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Title: Pillow Talk: Bedtime stories

"And then, Nana Cissy took me to Diagon Alley and she bought me an ice cream, and we went to the bookshop, and we went to Madam Malkins and she bought new dress robes and bought me a new dress…" Cassie continued to ramble as Draco picked up various toys around Cassie's bed and put them back in their respective places. It was Draco's turn to get Cassie ready for bed, involving her usual bedtime bath, changing her into pajamas, getting her a glass of water, picking up her room, and of course, her ritual bedtime story.

"Sounds like you had a busy day," Draco concluded as he tucked Cassie under her pink covers. He smiled at his daughter, the spitting image of his wife of eight years. "You must be too tired for your bedtime story."

"Nuh uh!" She tried to stifle a big yawn, but was unsuccessful.

Draco chuckled. "No, I think that you need to go to bed. I already read you The Tales of Beedle the Bard while you took your bath."

"But Daddy…"

"Daddy had a big day too, sweetie and tired as well. I think it's best if you just go on to bed," Draco said as he dimmed the night lamp and walked away from her bed.

"But you still haven't told me how you and Mummy got together," she pleaded.

"Another night, baby. Go to bed," Draco said nearing the door.

"You promised," she pouted.

Draco sighed. He stopped himself in the middle of Cassie's doorway and turned around, with his hands tucked in his dress pant pockets. "I did, didn't I?"

Cassie nodded her head furiously, clutching her beloved ferret plush toy.

"Alright," Draco conceded. Draco made his way over her large bed and got on top of her covers.

Cassie frowned.

"What?" he asked.

Cassie raised her eyebrows and looked pointedly at his shoes on her covers. Draco sighed heavily, and kicked his shoes off. "You are your mother's daughter. Is there any part of me that you inherited?"

"…I did give James Potter a Hiccough Sweet when he kept teasing me about my hair yesterday," she smiled sweetly.

Draco laughed out loud. "Oh, you are my daughter."

"The story Daddy!"

"Okay, okay. You definitely get your impatience from Mummy."

"So you said Mummy was supposed to marry another man?"

"Yes, I did say that."

"Well, why did Mummy marry you then?"

"You don't think Mummy should have married me?" Draco sported a hurt look on his face.

"Of course not! I wouldn't be here if Mummy didn't marry you, would I?"

Draco raised his eyebrows at Cassie's conclusion. "You wouldn't?"

"No, because it took you and Mummy to make me in Mummy's belly, remember?"

"Did Mummy tell you that?"

"Mhmm. Mummy told me that in order to make a baby, you need a mummy and a daddy. And the daddy puts the seed in the mummy's belly. And then the seed turns into a baby, and voila! Cassie!" she smiled, raising her arms in triumph.

Draco chuckled at Cassie's explanation. "You are right. If Mummy didn't marry Daddy, you wouldn't be here."

"So why did Mummy marry Daddy?"

"Well, the day of Mummy's wedding to the man other than Daddy…"

Draco woke up with a slight headache. The morning rays were currently shining through the window drapes, causing him to wince. He buried his head back under his covers, unwilling to face the events of the day. He couldn't believe what had occurred only hours before. He had willingly given up his feelings about his living situation with Hermione. Why had he waited until the night before her wedding to give up his feelings? Was he trying to make her stay? Was he trying to tell her that he liked her… a lot? Did he regret it? No. Draco didn't regret what happened last night; because he knew that it was the last night he would be able to spend a night with her.

He looked at the clock and realized if he didn't get ready soon, he would be late to Hermione's wedding. An hour later he found himself at the ceremony, watching several guests mingle amongst themselves as they waited for the ceremony to begin.

"Draco?" a woman's voice asked.

Draco turned around and saw Ginny, dressed in her matron of honor dress, an emerald green sweetheart gown.

"Yes, Red?"

"Hermione is asking for you."

Draco frowned. He wasn't prepared to see Hermione before the wedding. He may have been prepared to see her after the wedding when he knew she was spoken for and had a MRS. in front of her name. Why did she want to see him? Curiosity killed the cat. Draco coughed. "Um, sure. Where is she?"

Ginny gestured over to the house overlooking the outside ceremony. "She's upstairs. The first door on the left by the staircase."

"Thanks." Draco walked inside the house and walked up the stairs. Taking a deep breath, he found himself at the door. He knocked softly.

"Come in," Hermione allowed.

Draco opened the door and saw Hermione dressed in her wedding gown. A vision in white, the full skirt accentuated her tiny waist. The sweetheart neckline was delicate and there was not a rhinestone in sight. It was simple, elegant, and very Hermione. "You're beautiful."

Hermione smiled and looked down at herself. She smoothed down her dress, looked back up, and took in Draco's face. He was mesmerized. "You wanted to see me?" Draco asked.

"Um…yeah. I wanted to talk to you before I left this morning, but you were still sleeping and I didn't want to wake you up. Especially…ahem…with what happened last night."

"What happened last night?" Draco asked, playing dumb.

"Well, you came into my bed after the stag party and started to tell me how much you are going to miss me and I guess I fell asleep on you…" Hermione rambled.

Draco let out a small chuckle.

"I'm sorry," Hermione said. "I was really tired from that day with the wedding planning and the packing, and everyone asking me all these questions, I was exhausted, and I didn't mean to fall asleep on you."

"It's okay, Hermione. No hard feelings," Draco smirked. "I should go. Let you get ready to walk down the aisle." He saw the uncertainty on her face, evidenced by the biting of her bottom lip. He had to assure her she was making a good decision, no matter what heartbreak he may suffer. "He's a good man, Hermione. Lucky man." Draco turned away and was about to leave when Hermione stopped him.

"I wanted to tell you, that I'm going to miss you too. I'll miss the Sunday afternoons reading the Daily Prophet. I'll miss asking you for your fashion advice," Hermione smirked. "I'll miss learning how to cook random recipes and burning dinner, I'll miss teaching you about muggle customs and showing you around Muggle London."

Draco's chin dropped down to the floor in an attempt to hide any emotion that would show on his face.

Hermione continued, "I'll miss you getting into my bed and having inane and thoughtful conversations at two in the morning. It was kind of a comfort I had. Knowing almost every night, you would come into my room and say goodnight, no matter how late it was. Knowing you were home, safe, and that…you cared."

A long pause occurred after Hermione's confession. Draco didn't know what to do. He couldn't tell her that he loved her. That he's always loved her. Not on her wedding day. It wasn't fair. Not to Hermione. It wasn't fair to Draco, either. But in the end, Draco knew what he had to do. Draco coughed. "I'll miss you too, Hermione."

Draco turned and left the room, leaving Hermione standing in the room, alone. Draco walked numbly downstairs and was about to step outside back into the ceremony, however, he found himself stopping in the foyer. Instead of walking back to the ceremony, he apparited away.

Draco got home to his flat hours and hours later. He didn't remember where he had gone after he left the ceremony. But he remembered that he ended up at Malfoy Manor. The grounds were beautiful this time of year and he spent hours walking around the estate. Thinking what had occurred that day. He said his goodbyes. Looking back at the Manor and all of its splendor, he concluded the gut wrenching feeling would go away. It would take time, most definitely. But Draco felt confident that he would move on eventually. His thoughts wandered back to Astoria. Maybe he should try and start things up with her again. Take his mind off Granger. He was distancing himself from her now. No longer Hermione, just Granger.

He shrugged off his cloak and suit jacket onto the couch. Already, his home seemed empty. He suddenly became angry with himself for letting Hermione get so close to him. It was all of a mistake. Every bit of it. From the moment she stepped foot into his flat, everything changed. He yanked off his tie and threw it on the floor. Angrily, he kicked off his shoes in the hall, not caring where they landed. He opened his bedroom door in a haste to get to his bathroom and take a shower to wash off the day's grime and emotional exhaustion. And he stopped. His throat suddenly became very dry at the sight before him. The last vision he expected to see that night would be Hermione, in her wedding dress, tucked in his bed, and fast asleep.

"The end," Draco stated simply.

"Daddy!" Cassie whined.

"It's way past your bedtime, Cassie."

"But that wasn't the end of the story!"

"No, because it's the end for tonight."

"There was no happy ending!"

"You know the ending already, baby. It has a happy ending."

"Why didn't Mummy marry that man, though? What happened when you found her sleeping in your bed? Did you kiss her to wake her up like Sleeping Beauty or Snow White?"

"…You would have to ask your mother that," Draco stated.

"But Daddy…" Cassie yawned.

"Another night, I promise. I'll finish the story, another night," Draco assured her as he lifted himself off of Cassie's bed, retucking her in the bed. He kissed her cheek and smoothed out her hair.

"Alright, Daddy."

"I love you, sweetheart."

"Lu-you," she mumbled as her eyes drooped closed.

Draco closed the bedroom door quietly and found himself face to face with Hermione, who was leaning against the wall. "Oh, hello there."

"You skipped some parts of the story," Hermione stated.

"I think those parts are best when she's older," Draco concluded.

"Why didn't you finish the story?" Hermione smiled.

"Got to keep her hooked in. Besides, I think she should hear the story from you, too," he said as he draped an arm around her shoulder and walked her further down the hall towards the living room.

"Oh yes, because Merlin knows you like to exaggerate the details," she scoffed.

"I do not exaggerate," Draco argued.

"Mhmm," Hermione smirked as she pulled away to settle herself down on the couch. Draco shortly joined her and settled in the crook, grabbing the Daily Prophet. Hermione grabbed her book and laid her head in Draco's lap.

"Are you happy?" Hermione asked after few moments of silence.

"Of course. I have my wife in my arms and my six year old daughter sleeping safe and sound in her bed."

"I mean…are you happy that I came back that day? You said you thought you would marry Astoria in your story. I never knew that," Hermione softly asked.

Draco dropped his paper on the end table and stared straight down into Hermione's eyes, whose head remained in his lap. He settled his right hand on her hairline, brushing away her hair. "Hermione Granger-Malfoy," he stated sternly. "I was deliriously, unequivocally, heart-bursting happy that you were in MY bed that night when I came home. And I do not exaggerate. Not a day goes by where I don't picture that image of you, in my bed, sleeping soundly without a care in the world. And I am so thankful and blessed, that that image is recreated every night. I am 100% sure that I would have never married Astoria if you decided to walk a different path. Maybe in an alternate universe, but not this one. I would have died a lonely, miserable, old man, still pining after you as you built your own family…"

Hermione held two fingers up her husband's mouth to silence him. She didn't want to hear what would have happened. For now, she wanted to live the life she happily chose. Hermione let out a huge breath that she didn't know she was holding. She looked up into Draco's eyes and saw nothing but love and devotion. "I love you."

"I love you," Draco smiled. Hermione returned to her book trying to hide the tear that ending up dropping onto Draco's pant leg.

"So I have a question," Draco stated as he picked up his Daily Prophet and returned to reading.

"Yes?" Hermione asked flipping a page.

"Who are Sleeping Beauty and Snow White?"

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