcasm is especially biting. She laughs and swats him away while he tries to hide the self-satisfied smirk.

Beyond his blossoming… friendship? Relationship? … with Hermione, he sees other encouraging signs from the world. On Monday night, when they had nestled down to watch something after dinner, he had stumbled across an apparent BBC documentary about the wizarding war that had outed his people to the rest of the planet. The program portrayed Tom Riddle as a power-mad sociopath with naive military planning but a charismatic personality. He was compared to muggle dictators from history, most notably a European with poor facial hair choices and an angry demeanor.

Within that particular coverage, there was a large portion dedicated to Severus Snape, touting the man as one of the most tragic heroes in human history. His taciturn godfather was painted in an incredibly favorable light and he was gratified to see Hermione sneak a tear away from her lashes when she thought he wasn't looking.

Unfortunately, the high on which Draco had been riding doesn't last in the next week.

"This is ridiculous. We've hardly done anything practical! Is this how muggles learn to do things because if it is I'm going to go back to my previous opinion that muggles are vastly inferior and now I have proof!"

Hermione rolls her eyes a little, walking into her flat following an irate Draco. He's been ranting since she picked him up from class. It's Thursday of his third week and his mood has become quite foul the past few days. "You're not learning practical application because you're in the advanced class, Draco. Everyone in your group knows how to do the spells. What you need to learn is regulation."

"What about 'theory'?" He sneers the word with sarcasm and throws up air quotes, an annoying muggle habit he seems to have picked up at his classes. "There is no reason what so ever to study energy or flow or whatever other rubbish they're hounding us with."

"I think that's very exciting actually."

He gapes at her and tosses his jacket on the sofa. "Why in seven hells would you find that exciting?"

Hermione walks around him to pick up the jacket and hang it absentmindedly as she answers. She doesn't even realize they've started doing frivolous domestic things for one another in the past weeks. "There is a push from many muggles to study magic as a branch in the scientific community. The stigma was hard to shake for some people. It's hard to reconcile science and magic in your head if you think of magic as just fantasy, but now that we know it's real? There are a lot of leading researches that believe we can tie magic to other scientific principles. Mostly at the molecular level or even as a type of energy not yet discovered."

She straightens his jacket on the hanger next to her own and closes the wardrobe door with a flourish. "How can that not be exciting?" She grins broadly at him then cants her head in thought. "Though, why they are teaching it in a licensing class I'm not sure. Seems like there should be a magical philosophy course or something..."

A quiet settles between them where she continues to stare past him, chewing her lip. Draco feels his ire diminish and is replaced, at least in part, by a fond bemusement of her.

Until he remembers what riled him up so much in the first place. He waves away her previous point and redirects to his own personal annoyance. "Perhaps if they spent less time on theory, that you've admitted is completely out of place and inappropriate, it wouldn't take so fucking long to get my license. I need my magic back, Granger. You can't..." he takes a calming breath and looks at her earnestly. "You can't know what it's like. Like there's this part of me, as real as an arm or my eyes or… anything, but I can't use it. Like I'm tied up and blindfolded and held down and I'm just fucking helpless."

She nods and starts, "I underst- no." She stops herself and redirects. "You know what, I won't condescend like that. I don't understand. But I'm sorry and I'm trying to help you through this as best as I can."

Suddenly the expression on her face changes a bit into a grimace and Draco waits, assuming she has more to add. Unfortunately, Hermione takes his silence as a rejection of the notion she is doing everything in her power. Further, that exacerbates the sudden guilt when she realizes there is something she could probably do. A way to alleviate his suffering that he describes as such a visceral and almost physical pain.

"I um... I do have some news." She glances up and meets his eyes, finding him waiting for her to continue. "A magical family has petitioned to house you."

Draco squints his eyes in confusion, wrinkling his nose in thought. "Who?"

"The Greengrass family."

"Daphne?" he questions with a bit of surprise.

"Her parents, yes. It seems that they have a motion filed and it is in the review stages now."

"Why would they do that? Galleons? Do you think they want to get their hands on what's left of my inheritance?" He's a bit nervous at the thought, though his relationship with the Greengrass family had always been cordial, Hermione has mentioned how many families have struggled. Could they seek to use him for their own comfort?

"In a way..." she hedges. Finally she sighs and says, "I think they might have designs on you as a match for their daughter."

Draco wrinkles his nose a little, "They want me to marry Daphne? That vapid little tart?"

"No she's already married Marcus Flint. Many of the pureblood families sought to merge quickly after the war, trying in vain to retain their purity status."

"That seems... short sighted," he says carefully, "given the state of things."

Hermione shrugs and circles around the sofa to sit next to him. "Old prejudice dies a slow death."

They both sit, thinking quietly for a moment. "So Astoria then? They want me to hitch myself to her?" He adds with a self-deprecating snort, "I'm surprised they'd deign to associate with me on that front. The Greengrasses were notoriously neutral during both wars."

Hermione shrugs. "Yes well be that as it may, there are very few eligible purebloods left in wizarding Britain. Even after everything, you're still a Malfoy. I'm sure that carries weight in pureblood circles. Probably a lot of weight. If they really want a match, old associations might not be top priority."

"Sure, I suppose. But why would they think I'd be interested in marrying her? I just got my freedom back. I'm in no hurry to shackle myself to another prison, even a pretty blond one. I certainly don't need her dowry, even if they maintained their wealth. What could they offer for a traditional suit?"

She doesn't answer immediately and Draco isn't sure why she seems so hesitant. "There are... other benefits to marrying. They gain a pureblood with a sizable vault, where as you have a spouse with, presumably, a number of magic use certificates."

"You have magic use," he says a little petulantly. "If I want someone to Mother me and cast warming charms on my coffee, what do I care who does it?"

"It's... when a witch or wizard is married to another, their certificates of magic use, with some stipulations and restrictions, are joint."

It takes him a moment to process but then shakes his head as if to clear any confusion. "Wait wait..." he gapes at her a little disbelieving. Just like that? That simple? "You mean if I marry a witch I get my magic back... immediately?"

"With some restrictions but... essentially yes."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?!"

Hermione looks a little taken a back and he sees her body tense. "I didn't realize you were so anxious to tie yourself down."

"Well this certainly changes my perspective on the prospect. Why isn't everyone married? Merlin, why aren't you for that matter?"

The look she gives him could only be described as hurt but he's not entirely sure why. He didn't mean to imply there was anything wrong with her that made her incapable of finding a partner. If anything with this revelation he's surprised she's been able to beat off the wizards with a stick. He's lucky she's even still single for him to attempt to pursue…

Finally, she straightens herself and says in a way he would call pointed, "I don't need a husband to have magic."

It's like a verbal slap. Of course. But the Death Eater does.

"No I guess you don't. Lucky for you then." His tone is sarcastic and he doesn't care. How dare she, after the progress they've made, judge him in this way? How dare she throw his struggle that he only just voiced, with quite a bit of vulnerability, back in his face?

"Well then, I'll just let you know how the petition progresses, shall I?" She says it so calmly it stuns him into silence and when she walks out of the room he doesn't even consider stopping her.

A/N Hello! So I started and finished my little Dreams multi-chapter and thought it was time to dig back into this and tackle the Greengrass issue. Also, for anyone who was reading Dreams that might have missed, I did start a silly little drabble series that consists of a hodgepodge of little one-shots set in that world that sort of dance around the timeline. It will be a haphazard collection of mostly at least somewhat humorous tales to fill in a few blanks or just mess around for fun.

And of course anyone following this who has not read it, shameless plug for Dreams of Requirement, a 6th year AU told almost exclusively from Draco's point of view which is now complete!

Reviews make me the happiest person ever! Thank you to everyone reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing this and any of my other projects!