Again...your reviews just put an extra skip in my step - I'm so glad you all liked the last chapter! Also, I figure if I ever get to a point where I think the story needs to end or start a sequel, I'll know it. A lot of you said keep it going, and well, I take direction pretty well :)

How did you know?"

Draco watched Hermione through the reflection of the mirror as she soaked in the bath later that night, her arm outstretched as she admired the ring on her hand. Spitting toothpaste foam into the sink, he rinsed his mouth out while rinsing his toothbrush. He wiped his mouth with a towel before turning around, leaning against the sink. "I don't know," he honestly said. "When I decided I wanted to ask you, I thought about using the Malfoy ring, and it just didn't feel right. Not that you aren't worthy of it or anything, because you are, I just…I don't know. We were unpacking that day, and you were going through the jewelry box and when I saw the way you looked at it, I knew that was it."

Hermione grinned, still admiring the ring as it sat on her hand. "I can't believe you were able to resize it without ruining the integrity of the band. My mother's fingers were freakishly slender."

"Well, dear, that's where it gets a bit interesting," Draco said. He told her the story of how he took the ring to the goblin jeweler, figuring if it had to be resized it could be done with magic with minimal damage, if any, to the ring, and instead, he found out that not only was it goblin made, but that the ancestor it came from on her mother's side was a powerful, pureblooded witch. "Your magic had to have come from somewhere," Draco said, his arms comfortably across his bare chest. "And now you know where."

"I never thought about researching my ancestry…" Hermione mused aloud.

"Hilarious, considering the amount of your life that's been spent in a library," Draco teased.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "I never gave it much thought…obviously I know magic doesn't just manifest itself in a muggle."

"Obviously," Draco mocked.

"You're awfully sassy tonight," Hermione remarked.

"Granger…never describe a man as sassy. It's degrading to, well, my manhood."

Laughing, she sunk down deeper into the suds, her kneecaps bent and exposed. "You realize that my last name won't be Granger forever now, right?"

Draco approached the tub, bracing his hands against the tub as he leaned in to give her a kiss. "Well, I never took you as the type to take any man's last name, but even if you took mine…I'd still call you Granger." He kissed her again, deeper as he felt Hermione's wet hand slick her fingers around his neck, pulling him closer. "You better be done," he whispered, his lips moving from her lips to her neck. "Because when I leave. I plan on being in bed. Naked. You'd be wise. To not make me wait."

She tilted her head away from his as he moved down to her damp shoulder. "Oh really…" she murmured.

He caught her earlobe with his teeth, lightly biting as he kissed the sensitive skin. "Really."

Hermione watched as he pulled away from her and walked around the bathtub and into the bedroom. Pulling the drain with her toes, she removed the suds from her with a wave of her hand and grabbed her towel. She quickly brushed her teeth, mussed up her hair a bit, and walked into the closet. Hermione saw the collared shirt Draco was wearing today and slipped it on, buttoning a few buttons in the middle. Forgoing underwear, considering he'd probably rip them - literally - tonight, Hermione sauntered back into the bedroom. Draco was propped up against his pillows, under the covers.

"Interesting choice in apparel, my dear," he smirked.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I think it looks cute."

"I think you should wear it to work on Monday."

"I'm pretty sure you're required to wear pants of some kind at the ministry, Draco," she said, giggling as she stood at the end of the bed, a hand on her hip. "Besides. I'm not quite sure I'd get anything done wearing only this."

Draco smirked. "Me neither…and oddly enough, I'm ok with that."

Hermione rolled her eyes as she crawled on top of the bed, making her way towards him. His shirt was just big enough on her, and button just enough to give Draco an eye full of her breasts as she approached him. She pulled the covers away from him and straddled him, rubbing her hands softly in slow circles. Her eye caught the glint of her ring every so often, bouncing off of the light intruding the dark bedroom from the bathroom. "So…you're not tired," she teased.

"Nope."

She placed a kiss on his shoulder. "Because you've been tired all week." They hadn't had sex all week, mostly because Draco was afraid he'd lose any kind of restraint he had and blurt out a marriage proposal during an orgasm, which in his opinion was tacky. So he pretended to be exhausted from work all week, opting for cuddling with her instead.

He could feel a low, throbbing sensation in his erection as the tips of her fingers grazed against his skin. It was torture. "I am definitely not tired," he managed to speak; his hands sliding up his shirt she was wearing as he caressed her sides.

She had a playful glint in her eye as she rest her forehead against his. "Because I don't want you to fall asleep."

"Granger," Draco groaned. "I'm about to lose it."

"Lose what?" she asked, coyly.

He pressed his tongue into the side of his cheek, his hands gripping her waist. "You're a terrible, terrible, tease."

Hermione cocked her head to the side and shrugged her shoulders. "And yet you still asked me to marry you."

Draco used his toes to pull the blankets down further as he lifted Hermione for a moment. His erection twitched at the feeling of her warmth being just far enough away to drive him mad. She slowly unbuttoned the few buttons she fastened moments earlier, and as her breasts became exposed, he kept his hands on her hips as he lightly grazed one nipple, than the other with his lips as she disposed of the shirt on the floor. He felt her hips buck but he kept her still, leaving hot, tantalizing kisses across her chest. She craned her neck back as he made his way up, finding her neck, then her jaw. "See," he whispered, feeling her trying to buck but failing, as his grip was too strong. "It's not nice to tease."

"Not at all…" she moaned, her fingers kneading into his back. Figuring she had to find a way to get control again, she waited for him to move his head before she ducked her head down, catching her mouth with his. She held his face in her hands as she kissed him hard, moaning into his mouth as she felt him recline back into his pillows. She shifted her hips upward and reached down to grab his erection, sliding it between her warmth before positioning it at her entrance. Clenching, she slowly slid him into her, gasping at the sensation as Draco held back a moan. Her hands braced on his chest, she began to move, rocking her hips in a slow, circular motion as she thrust herself into him.

Draco felt his eyes rolling back as he did his best to hold her hips to keep them from rotating. "Unless you want this over in the next minute, you'll stop," he groaned as she laughed.

"You great big baby," she whispered in his ear, clenching again as she bucked against him.

In a quick, swift motion, Draco managed to flip the two of them without pulling away. Hermione yelped as Draco straddled her, lifting her hips off of the bed as he pumped into her, pulling out almost completely before tauntingly pumping back in. "Tell me you want it," he whispered hoarsely, keeping up his torturous rhythm.

"I want it," she whispered, squeezing her breasts with her hands as she massaged them. "Please Draco…faster." He barely sped up, just fast enough for her to notice as she cried. "Argh, Draco, faster!" she exclaimed. "Please!"

Suddenly, he tightened the grip he had on his waist as he sped his rhythm up. He was afraid he wasn't going to hold out much longer, and at the sight of Hermione rubbing a finger between her folds, he though he was a goner. "Hermione," he grunted out. "I…I…"

"I'm almost there," she panted. "Harder…please."

He did as he was told, and as he heard her cries and felt her release, his pumping fell out of rhythm and became more frantic as he lost himself in her, screaming her name as he slammed her into him as he came. Shuddering a final time, he carefully collapsed on top of her. Hermione wrapped her arms around him, burying her face into the crook of his neck. "I love you," he whispered in her ear, slowly pulling out of her. Draco stared at Hermione, propping himself up a bit with his forearms against the mattress. "I love you…more than I ever thought it was possible to love anything."

She lightly kissed his lips. "I love you too, sweetheart." Draco grabbed his wand from the nightstand and muttered a quick scourgify between them before Hermione shoved him away to take another bath. He wanted to stay in bed with her, curled up next to her so that as much of his skin was touching hers as possible. Draco reached for the covers and pulled them up as he situated himself on his side of the bed. Hermione curled up next to him, draping a leg in between his as she rested her ring-clad hand on his chest.

"I still cannot believe you gave me my mother's ring," she said, wiggling her fingers.

Draco grabbed his wand again and aimed it at the light in the bathroom, killing it with a wordless spell. "Yes, well, I figure every now and then I'm bound to get it right."

Hermione snuggled closer as he pulled the covers up over her shoulder. "You definitely got it right."

"This isn't right!"

Draco and Hermione stood, hand in hand, as Narcissa stared at the two of them incredulously, not even comprehending what she was hearing. When she heard them announce their engagement, she appeared to be over the moon as she leapt from her chair and gave them both a hug. It wasn't until she grabbed Hermione's hand to see how the Malfoy ring looked on her hand that the live howler began.

"Mother - "

"It's tradition!" Narcissa hissed. "You're breaking years and years and years of a Malfoy tradition!"

"I think tradition went out the window when I fell in love with her," Draco said, trying to keep an even tone with his voice. "Besides - it's a tradition on her side of the family to wear that ring and it's what she wanted!"

Narcissa threw her hands up in the air as she paced around her living room. "So it's about what she wants now!"

Hermione swallowed hard, her hand clenching Draco's. "Honestly," she whispered. "This isn't worth - "

"The bloody hell it is!" Draco shouted, startling Hermione and Narcissa both. He broke away from Hermione's grip and tried to his damnedest to form a sentence but every time he opened his mouth he couldn't speak, because he didn't know if he could control what would come out once it started. Instead, he clenched his fingers for a moment before balling them into a fist as he let out a frustrated scream. "You…you…are a bloody infuriating woman!" he finally bellowed before storming out of the room and out of the house, slamming the door for good measure.

Hermione willed herself to not cry as she stood face to face with Narcissa. "I'm sorry," Narcissa began. "It's just that…it's more than just becoming a Malfoy. It's more than just a name. It's becoming a member of high society, prestige - "

"I'm sorry, but are you kidding me?" Hermione asked, talking nervously with her hands. "Your husband was a bloody death eater who killed scores of people - what is prestigious about that? I'm a bloody war hero - you don't think that cashed in a few chips in climbing the wizard society ladder? My parents were killed by people you and your husband freely associated yourself with because of me!" She took in a deep breath, trying to steel her nerves. "No offense Narcissa, because I have honestly enjoyed getting to know you…but Draco's right. I'm not going to wear a Malfoy ring. I will wear my mother's ring, just as her mother and her mother's mother did before her because it's tradition in my family - and if Draco doesn't have a problem with that then neither should you!"

Narcissa sighed. "Hermione - please try to see this from my perspective. Draco is already marrying you, which is sacrificing - "

"Excuse me?" Hermione screeched. "You think Draco marrying me is a sacrifice? To what - tainting a pureblood family like yours? Are you honestly going to stand there and tell me you're better than me because your blood is different than mine? That your powers are somehow better, stronger than mine because of your blood?"

Narcissa shifted where she stood. "That's not what I meant - that's not how I meant for it to come out, Hermione."

Hermione was ready to just let loose on this woman, who for every step forward she took in their relationship Hermione always found herself shoved back seven. "I'm sorry," she managed to speak, gaining her composure. "That you could be enthusiastic about our announcement only to have it somehow tainted by a piece of jewelry. But hear me when I say this - I love your son. And we're going to be married, and we're going to have children, and like it or not - you're going to be the only grandparent. So you have two options - either learn to accept me - all of me - or watch us leave and never see you again."

"Hermione - "

"No," Hermione said, her hands now on her hips. "My future children will have so much love around them they won't even notice you missing. I always said that I would never make Draco choose between you and I but believe me when I say that I will. The world is changing, Narcissa, whether your like it or not. No one cares if you're a pureblood, a halfblood, or even a muggle. An entire war happened to prove that point, and last time I checked, the ones who shared your train of thought lost."

"Hermione," Narcissa said. "I didn't mean…I just wanted…I feel as if you are completely disregarding my feelings for the entire situation and how understanding I've been and how accepting I have been of you. I told you the other day you had my approval. I just want Draco to be proud of his family and of his traditions."

"Those traditions, Mother, are what warped me to begin with," Draco interjected, walking back into the room, hands jammed into his pockets. He stood next to Hermione, and she linked her arm with his, squeezing his bicep softly. "I spent my entire life being forced to do things - heinous things - to others at the expense of myself and my dignity."

Narcissa nodded. "Draco I know I should have protected you better - "

"It isn't even about that anymore," Draco snapped. "I'm done being forced to do anything. Hermione doesn't make decisions for me. We make them together. I am choosing my own path. I want my life with her. I want her to be happy. Her mother's ring makes her happy. At the end of the day…her happiness is tied to mine, and that's how it should be."

His mother hung her head in defeat for a moment, before looking back at her son and future daughter-in-law. "I'm sorry…this whole thing was blown completely out of proportion."

"You think?" Draco shot back. A look from Hermione made him soften his tone. "We were so excited to tell you, Mother…I don't understand why you consistently have to find something to be unhappy about with us."

Narcissa sniffled, looking away as she cautiously dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief. "Maybe I just need more time to…adjust to all of this."

Draco shook his head no. "That's not how this works, Mother. I get that this has been an adjustment. But I won't live my life the way you want me to. You have a month to figure out if you want to be a part of our lives. We want you around. I want you around. But not like this, insulting Hermione and making her feel less than what she is."

Narcissa nodded softly, a tear streaming down her cheek. "Of course."

With that said, Draco stepped towards his mother and gave her a polite kiss on the cheek before stepping back in line, grabbing Hermione's hand as they apparated to Harry and Ginny's.

The two of them popped into the kitchen of the Potter house. Ginny took one look at both of them as she pulled a sheet of cookies from the oven before pointing Draco in the direction of the shed, where Harry was. Draco said nothing as he headed in that direction while Hermione stood in front of Ginny, not even sure where to start. She for certainly thought she would have burst into tears, but instead, she almost felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"It was the ring, wasn't it," Ginny said, not asking.

"Oh yeah," Hermione replied, her eyes wide. "How did you guess?"

"That family - despite it's horrendous ways of thinking - is so entrenched in tradition that they thrive on it. You're probably breaking centuries upon centuries of traditions. I mean, I'm sure his father is already rolling in his grave about you. Not that I blame you about the ring - I never would have taken it," Ginny said as she scraped the cookies onto the cooling rack.

Hermione balanced herself with a hand on Ginny's kitchen counter. "She practically insinuated that Draco was 'sacrificing' enough by marrying me, as if I was beneath him, and that I should use that ring because it keeps some of the tradition alive."

Laughing, Ginny handed Hermione a cooled cookie from an earlier batch. "Honestly - the more traditions Draco kills off from that part of the family the better. You two should be able to create new traditions. That's the only way real honor is ever going to find it's way back to the Malfoy name."

Hermione took a bite of the cookie, which was delicious. She needed to spend more time in the kitchen with Ginny so she could show her some tricks. Suzy Homemaker, Hermione was not. "Draco told her that if she couldn't figure out how to accept me once and for all within a month's time, he was done."

Ginny's eyes went wide as she blew strands of her red hair away from her face. "Shut it."

"I swear to Merlin - I heard it myself."

"Holy shit. No wonder he looks like he wants to beat the hell out of something."

Hermione shook her head. "Yeah. Do you think your parents will be surrogate grandparents to our children? I feel like they're going to need them, and with his mother excommunicated and my parents gone…I'm going to need grandparents."

"Are you…"

Hermione shook her head no, laughing. "Goodness no - I'm speaking of future children."

Ginny clapped a hand to her chest as she scooped the last of her cookie batter onto the sheet. "I about had a stroke just then," she said, popping the last batch into the stove.

"I don't plan on kids for at least a year after Draco and I are married," Hermione reassured her. "We have to still pick a date for this wedding, and what kind of wedding we're even having. Blimey - we've been in engaged for barely a day and already shit is hitting the fan."

Ginny collected the dirty dishes from her batter and set a cleaning spell on them in the sink. "His mother will come around."

"And if she doesn't?"

"She will," Ginny reassured her. "That woman doesn't know how to be alone, and doesn't want to be alone."

Outside in the shed, Harry poured Draco a glass of scotch and watched him down it in a single gulp. He refilled the glass and Draco downed the glass again. Harry went back to sweeping up the shed. It looked to Draco as if he was doing a bit of organizing and cleaning out here, which meant that Ginny gave him the go ahead to turn the shed into his own personal man cave.

"My mother…"

"She'll come around," Harry reassured Draco.

"It wasn't even the engagement that set her off," Draco stated. "It was the bloody ring."

Harry shrugged as he swept the floor. "Well…you had to have seen that one coming."

"I'm also pretty sure she managed to inadvertently tell Hermione that her station in life was beneath that of my mother's."

Harry barked out a laugh. "I'm sure that went over well."

"I missed most of that," he admitted. "I stormed out of the house before I said something to my mother that I couldn't take back. When I came back in I heard her say something along the lines of what a sacrifice it was for me to marry Hermione so I turned right back around and went back outside to wait a few more minutes."

Harry shook his head as he finished sweeping. "So what are you going to do?"

Draco shrugged. "I gave Mother a month to figure it out. I wasn't kidding. I will choose Hermione."

"Cutting your mother out of your life completely will destroy you," Harry said. "I know you love Hermione, and I love that you defended her, but Draco - it's your mother."

He shook his head, staring into his empty glass. "I'll get over disappointing my mother. I won't survive disappointing Granger."

Harry put up the broom and sat down on a wooden stool next to Draco. "Your mother will figure it out."

"And if she doesn't?"

"It isn't an option," Harry stated. "Your mother needs you. She'll come around."

Draco dragged a hand through his hair. "Maybe." He put down the empty glass and looked at his best friend. "Tell me something. Anything."

Harry laughed, clapping a hand on Draco's shoulder. "You'll never guess what my son wants at his birthday party next weekend."

"Knowing James, it could be anything," Draco said.

"Oh no - you'll die when you hear it. James wants a magician - like he sees on the muggle tv shows - to come to his birthday party."

The two of them said nothing for a minute before bursting into uncontrollable laughter at the thought of some bloke with a black cape and top hat pulling a rabbit out for everyone to see. Tears streamed down their faces as they chuckled at the thought of a muggle magician performing for wizards.

"I mean…where do you even…I don't even know how to pull it off," Harry said through his laughs. "Oh look, you loon who pretends to swallow scarves - come perform for us real magic folk. It'll be delightful!"

Draco wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "Your son knows he's a wizard, right?"

"Apparently it's not the same," Harry replied. "Because I told him that magic wasn't exactly a foreign concept to us…and I'm not sure how pretend magic was as cool as real magic and you know what he asked me?"

Draco shook his head no.

"He said, 'Daddy, do you know how to pull a rabbit out of a hat?' and I was literally without an answer."

"You don't know how to pull a rabbit from a hat?"

"Blimey - do you know how to pull a rabbit from a hat - without putting one in there first?"

Draco and Harry sat in the shed, contemplating what type of spell could indeed pull off such a feat, both of them coming up empty. "You know," Draco started to say, "who would know if such a spell existed, right?"

"Hermione," the two said in unison.