It's a long chapter...but it's probably one of my favorite chapters so far. I can't even believe I'm one chapter away from 20. It's insane. I truly appreciate all of the reviews and messages you've all sent to me. I never imagined that I'd have so many people enjoy this story.
"How did you get into my vault? How dare you steal from me!" Bellatrix sneered, jabbing her wand into Hermione's neck as Bellatrix trapped her on the floor. "Answer me!"
"I didn't – we didn't - " Hermione cried in anguish. "It's a copy! A fake!"
"You filthy mudblood!" Bellatrix screeched, sending chills down Hermione's spine. Hermione cried in complete agony as another cruciatus curse was cast upon her to the point where no more sound slip from her voice – her face instead wrenched in pain as she refused to give into the dark witch. "Draco," Bellatrix cooed, motioning for her nephew who stood in the wings of the hall with his mother. "I know you hate her…come…torture her. Have some fun with the mudblood."
Hermione blinked tears away from her eyes as she wordless pleaded with her classmate, standing over her, a hand shaking as he clutched his wand.
"Malfoy please," she squeaked. "Do it, Draco," Bellatrix said in her haunted whisper. "You know the spell. It'll be fun - you'll see. Make the mudblood squirm, make her do your bidding. Even kill her if you want to!"
Hermione winced as she saw Malfoy snarl his face and raise his wand, before screaming as the curse was cast.
"You're ok," Draco whispered in Hermione's ear repeatedly. His arms were wrapped around her tight, keeping her arms from flailing as her legs thrashed about as they lay in bed. "Hermione," he said, his voice getting a bit louder. "Hermione come back to me. You're ok. You're ok, love – I have you. Come back Hermione."
Her shrieks became whimpers as tears streamed down her cheeks. Her breathing was labored as Draco continued to hold her, talking to her in hushed tones until she came out of it. Hermione's eyes popped open as she nervously surveyed the room before her, regaining her bearings. Her elbows bent, her hands finding Draco's arms as she grabbed a hold of them, gripping them as she silently cried for a few moments before they turned gut-wrenching.
Draco pulled her upright, maneuvering his arms and hands so that he could cradle her upright into his lap. Propping himself up against the pillows on the headboard, he enveloped her small frame with his arms and rocked her slightly as she sobbed into his chest. "It's ok," he whispered, trying to mask his own fear. Usually her nightmares contained yelling and thrashing, rarely were there tears and never were there screams that made his blood curdle. Hermione began to count to herself like her therapist taught her to do years ago as she regained control of her breathing, and the situation as a whole. Her hands clutched Draco's shirt like a lifeline that she wasn't ready to let go.
"I'm…sorry…" she managed to speak, finding her voice.
Draco hugged her, kissing her temple. "You don't need to be sorry." It was the third nightmare she'd since Harry's attack, this by far being the worst.
"You were standing here," she cried. "Over me, and she had me pinned to the floor…" He stopped rocking her. She never spoke about her nightmares. She would wake up, apologize, and curl up in his arms as she calmed down and eventually fall back to sleep. Hermione never spoke of what they actually entailed. "She told you…she was upset that we stole the sword but we didn't steal it. We didn't. Snape's patronus lead Harry to it in the bottom of the lake…and she was crushing me with her body, cruciatus cursing me, and she told you to - "
Draco craned his neck around to look at her, pulling her chin up so he could see her. "It was a nightmare," he said, his voice hoarse. He didn't want to know what his aunt told him to do in her dream. "You're safe with me."
Her brown eyes welled with tears as she nodded. "I don't understand why I have dreams about things that happened mixed with things that didn't happen," she cried.
"It's just a nightmare," Draco reassured her while unsuccessfully ignoring the pit in his stomach that was reminding him that she had a dream that involved him in her torture at the manor. He slid down the mattress a bit, holding Hermione as she curled into him. He pulled the covers over her shivering body and pressed his lips to her forehead. "You're safe," he whispered. "I love you."
She nodded into his chest as she inhaled his scent, seeking comfort of any kind as he rubbed his hands up and down her arm. "I know," she said. "I'm sorry."
"You don't have to be sorry," Draco said, closing his eyes for a moment.
Hermione draped a leg across him, looking up at him. He was looking everywhere but at her, and she could tell it was on purpose. Crawling on top of Draco, she grabbed his face and pulled it to hers, their foreheads touching. "I wish I wasn't broken," she whispered into his ear. "It isn't fair to you."
His hands wandered up the inside of her shirt, his fingers skimming her skin. "You're no more broken than I am," he said. Draco barely kissed her lips, not really sure where she was going with any of this. Her eyes stared at him as if she was searching for some kind of magic that would heal her - magic that didn't come from the core of a wand or the slight of a hand. Her cheeks were stained with tears, her eyes red from the ghosts of her past intruding her dreams. Hermione slid a hand down his boxer shorts as her lips left a trail from his chin, past his jaw and down his neck. "Hermione…" he said, his body reacting to her touch. "Hermione I don't -"
She pumped a hand up and down his growing erection as she looked at him. "Fix me, Draco," she pleaded.
Draco felt his eyes well for a moment with tears before he forced them away, looking at her. "Hermione -"
Crashing her lips to his, Draco ignored his better judgment and rolled her over, his erection painful as he felt Hermione instinctively grind against his hips as she tore his shirt off over his head. Shedding her own tank top, Draco cupped a breast in one hand as he kissed the other, teasing her taut nipple with his teeth, rolling the other between his thumb and forefinger. Her hips bucked against his, her underwear the only piece of clothing between her and his erection as it found its way out of the opening of his boxers. Hermione let out a high pitched moan as Draco lavished attention to her other breast with his mouth as he discarded her underwear. She pushed his boxers down his hips, using her feet to push them the rest of the way down his legs as he kissed her stomach, pushing two fingers into her as his thumb found her center.
Tears streamed down Hermione's face as she caught her breath. Draco incessantly vibrated his thumb against her center as he pumped her with his fingers, feeling her clench down as she screamed his name. "Now," she begged.
He wanted to be gentle, but he couldn't. The desire he had for her was crawling through every part of his body as he grabbed his erection and positioned himself. Grabbing her hips, he picked her up and pushed himself into as she cried out in pleasure. Setting the pace, he squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself not to lose the hold he barely had on his emotions as he pumped in and out of her, her breasts bouncing in rhythm with his thrusts. Hermione clenched herself around him again, her fingers finding her center as she touched herself. "Hermione I - "
"Not yet," she begged, her fingers picking up their pace as he increased the speed of his thrusts. "I love you," she moaned. "Please just…save me…never leave me…"
Draco tightened his grip on her hips as he felt her nearing her climax. "I'm never…never leaving you."
"Promise me," she begged.
"I promise," he managed to grunt out, unable to hold on for much longer.
As if the promise was the magic word, Hermione let out a scream that reached her toes, riding out her emotional orgasm as Draco groaned, cursing her name as he spilled into her. She choked out a sob as he collapsed on top of her, wrapping her arms around him as she cried into his shoulder. Draco felt his cheeks damp with his own tears as he kissed hers away, snaking his fingers through her hair. He whispered how much he needed her in between each kiss as she murmured in his ear how much she loved him. Pulling out of her, his eyes caught a glimpse of the clock - just past three in the morning. Exhausted yet wide awake, Draco crawled off of Hermione and made his way into the bathroom. She was confused, as he never left her after they made love. He stayed and held her until she fell asleep. Then again, she went from hysterics to seductress in the blink of an eye. Hermione's emotions were all over the place, and she found herself embarrassed as he disappeared.
Instead of the harsh light, Draco found some jasmine scented candles of Hermione's and lit them, giving the room just enough of a glow from their place on the bathroom sink as he dropped the plug in the bottom of the tub before turning on the water. Paddling back through the bedroom, he found her curled up in a ball under the covers, hugging the pillow on his side of the bed. He removed the covers and picked her up amid her weak protests.
"Don't," she whined.
Gently, he set her down in the water, adding in some of the soap suds she always used before climbing in behind her. He charmed the faucet to stop before the tub overflowed with his hands before pulling Hermione's back into his chest. He grabbed her brown, spongy looking thing that he didn't quite understand out of the basket hanging on the side of the tub and submerged it in the water. Draco squeezed the hot water over Hermione's shoulders as she drooped her head down, letting him move from one shoulder to the other. He felt her slip down into the tub so that she was completely under from the neck up, pulling her knees to her chest.
"I'm sorry I was in your nightmare," Draco whispered, wrapping his arms around her, slouching down as well so his chin could rest on her shoulder. "Sometimes I'm afraid I make things worse for you."
Hermione shook her head. "You don't," she said. "You make them better. I promise." Sighing, she leaned her head back into him, looking up at him. "I honestly don't know what came over me earlier."
"It's been a stressful week," Draco stated. He wasn't looking forward to Nott's funeral once the Ministry officially released his body to Pansy, or the emotion that would come with it. He also still needed to talk to Potter about what Nott told him on Valentine's Day. "Just relax," he said, his hands moving to massage her arms. "Harry comes home later this afternoon. I'm going to send Jori over to the Potters to help Ginny with the kids while Harry recovers."
"That'll be nice," Hermione said, yawning a bit.
She felt the muscles in her body lose their tension at the touch of Draco's hands, moving methodically down her sides through the water. Hermione sighed as Draco leaned in to kiss her neck. The two sat, soaking in silence, enjoying the comfort they found in one another without feeling embarrassed or ashamed until they both felt relaxed enough to go to back to sleep. Draco climbed out first, grabbing a towel before changing into a new pair of pajamas. Grabbing Hermione a towel, he held it open for her as she stepped into it, drying off before taking her robe from Draco and throwing it on, securing the tie around her waist. He took her hand and blew out the candles before leading her back into bed, yawning with exhaustion. They both crawled into their respective sides before meeting in the middle, burrowing back under the covers, spooned into one another. Draco draped an arm around her waist, holding Hermione's hand as it rested right under her chest as the two dozed back to sleep.
Later that afternoon, Draco and Harry stood in the middle of his backyard on the unusually warm day for February, the temperature more brisk and less frigid as it had been in recent weeks. The two of them were staring up at a large oak tree with its perfectly splayed branches. Harry's left arm was in a sling for no other reason than to protect the arm from himself as his burns continued to heal under the bandages.
"I don't understand the purpose of a tree house," Draco said after a moment.
"It's like the snow fort…only you know, it doesn't melt," Harry replied. "And it's in a tree."
"And kids find this fun?"
Harry shrugged. "I think it'd be kind of neat, and I'm an adult. Besides, I'm going to need something to keep me busy."
Draco arched an eyebrow. "Are you quitting?"
"I'm taking a leave of absence," Harry said, shuffling his feet through a patch of brown grass. "Ginny is beside herself, James wakes up in the middle of the night with terrors…I have to fix my family. I'll figure out the rest once I get there."
"Hermione had a horrendous nightmare last night," Draco said, sighing as he grabbed the back of his neck. He proceeded to tell Harry about what he knew about her nightmare, and then how she did a complete 180 on him and went from sobbing to seducing him, which he still felt somewhat guilty for letting her. He yammered on for a few minutes before catching Harry's bemused stare. "What?"
Harry shrugged. "Hermione's rubbing off on you, with all that rambling you just did."
"Sod off," Draco snarked, the corner of his mouth twitching upward. "Ass."
Laughing, Harry winced at the dull pain in his side as the two continued to inspect the tree closer, though Draco was sure neither of them really knew what they were looking for. "As much as I enjoy talking about your sex life with Hermione - and when I say enjoy I mean I'd rather catch on fire again - maybe you're reading too much into it."
"What do you mean?"
"Ginny and I can fight until we're blue in the face and before we know it, our clothes are gone and we're having make-up sex. In fact - both of my children were conceived though make-up sex."
Draco laughed, shaking his head at the thought. "Your children would be conceived that way."
"It worked out," Harry said with a self-satisfying smirk. "But you get what I'm saying."
He nodded, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "I guess I felt like I almost took advantage of her in a way."
"She needed you. You obviously needed her. If it's taking advantage of anything, it's taking advantage of the fact that neither of you are alone anymore. Seeking comfort in one another isn't wrong." Harry argued.
"I guess," Draco agreed, feeling slightly better. "Do you know when Nott's funeral is?" he asked, changing the subject.
"I heard Sunday," Harry replied. "You going?"
He nodded. "I told Pansy I would."
"You should go," Harry agreed. "For Pansy, anyway." Circling the tree, Draco watched as Harry mentally mapped out what he would need and where it would all go as he eyed the tree for the tree house he was intent on building. "You mentioned you wanted to talk to me about Nott - I'm assuming he told you."
"That his father attacked Hermione's parents and killed them? Yes. He did."
"Yeah…" Harry said, drawling out his speech as he looked at his friend. "Figured as much."
"How did you know?" Draco asked.
Harry shrugged. "I had a feeling. Not to mention the fact that George won't say why he cold clocked the git. It takes a lot for George to get riled up that way."
"It's intimidating almost, the way the Weasley brothers lose their minds over her," Draco mused aloud. "Of course, I guess they always thought she'd eventually be a part of their family."
Harry took his wand and scarred the tree where he wanted to nail wooden rungs as a ladder. "Hermione's a part of the Weasley family regardless of Ron fucking it up. Just like I am. That's our surrogate family. George is probably the most protective of Hermione, to be honest."
"Really?" Draco asked. "Why?"
Harry brushed his face with the sleeve of his good arm. "After the war, when we were all sorting ourselves out, if I wasn't around to console 'Mione, she and George kind of consoled each other. George was a hell of a wreck after Fred died. He understood Hermione." He stepped back away from the tree and adjusted the strap of his sling. "I reckon this will be a good project for James and me."
"I'm not sure how much help he'll be," Draco teased.
"He likes helping," Harry said with a chuckle. "Even if he just hands me nails the whole day."
"That child is something else," Draco said, smirking.
Harry laughed. "He is."
"I cannot believe you're going to build a tree house."
"I'm going to need something to do," Harry said. "If I sit around this house I'll lose my mind."
The two stood in silence for a moment, shuffling their feet as they walked together through the yard. "I don't know how I don't tell Hermione what I know."
Harry looked at his friend. "I can't tell you what to do. But what I can tell you is that telling her won't make her better. It's not exactly a secret I've enjoyed keeping. I'm not saying she'll never be ready to know - but I certainly don't foresee her being ready for it anytime soon."
Draco agreed, holding his hands behind his back as they walked. "You have a point."
"Tell her, don't tell her, it's your decision now. She's going to be your wife. But I'm telling you as her best friend - she isn't ready to hear it."
"Your right…" Draco said, trailing off as he looked up at the overcast sky. "Speaking of wives," he started to say, staring at Harry. "Her biggest fear is losing you. It's written all over her face."
Harry sighed, collecting a few broken sticks in the hard with his good hand before chucking them over towards the pile near the fence. "I still can't believe she threatened Kingsley and the auror assigned to protect him."
Laughing, Draco picked up a few sticks of his own, following Harry's lead as he tossed them towards the pile. "It was pretty amazing. You ought to make her a part of auror training - because let me tell you what - that bloke assigned to Kingsley was shaking in his boots. If they could take her on, they could probably take on anything."
"I love how she whips out the whole I'm Harry Potter's wife when it's most convenient for her."
"Usually, it's only convenient when it involves finding information out about you," Draco countered. "I certainly wouldn't deal with her when it comes to you, or your children for that matter."
Harry nodded, messing with his sling again as he sighed, staring at his wife through the window of their house. Both of them could see through the glass how exhausted she looked as she talked with Hermione. "I could always put her before the defending against dementors course."
"No offense, Harry, but your wife is capable of being much more terrifying than a dementor."
The two of them laughed, shaking their heads at the mere thought of Ginny training aurors. "She is a bit scary. Hence the leave of absence."
"So you're just doing this to appease her until she's over it?"
"Nah. I think the excitement of being an auror is diminishing for me. I have more important things to worry about nowadays, you know? Besides – this just saves me from having to deal with my wife and believe me – I avoid that like the plague."
Inside the house, Ginny was slumped against the couch, James asleep with his head in his mother's lap while Hermione sat across from the pair on the opposite sofa. Jori was puttering through the house, putting it back in order for Ginny which pleased the house-elf to no end to be somewhere that had a need for her. Albus had taken a quick liking to Jori so much that he allowed the elf to put him down for a nap - something he usually fussed at unless Ginny was the one taking him into the nursery.
"It's almost like you had recovery sex or something," Ginny said, commenting on Hermione's recounting of her early morning events. "Odd, maybe, but who knows. It can't be much worse than make-up sex. It's switching one emotion to another in a second and by the end of it, who really cares what the first emotion was?"
Hermione sighed. "I don't know. It was all just overwhelming. I'm starting to have nightmares that are losing reality and acquiring a fictitious aspect. Draco never came over to torture me in the Great Hall. It was all Bellatrix."
Ginny lightly played with her son's shaggy head of hair. "Have you thought about therapy again?"
"Yes and no. Yes I've thought about it, no because I've not actually pursued it. My nightmares have been so far and few between…but ever since this Nott business I feel like I'm on edge more. That's probably where it's all stemming from…more stress."
"Harry's taking a leave of absence," Ginny said. "Part of me feels bad, because I know he's doing it to appease me, but part of me wants to do a backflip."
"You have every right to be selfish," Hermione said, somewhat fiercely. "Every right, Ginny."
"I want him to quit - though I'm sure it will never happen. I know he needs to keep busy, but I want him here," Ginny confessed. "I want him safe, and I want him here."
Hermione knew how she felt. "After Ron left us…and Harry and I were attacked in Godric's Hollow, I remember sitting in the Forest of Dean, looking at him – pleading almost – that we just stay in the forest. Grow old together; forget the horcrux hunt considering we couldn't destroy the one we had."
Ginny sighed. "James hasn't sleep through the night since the attack. Albus is out like a light from seven in the evening until seven the next morning. This one wakes up screaming for his father, and then won't go back to sleep until he's in bed with us, clutching to Harry as if his life depended on it."
"Poor thing," Hermione said softly. "How are you doing?"
She shrugged, shaking her head with a pitiful smile. "Oh, I'm just peachy."
"Ginny…you have to take care of yourself."
"Isn't that a bit like the pot calling the kettle black?" she halfheartedly teased.
"Touché," Hermione replied. "But seriously. Is there anything I can do at all?"
Ginny watched as Jori carried in a tray of pumpkin juice and set it on the table for them. "You've done more than enough," she said. "Thank you for the juice, Jori."
Jori grinned from ear to ear. "You're most welcome. Master Draco said that Jori should take good care of the Potters, especially Missus Ginny."
"Did he now?" Ginny asked, taking a sip of pumpkin juice from her glass. "He sounds awfully bossy."
"Master Draco says that Missus Ginny is more stubborn than Missus Hermione," Jori said. "But Missus Hermione, Jori never would think you were stubborn. It wouldn't be nice of Jori. Not nice at all."
Laughing, Hermione smiled at the elf. "I am stubborn, Jori. It's ok if you think so."
"Jori likes Missus Hermione, and only thinks good things of her," Jori said wholeheartedly before leaving the room with her empty tray.
"I love that damn elf," Ginny said. "Love her. I can already tell she will be a blessing in disguise when you and Draco have children."
Hermione laughed. "Again…children…way off in the future, Gin."
Ginny smirked. "I give it six months after your married."
"Ginerva!" Hermione hissed, trying not to wake James.
"What?" she said, still smirking. "I plan on being pregnant then…it would great - being pregnant at the same time, having kids the same age."
"Already planning a third, I see," she teased.
"Once Albus is a bit older, yes. I want a daughter," Ginny stated. "But I already told Harry that if the third one comes out a boy - my uterus will be closed for business. I'm not going to be my mother and have seven sons before getting a girl. I love my brothers, but I'm pretty sure my mum is insane at times because of them."
Hermione toyed with the idea of having a child at the same time as Harry and Ginny. It would be lovely, having children growing up together much like Harry and Hermione did. But she wasn't even to be married for another thirteen months. Children were a welcomed, but distant thought in her future.
"Is Draco going to Nott's funeral?" Ginny asked.
"Yeah."
"Are you ok with it?"
Hermione shrugged. "I'm not sure I have a choice. But I think he's going for Pansy more than anything. He needs to see that she's ok, and if that gives him a piece of mind, then so be it."
Ginny carefully picked up James, who moved like a limp doll as his mother moved him so that he was hugging her, his head on her shoulder as he softly snored. "I don't know if I could ever be as understanding as you," she admitted. "Even when I knew there was no way you and Harry ever…I mean…I'm embarrassed to even admit I was jealous of you for nearly a year."
Hermione sipped her pumpkin juice. "I didn't say I liked it," she countered. "But they've known each other since they were in diapers. Besides - it's me he's marrying."
"You're right," Ginny said. "I just wish I had half your grace sometimes."
"Please. I am without grace plenty more than I have it. Last night - I don't even know what that was, but it certainly wasn't graceful."
"You sought comfort in the only way your body could find it at that moment," Ginny stated. "Its fight or flight, and you fought. You shouldn't be ashamed for seeking comfort in someone who loves you."
Hermione fiddled with the plaid scarf wrapped loosely around her neck. "I guess I'm still just not used to it."
"Used to what?"
She weaved the fabric of her scarf through her fingers. "Having someone love me unconditionally. Having Draco of all people be that person. What if he leaves? What if I never get over the nightmares and he just decides he can't take it anymore?"
Ginny caressed her son's back as he let out a content sigh in his sleep. "Look out there," she said, motioning to the window. Hermione turned around and saw Harry and Draco meandering through the back yard, collecting sticks as they talked. They were laughing about something, both of them grinning like fools about Merlin knows what. "Look at Draco. He doesn't look tired, or worn down. He looks relaxed and content – happy. I didn't even know he knew how to genuinely smile until you came around. He isn't going anywhere, and you're going to have to accept that."
Hermione caught Draco's eye and she gave him a smile, which he returned with a small, discrete wave. "He does look happy, doesn't he?"
"He does. Sometimes, he's so happy it bloody creeps me out."
Hermione laughed as she turned back around, rolling her eyes. "You're ridiculous."
"No – ridiculous is my husband thinking he can build a tree house," Ginny countered. "Out in that oak tree there. That's what he's going to do once he gets his release from the healer."
"I had a tree house!" Hermione exclaimed. "My dad made it – I spent every moment I could in it when I was younger reading books. James and Albus will love it!"
Ginny shook her head, a laugh escaping her lips. "Yes, well, we'll see if it actually happens and if it does. I think he has a bit of liquid luck still in his old school trunk. I'm half tempted to slip him some to make sure it's built properly."
"Slip me what?" Harry asked, announcing himself as he walked through the back door and into the sitting room where the girls were, Draco trailing behind him. He bent down and kissed the top of James' sleepy head before kissing his wife.
"Nothing, dear," Ginny said, playfully tugging at his chin.
"I'm going to start sleeping with one eye open," Harry remarked.
"I can't believe you don't already," Ginny retorted.
Draco and Hermione laughed as he sat down next to Hermione, draping an arm across the back of the couch as she curled into him. "She has a point," Draco teased Harry, encouraging Ginny with a wink.
Harry rolled his eyes as he uncomfortably twisted his torso. "Gin, did the healer give you the stuff to change the dressing on these burns."
Nodding, Ginny pointed towards the kitchen. "It's in a bag on the table. Why?"
"They just itch."
"You're supposed to change them once a day – you didn't have them changed before we left?"
Harry looked a bit sheepish. "I was so anxious to get home I didn't really notice."
Ginny glanced over at her husband with a glare, before looking at Hermione. "Would you…I mean…could you help Harry? I can't, I mean, I just, I can't –"
Hermione held her hands up, smiling softly at her friend. "Not a problem." She gave Draco's leg a small squeeze as she stood up, walking out of the room with Harry following her.
"I saw the burns the day after," Ginny said to Draco as she concentrated on James as she softly rocked from side to side. "I'm sure they look better but I can't…"
Draco stood up from the couch and moved to sit next to Ginny, watching as hugged her son. "You don't have to explain," he reassured her.
Sniffling, Ginny looked at Draco. "I want you to be completely honest with me," she asked.
"Ok…"
"Am I a horrible person if I ask Harry to quit working as a field auror? Am I a horrible wife to ask him to give up something I know he enjoys?"
Exhaling slowly, he tilted his head to the side as he stared at his friend. "Honestly, I don't think you'll have to ask him. I think he's ready for an auror position that's a little less…intense."
"I hate his job."
"I know."
"I want us to have as normal of an existence as possible. Chasing death eaters trying to 'reclaim the dream' is not a normal existence."
"I agree."
Draco watched Ginny sigh as if exhaling would prevent her emotions from bubbling over the edge. "You're not just trying to make me feel and agree with me because you're scared of me, are you?"
Laughing quietly, he wrapped his arm around Ginny's shoulder and hugged her as best as he could. "I don't fear you as much as your husband does," he teased.
Ginny laughed as James stirred, burying his face into her chest. "Good to know."
"Mummy stop talking," James whined. "I'm sleeping."
Draco lightly ruffled James' hair. "You've been asleep an awfully long time."
His head popped up as he rubbed the sleep furiously from his eyes. "Uncle Draco!"
"James!" he mocked.
"Daddy came home today!" the boy exclaimed through his exhaustion. "He's gonna take vacation from work so he can stay and play with me. Albus too. But mostly me. Albus just watches." Ginny and Draco laughed as he crawled out of his mother's embrace to Draco, perching himself on his lap, looking around the room. "Where's Daddy?"
"Aunt Hermione is helping him change his bandages so his tummy feels better," Draco explained.
"But he's still here," Ginny reassured her son, who looked as if he was about to panic. "I promise. He's right upstairs. They'll be down in a minute."
"Ok," James said, leaning into Draco. "Aunt Hermione is the best with ouches."
"She is," Ginny agreed. "Why don't you go see if Jori will make you a snack?"
Draco nodded, agreeing with his mother. "Jori is really good at snacks. She can probably make your dad one too."
James squinched his face in thought for a moment before accepting the idea. "Mummy do you want a snack?"
She shook her head no. "Thank you, but I had a snack earlier. Jori will probably let you help too. Just make sure you mind her."
James slid off of Draco's lap and nodded at his mother before searching for Jori. Ginny watched him disappear down the hall before resting her head against Draco's arm draped behind her. "I want to fast forward these next few weeks," she groaned.
"Understandable."
"I'm trying so hard not to be mad at him…"
"I'm sure you'll both talk this entire thing out and everything will be fine."
Ginny sighed. "You're probably right."
"Of course I am."
"You sounded an awful lot like your fiancée just then," Ginny teased.
"I can think of far worse people to sound like," Draco replied, giving her shoulder a squeeze as the two sat in a comfortable silence. "You look exhausted," he said with concern.
Gin rubbed her eyes and sighed. "I am. I'm going to close my eyes for a second…don't let me fall asleep."
"Ok," Draco said, completely ignoring the latter part of her statement. She was asleep within minutes, and he intended to stay exactly how he until she was asleep enough for him to move her into a more comfortable position.
Upstairs in the bathroom, Harry and Hermione stood inside with the door shut, a silencing charm on the door so no one could hear Harry hiss and swear as Hermione removed the bandages as best as she could without irritating his skin. "I'm so sorry," she said quickly, peeling the rest of the gauze away as he braced himself against the sink with his hands. "Merlin," she gasped, seeing the severity of his burns.
"They've looked worse," Harry said, gritting his teeth together. "By the time I'm through with that bottle of dittany, the healer says there should barely be any scars, if any at all." He looked over his shoulder into the bag Hermione had sitting on the floor. "There should be some kind of cream in there as well to put on after the dittany."
Hermione nodded. "I see it," she said, pulling the stopper out of the dittany bottle as she placed the drops onto his burns.
"Damn it!" he hissed as he felt his skin react. "Cock sucking mother fucking shit!"
"I'm sorry!" Hermione cried, trying to place the dittany all over as quickly as possible.
"It's not your fault," Harry groused. "Fucking death eaters."
She placed a few more drops on his upper arm before stoppering the bottle again, leaving it on the sink. Hermione grabbed the cream out of the bag and loaded her hands with it before slowly rubbing across Harry's charred skin. "I don't think they put enough cream on you the first time," she muttered, noticing his skin to be dryer than it should have been.
Harry winced, despite her feather touch against him. "I don't know if Ginny can do this for me over the next few weeks."
"I'll come over," Hermione promised.
"I'd hate to impose."
Hermione gave him a stare. "How many times have you taken care of me?"
"That's different," Harry ground out as he painfully hissed.
"It really isn't," Hermione replied as Harry sighed.
"Gin's livid with me," Harry muttered, staring at Hermione through the reflection of the mirror as she smeared cream on the left side of his back.
Hermione shook her head, dipping her fingers into the cream again as she lathered his arm. "I think she's just scared. Scared that her instinct that day was right, and you were hurt."
"Did she tell you that James is practically attached to my hip?" Harry asked, his voice throttled with emotion. "My son is terrified something is going to happen to me. I never wanted that for him."
"I guess you should've picked a different career path then," Hermione lightly teased, trying to ease the tension. "Aurors aren't synonymous with superheroes." Washing her hands, she dried them thoroughly before tearing into the packet of gauze to wrap around his torso. "You aren't a superhero," she said quietly as she carefully bandaged him.
Harry sighed, gingerly lifting his left arm so Hermione could wrap the bandages higher. "I think I could be happy training aurors…once I'm better and all."
"You'd certainly be able to give them quite the crash course," Hermione added.
"It'd be less dangerous."
"You wouldn't have to go on missions."
"Ginny would be happier."
"You'd see your kids more."
Harry watched Hermione bond the gauze together with her wand around his torso before wrapping his upper arm. "Why didn't you become a healer? You would've been brilliant at it."
"I'm not sure someone should heal others if they can't heal themselves," she sarcastically joked.
"You're healing just fine," Harry reassured her. "You're loads better than you've been in recent years. You expect too much of yourself."
Hermione shrugged, finishing his arm before bonding the gauze again with her wand. "Maybe."
"I swear, Hermione, you are your own worst enemy," Harry stated with a goofy grin.
She rolled her eyes as she held his shirt in her hand. Carefully, she helped him slide it back on as if she was dressing an oversized child. He handed her his glasses to hold as he pushed his head through the top of his grey shirt, swearing as he contorted his injured arm to go through the sleeve before sliding his other arm in the other sleeve. "You need to take a pain potion," she stated.
"It's not that bad."
Hermione yanked open their medicine cabinet and pulled a vial out, popping the top and thrusting it in his face. "Take it."
"Are you going to make me?"
"I have no problem making you."
He flared his nostrils before taking the vial and tossing back the potion. "Fucking disgusting," he grumbled as he grabbed his glasses. "Happy now?"
"Yes," Hermione said, somewhat satisfied. She reached a hand out to fix his hair like she'd done countless times. "Do you feel better?"
"Loads," Harry replied. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it." She cleaned up the mess, setting his wound care off to the side in cabinet so it wouldn't be bothered. "Have you and Ginny properly talked since this happened."
Harry shook his head, sliding his arm back into his sling. "Between the hospital and the kids, we've not had time."
"Just talk to her," she said, giving his good arm a squeeze. "Whatever she says – just let her get it out of her system. Because then she'll feel better, and will be able to have a logical conversation with you."
"Right," Harry said. The two of the walked out of the bathroom to rejoin their counterparts when they heard babbling coming from the nursery. Poking their heads in, they watched in awe as Albus sat in his crib, tossing his stuffed monkey over the side on the ground before levitating it back, only to grab it and throw it again as if it were a game. "Merlin… would you look at that – James didn't show signs of magic until he was at least a year old. My son's a genius," Harry announced proudly, catching Albus' attention.
The baby squealed at the sight of his father, clapping his hands clumsily together. "Da da da da da," he babbled.
Harry walked to his son, sliding down the drop side of his crib as he awkwardly leaned in to scoop up his son, showering him with kisses. Hermione watched from the door, leaning against the frame. "Wait until we tell Mummy you can do magic," he hushed enthusiastically, pretending to eat the chubby hand Albus was smashing into Harry's mouth.
Hermione tickled Albus' belly as Harry walked past her, the two of them walking back downstairs. They found Jori had made James a dinosaur shaped peanut butter and jelly sandwich in the kitchen, both of them completely fascinated with one another as Jori told James everything she knew about dragons and what they liked to eat.
Appreciating the distraction for James, Harry walked into the sitting room, stopping short as he saw his wife completely passed out, her head resting on a pillow on the opposite end of the couch with her legs in Draco's lap as he read The Daily Prophet. Hermione stood next to Harry, smiling at the scene before her. Draco looked up at them and pressed a finger to his lips.
"How long?" Harry mouthed.
"Fifteen minutes maybe," Draco mouthed back.
"Harry," Hermione whispered. "Let us take the kids back with us. You two can talk, she can get some sleep…"
Harry looked at Draco, then back to Hermione. "You're sure? You've had about as awful of a week."
Draco carefully lifted Ginny's legs so he could stand up before setting them back down, covering her with a blanket from the back of the couch. "It's fine," Draco whispered. "We love having the kids at the house."
Hermione agreed. "Take care of your wife. We'll leave Jori in case you two need anything."
"Thanks," Harry said, passing Albus to Draco. "I'll go get them an overnight bag ready."
Ten minutes and two tote bags later, Draco and Hermione flooed back to their house with the Potter boys. James was a bit difficult to coax away from Harry, but Draco gave grand promises of popcorn and ice cream after dinner if he was good. Hermione's teeth practically cringed at the thought, but that's the downside to having dentists for parents. Her sweet tooth was practically nonexistent, while Draco could quite possibly survive on licorice and ice cream if allowed. If Draco and Ron ever had to find some sort of common ground, it could be done over a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and a few chocolate frogs.
Albus went to sleep at seven, just as Ginny said he did, and once he was tucked away in the nursery/playroom Draco created for James, she found the boys in the kitchen, working on creating the perfect ice cream sundaes. She sat on the steps, watching through the narrow spindles as Draco showed James how to properly use a can of whipped cream on the large bowl of vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream in front of them.
"What else are we gonna put on it?" James asked, rubbing his hands together.
"The question, Mr. Potter, is what aren't we going to put on it?" Draco responded, handing him a bag of chocolate chips and gummy bears. He slid accio'ed a few bottles of sprinkles from the cabinet as they slid in front of James. Draco snagged the bag of mini-marshmallows from the counter near Hermione's hot chocolate stash and handed them to James.
His eyes were wide. "We can use all of this."
"Absolutely," Draco agreed.
"Honestly, Draco," Hermione said, stifling a laugh. "You're going to put the child in a state of sugar shock."
Draco nodded. "That's the point."
"Sugar shock sounds amazing," James said, popping a gummy into his mouth. "Come help, Aunt Hermione."
"Yeah," Draco mimicked. "Come help."
"My teeth hurt looking at that," Hermione said, standing up to walk down the remainder of the stairs. She perched herself on a stool across from them at the island and watched. "You're going to eat all of this?"
Draco held the bag of chocolate chips open as James' shoved a hand in, pulling out the little chocolate pieces in his fist before sprinkling them on top of the ice cream. "We have before."
"Gross," Hermione replied.
"It's not gross," James said, tossing gummy bears into his concoction. "I need marshmallows."
Draco handed him the bag. "There's just one rule when we do the big ice cream sundae."
"Yep," James agreed. He grabbed two sprinkle containers and Draco snapped up the lids so he could shake the colored crystals out. "We don't tell Mummy."
"You realize she probably knows anyway," Hermione countered.
"Probably," Draco replied. "But there's no sense winding her up any more than she already is."
"Yep," James agreed. "I need a spoon, Uncle Draco."
Draco pulled open the silverware drawer and grabbed three spoons. James plucked his spoon from Draco's hand and dug into the ice cream sundae, letting out a sigh of contentment as he savored his masterpiece. Wiggling a spoon at Hermione, Draco gave her a wink. "Try it," he said. "You'll like it."
Reluctantly, she took the spoon. "This looks disgusting."
"It's delicious," James reiterated his mouth full of ice cream.
Draco spooned himself a bite and popped it into his mouth. "Indeed," he stated. "Try it."
Dipping her spoon into the bowl, Hermione pulled out a small bite of strawberry ice cream that had a gummy bear, a few chocolate chips, and a marshmallow stuck to it. She put the bite into her mouth, chewing the candy bits before swallowing.
"Well?" James asked.
"It's interesting," Hermione said, smiling. "Not half bad."
James looked at Draco and sighed. "She'll come around," he said in tone that was eerily reminiscent of his mother.
Draco nodded, imitating James' dissatisfaction in Hermione's response while she watched them, swallowing a laugh of her own as they continued to devour the ice cream. It never ceased to amaze Hermione when she watched him interact with the kids. He wasn't someone you looked at and presumed to be kid friendly. But he adored the Potter boys to pieces, and she knew his protective instincts were always on when around them. As if a light switch somehow flipped inside of her, all of her fears about Draco and their relationship slipped from her mind as she watched the unlikely pair in front of her add more whipped cream to the bowl.
She was going to marry this man – a man who adored children and valued his friends, who loved her unconditionally at her worst, let alone at her best. Her fears were ridiculous. It didn't matter that she hated him as a child or that their relationship evolved at an incredibly rapid pace. Waiting a little more than a year to marry Draco seemed agonizing as Hermione thought it through. Whatever was in store for them next April would be there if they were married or not. She wanted one thing in life, and he was standing in front of her, spraying whipped cream onto James' tongue as he laughed. Hermione certainly wasn't going to let him pump their children full of sugar, but she could learn to live with the notion that what she didn't know wouldn't kill her.
Maybe, she thought to herself as she pressed her hands together, her forefingers resting on her lips, just maybe…if I let go of my need to control everything, the control I used to have will come back to me.
Draco shoveled another bite of ice cream into his mouth as he caught Hermione lost in thought. "If you think any harder, Granger, smoke will steam right out of your ears."
James dropped his jaw a bit. "Do you think that could really happen?"
Shrugging, Draco smirked at Hermione, propping his elbows on the counter. "I don't know. Let's stare at her and see."
Hermione wasn't even listening, though it was hard to ignore the two sets of eyes staring intently at her as she began to finally process linear trains of thought. "What – is there something on me?"
Draco laughed, as did James. "We were looking for smoke," James said.
"Smoke?"
"Out of your ears, cause Uncle Draco said you was thinking so hard," James clarified. "But it didn't happen."
Hermione gave Draco a pointed glare, trying her best not to smirk. "You're a right git."
"Ah…but I'm your git," Draco argued.
"Can't argue that," Hermione replied. She slid off of her stool and walked over to Draco, kissing a bit of ice cream off the corner of his lips. "Are you ok with the boys for a bit?"
"Considering one is passed out, yes," Draco replied. "Why?"
"I need to go talk to your mother about the wedding."
"Now?"
"Yes," she said. "Also – what do you think about this October?"
Draco was confused. "I think it's the month of Halloween."
"Well, I'm thinking about tossing a wedding anniversary in there," she said with a grin, kissing him a final time before walking away. "I'll see you in a bit," she called out to him before she disappeared into the floo.
He stood there, completely dumbfounded as he stared at the floo. James poked him in the arm with his stubby fingers. "What was she talking about?" he asked.
Draco chuckled once, biting the inside of his lip as he shook his head. "I'm getting married in October."
"To Aunt Hermione?"
He nodded, a grin spreading from ear to ear. "I'm getting married in October."
"You already said that," James replied with another mouthful of ice cream.
Draco turned his attention back to James, stabbing his spoon into the ice cream as he served himself a bite. Life with Hermione always kept him on his toes, and the thought of starting their life together sooner was enough to instill a little bit of the faith he'd once lost in the idea of a happily ever after.