Happy Weekend Everyone! I hope you enjoy the chapter! It might be a bit too dialogue heavy, so I apologize in advance, but I had too much fun writing it all.

"And why can't we do the party together?"

"Because we can't! I have been planning this moment since we were kids and I'm not letting you crash it!"

"I think we should all go out together as a group because it's not about us - it's about them!"

"It's about them - separately - and I've already paid for the entertainment!"

"Entertainment?"

"Yes! Entertainment! Strippers! And we can't have strippers if you girls are there ruining the fun!"

"If you think I'm letting my husband near strippers you better think again, Blaise Zabini!"

Draco and Hermione sat next to each other on the couch while Blaise and Ginny screamed at each other, each of them ready to jam their wands into the other's throat at any moment. The hen and stag night had become a hot source of contention as of late and Draco, Hermione, and Harry were expecting to come to blows between the best man and the matron of honor any day now…today appearing to be the day.

"Who do you think is going to win?" Draco whispered in Hermione's ear.

"I'm not sure," Hermione whispered back. "But strippers? It's a bit tacky."

Draco chuckled silently. "It's Blaise," he whispered. "It's the part he's most excited about."

"It's a stag party!" Blaise bellowed at Ginny. "And there's only one rule when planning a stag party - and the rule is there are no rules! Which means you and your crazy ginger ways need to leave me and my party alone!"

"You haven't even begun to see crazy yet, Zabini."

"Please," Blaise scoffed. "I'm a reformed Death Eater. Whatever crazy you're packing - I'm sure I've seen worse."

Ginny's face was as red as her hair with fury. "Your group has a gaggle of boys between you, Harry, Draco, George - Hermione and I don't even know girls other than the two of us!"

"Ask Luna to go!" Blaise shouted before taking it back. "Oh wait - she's out of town that weekend."

"Exactly! Wait - how do you know that Luna's out of town that weekend?"

Blaise began to stutter. "I don't. I didn't. Wait. Fuck. No - never you bloody mind how I fucking know - the only thing you need to know is that you are not making this one big party!"

Draco grabbed Hermione's hand and inconspicuously and she followed his lead as he quietly lead her out of the living room and towards the stairs, leaving Blaise and Ginny to their fight. Slipping into their bedroom, Draco shut the door behind them and locked it with a charm. Hermione threw herself onto the bed, groaning as she lay on her back. "I can talk Ginny into separate parties. I didn't realize it would wind up being just me and her."

"Where's Angelina?"

"Her sister is having a baby shower that weekend," Hermione replied, referring to George's girlfriend. "Luna's out of town…though Ginny had a point - how would Blaise know?"

Draco bit his lips together. "If I tell you something you have to promise not to tell Blaise I told you."

She propped herself up on her elbows. "Has he been seeing Luna!"

"Quietly, yes," Draco confessed.

"And you didn't tell me!" Hermione shrieked.

"He told me I couldn't!" Draco exclaimed. "I think he's nervous about it all - I don't think he's ever liked a girl like he likes Luna."

Hermione clapped a hand over her heart. "That is so adorable!"

Draco walked towards Hermione, crawling onto the bed so he was over top of her. "You can't say anything."

"My lips are sealed," Hermione promised. He leaned to kiss her, but she turned her head away. "I'm still all snotty," she said. "I don't know if it's contagious."

"You've had a cold for like, the entire month of July. If I haven't caught it by now, I won't," Draco said, leaning in unsuccessfully as she shook her head.

"I'm all gross," she protested weakly.

He caught his lips with hers as he held himself over her, his hands pressed into the mattress. "I love you - even when you're gross," he replied as he pulled away.

Hermione laughed, shaking her head at him. "You're ridiculous."

He collapsed on the bed next to her, tucking strands of her hair back behind her ear. "I feel like we haven't spent much time together," he softly spoke. "Just you and me, that is."

She nodded, grabbing his hand and lacing her fingers with his. "Well, between the wedding planning, you working late to avoid your father, and the fact that your parents live with us right now…I kind of feel the same way."

Both of them rolled onto their sides so they could face each other, still holding each other's hand. "I can't believe it's July already," Draco said. "What a difference a year makes…"

Grinning, Hermione kissed his fingers, still laced with hers. "I know. In a few short months we'll be married…"

"We'll be married," Draco repeated with a content sigh. "I, for one, cannot wait to marry you."

Hermione grinned. "I can't wait to spend forever with you."

"You always have to one up me, don't you Granger?" Draco teased.

"Yes," she nonchalantly replied, flinging a leg over Draco's waist and crawling on top of him so that she could lean towards the nightstand to steal some tissues. Hermione sat on his stomach and quickly blew her nose as Draco ran his hands up and down her jean-clad thighs. "Ugh - this cold needs to disappear."

Draco nodded. "Maybe you should just listen to your body and slow down a bit. The healer said -"

"I know what the healer said," Hermione replied with a huff. Earlier that week Hermione went to the healer out of desperation. Rarely did Hermione find herself begging for a healing potion but her cold wasn't getting any better and she was getting annoyed. However, the healer only gave her a few vials of pepper up potion and told her what she already assumed - her cold was her body's way of telling her to slow down and take care of herself. Though Hermione didn't feel like she was doing a lot - the healer told her that too much stress was probably the cause and the only cure was to relax and rest - the two things Hermione lacked ability wise. "Sorry. I don't mean to snap."

He clapped his hands lightly against her thighs. "It's ok. I'm used to it. I've put up with it for a year, after all."

Her jaw mockingly dropped and he laughed. "It's not been a year just yet, you smart ass."

"It will be in a week," Draco retorted.

Her eyes grew wide. "Seriously?"

"How could you forget?"

"I didn't forget," Hermione countered. "I just…didn't realize…"

"You forgot! I can't believe it!" Draco exclaimed. "I thought girls were supposed to remember that kind of emotional crap."

She feigned a glare. "So now you're calling our anniversary 'emotional crap'?"

"No…"

"It sounds like you did."

Draco rolled his eyes. "You know what I meant, Granger."

"Maybe," Hermione replied with a wink before blowing her nose again. The two of them were silent for a second, wondering if the stag and hen party war was over between Ginny and Blaise, but as they heard Ginny's voice screeching through the house, they realized that the two were still going at it. "How long do you think those two will keep it up?"

Draco shrugged. "Probably until one of us breaks it up. Though we could always just move the weekend."

"But Blaise has 'already paid for the entertainment'," Hermione said, mimicking Blaise's words.

He smirked at Hermione. "Am I sensing a bit of jealousy?

"Not at all."

"I think someone's lying," sang Draco.

Hermione crossed her arms against her chest, scowling. "You can have as many strippers as you want, Draco Malfoy. But if you touch one of them so help me…"

Draco laughed, giving Hermione a playful smack on her bottom. "Listen here, Granger. There's only one woman I want to touch and she's currently sitting on top of me…digging her bony ass into my stomach."

"I do not have a bony ass!" Hermione haughtily screeched.

"You really do," he said with an impish smirk. She gave him a look before letting out a yelp as he successfully threw her over so she was on bottom as he hovered over top of her again. Letting a hand slide up her thigh, he let it cup the bottom of one of her cheeks and grinned. "But I don't mind – I love your ass."

Wrapping her legs around his waist, she smirked as she grabbed fistfuls of his polo shirt. He leaned forward, assisting her as she peeled the shirt away. "What else do you love?" she seductively asked.

He leaned in and kissed her neck, one hand holding him up over her while the other slowly popped the buttons of her sheer grey blouse. "I love…the taste of your skin," he whispered in her ear between kisses.

She pulled at the buckle of his pants, pulling the leather out of the loops as she craned her neck back to accommodate his lips. Hermione felt a groan escape her mouth as he kissed her chest, popping the front clasp of her bra to expose her breasts. Crushing his chest to hers, Draco's lips found hers as the two relished in the skin-to-skin contact. The longer Draco thought about how long it had been since he had the proper chance to snog his fiancée, the more aggressive he became, Hermione matching his intensity as her mouth danced with his. Both of them were lost in the moment before abrupt banging on the door caused them to freeze.

"Draco! Come out – I know you're in there!" Blaise shouted on the other side. "I need back-up!"

"Maybe if we don't say anything," Draco whispered. "He'll go away."

Hermione sighed exasperatedly. "Or Blaise barges in here, sees me topless, and never leaves."

"Go away Zabini!" Draco immediately barked towards the door. "I'm in the middle of something."

"You can shag Granger any time you want!" Zabini yelled. "I need backup before that goddamn ginger woman fucking ruins my plans!"

Draco scowled. "I want my fucking house back," he complained to Hermione as she raked her fingers through his hair. "I want people to go away, and leave you and I in peace..."

"Go," Hermione reluctantly replied. "The sooner you end it the sooner you can come back."

He groaned. "You better be completely naked when I get back."

She smirked. "I'll see what I can do."

He groaned again, climbing off Hermione. He snatched his polo hastily from the ground and pulled it back over his head, jerking his arms through the sleeves. Draco didn't bother tucking the shirt back in, hoping it was just long enough to hide the erection he was sporting under his dark trousers. Carefully, Draco opened the door just wide enough for him to walk out of, quickly closing it behind him as he glared at Blaise.

"Don't give me that look," Blaise said. "You said I could plan the party and I have planned the party of the century and she's ruining it."

Draco shook his head. "Go downstairs," he ordered, following Blaise as he walked through the hallway and down the front staircase, where he found Ginny waiting in the foyer, hands crossed against her chest defiantly. "Ginny," he said, a bit gruffly. "Do you honestly think you're going to have fun with Hermione doing whatever the hell it is that Blaise has planned for the guys?"

"Of course I don't," Ginny began to speak. "But –"

"And Blaise," Draco interjected. "Do you really think that announcing to Ginny about the part of your planned stag night that included strippers was the best idea you've had in recent months?"

Blaise scowled. "Probably not."

Sighing, he scratched the back of his head and stared at the two of them, looking back at him like petulant children. "Ginny, as much as I love you, Blaise has been planning my stag party since he discovered what one was. He's too much of a whore to ever have a chance of having his own, so he chooses to live vicariously through me."

"Yeah!" Blaise chimed in for good measure.

"Shut it, Zabini," Draco said. "I know we talked about having the parties on the same weekend in different locations, but clearly that isn't in the cards. What if instead, during the weekend of the stag party that Blaise already has planned so it cannot be changed – the men go and do their thing, while the two of you enjoy a nice and relaxing spa weekend. Everything on the menu, whatever you want –from the moment you check in to the moment you leave."

Ginny huffed. "But we want to go drinking too!"

"Get drunk at the spa!" Blaise exclaimed.

"It's not the same!" Ginny snapped.

Draco sighed. "I know – which is why you can host a hen party in September – roll it into Hermione's birthday. Everyone will be in town, we can all do a big group dinner, and then you girls can go off and host whatever kind of debauchery you can come up with."

Ginny narrowed her eyes. "I guess this could work."

"You guess?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Fine," she groused, glaring at Blaise who wasn't trying to hide his smirk. "I despise you right now."

"Feeling's mutual," Blaise declared.

Draco resisted the urge to strangle both of them. "Listen to me carefully. I have both of my parents living here and it is putting a serious damper on my sex life. Hermione has a cold she can't kick because she's exhausted and stressed, and all I want to do is go back upstairs and have shag my fiancée while my mother finally has my father out of this bloody house so will the two of you do me favor and disappear." They both nodded, Ginny still glaring at Blaise who was clearly enjoying his victory. "Oh and Ginny – ask Blaise about his new girlfriend, Luna."

Blaise's triumphant face fell flat. "What the fuck, mate!"

Draco laughed, retreating back up the stairs. "I had to give her something – you taunting her gave me no choice."

He continued to laugh as he heard the two continue to bicker now about Luna, Ginny badgering Blaise about all the details before they both disapperated away, Ginny more than likely dragging Blaise along for the ride. Draco had his shirt practically stripped by the time he got to the bedroom, his trousers tightening again at the thought of Hermione naked in bed. However, when he opened the door, he found Hermione under the covers, naked, with her eyes closed. He stripped himself naked, and silently groaned, his erection not budging as he crawled into bed with her. However, at this point, Draco didn't care what they were doing; he just wanted to be with her. Slipping an arm around her thin waist, Draco was surprised when he felt her hand grab his, moving it to her breast as she hummed at his touch.

"Pretending to sleep," he murmured, kneading the breast in his hand slowly. "Such a tease."

"Just resting my eyes," she mumbled.

Draco slipped an arm underneath her so that both hands were softly massaging her breasts as she moved against his erection, causing his hips to buck slightly. "I feel like we haven't done this in forever," he said as he peppered her shoulder with kisses.

"Two weeks at least…" Hermione agreed, her voice catching a bit in her throat as he rolled a nipple between his thumb and forefinger. "Mmhmm…Draco," she moaned, grabbing the hand attached to the arm draped around her and moving it south. "Touch me," she whispered. "Please."

He let his fingers slide past her stomach and dip between her wet folds, finding her sensitive center with his index finger. Her breathing hitched as he sped up his fingers, pushing both of her breasts together with his other arm and hand as she whimpered. Inching his way down, he nudged her legs apart with a knee and moved her top leg over his leg, letting his erection tease Hermione as he quickened the pace of his finger. She gasped with each tease, feeling herself on the edge before he pushed himself all the way into her. Holding her leg on top of his, Draco let his eyes roll to the back of his head as he thrust in and out of her, relishing in how tight she felt with each movement. He didn't know what it was about Hermione - but with other girls, he wanted them to do all the work. Maybe it was because he wasn't all that into it. Maybe it was because he didn't love them the way he loved her. He didn't know the reason. All he knew was that with Hermione, he wanted to do everything.

She leaned her head back as his lips found her neck again. "Oh my…right there…right there…harder, Draco!" she begged.

He sped up his thrusting, feeling the tension inside of him tighten and coil as he gripped a hold of her leg to steady him. "I'm so close," he said through a groan. "Hermione…Hermione I - oh Merlin…so tight!"

"Shh! Your parents - will hear!" she gasped.

"They're - not - here," his words rattled, moving faster with more force.

Her inhibitions eliminated, Hermione let out a deep moan from the bottom of her stomach in pleasure, screaming through her orgasm as he slammed into her a few more times before he felt himself involuntarily jerk, his orgasm overcoming him as he buried his face into her back, moist with sweat from the friction of their bodies. He left lazy, hot kisses on her back and hugged her close, still buried deep inside her.

Hermione hummed contently, hugging Draco's arms that were wrapped around her. "We have got to get your house back," she stated, catching her breath.

"Our house," he said, pulling out of her and rolling onto his back.

Hermione stole some more tissue from the box on the nightstand and blew her nose for the umpteenth time. Rolling towards him, she folded her arms against his chest and propped herself up. "Our house?"

He shrugged like it was no big deal. "I mean…what's mine is about to be yours in a few months anyway. I've been meaning to draw up paperwork on the house, among other things anyway."

She stared at him, completely confused. "Why would you…I mean, I thought that with your family, being the 'Malfoy heir' and all -"

Draco looked up at her. "None of that matters to me. Not anymore. I'm not going to have a relationship with you like my parents had. We're equals - and if I tried to treat you any other way I'm certain you'd kill me in my sleep."

Hermione smirked. "Equals…huh?"

"On paper at least," Draco replied with a wicked smirk. "In reality, you'll always be superior to me."

"You bet your ass," she playfully retorted. "I'm going to take a shower and then a nap. Care to join?"

He grinned. "Yes to the shower. But I'm certain you'll nap longer if I'm not with you."

"Will you at least stay with me until I fall asleep?" she asked.

"Of course."

Draco pulled the covers up over Hermione's shoulders and pressed a light kiss to her forehead as she snoozed. He was really hoping she was on the tail end of this cold. He didn't think she was going through nearly enough tissue as she had been previously, which he took as a good sign. While she slept, he retreated up to the study. Draco meant what he said about legally putting Hermione's name on the house, among other things. Inside the office, Draco moved the portrait on the wall of his mother in her early 20s and removed the defensive wards around the safe door before rolling the number tumbler around it's three digit combination.

He pulled out a large leather dossier and carried it over to his desk, dropping it with a thud as it hit the dark oak wood. Z was curled up on the edge of his desk, looking up at him with an irritated glare as her nap was disturbed. "Sorry," he said, scratching the kneazle between the ears, seeking forgiveness as she purred for him. Sitting in the large chair behind his desk, Draco sorted through the paperwork - the deed to the house, his car, and the various Malfoy trusts now still in his name as the head of the Malfoy family, despite the return of his father. He thought for certain it would all reverse when his father appeared, but his mother name sure that his father kept him as the one in charge when it came to the family. Lucius hardly put up a fight, and Draco had yet to figure out the motivation behind it. His mother said there wasn't any, but Draco found that awfully hard to believe. Sorting the documents on his desk into piles, he didn't hear his father knock on the door. It wasn't until Lucius cleared his throat that Draco looked up. "You need something?" he asked, a little less bitter than his usual tone towards his father.

Lucius shook his head. "I was hoping to have a proper conversation with you, if you aren't busy." Draco waved him in as he continued to sort through the paperwork. Lucius took a seat in the chair across from Draco's desk, his eyes glancing at some of the documents - some of which were familiar. "Might I ask what you are doing?"

"Organizing."

"I deducted that much."

Draco looked up at his father, noting the dry tone of his voice. "I'm sorting papers so I can give them to the family lawyer next week."

"Sorting?"

"Yes," Draco replied. "I need Hermione's name put on some of them, like the house and the car, bank accounts, and I need her name listed on the rest of them so that if something were to ever happen to me, she could take care of things."

Lucius nodded. "If you're a lawyer, why don't you just change the paperwork yourself?"

Draco stopped his sorting and leaned back in his chair. "It's bad practice to lawyer yourself."

"I see," he said, his voice eerily reminiscent of Snape, only lighter in tone. The same drawl was there, though, just less sinister. "So you're giving her complete control?"

"If something were to happen to me, yes."

"Are you sure that's wise?"

Draco sighed. "Father…I'm really trying to do this thing where I suppress the urge to yell at you. Your questions…aren't helping said urge."

"Malfoy matters have never been handled by anyone but a Malfoy," Lucius cautiously pointed out.

"As of October 21st, she will be a Malfoy."

"By marriage, yes. But family matters traditionally are handled by a true heir."

He dragged a hand down his face, resisting the urge to sneer and scowl. "Father, I won't burden my future children if something were to happen to me before they are old enough to handle it. Hermione's smart. I trust her."

Lucius leaned back in his chair, his face stoically calm. "You seem to have a lot of…confidence in her."

"It's hard not to," Draco replied. "If something were to ever happen, heaven forbid, Hermione would know what to do."

"And if she doesn't?"

"Hermione will know what to do," Draco firmly repeated.

His father nodded. "Your mother is quite fond of the girl."

"You should have seen her in the beginning," Draco said, cracking a wry smile. "That woman was spitting nails and cursing my name."

Lucius cracked the same grin. "I can imagine. Of course, it was always your mother's intention to have you married off to a Greengrass girl. Or Pansy."

Draco made a face, shaking his head quickly. "Pansy's insane. We would've killed each other. As for the Greengrass girls…well, Daphne is a bit dingy, and Astoria is just a pain in the ass."

"You mean to tell me that you don't find Miss Granger to be, as you so eloquently put it, a pain in the ass?"

He couldn't help but chuckle. "Oh don't get me wrong - Granger's often a pain in my ass. But that's only because she's usually right. Astoria on the other hand, is a whole different breed of girl. Materialistic, fake, into it for all the wrong reasons. She was never my type, much to Mother's dismay."

Lucius nodded, his hands resting on top of the cane that balanced between his feet. "I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Miss Granger has indeed grown on me just a little bit. For a muggle, that is."

"You realize that with your way of thinking, your beliefs, that if you were to see her on the street and not know her from anyone, but saw her magical abilities, that you'd swear she was a pureblood, right?"

"Yes."

"Then don't say that she's grown on you 'just a little bit for a muggle'," Draco spat. "Granger is a brilliant witch. Literally, the only thing I can do better than her is flying on a broom. She's rubbish at it."

"I was merely pointing out to you that I've grown fond of her, just as your mother has," Lucius tersely spoke. "I thought that would please you."

Draco sighed. "It does…I mean, I'm glad you like her, though you should be aware that I've given up on seeking your approval a long time ago."

"I'm aware," Lucius replied.

Silence feel between them again, only this time a little less awkward. Lucius sat back in the chair and watched as his son scanned each document briefly before determining which pile it was to be placed into. Every once in awhile, Draco would glance up and see his father studying him, not really giving it much thought as he continued through the paperwork. Most of the paperwork he hadn't touched since his father's 'death,' merely out of necessity as his mother had no idea what any of it was and there were things to be done.

He pulled out the old deed for Malfoy Manor and set it aside, not really sure what to do with it anymore considering it was demolished. The land, however, was still his, or the family's, though Draco had not a clue as to what to do with the land, either. Flipping through some more documents, he caught his father staring again. "What?" he asked, his focus on the papers in hand.

"Nothing," Lucius replied. "I'm just…watching."

"Why?"

Lucius paused a bit before answering. "I want to say something to you, but I don't know how to properly word it."

Draco let out a laugh. "It's not like you've ever held back before, Father. Out with it." When his father said nothing, Draco quit flipping through the paperwork and looked at him. "Seriously. Just say it. If you're worried about how it'll sound, I'm sure you've said worse to me."

Lucius swallowed hard. "I know you won't believe me when I say this, and you certainly won't understand it until you yourself are a parent…but I've watched you since my return and I find you…unrecognizable. As a child, I fear - I mean - I know my pride in you was misguided. But as misguided as it was, I was proud because you were what I made you. Now, I sit and I watch you - no longer a boy, but a man. A man with morals…and character. I realize now that these are the things I should be proud of you for, but it pains me because I know I had nothing to do with this version of you."

Exhaling heavily, Draco placed the paperwork on top of the desk and stared at his father. "It is what it is, Father."

"I'm aware," Lucius said, slightly exasperated. "All that I am trying to express is that you've become a man. A real man, and while I had nothing to do with it, I am genuinely impressed with how you handled things in my er…absence."

"Yeah - about that," Draco said. "What in the fuck were you thinking? Or were you even thinking at all? You damn near destroyed Mother."

The elder Malfoy dropped his head in shame. "I…I couldn't…it was just too hard. I had, have, so much shame in myself for what I subjected you and your mother to. I watched you - hell bent on becoming anyone but me - and I guess got the idea one day that everything you wanted to accomplish would be easier if I were gone. It was cowardly, and I accept my actions for what they are."

Draco raked a hand through his hair and sighed. "I can't imagine it was easy for you. But you avoided going to Azkaban. I feel like if you had it in you to do the right thing and tell the Ministry what you knew to avoid prison, or worse, the Dementor's kiss, that you could have found a way to become a better person."

Lucius shook his head. "What did your mother say to when you first started dating Miss Granger?"

He thought back to the day in the garden when he realized she knew about Hermione. "She said that she couldn't change a half century's way of doing things overnight."

"Exactly," Lucius replied. "Your mother never had the same views I had. All your mother ever felt strongly about was blood status, and making sure you married well. Your mother didn't have the Dark Lord's doctrine burned into her like I did. She just stood by her husband, because that's what she felt her responsibilities as a wife were to be - dutiful and faithful. Undoing a childhood marred by the ways of your parents is different than changing a lifestyle."

"I'm sorry, but I just don't see a difference," was Draco's honest reply.

"You don't have to," Lucius stated. "I have to live with my mistakes. I might never fix my relationship with your mother, or with you, but that's not to say I'm not willing to try."

Sighing, Draco looked at his father, whose face was pleading with the words he couldn't bring himself to speak. "I told you already…it's going to take some time for me. There are things we need to figure out. Like permanent living arrangements. You and I might have a bit of a chance of getting along better if we weren't forced to inhabit the same space."

Lucius steel grey eyes brightened just a touch. "But I thought you weren't comfortable with your mother back at her cottage."

"I'm not," Draco replied. "It's too exposed, people know where she lives, and I don't think it's safe with you back."

"We were followed quite a bit today in Diagon Alley," Lucius stated. "By paparazzi and other curious folk."

"Exactly," Draco replied. "Which is why I'm not comfortable with the cottage. However, the land where the Manor sat is still ours. I wonder if it might be possible to build a new house, and have Harry go out and set up wards so that to anyone else, it looks like nothing more than what it is now - empty land. I also know Mother misses living in the Wiltshire countryside."

Lucius nodded. "You are the head of the family now, Draco. Whatever…whatever you feel is best your mother and I we will support and follow."

"Let me bounce the idea off of Hermione…Harry too, and we'll get it sorted out one way or the other," Draco said.

"Alright," his father replied.

It was getting harder and harder for Draco to continue to hold his longstanding grudge against his father, especially when he could hear Hermione in his head, the new voice of his conscience, telling him to be the bigger man he wants to be and take the first step. He hated how he could hear her inside his head, knowing that she'd say the exact same thing to his face if she were next to him. Draco knew he had to be the one to extend the proverbial olive branch. His father wasn't in any position to do so - all he could do was continue to tell Draco he would wait until he was ready.

Exhaling a sigh, Draco removed the wards from his desk drawers and opened the bottom right drawer, removing another dossier file. This one was overflowing with paperwork smashed between the old leather binds and filled with information he didn't understand. He handed it to Lucius, who reluctantly accepted it. "Will you," Draco said, locking eyes with his father as he spoke carefully, "help me go through that and make sense of it?"

"Really?" Lucius asked, almost eagerly.

Draco nodded. "Please," he said, hearing encouragement in his voice. "You probably understand them better than anyone."

With a simple gesture, the two men did something they'd never done before in a civilized manner - worked together. Unbeknownst to either of them, as the younger man listened intently to the older one as they peeled through the paperwork, the groundwork for a different, but better, relationship was cautiously mending itself back together.