Ok...so I wasn't really going to write this chapter but after seeing so many reviews wanting to know what happened the next day, I kind of felt like I owed it to you. And then when I was writing it, well, I got more ideas lol. I hope you enjoy it :D

"Stop making that face."

"I'm not making a face."

Hermione cracked an eye open and saw Ginny, doing her best to not look completely repulsed as she sat in the mud bath, submerged from the neck down. "You're making a face. The whole point is to relax, Ginny."

Ginny snorted. "I feel like have mud in places that one should not have mud in, Hermione. It's hardly relaxing."

She moved the small pillow a bit, resituating it against the edge of the bath and leaned her head back, contently exhaling. "You sound like Draco."

"Oh, please tell me you've suckered him into one of these," Ginny begged, tightening the sloppy bun she had perched on top of her head to keep her red locks clean.

Hermione cracked her eyes open again. "You realize there's a bit of mud on your hands…and now in your hair."

"Damn it!" Ginny exclaimed.

"We jump in a mineral bath right after this," Hermione said with a giggle. "And to answer your question – no – Draco has yet to experience the wonderful experience that is a mud bath." She sighed again as she felt all of her aches and pains dissipate from her body. "Just you wait," she said to Ginny. "You're going to feel amazing when this is over."

"If you say so," Ginny replied. "How long is this mud bath again?"

"Ten minutes," Hermione stated. "And before you ask – we only have been in it for about two of them."

Ginny laughed, following Hermione's lead and sank lower into the mud. "You think the boys are alive this morning?"

"I think Draco and Harry are," Hermione said with a hint of amusement in her voice. "It'll be interesting to see how the other two fared, don't you think?"

Draco woke up the next morning around ten, pleasantly surprised that the momentous pounding he anticipated to feel in his head once he opened his eyes was nothing more than a dull pang. Rolling onto his back, he buried his fists into his eyes, rubbing away the sleep before sitting upright. He swung his legs over, his feet finding the floor as his arms stretched up over his head. He lumbered across the room and opened the door, where he found Blaise and George clad only in boxers passed out on the couches, their mouths wide open. It appeared as if they were snoring, but Draco couldn't hear any noise.

"Silencing charm," Harry said, pouring a cup of coffee in the kitchen. "I thought the room had been inhabited by a freight train so I got up, came out, and found tweedle dee and tweedle dipshit out here."

"But didn't we put them…"

"To bed? Yes," Harry replied. "But apparently they woke up for a second wind." He pulled an empty bottle of fire whiskey out of the sink and set it on the table. "I poked 'em both with a wand earlier. They didn't budge. But they're still breathing, so that's a good sign at least."

Draco looked over at the two of them again, his fingers spread out as not to cover his mouth completely while holding a hand to his face, completely puzzled at the sight. After a few minutes, he chuckled to himself and retreated to his bedroom to grab his cell phone. "It would be wrong to take a picture," he said, walking back into the common area.

Harry laughed. "Really wrong."

"Mean even," Draco added.

"But they did this to themselves," Harry argued. "We didn't force them to drink."

"Or pass out in close proximity in nothing but boxers," Draco added.

"If the situation was reversed –"

"They would certainly do the same to us."

"Yep," Harry agreed, a smirk plastered across his face.

Draco looked over at Harry and cracked a wry smile. "You already took a picture, didn't you?"

Harry relocated the empty fire whiskey bottle to the trash with a thud. "Several. Give me your phone."

"Why?"

"Because I know damn well you have no idea how to use the camera on it," Harry said with a laugh.

He handed the phone to Harry without an argument, watching as Harry walked over towards the sleeping lushes and snapped a few pictures with Draco's phone. Draco knew he'd have to figure out how to use the phone in its entirety someday, but he only really used it to call Hermione. He'd have Hermione show him how to use it eventually, but for now, he was perfectly content to watch and laugh while Harry snapped a few more humiliating photos of Blaise and George. "How much longer do you think they'll be out?"

Harry shrugged, handing back the phone to Draco. "I figure if they aren't up in another hour or so we can wake them up so they can relocate their bearings a bit before we leave."

"Right. So…what do we to 'til then?"

"There's a shop up the street that sells remote control boats that you can put in the water…I thought I'd check 'em out - see if I could find one for James."

Draco nodded. "I think he'd like that - take it down to the park and put it in the lake."

"That's what I was thinking," Harry replied. "Come along?"

"As soon as I wash the stench of smoke off of me."

Harry laughed. "Good plan."

Melancholy music played softly in the background as Hermione and Ginny, freshly cleaned from their mud and mineral bath, rested on their stomachs as they enjoyed their hour-long massage. Hermione used her forearms as a pillow as she looked over at Ginny, who was face down on the table next to her, groaning with pleasure as the hands of the masseuse pressed her fingers into her bare back. "Glad to see you're finally enjoying yourself," she teased.

"Shut it," Ginny said through a moan. "I liked the mineral bath too. But this - this I could…do all day long."

Hermione giggled. "I'm sure if you'd ask Harry he'd massage you."

"He does," Ginny said. "Like I said - I'd just prefer to have it done all day long."

Hermione felt her body turn as limp as a noodle as the masseuse continued kneading fingers and hands into her lower back and legs. She sighed contently, mentally agreeing with Ginny, as she too could have this done to her all day as well. The thought that in two mere months, she would be married, and it was still a thought that was hard for her to fathom. Sometimes she had to take a step back and tell herself that yes, everything around her was happening and like Draco always reminded her - the other shoe that Hermione kept thinking would drop was indeed nonexistent. With Draco, she felt like she finally had a true partner for life, something she convinced herself to be impossible after how horribly everything ended with Ron. There were moments where she'd catch herself watching Draco, not doing anything in particular most times, and feeling completely overwhelmed at the notion of how much love she felt for a single person. How just a look or even a touch from Draco could make the weight of the world seem less daunting.

She sighed as the masseuse kneaded her shoulders and upper back for the remainder of the massage. Hermione didn't want to admit it aloud, but she was ready to see Draco. Not that her adventure with Ginny hadn't been fun, but she missed him a bit more than she initially expected. There was a difference in choosing to be alone and having to be alone. New York was a choice to be alone. Draco meant never having to be alone.

"Ginny?"

"Yes?"

She looked over to her friend, who was now looking back at her. "What's the best part about being married?"

Ginny pursed her lips together, pondering the question for a moment. "I've never been asked that question," she finally replied. She gathered the towel she was lying on and held it to her chest with her arms as she propped herself up with her elbows. "I mean…it's hard to pinpoint one thing. I don't really know if I've even been married long enough to answer the question to be honest. Why…why do you ask?"

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. I just…I guess I still kind of feel like the entire thing is surreal. I mean, I know I'm getting married, and I know it's real -"

"I remember feeling that way," Ginny said, her voice a bit reminiscent. "Of course, I was also barely 18 with everyone telling me I was bloody mad to be married so young. But I never once doubted the decision. Not once." She took in a deep breath and sighed, a smile creeping across her lips. "And then the day came…and I just remember walking towards him knowing that not everyone meets their soul mate at nine, but at that moment, I was incredibly grateful I did."

"Sometimes I used to watch you and Harry during our sixth year, and I could see how he looked at you before you two were officially together and even after - the look never changed. It was like when he was with you - he knew it was where he meant to be. I thought sometimes if I could get Ron to look at me half the way Harry looked at you, that it would be good enough," Hermione declared quietly. "Harry used to take that map of his out when we were in the tent, and he'd just watch your name as the footsteps floated through the castle."

Ginny's eyes grew slightly wide. "Really?"

Hermione nodded. "We'd be trapped in that tent for days and when he was most frustrated, he'd just stare at your name for hours on end. I truly believe it calmed him on the worst days."

The masseuses left Ginny and Hermione to get dressed, both of them skillfully sitting upright with towels clutched to their bodies, facing each other. "I didn't know that," Ginny finally spoke. "What a sap, eh?" she teased, masking her emotion with a flippant retort.

Hermione laughed a little. "Sap or not, it's my favorite part about Harry…how much he cares."

"I know," Ginny agreed, smirking as she blinked her damp eyes dry. "Are you and Draco going to be bonded?"

"Bonded?"

Ginny giggled. "There are two types of wizarding marriages - a regular one like muggles and a bonding marriage. I don't even believe I'm telling you something that you don't know."

Hermione's eyes grew a bit. "I had no idea. I mean, I figured wizarding marriages were a bit different of course, but when things fizzled out with Ronald, I just rather gave up on the idea. But…now that you mention it, I seem to remember the part of your wedding where your wedding bands had a spell of sorts placed upon them."

"Right," Ginny said. "Harry and I were bonded…my mother nearly had a fit. Too young for a marriage, let alone a bonding marriage, is what she kept saying."

"But your mother adores Harry!" Hermione cried. "How could she have been upset?"

"She just likes to fuss over her only daughter. You know how she gets," Ginny said with an eye roll. "Obviously she got over it."

"Obviously."

"Arranged marriages," Ginny continued on, "are always bonded marriages so that even if the two parties are adamant about the arrangement, it keeps them faithful. Breaking a bonded marriage causes a fate worse than death. Some say it literally breaks your heart."

Hermione let the thought sink in for a moment as she secured the towel around her body and slipped her feet into the fluffy white slippers on the ground. "How often do people, I mean, is a bonded marriage a common occurrence today?"

Ginny shook her head no. "I think Harry and I were the first ones to have a bonded marriage in the past ten years or so." Ginny slipped into her robe and fastened the belt around her waist so she could shimmy out of the towel wrapped around her. "Draco's parents are bonded – of course, their marriage was also arranged."

"Are your parents bonded?"

"Surprisingly, no," Ginny said. "Maybe that's why mine scared Mum a bit. But Harry told me it's what he wanted, what he felt was right, and asked me if I felt the same…and I did."

Buying one boat for James resulted in both Draco and Harry buying a boat for themselves, because after they were done playing with the models they realized they wanted one too. They both justified the need, of course, by saying that they could then race the boats with James at the pond in the park – which James would most certainly enjoy. With their purchases, they made a detour to the café across the street from the hotel for lunch.

"Did Ginny mention she cut her hair yesterday?" Draco asked as their sandwiches were delivered to their table.

Harry nodded. "She didn't tell me what she did to it – but she said it looked just a bit different."

"Granger said she didn't hack it off – so you shouldn't be worried," Draco said, popping a chip into his mouth.

"Right," Harry replied. "Apparently Hermione spent the day playing dress up with her…I'm rather anxious to see the result."

Draco laughed. "Well, I believe Granger's exact words were, 'she'll knock your socks off'."

"Will she now?" Harry said, grinning from ear to ear. "What time are we getting back again?"

"Six," Draco replied with a mouthful of sandwich. "I'm completely embarrassed at how much I want to try out these boats. I would have kills for toys half as fun as James has as a child."

"You're talking to someone who grew up in a cupboard underneath the stairs," Harry reminded. "I would've killed to have half of what James, Albus, and any of my future kids will have period."

"Touché," Draco said with a laugh. "You and Ginny talking about more kids?"

"When Albus is a little bit older, maybe," Harry said. "She wants a girl, but she's already said that she wants no more than three, either way."

Draco took a drink of his soda. "A girl, eh?"

Harry smiled. "I wouldn't mind a daughter. I wouldn't know the first thing about what to do with 'em, but I wouldn't mind a little girl with red hair like her mum."

"Or bushy brown hair," Draco said, a bit more wistful than he cared to acknowledge.

"You? Want daughters? Honestly?" Harry asked, quite baffled at the prospect.

"I do," Draco admitted, blushing a bit. "I don't know. The thought of miniature versions of Hermione bossing me around – because you know they will - but it's not like it'll happen. Malfoy swimmers haven't produced daughters in…well, ever. I'm sure I'll just wind up sons."

Harry shrugged. "Malfoys also don't marry half-bloods or muggles."

"True," Draco said, taking another drink. "I guess I'm throwing quite a wrench into the traditions of the Malfoy men who've come before me."

Laughing, Harry pulled out his wallet and placed some euros on the table to cover the cost of lunch. "Well, in my own personal and incredibly biased opinion, it's a mighty fine wrench…you know, as far as wrenches go anyway."

Draco followed Harry as they left the cafe and crossed the street, bags of boats in hand. When they entered their hotel suite, they found Blaise face down on the floor instead of flat on his back. George was still on the other couch, snoring away, cuddling his wand to his chest. Draco and Harry dropped their bags and pondered what to do for a moment before they both pulled out their wands as if they were reading each other's mind. Harry moved to stand over George while Draco went to Blaise, squatting down so he could get close.

Harry looked at Draco and with his fingers signaled one…two…three…"Aguamenti!" they both bellowed, jets of ice cold water splaying out of their wands and onto the sleeping slobs in front of them. They held their wands steady, laughing as George and Blaise both bolted upright, their own wands in hand, as they stumbled to find their bearings.

"What the -"

"Where the -"

Blaise fell back down on the ground and George braced himself with his hands against the arm of the couch while Draco and Harry continued to laugh. "You two are terrible gits!" George hissed, wincing as he spoke.

"Fuckin' assholes!" Blaise groaned. "Go away so I can sleep!"

"Sleep in your bed then, you prat!" Draco replied, nudging him in the back with his foot.

Blaise sat up again and looked around. "Wait. How did I get out here? Where are my clothes?" He looked over at George. "Where are your clothes?"

George looked down at his ginger pale body wearing nothing but a pair of boxer shorts, patting his hands on his bare stomach. "Good question," he said, his eyes squinting as he spoke. "What happened?"

"You tell us," Harry said, using his wand to cast a drying spell. "I woke up and found you both passed out with an empty bottle of fire whisky – which was odd because you passed out in the cab on the way home from the club. You were asleep when we went to sleep."

"I vaguely remember waking up…" George said. "Blaise was prodding me with his wand and –"

"Please, we don't need details," Draco said, restraining the urge to laugh immaturely while Harry silently doubled over, smacking his hand repeatedly on his thigh.

"Not that wand, ass!" George shouted. "Fuck! Shouting! My head!"

"Stop yelling!" Blaise groaned as he winced. "I think I'm going to be ill."

Draco snorted. "You were completely intoxicated when we got back. I don't understand how you and George killed that bottle on top of everything else and lived to tell the tale."

Blaise cautiously stood to his feet, holding his arms out to balance him a bit. "What time is it?"

"Quarter 'til one," Harry replied.

"I'm sleeping until we leave," Blaise said. "Maybe on the floor of the bathroom."

They watched Blaise lumber towards his room, slamming the door behind him. Draco looked at George, who suddenly didn't look as worse for the wear as Blaise was. "What are you playing at, Weasley?"

George laughed. "Don't get me wrong – I'm hung over, but I had the right mind to start turning my shots into water after he woke me up – wanting to know why there weren't strippers who looked like Luna anywhere. I had no idea what he was talking about, but figured if he was going to continue getting sloshed and gush about Ms. Lovegood, that I should hear it so I can taunt him about later."

Draco and Harry laughed as George stood, looking mighty pleased with himself. "Brilliant," Harry said. "I just want to know one thing."

"What's that?" George asked.

Harry looked at Draco, who held a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing, then back to George. "Where in the hell are your clothes?"

Hermione watched Ginny zip up her new brown boots that stopped just below her kneecap, her dark denim skinny jeans tucked in neatly. Ginny looked at her reflection, adjusting the sheer, olive green blouse, fiddling with the three buttons that weren't buttoned towards the top of the blouse.

"Leave 'em alone, Ginny," Hermione said.

"It's a bit revealing…"

"It really isn't," Hermione replied. "I wouldn't send you out there looking like a tart. Besides – you have that cute lace camisole underneath."

Ginny turned around to look at the reflection of her back in the mirror. "My ass looks fantastic."

Hermione nodded in agreement. She herself was wearing a strapless, peach colored maxi dress. It would be too cold for her to continue wearing her maxi dresses and as fall approached, she did her best to wear them when she could. It was also pretty strategic on her part, considering she didn't have enough of a chest to warrant wearing a strapless bra underneath, which would be quite the surprise for Draco when he realized all she had on underneath was a very tiny pair of knickers.

Brushing a clear lip-gloss against her lips, Hermione was ready to check out of the hotel and apparate to the airplane hangar. If she had it timed out right, they should be there about five minutes before the plane landed. Ginny was tossing a hand through her hair a final time, clearly enjoying the new volume the new layers in her hair gave her. "Why do you think they took a plane?" Ginny wondered aloud.

"Probably because Blaise would be too hung over to side-apparate back," Hermione scoffed.

"Harry said it was insane last night," Ginny stated. "But he and Draco were very well behaved."

"Only because they know who they have to come home too," Hermione teased. "I don't think Draco's much into that wild scene like Blaise is. At least not anymore."

Ginny nodded. "I don't think it ever crossed Harry's mind to become a part of it."

"That isn't necessarily a bad thing," Hermione said with a chuckle.

Luggage in tow, the girls made their way down the elevator to check out, thanking everyone for their wonderful stay as Hermione swished her name across the receipt with the complimentary pen. When asked if they needed a taxi hailed, she politely declined. The two walked for a bit down the street, enjoying the breeze before they found a secluded alleyway away from passersby. Holding hands, Hermione apparated them from Paris to the private airport hangar, unbeknownst to anyone. They saw three black town cars waiting, all of them running. "Why are their three?" Ginny asked.

Hermione grinned. "I might have called the car company this morning and said that we'd need three cars. Blaise and George can carpool home."

"Nicely done, Ms. Granger," Ginny said. "Nicely done indeed."

Tugging at the top of her dress a bit, Hermione smoothed out the rest of it with her hands. "I thought so."

With their luggage tucked away in their respective cars thanks to the help of the drivers, Ginny and Hermione stood next to each other, watching as the private jet landed a bit of a distance away. Ginny nudged her friend with her elbow. "Can I tell you something?"

"Of course."

"You look completely different than you did a year ago – and I mean that in the best way possible."

Hermione looked at Ginny. "Well…I feel completely different than I did a year ago."

"Not that you looked bad," Ginny quickly said. "I just – I'm so glad you're happy again."

"Me too," Hermione honestly replied.

The plane taxied towards them and stopped about a thousand yards away. As the stairs descended down, Draco popped out first, sunglasses masking his eyes as he jogged down the steps in a plain white t-shirt and a pair of jeans. She smiled, seeing her casual wear influence she'd been slowly integrating into his wardrobe was sinking in. He wasn't too convinced that you could wear anything shirt wise that didn't include a collar, but all Hermione had to tell him was that sometimes, simple was sexy, and that worked wonders with his point of view.

Harry followed right behind him, holding a hand over his eyes to block out the glare as he looked at Ginny, who stood near the cars with a sassy hand on her hip. "Blimey," Harry said, unable to contain his smirk.

Draco knew what Harry was looking at and couldn't help but agree. "Your night just got a hell of a lot more interesting, eh Potter?"

"Indeed," Harry agreed. The two walked in tandem towards the girls while the drivers of the cars passed them half way to retrieve their luggage. "She looks amazing."

"She does," Draco agreed. He didn't think her clothing was a drastic change – just updated, with a bit more style that suited her perfectly. "Hey Red – what are you doing tonight?" he called out to her, moving his sunglasses down just a touch so she could see his wink.

Ginny laughed. "Nice, Draco."

"You think I'm kidding," he said with a mischievous grin. "Legs like that could get a guy like me in some serious trouble."

"Excuse me?" Hermione said, pretending to be offended as Draco got within an arm's length of Hermione. She reached out and grabbed his shirt, pulling him close to her. "But I happen to be standing right here."

He squatted just a touch and wrapped his arms around her, hoisting her off the ground so that she was about a half a head taller than he was. "Just admiring your handy work, darling," Draco teased.

She gave him a light kiss on the lips as he carefully set her back down. "Well I have some handy work you can more than admire later if you're good," she lightly whispered with a slightly seductive stare.

Draco wiggled his eyebrows as he leaned down, giving her another kiss. "I'm always good," he said, pulling away.

Hermione laughed as she gave him a hug. She looked over at Ginny and Harry, who'd manage to move near their car. He held a hand and spun her around, grinning like an idiot as she laughed. He pulled her close and whispered something in her ear, causing Ginny's pale skin to flush all over. Harry opened the door for Ginny, who gave Hermione a wink and a wave before crawling inside.

"Harry," Hermione said. "Do me a favor?"

Harry looked slightly confused. "Um, ok."

"Remember to pick up the kids later," she said with a smirk.

Laughing, Harry nodded before climbing into the car. Draco leaned down and kissed Hermione's forehead as she kept her arms around him. "You know, that kind of puts a kink in my plans, Granger."

She looked up at him. "Because we're going to shag in the house while your parents are wide awake?"

Draco's shoulders dropped. "Fuck."

"Exactly," she giggled. "We can play later."

"We better," he slightly growled. "When do they move out again?"

"In a week," Hermione replied. She saw Blaise and George drag their lazy selves over to the other car, both wearing sunglasses and looking like they barely survived the past twenty-four hours. "What in the hell happened to you two?"

Blaise shook his head, not even bothering to answer. Instead, he stuck a hand out to Draco who shook it with a laugh. "Top night," he said, cracking a smirk.

"Only if you live to see tomorrow," Draco replied. "You still kind of look…ill."

"I've been worse," Blaise replied.

Hermione eyed him suspiciously and then looked to George. "What's your excuse?"

George laughed. "Blaise is a horrible influence."

"Well, at least you've managed to learn how to get along with one Weasley," Hermione replied.

"Funny," Blaise scowled. "I take you two are riding separately?"

Draco and Hermione nodded.

"Right then."

Blaise bid them a farewell and George followed, leaving in the second car for Merlin only knew where. Draco thought they were out of their minds when Blaise mentioned round two tonight in downtown London, but Blaise was pretty convinced that a few vials of Pepper Up would be the cure to his current ails. Angelina didn't return until tomorrow so George was game for anything. Draco could see Blaise and George forming a bond of some kind, and Harry acknowledged this as well. George always had another half in Fred, and since his death George had yet to connect with anyone in terms of friends like he'd manage to do with Blaise. Harry didn't think it'd hurt him any to have a new partner in crime, and neither did Draco. Of course, it still didn't explain them wearing only underwear in the morning, but as drunk as they were, the reasoning for their lack of clothing could be endless. For Draco, it wasn't the first time he'd seen Blaise get sloshed, only to find him half-naked the next morning and not in the place he was left. Either way, Draco and Harry figured it'd be a good story to take the mickey out of them when they needed taken down a notch.

During the ride home, Hermione found herself nestled up against Draco, his arm draped around her bare shoulder. The silence was comfortable between the two of them, and much enjoyed. Halfway home, Hermione looked up at Draco, who was staring contently through the tinted window. "I have a question."

"Yeah," he said, his trance breaking as he looked to her. "What's that?"

"Well, it's silly really, because I didn't know anything about it until Ginny mentioned it," Hermione began to ramble. "But I was just curious…what kind of wedding are we having?"

He gave her a weird look. "Um…one where we exchange vows and live happily ever after?"

"Draco," Hermione said, shaking her head slightly. "Ginny says there are different kinds in the wizarding world. You know she and Harry are bonded, right?"

Draco nodded. "My parents are bonded."

"I know. Ginny told me."

Exhaling, Draco paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to word what he was about to say without giving her the wrong idea. "I don't…I don't want to be bonded."

Hermione could feel her face fall a bit, her efforts to remain neutral be damned. "Can I ask why?" she said, her voice soft.

"Because it doesn't give you a choice," Draco replied, rather quickly. "If things don't work out –"

"You don't think this is going to work out?"

"That's not what I meant!"

"Well it's what you said!"

Draco sighed, frustrated at how this conversation was going. "Hermione," he said, looking directly at her as she sat up a bit. "I don't think either of us lives in a delusional world where we think everything is perfect. A bonding marriage doesn't…it doesn't give you an out. Let's face it – if something were to happen between the two of us I'm the more likely of the two to be the cause of it and if we were bonded, you would be stuck. Bonding is a completely archaic practice and if we're bonded, people will probably think I forced it on you and I don't want that. I couldn't live with it."

Hermione nodded, her feelings a little less hurt. "I don't want anyone else," she whispered, looking down at her hands. "I don't want anyone but you."

"I only want you," Draco said empathetically, grabbing both of her hands as she looked back at him. "Forever. Us two. With kids. Happily ever after. The whole shebang, as they say – that's what I want and what I intend to have with you."

She smiled a little. "I want that with you."

"Which we can have without being bonded," Draco said, with as much compassion as he could. "I just don't want to tempt the fates against us."

Hermione nodded. She thought he would have been over the moon at the suggestion, but he wasn't. All she could do was bury her disappointment, because she didn't want to argue about it at that moment. As the car pulled up to the house, Hermione practically leapt out of the car the moment the driver opened the door. Draco caught her wrist with his hand, and she looked back at him.

"Yes?" she asked.

He leaned in and kissed her hard, holding the back of her head close to him with his free hand. "I love you," he said, his voice firm. "Don't doubt it."

She smiled a little. "I won't."

"You are," Draco said.

Her smile grew brighter out of force as she gave his leg a pat. "I love you. It's fine. Come on, let's go relieve your parents of the kids. I'm sure James wants to spend time with you before he goes home."

She slipped his grasp before he could pull her back. He watched as she led the driver to the front door with the bags before slipping inside. He raked a hand hard through his hair and sighed. He didn't want this to be a thing. He didn't even know what to think about her suggesting they be bonded to begin with. Slowly, he climbed out of the car and tipped the driver as Draco grabbed the last suitcase.

He might not have wanted this to be a thing…but he certainly didn't see it disappearing, either.