Has anyone else read the muggle hustle site? This guy live tweeted as he read the books and then he posted them to a website. It's brilliant and hilarious and I might have spent my whole morning reading it. It's been a slow day.

Chapter 14

Draco surveyed the small room while Hermione held Lilah. "Merlin, I'm amazed Pansy can live here," he commented. "If you thought Malfoy Manor was huge, you should have seen her parents' house. I can't even begin to count the number of times we got lost there when we were younger."

"I've seen it," Hermione replied as she made funny faces that made Lilah laugh. "No one needs that much space, especially not for three people. It must not even feel like a home."

He nodded in agreement. "It didn't," he said. "There were rooms that were off limits and priceless antiques that you couldn't go near for fear of them breaking. My mother had a room full of perfectly arranged furniture that we weren't allowed to sit on. That's not a home, Granger. It's a museum with a few beds."

He sat down on the bed beside her and Hermione smiled. "You've got a nice home now," she told him. "I never thought that warm, friendly, and inviting were words I would ever use to describe you, but there you have it."

"Are you describing me or my house?" he wondered.

Hermione shrugged, and for the first time, she realized how close he sat to her when their shoulders bumped. "Both," she replied. Draco's gray eyes softened as his head moved closer. "You're not going to kiss me, are you?" she asked worriedly.

As if snapped out of a trance, Draco shifted away from her and shook his head. "No, no. I'd never dream of doing that," he replied.

Hermione nodded. "Right, because I'm still with Ron," she agreed.

"Yeah," Draco murmured. "But if you weren't..."

She sighed. "Yeah, if I weren't."

A knock on the door ended the moment. "Hey, we have some food out if you're hungry," Pansy offered, unaware of what she had interrupted.

Draco shook his head, but thanked her. "We wouldn't want to intrude."

"Nonsense," Pansy replied. "I'm sure it's almost Lilah's bedtime anyway. The three of you can't stay in here while she sleeps. Come have some adult time."

The pair exchanged a questioning look and a shrug. "I'll put her down," Draco said, despite Hermione's protests. "I'm really becoming concerned that Hermione has plans to abscond with my daughter one of these days."

"It's not my fault you have such a loveable kid," Hermione replied as she moved off the bed. "You really should try to make her more like you."

Draco smirked as he took Lilah from her arms. "And how was it you described me mere minutes ago?" he inquired.

Hermione blushed and ushered Pansy from the room. Neither spoke as they joined Adrian in the living room. They sat in silence, Pansy beside him and Hermione adjacent to the couch, until Adrian broke the ice. "So, Hermione, things going well with the Malfoys?" he asked.

Her head snapped up, and she quickly answered. "Fine."

"Still enjoying nannying?" Adrian continued.

Hermione nodded her head. "It's great," she replied. "Lilah's great. Draco's great. Everything's great."

"Okay, what's wrong with you?" Pansy asked. "What did I walk in on?"

"Nothing," Hermione assured her. "You interrupted nothing. Now, I seem to recall the promise of food."

Nodding, Pansy rose from her seat and beckoned Hermione to join her in the kitchen. "Spill," she stated when they were alone.

Rolling her eyes, Hermione began to plate the appetizers. "Nothing happened. Literally nothing," she replied. "He looked like he was about to kiss me, but he didn't."

"Why would you stop him?" Pansy asked, her tone bordering on accusation.

"What makes you think I stopped him?" Hermione replied, receiving a withering stare from her friend. "Okay, fine, I stopped him. What other choice did I have? I'm with Ron. I'm not going to kiss other men while I'm dating him."

Pansy nodded as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Yes, right. Ron," she mused. "How is Ron? I haven't seen him around lately. Have you?"

Scowling, Hermione said no. "That doesn't mean we've broken up though," she stated. "And if we do break up, it doesn't mean I want to be with Draco. After what happened, I don't know that I want to be a mother. And what if we did get involved and things end? How can I just walk away from Lilah? Draco needs someone stable, someone who wants to take on that role. I just...I don't know if it's me."

Though she didn't believe it, Pansy held her tongue. "You won't always feel this way," she promised. "One day you'll find someone who changes your mind. Look at me - I'm living proof."

"Adrian really makes you happy?" Hermione asked.

Pansy grinned and let her arms drop to her sides. "He makes me really happy."

"Good, that's all I want," Hermione murmured as she hugged her friend.

A blond head appeared in the doorway. "Everything okay?" Draco asked. "Pansy mentioned food, but Adrian said you hadn't put anything out yet. Can I help?"

Pansy handed him a plate and smiled. "My, you really have changed," she commented.

He placed a kiss on her cheek as he accepted it. "About time, eh?" he joked.

"Yeah, about time," she replied, picking up another plate before leaving the kitchen.

Hermione stood by awkwardly now that she was alone with Draco. "Did, um, did Lilah go down okay?" she asked.

He nodded as he sampled a bite-sized puff pastry. "Hmm, Pansy can cook," he mused, much to Hermione's mirth. "She didn't make these, did she?"

"She's really good at preheating the oven," Hermione explained. "After that...well, we have a rule about her using it when I'm not home. And that rule is that she's not allowed to use it if I'm not home. Those came from the frozen food aisle."

Draco shrugged as he ate another one. "Well, she preheats an oven well," he decided. "More than can be said about me. You've seen me in the kitchen, so that's not news to you."

Hermione chuckled and felt her guard slip just a bit. He was still Draco. The near kiss seemed to have had little effect on him, and Hermione decided it shouldn't bother her either. "Is it okay that I don't want to spend the evening with them?" she asked.

Grinning, he set the plate down on the table and pulled out a chair for her. "Thank goodness," he replied with a sigh of relief. "I like Pansy and I like Adrian, but I don't want to watch them do that whole new couple thing. It's nauseating, if you want my opinion."

Laughing, she sat down and watched as Draco took the seat beside her, sliding the chair closer to her. "I think it's sweet," she decided. "This is a nice stage of a relationship. The beginning is always the best. It's new, and yes, a bit sickeningly sweet. But you're happy. I miss that."

"There are other good stages though," he replied. "I can't think of any right now, but I'm sure there are. If you really love someone, any stage would make you happy."

Sighing, she picked up a puff and played with it. "Can I make a confession?" she asked. When Draco nodded, she continued. "I'm not happy with Ron. I can't remember the last time I was. Maybe I never was. Now, though, I want to be happy."

Leaning forward, her eyes instinctively closed. "What are you doing?" Draco asked, pulled back.

"Would you just stay still?" Hermione murmured as she kissed him.