When Hermione woke the next morning, a huge sense of relief washed over her when she saw that this time, Draco was still there. He was fast asleep, his features relaxed and his hair sticking up in a style completely different to the usual slicked back one. He had the blanket pulled up to his chest, protecting his pale naked torso from the cold beyond it, one arm was resting on the pillow above his head and the other lay across his stomach. Hermione shuffled herself closer to him, trying hard not to wake him but it seemed he was a light sleeper for as soon as she moved an inch his eyes fluttered open.
"Morning," he mumbled, "time is it?"
"Just gone seven," Hermione replied glancing at the clock over his shoulder.
"Mmm, too early," he grumbled and closed his eyes again.
She chuckled. "Too early for breakfast?"
"Breakfast?" he asked, opening his eyes for the second time and rolling over to face her.
"Yes, you know, most important meal of the day? I have bacon and eggs and-"
"Bacon and eggs? Then why are you still in bed?"
He began nudging Hermione closer to the edge of the bed in a playful way and she giggled as she took his not-so-subtle hints and climbed out of bed pulling her dressing gown on which was still on the floor from the night before.
"Alright, calm down, I'm going," she told him as he leant over the bed and continued pushing her. This side of him was refreshing, she had never seen him so relaxed and, dare she say, happy?
She headed into the kitchen and began making their breakfast and coffee and knew when the smell must have drifted to her bedroom for Draco came out, wearing only his jeans and a blissful expression on his face. When he reached the kitchen, he walked straight to Hermione who was flipping the eggs and wrapped both of his hands around her waist.
"Smells good," he mumbled into her neck, "and the breakfast doesn't smell too bad either."
She laughed. "What has gotten into you today? Do you know I only liked you because you were grumpy and a closed book, now you're all happy and I'm not sure I'm so keen anymore."
Draco pulled away looking hurt.
"I'm joking Draco!" she exclaimed. "I have been known to make jokes you know."
"I just can't win with you Granger," he grinned.
"Be quiet and eat your breakfast," she scolded as she handed him a plate full of food and a cup of coffee with no milk and one sugar, as she knew he liked it. He thanked her and they sat down at the table together.
"What will we do about work today?" Hermione asked him half way through breakfast.
"Well, I'd imagine the same thing we've been doing for months though hopefully you won't throw an ink pot at me now I know you find me irresistible."
"Very funny. Though I don't think I ever used the word irresistible. I mean about going, will we arrive together or separately? Are we telling people that we're…what are we?"
"Calm down, Hermione. Do you always overthink everything? I need to go home to change anyway, so I'll probably get there after you. As for what we are, I'm not entirely sure. I know that I don't want last night to be a one night, well…two night thing. I care about you, a lot."
She smiled. "Me too. And yes, I do overthink everything, I'm a logical person. So does this mean we're…together?"
"I think it does, yes." He set down his cutlery. "Well, that was a very serious conversation to have over breakfast."
Hermione laughed and took the dishes into the kitchen. She cleaned them with a wave of her wand and put them away before returning to Draco in the living room. In her absence, he had put on his shirt and shoes and was standing by the fire.
"I should be going, need to shower and change before work otherwise people will get suspicious." He winked. "Can I use your fire?"
She nodded and handed him the pot containing the floo powder. He kissed her gently before disappearing amongst the green flames. She headed to her bathroom to get ready for work, smiling the entire time.
When she arrived at her office an hour later, she was shocked to see Lucy already there, bouncing up and down in her chair.
"Hermione! Thank Potter you're here," she gushed. "Listen, I did something really stupid last night after I left yours, I-"
"Went to the Hog's Head and told Draco that you know everything, called him an idiot and said you were going to knock some sense into him?"
"Well, er, yes. How do you know?" Lucy asked incredulously.
"Just call me Trelawney," Hermione grinned.
"Tre-Did you just make a joke? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine! And yes, why is it that me making jokes is so shocking to everyone this morning? First Draco, now you-"
"Draco?" Lucy asked, one eyebrow raised. "He's not in yet, how have you…OH MY MERLIN YOU SPENT THE NIGHT WITH HIM AGAIN?!"
Hermione shushed her and glanced nervously into the corridor beyond the door behind her which was still open. She closed it and took a seat at her own desk before answering Lucy's question.
"Yes, Draco spent the night."
"But…what…how?"
Hermione explained to Lucy everything that happened the previous night after she left; the memory at the bar (Lucy apologised profusely at that part), Draco having seen their conversation and the cemetery.
"Wow…" Lucy gaped. "Just…wow. You took him to her grave? Has anyone ever told you you're an amazing person?"
"I'm really not, and he wouldn't have even come over if it weren't for you, I just gave him what he needed."
"I bet you did," Lucy winked.
"You're so crude!" Hermione scolded, the corners of her mouth twitching.
"Come on then, how was it?"
Hermione could tell Lucy had been dying to ask since she found out Draco had spent the night but was thankfully saved by the office door opening and Draco entering the room.
"Speak of the Devil," Lucy mumbled stifling a laugh behind her hand.
"Morning ladies," Draco said. "Hermione I've just bumped into Jarvis in the hallway, said he wants us in his office five minutes ago."
Hermione followed Draco out of the office, ignoring Lucy wiggling her eyebrows suggestively as she passed, and headed to her boss' room, wondering what was so important that he needed to see them so urgently.
"What do you think this is about?" Draco asked as they stood outside the door bearing Jarvis' name.
"No idea, unless Durmstrang have pulled out…Oh, you don't think they have, do you?"
"No way, you wore them down too well," he told her and squeezed her hand reassuringly before letting go and knocking three times on the door.
"Come in!" Duggen's voice boomed from inside.
When Draco opened the door, he and Hermione were greeted by not one, but two faces. The man next to Jarvis was tiny even sitting down, the tip of his head barely reached Duggen's shoulder, he was wearing his trademark purple robes and an annoying smile on his face that suggested he knew something nobody else did.
"Draco, Hermione, take a seat. You remember Ernie Portree?"
"How could we forget?" Draco said with a forced smile as he and Hermione sat down in the two seats opposite.
"Oh, Mister Malfoy," Ernie said happily, "there's no need to be like that. I have good news for you!"
"Were your toes eaten by Grindylows because that would be good news," Draco said bitterly.
"Draco!" Hermione and Jarvis reprimanded in unison.
"What? Hermione, this is the man who is responsible for all of those damned memories. Tim, Bellatrix, Evelina! Not to mention the ones from school."
"Mister Malfoy, if I may speak?" Ernie asked, still smiling annoyingly.
Draco nodded curtly, his arms folded across his chest and a frosty look in his eyes.
"I understand that you and the lovely Miss Granger have had a tough few months after your trip through the doorway downstairs. Obviously I'm not permitted to explain in great detail about how it works but I can tell you that the doorway chose memories that were only ever meant to strengthen your relationship, ultimately making things a little easier for poor Jarvis here. From what I understand you two were about as far from friends as possible when you started working together?"
Hermione and Draco both glanced at each other wearing identical guilty expressions.
"I'll take that as a yes," Ernie continued. "And now, unless my source is very much mistaken, things are very different now?"
"Your source?" Hermione asked, wondering who on earth knew about her and Draco that would tell the unusual man sitting opposite her.
"The doorway, my dear. More details I cannot explain unfortunately. Which leads me to the good news, now that your relationship has gone through such a drastic change, I believe you have seen all that you needed to."
Draco straightened himself up in his seat. "The memories are stopping? We don't have to see any more?"
"That is correct."
Both Hermione and Draco let out long sighs of relief and he smiled for the first time since stepping into the office. Jarvis was also smiling.
"So does that mean no more fighting? Sometimes I've felt more like a parent than a boss with these two, Ern. If they weren't so damn good at their jobs I would have sent them packing."
"I should think they will be seeing eye-to-eye more often now, Jarvis," he replied, standing to leave. When he reached the door he turned back, "though if I were you I'd make sure their new romance doesn't distract them from their work now."
And with that, he left leaving Jarvis spluttering. "Romance? Don't tell me you two are…?"
Hermione blushed and looked down at her shoes, Draco chuckled at her.
"Oh for Merlin's sake, I only wanted you to get along well enough to work together. Romance indeed, I'm going to hex that Portree next time I see him. Out of my office, the pair of you, before I change my mind about sacking you."
He propped his elbows on his desk and put his head in his hands, mumbling something about 'damned Unspeakables' as Hermione and Draco left the office laughing.
Three days later, Draco stood in front of Hermione, his face flustered, wearing a pair of jeans and a white shirt with the buttons done up wrong. She laughed at him, making him even more frustrated.
"Will you please stop laughing and actually help me Granger?" he snapped.
"Oh, Granger again is it?" she flashed him a smirk that she only knew how to do from watching him.
"I'm sorry, help me please?"
She stepped forward and unfastened the muddled-up buttons and fastened them again, leaving the top two open. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him before turning to her wardrobe and picking out the blue dress she had picked out to wear that night. They had been invited to dinner at Ron and Juliette's along with Harry and Ginny. Hermione had asked if she could bring a date but hadn't told them who it was, causing Draco to panic. He had expressed his concerns that Harry and Ron would hex him straight to a bed in St. Mungos, even though Hermione insisted that they liked him now. He countered her argument, asking why she hadn't just sent them an owl telling them but she wanted to tell them face-to-face.
"I still don't understand why you couldn't just have sent a letter," he grumbled again as they stood in front of the front door, about to leave.
"Draco, we've been over this. I can't just write them a letter to say 'by the way I'm dating Draco Malfoy', they're my best friends, I need to tell them properly. Anyway, stop trying to stall, they'll be absolutely fine with it. The three of you have been getting on perfectly well since that Quidditch match, you said so yourself."
"They might not be so nice when they find out we're together."
"Well, there's only one way to find out," she said, pulling him out of the front door.
They apparated and landed on the stone steps outside of Harry and Ginny's house, Hermione squeezed Draco's hand reassuringly and knocked on the door; it was Harry who answered.
"Hermione, come-" he paused when he saw who was standing with her and his eyes travelled to their joined hands. "Malfoy?!
"Hi, Potter," Draco mumbled.
"Er, hi. Come in…"
He stared blankly at the couple on his doorstep before turning away and leading them to the kitchen. He stopped once he reached the doorway and spoke again. "Um, Hermione's here…with Malfoy."
He stepped into the room , Hermione and Draco took his place in the doorway. Draco looked at the floor and Hermione glanced nervously at Ron, Ginny and Juliette. Ron was staring back open mouthed, the two girls were beaming. There were a few seconds in which no-one spoke
"Finally!" Juliette and Ginny said exasperatedly, breaking the silence.
"You knew?" Ron stared incredulously at his wife and sister.
"Of course," Juliette told him. "Hermione brought him to our wedding as her date, did that not give it away?"
"You said it was just as friends. Why didn't you tell me?" he pouted.
"Actually, we were just friends at that point," Hermione said.
"Yes, but you weren't really though," Ginny replied.
"I suppose not." Hermione grinned.
"What…I…Women!" Ron shook his head while the rest of the group laughed.
"Never mind mate," Harry said patting him on the shoulder, "I'm sure you'll understand them one day."
"Let me know if you ever figure it out," Draco said, speaking for the first time since entering the house.
"And me, actually," Harry added. "Hey, Malfoy, have you seen the prototype they've released for the new Nimbus? They reckon they've finally designed one to top the last Firebolt, I doubt it though."
"You're joking? Nothing will top the Firebolt Gold!"
"That's what I told him," Ron said, forgetting about his frustration with women.
"That's what they said in this month's Quidditch and Brooms. I'll show you, c'mon."
He left the kitchen and headed into the living room, Ron and Draco behind him still discussing brooms animatedly. The three women remained in the kitchen, Ginny serving up lamb chops whilst Juliette poured Hermione a glass of wine. The men soon returned and the six sat down to dinner.
"I have to say, Hermione," Harry said half way through eating, "I never thought I'd see the day we'd sit down to eat with Draco Malfoy, your boyfriend."
"You're telling me," she replied.
"And me," Draco added.
"How did it happen anyway? You've not told us the full story," Juliette enquired excitedly.
Hermione and Draco both looked at each other, similar expressions of apprehension on their faces.
"Do you want to explain, or shall I?" he asked her.
"Well, it all started when Draco got the job in my department…"
A/N So there you have it, the final chapter! It isn't over just yet. I'm working on an epilogue which should be up soon :) I've started writing a sort of side-story to this one, it focusses on Draco and Evelina's relationship. It's called Mio Amore and you can find it on my author page. Obviously if you've read this far into the story you'll know how their story ends but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway!