Hey everyone, i want to say thank you for everyone who reviewed and favorited this story, you are all amazing and i hope to continue writing to the standard that you deserve. :)

this chapter is dedicated to Alaskantoad , Lizzy, Guest one and Guest 2 and svowles1690. I hope that you guys like this chapter too :)

p.s I was super excited for the positive feedback so i decided to update straight away.

Is anyone else excited for the UK premier of the new series of Nikita tomorrow night? because i live in the UK and therefore am a little late, please no spoilers, but i am super excited...

Well, there was a lot to think about, I guess... I turn to leave Oxford Street and finally make it down a snow covered ally before I can apparate away. There are no leaves on the trees and there are big fluffy clouds in the sky that threaten snow and the air carries a brisk feel that has me pulling my cream coat closed over my dress.

There is something about it being the Christmas time of year that leaves me a little depressed, this is supposed to be a happy, joyous occasion and here I am moping over the fact that Cormac is a bigger dick than I thought – who apparently can't keep his mouth shut. And now, Draco has decided to spring the most unlikely event in history on me – a Malfoy-Granger union which would probably have his ancestors rolling in their graves.

Finally I make it home, leaving behind the tinsel covered store fronts of big department stores like Marks and Spencers and John Lewis for the little flat that I bought for myself with my compensation from the war. The green walls of the living room shine before my eyes and I look out of the large window to watch as the snow begins to fall again.

"Hello me!" I yell at the empty apartment. Inside I should be pretty satisfied that I have finally been ditched by Cormac; well, until he went and plastered my love life in the Daily Prophet and has me as the number one Virgin Target in the whole of England.

Usually, the only guys girls have to worry about are the ones who are very clearly players. Like if Adrian Pucey came up to me at school and asked to get into my knickers that I would have known to shoot him down – maybe it would have been a little harder because of his body and his face... no I am not being shallow, just stating the obvious!... but if I held any stock in my virginity, and clearly I do because we are stuck with this awful dilemma now, I would have known that Adrian would not have been a good choice because there would be no more than love for himself, love for the act and the 'love of all that is holy' that I would have been screaming as his talented fingers bought me to orgasm. And then there would be the all crushing guilt that comes when he leaves the bed in the morning.

I'm not trying in any way to put Adrian down, but you just know that there is something about the way he walks, the way he talks and the way he has a queue the size of the M25 vying for his bed that he is not the love and roses kind of guy. And that is what I want. I want the love and roses and the sweet, sweet love making – I know, clichéd and boring and not really realistic... I'll probably end up with a half arsed Cadbury Cream Egg (depending on the time of year but you get the idea) a handful of free daisies from the local park and a two second fuck against the wall until he gets his rocks off and groans into my hair.

Suddenly, and this is a totally new revelation, I realised that this might all be my fault. Maybe this has happened because my expectations were too high; unrealistically high. But that is not fair! Why should I rip my knickers off for just anyone?

At twenty one here I am. Alone, with one marital prospect – my best friend who decided that marriage should just be another business arrangement! – and my knickers still tightly in place. Fuck off world, I can do exactly what I want with my own body.

I don't see why anyone would care anyway. I don't know why an article like that would be published... we didn't go round ready about Harry's first time did we? I think we can all assume it was probably less than spectacular – joking! – so why didn't we read about it? Oh right, Harry was in love with Ginny, she loved him back and they both told the papers to fuck off at the same time.

Turn the TV on because there is nothing like watching some crappy reality TV when you feel depressed and soon enough my sofa is full as my friends decide it is their opportunity to invade my breathing space. "Marcus, sit on your own cushion!" I yell when he picks me up and unceremoniously dumps me onto the next cushion.

"Hey, you know how much I hate sitting in the middle. I can't lean on you because I will squash you and cuddling up with Adrian is not an option!" He tells me before grabbing the remote and changing off of Marsterchef and onto today's Football game. I lean into Adrian and breathe deeply, pulling his heady scent into my lungs; he is all man... not like Cormac – stop thinking about CORMAC!

All of a sudden I find myself turning quickly in his arms and before he can stop me I have my lips pressed against his and my arms clawing him closer. Any thoughts I may have had prior vanish as Adrian pecks me lightly and pulls me away, "I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about." I tell him, shrugging and looking a Marcus quickly. "I don't get it, you feel the same as any other guy I've ever kissed, you just smell better." I stop, looking at him, "Maybe it's just me... maybe I can't feel it... maybe I am the problem!"

"No, Baby Girl, don't think like that." Adrian pulls me onto his lap and Marcus shifts a little closer. "When you find the right guy, you will have sparks and love and everything that you have ever dreamed of."

"I won't find the right guy." I tell him, standing up and walking over to the window where the Daily Prophet had landed this afternoon.

Shaking his head, Adrian walks up to me, "Sure you will, love," He says before I hand him the paper, my image clearly splayed on the front. "I am going to kill that Bastard!" he shakes his head, "And then I am going to take Marcus and we are going to slaughter Viktor Krum because he started this!"

There really is no option, not is Adrian and Marcus see the downside of this as well. Not if they too realised that I won't be able to find someone to love me for me and not what I am offering downstairs.

I guess that leaves me with no option. I guess Draco was right and there really is no choice. "I have to go out," I tell my shocked friends, marching to the floo and leaving them to sit and watch the game, "Food is in the fridge, help yourselves."

There was a shocked, "Where are you going?" from Marcus as I jumped into the fireplace, but I didn't answer as I called out Malfoy Manor before being taken away.

When I fall out the other end of the floo – undignified and in a heap on their precious tiles – the first thing I notice is that Lucius Malfoy is sitting on the sofa – all dignified and making me look worse that I already do – reading the Daily Prophet and then looking at me questioningly. There is no doubt in my mind that he saw my name and read the article, it would have been too convenient if he had just skipped it all together. "Mr. Malfoy." I acknowledge as I make my way towards him.

We are far from being bosom buddies, but I guess it is appropriate to say that out relationship has become more amicable over the last year or so. Especially when I began working with Draco and Mr. Malfoy became one of our main clients. "How is my favourite Malfoy doing?" I ask, sitting down on the sofa and prising the paper out of his hands. I take the front page from the magazine and rip it into tiny little pieces.

"Now, now, Miss. Granger... there was an article about a bushy-haired-little-know-it-all that I wanted to read!" he jokes as I set the paper aflame in my palm before vanishing in completely with a wave of my hand. "I never liked Parvati Patil anyway, or Cormac Mclaggen for that matter."

I look at him and take a little comfort in the smile that he provides me with, "I'm looking for Draco, have you seen him." He quickly checks the wards – a handy little trick he showed me – and he tells me that Draco is somewhere inside the Manor.

"Thank you." I tell him, standing up and walking to the door of the Parlour before going in search for the youngest Malfoy. A house elf points me in the right direction, her little pink pillowcase – one of Draco's birthday presents to me to keep all the house elves clean and happy... and the best part was watching Lucius Malfoy try to hold back the growl as he watched all of his house elves get kitted out in the pretty new outfits... Lucius gave up fighting it in the end – reaching to her knobbly knees.

The gardens are cold this time of year and the icy grass crunches under my feet as I clutch my cloak tighter about my body. I can see him standing on the edge of the manor lake, looking out of the water with a pensive expression on his face.

He doesn't notice me at first, he seems to be lost in his own little world as he looks at the icy surface, not caring about the weather either it seems as he sits there in a t-shirt. I stand quietly behind him as I try not to disrupt his peace and pull my cloak open, letting it fall onto his shoulders before I tie it gently around his neck and walk around in front of him. "Hey," He says as I take a seat between his legs and let his icy arms embrace me as he pulls the cloak over both of us.

I would be lying if I said that I instantly felt what I was longing for throughout the entire duration of my relationship with Cormac, because I didn't. There was nothing there other than the warmth that comes with friendship, but it is not like I expected feelings to just pop up from nowhere; like magic... because that would really be unrealistic.

I sigh, breathing in the smell that is uniquely him and pushing my body closer into his as I try to share my body heat. "Why are you here, Hermione?" he asks, holding onto me, but I can feel the reservation in his tone as if he knows that I am here to reject him and to tell him that he is not good enough.

When I was alone at home I counted the months. I counted exactly how long he would have before he would have to marry. His twenty second birthday is on June fifth giving him exactly six months today. "I'll do it," I tell him, looking out across the still waters of the lake as the undulate softly, caught somewhere on the boundary of turning the water to ice.

"What?" He asks, holding me tighter and pulling my face around to meet his. "What did you just say?" suddenly, I start panicking that he might have changed his mind, that he realised his mistake and doesn't want someone like me anymore... not when he could find someone beautiful and perfect. Not when he has people like Astoria Greengrass still sniffing around his ankles.

"Never mind." I wince slightly because there is a sudden influx of disappointment that I don't know how to take. I didn't know about this deal more than three hours ago and now I am unexpectedly saddened? The confusion of my emotions flutters through my head and I blink quickly to push away the fear of rejection.

There was a moment when we were standing together under the Christmas lights in the centre of London, that I thought he wanted it. That I considered the possibility that maybe 'Britain's Most Eligible Bachelor' could want me. Clearly, there was a little miscommunication between us.

"Did you just say yes?" his voice is commanding, forcing my eyes to lock with his smouldering grey orbs as he contemplates me, before a grin erupts on his face. "You just said yes!"

I start, the jumping back and forth between emotions has me a little dizzy, but the blinding smile he provides makes it all worth it.

Some people have said that I am maybe too selfless, that I do anything and everything for my friends when they need it, but sometimes I get this burning desire to make them happy... just like now. "Thank you," He gasps out, still stuck somewhere between shock and joy.

I smile weakly, there is something niggling at the back of my mind telling me that maybe I am making a mistake; i have never wanted anything more than to fall in love, but the happiness that I have given him means that I could never take back my word. He doesn't seem to notice as he looks me over and pulls me to stand before apparating us into his bedroom.

He pulls my cloak off and sets it on a chair, before waving his hand and lighting a fire in the grate. I smile, watching his Wand-less Magic as he busies himself. There is something fantastic about his power as he parades around the room; forwards and then out, like a peacock displaying his feathers he seizes all the power in the room, casting it away from himself in waves so that I have no choice but to feel it, no choice but to roll my stiff, cold wrists between my hands and wait as he calculates what is coming next.

I continue to watch him; his grey eyes sparkling endearingly as he nonchalantly swipes a hand through the air and the drapes fly open releasing light into the room, I had noticed the power he contained a few months ago. Usually, he tries to keep it under wraps, making sure to keep it unnoticeable when he does use it. He doesn't ever seem to be tired out by using Wand-less magic. It takes a lot out of me when I have to exert that kind of power; even setting the paper on fire in the parlour with Lucius took a little more energy than I am willing to admit. But Draco is so incredibly graceful to watch; it's actually beautiful because he doesn't even seem to feel the effects.

Shockingly, and sort of unfairly if I may just add considering the amount of times he has barged into my bedroom while I am half undressed and parading around sans knickers, I have never before visited his bedroom. The sparkling, silver sheets do not come as a surprise and, I guess, neither does the size of the place or the Slytherin memorabilia or pictures of him during his time at Hogwarts. The Wooden floor clicks under my heels and with another wave of Draco's hand, the trails of snow that I left behind have vanished. "You know," I say as I make my way over to the large, framed photo of the Slytherin Quidditch team from sixth year. "I lied this morning."

I quickly look over to him, his eyebrows meander their way up his forehead in question and he fixes his eyes on me. "About what?" He asks, watching me from his place seated on the bed, "If it's about doing the nasty with Mclaggan, then I don't want to know!" Smirking, he waggles his eyebrows and throws himself backwards onto the bed, his head lying lazily on one of the silk pillows and his shoes hanging off the end of his coverlet.

I glare at him and then flick my eyes back to the photo where he is standing in his Quidditch gear; smiling and waving at the camera, arms linked with Pucey's. "Adrian was not the only snake that I fancied."

"Really?" he asks, flicking one of his nails and looking mildly interested.

I flush, wondering if it would have been better to just keep my big mouth shut, but then I remember that in a few short months we are going to be married and I am going to have to bare myself to him anyway... so, so what if I share a few of my darkest secrets with him. "I used to have the biggest crush on you in Hogwarts."

"Really?" he repeats, sitting up and staring at me now with a bit more than a mild interest. His eyes flash in the light and I feel the heat crawling up my skin to settle on my cheeks.

I smile and pick up another photo, this one of him alone on his broom; kicking off from the ground, a huge smile on his face as he soars into the air. "Well, it was more of a crush on your Slytherin Quidditch Uniform," I amend; holding up the photo and watching him smile arrogantly. "And the way you looked in it." I scrunched up my face and then look back to the photo.

I flick the image of a conceited looking sixth year Draco with my thumb, "I always knew I had your knickers in a twist, Baby Girl." He throws his hands behind his head and puffs his chest out with pride, "And, I always knew you liked to watch me."

"Shut up!" I laugh, placing the photos back onto the shelf and jumping onto the bed next to him, "There was just something so manly and erotic about watching you take off into the air... I could not have liked you that much anyway," I tell him, looking up at the ceiling and realising that it is covered with stars like the Hogwarts great hall.

"Why's that?" He asks, rolling on his side and not believing a word that I say now that I have finally admitted to being attracted to his past bad boy image.

I smile, "Well I was always worried about Harry and Ron, praying to anyone that they would listen that they wouldn't die..." I trail off, getting ready to roll. "I couldn't care less if you broke your neck or not!" I laugh, spinning away as he tries to pounce on me, "No! Get off!" I giggle, struggling o breath as he catches me a rolls until he is perched above me.

"That wasn't a very nice thing to say!"

"You weren't a very nice guy!" I retort.

Flicking his nose into the air, he gives me his most haughty expression. "I am now."

"You are now," I agree, pressing a kiss to his cheek and reveling in the blush that begins the shine on his cheeks.

He rolls off and turns to face me again. I already anticipate the awkward question by the mischievous glint in his eyes and the age old smirk that winds its way back onto his features, "So, did you ever dream of how I would take you?"

I laugh as a way to conceal the flush that threatens to take me over with embarrassment. "Fuck off!"

"So that's a yes." He smiles, taking some sort of pride in the fact that he was a teenage Hermione's wet dream. I knew I should have kept my big mouth shut.

"Yeah, in the Quidditch Equipment shed as you stripped me of my knickers and my dignity." I joke, looking back at him and sitting up on the side of the bed, he laughs sarcastically at my joke and moves to sit next to me.

He takes my hand in his and examines it, running one of his fingers down each of mine as he breaths deeply and looks like he is trying to steel himself before saying something, "There are some conditions though, Baby Girl."

"Ok," I say, not really understanding what he is going to say.

"We can't ever get a divorce," he informs me, "You can't ever cheat on me and you have to have a child by me within two years."

"I knew about the divorce and I hope that you know that I would never cheat on you anyway," he nods and I continue; the idea of having a baby with him is a little weird. I would never have considered it before, I hadn't even thought of him in a sexual way since we had become friends... the last time I had considered that we could maybe have a sexual interlude was the first day after we started working together. Maybe that was because Adrian took him place. Who knows?

"I guess having a baby was an obvious condition, in hindsight." I tell him, "But I have some conditions of my own,"

"Ok, shoot." He releases my hand, "I'm sure they will be reasonable... I could always make that Quidditch Fantasy of yours come true!"

"I knew I should have never told you about that!" I yell, holding onto the side of the bed and scrunching my hands into fists. "My first condition," I say, watching him as he looks right into my eyes, "Is that we wait until the night of our wedding to... you know,"

He smiles, taking hold of my hand again and for the first time his eyes show a kindness and openness that I have never seen before. Instead of cutting, icy grey they mellow into fluffy clouds that make me smile in return. "I was never going to do it any other way,"

"And I get to choose how we... you know."

"What, you want to choose what position we use?" He looks confused as he raises his eyebrows and looks at me weirdly.

Giggling, I squeeze his fingers and look down, "No, I have a fantasy of how it will be done and I only get you, so we are doing it my way!" I smile, "I am perfectly happy having you take control of the rest of it,"

"Very well," smirking, his eyes return to their mischievous playfulness which has me feeling pretty stupid.

I nod, leaving that trail of thought behind and rolling my shoulder to ease some of the tension that has built up from sitting still for so long, "My last condition is that you have to play an active role in our children's life... No, 'there is a nanny for this' or 'the elves can do that'."

"I promise that I will always be around." He tells me, squeezing my face between his hands and pressing a kiss lightly to my cheek. Still no sparks, but imagining him in that Quidditch Uniform has me pretty hyped up. Maybe he is right and it will come with time.

My attraction to him was there once; I guess I can hope it will return. He's my best friend, maybe this is how my relationship was supposed to start. Then again, maybe it is too much to hope that this was all meant to be.

"So..." He moves to perch on one knee; his black trousers and tight, white shirt making him look like some male model from a magazine as he runs his hands through his hair and pulls a little box out of his trousers. "Will you do me the honour of being my best friend and becoming my wife?"

I smile and even though I know that this is all arranged, I still get some real tears pooling behind my eyes at the idea that in a few short months I am going to be marries, "Shouldn't you take me on a date first?" His face scrunches in disbelief and I burst out laughing, "Of course I'll marry you."

There is no sweet kiss after, just an awkward hug, but it should get better.

Hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter, please review to tell me what you think...

Hopefully Lucius is not to ooc but i will build on and explain their relationship better in future chapters.

P.s 2 - i know that Malfoy is supposed to be younger than Hermione, but i made a mistake in the first chapter and wrote twenty second instead of twenty first, so in my story draco is a few months older than hermione to make the story follow correctly...